When Was the Last Time You Added Value to Yourself?

day_inspirationWe add value to others when we make ourselves more valuable to others. This is one point from John Maxwell’s Law of Addition from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

We can’t give what we don’t possess. So the idea of adding value to others requires that we continue to add value to ourselves.

On August 12, 2013, Angelica and I were in the John Maxwell Team event in Orlando, Florida. This particular day was named, “A Day of Leadership and Inspiration”. We had the great fortune to listen to three of the most sought after speakers in the world, John Maxwell, Nick Vujicic, and Les Brown.

In this post, I will capture their key messages that provided value to us. Every minute was filled with stories and lessons that expanded our knowledge and skills.

John Maxwell

John shared his thoughts on Practices for living a better life.us_john

  1. Do for others what they cannot do for themselves.
  2. Practice the 30 second rule. In the first 30 seconds, say something kind to whoever you see.
  3. Help people win. Make it your goal in life to make people around you better.

Nick Vujicic

Nick shared his thoughts on Living life without limits.nick_v

  1. I don’t know what I can achieve until I try.
  2. When you fail, try again.
  3. Failure = education.
  4. Obstacles = opportunity.
  5. Dream big.
  6. Never give up.
  7. Be thankful for today!

Les Brown

Les shared his thoughts on adding value toles_b others. There is a place you can take people within themselves that they could not go without you.

  1. Invest in yourself (you get in life what you are).
  2. Don’t stop investing.
  3. Stay the course.
  4. Live full; die empty.

Added Value

These three lessons were only part of one us_nickday of a four day conference. Each of these lessons have added value to me, and will help me add value to you. Knowing the Laws of Leadership are not enough. We must also live the Laws of Leadership.

Add Value to Yourself

Have you set aside time for adding value to yourself? Only you limit yourself, and only you can invest in yourself. You can invest less than sixty minutes and join us for an upcoming Lunch and Learn to add value to yourself, so you can add value to others. There are sessions available in Carmel, IN, and also by teleconference (English and Espanol). Register here: http://newroadsleadership.com/lunchandlearn.php

Living the 15 Laws of Growth

TJMT_Founders_sealIn August, Angelica and I had the opportunity to spend four days in Orlando with the John Maxwell team. This is an event that is held twice a year for John’s coaches. During the event new coaches are certified, and existing coaches are able to continue their training and growth. We were fortunate in having John with us for all four days. He was teaching and pouring into us his knowledge and experience. These four days are a clear example of John’s book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. Here are a few examples:

The Law of Intentionality: Growth Doesn’t Just Happen – You have to be intentional about growth. Find opportunities to stretch yourself and learn from others. By attending the event, Angelica and I created intent for us to grow as coaches.

The Law of Consistency: Motivation Gets You Going – Discipline Keeps You Growing – Many training and certification programs are over once you complete a certain requirement. John’s team continues to meet consistently after certification. John’s coaches continue to grow by consistently working to grow.

The Law of Environment: Growth Thrives in Conducive Surroundings – The JMT events are filled with positive, encouraging, challenging energy. We are challenged and supported every step of the way. It is a growth environment.

The Law of the Rubber Band: Growth Stops When You Lose the Tension Between Where You Are and Where You Could Be – The John Maxwell Team is a team of coaches, but every member builds their future differently. Some are coaches, some are pastors, some are public speakers, some are trainers, some are certified only for their own personal growth. During this event we get to learn how different people are using John’s training to help others. It creates the tension we need to continue to grow.

The Law of Modeling: It’s Hard to Improve When You Have No One but Yourself to Follow – Sitting in your house reading one of John’s books will help you improve. But it does not have the same impact as when you learn from others. With these events, we get to follow John, and his teaching team directly. They are great role models for growth.

The Law of Contribution: Growing Yourself Enables You to Grow Others – Angelica and I continue to grow so we can be more successful in helping others. We will never be good enough to stop growing. John continues to be a river, pouring more training into us. He expects the same of us. We will continue to coach, train, and help others.

Intentional Sacrifice

decision_blogWhen I was a kid, I used to collect marbles and baseball cards. Unlike my friends I did not like trading. I always wanted to keep what I had. Looking back I think they were happier with their collections, than I was with mine. They made multiple trades with good cards and bad cards, to get the few cards they truly wanted.

The Law of Sacrifice from John Maxwell’s, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership says, “A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up.” All through life we are faced with choices. We cannot continuously progress without giving up things within our comfort zone. It includes choices as simple as baseball cards, and as complex as our current job. But not making a choice is, by default, a choice to remain the same.

Change happens in our lives. We can’t stop it, but we can become more intentional about our changes. A coach can help us see opportunities by raising our awareness. A coach helps us see the decisions we made by default.

If you find yourself avoiding decisions, or only living within your comfort zone, then I would suggest you could benefit from some reflection on your opportunities. Opportunities you may not even see. If you feel stuck, finding a professional coach can help. All of us can be more intentional when it comes to The Law of Sacrifice.

Being Competent

competentCompetency alone can limit you. You can be competent and people may never see you as being competent. Why? Because competency becomes visible with confidence, and confidence is created by, among other things, self-image. To make your competence effective you must also build your self-image.

We all have competencies that remain largely hidden because we don’t have the confidence to allow them to lead us out of our comfort zone. An example for me is my ability to learn new things quickly and effectively. It is a competency that is not very visible to other people, but yet I know it is one of my top strengths. However, it is also linked to some of my road blocks.

With effort you can improve your competency, your confidence, and your self-image which when combined will accelerate success. Here are some ideas:

1. Practice stretching. Be intentional about using your competence to stretch yourself. Determine how your competence can be used to stretch you out of your comfort zone. For example, if you have competency in communication, how do you reach more people?

2. Learn from the best. Find the leaders in your competence and learn from them. Seek individuals or organizations that represent what you want to become.

3. Grow your confidence. If you spend time daily and weekly reflecting on your competence in an area, you can determine how to improve. You will see yourself improve and grow. Celebrate your achievements, and build your confidence and self image.

Michael J. Gelb said, “… by stretching yourself beyond your perceived level of confidence you accelerate your development of competence.” Continue to grow and stretch because your level of competence is your perceived level!

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Ser competente

Ser competente por sí solo puede limitarte. Tú puedes ser competente y la gente tal vez nunca te vea así. ¿Porque? Porque la competencia se ve cuando tienes confianza en ti mismo, y la confianza en ti mismo se crea aparte de por otras cosas, por tu auto estima.

Para hacer que tu competencia sea efectiva tienes que también desarrollar tu auto estima.

Todos somos competentes en algo que nunca nadie se da cuenta porque no tenemos la confianza de salirnos de nuestra zona de confort.

Un ejemplo para mi es mi habilidad de aprender nuevas cosas rápido. Esta es una competencia que no es muy visible para otras personas, y sin embargo yo sé que es una habilidad que tengo.

Con esfuerzo tú puedes mejorar tus competencias, tu confianza, y tu auto estima que combinadas van a acelerar tu éxito. Estas son algunas ideas para lograrlo:

1. Practica salirte de tu zona de confort. Intencionalmente utiliza tu competencia fuera de tu área de confort. Determina como puedes usar tu habilidad en otras áreas. Por ejemplo, si tienes habilidad para la comunicación, ¿Cómo puedes comunicarte con más gente?

2. Aprende de los mejores. Encuentra líderes en tu habilidad y aprende de ellos. Busca individuos u organizaciones que representen lo que tú quieres llegar a ser.

3. Desarrolla tu confianza. Si pasas tiempo diariamente y semanalmente reflexionando en tu habilidad en un área, tú puedes determinar cómo mejorarla. Tú vas a verte a ti mismo mejorar y crecer. Celebra tus logros, y construye tu confianza y autoestima.

Michael J. Gelb dijo… “Al salirnos de nuestra área de confort nosotros mismos, podemos acelerar nuestro desarrollo y habilidades”

¡Continúa creciendo y esfuérzate porque tu nivel de habilidad es lo que otros perciben que es!