Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John C. Maxwell & Rob Hoskins in their book,  Change Your World   (p. 70). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And this is something we need to let sink into our actions in this day in which we live. Earlier John said, "Having common values among team members versus not having them is like the difference between a herd of horses and a herd of donkeys when they’re under pressure. Horse trainer Stephen Brown said that when a group of horses encounter a threat, they stand in a circle facing each other with their hind legs pointing outward, ready to kick at their enemy. Donkeys, on the other hand, do just the opposite. They face the threat, but that means when they do kick, they strike each other." John continues, "Once you’ve determined there is an alignment of values, focus on what you have in common, not your differences. What we focus on expands. If we focus on our differences, our differen

A thought by John C. Maxwell & Rob Hoskins in their book,  Change Your World   (p. 53). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Do you have something that you are thinking about doing? Maybe it is an idea that could make a great difference. John says, "It’s okay to start even when you don’t have all the answers. Do what you know to do. You don’t need to know every step of the way. There is no silver bullet. There is no perfect plan. Focus on purpose, not perfection. There is no standing still when it comes to making a difference. You are either moving forward or sliding backward. Start moving forward. And invite others to join you. If you don’t, you may look back a year from now and wish you had started today. When I started EQUIP, I had no idea we would train millions of leaders. When Rob took over OneHope, he didn’t know the organization would be able to help children in nearly every country in the world. We just t

A thought by John C. Maxwell & Rob Hoskins in their book,  Change Your World   (p. 44). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)  That seems to be an important question for those who have a dream. John says, "In my book Put Your Dream to the Test , one of the first questions I recommend people ask themselves is this: Is my dream really my dream? Why? Because if the dream you intend to pursue isn’t really yours, you won’t own it. And if you don’t own it, you won’t do what it takes to achieve it. Your dream becomes your dream when you recognize the contribution you can make. The same is true for becoming a catalyst for change. Only if you own it will you be able to fulfill it." He continues,  "I was reminded of this in 2011 when I met with the board of my nonprofit organization EQUIP. We had just celebrated the fantastic milestone of training five million leaders from every country in the world. When you f

A thought by John C. Maxwell & Rob Hoskins in their book,  Change Your World   (p. 39). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Is that also what you want to do? John says, "I wasn’t sure what I would do or where it would take me or how I would get there. I just knew I wanted to help people, so I started doing what I could. Mother Teresa said, 'I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.' Little did I know that those humble beginnings of just starting to do what I could were creating ripples. You can create ripples too. Here’s how to get started:" He continues, "As I write this, my dad, Melvin, is ninety-eight years old. He’s always been my hero. I’ve learned a lot from Dad. When I was young, one of his favorite riddles to ask us kids was about five frogs sitting on a log. 'Four decided to jump off. How many are left on the log?' he would

A thought by John C. Maxwell & Rob Hoskins in their book,  Change Your World   (p. 38). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Have you found that to be true? John says, "As you work to make a difference and see change begin to occur, you will begin to change. How does this happen? Positive change leads us to a new beginning. Our hopes begin to be realized. Our efforts begin to be rewarded. Our hearts begin to be fulfilled. And our work will begin to be recognized by others." He continues, "At this point you can become a transformation magnet. You can attract others. You can be positively contagious to others who want to make a difference, even if they didn’t know how to do it. But now they have an example: you! Seeing you make a difference makes them want to join you. The result? Coming together for a common cause becomes a force multiplier. Your efforts grow from me to we . This is when being a catalyst

A thought by John C. Maxwell & Rob Hoskins in their book,  Change Your World   (p. 36). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)  And we want to make positive changes, don't we? John said, "Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman said, 'Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.' While that is true, to make the dream come true, you must also act. Many things in life just happen, but positive change isn’t one of them. Changing anything in our world requires someone to be the catalyst. "When it comes to changing our world, the first person transformed is the catalyst—the agent of change—and then it expands. That doesn’t happen unless it starts within an individual." He continues, "When you tell someone he or she can be a catalyst for change, it can sound intimidatin

A thought by John C. Maxwell & Rob Hoskins in their book,  Change Your World   (p. 30). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes we do. John says, "Those are called excuses. A wise coach once told me, 'Excuses are like armpits. Everyone has them and they all stink.' The reality is that we can make excuses or we can make changes, but we can’t do both ." He continues, "When I was a kid, one of the cartoons I used to watch was Popeye the Sailor. The main character, Popeye, wore a sailor suit and had huge forearms with anchors tattooed on them. The mild-mannered Popeye always seemed to be trying to stop Bluto, a big bully, from stealing his girlfriend, Olive Oyl. At some point in every cartoon, Popeye would reach a point of frustration and say, 'That’s all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.' He’d open a can of spinach, suck down the contents to gain superhuman strength, pummel the bull