Measuring Life

How will your life be measured? 

What is your legacy going to be?

Here are 7 things to focus on:

1.      Love who you are. All you need is buried deep inside you. It is up to us to dig in there and find what is already there to live a meaning life.

2.      Love what you do. Learn to love and choose well what you do. If we all need to work we might as well love the work we do.

3.      Love building relationships. Relationship building skills can be learned by all of us. All that we do boils down to having healthy relationships.

4.      Count your blessings. Develop a love for God and all his creations. We are all here to love, to learn, and to share our blessings with others.

5.      Speak and live the truth. Truth is not positive or negative; just the truth. Freedom comes from living the truth. Seek the truth and you will find it.

6.      Take time to reflect. Reflect, ponder, study, and make adjustments in the areas that matter most. Be a great scorekeeper of your life.

7.      Have unwavering faith. See with your mind and heart what is to come. Deeply believe in the great things coming your way and they will be yours.

All of us can start living a great life at the moment we decide to live a great life.

Make the decision today to live a life that will be measured by your greatness.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Power in Community

We are a product of our associations, our community. We are declining in our ability to build community therefore declining as a nation. Isolation and divisiveness replaced unity in community.  The technological noise, from all the means to communicate, has actually made us more isolated. We have to go back to before the agricultural age in order to find a lower level of connectedness than what exists today.

Why do communities come together? The need for communication brings people together. The need for community will always be present no matter how advanced our society becomes. 

Conversation is the key to communication and thus the building of healthy communities. The sad thing is that even with all the modes of communication accessible today, we are more isolated than ever and not living in community. As people, we are not to live in isolation. 

Information exchange is the reason for communication and the basis of community. Today’s world is failing to teach the young the basic skills of communication. In a real community, people work together for the common unity and people realize the power of a united community.

Here are a few thoughts about the value of community:

1.      Ability to communicate in a community ought to be an important part of any education.

2.      The problems of the world could be prevented or resolved if we just took the time to communicate in our communities.

3.      The TV and the Computer brought isolation (empowered individuals and weakened our communities) to people breaking up our communities.

4.      We can only connect when we slow down and have conversations. We are emotional beings therefore the majority of communication takes places in a non-verbal way.

5.      It all started when career focused vocational training replaced the classical liberal arts education over 100 years ago. About that time we started to lose our ability to connect and communicate.

6.      If we don’t connect with each other, we cannot trust each other. In order for trust to occur we need to be able to communicate, to be believable, to create connections, and to be dependable and that is where the power of community comes from. In a true community there is loyalty and the loyalty comes from the culture created by community leaders.

7.      A culture that loses its roots becomes rootless and spreads rootlessness. Apathy then takes over the land. Does that bother you? It bothers me!!!

The art of conversation, from association, is the root of community. 

We must improve our ability to improve ourselves so we can create healthy communities if we are to remain free as a society.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

The Art of Selling

We are all in sales, we just don’t think about it that way.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with selling, offering solutions to problems and help others to live better lives.

If you are married you sold yourself to your spouse!

Selling is all about relationships – between buyers and sellers!

Most people don’t like the idea of being in sales yet they are all selling something even if they don’t think or like it.

Selling is not taking advantage, it is and exchange of wants, helping others by exchanging a product or service for money.

Trust is the key to selling, no wonder of people don’t like selling. There is so much mistrust in the world today.

Here are some thoughts on the art of selling:

1.      If you work in a job you are selling yourself, you’re most valuable resource, your time, for money.

2.      If you are in college, someone sold you information to you, where you are spending time and money to learn.

3.      The best product we have to sell is ourselves. Are you a world-class product?

4.      Effective selling comes by asking the right questions to find and meet the needs of others.

5.      We buy from people we like. We make decisions emotionally then justify them logically.

6.      Selling is about leading buyers to a solution to their problems where buyers are in fact selling to themselves.

7.      Selling is fun if we think it the right way. You can improve your life and the life of those around you when you become the best product.

You can become a better buyer by becoming a better seller; and who does not want to be a better buyer.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

The Right Questions

You have heard it before that there are no wrong questions. I believe that there are the right questions and wrong questions. The right answer to the wrong question is a waste of time. Keep asking the right questions and eventually you will get the right answers.

Asking the right questions is the key to breakthroughs in life; it bridges the gap between where we are and where we need to go.

The quality of our questions determines the quality of our lives. Are we asking the right questions to ourselves and those around us?

Questioning is an art; it takes practice to ask quality questions. Also, it takes great interpersonal skills to get our questions right.

We normally want to get quick answers that we forget to frame our questions the right way.

Asking open-ended questions is the best way to start the path to get the right answers.

Learn to ask what and how questions and be open to the right information to start living a better life; the life you were meant to live.

Here are a few sample questions we ought to ask ourselves:

1.      What is my purpose and mission in life?

2.      How can I live my purpose and mission in life?

3.      What am I doing that will continue aster I am gone?

4.      What can I start doing to become who I was born to be?

5.      What can I stop doing that is not contributing to living my purpose and mission in life?

6.      What areas of my life do I need to improve the most?

7.      How can I apply what I already know to get my goals and dreams?

Bonus:  What do I believe in and why do I believe in what I believe?

We can get all we need in life if we ask the right questions to the right people at the right time.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Feedback

Most of us don’t bank on the value of feedback because it is uncomfortable to accept the truth. We see the value of feedback when we take it to heart and apply what we learn. The positive results are the motivator for us to keep on feasting on feedback; the breakfast of champions.

What is the value of feedback?

Here are 7 reasons for us to feast on feedback:

1.      Feedback helps us to learn and grow.

2.      Helps us to get back on track.

3.      Helps us to find our blind spots.

4.      Helps us to improve trust in our relationships.

5.      Helps us to improve our results and our value.

6.      Helps us to get advice from people we respect.

7.      Helps us to become more responsive to the needs of others.

Can you please give me your feedback by commenting on?

                What do you like or dislike about the 7 Daily Nuggets blog?
  What areas most interest to you?
  What topics would you like me to write about?

Thank you!

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Got Veggies?

Got your vegetable garden in yet? 

“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” - Abraham Lincoln

There are many good reasons to have a garden. I am sure it is different for everyone. Everyone ought to get out there and get their hands dirty, perhaps even their feet. It does a lot of good for the body, the spirit, and the soul. 

What are you waiting for? Join the people putting their gardens in this weekend. 

From seed or seedling, like fiddling, it is music to the soul.

7 Reasons to have a vegetable garden:

1.      Save money. Grow your own instead of buying in the store.

2.      Improve your health. Eat healthier, fresh and better taste with fewer chemicals. Eat higher nutrition and know what goes into your food and your body.

3.      Stress reduction. Mental hygiene. Get physical exercise and fresh air.

4.      Share your blessings. Share produce with others. Strengthen connections with others.

5.      Teach others. Share the joys of gardening, especially with your children and grandchildren. Learn and teach self-sustainability.

6.      Experience nature and life. Help the environment.

7.      Have a sense of pride and satisfaction. Having something to protect and nurture by doing visible and rewarding work.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

People Skills 101

When it comes to dealing with people our motto ought to be “I am getting better all the time.”

The only security we have today rests on our level of commitment to get better in how we deal with people. 

People and relationship skills are the foundation of success in business and a life. 

Is positively influencing the lives of people part of your mission and your values? 

Are you living your mission and your values? 

Here are a few suggestions on how to deal with people on a daily basis. Easy to say, tough to do.

1.      Move from judging, criticizing, and analyzing to cheer leading, supporting, encouraging, and uplifting those around you. Give people reasons to want to spend time with you.

2.      Become more loving and accepting of others. Remember that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience.

3.      True and lasting prosperity only comes to those who help others lessen their burdens in life. Be a creator of opportunities for others and inspire them to go after them.

4.      Never let your mood determine how you respond to others; deal with your moodiness first. 

5.      Never be afraid of problems with people, be afraid of inaction to solve your people problems. Problems make us come alive and take action to keep on getting better.

6.      Learn to celebrate your people mistakes for in them you will find valuable lessons. How can we learn if we don’t make mistakes? Press the pause button; reflect and ponder and know that you are the one that needs to change. Changing ourselves is hard enough; stop thinking you can change others.

7.      Live by your values, philosophies, and ideals so you don't have to spend time and energy defending your ideas and justifying your actions.

Integrity without courage is like knowledge without application, worth little.

Knowing and not doing is not knowing.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Dream Chaser

Are your dreams important to you? 

Are you chasing them with all you got?

It takes courage to dream; it takes even more courage to chase your dreams.

Here are 7 things to keep in perspective during your journey as a dream chaser:

1.      Get off the couch and out of the house. Your dreams will not come to you; you have to go chase them. Your treasure boat is not coming to you; you have to navigate to it!

2.      Be passionate about your dreams. No one else will be as passionate as you are. Be aware as you may look like a madman while in the pursuit of your dreams.

3.      Keep your dreams in front of you. Focus on what is next. Take actions that direct you towards your dreams. Ingenuity and creativity will come from your dreams. Have faith, the belief in seeing your dreams becoming reality.

4.      Be hungry and motivated. You got to have the desire; the hunger provides the motivation. Never expect others to motivate you to chase your dreams. Your dreams are yours, not theirs. Others may inspire you by sharing their struggles in the journey to their victories.

5.      Expect resistance and keep going. Know that others may be uncomfortable around you. The uncommon person will always find resistance on the way to achievement.

6.      Tenaciously persist to the end. Nothing takes place of persistence. Expect setbacks, learn from them, and get up quickly after every fall. A dog does not know it has flees during a case.

7.      Help others get their dreams. Others will be inspired by your commitment and will emulate you during your chase. Be sure to help them along your journey.

There is no competition for a person chasing a dream!

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Making Time

How we spend or invest our time daily makes all the difference in the world. We all have 24 hours in a day. How come then some people achieve great things in their lives while others don’t? The big difference is in how they think about time and money.

Most of us chase time and money yet most of us lack time and money. How can that be? Money is a byproduct of where we invest our time in.

Which one of the two is more important? I say time is. Time is our most important resource.

The challenge is that when we exchange time for money by definition we cannot have both; therefore we lack time or money. How good is it to have money and no time to enjoy the great things that money can buy? How good is to have time if we do not have the money to do the things we would love to do?

In order to have both we have to invest time and money by a concept called leveraging. Improper priorities are the issue for most people. Focus on what is important not just the urgent. The important things whisper at us while the urgent ones scream at us!

In order to have time we have to make time; investing time instead of spending time. Where are you spending your time? Where are you investing your time?

Most people lack money because they spend money instead of investing money. First work hard for your money, and then put the money to work for you. What a novel concept? Simple, yet most people don’t do it.

From neck down we are all worth minimum wage. Start investing money in you, from neck up that is. Imagine if you would just invest 3% of your income in you, to sharpen your mental faculties, in your continuing education. We all can do that, can’t we? Just do it for a few years and see dramatic positive changes in your life.

 

In the book Life’s Greatest Lessons (20 Things that Matter) by Hal Urban, you can see how losers misuse or spend their time while winners use or invest their time. This picture extracted from the book has a great description of the 7 contrasting areas where time goes.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)

Follow Me?

We are all leaders and follower. The key question is how good a leader and follower are we? 

At some point in our lives we are all called to lead. Never is the history of our country there has been a real need for leaders and follower like now, today! 

The question is: are you read to lead or to follow? Otherwise you may need to get out of the way.

Why should others follow you?

1.      Do they trust you? Trust is the essence of leadership and followership.

2.      Are you skilled and authentic? Have credibility and honesty with followers and provide them with opportunities to get better.

3.      Are you a great communicator? Are your channels of communication open? Care about your followers. Communicate your vision and your cause. Tell captivating and inspiring stories.

4.      What are your strengths and weaknesses? Followers care about humility, humanity, and vulnerability. Be open for feedback.

5.      Do your followers know the cost and the prize for following you? Clarify the risks and rewards. Help followers achieve their dreams.

6.      Do your followers know what is expected of them? There is more to being a great follower than meets the eye. The principles for being a great follower are: instant response, initiative, imagination, integrity, inquire, inform, and involve (from the book Follow to Lead www.follow-to-lead.com read the book and find out why leaders are precious, follower priceless!)

7.      Do your followers feel comfortable, energized, and inspired when they are around you? Followers want authenticity, excitement, significance, and community. In a real community people have faith in each other; therefore, they believe, behave, and belong.

The bottom line is “do your follower have faith in you?” If they do you are on your way to leaving a legacy.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)