Archive for September 2014
Stopping the Dream from Slipping Through Your Grasp
Having a dream is like holding a glass figurine—it’s fragile and will shatter as soon as you let go of it. As poet Langston Hughes advised, we must “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” What does it mean to cling tenaciously to a dream? For…
Read MoreStandard of Living, Self-Actualization, or Significance…What Are You Shooting For?
Truly great men and women are not acclaimed because of what they own and earn. Nor are they admired merely on account of their talents or level of professional performance. Rather, they’re respected because of their willingness to give themselves to people and purposes that will live beyond them. Some people don’t even dare to…
Read MoreThe Cost Question: Are You Willing to Pay the Price for Your Dream?
Thirty years ago, Mary Lou Retton vaulted into stardom at the 1984 Olympic Games, becoming the first American to win gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics competition. She wowed the world with her amazing mix of grace, power, and dexterity. Her Olympic triumph, combined with her buoyant, bubbly personality made her an instant media sensation.…
Read MoreGive Your Dream a Team
If you’re dreaming big, then the size of your vision will surpass your present abilities. Not only that, but your dream will even dwarf your potential abilities. No matter how much you grow and develop, you won’t ever be able to accomplish the dream alone. One is too small a number to achieve greatness. Every…
Read MoreGive Your Dream a Scheme
When you wish upon a starMakes no difference who you are Anything your heart desires Will come to you. Disney offers great entertainment but lousy life lessons. You’re not going to receive a visit from a fairy godmother or find a genie in a bottle to grant your wishes. It’s not just Disney that promotes…
Read MoreGive Your Dream a Beam
Where do dreams come from? What does dreaming do for a leader? How can I verify whether my dream is a worthwhile vision or a fictitious fantasy? Let’s begin to investigate these questions by defining what we mean by a dream. A dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will…
Read MoreWhat Is the Most Effective Daily Habit for Any Leader to Develop?
Last year when I began writing Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, we began talking to my Twitter followers, Facebook fans, and John Maxwell Team coaches about the importance of questions, and we asked them to give me leadership questions that they wanted answered. We were flooded with questions related to self-leadership. We got more on…
Read MoreMy #1 Question for the People Around Me
What’s the big deal? What I mean is, what’s the big problem that stands between you and success? Is it a person? A situation? Or is it something inside of you? Maybe an attitude or a fear? A doubt or a belief? For me, what stood between me and my goals was usually something internal.…
Read MoreThe Most Important Person to Ask Questions
In my last post, I wrote about what I believe is the first step toward solving many of the problems we face: Asking the right questions. If you haven’t already read the post, take a minute to go back and view it here. Socrates is quoted as saying, “The unexamined life is not worth leading.”…
Read MoreThe Answer Is Not What You Might Think
You’ve come up against it again: that obstacle to your success or your growth as a leader that you just can’t seem to get over, under, around, or through. You’ve tried everything you know, but there it still looms, mocking you. You’re frustrated and beginning to feel hopeless that you’ll ever overcome this issue, and…
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