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

"The sun, the bright sun, that brings back, not light alone, but new life, and hope, and freshness to man, burst upon the crowded city in clear and radiant glory." - Charles Dickens   We have hit a bit of a heatwave across the country. Here in the Pacific Northwest, where I live, this isn't always the norm. So even more reason to get out and enjoy it when we can!   You just gotta love a nice bright sunshiny day. Both literally and figuratively.  Like the lyrics from the song I Can See Clearly Now "I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day."   Our days just seem much better when the sunshine is out. In the summertime, there are more hours of sunlight. So naturally we tend to be generally happier and feel better when the days are longer because there's more available sunshine. We are more likely to get out and do things in this environme...

"Today is a new day. Don't let your history interfere with your destiny! Let today be the day you stop being a victim of your circumstances and start taking action towards the life you want. You have the power and the time to shape your life. Break free from the poisonous victim mentality and embrace the truth of your greatness. You were not meant for a mundane or mediocre life!" - Steve Maraboli   I often end my messages with some form of "Make Today Great". Three simple words in a phrase, that to me means a lot in totality, but also behind each word.   MAKE: Involves choice, intention, action and effort on your part. Don't just let your day happen, create the kind of day you want. Put yourself in control of the things you can control; your thoughts, your attitudes and your actions. Do your part to contribute to add value, impact or create a positive difference. If you desire more or want to create change; do something about it.   TODAY: Today i...

"That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly." - Thomas Paine   We tend to value most the things that we've worked the hardest to get.   It might be that new car that we've saved years to buy. Or the admiration of someone who we know to be extremely demanding. We tell ourselves "yes, we did it". We feel like we've really accomplished something.   This can be a good thing, because it encourages us to work hard for what we want.   But we shouldn't forget to value those things that we might not have had to work quite as hard to get. Maybe the love of a parent; the generosity of a friend; the beauty of a summer's day.   Sometimes we don't realize the blessings that we have until we no longer have them. We often become so accustomed to the blessings in our daily life that we take most of it for granted.   It's important to be in the moment. Take a moment to stop, and notice the blessings around you. To appreciate the...

"When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing happened or in saying that we are not yet ready.   The challenge will not wait.   Life does not look back."   - Paulo Coelho   Some things to think about, as a sign of the times…   The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.   We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.   We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh to little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and...

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." - Kahlil Gibran   Each of us encounters hard times, hurt feelings, heartache, and physical and emotional pain. I mean, the world is an incredibly difficult place right now. The key is to realize it's not what happens to you that matters—it's how you choose to respond. You can choose an inner dialogue of self-encouragement and motivation, or you can choose one of self-pity and defeat. Your inner dialogue will be reflected in how you act.   Keith Harrell, corporate trainer and the author of Attitude is Everything, says there are several steps you can take to improve your attitude. Here are six to get you started:   Repeat affirmations. Positive reinforcing words charged with power and conviction, repeated several times a day, can reprogram your subconscious and t...

"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." - Zig Ziglar   What are the traits that makes one person a winner? The big difference is in how a person thinks. Their attitude will govern their actions.   I coached youth basketball for a while when my oldest son was little.   This is the fun age to coach.   Co-ed team and started out with a whole lot of stuff that kind of resembled basketball. The message was simple.   Winning isn't everything.   However, having the desire and will to win, is.   It's ok if we don't win the game.   But you have to want to win.   You have to work to win.   You have to improve to win.   You have to do whatever it takes to try to win.   That is having the will to win.   You do everything in your power, everything you can possibly do to help your team win.   That way, win or lose you can hold your head high, knowing that you ga...

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." - Phil Jackson   There is nothing more powerful than great teamwork combined with great leadership. It's often the difference between success and failure or the difference from being good to being great.   Legendary coach, Lou Holtz said if you have: Bad leadership + Bad teammates = Bad Team Bad leadership + Good teammates = Fair Team Good leadership + Bad teammates = Fair Team Good leadership + Good teammates = Great Team   One of my favorite acronyms of all time is T.E.A.M. = Together Each Achieves More. People need people. And when people come together as a team, there is no task that is too tall to conquer. The fact of the matter is that "None of us are as powerful, wise or as knowledgeable as all of us can be together". This holds true in almost every situation. At work it never ceases to amaze me how when the team pulls together to get a task ...

"Forgiveness is not always easy.   At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it.   And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness." - Marianne Williamson   THE SANDS OF FORGIVENESS - AUTHOR UNKNOWN:   A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.   The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:   "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."   They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.   After he recovered from the near drowning, he carved into a stone:   "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."   The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "Afte...

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.   Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.   It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.   That weekend, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.   The next Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.   No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't...

I love this quote: "Music IS what FEELINGS sound like" .  What a great quote! I have always been a big fan of music for several reasons. Growing up I always seemed to be involved in music in some way, shape or form. As a musician, as a mobile disc jockey, as a student, as a salesperson and of course as an avid listener.   As a musician, I have felt this first hand while performing a song, the mood that music creates. I had a 'good ear' for music, as they say. I learned to play the piano, by ear, as a young child. I could just hear the music in my head and translate to action through my fingers. We had a piano in the house as I was growing up, yet I never took lessons. But just because of its physical presence in our home and my sheer interest in music, I would sometimes sit down and try to figure songs out as I had heard them. And eventually was able to 'play' almost anything.  Throughout my youth I was involved in the school band and orchestra, playing the sa...

Here are a few end-of-the-day questions to ask yourself:   Did I start out my day with gratitude and thankfulness?   Did I allow myself to focus on all the blessings in my life today instead of contemplating the things I don't have?   Did I take 100% responsibility for every aspect of my life and understand that life happens for me, not to me?   Did I control what was in my control and master my thoughts, my attitude and my actions?   Did I make a conscious choice just to be positive and happy today, no matter what is happening in my own life?   Did I live in the moment, and was I present in understanding the power of right now?   Did I let go today, let go of resentments and unforgiveness that I have been holding onto, to myself and to others?   Did I keep my word today, no matter how simple a promise I may have made, knowing it meant a whole lot to someone else?   Did I learn something new today, somethin...