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

"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...