Friday, September 27, 2013
Unarmed and Fabulous
Unarmed and Fabulous
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| Photo by: Newtown grafitti |
When Barbie Thomas, at the tender age of two, lost both arms after mistakenly grabbing the wires of a transformer near her Texas home 35 years ago, her mother decided that day that neither of them would ever fold, give up, or take the easy way out of any situation.
"I was not allowed to be negative and say I can't do something," Thomas told Good Morning America last week.* "I was always taught to focus on what I can do, not what I can't do."
That advice may sound oversimplified. Unattainable. Borderline delusional. Pollyanna-ish. You may say to yourself, "Who lives like that? Who can sustain such an attitude over the course of one's lifetime?"
But there's a difference between perpetually and foolishly wearing rose-colored glasses, versus making a reasoned choice to acknowledge the positive side of any situation and pursuing it.
The choice always exists. The decision always can be made to go positive or negative. Once you realize which way you are "wired" subconsciously, you can then consciously make the selection toward the positive, thereby placing your life immediately on the path toward greater health, balance, and peace.
It may not be the easiest process in the world, but it absolutely is the most rewarding. Barbie Thomas would agree.
This real-life Venus de Milo, this mother of two teenage sons, contends at the national level as a fitness competitor - a form of athletic dance and conditioning that falls somewhere between pure bodybuilding and bikini pageants. What's more, she has placed in the top five nationally, and recently earned the first-ever Inspiration Award from the National Physique Committee.
"We all have our own stuff to deal with," she said. "Mine are just more visible. I survived because God saw the bigger picture and had plans for me."
Be Well,
Friday, September 20, 2013
Everything is Okay
Everything is Okay
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| Photo by: Jonathan Lin |
The feeling sneaks up on me occasionally, and I don't particularly enjoy it.
I'll be in the middle of conducting a class with a group of participants, doing what I've become so familiar doing, when a wave of thoughts jolts across my mind.
"Can I keep this going? Can I sustain this level of performance? Can I ensure that everyone here, all of these people counting on me, will receive something of power and value?"
It's normal, even healthy, to pose questions like these to oneself every now and again. It keeps you honest and accountable. It spurs renewed energy and effort. It keeps you sharp, and away from the lazy, wasteful pitfall of routine and rote.
Yet when these thoughts scamper through my consciousness, normal as they might be, they still bother me, even if only a little. That is, until I remember a greater truth.
Everything is okay.
Everyone is okay.
I'm okay, and so is the way in which I go about my business of interacting with clients.
And why? Because every person is built to succeed. Every person has a champion inside. Those who understand and appreciate this fact - and who operate from a platform of positive, accepting, love-based relationships with others - have nothing to fear. Ever.
So respect those moments of self-questioning and use them to bring yourself even higher. But never forget that you are - just the same as I am, and everyone else is - a champion inside.
Built by love. Built to succeed.
Be Well,
Eric Guy
Thursday, August 29, 2013
What is Your Listening Price Tag?
The Dollars and Sense of Respecting Emotions
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Photo by: Jeff Powers
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"The art of effective listening is essential to
clear communication,and clear communication
is essential to success."
- James Cash Penney
The founder of the legendary retailer JCPenney would not recognize his namesake today. I contend that his descendants in leading the department store may have forgotten - or considered quaint, trite, or outdated - what dear old J.C. said all those years ago.
Too many leaders have a troublesome tendency to hear, but not listen.
And "leaders" can be found not only in business, but in social circles, politics, and even the family. Listening forms the basis for success, no matter what the context or the specifics of the situation.
Yet the JC Penney of 2013 finds itself in what some are calling its death throes, with creditors expressing concern, board members bailing out, and customers hopelessly confused. And why? My guess is because the company stopped listening.
It applied a logic-based strategy as the foundation of a turnaround initiative. They acted upon the notion - assumed, actually - that consumers like things as simple as possible, so JCPenney eliminated all coupons and sales. It has since retreated from that practice, but the damage has been done and there may be no recovery.
The retailer's leadership failed to appreciate the fact that the decision to buy works from the same emotion-based platform as the best approach to living in general. Namely, that people operate at the most elementary level from emotion. They stick with what they know and like. We evaluate intellectually but act (and buy) emotionally. Emotion is where lasting and meaningful change begins, not logic and intellect.
Center for Victory helps our clients understand this basic, core, rudimentary principle toward achieving peace and balance in their lives. As the JCPenney Company is now realizing, real financial ramifications can be at stake, as well. They should have listened - really listened - to James Cash.
Be Well,
Eric
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Example of Francis
The Example of Francis
This past March, the world was electrified, as Pope Francis stepped out onto the balcony at St. Peter's Square after his election. But the way in which Francis has electrified the world is quite different from his papal predecessors, and it's what makes his story so interesting and applicable.
Why has this pope been so enthusiastically received and his message embraced by Catholics and people of other faiths, in such a short period of time? What makes Francis so different? Could it be that his approach is purely based on helping other people, especially those less fortunate, and that he is demonstrating it so powerfully and so personally?
From the start, Francis has purposely avoided all of the magisterial trappings at his disposal. He lives in a Vatican hotel, not the grand papal apartments. He wears simple vestments. He shuns the "popemobile," preferring to be close enough to people to reach out, touch them, pick up children and bless them himself.
Francis recently declined to spend time at a formal concert and reception, causing some feathers to be ruffled. He said his time was better spent working. One of his first acts as pope was to visit with recovering addicts in a Rome prison. Even the name he selected honors Francis of Assisi, who lived a life of service to the poor.
Virtually his every statement and action reaffirms and demonstrates the need for love, respect, service, and building relationships with others.
Love over fear.
Compassion over aggression.
Reaching out over shutting out.
These principles pave the way to personal peace. You don't have to be the pope or belong to any specific organized faith community to know this or to live it every day.
When we operate from a foundation of positive, loving relationships, great things can result.
Be Well,
Eric
Monday, August 5, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Major Life Lessons Learned On the Way to the Ground
Major Life Lessons Learned On the Way to the Ground
It’s
interesting how and when we receive the Major Life Lessons, or MLLs, as I like
to call them. I received some big ones
on my way to the ground after falling off a ladder recently.
MLL No. 1: I should have known better.
All the
warning signs were there, but somehow I forged on undeterred. No one at the base of the ladder to secure
it. Me, climbing alone, carrying a
100-pound load, no less. That little
voice in my head, saying – no, screaming – “You shouldn’t be doing this.” All of which led to…
MLL No. 2: Listen to the little voice and
regroup as needed.
My friend asked
me several times before they left that day if I was sure I didn’t need help,
but I assured them all was good. The
little voice, even at that point, knew bad things loomed ahead. I should have listened and put the proper
safeguards in place. But I didn’t, which
led to…
MLL No. 3: Appreciate the importance of a
firm foundation.
Once I
crashed down to terra firma – dizzy, with no feeling in my arm, and a
spectacular headache – I quickly realized and appreciated the firm foundation
of family, as enjoyed on the compound we share.
My son called for help, my in-laws responded to care for the kids, and
my wife arrived quickly to get me to the Emergency Room. Everyone was concerned, but no one – including
my son and daughter – became paralyzed by fear because we all were
together. They believed my parting
words, because I believed them: “I’m going to be okay.” What happened next led to…
MLL No. 4: A firm foundation requires deep
roots and continuous attention.
I was
able to leave the hospital that night on my own, with just a concussion and a
badly bruised arm. The docs x-rayed my
arm twice, in fact. They couldn’t
believe it wasn’t broken, telling me, “You’re really solid.” I knew my head was twice as thick as my arm,
any day of the week.
But
seriously, this episode, and how it affected so many people who rely on me,
proved irrefutably that a strong foundation requires strong relationships with
those we love. And that this takes hard,
ongoing, every day work. It takes
digging deep to find the firm stuff beneath.
The bedrock on which to build and strengthen relationships securely.
Life can
throw us into the spin cycle at a moment’s notice. It’s when when we feel out of control that we
need to dig a little deeper, sometimes even into the pain, to discover and
recover the strong foundation inside of us.
I wouldn’t
recommend tumbling to the ground from a great height to internalize this
message, though. Been there, done
that. Just trying to save you the
trouble, is all.
Be Well,
Eric
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