Deal with it

Deal with it

How well can you handle adversity?

1.      Dealt with conflict. How well can you handle conflicts in your life?

2.      Have courage. Do you have the intellectual and emotional intelligence and the will to handle adversity?

3.      Spiritual strength. Do you have the spiritual strength to handle stressful situations?

4.      Deal with stress. Get control of your life. Stress is not the enemy in our lives, the lack of energy is.

5.      Learn to recover. Are your stressful periods followed by periods of recovery to refill your energy reservoir?

6.      Welcome change. Change is difficult for all of us because we are creatures of habit.

7.      Tap into your own resources. Our most powerful resources are the will and the discipline to resolve conflict and handle adversity.

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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 Champion

Think like a champion

1.      Turn rejection into positive energy. We have an unlimited amount of energy. Use your energy at the right time, the right place, for the right reason.

2.      Turn any relational pain into positive energy. Resolve the conflicts in your life. Take the lead to make the wrongs right even if you are not at fault. Give grace.

3.      Choose not to be offended. We all have the ability to rise above being offended.

4.      Believe you can be a champion. If another person has done something great so can you; if never done before, be the 1^st to do it.

5.      Make an art out of friendship. Success attracts enemies. Learn all you can from your opponents. Turn your enemies into friends.

6.      Be the first to apologize. Be the one to apologize the most.

7.      Pile up skills. All people skills required to live a great life can be learned. Lessons are repeated until lessons are learned. Only compare yourself with you. Get better every day in every way.

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

We reap what we sow

Today is the day

Today is the day we can start making our sowing greater than our reaping.

1.      God’s law.  The Parable of Sower can be found in Matthew 13. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

2.      Nature’s law. The law of the farm states that when we plant corn we have the potential to harvest corn. When we plant wheat we have the potential to harvest wheat. When we plant tomatoes we harvest tomatoes. We must plant before we can harvest. Nature has the capability to multiply our bounty when applied properly.

3.      The principles in the law. The principles in the natural law of the farm are sequenced and timed: perspective, planning, preparation, planting, prevention, protection, and performance. Violating these principles is asking for a poor harvest or no harvest at all.

4.      The application of the law. The law of the farm is a natural law from God. It applies in all that we do and all that we are. Think about the parable, you being the sower and the people around you being the ones where the seeds land.

5.      Delay gratification. Patience is a virtue. There is a time for everything. We certainly cannot reap before we sow, can we?

6.      Long term thinking. Save the best seeds. Never run out of seeds. It pays to invest in the best seeds.

7.      The Power of compounding. Each seed carries the genetic potential to produce a great harvest. Match the seed with the ground where the seed will grow.

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

Will you?

Got skills?

Are you converting your potential into results? How can we win in this crowed and competitive world? Turn abilities into skills. We are all endowed by our Creator with hundreds of abilities. Are you turning those abilities into skills? Here are a few reminders to get your juices flowing today. Drop me a note if you like these nuggets.

1.      Be more. In order to have more in life we must be more. What are you doing to learn and grow? Are you applying the truth what you already know?

2.      The greatest ability. A person greatest ability is to discover abilities in others. Are you discovering and helping to bring out the abilities in others?

3.      The thinking. Our thinking got us where we are today. Do you want to have more? Develop the thinking of professional champions.

4.      The giver. Be a giver in a world of takers. Be a producer in a world of exploiters.

5.      Master of one. Be a Jack of all trades but a master of one. What skill are you mastering?

6.      Value. Be a person of value. Give more than you take for what you provide to others.

7.      Legacy. What do you want to be remembered by? Are you measuring your life by the seeds you are planting or are you just plucking the fruit from someone else's tree? Are you eating the seeds you ought to be planting?

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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 Best Asset There Is

The Best Investment

The best investment you can ever make is not in gold or silver; it is not in savings or stocks and bonds, or in a house, or in land.  The best investment you can ever make is in YOU.

1.      The greatest asset. Your greatest asset is you. You are the asset that will bring you the greatest return to you.

2.      Purpose and vision. Invest in yourself enough to detect your purpose in life and develop the clear vision of where you would like to go.

3.      Talents and abilities. Invest in yourself enough to develop your talents and abilities and leverage them to the fullest.

4.      Leadership abilities. Grow in your leadership abilities and prepare; the time will come when you will need to lead. Make sure you are ready when that time comes.

5.      Time and money. Invest enough time and money until you have enough time and money to live the life you always wanted to live.

6.      Want and needs. Invest enough in yourself until you have clearly defined what your needs and wants. Follow the desires of your heart so you can live by your priorities and not by your obligations. Live a life of no regrets.

7.      Security. Define what security means for you. Security is no longer where it used to be. Invest enough in yourself until you feel secure.

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

Greatest advice

The Paradoxical Commandments

The greatest advice, "The Paradoxical Commandments" were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders. 

Jesus Christ did it before and Mother Teresa did it after they were written. Imagine us doing the same as they did anyway.

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
   Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
   Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
   Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
   Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
   Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
   Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
   Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
   Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
   Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway. © 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

Take Control

Are you in control?

1.      The pictures. Are you in control of the pictures that occupy your mind? If not, replace the pictures.

2.      The lenses. Are you responsible for the lenses through which you see life? If not, change lenses.

3.      The adversity. Are you welcoming adversity as you welcome your best friend? If not, reframe your thinking.

4.      The spirit. Are you protecting your spirit from the opposition of mediocre minds? If not, protect your most valuable asset.

5.      The battles. Are you prepared to fights the battles in the internal and external territories? If not, deliberately prepare.

6.      The success. Are you working hard to deserve ultimate success? If not, success is not for you.

7.      The defeats. Are you finding defeats in your victories and the victories in your defeats? If not, you are not learning fast enough.

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

Unforgettable

Are you fit for life?

1.      Uniform. The uniform of a leader is thick skin and soft heart. Have class if you want to be unforgettable. How noticeable is your uniform? How good is your core?

2.      Deliberate practice. Practice does not make it perfect; deliberate practice does. Are you following the advice of your coach?

3.      Positivity. Ignore the negative, accentuate the positive. Are you being positive when going through the valleys of life?

4.      Lessons. Find the victories in your defeats and the defeats in your victories. Lessons are repeated until lessons are learned. Is your gratitude greater than your success?

5.      Doing. I can’t teach anything new to you; I can only remind you of what you already know and are not doing. How good is it to know and not do?

6.      Questions. Make your questions greater than your answers. Is your gratitude greater than your success?

7.      Half time. Make the second half of your life greater than the first half. The first half is about making mistakes; the second half is about correcting them. How is your life intermission going?

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

Why Change?

Dealing with change

1.      Embrace instead of fighting change. Change is hard but necessary for survival; fighting change is like fighting traffic by going the wrong way in a busy four lane highway. Guess who loses it!

2.      Get moving. A single event can start a chain of positive lifelong changes. Be the one to get started!

3.      Dealing with change. Change event>change in attitude>change in behavior>change in performance>change in results. Deal with it!

4.      Growth is optional and so is success. We can only grow through adversity and change; just like our muscle fibers. Stretch and grow!

5.      Living with expectancy. When we expect great things from ourselves and those around us we experience a sense of purpose and deal better with change.

6.      Surviving the critics. Those that welcome and embrace change live lives of no excuses and no regrets. Learn how to take shots from critics!

7.      A bright future. It is in the dark conditions of life that we can discover our bright futures. See the light!

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

Wondering

What is happening?

Do you ever wonder what is happening?

Work ethic. What is happening to the old fashioned way to make a living? Earning.

Freedoms. What is happening to our freedoms? Protecting.

Self-reliance. What is happening to our communities? Rebuilding.

Money. What is happening to our money? Revaluing.

Trust. What is happening to our relationships? Trusting.

Education. What is happening to our education system? Caring.

Institutions. What is happening to our institutions? Strengthening.

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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

Do you really need them?

You don’t need them

1.      You don’t need a diploma to be a leader. Anyone can be a leader because anyone can serve. Leaders acquire and apply the knowledge and skills as they perform their duties.

2.      You don’t need high intelligence to be successful. Hunger trumps intelligence every time. Most successful people were thought to have low intellect by their intellectuals.

3.      You don’t need an MBA to be a high performer. The world is full of mediocre MBAs. Great performers pay the price they must pay.

4.      You don’t need talent to be a champion. Deliberate practice trumps talents every time. Don’t believe it? Study the life of every champion and you will find a common thread.

5.      You don’t need to come from affluence to have influence. Influence is earned during the process of becoming affluent. We don’t really value what is easily acquired.

6.      You don’t need to be popular to make a difference. You may become popular because you made a difference. You have to be different to make a difference.

7.      You don’t need that magic pill to be a high achiever. There is absolutely no fast track to high achievement. Be persistent and let your results do the talking.

Will you join my cause to fight mediocrity in the world?

Pass these nuggets on to others.

                      

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

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