Leadership and Commitment: A hand-in-hand Journey towards Success

“Leaders are not born, they are made”. You may have probably heard of this catchy line a couple of times in your entire existence, mostly from speeches. And yes, it is so predictable. But have you ever thought about the real deal behind one man’s success in leadership?

Before getting into the core and putting down incomprehensible facts and systematize ways to be a good leader, you have to fully understand the basics. Being a leader is sometimes mistakenly thought as merely being the first or the most capable. However, beyond having the loudest voice for your constituents to follow your orders is a more profound depiction that entails all varied aspects of leadership.

Part of your being a leader is giving out orders. This is the easy part. Getting your subordinates to follow your every order and efficiently deliver their fair share of work is the hardest part. It is not only enough to mandate someone to do his work. Leadership is about influencing people and motivating them to do their part of the work with minimal or no supervision as possible.

Every man is different. Every man works differently and every man pulls motivation from different things. Before one can manifest great leadership, he has to have greater passion and from passion comes a lifetime commitment. Leadership and commitment is like bread and butter or perhaps spoon and fork, wherein one cannot efficiently function without the other.

Commitment is the single most important aspect of success, more so in leadership. After all, you wouldn’t be where you are right now without your undying commitment for the company. If you show commitment and have been a living proof that commitment is what got your where you are, you will not only influence your people to live out your principles, but you are also unconsciously giving them career paths for their future’s sake.

Along with demonstrating commitment to your company is commitment to yourself as a leader. In fact, it is the second-most crucial aspect of success. An effective leader has astounding self-confidence, integrity, and a feasible sense of personal candor. If you have grown in a perfect setting with the perfect parents who taught you perfect values, then possessing the above-mentioned standards is just as easy as 1, 2, 3. However, this is not always the case. There are no perfect parents because there is also no perfect child. In simpler words, if you are not naturally given these values, your commitment to leadership will serve as your drive to learn them.

And lastly but equally important is your commitment to your people. The basis of the team’s commitment to their work is chiefly influenced by the leader’s commitment to each of them. Building a lasting relationship between you and your immediate staff is surrounded by principles like courtesy, giving constructive feedback, and respect.

Leadership is not just about having the necessary skills to direct and guide a group into the right way. The biggest fraction of good leadership is commitment. If you have demonstrated everything the right way, your subordinate’s work will be a verification of your success as a leader.

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It Starts with a Vision

Ever heard of Walt Disney? Yes, he’s the guy who created the first sound cartoon, the first all-color cartoon and the first animated feature-length motion picture. Anyone who has managed to bring all of these three together for entertainment is someone with a definite vision. But aside from these, two of Disney’s greatest masterpieces were Disneyland and Walt Disney World, theme parks that capture the imagination of every child, and even every adult.

How did Walt Disney come up with his ideas? What was his vision for his future, and what spurred him on to create his company?

Vision sparks a leader and fires him up to do the things that inspire him the most. It draws him forward and makes everyone want to follow him, a strong leader. When a person doesn’t have a vision in life, one that propels him towards achieving his dreams, then he practically has no direction at all.

So what makes a good leader with vision? Here are a couple of pointers for you to follow.

Vision starts from within. You can’t go around telling people what their vision is nor can they ask you for suggestions on what their vision should be. Vision comes from within, so take a long, hard look at yourself. If you are having a hard time figuring out your vision, think of what interests you and you can start from there. If you’re still not sure what your vision is, look for a partner that shares the same interests and plans as you. Even Walt Disney had one – his brother, Roy.

Vision draws on your history. Look back at your past and figure out the lessons you have learned from your life experiences. Visions don’t materialize overnight. Leaders who have visions in life draw out their sources from what they have learned in the past and the mistakes that they have made.

One great vision is one that aims to meets other people’s needs. It’s not all about you alone—it’s all about drawing other people into your dream and changing their lives. If your vision is restricted solely to helping you fulfill your purpose and not benefiting other people, then it’s too shallow and selfish. Your vision should be something that resonates within other people and enables them to work for that goal as well.

Having a clear vision can help you prepare and gather your resources. One of the best things about working towards your vision is that it helps you attract others. It’s like a magnet. The more powerful the vision is, the more likely people will want to achieve it.

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Empowering Yourself to Become Successful

Success is defined as the complete attainment of the goals that a person has long planned, like a journey where a person starts taking one single step at a time before he finally achieves his tasks. With hard work, discipline, and careful planning, being successful can easily be attained.

Accomplishment starts from within; that is, how you perceive things and how you drive yourself to get to where you want. Below are some simple yet very practical everyday habits to help you empower yourself to be successful.

• Have enough rest- Even if you are bent on pushing hard to become successful, always find time to rest; either you spend it with your family or do other non-work related activities.

• Read Daily- Even for just thirty minutes to an hour, reading daily is one way to increase knowledge and self-confidence – two things that are very important to carry with you on your way to success.

• Expose Yourself to Motivational Content- Becoming successful needs a lot of motivation and encouragement. To help you sustain your drive, get exposed to motivational and empowering content, like can-do videos, inspirational books, and seminars.

• Get out of bed early- This is one way to show great discipline over your self. Getting up early means you are aware of the importance of time and would like to make full use of it.

• Visualize- Before you go to sleep, visualize your dreams happening thru meditation. Try to squeeze in some more affirmations and visualizations during the day.

• Blog- Did you know that blogging is not only a form of writing but a helpful way to keep you focused? When you blog, your content might help you discover what it is that you need to improve on to be successful. Also, reading blogs by other people opens your mind to similar experiences and learnings.

• Seek advice- People whom you are closely attached to will be more than willing to give you the right advice so you can become successful. Do not be afraid to ask for insights from family and friends.

• Always have strong determination- Most people fail not because of circumstance but because of choice. Determination is important in empowering yourself to become successful. Your willingness to find your own niche is something that you must have. Remember your ability is not only the thing that matters, but also your passion.

• Take Consequences as Challenges- Along the way, you may encounter consequences that will somehow put your determination on hold. Instead of seeing them as hindrances towards achieving your goals, take them as challenges and seek ways to overcome them.

Becoming successful starts by empowering yourself. Learn from these simple yet efficient tips and take them to heart, so you can someday become a successful ‘somebody’.

Follow the above it will really help you….

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Simplest Tips to Boost Your Positive Energy

Everyone likes to have a flowing energy throughout the day. How would you like to accomplish everything you want and feel great? The daily stress and struggles bog many of us down. We all wish for more energy. Here are 12 simplest tips to boost your energy every day.

Anyone could be more positive with these while overcoming life’s challenges. Shall we start?

• Do the tasks that you love - Passion and enthusiasm increases your energy. It is best to choose a profession or a job that you love to do. Your work should be one that utilizes your natural talents and interests so that you are happy to do it and you get a satisfaction after completing your job.

• Get regular exercise - Exercise boosts positive energy. Exercise makes you feel good. Regular exercise keeps your energy levels high.

• Energize yourself through a proper diet - A diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins, low fat and lots of fiber is sure to sustain your energy level. You need to stay from sugar to avoid the roller coaster effects.

• Work towards the big picture in mind - You may experience stress and energy draining situations while working on a task. If you keep the big picture in mind, which is the end result, these would change to motivating forces to achieve your goal. You feel energized to reach your goal at any cost.

• Put on a smile - Smile is contagious. It improves your mood. When you walk around with a smile on your face, people respond with friendliness. This could easily turn your day around.

• Boost your positive energy through body language - Your body language helps to boost your positive energy. Project positive non-verbal clues such as an upright posture, uncrossed arms, firm handshake, good eye contact, calm behavior, etc.

• Dress well - Dressing appropriately to suit the occasions raises your confidence and positive energy.

• Avoid energy drainers - Do not waste time with people who engage in idle chat and waste your precious time. You get a sort of an uneasy feeling with certain types of people. If you sense bad vibes, you better stay away from them if you do not want them to drain your energy.

• Associate with like-minded people - Find a group of like-minded people who share your likes and dislikes so that you could get support and enhance your growth along with them. When you are in this group there is a collective energy working for the good of all in the group.

• Practice positive introspection - Set aside sometime every often to take an inventory of all the wonderful qualities you possess and use in your daily activities. These generally include your skills, attitudes, approach, generosity, ability to love, etc. Once you realize that you make valuable contribution to the society and your family with these qualities you tend to continue with these and feel positive energy surging in your activities.

You could effectively deal with your problems with positive energy and enthusiasm with these simple tips.

All the above can be done, just focus on it and watch things change for you.

Remember Live Your Life By Choice, Not By Chance

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Life Mapping: A Vision of Success

Success is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.

Origin: Who you are

A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior highschool student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.

Destination: A vision of who you want to be

“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.

Vehicle: Your Mission

A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.

Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude

Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.

Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives

Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.

Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes

The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly.

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