Crossroads

We know we must take the right road. Will we do it?  

The road less traveled is the right one. America and the world will go through a revolution. Will it be a peaceful leadershift revolution towards freedom or will it be a bloody and forceful revolution towards dictatorships and slavery? Let’s play our part to have a peaceful revolution.

1.      Most of us don’t lack abilities; we lack faith and commitment to a cause, a freedom cause.

2.      A culture that values pleasure and entertainment as the two most desirable outcomes is imploding itself. Are we there yet? Haven’t we learned from Rome?

3.      There is no such thing as unearned self-esteem and everyone knows it. Yes, we spoiled our children. Giving unearned things is like giving a winning a lottery ticket.

4.      Personal change is possible and it is essential for survival in a free society.

5.      The time has come for Americans to start demanding more of ourselves.

6.      We must enable ourselves to dream again, and dream really big. It takes courage to dream.

7.      It takes courage, faith, patience, and persistence to establish good lifelong habits and patters.

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)

Worldly Wisdom

What is the process to acquire worldly wisdom?

Here are some deep and profound thoughts. Anyone able to dig into the work required to be worldly wise can do it. The worldly wise can find meaning and lasting success in any endeavor.

Worldly wisdom is difficult to acquire; however, the rewards are FUN-tastic! 

These 7 nuggets will help you to have fun, create wealth, and make a difference by serving others.

1.      Breadth of education. Acquire and apply a large body of knowledge that incorporates multiples discipline like physics, biology, social studies, philosophy, psychology, literature, history, and mathematics.

2.      Develop the ability to see, create, and link mental models together. Traveling can speed up the process.

3.      Find relevant metaphors as a way to convey meaning using ordinary language. Metaphors are concise and memorable.

4.      Translate ideas into models that are easy to be understood and communicated.

5.      Demonstrate innovative thinking by intersecting two or three mental models and creating a whole new flow of ideas and products.

6.      Use multiple analyses to present concepts that use mental models.

7.      Study history to find patterns for the understanding of future trends.

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)

Wisdom

What are the ways to become wise? 

What are the habits of the wise? 

What are the paths of the wise? 

What is the compass of the wise? 

What are the role models of the wise?

When I was young one day I asked my dad why we prayed so much and what he prayed for. He said he prayed to God for wisdom to educate us, his 11 children. My dad never went to school; he sought to be self-educated. He learned how to read and got the equivalent of a 4^th grade education in his forties. My dad found his wisdom in the Bible.

The founding fathers of America were also self-educated; they found the truth and applied it to create the greatest nation in the world. We have truly taken the power of self-education for granted and we can now see what is happening to America. Relying on big government and in institutions for our education and the education of our children is a dangerous path to take. No one can teach us anything, we have to want to be taught. Self-discovery is the key to education. There is a big difference between instruction/training and education. A true education is based on timeless principles that when applied allow us to make a life. The current institutional educations are training and instructing students to make a living, at best. The time has come for Americans to rediscover the power of self-education, if we want to reserve the current trend of mediocrity taking over our land. Relinquishing our responsibilities to government in exchange for entitlements is an ancient form of slavery. If we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past in a bigger scale. 

The wise find the truth, speak the truth, and above all live the truth. This is character. The wise have faith, faith in their Creator. Where do the wise find the source of their wisdom?

Proverbs, Proverbs 3:1-6 in particular, is a great place to start your own ways to wisdom. The ancient sage sure packed  much wisdom in few words. And we think we are the wise ones! Here is why; think and reflect upon.

1.      Do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,

2.      For they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

3.      Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

4.      Bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

5.      Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

6.      Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

7.      In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

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 Why?

Have you ever wondered why?

 We  all want to be surrounded with loving people why then we need to learn to love the unlovable first?

1.      A-students end up working for C-students?

2.      People who win the lottery regret winning just a few years later?

3.      Those who know HOW end up working for those who know WHY?

4.      Everyone can make a better hamburger than McDonalds yet we all go there?

5.      Intelligence is not an indicator of success?

6.      Most people live life by their obligations and not their priorities?

7.      Politicians create problems for us then spend the rest of their careers pretending they are solving those problems?

First we need to be, then we must do,  in order to earn what we have.

Be different so you can make a difference!

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)

Peace and Rest

The song All you need is love by the Beatles can make us think about what is that we all need. 

Is love all we really need? Isn’t peace and rest what we really want? We all grow up being indoctrinated to chase money first, and then free time in our golden years. When we have time and money we realize they are not the end game of life. Here are 7 nuggets for us to think about:

1.      Wealth does not grow on trees; it grows out of our character. Wealth is a reflection of our character; our integrity and courage.

2.      Our brains may get us to the top; it is our heart that keeps us there. We must love people.

3.      The uncommon man takes commonsense principles and makes them uncommonly practical to apply.

4.      Quick success in an illusion. Paradise Island has to be earned. The quick get rich thinking is an illusion. Learn to ask the right questions and apply the right answers to solve the problems you have accumulated of decades. We all get in messes over time so it is an illusion to think we will get out of them in a moment’s time.

5.      Our personal growth determines the grow rate of our enterprises. We might as well start our growth journey now.

6.      We all have dreams and I bet that all our ultimate dreams are about peace and rest. Life is all about learning how to build a bridge to go from this world to the next, the world of eternity. We become what we think so let’s think thoughts that matter.

7.      Peace and rest is the ultimate need we all yearn. The things of this world are ephemeral. Peace and rest is a lost art in our fast, noisy, peace less, and restless world. 

We can only make a difference by being different! Agreed?

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)

For Men Only!

Here are 7 powerful principles for all males choosing to be men. Everywhere we look, we can see a need for more strong men. Are you ready to step up to the plate and play the game of life as a great man?

1.      Build a rock solid future on a rock solid foundation. Why so many men quit even before they finish building their foundations? It is understandable if the ladder you are climbing is leaning against the wrong wall. Why so many men expect success before they have built the foundation? Success is an inside job first. And there, is where change occurs. Change is hard because it requires surrendering our egos, humility, patience, persistence, and long term vision.

2.      Have strong faith. Know where your blessings come from. Know what you believe in and why you believe in what you believe. Strong faith leads to commitment. Many men want the results but are only willing to put in partial commitment. Faith, belief, and commitment have to be 100%. 99% is 0%. Mental creation is a must before physical creation.

3.      Have your word be your bond. Let your life speak. Do what you say you will do. Learn the truth, speak the truth, live the truth.

4.      Learn continuously. Learn from success and failures alike. Let mentors speak truth into your life. Be a friend. A true friend helps a friend get better. Seize those teachable moments in life. Let your turning points propel you forward.

5.      Confront reality, your scorecard. Be true to self. Watch for the sneaky self-deception. Know your values and never compromise them for any sort of gain.

6.      Guard your sacredness from the world. Work to purify your spirit. Tend to the gardens of your heart, mind, and soul.

7.      Lead responsibly. Take responsibility for following, leading yourself, and then leading others. Lead by example and by duty.

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)

Powerful Simplicity

Just do it! And do it! And keep on doing it!

We often look for complex or sophisticated things to do to achieve results in all that we do. No matter who you are or what you do here are 7 simple things you can do to make your world a better place. Don’t think too much, just do it! And keep doing it until it become a habit.

1.      Smile. Yes, simply smile as you go about your daily affairs.

2.      Compliment. Yes, be observant and pay a simple compliment to someone.

3.      Encourage. Yes, a simple positive word carries enormous power.

4.      Refrain. Yes, catch yourself before saying something you may regret later.

5.      Pray. Yes, say a simple prayer with someone for someone else.

6.      Serve. Yes, do something for someone close to you in appreciation for being a friend.

7.      Share. Yes, simply share something you have or learned with other around you.

Imagine if we all did these simple things once, than once a month, than once a week, then once a day, then as opportunities came along on a daily basis. Imagine what would happen to the quality of our lives. There is a lot of power in simplicity because we can all do it. Your circle of influence will grow, and with it your level of leadership. Leadership is simple influence in a vision driven and positive direction. Yes, you can do it. Just do it!

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)