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“Everything You Do Counts”
By Scott V. Black
Hello Empower U Leadership Team.
I hope all is well. I don’t know about you but I feel historical. There are some things going on in this world right now
that our children and their children will be reading about in school in the near
and distant future. We are living in historical,
even
“biblical”
times. It might be uncomfortable… but we can do it!
The reality of life is that there are a lot of people struggling out there in the world. People are losing their homes, their jobs, but most importantly they are losing hope.
There could not be a better, more important time for Empower U than right here… right now. We are hope peddlers, passion generators. Who doesn’t need just a little bit of hope right now… Who doesn’t need a lot of hope right now?
It is important in these times to remember that tough times call for tough leaders. It is more important than ever to make your life matter. Anybody can do well in good times, around good people. Truly successful leaders continue to do the right thing even when things get tough.
The Role of a Leader
As leaders it is our job to make a difference in others life… to be a light, to seek first to understand and then be understood, to be empathic with their struggles and their fears. Romans 12:15 tells us to
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
Talk about emotional intelligence!
Who you are makes a difference, today more than ever. There are people
hurting, people losing hope… the time is now to make it matter.
Who you are matters to so many people. You could be the one person that sparks someone to do more, give more, be more. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? You never know who you can become to someone. The technical definition of depression is helpless and HOPEless.
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own
house a short time later, his mother was
surprised by the look of joy on his face.
She asked him,
“What
did you do today that made you so happy?”
He replied,
“I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added,
“You
know what? God's got the most beautiful
smile I've ever seen!”
Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked,
“Dad,
what did you do today that made you so
happy?”
He replied,
“I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added,
“You
know, he's much younger than I expected.”
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
Who You Are Matters...
You never know when you could be the one person that brings hope or life to another human being. I can’t tell you how many times—because it has happened more times than I can count—that I had a successful person in class and found out they were suicidal, ready to walk out of a marriage… out of life. Nobody knew, they hadn’t said a word… just quietly planning to commit to a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
In our training they were sparked to have hope and to refocus on what is really important. Part of that is the realization that who they were mattered. The technical definition of depression is helpless and HOPEless. When we are hope peddlers… we save lives!
A few years back when I was suffering from depression, I did a lot of research and went to lots of classes to understand the how’s and why’s of depression. I learned one of the best ways to get over our own stuff to reach out to others and to help them with their “stuff.”
So today, I want to challenge you to be somebody to someone. Who you are matters, you never know you could be the one person the sees another person hurting and your noticing and reaching out could be the difference between another obituary in the paper or someone going home committed to make things work.
Making a Difference
Today I want you to know that who you are has made a difference in my life. Without you all, Empower U would not be in the life changing business.
As you know Empower U is not Scott V. Black or an address in Texas or Nevada. It is the hearts and minds of our graduates. Remember… when you live you life like it matters… it does…
and it will.
Unfortunately, there have been many times in the past when I did not want to step into a classroom and lead a group of people through the Leadership Awakening process. I had my own issues going on.
As a single dad leaving my kids is hard, paying the bills is hard, dealing with a “game playing” ex-spouse is hard, having hope in a dark world is hard… I would have done anything not to do that class.
However,
once the class starts, I just pressed the “Go” button and committed to those students.
Here is the moral of the story. When that class was over… I felt incredible! Lives changing and God allowing me to use my gifts and talents to help others… Wow, it is a great day to be alive!
Givers Gain!
Who can you reach out to today that is hurting.
Maybe they are losing their home, going through
a divorce, struggling with finding a job…
struggling with being force fed a candidate for
president of the US… what can you do to add a
little bit of light to their life. It is not
enough to say you are there… show them. People
always believe what you do much more than
what you say.
Step out of your “self centered” comfort zone and reach out. When you realize that you have the power to change peoples lives by your actions… you might take more of them.
Sam Parker once said, “Step out of your comfort zone once more each week and create over 50 additional opportunities for excitement, challenge and possibility each year. This is what life's about.”
We all have the chance to live a life of purpose and magnificence. What are you doing with that life? Anybody can do it when things are going well… when the economy is good… when they are making their mortgage payment and feel in love with their mate. But what about when things are not going well?
I came across a great article from Max Lucado about how God can use you to change the world. If you would like to read it
please click here and you can download a copy.
You never know you might have been put in this place, at this time… for this very purpose. Remember… when you live you life like it matters… it does… even if you don’t feel like doing it… everything you do counts.
Leadership Wisdom from Santa Claus
Every once in a while I get some great things on the web that I like to share with you. This one came to me from Santa Claus… even Santa Claus is in the Leadership Business… he makes a great difference every year:
Dear Santa,
I haven’t been a leader all that long, so obviously I have a lot to learn. What can you tell me... where should I look for guidance... what do I need to remember as I lead my team?
~ A Newbie in Newark
And Santa's Reply:
Dear Newbie,
Over the years I’ve learned a simple truth: If you need guidance on being a better leader, go to the people you’re leading. That’s why one of the most valuable resources I have is a powerful handbook entitled Listen Up, Leader! Here’s a passage – one of many important messages from team members that all leaders need to consider:
“We are watching everything you do. Even when you think we’re not paying attention, we are. There is never a time when you’re not in your leadership role. You may think that when you choose to ignore an issue, you are not leading. You’re wrong! If you show up late for a meeting, you lead us to believe that our time isn’t valuable. If you lose your cool and over-react to small issues, we wonder how you will react when something big comes along. It’s a fact: You are always leading. You can never NOT lead! Everything you do counts!
“Believe it or not, we DO understand that leadership isn’t easy. As we watch you each day, we see the incredible responsibilities you’re charged with. You’re accountable for your actions and for our actions – plus all the fiscal requirements, employee problems, feedback, training, technology changes, hiring, de-hiring, communicating, staff development, prioritizing, eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy, and much more. Your job is tough. But it is the job you chose. What we ask of you is to accept responsibility for being the very best at your job so we can be the best at our jobs.”
~ Santa
Whether you’re a leader at work, at home, in your community, or even at the North Pole, never forget the four most important words from the passage above:
Everything you do counts!
Most of you reading this article have made a difference in the past for somebody.
Double up your efforts to reach out and see those around you that might be hurting, or need some help… maybe they just need someone who cares enough to notice.
If each of us changed our focus from our own situation, our own problems, and reached out to help others… what a better world we will create. Who do you know in your center of influence that you can make a difference in their life by doing something to help them? Everything you do counts, and you will feel better.
Changes at Empower U
Before
closing, I want you to know that Empower U is feeling the struggles of the world we live in. We are in a world wide recession, the Japanese stock market is at a 26 year low.
Things are tight, people are losing their homes, their jobs, their reason for being. I understand that. We too are feeling the effects of the times.
The one thing I don’t want any of us to lose is hope. If you truly believe in what we do here at Empower U, then you have to
stay hopeful. There are a lot of people depressed by what they see happening in our election process. So they stop hoping, dreaming, spending, going to trainings like Empower U. That is the worst thing that can happen. More than ever we need hope and passion. The technical definition of depression is helpless and HOPEless. Help us peddle hope!
In order to be around in these tough times, and to be the hope peddlers and the passion generators… we have to make some adjustments. Empower U is going lean and focusing only on those things that will allow us to stay in the life changing business.
To adjust, we are laying off half of our staff
to insure we can be around and help make this a
better world. This means that this will be our
last newsletter, at least for a while. We are pruning the vines so that we can be around and grow more fruitful for the rebound of this world wide slow down.
We will hopefully start
sending out the newsletter again at the end of the first quarter next year. I would think that things will start rebounding by then… it all depends on who is elected president.
We will either go further down, based on tax policy… or lead the world out of this downturn. Remember, we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we deal with it!
How You Can Help
As I have told people, we too are feeling the effects of people “circling the wagons.”
Often, they ask what they can do to help.
Here is what you can do to help: Live you life like it matters. Allow us to bring hope and passion to a world that is more and more lacking it.
If everybody that said they were going to Leadership Adventure, or sending a brother, or a spouse… would do it then we wouldn’t need to do this pruning.
Giving someone hope in tough times is like bringing a light to a dark world! We have a great
new payment plan you can read about in this newsletter.
You will see that we made coming to class much easier to do, as well.
If that is still too much, let me know! I have people paying $50 a month to change someone’s life. I will work with anybody… you tell me what works for you and lets do it. If you stop making a difference then Empower U no longer exists. Everything you do counts!!
Our training is more important today than ever. It is one thing to lose a home, or a job… or even a marriage… but when people lose hope, everything is lost. People tend to lose their vision in times of despair.
The bible says without vision people parish. Being hope peddlers, passion-generators, is even more important today than ever. Please help us help you make a difference. Everything you do counts! Let’s not let the ills of the world dictate who we are. We can help turn this world
and this emotional recession around!
We can’t do it without you. If everybody pulls back and stops believing, stops “getting out of their comfort zone”… then good causes, like Empower U, cease to exist! That is not an option. To be or not to be… it is not a question it is a commitment… Are you committed? If not you… then who… if not now… then when?
Moving Forward from Here…
In closing I want to leave you with two quotes:
"We cannot expect the Americans to jump from capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving Americans small doses of socialism until they suddenly awake to find they have Communism."
~ Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev, 1959
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
~ Alexander Tyler, history professor at the University of Edinburgh,
Scotland, 1787
Everything you do counts… especially who you vote for as President of the United States! Remember… When you Live your life like it
matters… It Does!
Con Pasion-Corazon, Cuerpo y Alma
(With Passion-Heart, Body & Soul)
Scott V. Black
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