Lights Shine Bright

Christian music artist Toby Mac on his newest album has a song called "Light Shine Bright".  Since it is the holiday season I thought this would be a great topic for my Friday Focus Blog. 

The song talks about being a light for other people each and every day.  If you think about it, you have the choice on what type of influence you can make in this world.  We all have influence.  We all have opportunities.

I read a book one time about being bucket fillers.  I love this concept.  Each day when you interact with people look at them and picture how much love they have in their bucket.  The person may be going through a rough time.  The person may be poor.  The person may look fine but on the inside is hurting.  How can you fill their bucket?  A smile.  Show them that you care.  Listen to them when they talk to you.  Compliment them.  Make them a priority.  We all have this opportunity.  We just need to make it happen.  Be a light.

In one of my favorite books by Jon Gordon called "The Carpenter" one of the main characters teaches the theory of doing three things daily.  Love, Serve, Care.  It is as simple as that but a very hard concept.  The rewards from doing that theory is life changing.  Have that mindset each day - love those around you, serve those around you, and care about those around you.  Your actions can change lives.

Be a light.

"Lights shine bright everywhere we go"  Toby Mac

Happy Holidays!!!!

Home Run

I'm reading a book right now called Home Run and this quote jumped out at me - "The greatest battles we face are not around us, but within us."

The author is talking about Character.  His point is that in order for us to succeed in life we need to first focus on ourselves.  Good character creates an invisible foundation in a person's life which reflect relationships, careers, and a life of significance.  I love the quote by John Wooden "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

In order to have character you need to build a solid foundation from within.  If you let violations of character to chip away by your actions that foundation will eventually collapse or become weak.  This is so important because as individuals we can never live a productive life if we cross that line and put our character at risk.

Some tips to help build a solid foundation of character:

1.  Call a loved one every night.
2.  Talk positively about other people.
3.  Choose close friends carefully.
4.  Live your life as an open book.
5.  Seek a mentor with strong character.

These few tips will help you develop a full life.

Mr. Townsend

One Tough Job!

August 11th, 2004 - I was 24 years old.  This was the day my life changed.  This is the day it became real.  This was the day I found out the true meaning of the word love.  This is the day I became a father.

I received an email today from an organization I signed up to get emails from called http://www.fathers.com/.  In the email was a blog quote - this quote gave me my inspiration to write this week's Friday Focus.  Here is the quote:  To a girl, a father is her first love.  To a boy, a father is his first hero.  Here is a link to the blog:  First Hero, First Love

The main point I want to get across in this blog today is simply this:  parenting is a tough job!  :-)  It also is the best job I have ever had.  I feel blessed to be in the profession I am in because it has presented me with the opportunity to not only be around my own kids during the day, but also to have influence on all kids in our school district.  In a John Maxwell book I was reading yesterday he put it this way:  As a leader much is provided, but also much is required in return.  As a parent we are provided with children but also much is required in return.

The last couple of weeks have been a true test of patience for me.  This is in all areas of my life.  What is the key to get through times like this?  A different way of thinking.  When a situation comes up don't think of it as a problem, or a burden, or an issue.....think of it as an opportunity.  An opportunity to guide people, to listen, to discuss, to give advise, to show you care, to place yourself in their shoes.....or as a father - to be her first love and his first hero.

Power

Right now I'm out in Bismarck at a conference. So far it has been great. The theme of the conference is "The power of education".

This morning the keynote speaker, Dr. Adam Saenz, did an excellent job with this topic. His main point was that we as individuals need to make a point to CONNECT with our students each and every day. This got my gears turning. How often do I connect with kids?  Do I make them feel important?  Do our students feel connection outside of school?

I really enjoy the opportunity to engage with students in our small community. I look at bigger school districts and think about the many kids that do not have engagement or connection with a caring adult. Always remember we, or adults, have the power and opportunity to connect with children to change a life....today.

It's Not About Me

I absolutely love the book by Tony Dungy called "The Mentor Leader".  In his book a main focus is the concept of "It's Not About Me".  A team, a family, an organization - all of these things have individuals involved and as a leader you need to make it about the "we"...not the "me".

According to coach Dungy - great teams have this kind of chemistry:
**It's not about me.
**It's not about you.
**It's about others.

So here is the question - the tough question that is hard for people to grasp in this society - "Am I prepared to have great success and not get any credit for it?"

For me - leadership has always been about service.

So today - evaluate yourself, your team.  What type of people do you have in your organization or on your team.  A quote I heard one time that still sticks with me is this "All great empires are destroyed from within".

Happy Friday Focus!

Praise

A leader is an individual that has influence.  Praise from a leader can benefit your family or organization in so many ways.  If you are a teacher, parent, brother, sister - any type of leader - focus on praise today.

Are you loyal?

For my Friday Focus this week I'm going to cheat somewhat and talk about the discussion I had on Wednesday night during my Men's Bible Study.  The topic we had was Loyalty.  The book we are using for the study begins with former head football coach Tom Osborne out of Nebraska.  Coach Osborne supported a former athlete by the name of Lawrence Phillips.  Lawrence Phillips was a running back for the Huskers and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams.  Lawrence had some trouble with the law but during his rough patches, Coach Osborne still supported Lawrence Phillips - he was still loyal to him.  Coach Osborne took a big risk supporting such a public figure.  The relationship between these two individuals was at a level that loyalty and trust was automatic.  Have you had that type of relationship?  Have you been loyal to somebody?  Had faith in them?  Many times in our lives we are going to have situations when we need to make a decision...do we remain loyal and seize the opportunity to help someone or will we turn the other cheek and possibly lose a relationship...So....are you loyal???