Seth Saunders Inspirational

Favorite Quote-Courage to show your dreams

When is the last time you showed or shared your dreams with someone else? What was it about the dream or the person you had trust in that made you want to share? If you have not share your dreams or at least recently, why not? What is holding you back from sharing what it is you want most?

There is no question that sharing our dreams and goals with others takes courage. Sure it is easy to say to a friend, “I dream of winning the lottery” but if we areeq-best-quote-by-erma-bombeck-it-takes-a-lot-of-courage-to-show-your-d-1395402571gk84n being honest, this is an empty dream. See the truth is, just like goals, in order for dreams to become a reality it takes action. To just dream does not cost anything, we can all dream but only when we take the steps necessary will those dreams become real. And that is one of the main reasons that it takes courage to share our real dreams. Sharing real dreams with others means that we will need to take action. The act of taking action has two potential results; success or failure. As humans, we do not want or enjoy failure. The fear of failure can often paralyze us to the point of not having the courage to share our dreams with others.

When we have the courage to share our dreams with those we trust, we take the most important step in making our dreams become a reality. For some there may even be a feeling of relief when they share their dreams as they now can actually do something to make it happen. Courage has the potential to be one of the greatest attributes we can develop throughout our lives. See courage is the opposite of fear.

As you work towards replacing the fear of failure with the courage to succeed, amazing things can happen. In fact, our dreams can become our reality. Take the time to first identify what your real dreams are and then identify a couple of close people you feel will encourage, support and push you to achieve those dreams. Doing these two things can ignite within you the courage to share.

You deserve to see your dreams come to life. Have the courage to make it happen.

Seth Saunders Learning

Mastering Monday’s

What? Are you kidding me? How can it be Monday already? IMG_0080

Not sure about you but I have asked the questions and at times often. Depending on where we might be in our life Monday’s can be a day we are excited to come or a day we wish we could skip. The truth is, Monday’s have a dramatic impact on us in many ways.

For most people it is the first day of the work week or school week. It is a day that people are trying to get caught up on emails and projects. It is often the day that a project is due in school for kids. It is a day that there is probably some type of team meeting at work to check on previous weeks accomplishments and set the goals for the coming week. Monday’s carry quite a bit of weight when it comes to impacting our overall week.

Although I have not completely mastered Monday’s, I have observed and/or experienced somethings that can help make Monday’s better.

  1. A good Monday starts with a complete Friday. I have found that if I make sure that prior to leaving work on Friday I have reviewed my key tasks to ensure I have a solid starting point on Monday, I feel more relaxed during the weekend and more organized to start my Monday’s.
  2. Find inspiration. Starting your Monday morning off with something inspirational is a great way to get the brain and emotions in us aligned. We will feel good and have the desire to make it a great day. That inspiration may come from reading a quote, article, scripture, chapter in a book, watching an inspiration video on YouTube, listening to a great podcast, it can come in many forms.
  3. Be proactive. Since you and I are not alone when it comes to struggling on Mondays at times, be the person who influences others in a positive way. Be the one who says hi to co-workers with a smile first. When others complain, you find a way to compliment to create positive energy. I have found that I feel so much better when I am being proactive in helping others get their Monday’s started off on the right foot.
  4. Breath and focus. Sounds easy but can be extremely difficult, especially on Monday’s. However, the ability to really focus on Monday’s is critical. This is why point 1 is so important. The more you organized, the better you can focus. Taking time to just breath, nice deep breaths does amazing things to align your body and brain.

I wish I could say this is the perfect formula and that it works for everyone but its not. These are just somethings I have found to help me and others Master Monday’s. I came across this quote by David Dweck and really feel it defines the importance of making the most of every Monday: “Mondays are the start of the work week which offer new beginnings 52 times a year!”

Now, go be hero on Monday’s. You deserve it.

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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