Passion...

Martin Luther had a desire. Hitler had a desire. Mao Tse-tung had a desire. Walt Disney had a desire. Erik Weihenmeyer had a desire. The list is endless, but the results are the same. Each of their achievements speaks for itself. Each started with a desire- good or bad.

It was passion however, that drove each to pursue their desires to the extent that they did. Passion became the fuel of their desire. Desire points the way, but passion carries a person beyond mediocrity, beyond adversity to achieve the extraordinary.

I remember meeting a gentleman several years ago who raised pigeons. He raised this unique breed for the sole purpose of competing. They were raised and trained to be taken, eventually, several hundred miles from their home and then released! These incredible birds knew exactly where they were headed and amazingly, knew the way to get there. You talk about having GPS! Of course, the purpose was to see who's pigeons arrived "home" first.

We too, need clear direction- a desire. But it will take more than just a desire. It took those pigeons a couple days to get to their destination. I suppose they could have settled down at any spot along their journey, but they'd been bred and trained to finish their race. Getting home was now "in them"- it had become instinctive. They weren't about to be detoured. We too, will need something extra to get us to our destination; and the more grand the desire the greater the need. That something will need to be passion! But how does one get passion?

Passion is a "heart-thing". It's a drive that originates from inside. In essence, you build your desire within before you ever attempt to start. Passion can however, be cultivated. By reading and studying what it is you want to accomplish you build an inner image. Spend time observing others who have thought or who think similarly. Train and practise whatever it is you want to accomplish. Eventually, passion will begin to push you beyond just imagining and drive you to the point of acting. That's when passion becomes the fuel of your desire.

So let the fire begin. But a word of caution: Once the fires of passion begin to burn, they can become difficult to put out!

Is there something you feel passionate about?

The Power of Positive

Looking for a way to supercharge an individual on your team or even your entire team? Among other suggestions, one of the simplest yet most often overlooked ways is by offering words of encouragement regularly. Encouragement provides fuel for the soul. It nutures and stimulates positive performance.

"Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul,", says leadership and motivational speaker and author John Maxwell, "Everyone needs it and they perform better when they get it".

Without trying to oversimplify, positive comments promote positive results; negative comments invoke negative responses. It's a knee-jerk reaction. When I speak critically to someone, it's human nature for them to feel immediately defensive- even if they know they're in error. Conversely, as I offer positive comments, that same person can feel inspired to press on even if adjustments might still be necessary. This doesn't mean we throw around flowery words at the expense of being honest. That's manipulative. There's no quicker way to jeopardize ones credibility than with disingenuous comments.

To quote Proverbs 16:24, Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweeeeet to the soul and health to the bones (emphasis added!).

Sincere words of encouragement demonstrate ones own personal confidence, the same confidence you want your team to carry. However, a leader who is insecure can have difficulty helping others feel confident. John Maxwell continues, "Good leaders liberally hand out encouragement. It cost little to affirm others ,yet pays great dividends".

Here are just a couple of suggestions to help you become a better encourager:

1. In spite of what you may know about someone, make it a habit to identify something positive and mention that first.
2. Maintain reasonable expectations. No one is perfect, not even you!
3. Whether anyone else does, find reasons and the means to encourage yourself.

Does offering encouragement come easy for you? Do you think others see you as motivational?