Seth Saunders Inspirational, Learning, Value

Inner Strength-Part 3

Be Positive.

Two words that we probably hear on a daily basis and yet many find this to be a difficult task. It seems that with all of today’s modern medicine to help those who may suffer from anxiety, depression or other mental illness that being positive is as easy as popping a pill. If that were the case, we would live in a much happier place.

The truth is, no matter what our situation is, we have a decision to make each day we live whether to be positive or not. I have heard others say that we should embrace our trials or challenges and although I agree, we are human and should feel as though we can express those emotions. However, allowing those emotions to continue on can feed into thoughts of despair, negativity, hopelessness and many more draining feelings. The ability to transition your thoughts to those of positivity will help you in so many ways.

We need to try and avoid situations that could cause us any type of emotional harm but there must be that realization that things happen. It is when those situations take place that we must have the inner strength to find some way to be positive. We become what we think. If we spend our days being negative, we will become negative. If we surround ourselves with naysayers and negative people, it will influence who we are, the decisions we make and how we react. Being positive is the key.

Being positive attracts and influences others in many useful ways. People in general love to be around people who look to the future with hope and anticipation. The majority of great motivational speakers create an environment where people feel their positive energy and then have a desire to take action in their life. It is that positive feeling that creates a sense of wanting to accomplish our goals. Thus, there is a direct correlation between being positive and accomplishing your goals. When you can find the inner strength to be positive, you will see your world become brighter and you will give yourself the chance to reach your full potential.

Finally, think about how social media influences your emotions. This goes for what you post and comment to what you view and like. Why do we allow ourselves to use/engage with social media in negative ways? How does comparing ourselves help us be positive? How does making a rude or hurtful comment create good feelings? The simple answer…they don’t. You can control how you use social media.

Let’s find ways to be more positive. Doing so will bring so much more happiness, peace, energy and compassion into our lives. Being positive makes out inner self stronger, we feel more empowered, we are more optimistic about the future and we feel more in control of our life.

How can you be positive? How can you help others to be positive?

Be A Hero!

Seth Saunders Value

Own It

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the statement “Own It”? Some may quickly think of key words such as accountability, responsibility, acknowledge, admit, have, obtain and other words. Others may think of a situation that reminds them about a time they were able to “Own It”; maybe it was a presentation and they owned it ( it being, they had a killer opening, the presentation flowed, questions were answered, the audience was engaged), maybe it was the lead in a play at a school and they performed to perfection because they owned it (it being, delivering lines, facial expressions, placement on stage, support for others), maybe it was being the leader of a key project at work and goals were achieved because the leader owned it (it being, the project, goals, milestones, actions, tasks, people). The truth is, success as a leader is all about this concept of “Owning It.”

own-itWhat is important to understand is that the key to success is understanding that what changes is the “it” part of this concept. See, no matter what the situation is, when it comes to the “own,” the concept is constant and never really changes. Why? Because of those key words mentioned before; accountability, responsibility, acknowledge, admit, have, obtain. As one becomes more aware of how to own they will build their confidence which is so crucial to be successful when the time comes to “own it”.

So how does one go about becoming good at living by this concept of “owning it”? It has been my personal experience that the following items are vital in achieving success with this concept of “owning it”:

Seek Clarity: When expectations, goals, directions are clear, we give ourselves a much greater chance of achieving success. Clarity also brings with it the ability to have confidence in what one is doing and it is this confidence that unlocks the power to “own it”.

Develop a Plan: Once there is clarity, it is now possible to develop a plan. The process of a developing a plan creates the feeling of ownership which is one of the best definitions of “owning it”. When there is a feeling of ownership, there is more commitment to achieve success. It is important that this plan is detailed and covers goals, expectations, actions, tasks, milestones as well as identifies those who you might need to work with.

Execute and Evaluate: No matter how good a plan is, nothing happens until action is taken. When it comes to “owning it” a leader must lead out by executing the plan. As actions are being taken, a leader must be able to effectively evaluate whether the plan is working or not. This evaluation can only take place if there was clarity up front so that an effective plan could be developed.

There are other areas that could be addressed but my goal is to provide more of an introduction into this important leadership concept to “own it”. As one learns how to live and lead by this concept there will be greater feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction and confidence. These are all feelings that we as humans crave on a regular bases so take control of the “it’s” in your life by saying to yourself, I will “own it”.

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Seth Saunders Inspirational

Quotes-Do they really mean anything?

Often times we see people share quotes. It seems to be all the craze with Social Media right now and I am one who has made a regular part of communication and touch points with different audiences. So what do these quotes really mean? Well, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes and why I like them so much. Let’s get started:quotemarks

Quote#1

“The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at the best, know the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

thinking questin markMy thoughts:

To me there is so much within these profound words of the great president Theodore Roosevelt. I guess one main reason I like this quote so much is that it can be applied in almost every situation. I know that having spent quite a bit of time in leadership roles professionally, religiously and in other areas of my life, this quote has always come to my mind. At the end of the day, the credit truly does need to go to those who are making great things happen every day. Whether you are a parent, teacher, leader, professor, whatever role you want to list, think about how this quote might change the way you see others. For parents, your teenagers are in a serious battle, every day, they are in the arena trying their hardest to do good, are you giving them the credit for their efforts or are you always looking for what’s wrong? Just something to think about. I know as a parent I can lose sight of just how blessed I am to have teenagers who strive every day to do good. This quote helps me remember that and do all I can to be there should the slip and fall.

Quote #2

“Life is about adding value to other people’s lives.” Lou Holtz

My thoughts:

I love these short but sweet quotes. There is a ton of meaning in these few words. I was actually attending an event where Coach Holtz was speaking and heard him share this and it pierced my heart. I can remember the feelings I had about how this had been my goal throughout my life but he stated it in such an effective way. I can honestly say that this quote was truly a turning point for me. It has helped me to push forward in trying to set myself up to truly add value to other people’s lives. So what do you think about his quote? It is important that this not be applied just to one’s professional life. Think about what your life is made up of, now how does this quote relate to you? The last thing that made such a profound impact on me was that these words of a college football player who truly believed and lives these words. He wanted to add value to the young men he coached. He walked the talk. I am trying every day to do the same.

So there are just two examples of how quotes can be used for more than just nice Tweets, Intsagram pics, Facebook Status, etc. I will share more of these in the future as I liked the exercise of reflecting upon these words.

Time to go add value.