S.U.M.M.I.T. Leadership

"The New Year is a painting not yet painted; a path not yet stepped on; a wing not yet taken off! Things haven’t happened as yet! Before the clock strikes twelve, remember that you are blessed with the ability to reshape your life!" - Mehmet Murat ildan Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! As the closing of 2020 comes to an end, and the excitement and anticipation of 2021 approaches, I am always reminded to reflect back on the past year and create a plan for the new year, to ensure greater outcomes.  2020 was a challenging and strange year indeed for everyone. On one hand it feels natural to think "where did the year go?" Yet on the other hand it feels like it was "the longest year ever!" COVID-19 forever changed our world and how we go about our lives on a day-to-day basis. We had to endure "stay-at-home" orders, home schooling, and remote work-from-home. Some companies and businesses struggled to survive, with tons of layoffs and closures causin...

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." - Burton Hillis Christmastime has always been one of my favorite times of year. As a kid, of course, it meant getting gifts! As I grew older, however, it became more about the giving! After all, it's the season of giving, so people tend to focus more on others during this time of year. It's in the spirit of the season that we spend hours shopping for gifts for family, friends and colleagues. Or some of us are looking for ways to give to people in need. All in all, we are seeking to find ways to add value to other people, intentionally.  The best thing about this is, in reality, you can do this every day. It doesn't just have to happen once a year. If we seek to find ways to add value to other people's lives on a daily basis, we can achieve and receive a life filled with significance. Strive to not only make that the spirit of Christmas, but every day...

"Don't be distracted by criticism. Remember, the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you." - Zig Ziglar A friend posted this today. I thought it was a good lesson.   A story was told, that one day a school teacher wrote on the board the following: 9 x 1 = 7 9 x 2 = 18  9 x 3 = 27  9 x 4 = 36  9 x 5 = 45  9 x 6 = 54  9 x 7 = 63  9 x 8 = 72  9 x 9 = 81  9 x 10 = 90  When she was done, she looked to the students and they were all laughing at her, because of the first equation which was wrong. The teacher responded with the following statement:  I wrote that first one wrong on purpose, because I wanted you to learn something important. This was for you to know how the world out there will treat you. You can see that I wrote the RIGHT things 9 times, but none of you congratulated me for it. But you all laughed and criticized me because of the one wrong thing I did. So this is the lesson: The world ...

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha December is always a time of reflection. Especially as we approach a New Year. But this year has been different than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to reflect throughout the year. To take note of the things that are really important to us, in life. Yes, it has been a challenging year for all. But causing us to take the time to reflect upon these things could prove to be truly valuable. It caused us to pause and take notice of the people and things we may have been taking for granted. What things did you feel really good about? What things could have went better? What did you do really well? What could you improve upon? What shouldn't you have done? What should you have done? What things could you have enjoyed more? What things should you let go of? Reflecting upon your past is a good thing. You need your past to be able to create a better future for yo...

"Make a gift of your life and lift all mankind by being kind, considerate, forgiving, and compassionate at all times, in all places, and under all conditions, with everyone as well as yourself. This is the greatest gift anyone can give." —  Dr. David Hawkins With the holiday season well upon us, we are once again feeling the impact of living through a global pandemic that has changed the way we operate, and changed our lives in so many different ways.  Typically this would be a great time of celebration and festivities. Time spent gathering with friends and family. Rushing around in shopping malls, shopping for presents. But this year feels so, so different. And many are just done with it all.  We need each other, now, more than ever. We need kindness, love, warmth and giving. We need to be there for one another. This year has weighed heavily on everyone. Everyone is struggling in some way, shape or form. Some out of work. Some in a constant daycare situation. Some don't ...

"Invest the first hour of the day, the 'Golden Hour', in yourself." - Brian Tracy Your morning routine will set the tone for the rest of your day. What we think about throughout the day, we bring about, most of the time. So we must set ourselves up for the best possible outcomes by intentionally preparing ourselves at the beginning of each day. When you create positive and healthy habitual behaviors for each morning you are setting your day up for success. So, it is important to start your day off right.   Here are some tips that will help set you on the right path to making the rest of your days, the best of your days! GET UP A LITTLE BIT EARLIER : Give yourself some time, and learn to use it efficiently. One of the things that creates stress in our lives is the feeling of being rushed, or late, or not having enough time to do what you need or want to. The simplest of solutions is to make better use of your time. Give yourself more time, to take your time, to ease in...

"We're a species that rushes through everything, then complains that time flies." - Steve Maraboli   The holiday season is always fun but a hectic time of year. Like the song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." But often, for many, it becomes the most stressful time of the year. So much to do and so little time to do it all in. Or so it always feels like. We bounce from holiday to holiday, beginning with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Dinners, parties, decorating, shopping, gifts, over and over again. We feel like we have enough stress during normal times.  Add on top of it the effects of a global pandemic. Now we also have the stress and anxiety of the holiday season to deal with. It can get to be too much! If there is one thing that this COVID-19 pandemic has taught me through all of this craziness, is that we need to learn to appreciate each day, each moment. We have to learn to be intentional in our approach to ...

"Humility is the only true wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes of life" - George Arliss Humility is an underrated quality that isn't touched upon as often as it should be. Humility is in fact one of the most powerful and important attributes of growth. Being humble helps to build trust and facilitates learning, which are key aspects of leadership and personal development. However, our culture places so much value on external accomplishments and self-appearances that it sometimes becomes a challenge to express humility. It is because we often misinterpret this active demonstration as a sign of weakness, when in actuality it is an indication of tremendous inner strength. Being humble is not the same as lacking confidence. Humility means acknowledging that we have limits, that we need support and guidance from others, that we cannot go it completely alone. We can have great confidence in ourselves while still understanding that it is impossible ...

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin Change is an unavoidable constant in our lives. Sometimes portions of the change that happens is controllable, but often it is not. In the workplace our job roles change, processes change, or systems change. In life, circumstances change, our environment around us changes. We are forced to see things differently, do things differently and adjust and adapt to changes as they occur. Research has shown that those who are happiest in old age are the ones who have dealt most successfully with the changes in their lives. Learning to accept and adapt to change is the skill of the lifetime.  And because there is never a shortage of changes for us to face, we should have plenty of opportunities to practice our adaptive skills and even get proficient with them. We have already faced so many changes in our lives. In this year alone, think of all the th...

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say 'Thank You?'" - William A. Ward To be grateful can sometimes be difficult when things seem not worth giving thanks for. But if we take a moment to truly look and count your blessings, even in these times there's so much to be grateful and thankful for, and it's so important to bring gratitude and thankfulness into every part of your life. Today, I realize there are so many things to be thankful for: First and foremost I am thankful for the blessing of my amazing kids, my family who is always there for me, and for great friendships! I am thankful for the gift of life, and the life I am living. I am thankful for everything that is in my life right now. I am thankful for my job and for opportunities that present themselves. I am thankful for the ability and desire to do more, to become more and to make a positive difference and add value. In all things, let us remember to always give thanks. ...

"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou Who do you remember? Who remembers you? You don't actually have to take the quiz below. Just read the questions straight through, and you'll get the point that it is trying to make!  Take this quiz:  What are the names of the last six Academy Award winners for best actor or actress? What are the names of the five wealthiest people in the world? What are the names of the last four winners of the Miss America contest? What are the names of the last three Heisman trophy winners? What are the names of the last two World Series MFP's? What is the name of the Time magazine Person of the Year, five years ago? How did you do? Did you remember all, some, or none? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They may be considered the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards ...

"It's a bizarre but wonderful feeling, to arrive dead center of a target you didn't even know you were aiming for." - Lois McMaster Bujold I love feel good movies. In the 2001 movie Serendipity starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, they play a couple who search for each other years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated on their own ways, convinced that they were brought together for a reason, and that one day they'd end up together. What a great story, and a great lesson. The word serendipity means to discover something good by accident. It just happens. It is the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. It comes from the story about the King of Serendip, who sent his sons on a journey. Since they were obedient and faithful, they discovered beautiful and valuable treasures along the way. Sometimes we try so hard to find something, when in reality we aren't even sure what it is we are looking for. Ot...

"You must become the producer, director and actor in the unfolding story of your life." - Dr Wayne Dyer I think most of us have an idea of how we would like our life to be. Things we would like to have. Things we would like to achieve. Things we would like to accomplish in our lifetime. But then we get caught up in where we are right now.  The craziness of our day-to-day activities. And then we begin to let the rollercoaster of emotions and feelings take over. Life becomes hard. Life begins to beat us down. We give in and we give up. We begin to just "let life happen" instead of creating it the way we want it. We must realize that this IS real life, and life happens. We all get caught up in it, and it is hard.  There will be daily challenges. We will be consistently battling change. These things will create difficulties and cause us to have doubt, bitterness, unhappiness, fear, sadness and possibly low self-esteem.  However, this is exactly what we need to overcome....

 "Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness." - R.J. Palicio Happy World Kindness Day 2020!  World Kindness Day is a holiday reminding us of the importance of being kind to each other, to ourselves, and to the world. It's a great day to help everyone understand that kindness is the glue that binds us all together. If we instill kindness in everything we do, we can overcome the things that separate us when it relates to politics, race, religion, gender and so much more.  2020 has been challenging and continues to be, as we close out the final months of the year. More recently the second and third rise of COVID-19 cases across our nation has increased our level of stress. Everyone is exhausted and anxious from all of the chaos in the world as we commence upon the Holiday season. Everyone we know is dealing with some level of stress and anxiety. It's important to keep that on...

"The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment." - Judd Gregg Happy Veteran's Day 2020! Today as we honor and thank our veterans. Let us be mindful that we should not just do this today, we should do this every day. Men and women giving their best to defend what they love. Some call them soldiers, others call them heroes. They defend our country, they fight for our freedom. Because of them, we continue to live in freedom. This nation will always remain the land of the free as long as it continues to be the home of the brave. Veterans are a symbol of what makes our nation great. To those in uniform serving today, and to those who have served in the past, we honor you today, and every day! For this we give our thanks! Curtis "America without her soldiers would be like God without His angels." - Claudia P...

  "Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy." - Jefferson Bethke I love November, because with November comes Thanksgiving. We commemorate the day in America as a national holiday. It's a great day to gather with friends or family and enjoy a feast, and maybe even some football! But it's not because of the feast and the football, but because it's a celebration that serves as a reminder to us all to live with gratitude and thankfulness. But if you want to live an abundant life and a life of significance, your appreciation shouldn't be confined to Thanksgiving day, it should be celebrated and incorporated into your daily living. It's a choice. Choose gratitude, every day. There is so many things to appreciate every day. Appreciation is one of the highest emotional states you can be in. We should be thankful for each and every day, good and bad, that we get to wake up to. Thankful for life, and for living. Thankful for the people in your life, and the blessin...

  "We constantly change the world, even by our inaction. Therefore, let us change it responsibly." - Benjamin Franklin Today is Election day. Tons of hype, as people across America get to participate in an amazing opportunity to peacefully choose whom we wish to lead our country. This is a great gift and also a big responsibility for the country we live in. Yes, it is important to have someone that we trust will do an effective and responsible job in leading this country. But we must be careful that we are not relying on these elected leaders to influence our lives. Every four years people threaten to move out of the country if their candidate does not win. These are leaders in powerful positions to make decisions at a higher level of responsibility, but don't dictate how we live our lives on a daily basis. We need to be responsible as leaders too, for our own lives, on a daily basis. What you need to be able to do is to elect yourself to be President of your own life, da...

"Nothing in life is to be feared.  It is only to be understood."  - Marie Curie It's funny how our perception of fear changes when we relate it to Halloween. During the Halloween season we often seek out fearful experiences, on purpose. We heighten our desire to see scary movies, go to haunted houses, decorate our houses eerily, tell spooky stories to our children, and experience things like scary corn mazes. It becomes a tradition for us, our friends, and our families, to make a pastime out of getting scared. We become thrill seekers and are more than willing to go along with the scares that come with celebrating the holiday.  What would normally be terrifying and unsettling actually becomes exciting and fun. We get a kind of nervous adrenaline rush, by participating in everything that accompanies this type of self-induced fear. We get a natural high when we are faced with the spine-tingling, heart pounding experience, and oddly it becomes an enjoyable experience. Often,...

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." -  Charles Darwin The world as we know it is ever changing. This has been quite the year of disruption. And because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing massive amounts of change, and changing ever so quickly. Changes to how we live and how we work. Families are forced to adjust to having to work from home, and supporting their children who are also doing their schooling from home. Businesses are changing how they do business, and trying to adjust to all of this disruption. Businesses that are lacking the flexibility to adapt, are finding themselves failing.  As individuals, in order to successfully navigate in today's ever changing and fast-paced world, we have to stay flexible and be open and willing to change. Adaptability means being able to adjust to any situation at any given time and also consider the best approach for each part...