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Self-Discipline Isn’t Emotional

“But I don’t feel like it.” I don’t know how many times I’ve said that, heard that, or read that when I challenged someone to follow through on their promise. How much of our life is directed by our emotions? How many times do we default to our feelings instead of our commitments? I’m learning that self-discipline challenges me to take …

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Self-Discipline Isn’t Multiple Choice

If I’m going to take a test, I like to take multiple choice tests. That way I know the correct answer is there…somewhere. Even if I don’t know which one is correct, I can still guess. But self-discipline isn’t a multiple choice test. It’s a True / False test. I either have it or I don’t. I either do what …

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Learn To Lead By Leading

One of the reasons people are interested in leadership development is because it so closely aligned with personal development. Working on one’s leadership capacity requires some work in the area of personal growth and an understanding of one’s temperament, personality, and skill set. With that in mind, I am always excited to hear from students who are eager to learn more about …

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You Might Be A Leader…

One question that I’m often asked is whether or not I believe every person can be a leader? My answer: yes and no. I answer “yes” because I think every person has the potential and the responsibility to lead oneself well. I believe leadership does start with you. You and I must learn, practice, and hone our ability to lead …

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Why Can’t Anyone Motivate Me?

When it comes to motivation, you might think this requires giving something to someone else that pumps them up (like a pep talk, a bonus, an ultimatum, etc). But motivation actually comes from the inside of a person. It’s a person’s own desires and energy that fuels action. You can’t actually motivate someone else. But you can influence the motivation …

Excellence Is An Attainable Goal

I’d like to talk to all of the student leaders in the room for a moment. (Everyone else can listen in if you’d like). As a student leader, you bring a unique set of strengths, abilities, and weaknesses to the table. You may or may not feel like you possess the “leadership” gene. But the one quality each and every …

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How To Do One Thing For 90 Days In A Row

January 1 is such an exciting day. Sooo many people are all geared up to make changes. They start writing. They start working out. They start eating vegetables. They start… Then there’s January 11. Not such an exciting day. And not very many people doing what they set out to do on January 1. Why can’t we find the self-discipline …

Self-Discipline Isn’t Automatic

Miranda Lambert has a song out entitled, Automatic. You can watch the music video below. The chorus of her song seems really appropriate for this next post on self-discipline. It goes like this: Hey what ever happened to waiting your turnDoing it all by hand, ’cause when everything is handed to youIt’s only worth as much as the time put …