The quality and solidity of any kind of organization or enterprise is dependent primarily on the superior quality of leadership that operates that organization. This goes from the family circle to large businesses. This has to do with responsibility as well as the potential to produce cohesion and guide an organization towards purpose. In the event you have always dreamed of holding responsibility as a leader, there are a number of qualities you might choose to develop. These can be personal or communal.

There are qualities of character that enable you to develop impact without the need of intimidation. A number of the qualities that great leaders have are a strong sense of discipline, a sense of purpose and hard work. Discipline will keep your emotions from ruling over your mind. Without self-discipline a lot of dreams may never reach completion. They will just remain castles in the air. Establishing a strong personality will mean establishing goals and principles and working unswervingly towards achieving those objectives. Leadership begins from the ruling of the heart. A man who hasn’t tamed himself can’t tame others.

The motivation to discover new things and to be innovative is one of the most important characteristics in a leader. The modern world is mobile, technology is mobile and the business world is going through a major mutation. In order to have the capacity to meet with the challenges, a great leader won’t simply be someone with the nerve to lead, but one with insight deepened from years of persistent learning and research.

A good subordinate is likely to make a good leader. This may sound counterintuitive. But it is really a point to think about very seriously. If you’re the kind of individual who rarely likes to take orders from other people, it’s very likely you will do poorly at giving orders to other people in the event you became a leader. Leadership does not necessarily mean perfection. It could actually just as well mean managing the flaws inside a structure with honesty and candor.

A man or woman who learns to hear others, even if they appear to have absolutely nothing important to say, will allow for good leadership. The principle is: listen! Even the fool knows something you might not know. Communication is a great tool in building relationships. It’s the solid arm of leadership. It can be really beneficial for would-be leaders to heighten their proficiency in communication. A great leader speaks clearly, simply and with a good amount of certitude. And it truly is in this that can be found the power of his ideas.

One of probably the most helpful ways of learning how to be a good leader is studying autobiographies of great people. You will find exemplary leaders who have gone down through history. You might want to learn the reason why they stand out from the others. This will definitely help you to learn a few of their strategies for successful leadership.

About the Author

Are you looking for leadership development training that will give you measurable results? Be sure to visit our site to find out more about our training or to hire a dynamic leadership keynote speaker.

Robert Henry is a criminal defense lawyer working on what could be his biggest case ever. He has a son, Scott Henry, who is the star quarter back for the local high school team. Last week, Scott came home from school and found his father home and decided to talk to him about some of the topics that have surfaced within his group of football friends. Recently a couple of the boys have been talking about taking steroids to help them perform better during the last few games of the season. Scott was uneasy about taking the drug and wanted to find out more information on the effects. Robert, like Scott, was the star quarter back for his high school team. Scott felt for sure his father can give him insight on how to deal with this dilemma.

“Dad, do you have a moment,” asked Scott. “Sure, son what’s going on?” “Did you ever take anything to help you perform better during your games?”

As the phone rings Robert replies, “No son, us Henry’s are natural performers.” He points to his son as to hold on a minute and answers the phone. On the other line his secretary tells him that he lost his star witness because the witness no longer wants to testify.

“Son, we are going to have to finish this conversation later. I just lost my star witness and I need to do something to get him back.” He picks up his keys, brief case, and blackberry and walks out the door.

Disappointed, as usual, Scott replies, “Okay dad, we will pick this up later.” As his father walked out the door he was still confused about what to do.

During the Friday night football game, Robert is in his office working as usual, and suddenly remembers the conversation he did not have with his son. ‘Why would Scott ask me that question? He would not be considering taking any drugs, would he?’ he thinks to himself as his cell phone rings. His wife is on the other line crying hysterically. “Scott has clasped on the field. They don’t know what’s wrong with him. He won’t get up. Honey, you need to go to the hospital quick.”

When he gets to the hospital he finds out that Scott had taken steroids and that his body had a negative reaction to the drug. However, the doctors are confident that he will be okay. Robert sits back on the waiting room chair and thinks about the conversation he Scott tried to have with him. How could he forget to get back to him? How could he let his work distract him from his family?

Robert has experienced the devastating power of distractions. Distractions are all around us and as listening leaders we need to understand the devastating impact distractions have on everyone’s life. The call from his secretary diverted Robert from an important conversation that he needed to have with his son. He now understands the importance of listening and minimizing distractions. For the future he has committed to deal with distractions and understand the sources that take him away from what is really important to him. Lastly, he has committed to create and implement a plan to reduce, eliminate, avoid, or listen beyond any distractions. This may be asking his firm not to call him after certain hours or committing to spend more time listening to his family and their needs from him.

Fortunately, for Robert, his son will be okay. However he has learned a valuable listening lesson. Distractions are everywhere and waiting to capture our attention but we all have the power to reduce, eliminate, or listen beyond them and deal with the real issues that matter to us.

About the Author

Dr. Rick Bommelje is an internationally recognized expert in listening and leadership. Dr. Rick will equip your management team with listening skills and leadership strategies to make them more successful leaders and take them to the next level of effective communication.
http://www.listen-coach.com

Long long ago, in the faraway land of Great Britain, lived a boy named Patrick.

When he was 16, Irish raiders invaded his wealthy family’s estate. He was kidnapped and taken to the faraway land called Ireland. He was scared and lonely.

Day after day. Year after year. Time passed slowly.

He turned to religion to get through this time. Then one night, he received a message in a dream. God told him it was time to leave Ireland.

And so he did. He escaped from his captors, left Ireland and returned to Great Britain. Walking all the way home for 200 miles.

After studying religion in Britain for many years, he received another message. This one from an angel – telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary.

And so – he did.

In Ireland, Patrick spoke out for Christianity.
He spoke against slavery.
He spoke in favor of women’s rights.

Patrick had a vision.
He was passionate about it.
He shared it passionately.

He shared it in a way that enabled others to hear the value to them.
He didn’t ask them to adopt his vision and drop theirs.
Instead he wove his and theirs together.

He shared his vision and his passion until the day he died on March 17, 460 A.D.

Whether you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green, drinking green, sharing limericks, eating shamrock cookies or not at all – St. Patrick is an example of a person with vision and passion –
both of which are needed for business success.

What is it that you want for yourself, for your family, for your business?

Really – what is it you really really really really really want?

For today, tomorrow, this week, this month, this year and the years beyond?

Think you have a clear vision for this?

Why is it you want it?
And why is that?
And why is that?
Why?

Don’t cheat.
Pay attention to all the reallys.
Answer all the whys?

Why?

Because of the legendary leprechaun.

Reportedly, he isn’t very friendly – but he DOES possess a pot of gold. And if you catch him, he must tell you where the treasure is
OR he can trick you and vanish!

Has that ever happen to you?

You chased your dream. Maybe even found a pot of gold. And then -
it vanished.

Maybe you got tricked.

Maybe someone distracted you.

Or maybe you got tired and lonely and stopped caring so much.

Or maybe you never really cared about it anyway.

Or maybe it wasn’t even worth it to begin with.

It’s easy to be tricked.
or even trick yourself.

And that’s why the why is critical.

It will carry you through tricky times – those scary, lonely days and nights when you wonder why it is you are doing what you are doing – this thing you really really really really really want?

And why was that?

Tell others about your vision.
Tell them with passion.
Tell them why you want it.

If you are really lucky – they may want it too.

And then —
Well – you’ve got Patrick on your side.
And that leprechaun doesn’t stand a chance.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Business Class.

©2005 – Original Copyright by Jan Bolick, Business Class Inc; revised 2009.

About the Author

Thanks for reading. If you found it productive, I hope you will check out the “Business Class” E-zine which is highly praised by managers and business owners across the country. You’ve got nothing to lose and much to gain. Sign up today at: http://www.businessclassinc.com! It’s quick, easy & FREE!

For a woman business owner, much of running a business can be based on intuition. Without using some of these innate skills, a woman business owner can find her job much more challenging. Many of these essential abilities, the so-called women’s intuition, can be an advantage for female leaders.

There’s a difference between a woman business owner using her intuition and taking unnecessary risks. When evaluating a business, it is important not to think of risk taking or intuition as a single event. After all, taking chances is a process that should never end for a woman business owner who’s interested in growth and success. A good way of thinking about this strategy is to compare yourself to an athlete. What is necessary in order for you to compete and reduce the risk of failing by using your intuition?

First, practice putting your intuition to good use. A woman business owner needs to practice in order to hone her skills. Doing so repeatedly will not only enable learning but build confidence, as improvements come with each attempt. The 26.2 mile running marathon as well as the business “success” marathon both require taking risks, pushing yourself and practicing until you have the stamina and confidence to finish “the race.”

Secondly, intuition in a vacuum will not work. A woman business owner needs to get input from others. However, this can be difficult for she is often spending most of her time working on where she wants the business to go and not enough time bringing people along with her. Remembering to ensure that everyone is with you in the present will help avoid some of the possible problems in the future. Get the right input in order to make the right decisions about your intuitions.

Thirdly, you need to view your intuition in the proper perspective. When you have a moment, step back and look at the whole picture. Ask yourself as a woman business owner, what you want your business to look like. What is going to help you get there? What’s keeping you from getting to the next level? What does your intuition tell you? Does it seem right? Feel right in your gut? Once you have figured out, go after it.

Fourthly while having a rough idea about plans for the future, looking for new ideas needs to be a constant, never-ending process and a vital part of your business. Business is not static. A woman business owner needs to continually look ahead. What does your intuition tell you about the next 2-3 years? What new ideas or offerings should you be considering. Using your intuition to balance new ideas in the context of your business strategy will lead to the most positive results.

Many women naturally have some of these instincts that put to use can help their businesses. However, they can be cultivated just like any other skills. You have used your intuition to get to where you are so you have proof that it works for you. Now you just need to practice using it, get feedback on how it might impact your business, put it in the proper perspective and leverage it to continually bring in and evaluate new ideas.

About the Author

It’s a competitive world out there. Female leaders who can leverage their women’s “intuition” might have better chances for success. We’ve researched how how you as a woman business owner can create an advantage when she uses her intuition. Follow these four secrets to get get started!

Wayne Tarken is a coach, advisor and seasoned leader to women CEOs, female CEOs and many a woman business owner. He helps them increase their performance and be more successful. He has spent many hours trying to find ways to help them increase revenue and improve results. Why not learn from his experiences? He created this short article to help any woman business owner be more successful. Take his expert advice and get ready to grow your business- www.CEOWomensClub.com

Five keys for taming your inner Slumdog

I recently saw the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. It’s rare that I agree with “The Academy”, but this was a really terrific movie with such a moving story. As you likely have heard, it’s about a young boy, Jamal, from the slums of Mumbai, India who overcomes some incredible odds in his life and ends up winning the grand prize on India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. That we know from the trailers. What the movie is most about, though, is the journey this boy and his brother, Salim, take that leads them to where they are.

I won’t give away too much so as to spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, they’ve had a large amount of hardship starting at a very young age. The young brothers, considered “slumdogs”, lived in great poverty, were ignored, discarded, and even abused.

We see the two brothers each shaped differently by their experiences. Salim becomes hardened, jaded, and at times, cruel: focused only on money and trying to survive. He turns his back on love in all its forms.

Jamal goes through the same journey yet holds fast to his dreams for something better. It was love (and not just love for his girl) that made Jamal fully reveal his humanity to others…it is what made him so different from his brother.

There are so many messages one can get from this gem of a film. The thought that stayed with ME after seeing it was how different each of these young men becomes. They start at the same point, yet end up in such different places, having walked the same path. This is not an unfamiliar story. Many autobiographies share stories of overcoming poverty, abuse, disabilities, and insurmountable odds to surpass what was believed possible for them. Some examples are the likes of Oprah and Abraham Lincoln–to name but a few.

What can we learn from the similar themes of each of these stories? Just like Jamal, these people didn’t let their circumstances shape their lives. They rose above their “handicaps” and worked to create a greater outcome.

As I further reflected on this theme, I discovered that the “slumdog” to me represents our “dark side”: our fears, disbeliefs, jaded attitudes, self doubt, and external obstacles. Feeling invisible and discarded can make a person fearful and live their life in that “darker side” as was exemplified in Salim.

Here are five keys to taming YOUR inner Slumdog:

1. Hold fast to your vision and do not let go of it, despite what may seem like insurmountable odds. Victory may be right around the corner but you won’t know it if you quit.

2. When you succeed, recognize that there will be doubters! There will be those that want to bring you down in order to make themselves feel better. They may mistakenly believe that just because THEY couldn’t do what you’ve done YOU can’t either.

3. Know that you CAN choose your path despite circumstances. Be conscious about your choices so you don’t feel like a victim of your circumstances. Remember, when you say “Yes” to one thing you are automatically saying “No” to something else. Follow your gut instinct, it’s usually right.

4. Love conquers all!

5. Keep your mindset positive and empowering. Working in the IT world for so many years, I often heard the expression “Garbage in, garbage out” as it relates to the quality of computer programming. Well, our mind is the ultimate computer program and this too applies. So put GOOD STUFF IN!

Jai Ho (translation – May victory be yours)!

© 2009 Victoria Cook. All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article on your website or your own e-zine? No problem! But here’s what you MUST include:
Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, is a successful speaker, Certified Professional Coach, and creator of The Guilt-Free Results System™. Through coaching, classes, and workshops, Victoria helps professional women accomplish huge goals guilt-free.

Get free resources for increasing YOUR time and reducing stress at http://www.theguiltfreecoach.com/gift

About the Author

“Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, is a successful speaker, Certified Professional Coach, and creator of The Guilt-Free Results System™. Through coaching, classes, and workshops, Victoria helps professional women accomplish huge goals guilt-free.

Get free resources for increasing YOUR time and reducing stress at http://www.theguiltfreecoach.com/gift“

The US Thanksgiving holiday comes and goes so quickly, so let’s just assume we’ve done a good job of expressing thanks for the biggies: our families, friends, and close colleagues; the men and women serving and protecting our communities and countries; our farmers and factory workers providing us with safe food and products; and those who ensure we get safely back and forth from work, school, and home each day. Whew!

With a list that comprehensive, who did we miss? What did we forget to be thankful for this season? Here are the five I’m betting you forgot:

1. Your Surprise Facebook Friend. Yes, Jimmy Kimmel, we know that some of our Facebook friends aren’t in the same league as our friend-friends, but we “friend” them anyway. I, for one, am amazed and thankful for my surprise Facebook friends. You know the ones I mean – the ones you aren’t close to in real life, but whose comments on your posts strike a particularly encouraging note, or whose photos or quotes are truly intriguing or cause a smile. Not sure you have one of these? Look again – the surprise Facebook friend inspires when you least expect it.

2. Dr. Martin Cooper. Who? You may not know this man, but his work goes with you everywhere. Dr. Cooper invented the cell phone, and opened the doors to a life outside of the office. (Debating whether this invention – and its offspring, the Blackberry and iPhone – is really worth being thankful for? You might be thankful for permission to Click Less and Connect More.)

3. Your Leader. Which leader impacts you most, perhaps in your business, your community, or your country? Admire or loathe him or her, but I bet you’re filled with ideas on how your leader needs to do better. Hold those thoughts, just for a second, and step into their shoes. Look around at all they must see, respond to, speak to. Just for a breath, thank them for all that they are doing. It’s a lot, and it’s hard work. (Thanks made? Now go back to pushing them to be better.)

4. Your Stress Makers. Yes, thank them, because everything that causes you stress is a reminder that you’re engaged in a life that still has room to grow. Gardeners know that seeds suffer extreme stress breaking their outer shell and punching through the hard ground before they can see the sun. And yet we still plant. Our stress makers slap us into noticing what’s happening in our work and personal lives. Whether we take action or not is our decision.

5. Yourself. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a good ol’ pat on the pack. Thank yourself for all the great things you’ve done this year – and there are many. If you doubt, just flip through your calendar for the past year. I promise you’ll be reminded of meetings you rocked, trips you took (that you could have passed over), and experiences you relished and really made a difference. No matter what the circumstance, you made it happen, so be sure to thank yourself while you’re thanking everyone else.

About the Author

Darcy Eikenberg, ACC, is an accomplished coach, consultant and business leader, with experience motivating individual and team behavior to achieve business results. Her focus is coaching and mentoring aspiring individuals and professionals/teams needing guidance and support. Before founding Coach Darcy LLC, Darcy was Principal, Internal Coach, and Senior Communication Consultant at Hewitt Associates. Darcy is VP, Marketing for the Georgia Coach Association and a graduate of Northwestern University.

After having this book highly recommended to me a few months ago I finally popped over to Amazon and bought it, just to see what all the fuss was about.

I read a lot of business mindset related books and I recently wrote about the top business books I’ve ever read.

That was all before I read Influencer so I didn’t get the chance to include it in my list of the all time greats. Would I have listed it in my list of all time greats? Here’s what I found and here’s the answer…

What’s Influencer About?

The complete title of this book (Influencer – The Power to Change Anything) is a good summary of what this book is about. It won’t empower you to change absolutely anything but it’s close. Stuff like the laws of gravity have been around for a long time and aren’t likely to change soon.

However, any situation that is driven by human behaviour can be changed and this book will give you an army of resources in which to make those changes happen.

This book describes in detail the influence strategies used by many to achieve great things. The strategies are varied and include personal, social and environmental techniques which can be used together to influence massive change.

Who’s Influencer For?

If you have anything in mind which you’d like to change about your life or other peoples lives that is driven by human behaviour then this book is for you.

Whether it’s reducing crime, improving health, reducing world poverty, having productive employees, improving teenagers behaviour or rehabilitating drug addicts, with this book you can change them all.

For business owners in particular there’s often a lot of bad habits and bad behaviours within your companies which you might know about but up until now have learned to live with.

If you think you’ve already tried everything then give this book a read. You’ll feel like you have a new found strength to take on any negative situation in your business and change it for the better.

What Do I Think Of Influencer?

When I started to read this book I was a little skeptical. After reading only a few chapters I found myself being amazed at what some of the worlds greatest influencers have actually achieved.

This book uses a few good examples of great influencers and their most ambitious projects, which it continues to return to throughout. There’s a number of startling statistics which provide evidence as to how the influence strategies it describes can achieve amazing results.

I didn’t realise until I read this book that achieving influencer over situations you wish to change is a whole science, but something which anyone can learn to do. Don’t expect this to be a quick fix book though. Influencing massive change can be a difficult task and sometimes a number of attempts need to be made, using different combinations of strategies.

Should You Read Influencer?

From the tone of this review so far I guess you already know the answer to this. It’s a definite “yes” for business owners and anyone who wants to achieve something in life which involves other people changing their behaviours first.

If you’re happy with your life and wouldn’t wish to change anything about it then maybe it’s not for you. However, I’m a big fan of this book and I believe it’s an excellent read for anyone wishing to invoke change.

In answer to my original question “would I include this book in my list of all time greats?” I think “yes”. It’s one of those books which brings new and exciting ideas to the table, ideas which you can really build on and use in real life to see real results. Those books are few and far between

I hope this review was helpful. One important aspect of being an entrepreneur and achieving a good business mindset is the concept of “lifelong learning”. I think this book contributes well to that and spending your valuable time reading it is time well spent.

About the Author

Jason is a freelance Software Engineer who is a keen blogger, has run a number of online businesses and is also in the property letting business. His interests include researching and teaching the business mindset, his goal being to learn all there is to know about how to be a successful entrepreneur and to pass this information on to others. For more information visit: http://www.BusinessMindsetExpert.com or follow him at http://Twitter.com/JRKtm

From years of experience working in the private and public sectors, I have observed people needing assistance with a whole slew of help in the of area business research. Many are new with the Idea of starting a business and have no idea of how to go about promoting it or the research process in relations to a business plan? The issues; of research and all that is involved with research is so broad that quite honestly it is difficult to discuss only in this writing as it could go on and on. From my perspective research is an evolving phenomenon.

Before we talk about research, the question of what is it that one is going to research needs to be answered. Now, I know that sounds awfully basic, but it is not. Believe it or not, there are some that attempt to embark upon a research venture without knowing what line of business they so aspire. One has to have, a very clear idea, desire, devotion and love for the business enterprise they so desire. Typically, identifying the clarity of one’s desire stems from an observation of an identified need; in other words an identified problem. From the need and the problem solving issues, comes ones interest of pursuing a particular business venture. However, don’t be so sure, the fact that it appears to be a problem or need might not be a reality and there could be a ton of people involved with solving that particular problem or in that same business. If so, that’s fine, but, at least you will know who else is involved or what you’re up against.

Now that you have indentified you’re interest, role or niche; I like to study what others or my competitors have done. Therefore I would research as much as possible what others have done in your area of interest. I would research those whom have been successful and those whom have been challenged or failed. The purpose for this activity is to quickly assess what is working and what has not worked, it will provide for you quickly the do’s and don’ts before you even get started; in essences you are conducting an investigation.
Once one has gathered the data necessary to move on beyond the preliminary inquiry, next is the process of conducting a secondary level of research. The secondary level of research activity will entail of what I call “raw data research”, raw data research is where one obtains data of interest’s based on specific historical issues: of events, dates, places and issues relevant to projections. With the first and second level of research one at this point is prepared to form a basic assessment of direction.

The third level of research will include people inquiry procedures which involves obtaining direct feedback from people who have done this work before, seeking from them what has work, what has not worked and don’t be surprise there are out there people who would actually be available to help you; sometimes it might benefit them. Also, be prepared to offer them something if they collaboration with you what you are doing in essence is developing a relationship with them.

The fourth level is to design a document that will provide you with an organized manual of information that will serve as your guide which will include: contacts, relevant online links, historical data on your niche and specified information that only you know is there.

About the Author

Do you want to discover the secret to explosive Personal and Leadership Development? Download my free guide here:Personal and Leadership Development. Dr. Richard C. Baiz is a College and Corporate Personal/Leadership Development Instructor and Coach who gets his clients top notch successful results fast.

Effective leadership is something that even good managers and leaders often need help with. According to a recent report on Small Business Trends, great leadership abilities help small business owners and entrepreneurs create a new landscape and explore business opportunities like never before. This article expands on some of the areas of leadership that can be improved and implemented, making it easier for businesses to flourish even in the most competitive of markets or economic conditions.

Some of the aspects of leadership that are essential in today’s business environment include effective networking, making the best impression, implementing new growth strategies, branding and marketing technology issues. Leadership must be taken to an entirely new level today to remain competitive and profitable.

According to this news story, blogging is more effective in networking than participating in social networks such as Facebook and Linked In when done correctly. Commenting on your own site and other related blogs can drive an enormous amount of traffic to your blog, increasing the visibility and credibility of your company. Taking care of your fans is also a way to get people to engage and keep coming back.

Effective Leadership also involves making the right impression; you want the first impression of your business to be a positive one that is memorable. In great leadership, it is essential that leaders and managers realize that every aspect of the business is important in creating the complete picture, from your business cards and website to staff members and advertising. These things are all important to your overall image.

Savvy business owners realize that good leadership requires building a recognizable brand as well. Prospective clients are interested in where you came from, how things started. Your mission statement, the logos and symbols you use in advertising and the words or “slogans” you use to define your business all work together to make your company memorable in the eyes and minds of potential clients and competitors as well. There should also be a leader or visionary who defines the product or company; someone who is recognizable.

Lastly, those in leadership positions must recognize the importance of having a chief marketing technologist. An individual in this position knows how to make certain that messages, advertising and other communication is delivered in the most effective manner possible. For example, a great chief marketing technologist understands how to integrate a Webinar with your email account, or how to integrate your website with Facebook. Many people are not technically inclined; this is why it is essential that you include areas you may not have thought of before when it comes to the best leadership for your business.

Superior leadership encompasses many aspects of your business; in fact, it is essential in every area if you are to be the leader in your industry. Hopefully, these lessons for leaders will help your business develop the leadership skills necessary to stay on top in a competitive business environment.

About the Author

Hakan Samad Graduated in University of Washington, majoring in Business Policy, International Business, Organizational Behavior, Business Communications, Consumer Research, Managing Information Systems, New Media Communications and business leadership.

He is now a Freelance writer who is passionate about authentic relationships between consumers and brands. He had 10 years of experience from retail channel planning to product marketing; He is currently a Freelance writer for few business leadership websites and now recides in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

You Can Be Inspired To Change Your Life

by Michael D. Hume, M.S.

I want to tell you about Dave, a guy I met at one of the health clubs where I work out. I don’t know him well (in fact, I have no idea what his last name is)… but he’s told me enough about himself over the years that I can relate what I know as his story. And I think it’s pretty inspiring.

I’m a pretty private guy. I think I’m friendly enough, and I enjoy the occasional casual conversation, but I’m introverted enough that I rarely initiate the socializing with people I don’t know. At the gym, I tend to get in, grab a locker, take my supplements, do my workout, hit the showers, pack up, and take off… usually without having much reason to visit with others.

So when I met Dave, to be honest, I thought he was a little obnoxious. He is a guy who really makes an entrance when he walks into the locker room… he wants to say hello to everyone, and in fact, always wants to tell me (or whoever’s listening) how much weight he lifted, how many laps he swam, whatever. He’s an adult, not too many years younger than I, and has clearly suffered some mental setbacks – though he’s perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation. Since I don’t want to think of myself as an unfriendly person who would find this obnoxious (see above, and feel free to laugh at me), I’ve always listened patiently and reacted with encouragement. I found sincere ways to be interested in Dave’s story, without being patronizing (I hate that). I’m sure glad I did, because over the months and years, Dave told me more and more about himself.

It seems that, years ago, Dave was a truck driver and a heavy smoker. He was diagnosed with a large brain tumor… and was told he probably would not survive the surgery to remove it (it took me, no Sherlock Holmes, several chats with Dave to notice the slightly-misshapen dent in the side of his forehead).

Obviously he survived anyway. In fact, he had to completely change his life, including immediately dropping the tobacco habit. I gather Dave lives today in a group home where he can get some help with some of his needs… but he gets his butt onto a city bus every other day, makes it to the gym, spends at least a couple hours working out, probably another hour socializing with folks at the club (with all of whom he is friends, including more than a few of us stuck-up introverts), and gets himself back home.

He’s one of my heroes.

Whenever I think it’d be more convenient not to get out of bed and head for the gym, I think of Dave, who has told me how blessed he feels to still be alive-and-kicking, and able to get to the gym on his routine schedule. Whenever I think of what a hassle it can be to start and run a successful business, I think about how envious Dave would be of the way I’m able to pass my days, and of the material blessings I enjoy. When I have to drive my beat-up old truck on some inconvenient errand, I think about how much Dave probably wishes he could still drive his truck.

And when I hear my coachees tell me it’s just too hard to make changes in their lives, like dropping the smoking habit, or undertaking marriage counseling, or building skills they’d rather not take on… I listen with patience and respond with as much encouragement and optimism as I can. That’s part of my job… my mission… and I’m blessed to have it.

But I can’t help thinking about Dave.

About the Author

Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant specializing in helping people enjoy health, wealth, and inspiring lives. Those who want to make money “one less thing to worry about” can learn more at http://oneyearplan.net/michaeldhume – anyone wanting more vitality can browse http://shop.enivausa.com/239824 – visit Michael’s web site at http://michaelhume.net