Go Big Coaching and Consulting

“You can disagree without being disagreeable.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg I am sad to say I feel we have lost the idea that it is okay to disagree with people. I’ve seen and heard a lot of rhetoric in recent years bashing this person, shouting at that group, condemning that party simply because they do not see the world exactly as someone else feels they should. I’m sure I’ve been guilty of this myself from time to time. No one likes to be told they are wrong. But disagreement is important for growth. Disagreement brings the opportunity to exam our own opinions, and understand why we have them. Disagreement brings the opportunity to hear someone else’s opinion, and understand why they have it. Disagreement allows you to be open to new perspectives. Disagreement allows you to understand others better. Disagreement brings the opportunity to grow in your ability to love, show compassion, and have empathy. So the next time someone disagrees with you, take it as the growth opportunity it is. You may not change your opinion, and they may not change their’s; but that should never be the primary goal. Be agreeable when disagreeing so that you do not miss the opportunities that disagreement brings. Go Big! Agree to disagree! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #RuthBaderGinsburg #thenotoriousRBG #agreetodisagree #grow #growthopportunity #empathy #perspective #ThursdayThoughts #TransformYourThinking

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people that are helping.’” - Fred Rogers Mr. Rogers was an integral part of my childhood. He made me feel safe, he made me feel loved, he made me feel like it was going to be okay. I think that’s why, even now, this quote makes me feel at peace. I can even hear him say it in his calming, sing song voice. That reassurance that no matter what happens, it’s going to be okay. After 9/11, story after story came out about great acts of heroism and selfless sacrifice. We clung to these stories in this time of unrest and uncertainty, because we needed to believe it was going to be okay. We needed proof that there were still good people in this world, despite the horrific acts of a few. We looked for the helpers, because they were our lifeline to a continued belief in humanity. We looked for the helpers because they were the calm in the storm. What I have come to realize is that when we are looking for the helpers, we are actually looking for God. We are seeking the reassurance that no matter what terrible tragedy, devastating disaster, or horrific violence occurs, God is still with us. Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us that He is. “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” So in these crazy times, keep looking for the helpers. Rest in the assurance that no matter what is happening around us, God is there. Go Big! Do not be afraid! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #GodBlessAmerica #mrrogers #fredrogers #lookforthehelpers #9/11 #GodsGrace #Godisinthisstory #donotfear #deuteronomy31:8 #hewillneverleaveyou #WisdomWednesday

“Your Customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” - Damon Richards Have you ever sat through a sales presentation where the sales person talks at you rather than with you? They immediately launch into a spiel about how fabulous their product is before even ascertaining whether you actually need it. You hear all the about the quality, statistics, and blah blah blah, but never how it relates specifically to you. Sometimes you try to interrupt to ask a question, but they are so focused on what they have to say that they just plow right on through. So you sit back, tune them out, and internally focus on something completely different. By the end of the presentation you’ve only heard half of what they said, tell them no thanks, and send them on their way, probably still talking as you shove them out the door. The sad thing is, they may have been offering a product or service that was of value to you. But because the salesperson did not take the time to ask questions and understand your needs, you’ll never know. One of the most important aspects of sales is to understand who you are selling to, and how you benefit them, not the other way around. Your job is not to tout the great attributes of whatever it is you are selling. Your job is to show your customer that this great product you have fulfills a need, solves a problem, or makes life easier for them. How can you know what your customer needs if you do not talk to them and ask questions? How can you solve a person’s problem if you do not see them as a person? Let’s be real. No one likes the sleazy salesman. No one wants to feel like a number, a transaction, or a tally on someone’s sales report. So see them, hear them, understand them; only then can you help them. Go Big! Show them you care! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #salesattitude #saleswisdom #showthemyoucare #damonrichards #solvetheirproblem #salesability #serviceoverselling #TransformationTuesday #TransformYourThinking

“To give life a meaning, one must have a purpose larger than self.” - Will Durant I have recently been studying the subject of longevity. Not just living longer, but living healthier longer. One of the people groups that has come up several times in my reading is the people of Okinawa, Japan. They have one of the highest populations of centenarians, people living to be over 100 years old. And these people aren’t just living to 100, they are thriving at 100. Still active, still caring for themselves, still part of the community. So scientists have been studying the lives of these people to determine why they are able to not only live longer, but live healthier longer. Obviously they’ve looked at diet and exercise, which do play a role. But the greatest common thread is this concept of Ikigai. This is a Japanese word that roughly translates to “a reason to live”. But it’s much more than that. Every one of the centenarians they studied continued to live and do and contribute to the world around them. Many of them still have gardens that they work in everyday. They have a craft or hobby that brings joy to others as well as themselves. The women often form groups that meet for community and connection. These people are still an important, if not the most important, part of the family unit. Some of them even continue working in their professions. Not because they have to, but be cause they want to. Ikigai is living life with a sense of purpose and fulfillment, which brings contentment and joy. What is your Ikigai? If you do not know, then now may be the time for self reflection. Who do you love? What brings you joy? What is the purpose of your profession? How do you contribute to the world around you? The people of Okinawa have shown us that living a life of purpose and joy can lead to life of health and fulfillment. Let’s Go Big! Let’s live our Ikigai! God Bless! #GoBigorGoHome #GoBig #liveyourpurpose #ikigai #willdurant #LiveWithPassion #LiveWithPurpose #LiveWithIntention #themeaningoflife #findpurpose #JoyfulLiving #MotivationMonday #longevity #liveonpurpose #okinawa

“The difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do.” — Bill Phillips You want to be a great innovator. But fears asks the question what happens if it fails, so you stick with what you know. You want to be a business owner. But fear makes you doubt whether you will succeed, so you stay safely employed. You want to be an inspiring leader. But fear makes you wonder if anyone will follow you, so you quietly continue with the crowd. So many times we allow fear to dictate who we are. You know exactly who you want to be, whether you’ve had the courage to say it out loud or not. You’ve daydreamed and imagined the great person you desire to be, but fear you may fail in the journey to get there. Then what, then who are you? So you stay where you are, doing what you’ve always done, remaining who you’ve always been. Because here it is safe, here the outcome is known, here the expectations have been met. The key to becoming who you truly want to be is courage, action in the face of fear. Innovate, even though it may fail. Remind yourself that some of the world’s greatest inventions came from the steps taken after initial failure. Start your business, even if you risk not succeeding. Remember that many of today’s successful business people were not successful in their first venture either. Step out of the crowd and speak up, even though others may not follow. Some of history’s greatest leaders were laughed at in the beginning. Find the courage and act. You may fail, but then again you may not. And either way you take a step towards who you want to be instead of remaining stuck where you are. Go Big! Be courageous! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #embracethejourney #EmbraceTheChallenge #becourageous #FaithOverFear #LeadershipJourney #FearlessFriday

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell It can be easy to fall into the trap of pessimism, especially when things are going wrong. Finding someone to blame or a place to direct your anger, makes you feel like you are at least doing something. Your sails are fluttering in the feeble wind, so it must be the wind’s fault that you are not moving forward. There, you’ve identified the problem! If the wind would just blow in the right direction, everything would be just fine! So you’ll sit in the middle of the ocean and curse the wind until it decides to change. But never flagging optimism can be a trap too. You tell yourself that the wind is feeble now, but it will change. Sometimes you even pick up your oars and expend all your time and resources rowing yourself in the same direction. But once your energy is spent, you are still stuck in the middle of the ocean, now with less resources. The true key to success is not to look at a situation as bad or good, but realize it just, is. This allows you to approach the situation as a navigator rather than a passenger. You cannot control the wind, but you can learn to use it to your advantage. Be open to adjusting your sails to catch the best breeze. Occasionally you may have to tack upwind rather than sailing straight into it, but you will still reach the shore. Let’s Go Big! Use the wind to sail to success! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #successmindset #SuccessJourney #johnmaxwell #windinyoursails #bethenavigator #writeyourstory #LeadWithPurpose #LeadershipImpact #LeadershipJourney #LeadershipMatters #LeadByExample #ThursdayThoughts

“Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.” - Henry Ford We’ve all sat in those meetings, where everyone bitches and complains, but nothing is actually accomplished. Moral at the end of the meeting is lower than it was at the start. Everyone leaves with a longer list of issues and a shorter temper. Leaders who allow meetings to proceed in this pessimistic manner will soon find they have a company full of pessimistic people. Even the eternal optimist grows weary in an environment of doom and gloom. But issues must be acknowledged before they can be addressed. So how do you bring the issue to light without starting the blame game and pointing fingers? By setting clear expectations. The best way to do this is to lead by example. If the leader points fingers and names names, the expectation is set, we are seeking fault. If the leader seeks input and encourages collaboration, a solution oriented expectation is made. Go lead your people! Be the remedy and create a solution driven company rather than a fault finding factory. Go Big! Lead by example! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #bethesolution #noblamegame #nofingerpointing #setexpectations #LeadershipImpact #LeadByExample #HenryFord #LeadershipMatters #WisdomWednesday

“The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.” - Hasidic Proverb You cannot effectively lead others if you do not have confidence in yourself. Some believe they will find confidence in answers, so they spend hours in research and study. Some believe they will find confidence is action, so they remain in constant motion. Some believe they will find confidence in words, so they speak long and loud for all to hear. But true self confidence is not found by looking outward, it is found by looking inward. You can learn the information, but you will not be confident until you appreciate your ability to use it. You can go through the motions, but you will not be confident until you appreciate your ability to analyze the consequences of your actions. You can recite words and speeches, but you will not be confident until you truly believe in the words you say. The mark of a confident person is someone who can think logically, act rationally, and speak wisely. Others see those as character traits that can guide them through any situation, and that is the person they will follow. Go Big! Be confident! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #Confidence #LeadershipJourney #LeadByExample #LeadershipMatters #LeadershipImpact #LeadWithPurpose #leadwithconfidence #SelfReflection #SelfReflection #SelfAwareness #SelfDiscovery #TransformationTuesday

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 The imagery of this verse brings me so much peace. There is a beautiful old live oak tree in New Braunfels, Texas called the Founder’s Oak. It grows next to the Comal River, a spring fed oasis that is cool and clear not matter the weather. The Founder’s Oak is estimated to be over 300 years old, and has a long and storied history dating all the way back to the time of the Comanche. This beautiful tree provides a real life picture of Jeremiah 17:7-8. It is always sustained by the cool clear spring fed waters, and its evergreen leaves remain lush and beautiful year round. Texas has experienced hundreds of heat waves and draughts since this tree was planted, and yet it still stands. The Lord tells us that He is our Comal River, he is our well spring. If we will plant ourselves firmly in Him through prayer and obedience, no matter what the world brings, He will sustain us, and even make us fruitful. He specifically says do not fear, do not worry, I am here. The best part is His well spring feeds us in all aspects of our lives. When we need rest we can drink from his restoring cool waters. When we need strength He provides us all we need. And when we find success, He rejoices in the fruits we bear. Go Big! Trust in the Lord and bear His fruit! God Bless! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #Jeremiah17 #TrustintheLord #drinkfromHiswell #bearfruit #restinHim #foundersoak #comalriver #donotfear #FaithOverFear #Iam #thegreatiam #MotivationMonday #Heisthewellspring

"May we think of freedom not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right." - Peter Marshall I love this statement! I feel it truly sums up the American dream. Because what is right for you is different than what is right for me. I am not talking about basic laws. It’s never right to intentionally harm someone, or take something that is not yours. I am talking about our path through life. How amazing is it that we as Americans all have the opportunity to choose our own path. We choose the work we do, the family we make, the place we live. We choose where we donate our time and resources. We have the freedom to choose the opportunities we take. I realize not everyone starts on the same playing field. Some of us are born rich, some poor. Some of us are born into great families, and some of us have to create our own. But we all have the opportunity to an education, we all have the opportunity to better our situations and ourselves. We all have the freedom to choose, and that is an invaluable gift. I hope everyone enjoyed celebrating the great independence we all share as fellow Americans. Go Big! Value your opportunities! God Bless America! #GoBig #GoBigorGoHome #GodBlessAmerica #PeterMarshall #landofopportunity #theAmericanDream #embracethejourney #freedom #landofthefree