The Answer is Found in You

I was watching the movie Kung-Fu Panda with my family the other day, I think I enjoyed it more than my kids did, apart from being just a fun film it makes some good points. If you haven't seen it and plan to don't read this post because it will ruin it for you.

For those who haven't seen it it is about a group of expert kung-fu fighters who have proved themselves in battle many times and their search for the legendary 'Dragon Warrior' who legend has it will be the ultimate warrior and right all wrongs. The five warriors and their master are waiting for the day when the Dragon Warrior will be chosen fully expecting it to be one of them. This warrior it is said will unlock the secrets of the mystical Dragon Scroll that will apparently make them all powerful. Well the day comes for the Dragon Warrior to be chosen and the honour falls to a bumbling out of shape panda called Po who apparently has no kung-fu skills at all. The master eventually takes him under his wing and finds the key to unlock his ability turning him into an effective if slightly unconventional warrior. Po then receives the Dragon Scroll but on opening it finds it to be nothing more than a piece of mirrored parchment which does nothing more than show Po himself. The point being the secret to all power is inside himself he only needs to believe in himself.

I have been reading this week Dr John Maxwell's book the 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day and I have been looking at the whole area of limits that people have put on them or put on themselves, Maxwell calls them 'lids' things that stop you reaching your full potential. There can be many different kinds of lids for example impatience, denial, impulsiveness, deceit, jealousy, anger, your family or friends can be a lid, your current leaders, background or youth and inexperience. But, the most limiting ones are the ones we put on ourselves for example lack of self confidence, negative/defeatist mindset, failure. These are just a few examples of things that can limit us however they can all be overcome, it may not be easy or straight forward and it may take time but if you never try you will never succeed.

The important thing is not looking for lids to excuse your lack of progress or development it is how you deal with those lids. For most of these the answer is found in you. Other people can also help you to deal with them, the right people

What limits your potential?

How are you going to overcome those limits?

An Historic Day

I like millions of others was sat glued to my television yesterday watching the inauguration of America's 44th President, historic in many ways the obvious and the not so obvious. I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't even notice him fluffing his lines when he took the oath and despite the criticisms that have been in the papers today I thought his speech was excellent, inspiring and I hope a sign of things to come. The picture on the front of The Times almost brought a tear to my eye, his wife Michelle standing looking at her husband with such pride the first African American President of the United States of America. I also loved the fact that she is holding the Bible he is swearing on, I don't know if this is normal practice but I feel it shows her support for her husband and reinforces the fact that they are very much in this together.

To be honest if the only thing the newspapers can criticise is the fact he stumbled over the oath and that his speech wasn't as good as some of the others he has done then that has got to be a good sign.

I personally felt his speech was very well suited to the occasion, it was sombre yes but it was sincere and honest, quite a contrast to some of the speeches of the former president. I was encouraged to see detailed in his speech some of the changes he was talking about in his book The Audacity of Hope written in 2006. It is good to see that the vision he set out for America in that book is still top of his agenda and has not been diluted by 'politics'.

Yes he will have many difficult decisions to make and he will probably make mistakes but I do sincerely believe that his term of office whether that be 4 or 8 years will be a great period in America's history. I am excited to see what he is going to do and whether you like it or not what happens in America has a profound effect on what happens in our country and the rest of the world.

Despite not being American I can honestly say God bless President Obama and God bless America.

If you didn't hear the speech it is well worth a listen, check it out here.

Thought for the Day

If you strive for something in your own strength, you will spend your whole life fighting to keep it. If God gives you something, no one can take it away. [Paraphrase] - People of a Good Report - Paul Scanlon

Danger of Discord

I was listening to a seminar the other day by a man called Paul Scanlon he was talking about the dangers of gossip and discord these are things that can cause serious damage to people. He was saying that people who gossip and sow discord have no love for people, no matter how they dress it up to make it sound harmless there is no denying it can have far reaching consequences.

As an example he used the story in the Bible of King David and his son Absalom. Absalom set himself up with men and horses and established himself on a main road leading to king David's palace, when people would come to see the king, Absalom would intercept them and tell them that there was no one available to hear their complaint in David's court and persuade them that if he were ruler in Israel he would deal with their complaints. By doing this he was able to turn the hearts of Israel against the king, this ultimately resulted in Absalom leading a rebellion against king David in which 20,000 of Absalom's new followers were slaughtered and also led to the death of Absalom himself a short while later.

His point was that if you have a problem with someone take it to them directly not to anyone else who can then use the complaint to cause dissatisfaction and discord which only leads to damage.

The Importance of Empathy

I'm currently reading The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, written in 2006 before he was elected as president he has some very interesting and enlightening insights into his journey through life and into American politics. Some of his thoughts are very refreshing and I hope we get to see him fulfil some of them. Over the next few days and weeks I will be sharing a few of them with you, for example I read this today:

...a sense of empathy-is one that I find myself appreciating more and more as I get older. It is at the heart of my moral code, and it is how I understand the Golden Rule-not simply as a call to sympathy or charity, but as something more demanding, a call to stand in somebody else's shoes and see through their eyes...I find myself returning again and again to my mother's simple principle-"How would that make you feel?"-as a guidepost for my politics.

Not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination but I still agree it is a fantastic guide to live by. If we are to be a positive influence in our circles empthy is vital, we need to be able to understand people and their lives to be able to effect them. If we don't demonstrate it people will be driven away from us rather than drawn to us.

Try and take a walk in someone else's shoes today and see what insights it gives you.

Useful Insight

I have recently read a book by a very inspiring guy called Johnny Kinch it is the story of this guy's life and it is no ordinary life. It's a heart rending book about an obviously extremely talented man who had so many opportunities but was not able to capitalise on them due to a number of addictions that had complete control over his life. It gave a real insight into addiction and how it will quite literally take over your life.

Many people who have the ability to have real influence in the world but are hamstrung at every turn by things they have allowed into their life. The book shows how this man overcame his addictions and has started to have a positive effect on the world around him.
I'm not going to steal his thunder but I recommend you read the book 'Johnny Be Good', it is only short and won't take you long, there is a link to it on my bookshelf to the right of the screen, also you can check out his website here.

Eternal Echoes

The title of his blog is inspired by one of my favourite lines in, probably my all time favourite movie, that line is:

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"

In case you hadn't spotted it it's a line from the blockbuster movie 'Gladiator'. The movie, starring Russel Crowe, is about a Roman general who refused to compromise his values and ended up falling from grace and becoming a slave, a slave who became a gladiator and a gladiator who defied and ultimately defeated an emperor, consequently completely altering an empire that at the time covered most of the known world. (I'm sorry if you haven't seen it I may have just ruined it for you but hopefully you can forgive me.) I know it's just a story but I believe its message, what we do as individuals can and does have far reaching consequences...are those consequences ones we can be proud of or ones we would regret?

This line speaks to me because I know that I have been placed on this earth for purpose. I believe that each one of us has the ability and the potential to be people of influence, I strongly believe that we control our lives, our lives don't control us. Sometimes I look around and wonder am I really in control, can I really affect my environment, do I really have control or am I being controlled. Ultimately I come to the same conclusion, yes, I believe each one of us has a destiny to fulfil, a purpose to realise and the opportunity to become more than ourselves.

Each of us come from different walks of life, different countries, different cultures, different jobs, different abilities but each and every one of us has something to give.

Think about what you are going to do today, who you are going to see, what are you going to say, how are the ripples of your actions going to effect the space around you? Food for thought but who wants to simply exist, I would rather shine.