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

Live each day as if your life had just begun. -Goethe Is this all there is? Is this it? Every one of us asks this question from time to time.  We look at our lives and what's around us with the sense that there's nothing new and never will be. And because of this mood we probably feel disillusioned or even depressed. We experience the 'same old things' in the 'same old way'.  Needless to say, this state of mind has nothing to do with what life actually has to offer. It has everything to do with our attitude - with the way we view the world and respond to it. If we choose to see things only in shades of gray, that's what we're sure to experience. It's as simple as that.  If on the other hand we approach the day with a sense of wonder and interest, it's likely that we'll experience things far differently. If we have a receptive attitude rather than fixed and cynical expectations, we greatly increase our potential to be enthu...

One thing you need to develop in order to achieve personal success and leadership is mental strength. To be a peak performer and attain excellence in any field, you need desire, effort and discipline. You must be willing to work hard and persist even in the face of struggles. Mentally strong people are willing to seek strength and fortitude by building themselves up every day. Here are some daily habits that can help you build your mental strength: Be willing to learn. We live in the Information Age, yet not everyone is taking advantage of all the opportunities it presents for learning. Mentally strong people do not see learning as a tedious process, but as an essential routine to develop their mental strength. You must view learning as a way to improve yourself and as a way to surge ahead in a highly competitive world.  Be willing to adapt. Change is a constant factor in life; you must learn to deal with it because nothing stays the same. It takes mental strength to be flexi...

Growing up, as kids, we had a tight knit group of friends and we literally represented many races. Black, White, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Filipino. We always hung out together. We stood with each other and stood up for each other, for our friendship. We would sometimes be challenged by other people of our own race, questioning why we hung out with people from other races. Some would even turn against us.  At the time, we didn't do it intentionally to make a point or to go against the racial segregation that was naturally happening within our schools and neighborhoods. Honestly, we did it because we liked each other, and at the time that was all that mattered to us. I'm glad we did. Many of us are still friends today. This is a painful time in America.  Racial prejudice and injustice has always existed. It's not okay. Change needs to happen. We need to stand with each other, for each other. We need to do today, what we did not do yesterday. We need to be better tomor...

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’  -Mary Anne Radmacher These are definitely challenging times. It's not enough that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, which is causing changes in how we are dealing with life on a daily basis.  But it is also causing changes in the way a lot of us work, and the future of how we work. Furloughs, layoffs, corporate structural changes are adding into our current state of affairs creating even deeper levels of   anxiety, tension and fear.  And just when you think things couldn't get worse we are seeing racial injustice, boiling to the surface, with people speaking out in protest. We need to continue to be mindful of our attitudes. And although it may not be easy to stay positive all the time with everything that is going on, we need to try everyday to find some positivity within. Attitude is more than just positivity, it is a ...

Tough times don't last, but tough people do.     When it comes to tough times it is easy to get overwhelmed with what's going on in the moment.   How bad things are, how frustrated we are, how painful it is.   The reality is, everything passes.   Difficult times never stay difficult.   No matter what the situation is, the way we deal with it make the difference as to how we come out of it.   So, if you are going through a tough time, instead of focusing on how tough it is, focus on how tough you can be.   You'll get through it stronger.   AN OATH OF PERSEVERANCE: I will never give up so long as I know I am right. I will believe that all things work out for me if I hang on until the end. I will be courageous and undismayed in the face of odds. I will not permit anyone to intimidate me or deter me from my goals. I will fight to overcome all physical limitations and setbacks. I will try again and ag...

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little"  -Edmund Burke We put off cleaning the garage because the job seems too big to finish. We refrain from doing anything to help the poor in our community because the need is too great. We don't start a diet because we'll never be able to take off all of our excess weight. But if we cleaned just one portion of the garage each weekend, or made one small donation to a local charity each month, or drank one less can of soda each day, before long we would have accomplished a great deal - certainly much more than had we done nothing. Instead of being overwhelmed by the size of a task in front of me, I can take one small action at a time. These actions add up. Taking some action is better than taking none at all.

Practically every one of us has used this acronym at one time or another, “T.G.I.F.” for Thank God It’s Friday! For a lot of people this means a couple of days off in a row, or just elation for the weekend and fun scheduled events with family or friends. Maybe it means, time to be able to get to that project you've been putting off all week. We tend to experience a whole different feeling based upon what day of the week it is. Well, that is unless you work on the weekends. Then you might have to have your own version, ”T.G.I.M.F.” or Thank God It's My Friday. Really, this "joy" we are feeling can be generated at ANY time. If you truly wanted to, and put your mind to it, you could create this "feeling" of Friday, any day of the week. It just depends on how you begin each day and having the mindset that "Today IS going to be a great day"! There are several ways to make today a great day. But one of the simplest and most effective is to start...