Positive Leadership

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” -Viktor Frankl

There are times in your life when your attitude will be tested. It may be a family issue, problems at work and sometimes it occurs in your church life. How you respond to these tests of life will dictate many times the outcome of each. It will dictate the direction of your life. The point being is that your attitude can have a huge impact upon your life.

A few years back, a friend went through a couple of job changes. They were not of his doing and he simply was caught in the circumstances of the times. He and his wife also had various challenges with children, health and the death of relatives.

They were experiencing many of the things all of us go through. Yet to compound all of that with job loss seemed too much for anyone to carry on their shoulders. It seemed that they were carrying an unfair share of life's problems. Certainly they had every right to complain. But he kept an attitude of positive thought under the pressure.

My friend lost his first job due to company layoffs, but he had positioned himself to gain another job rather quickly. In this second job, it was a good one but after a short amount of time, a returning soldier was given his job back. The employer had promised to keep both but circumstances had changed and only one could be kept. There being no room, my friend was let go. The returning soldier deserved his old job back and so my friend left with a cheerful heart.

What happend to my friend? He kept looking, kept his attitude positive and landed a job to manage another, larger company. It was a bigger position with more responsibility and leadership. It was the job that was waiting to meet up with him at the right intersection and time in life. This man will know who he is and I'm proud to know him. He is a man of great character, great attitude and a leader among those he comes in contact with.

It is those qualities by which great leaders operate. Leaders who have learned and continue to learn how to 'rule' their attitudes. These people know how they want to feel and then chose to feel that way. Their mood and choices help create the end result. You too can be that kind of person, with the right kind of attitude.

Stay inspired my friends!

Solid Foundation

“Character is like the foundation of a house - it is below the surface.”

There are stories many of us have read regarding failed character of others. There are stories of ponzi schemes run by people whom on the surface were charitable and seemingly very good hearted people. There are the stories of people leading a double life of cheating on a spouse. Or one of many other stories in which a person's underlying character is finally revealed.

You could think of it as a very nice looking home. A new paint job, new roof and a well maintained lawn. You enter the home and enjoy dinner parties with your host. The fireplace always seems to have the right glow to it and everything seems so perfect.

Yet laying just beneath the surface is a poorly laid foundation. Loose rock, cracked blocks and bricks along with poorly prepared soil. It is a foundation that with heavy rain, strong wind or a small earth rumbling will fail.

A house built upon a poor foundation will crumble when trouble occurs.

A life built upon a poor character will crumble when trouble occurs.

The foundation of our life is built upon our character. Others may not at first see what lay beneath but eventually the stones fall away. The facade crumbles and your true character is revealed. The true essence of whom you are will be exposed for all to see.

If you build a strong character, your foundation will last a lifetime and beyond. Your character is what determines who you really are. Paint fades, a book cover weathers away but your character can last forever if the foundation is solid.

Build a strong character as your foundation for a great life. An article describes five things to think about.

1. Understand what character and Integrity are.

The definitions of these words are often stretched or misrepresented. Learn what they truly mean:

Character is the sum of qualities show up in a person or group, moral or ethical strength, and the description of a person's attributes, traits and abilities.

Character is who you are. It defines you and guides your actions, hopefully in a positive way.

Integrity is steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code, being unimpaired, sound, whole and undivided; completeness.

Integrity can be summed up simply as doing the right thing for the right reason even when no one is watching.

2. Choose a set of rules, morals, or principles that you believe will lead to a happy, satisfying, and righteous life, as well as a better world.

3. Look at the choices you've made in your past, and observe how much you have or haven't lived by those principles. Don't waste time feeling regretful or guilty.

4. Decide what you must change in your behavior to align your life more closely to what you believe.

5. Be conscious every day of the decisions you make, however big or small, and how close they bring you to being the person you really want to be.

Your character is a huge part of your life's foundation. Build it strong and your life will be strong and lasting. A rock solid foundation that will withstand even the hardest of times. And should your foundation crumble from a weakness, then rebuild your life repairing those areas of your life that need strengthening. Repair and maintain a balanced wheel of life that will roll on and on and on.