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The first thing that an aspiring leader must realize is that they must be inspiring! That is, they must be capable of, and willing to inspire people on to greater things than if the leader were not in their lives.

So, is this too grandiose an ideal for the average local business owner? Absolutely not. The people who work at your business, school or organization need to be inspired by you on a regular basis.

It is what keeps them from giving up.

Remind them of the big picture

They aren’t just serving food, they are helping families spend time together, so make it enjoyable.

They aren’t just changing oil, they are helping make sure a woman and her children don’t break down on the side of the road at night.

They aren’t just teaching reading, they are helping open a mind to the mysteries of the world.

They aren’t just selling gifts, they are helping people show their appreciation to others in a tangible way.

This week: INSPIRE!

Not long after the beginning a being fell from the heavens to the earth. Even as the Spirit of God hovered overhead, the Serpent swam the waters below. As light divided from darkness, the Serpent chose the darkness, preferring it to the light. And the Serpent stalked the darkness of that first night.

New things began to appear on the earth–dry land, green plants, herbs, trees, fish, birds, creeping things, wild beasts, and livestock of every kind. From his dark hiding place the Serpent inspected each new creature, seeking a victim. And it was bad.

From the shadows he eavesdropped on the divine council, adding to its ringing words his own diabolical echo: “Let us pervert humankind into beings after our image, reshaping them after our likeness. Let them lose their dominion over the birds of the air, and over the creatures of the sea, and over everything that moves over the face of the ground.” And soon it would be so.

And as new divine words were uttered to the new creatures, the hiding Serpent whispered, “Be barren and divide, and spread your contagion throughout the whole earth.” And it was bad.

From a hiding place he watched the man fall asleep. Even his evil heart felt wonder and awe as the woman was formed, so like the man, yet so different. But the Serpent vowed, “I will devise it so that a man will leave his wife, and a woman her husband, and I will make them to cling to father and mother, and the one flesh shall become two.” This too would soon be so.

And on the seventh day, as the Almighty rested from His labors and enjoyed fellowship with His creation, the Serpent skulked in the gloom, vowing that he would never rest, but would roam through the earth, insinuating, reviling, perverting, destroying.

But the Serpent never realized that the darkness he preferred was really a shadow, a shadow made by a divine light from the future. And that light was illuminating a cross. And it was good; behold, it was very good.

Sometimes success is found through the things that you don’t do. Here are some ideas for what we shouldn’t do.

Don’t say “I can’t.” There are two words that we don’t allow in the Widener household – I can’t. The fact is that most of what we say that we can’t do can actually be done, if only we put our mind to it. My mother taught me from an early age that if someone else had already done it, I could too. And if no one else had already done it, I could certainly be the first! Good advice!

Practical application: When you are up against a problem, and you are tempted to say “I can’t,” begin to think of all of those who have already done it. When you see how many already have, you’ll be encouraged. For instance, if you want to write a book but think, “I can’t get this published,” you should take a trip to the local Barnes and Noble. Walk through and ask yourself if your book wouldn’t be better than even just one of the books that is already been published and stocked. You will find yourself saying, “Surely I can!”

Don’t give up. If you are going to achieve anything in life, you are going to get knocked down along the way. Those who succeed are those who get back up and forge ahead. My oldest child is in gymnastics and the other day on the way to practice we were talking about determination. I am convinced that more often than not, success lies on the other side of the river hardship. Determination, and a “don’t give up” attitude will see us through the hard times and onto victory!

Practical application: The next time you feel like the wind has gone from your sails, and you feel like quitting, take awhile to rethink the situation. Remind yourself again why you started out in the first place. Remind yourself of you will feel when you get there. Then, reassert yourself and set a goal of another month (or whatever time frame is needed). In one of my ventures, early on I was weary and felt like giving up. Instead, I kept telling myself, just show up for one more week. Good news – it worked!

Don’t get discouraged. Discouragement is an attitude. Instead of going to the depths of the dumps, tell yourself you are going to do great. Choose to be courageous! One of the greatest powers we have been given as humans is the ability to choose our attitude. All people experience hard circumstances. Yet some say to themselves that they will learn from them and forge ahead a better person. These people, who do not allow themselves to get discouraged, are those who become successful.

Practical application: Find the most positive person you can and take them to lunch. Make sure they are someone who believes in you already. If nobody else, get your mother – she will always believe in you! When you get them out to lunch, tell them that you are discouraged and in need of some encouragement. If you have picked the right person, they will do the rest. Chances are, they will even do some follow-up calls with you. And by all means, pick up the tab for lunch.

Don’t be a lone ranger. Anybody who has achieved greatness has done it with the help of many others who bought into the vision and pushed the cart. The most famous and accomplished achievers in the world all had a cast of others who helped them along. You may not be able to name A.J. Foyt’s pit crew, but they were there. Joe Montana had an awesome front line to protect him, but I can’t name one of them. If the greats need others, then so do we. The sooner we realize that we need others, the quicker we will achieve our dreams.

Practical application: Sit down and write down the answers to the following questions: What partners do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? Who are potential partners who would make me better? What workers do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? How many more workers will I need to achieve my dreams? How will I go about gaining them?

Don’t accept anything less than excellence. Good gets along, excellence succeeds. Have you ever heard anyone say of the greats “Yeah, they were pretty good.” No! They were excellent! We should never, under any circumstances, accept less than excellence. We should constantly be striving to better ourselves, our situations, our relationships, and the people around us, helping them to become excellent.

Practical application: First, evaluate. Is ______________ excellent? Second, determine what would qualify as excellent. It would be excellent when ____________ is true. Third, set a course, step-by-step, toward excellence.

Remember, when it comes to the above – Just don’t do it!

Is your life on purpose? Does just the question stop you in your tracks? Have you been so caught up in the pace of our world that you’ve not even thought lately about whether or not your life is going in the right direction?

Of course, living a life on purpose starts with knowing what your purpose is. Are you crystal clear about what the purpose of your life is? If you aren’t sure, then you’ve just identified the place at which you should start a new life of purpose. Start by getting clear about what your purpose is. Don’t feel bad if you don’t already have this clarity. In a recent survey of more than 3000 people when asked the question, “What have you to live for?” 94 percent said they had no definite purpose for their lives — 94 percent! That leaves only 6 percent of us who know why we’re here. It’s no wonder we’re not a particularly happy society.

How can you know if you’ve hit your purposeful stride? The life you lead should be a full expression of your purpose. Those of us on the outside looking in should be able to figure out atleast the broad scope of your purpose just by looking at your actions. The person you are should be a reflection of your purpose.

Knowing your purpose however is really only the start. Many people feel they know their purpose but also realize that their life doesn’t reflect it. In other words, they aren’t living true to it. When you’re living your purpose your life and the person you are become perfect reflections of it.

The good news is that it’s not too late. It is possible to start living on purpose immediately, even before you clearly know your purpose. Because asking yourself, “who am I and what is my life for?” begins to move your life into a new direction. It all starts when you ask the question. Don’t stop with just asking the question. Answer it as well. Then get busy becoming.

“Seek and you will find. Ask and it will be given unto you.”

Make this week really count. Discover and start living your purpose.

Thanks for sitting with me.

Live some. Love some. Learn some. Everyday.

C…