Dare to get them

Dare to get them

Saint Mother Teresa. She did not just set the example she showed us we have a duty to do something great with our lives. She dared greatly, that's why she lived a significant life.

1.      Get a vision. A vision statement looks at the future as an expression of our dreams.

2.      Get a purpose. A purpose statement is the answer to the question why do I exist.

3.      Get a mission. A purpose statement is the foundation/the anchor of our mission towards our vision.

4.      Get a life. A purpose serves as the foundation upon which we can build our lives.

5.      Get goals. Goals are milestones on the journey to our vision.

6.      Get a present. A mission is directed outwards and deals with matters at hand in the present.

7.      Get a philosophy. Our philosophy is the manner or the style of our conduct.

Do you have a written plan for your life? If you don’t, you are part of the 98% of the people who have not fully lived yet. If you do, you are 8 times more likely to live a life of significance, congratulations. We only get one life. Dare to live a life that matters.

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

Busy or Purposeful

Busy or Purposeful

Mind your purpose instead of your busyness

1.      Find your power source. Our power comes more from our questions than from our answers. Make your questions always gibber than your answers.

2.      Be a detective. Detect your purpose in life and you will enjoy all that you do. Make your purpose always greater than your busyness.

3.      Be needed. We are always needed once we start living our purpose. Focus on helping others meet their needs and yours will always be met.

4.      Stop being busy. Busyness is a sign of ineffectiveness. Live by your priorities and not by your obligations. Make your cause bigger than your excuses.

5.      Invest your time. If time is our most precious resource, why don’t we invest more of it? Be a reason or an excuse you have, the result is the same, no results to show for.

6.      Excel in your choices. People living their purpose excel in making excellent choices where to spend their time and money. Put your time and money where your mouth is. Make your choices bigger than your excuses.

7.      Leave the old and go to the new. The only way to take our old self to a bright new future is by breaking old patterns and bad habits. Make your future always be greater than your past. Whatever you do or whoever you are, make it happen!

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

Danger

Dangers in Mediocrity

1.      Comfort. There is great danger in living the comfort zone. Mediocrity is not safe.

2.      Entitlement. Comfort leads to the lethargy of entitlement. Entitlement is the worst form of slavery.

3.      Me and me. We when try too hard to be interesting we come off as jerks. The need to trump others is a sign of low self-esteem.

4.      Un-polite. It is not polite to think what we are going to say next while others are talking. It is their story so let them finish.

5.      No listening. Let’s declare today to be better listeners. Practice and practice listening.

6.      Not teachable. You will never regret taking time to listen to a child and our elders. Give them the gift of time, the gift of yourself.

7.      Laziness. Our lives will work when we decide to make them work. Just do the work!

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

Angry and Leaderless

Angry and Leaderless

We live in stressful times. Have you paid attention how often people get frustrated and angry? Stress is the silent killer. Redirect your anger or you may have a rough road ahead of your grave!

1.      Keep anger in check. When we become angry our emotional intelligence flies out the window.

2.      Avoid arguing. Arguing with an angry person is like adding salt to the water, it raises the boiling point.

3.      Quick reframing. Successful people go from stressed to alert to determined and to focused in one minute.

4.      Get perspective. A few words by a mentor or a coach at the right time do wonders when we are under stress.

5.      Let it go. Developing poise under stress is one of the most valuable qualities a person can have. The size of a person is determined by the size of what gets that person upset.

6.      Show leadership. The true qualities of a leader are displayed in a crisis when under stress and uncertainty. 

7.      Exercise self-control. Mastering the art of controlling ourselves changes and saves lives. We have to put the oxygen masks first; save ourselves first before we can save others. 

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 LIFE We Always Wanted

The LIFE We Always Wanted

We are where we are today because our best thinking got us there.

Something needs to change in order for us to have the proper thinking to live the life we want to live. If we knew how we would already be there!

The life we always wanted is within our reach.

Someone said that 90% of us have low self-esteem and 10% have an attitude problem. How can we change that? Follow the 7 step process below so you too can live the life you always wanted.

1.      Have Dreams. Never live another day without dreams. Dreams provide the drive for us to get out of ourselves and do what is necessary to live a better life. The dreams have to be well defined and written. Commit to your dreams.

2.      Get a Coach. A coach can see in us what we cannot see in ourselves. Get a coach that has earned the lifestyle you want. All great achievers have had coaches and mentors in their lives. Who are we to think we can do without them?

3.      Have Goals. Dreams without goals lead us nowhere. We need to set goals that provide the means to live our dreams. Goals are set in stone and plans are drawn on sand. Goals are realistic, timed, clearly defined, achievable, and written. Plans are flexible.

4.      Have Plans. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Goals without plans to achieve them are pure fantasy. Great plans contain the necessary actions and activities directed toward achieving our goals.

5.      Work the Plans. We must do the necessary work to implement our plans. Here is where it all happens, where the rubber meets the road. We must be willing to do enough work to change the current until the current turns in our favor.

6.      Keep Score. We must keep score and have a process in place to make the necessary adjustments to move towards the goals. Facing the scorecard is important to see where we are falling short or drifting away from moving towards our targets. Learn from failures and victories alike.

7.      Savor the Rewards. Peg a reward for each goal achieved. Reaching our goals will boost our self-esteem.  See the defeat in every victory to stay humble and keep the attitude in check. Nothing is more exhilarating than reaching our dreams by reaching our goals.  Now that we know the process, let’s use this predictable process to produce the predictable results. We can live the life we always wanted to live.

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 want to know me?

Do You Really Want To Know Me?

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

For those of you who think there are no stupid questions, think again!

Here are 7 powerful questions to ask someone you would like to know.

You can get to know a person the very first time you sit down with her/him?

Ask great questions and listen so you can remember that special person for the rest of your life.

1.      What do you do? How did you get started? Why is that?

2.      Who is your hero? Why?

3.      What is your dream?

4.      What is the cause in your heart?

5.      Are you living the life you always wanted? Why?

6.      Who are your there best friend?

7.      What are the best three books you have read?

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

Relationship Killers

7 Things that Kill Relationships

Are you wondering why you are having trouble developing healthy relationships?

Are you wondering why you are not building trust in your relationships?

Are you wondering why you are having trouble building long term relationships?

Think about these nuggets and change your thinking about others.

1.      EGO. EGO stands for Edging God Out. EGO often seems to stand in the way when building relationships. Drop the EGO.

2.      Being Right. The need to being right is closely related to EGO. Choose to be happy instead of being right. Stop wanting to be right.

3.      Selfishness. Focus on improving yourself and the other person will likely see the clues for the need for self-improvement. Take an honest look at yourself and realize that there are likely many areas to improve. Stop being selfish.

4.      Grudges. Forgive and forget. If you cannot forget, at least forgive. Unwillingness to forgive is the killer of relationships. Let go of grudges.

5.      Not listening. First and foremost listen with intent to understand before you can be understood. Develop empathy towards others. Start listening.

6.      Arrogance. Drop arrogance and give others grace. Meet them where they are at. Learn to love no matter how wrong others are. There will be the right time to give tough love, when there is trust in a relationship. Drop the arrogance and pride too.

7.      Me syndrome. Serving is a privilege and a responsibility of the great. Be there when they need you. The world does not revolve around you. Stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about others.

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