This week, we are experiencing some very amazing rain storms. I have lived here twenty years, and I can only remember one other storm during that time period, that even comes close to matching the amount of water we are receiving. 

Too Much Of A Good Thing

We need this rain. Our natural water supplies are low. We are all very excited that it keeps coming down, but we are beginning to experience some pretty significant consequences. It reminds us that too much of a good thing, can actually become, a bad thing. 

This thought has been with me for a while, but I saw a new side of it today as I drove around town to run a few errands. Our town is not built for this much rain. We have several storm washes that guide the water to our reservoirs and rivers, but they are not capable of handling a steady down pour for two days. After a couple of hours, they overflow and begin to find a new path which usually crosses homes and roads indiscriminately. The rain we so desperately need continues to fall, but it is now causing quite a bit of damage.

I have seen a similar thing happen with people. We all need to receive recognition, but I have known those who received so much that it changed them. Their interpersonal pathways become flooded and they begin to behave differently than they normally behave. They become puffed up and full of pride. They lose their ability to help others, because they are so caught up in their own pursuits. When the praise they crave stops, and the flow of compliments resides, we can see the damage to their image and reputation.

Seeking Higher Ground

The quality we must cultivate, to avoid this downfall, is humility. Humility is the great protector. It is the antidote against pride. The proud can only hear the clamor of the crowd, and that prevents them from hearing their own internal correcting voice and the voice of others who would offer the feedback so necessary for improvement. Humility is the catalyst for all learning. It prevents us from overdoing our strengths. 

What are you doing to develop the quality of humility?

Can you see the difference from being humbled and having humility?

Is it possible to demonstrate confidence and humility at the same time?

Humility, is a rare quality to see these days, almost as rare as a rainbow in the High Desert. When we see it in others, we are attracted to them. We want to be around them and we recognize them as true leaders. Because they are open to receiving counsel from above, beside and below, they know who to abandon their pride and lead with authenticity. Their regular review of these diverse perspectives regularly, creates an unusual calmness around them and they become inspiring forces of growth in others. O be humble! It will allow you to receive the nourishing rain of praise without having it run off of your countenance in waste.

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548 

This storm is making me excited for spring. I can't wait to see the wildflowers that will bloom as a result of it. 

Each one of these projects is so intense that if I get even one day behind I am toast. They all bring with them significant trials that I have not faced before. The only option I have is to keep moving forward.

The Dream

There is a recurring dream that I have of hope. It goes something like this; in a few weeks, I will be done with these projects. Then I will take a break from all this madness and I will get some rest. I won't have any new commitments so I will be free to do what I want.  I will finally be free from this stress.

This dream is pleasant, but false. I say this, because I know this is not the first time I have had this dream and it has never come true before. Every time I finish a project or pass through a trial, the next one begins and it is always harder and more difficult than anything I have ever experienced before in my life.

Action Filled Days

I am actually thankful for this reality. I can't imagine how boring life would be for me if the rest, I always dream about really did exist. I love rest, but I can only take so much of it. What I love more, is the challenge that comes from raising the bar.

The trials and triumphs that we face, are meant to be soul stretching experiences. They could not fulfill their purpose if we experienced the same ones over and over again. In order to grow, we experience new challenges. 

Sticking With It

The school of life rarely adjourns and when it does, it is only for a brief recess. Sometimes, a new semester begins, before the old one has ended. The degree of difficulty in the course work increases, without a stated willingness that we are ready to progress. Each lesson teaches us that we are capable of so much more than we previously thought possible. 

Passing grades are only passed out to those who are persistent. Our willingness to stick with it, demonstrates a willingness to progress, even in the face of failure. When we step back and look at our history, we see that what looked like a failure in the moment, actually contributed to our biggest and brightest successes. Somehow, we actually carry with us a perfect record. We have passed every test, and the knowledge we gained is always the resource we rely upon most when we are faced with the next level.

Life Is Good!

I am glad life is this way. It makes me happy to reach a new height, set a new standard and raise the bar. Sometimes it does feel overwhelming and I am ok with that. The older I get, the more clearly I see that it is all invented any way. I get what I want, every single time, even when I don't like what I get. 

How do the challenges you faced ten years ago, compare with the ones you are facing now?

Do they seem the same, smaller or bigger?

What do you rely upon most when you are faced with a new project or trial?

How do keep yourself committed in the face of life?

I find myself thinking about this topic because we are now 11 days into the new year. That doesn't seem like a lot of time, but it is enough time to realize that the challenges of life will always be with us. This is true whether it is the the beginning of the year, or the end of the year. Whether we want it or not, life is purposefully designed to take us through loops of continuous improvement.

Welcome to life. Hang on – now let go!

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

Though this interrogative evokes powerful thoughts, it is not enough to merely think. If we really want to become our best, we must be willing to move our feet. That means doing whatever it takes to get better, which generally involves changing our behavior.

This poses a fairly significant problem. Let’s face it, no one likes to change, especially successful people. Sure, we say we like change, but for some reason we resist it as much as we possibly can. The only time we really like change is when we are acting as the change agents and inviting others to change. The change that we prescribe always tastes better than the change that is prescribed to us.

I love Change

Right now, you may be thinking that you know people, who fit this description, but you really do like change and that you embrace it as often as it is presented to you. It is always easier to see the truth about things in others, but what I am saying is just as true for you as it is for me, and as it is for anybody and everybody else. 

Not convinced? Please take a few moments to consider the last time someone asked you to change, or to do something that you didn’t want to do. What were your reasons for not wanting to do what they asked? Some of the most common reasons are:

• What they wanted didn’t fit my plans.
  
• I didn’t know how to do what they were asking.
  
• I didn’t trust the person who was asking.
  
• I didn’t have time to do what they wanted me to do.
  
• I considered it, but it wasn’t the best solution for me
  
• If they knew me better, they wouldn’t ask me to do this. They would just accept me for who I am.
  

Whatever your reason, and however valid, your reasons and excuses were a direct manifestation of your resistance to the change the other person wanted you to make. Simply put, we don’t like change. We like things to be consistent. We like to be accepted for who we are.

Changing vs. Growing

There is a better word that we can use to describe what we really desire when we call for change. The word of which I speak is “growth”. Growth is most simply defined as an increase by natural development. While many of us are resisting the idea of change, only a few of us resist the idea of growth. We want to grow. Our growth symbolizes our individual maturity. 

Unlike change, which frames its work in terms of what we need to stop doing, growth is always expressed in terms of what we need to start doing. Instead of being told what will happen to us if we don’t stop doing something, we are told how happy we will be, how much better we will feel, and how much more we will have when we grow. 

We accept pain as a part of growth. In fact, we have developed affirmations to deal with the pain. Who among us has never heard the phrase, “no pain no gain”? We understand that we can’t grow if we are protecting ourselves so we let our defenses down and allow ourselves to receive the nourishment, even when it is painful, so that we can become our best. 

At first, growth looks like change, but it is radically different. Change is externally motivated. Growth is internally motivated. Change wants us to be like somebody else. Growth calls us to become our very best.

Leaders Inspire Growth

A leader's main job is to inspire growth. There is no greater feeling than watching someone break through to a new level of awareness. It is thrilling to help somebody develop a behavior that helps them use their strengths more effectively. This is what true leadership is all about. 

Before any of us can help another grow, we must develop a relationship of confidence and trust. Only then will they accept our efforts as being authentic and pure.

What are you doing to develop trust with those around you?

How are you helping them to grow?

If you are a leader, do you understand that your main role is to lift and support others as they become their best?

There will come a point in your career when you will not be able to grow any more without the help of others. Those around you will only be willing to help you if they know you are willing to help them. Don't wait until you are stuck. By that time, it may be too late. Look around and you will see many needs that you can meet right now. Helping others, equals happy days.

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

In one group, the people embraced a very similar philosophy and mindset on the proposed topic. The other group was filled with people who represented very different perspectives, viewpoints and backgrounds.

I gained a lot from both experiences, but after a while, I became very bored with the similar group. They definitely had every viewpoint from A to B well represented, but beyond that, it was hard to find any value. Unfortunately, we didn't make much progress in accomplishing our purpose.

The diverse group challenged my thinking. There were view points represented that were difficult for me to comprehend because they were so different than my own. The meeting participants were energetic and courteous. They were not afraid to have their views questioned or examined by the others. They were very open to learning from the other group members.

Understanding Others

I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting with this diverse group and I left with a healthy appreciation and affection for each member. I never felt challenged to change my values, and as a result, I felt safe to open my mind to new ideas. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to examine the beliefs of others. Instead of judging them, I suspended my previous assumptions and allowed myself to see what they see. Because I was willing to extend this courtesy to them, they returned the favor to me.

I discovered that even though my values and opinions remained basically the same, my influence with these new friends increased. This dramatically affected our ability to work together. As a result, we made significant progress on our common interests.

Authentic Leadership

My experiences with these two groups reminded me a of something my brother Larry taught me. Whenever we disagreed, he would say, "if we were all the same, there would be no need for all of us". 

This statement continues to guide my work. I understand that I am most effective when I surround myself with people who think and act much differently than I do. My association with friends of different opinions creates many opportunities to stretch my way of thinking.

Great leaders do not fear the fringes or the edges. They recognize that by creating space for all voices to be heard, they become an authentic agent of chang. Because their influence is felt, their leadership is more highly regarded. When the point of decision arrives, they are seen as credible and trustworthy. 

The Big Picture

Just because we learn to view things from a larger perspective, does not mean that we must abandon our values, it simply means that we learn to see what is going on in the complete system. When we do this, we create solutions that accelerate growth and development.

I realize that it is difficult to suspend our beloved biases and judgments, but it can be done without losing our individual identity. I invite you to consider the following questions:

How willing are you to consider view points that are different from your own?

What benefits come from stretching to see the perspectives of others?

How do you feel when someone takes the time to see things as you see them?

Remember, the real point of leadership is not to change others, but to enroll them in a collaborative effort to achieve a common goal. You are free to draw the line in your personal values, most of us even expect you to do so and respect you when you do. When we become secure in who we are, we become more free opening ourselves up to others, and that is when your effectiveness really soars. 

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

I trained for my swim without using my legs. I thought it would be wise to conserve my legs for the bike and the run. Under normal conditions, I was easily able to complete the 2.4 mile swim without the use of my legs.These were not normal conditions, and this swim was brutal. I had to kick all the time just to keep myself above the waves. 

At the half-way point, I was exhausted. I began to breathe on every stroke which put me out of my normal rhythm. In my struggle, I failed to get my head high enough out of the water and instead of breathing air, I gulped a mouth full of water. Immediately, I began to choke and to gag. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t catch my breath and the more I struggled, the more I began to feel like I was about to perish in the lake. This was a real fight for my life. I didn’t panic, but I knew I was in serious trouble.

What Will Everybody Think?

As my peril worsened, I began to think negative thoughts. My self talk included statements like, "You are really stupid Andrew!", "I don’t know what made you think you could do this in the first place?" and "You are going to die out here."

As I imagined the headline, and the story in the paper about my death in the lake, I began to be afflicted with one prevailing thought: "What will everybody think?" This thought, literally began to consume me. It was all I could think about. I actually began to visualize the conversations my friends and even people who didn’t know me would have. They all said the same thing; "that sure was stupid way to die – what the heck was he doing that for anyway?"

Escaping Fear and Doubt

In the midst of this turmoil, which I am sure occurred over a matter of milliseconds, I heard a loud voice from within me say, "Andrew, you are about to die, and all you are worried about is,"What will people think?" Yes, they are going to think you are stupid, so quit worrying about what they are going to think and start kicking and fighting and doing whatever you have to do to survive. Remember your training as a Boy Scout, and use it now to save your life."

Immediately, I flipped over on my back and began to employ the elementary back stroke while I cleared my own airway. Within a few more seconds, I was in control and confidently finished the rest of the race.

Belief In Self

I could not rely on anybody else in the lake to save me. The other swimmers were engaged in their own battle, and most likely unaware of my struggle for survival. The training I received wasn’t any good until I began to implement it. I couldn’t look to anyone else to save me. I had to save myself.

After the race was over, I began to see some significant parallels with my struggle in the lake and the struggles we all face in life. Too many times, we worry about what other people are thinking. It sometimes paralyzes us and makes us unable to do what we need to do in order to grow and be successful.

As I thought about the two struggles, I realized that belief in self, is a crucial leadership quality. Nobody likes to follow a leader who indecisively moves along worrying about what the people will think. We want to follow leaders with a vision, who act with a certainty of who they are and what they want to do. 

At times I have fooled myself into believing that if I believe in myself too strongly, people will think I am arrogant. Now, I realize that arrogance is actually a lack of self-confidence. People want to follow leaders who emanate self-confidence. Their belief in their own self-worth generates an energy that  draws us in and helps us feel confident about becoming a part of their vision.

You Can Do It!

What do you think the world would be like, if all of us could believe in ourselves 100%, 100% of the time? What could we build together from that frame of mind.

I am certain that much of the crime we see, much of the blame we see, and even much of the suffering we see would be eliminated if we could just learn to believe in ourselves. 

I know that sometimes life feels a lot like the turbulent lake I found myself in during my triathlon experience. In those moments, it feels easy to worry about what people will think. It also seems normal to call out for help and feel like a victim when nobody comes to our aid. If we really want the world to be a better place, if we want to be a "Victor" instead of a "Victim" then we need to to develop a healthy sense of belief in ourselves. 

How much do you believe in yourself?

What has to happen for you to increase that belief to 100%? 

What would your life be like if you did?

You and I are in charge of our own plan of excellence. We will never fully implement it, until we see ourselves as brilliant beings who are capable of doing anything we set our minds to do. Go for it!

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

The Fire Starter

Though the years have passed, and I have forgotten many of the lessons, there is one that continues to stick with me. A major portion of our training time was focused on what is deemed the most essential survival skill; fire starting. We were taught over 20 different ways, that made it possible for us to start a fire without matches. We learned friction based, lens based, and flint and steel based methods. We even learned how to do it with a battery and steel wool. 

Each method had several sub-methods and we literally learned how to start a fire using so many different things that are always so readily available in the wilderness. Some of them were more difficult to learn than others, but with some practice, I was able to master them all.

Nearly every method relied on the fire starter building a tinder nest. This was composed of a very small collection of very dry and tiny fragments of wood, leaves, bark and pine needles. It really didn’t matter what we used, it just needed to be dry and flammable. The sparks generated were directed to this nest, and it easily produced the potential for creating a blazing fire.

Caring For The Flame

If I was not careful, the tinder nest would quickly flame out. It needed to be transferred to a suitable pile of kindling to sustain its life saving potential. I remember blowing on the sparks and bringing the fire to life. It seemed that my own breath was enough to create the fire. If I blew too hard or too soft, the tiny flame would expire and I would have to go back to the beginning.

I think of this process often when I reach for a new dream. Dreams always begin with a tiny, delicate spark. That spark must be nurtured and fanned. If they do not get enough life breathed into them, they die.

The negative influences we all face can choke the the life out of our dreams. I often held my tinder nest behind a barrier I created so I could shelter it from nature’s breeze. Sometimes, I only needed to cup my hands, other times I needed a much bigger shield.

I do the same thing with my dreams and the dreams of others. I know how important to keep that tiny spark lit so I protect them in the early stages. Over time, I have learned just how much attention I need to give in the early stages to make sure those dreams can become reality. It doesn’t take very long, it just takes precaution. I can’t give them too much or too little. I have to give just enough to create the space for the spark to ignite a burning desire for fulfillment.

Once I feel the shift of momentum, I can sit back and enjoy the light and warmth of a dream come true. 

Breathing Life Into Your Dreams

Are you breathing life into your dreams? Are you nurturing them and living to fulfill them?

How about the dreams of others? Are you willing to provide the breath of life so that they can succeed, or do they need to build a barrier around their dreams so that you don’t blow them out? 

I believe in you. I know you can be the one who gives life to your dreams and the dreams of others. By doing so, you will feel engaged and energized. Sometimes, the results will surprise you. Your life giving efforts will be rewarded in ways you will not expect.

If you need some encouragement, I am here. I love to dream and I love to breathe life into the dreams of others. You know how to get a hold of me.

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

I am excited about sharing these stories of success. The work that we are doing is very meaningful and it is producing outstanding results. This opportunity will allow the message to be broadcast to many more people than I could ever possibly reach on my own. 

Shining For The Whole World To See

I frequently struggle with the idea of promoting the work that I do. I understand that it is necessary and appropriate. My inner conflict revolves around the idea of my persona overcoming the message.

In order to succeed in the roles of author, teacher and guide, I understand that I must become a person worth following. I need an audience who will embrace my ideas and who will be willing to practice them in their own lives. I am not hungry for personal adulation; I just want others to benefit from the ideas I am discovering along the path of my own personal growth and development. I believe these ideas can benefit society and I want to share them in that light. 

I have seen many people become confused by the attention their ideas receive. The accolades affect them and they change. They begin to see themselves as some sort of "guru" and proclaim themselves, not always by the words that they say – but certainly by the way they behave, as being bigger than the message. Their constant thirst for more attention can never be quenched. Their efforts to promote their own shine often extinguishes the light of their ideas before they ever have a chance to illuminate the room. 

The examples of those who successfully avoid falling into the traps of fame and fortune are few and far between. For this reason, I reluctantly approach opportunities for self-promotion. I simply do not want to be overcome by the attention those efforts may generate. I want to always be humble enough to recognize that the thoughts that I receive, are not mine. I am simply blessed with an understanding of how to apply them in my life. This understanding does not come magically to me. I spend a lot of time pondering and studying so that I can gain it. I feel fortunate to be able to share these ideas with others so that they can accelerate growth in their own life. I want the attention to be on those nuggets of understanding and not on me, the miner. 

Finding The Balance

Whenever I contemplate this internal dilemma, I begin to debate the pros and cons of self-promotion. I want to discover the balance in such activities. I want to know how to reach for it, without being overcome by it. I want to know how I can shine my light into the world without believing that I am the source of the light. I want to discover how I can receive credit for my work without becoming hungry for the credit. It is a difficult conflict to resolve. 

I even feel a bit insecure about writing about it here in this space. My fear is that I will communicate ineffectively. I am pushing forward because I know that many of my clients struggle with this same issue and I imagine that many of you also have struggles with this same thought. 

My search for answers led me to three actions that help me keep my self-promoting activities in the proper perspective. They are as follows:

1. Always recognize the contributions of others – I truly believe that there are very few ideas that enter our minds that were not originally stimulated by the work of someone else. When I remember to acknowledge the impact of those ideas in my own work the focus tends to remain with the idea and not on the voice of those ideas.
2. Be a facilitator – It is easy to be a lecturer but lecturers are usually self-absorbed and boring. I am at my best when I facilitate dialogue around the applications I am discovering. This means I need to create enough space for other people to contribute their own ideas to the conversation, which provides them an opportunity to also own the solutions generated by the discussion.
3. Invite Thought – The greatest leaders invite others to think for themselves. They have a non-presciptive way of speaking to us. They do it so naturally that we hardly recognize their call for us to follow. We follow because they help us hear our own voice and we feel our own identity growing through our followership. Everything we do adds to our own identity and so we gladly follow.

Adding To The Puzzle

These are the simple thoughts that came to me as I pondered the art of self-promotion. I now want to learn from you. How do you promote yourself? What are the lessons you have learned in your efforts to magnify your own work? What ideas do you have that help you promote yourself? I know I am still missing a few pieces to this puzzle, what do you see?

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

I am high enough up to have a macro view of the world on the street below. The rows of cars and people are all moving with purpose, there is no lollygagging around. Everybody is very clear about where they are going and they are moving in the right direction as quickly as they can.

The Power of Clarity

I am not surprised by the clarity that these commuters possess. It is not unexpected that a person on her way to work would know the way and feel certain about how she is going to get there. Yes, knowing how to get to work is not that spectacular.

Still, as I watch the movement below, I realize that most of the challenges that we face are the result of a lack of clarity. Yesterday, the transportation service that I use, sent a driver who did not know how to get me to the office. Even though he had GPS device, he could not find his way. It was a very nerve wracking ride. I knew where we were supposed to go, but he was too stubborn to listen to me and kept looking at his GPS believing that it would eventually give him the right answer. It never did, and he finally listened to me. His lack of clarity frustrated me to no end and added about 35 minutes to my trip.

The same type of frustration is felt by those who find themselves following a leader who does not know where he is going. There are many leaders who fall in this category. They may know their way to work, but that is about it. They are thinking about what needs to be done today, instead of the big picture. 

Big picture thinking is one of the most important characteristics of leadership. It is what allows the leader to identify and express a vision. Until the leader expresses a vision, the people following feel like they are wandering to and fro. They have no clarity, which results in an inability to walk with purpose. 

Finding Your Vision

I have been hired by many of my clients to develop vision statements. The first thing we get clear on is that he or she is the source of the vision, not me. This is challenging at first because there is usually some level of belief that a vision is something you can borrow or purchase from somebody else. It is not.

The leader, must be the source of the vision. It is usually there, but sometimes there is a little uncertainty about expressing it. There is no need to fear. When those in supporting roles see the vision of the leader, they are energized and easily become engaged in making it a reality. This is generally true about all visions that are expressed clearly. It is uncertainty or a lack of vision all together that turns most people off.

The most important thing you can do as a leader is to express your vision in a clear and precise way. In order to do that, you must know what it is. If I ask you, "what is your vision?", you should be able to immediately answer me in a way that I can understand. Most people can’t do this.

Powerful Questions

You find your vision by asking the right questions. The answers to those questions, must connect you with your long term goals and personal values. This is what it means to begin with the end in mind. You must know where it is you want to go, before you can get there.

One of my clients recently said that his vision as a leader is that he wants everybody that works with him to be able to say when either he or they move on, that he helped them grow. This is a great vision. He knew that if that was true, they would accomplish the other important goals such as generating revenue and increasing market share. He felt this area was key and decided that he wanted to focus on it. 

He knew that he was not there yet, so we began to ask the questions that would get him there. How do I need to behave to make this a reality? What do I need to give my people that I am not giving them now? How do I go about communicating this vision to my people? What if they get so focused on this that they forget to produce results? How will I measure my success during the course of the journey? How can I correct people and still be seen as helping them grow?

There were many more questions that we began to ask and we still are engaging in discovering even more powerful questions to arrive at this destination.

What Does Your Vision Look Like?

Whether you find yourself in the role as a Leader with a capital "L" or not, it is still very important for you to discover your own vision. What do you want out of life? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? What do you need to do to get there? Are you certain about your vision? Certain enough that you can walk right to it like the people I described leaving the train station this morning? If you are not, then it is time to get to work.

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

Then, troubling times entered our horizons. The economic challenges we faced over the past three years forced many organizations to shrink their employee base. Their desire, of course was to keep the very best, and somehow keep them motivated so that they could do more with less resources. Many of the survivors are barely hanging on. The constant pressures they face are causing many organizations to raise a new concern. The fear of burn-out is now giving way to a fear of burn-up. They are afraid that many or those that are left will no longer be capable of staying on the job. They just won’t have anything left to give. Organizations are desperately trying to find something that will help them overcome this challenge.

Friends At Work

I think the answer to one of Gallup’s questions, "Do you have a best friend at work?", may prove to be a simple and cost effective solution to creating more energy at work. Gallup found that people with friends at work are 96% more likely to be extremely satisfied with their lives. In addition, they found that those with a best friend at work are 7 times more likely to be emotionally engaged on the job. When we are emotionally engaged, we feel better about ourselves; we feel like we are better able to cope with the challenges we face. 

Work is always better when it is combined with a social experience, and it can take a lot of time and trust to develop true friendships at work. Even though there are many people all around us, we can still feel isolated. If we want a friend at work, we must first be a friend.

Building Trust

Friendships at work are often sabotaged by the competitive nature of most organizations. The reality shows of the day are a microcosm of what usually goes on when everybody is focused on their own agenda. Many claim to share a desire for collaboration, while behind the scenes they are looking for ways for them to win even when it means that those around them will lose. This makes it difficult to know who we can really trust and many feel like they can’t trust anybody. 

The solution is simple, but counterintuitive. If we really want to build friendships, then we need to build the people around us. The counterintuitive part is finding out what they want and then supporting them in getting it. When we do this, it can feel like we are subordinating our own career goals to help someone else reach and accomplish theirs. The reality is that when we are seen building others, we are also seen as leaders. Those that are seen as leaders are the ones that get promoted.

What Will Your Contribution Be

In your organization, I am sure that there are many who are struggling just to make ends meet. You may even be one of them. Don’t let that hold you back from helping somebody. You have something of great value that you can share with others. I invite you to lift your head up and look around. When you do, you will see a need that only you can meet. Don’t be afraid to meet it. Stand up and offer what you have. You will immediately begin to feel great. Greatness comes by doing great things. What are you waiting for?

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548 

Several of my friends suggested that I hire a professional to come out and fix. We decided not to that because we made a commitment to teach our children how to work and calling a repair man would have robbed them of the opportunity of figuring it out. It was quite a challenge to diagnose the problem, but once we did, it was not that difficult of a fix. We had to replace the pump and clean the filter a couple of times, and then we just had to have patience while the chemicals filtered through the system to clean it. Waiting for that to happen is what took the longest. 

Productivity = Joy

It was a lot of work. There were many times when I was very frustrated. I wanted to call a professional, but I wanted more for my kids to see that we could fix it. 

Every time I worked on the pool, I made sure one of my children were right there with me. It was a fun experience to work together. We had to plan, we had to purchase parts and we had to follow-up with what we were doing every day. We made some mistakes that cost us some money, and time, but we learned a lot from those mistakes.

Now, when we walk outside and see the pool all nice and sparkly bright, we feel really good. We have had our pool or over 15 years and most of that time somebody else took care of it. I never really noticed whether it was clean or not. It just always seemed to be clean and I just took that for granted. Now, I feel invested in the process, and so do my children. We love the way it looks and keep saying to each other, "did you see how great the pool looks?" 

Handing Out The Credit

I made it a point, to ask Stacy many times in front of our children if she had seen how good of a job our children did on fixing the pool. I just kept asking her, "did you see that the kids fixed the pool?" Each time I did that the kids smiled and I could see that they really felt good about being involved.

This got me to thinking about how easy it is to pass the credit on to somebody else. It didn’t hurt me a bit to do it, and I felt really good about appreciating them in this way for helping me. I would not have had as much fun if I had just hired a contractor or did it myself. Giving them the credit did not diminish me in any way and it built them up. It made me feel great to see them get the credit.

This is such an easy thing to see and understand, but it is not an easy thing to do. There have been many times when I have been hungry to get the credit for a job well done. Sometimes I was willing to step up and take it, but those times never felt right. It always felt best when somebody else acknowledges me for the work I did.

Here is my invitation for the day. Somewhere in your life, right now, whether at home or at work, somebody is helping you to achieve the results you need to be successful. There is no doubt by anybody on your team that you are the leader. What would it cost you to recognize their contributions? When was the last time you told somebody, "thanks for all your help, I couldn’t have done it without you!"?

You will never look bad saying something like that. In fact, when you publicly recognize the contributions of those you work with, you inspire them to work even harder for the cause. They become owners of the process instead of just employees. That is the first step to fostering higher levels of employee engagement. Are you up for the challenge? Then go for it!

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn – 760-559-3548

When we first got in the room and began to set up, the task seemed a bit impossible. We shot about a hundred photos before we began to gain some perspective on the project. What really helped us was the pattern that Jerry Hatton used to carve the table. Jerry drew squares on a picture of the design and transformed the information from each square onto the wood. We did the same things with the pictures.

Sometimes we are faced with challenges in life that seem bigger than we are. They can overwhelm us if we are not careful and when they do, they can cause us to either stop in our tracks or even move backwards. I know what it is like to have this happen. 

More information about this post can be found at a previous post titled Carpe Articulum – Seizing The Moment

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I received quite a few comments about my post I Am A Finisher. Many have written to say it is one of their favorites and that they love the thought of being a finisher. There is a great sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing what we start. Yet sometimes, life gets in the way, and for whatever reason, we fail to finish. 

A couple of friends requested that I write about what it takes to become a finisher. I have been thinking about this now for a while and I believe there are many steps to follow, I would like to highlight five steps that are very important to me. I have followed these steps many times. They don't just help me finish what I start, they also help me enjoy being engaged. 

Step 1 – See Yourself Finishing

This is where I begin. It helps me to know what I am pursuing. If I can't see myself finishing, then I can't see myself starting either. I can dream about many different things. The other night I dreamt that I was playing along side Kobe Bryant and he tossed me an alley oop and threw it down to thunderous applause. It was a great dream. When I awoke, I knew I had just dreamed about something I will never do. I can see myself hanging out with Kobe, but I am not physically capable of dunking and no matter how hard I try, I never will be. To start off on that dream would only lead to disappointment. 

This is a critical step. When I begin by seeing myself crossing the finish line, I can see what it will take for me to do it. WIth this vision in my mind, I am able to keep going when things become difficult. In those moments, I can go back to my vision of finishing and push through the challenge.

Step 2 – Practice, Practice, Practice

I have known many people who have decided that they want to be a certain way, and thought that just because they said it, they would become it. This rarely happens. We must be willing to exert ourselves over and over again if we want to be a finisher. 

We usually only see those we consider extraordinary crossing the finish line. We don't see all the hours of practice they put in to make it so. Trust me, those who become great are constantly practicing. They work harder and longer than anybody else. That is how they get ahead. It is not easy to get up at 4:30 AM, but that is what it usually takes.

I think Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said it best when he said, "the heights by great men reached and kept, were not obtained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." To be a finisher, you must be willing to do what others are unwilling to do.

Step 3 – Adversity Is Part of The Deal

It will not be easy. Along the way to finishing, you will be tested. You must prove to yourself and others that you really want to finish. The hardest part will be in the beginning, but there will be other challenges along the way. 

The period of stretching and adjusting that comes in the beginning makes the start one of the most difficult periods. If you stick with it, you will adjust and begin to think that you have it all figured out. Don't panic when it becomes difficult again. When I run marathons the most difficult miles are usually Mile 1 and Mile 18. 

At the beginning it is usually self-doubt that makes me wonder if I have what it takes. At the end, it is that fatigue that tries to get me. Don't ever let doubt or fatigue stop you from finishing. Just keep at it and you will be refreshed before long.

Step 4 – Let Others Help You

Successful people know how to help others, but they rarely know how to let others help them. We usually think we don't need any help, or that needing help is a sign of weakness. This is a mistake. If you really want to finish, you must realize that you can not do it by yourself and that you need the help of others. 

In every distance race I enter, there are people along the way who are only there to serve those racing. Their race, is to be there with water, gatorade, pretzels, oranges and bananas. I don't think I would have ever finished any of my races without the help of these kind people. In addition to the nutritional supplements, they are also there to cheer us on. Running past this aid, or closing our ears to their encouraging voices because we don't believe we need it, would be a serious mistake. To be a finisher, we need each other.

Step 5 – Find Joy In The Journey

Crossing the finish line is definitely one of my favorite moments, but I realize that it is only a moment. I enjoy it – it brings things to a close. But I know that the real joy comes form all of the previous steps I mentioned in this post. 

The moments that lead up to finishing are what make the finish something worth noting. If we were just able to cross finish lines every day without any of the preparation, adversity or help from others along the way, it would be meaningless. These are the real reasons finishing strong is so fulfilling – because along the way we have stretched ourselves in ways we could not have previously imagined.

Raising The Bar

Some people see finish lines as the end. I see them as a new beginning. In the flash of a moment, they become the baseline for my future aspirations. This is why I like finishing so much. I understand their power to inspire me to reach for new heights. 

Sometimes, we lose the will to stretch and grow. Finish lines are there to help us re-ignite our passion for living. When was the last time you outdid yourself? What finish line have you always wanted to cross, but for some reason or another you have not done it yet? Isn't it time you reached for something more? What are you waiting for?

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

"If the United States is faltering now, it is because of a failure of followership more than a failure of leadership. The fate of the United States. and particularly U.S. industry, depends on a return to our roots – a belief in the power of the follower, that we are the ones who ultimately make the difference whether it be at home, at work, in our communities, or in our nation." Robert Kelly