A key to happiness is that of a simple nature, the simplest of natures, and so common a principle, so basic that it is overlooked with unremarkable repetition. This simple nature is so obtainable, so easily found, it amazes my senses to ponder the idea of it being so eluding. What, you may ask, is this simple idea that brings forth happiness?

The ability to appreciate life! When one understands the notion of life and begins to appreciate it, the mind transforms. This transformation is a realization that each new moment is neither that of a positive, nor negative nature, it just is, a moment to experience. No two experiences can ever be the same, so to appreciate life; you appreciate the experience, the moment, the state, and the emotions of the current situation.

With each new experience the understanding of a new discovery floods the senses and soon you begin to crave and grow from each of these new discoveries, you grow and only a positive outlook is what becomes you. These positive outlooks open your awareness to life, to each moment and you know with certainty you have harnessed complete control of the moment, of your reality.

Such is a freedom, that it is sought by multitudes, but obtained by few.

Are you a visionary leader? Visionary leadership is the leadership of people and the development of individuals. It’s a style of leadership where you, the leader, come alongside of another individual to nurture and mentor them to become better then who they are currently.

What is the blueprint to a visionary leader?

1. Courage 

One of the many pitfalls of being a visionary leader is compromise and making small shortcuts in order to produce better results. This is a pitfall that attacks every visionary leader without exception. Visionary leaders have the courage to stand up for what they believe in, to do what is needed to be done by doing what’s right by others.

Leaders can be faced with hard decisions that could at any moment potentially compromise who they are as an individual, damaging their character and integrity. We need leaders to stand up for what they believe in, the values and morals that they adhere to and not succumb to the status quo.

2. Compassion 

Compassion comes from deep within you and because compassionate leaders follow their heart some may tell you that this is an improper way to lead. The excuse is that the heart can be deceived by emotions and that could cause a leader to make decision emotionally.

The heart of the visionary leader will understand that the heart is more than just human emotions. Compassion has its place in leadership because without compassion you will find it difficult to be people driven.

3. Communication 

Effective communication is not a one-way street; in fact effective communication is more listening than speaking. A visionary leader must communicate effectively to be able to cast a vision, to inspire and encourage; none of that can be accomplished without listening.

When a visionary leader understands the needs, desires, and perspectives of those you were leading, that’s when you can lead effectively.

4. Character 

You will never go any further in life than your character will sustain you. There’ve been many people have tried and there’ve been many people achieve the same result; that result is a leader that gets ahead of them self and loses the position that they were given.

Character is your foundation and your beliefs, morals and standards rest on your character. With character comes integrity and Integrity is a character trait that is sought after and often times poorly utilized.

5. Conviction 

We all have fixed beliefs, and visionary leader will never go against his or her beliefs. The convictions you hold will be to serve the people and when those convictions are challenged you have the courage to stand behind them, and the character to sustain them.

Conviction helps pave the way for visionary leader to lead his or her destiny.

Are you ready to step up and be a visionary leader?

Life seems to slip by us without even realizing it. Mornings are a chore list of items that have to be done before we head to work. We get to work and have more lists of items to accomplish. The clock rings 5 and the trip home starts.

Before we notice it Friday is here and as we scan back over the week we can’t help but wonder where the time went. Days blend together and life feels like a big blur.

We are in such a hurry to get through the day, we often forget about the day. Distractions wear us down. Life becomes tedious. We just want the day to be over before it begins. We wake up already thinking about the end of the day, about going home, relaxing and enjoying what little time we have. Even our downtime disappears faster than we can use it.

We accumulate so much clutter in our minds we often miss out on what’s important to us. The little wonders of life tend to happen when we are less distracted and we are not so caught up in the never-ending check list of to-dos.

Eddie Cantor said it perfectly “Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”

Don’t miss out on where you are going and remind yourself why you’re going there.

You may have to learn how to slow down and enjoy what you have, to find peace in what’s important to you. Or perhaps it’s as simple as re-prioritizing the importance of your day.

No matter where you’re at, start small. Spend a little extra time with your kids. Take a second or third refreshing glance at the sunrise. Pay more attention to the melody of the birds outside your window. There is so much we take for granted. Slowdown and notice it. Enjoy the life that you’ve been given.

In the end, you will be more happy, refreshed, excited and productive.

Each day only happens once, slow down and live it.

you only have one life, enjoy it.

At what point does leadership start, and end?

The answer is surprisingly simple. The moment you make your first decision for yourself leadership starts. So when does leadership end? That moment you no longer make another decision for yourself.

What am I saying?

in leadership, your job is never done. You set goals and make milestones; you complete them, and then create new ones. This pattern for a leader doesn’t stop. It doesn’t matter if you’re a leader of one, or one thousand.

You will always have a vision, and the moment that vision is finished your vision grows into something bigger, grander, and more impossible.

It never changes. The moment you think you hit your mark; your mark is recreated into something new.

The moment you think you’re done as a leader, is the moment you start anew as a leader.

To become a better leader, embrace the cycle of change, embrace the bigger vision and embrace the new challenges.

You might be amazed at how much more relaxing leadership becomes when you recognize leadership is a fluid motion.

As a leader living in this world, honor has become, for the most part, an obsolete virtue to live by. It’s a thing of the past, not accepted in today’s culture. The fact is honor in leadership is needed even more than ever.

Looking up honor in the dictionary you would read a definition something similar to high respect or esteem. I personally like the Greek translation to the word: value or preciousness.

If the Greek translation states that honor is value or preciousness, you have to ask yourself, does your leadership style value or see others a precious? What about to the point you would lay your life down for them? Are the people you lead that precious to you?

That’s a tough question. Most fathers would say they would lay their lives down for their children. Most husbands would say the same for their wives. But would you say that for a stranger?

Having honor in leadership can be a struggle. It’s about applying your leadership by doing what’s right because you consider another person valuable or precious.

You may never be faced with the choice to lay your life down for another person, but your leadership can honor others through your and attitude and actions.

You can start today by molding your mindset to see every person you come across, regardless of outward appearance, as valuable and precious. You can show a high amount of respect or esteem for other human beings even when they don’t deserve it.

When you add honor to your leadership, your leadership will not only strengthen those around you, but it will strengthen who you are as well. All it takes is small steps of value and respect towards other human beings each day and honor will be a byproduct of your leadership.

Compassion is a powerful tool for a leader to effect change in the lives of those he leads. It’s about a connection that inspires an individual to believe in themselves and become a better person. Compassion is an underutilized and lost ability in leadership.

The hardest part about leading with compassion is getting past the lies we have told ourselves about compassion in a leadership setting.

How can you develop more compassion in your leadership style?

Accept people where they are.

Not everyone can be like you. Some have difference experiences, cultural upbringings and stories. People learn at different paces and understand things on different levels. No matter where they are in life, make it your job to pull people up to a higher level and leave them at a place that they can go further. This may require you to work on your patience, understanding and tolerance.

Get past appearances

You are probably not aware of it, but you judge people based on their outward appearance before they even open their mouth. Americans are conditioned to judge something within the first 30 seconds of initial contact. Underneath that outward appearance you may not approve of, Is a person. Treat them as such.

The person isn’t bad, their behavior might be.

Learn to separate a person from their behavior. A person is not their behavior and the behavior is not the person. The person made the choice for the behavior, and perhaps that’s all they know. When you start to separate the person from the behavior, you can extend compassion to the person without conditions.

Guide hearts, not people

The heart of a person is the core of who they are. When you touch their heart, they respond positively. Instead of attempting to “change” a person for better, guide their heart to the right place. As you do this, you will start to understand that it’s easy to demonstrate compassion to a person.

Talk “to” people, not at them.

It’s easy to tell people what to do or how they should do it. Once you get past this type of one way dialog with others your perspective changes. You’re open to the fact that there is a difference between the person and what you’re instructing them to do. You become aware of how to better interact with them and allows you to continually be a compassionate leader.

Back up your compassion through action

Don’t just speak compassion, show compassion. Simple random acts of kindness can go a long way. They don’t have to be sentimental acts. Often times the more practical acts of kindness mean more. When you develop this into a lifestyle, compassion is certain to follow.

Listen more, talk less.

You will start to notice that other people are more than just your judgments of them. When you can understand where a person is coming from, it’s easier to accept them for who they are. Then compassion can touch their heart and guide them to a better version of who they can be.

Move past the mistakes

Did you know you have made mistakes in life? Everyone has, and to put conditions on other people based on their mistakes would leave you without compassion. This does not mean we have to befriend those who hurt us, or even allow them into our lives. It simply means we can show compassion to them as a person.

Nows the time to add more compassion to your leadership style.

There is something to say about setbacks as a leader. Even the most hardened setbacks have something worthwhile to be found from it.

Facing and dealing with setbacks are a fact of life, and a part of leadership. At times, when we think we have it all together, life humbles us.

When setbacks happen, anyone can cry and pout, or you can stand up and push ahead. What other options do you have?

1. Confront it as a leader.

We are all vulnerable to a setback. If you’re faced with one, acknowledge the problem. You’re in the middle of it; you can’t simply ignore the elephant in the room. That doesn’t mean you have to be fearful of it nor do you have to doubt your ability. It simply means you’re aware and ready to overcome it.

2. Resist blame as a leader.

When a setback hits, there is no turning back. You can’t simply rewind and avoid it. Setbacks happen. The best path is for forward leadership. The best way to prevent forward leadership is looking for something or someone to blame. Stopping to point blame simply makes a leader look like a jerk, and an incompetent one at that.

3. Smile and laugh at it as a leader.

With every setback come new experiences, knowledge and understanding. Your character is more defined and your will more fortified. Allow yourself a little joy and hope, knowing that on the other side of that setback is a better you. A more confident and competent person that can handle the tough situations leadership throws your way.

4. Embrace it as a leader.

Some of the best lessons in life are gained through tough experiences. They show you what you’re made of. Take the setback and put it in your resources of strengths that you can tap into during future setbacks. What can the world throw at a man that has the experience to handle it?

5. Find your faith as a leader.

When you’re emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted as a leader, it’s your faith in something bigger that has the power to keep you moving forward. At times it might be your faith that is your only source of energy and strength. Never underestimate the power of your faith to push you though those setbacks.

6. Exercise Patience as a leader.

Setbacks can hit leadership in a split second, but they can last much longer than they should. Impatience is a quick way to prolong a setback. Be that leader to step back, take a breath and rest. It serves no purpose from a leadership perspective to dwell on the problem. Occupy your time with activities you enjoy and introduce a healthy dose of positive thinking into the situation.

Be the leader you’re capable of and no longer let those setbacks push you down.

Courageous leadership isn’t about the title you hold, the company you work for or the career you have chosen.

Courageous leadership is about who you are; your character, your heart, your resilience.

As a child we were the cowboy that defeated the Indians, the solider that saved the world, the pilot that took on the alien invasion and won. We were the hero in every game we played.

There was no fear or doubt, only certainty in our abilities, confidence in who we are and curiosity to venture the unknown. We would climb to the tops of trees and feel the sway from the cool breeze. We would jump into ponds and lakes without a second thought or a second look.

We would scrap our knees, bump our heads and bruise our elbows. Then we would get up and do it all over again.

Life has a way of beating you down, making you feel inferior and giving you doubt about your adequacy.

Time erodes that courageous leadership within us.

We grow up and become aware of the dangers in life, jump feet first into the rat race and subscribe to materialism.

Before we know it our courage is gone, and our courageous leadership right along with it. So how do you get it back?

1. Know your values and beliefs – in order for you to act courageously as a leader; you must know the standards in which you operate. Be clear about the position that you have in life. Understand the values, beliefs, and principles that make you tick as a person. When you know your values and beliefs, it becomes very difficult for you to compromise, and will be very easy for you to stand behind your decisions in the face of adversity.

2. Listen to your heart – your heart is not just about emotions, the heart of a leader encompasses all your thoughts, insights and wisdom that you possess. It’s the very center of who you are as a person. Listen to what your heart tells you. Learn to understand your emotions and separate them when they get out of control.

3. Don’t worry – alleviate the desire to focus on all the possible bad outcomes. Manage your imagination so it doesn’t run wild and put your attention on the negative. When you lead courageously you will be thinking about all the great possibilities and nothing less.

4. Take action – courage insists on taking the first step. When you lead with courage, hesitation will be far from you. There is no shame in altering the course of direction after the first step. Make sure though they are not changing direction out of fear. It’s better to move forward then to stand still and accomplish nothing.

Follow these simple tips and watch your courageous leadership emerge.

Creativity is not a learned trait; however it can be a re-learned trait.

The fact is everyone at one time or another was highly creative. You are born creative.

In the process of growing up and adapting to your surroundings, your creativity is slowly squashed out of you. You’re told your imagination is only for children. Expectations are placed on you that cause you to abandon the creativity inside of you just to meet those expectations. Eventually you forget you where creative to begin with.

Creative people are generally those people that refused to conform to society’s standards. Some may even have called them rebellious. Somewhere along the way they did not lose their imagination and their creativity stayed with them.

So how do you reclaim your creativity?

1. Believe you’re inherently creative

By believing in your natural creativity you’re telling yourself its ok to be creative.

2. Let go of any false beliefs about creativity

Growing up you may have been told you had an over active imagination or that only children use their imaginations. This can cause you to falsely believe it’s not acceptable to be creative. Uncover any false beliefs that you may have about creativity being wrong and let go of them

3. Travel back to your childhood.

Do you have any memories of your imagination at work? Perhaps you still happen to have those wonderful childhood drawings your parents put on the fridge. When you relieve your creativity as a child you become aware of your own creativity.

4. Build on the traits of creative people.

Observe the habits of highly creative people. What sets them apart? Read the 7 common traits of highly creative people for a start. Recognize and begin to develop the traits creative people have and your creativity will open up.

5. Engage in creative activities.

Sometimes the best way to reclaim your creativity is to practice. As you engage in creative activities you tell your mind that creativity is ok and you slow let go of any negative beliefs about creativity.

There are many different techniques to reclaiming your creativity.  These are some of the main ones that I use regularly in my creative mentoring programs. Reclaiming your creativity really boils down to letting go of any fears or lies about creativity that you have learned growing up. It may take time to find your hidden creativity again, but it’s well worth it.

Hang around a creative person long enough and you might realize they have personalities and habits that are not like other people. That’s because creative people are, well…. creative.

Creative people see the world differently.

A creative person could come up with an original concept, innovate something old or just be an idea machine. Bottom line, being creative gives you a view into the world that only a creative person can appreciate.

Whether you’re looking to build on your creativity or just curious how to better lead a creative person then:

Here are 7 common traits of a highly creative person.

Curious

Creative people inherently have lots of questions. They continually ask what, why, when, where and how. This behavior keeps the mind open to possibilities and potential that may at first be unseen. Curiosity is highly misunderstood and at times mistaken for a defiant or rebellious nature.

Dissatisfied

Creative people are not satisfied with life. There are always new questions to answer, problems to solve and ideas to be had. This trait can cause restlessness within creative people and when bored a creative person may wind up entertaining themselves in unorthodox ways.

Value Ideas

Creative people understand the power of an idea. They recognize the value behind an idea and they know that a single idea can revolutionize an industry, culture or even the world. To a creative person, their ideas are an extension of them. Value the idea and you convey that you value the creative person. Continually and consistently disregard a creative persons idea, and you might as well tell a creative person they hold no value.

Embrace Failures

The same energy that makes ideas a success can also produce failures. Creative people know this and they embrace failures as stepping stones to success. A failure to a creative person is an opportunity to shine, learn and grow. Failures are a creative person’s feedback and they can use them effectively.

Unique Perception

Creative people have the ability to look at situations from a different angle. They take experiences, circumstances and situations and determine what new curiosities can be found in them. They have the power to change your entire perception of a circumstance and often notice what you may now. They can take a dead idea and bring it to life, take a frustrated team and re-energize them.

Challenge Hungry

Creative people love challenges. They believe that every problem has a solution and they want to uncover it. Challenges provide a playground for their imagination to wander for a solution.

They see the unexpected

Creative people have a knack to make connections between unexpected and unrelated things. It’s this ability that allows them unique insights and perceptions. A creative person knows that every situation has an unexpected factor and they want to find it.

Everyone is born creative, and if you lost your creativity read how to reclaim your creativity.