“Leadership is turning toward the discomfort 

that everyone else avoids.”

Two days ago I received an email from my coach encouraging me to enter, “The Discomfort Zone”.  It almost makes you laugh to think that someone would invite you to experience discomfort, but the reality is, it’s a necessary step that must be taken for improvement.  It’s also something most of us won’t do unless prompted.  In my case I needed to come to grips with the reasons I was avoiding certain workouts and some issues with my dietary habits. …

“We learned about dignity and decency – that how hard you work matters more than how much you make…that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself”
-Michelle Obama

In the 1960’s, soon after the successful Russian  launch of a satellite that was able to orbit the earth (Sputnik – 1957), American grade schools implemented a new approach to teaching mathematics that became known as “New Math”.  The initiative was a reaction to the Russians beating us into space and was designed to bolster American children’s skills in mathematics and science.…

“People do not decide
to become extraordinary.
They decide to accomplish
extraordinary things!”

                                                            – Sir Edmund Hillary

“Carpe Diem”, is a phrase popularized through the 1989 film, “Dead Poets Society”, in which the late Robin Williams portrays John Keating, a fictional English teacher at an all-male, elite, conservative, prep school in Vermont.  Keating, an alumnus of the same school brought an unorthodox teaching style to this conservative institution; a style that eventually led to his dismissal.  Before leaving however, he has a profound effect on the young men in his class by encouraging them to “make your lives extraordinary”, a sentiment he summarizes with the Latin expression “Carpe Diem”, meaning “Seize the Day.”  So here’s my question, what are you doing to begin or continue to make your life extraordinary? …

“In times of rapid change,
experience could be your worst enemy!”
-J. Paul Getty

…

                                      “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”                                                                                                             – Decouvertes

Here’s something to think about; what is it that serves to drive creativity and innovation, that often becomes the catalyst for bringing about change in a person’s life, that enables each of us to better understand ourselves?  Don’t look for an answer, rather think about a question.  Nothing has more power to cause a complete mental turnaround than a question.  Powerful questions can serve to empower.  Formulated effectively they can shatter misconceptions, enhance clarity and turn challenges into opportunities. …