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Leadership

2024: Your Limitless Potential

Hello again, this week I want to talk about having the potential.

The potential to do what needs to be done. What you know must be done.

The potential to complete something you started. The potential to just be a better human being.

We all have the potential. However, for any number of reasons many of us do not want to release ourselves and our potential to get to where we want to be. To be where we need to be.

A huge percentage of those reasons as to why we hold ourselves back is because we have self-imposed limits.

These self-imposed limits are debilitating when it comes to achieving the goals we have set for ourselves thus minimizing the level of success we ultimately achieve.

Where these self-imposed limitations come from is painfully obvious.

They come from within us. Of course, they come from many sources that ultimately make us who we are.

Again, this may sting but the truth is, that our self-imposed limitations come from our upbringing, our environment, our relationships with friends, colleagues, peers, mentors, teachers, and yes even our parents. It all contributes to who we are today and of course, how we see ourselves.

If growing up we are not given encouragement and provided with the tools to succeed, then we become people pleasers in hopes that we are recognized then maybe just maybe we are encouraged and provided with the tools.

If growing up, we surround ourselves with friends that are weak minded, little motivation, we rather demand instead of doing, then you will become just like those friends.

Of course, as adults we have the power and free will to choose not to fall into the trap that our family and friends set up for us.

You must learn from the mistakes of the past.
Learn from Your mistakes and the mistakes of others.

To remove those self-imposed limits, you will be able to proceed with confidence in that you can achieve what you set your mind to do.
Seriously, there is nothing more to it. You must work on identifying those self-imposed limits and then moving towards getting stuff done.

There can be no remorse, there can be no regret.

Folks, here is a little secret about remorse and regret. If you find yourself with any kind of remorse or any level of regret about your past the self-imposed limitations will quickly return. Once they are back you will soon find yourself spinning your wheels then realizing you are going nowhere fast.

Once you actively recognize and realize that there is nothing tying you to the past, all there is limitless potential.

You can move towards limitless potential, provided that pay the price of letting go of those things and people that shaped you into creating those limitations.

If you need a reference point, look at those people now, today, and see how their limitations have stopped them dead in their tracks. See where they are now.

Only you can work on changing your world, for the better.

Your Future Awaits!

Thank you,
David Guerra, MA, MBA

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Leadership

2024: Transforming Obstacles Into Stepping Stones

Hello and welcome. Today I am going to talk about obstacles in our lives and what can be done about them.

First off, it is best to know, accept and acknowledge that EVERYONE has obstacles in their lives. No one is immune. No one person’s obstacles are greater than anyone else. Obstacles are obstacles!

Obstacles are those things that happen to us as we move along in life. It is those things that are tangible and intangible that are there to either challenge us, slow us down, or to stop us altogether from achieving what we want to achieve or prevent us from getting to where we want to be.

Obstacles might come in varying degrees.

Of course, the obstacles you face are yours and no one else.

How you deal with those obstacles is uniquely your own.

The thing about the obstacles in your way are that YOU MUST DEAL WITH THEM.

Sure, there are people that are itching to find an excuse to NOT do what they must do, or not achieve the goals they want to achieve and the moment an obstacle appears to be blocking their path, then that is reason enough to stop, to quit, to give up.

Seriously, why bother even starting? There is no quitting.
If you go into anything with the intention of quitting, you are only hurting yourself as you are not making things happen. Do not worry about what others think, they are too busy avoiding you and your lack of commitment and dedication to yourself. They want no part of it and you.

As I mentioned you must deal with them, uniquely deal with every obstacle that comes your way, as no two obstacles are exactly alike. You must address them as they occur.

That is why as you encounter obstacles you must quickly and decisive deal with them.
By taking the time, now, you will find that these obstacles become stepping stones on your way to the success you want.

When you are on the path towards achieving your success, there is no time to wallow in the muck and mire that others will use as an excuse to quit.

You are on your own and on your own time.

The stepping stones that were once obstacles are helping you go higher, faster, stronger and with added resolve.

The increasing level of determination you have helps pull you further away from your past. You are looking towards the future and in that future, you will find yourself having achieved the level of success you wanted but also another truth is realized.

That truth is that once you achieve the level of success or you reach your goals, you will be left wanting more.

More in that you want to achieve an elevated level of success, you will want to reach higher goals. So, you start off working on these new goals or new tier of success.

This time, the obstacles will be greater and even more difficult to overcome, but this time you know they can be overcome and by treating them as stepping stones to get to the next level you will get there.

Lastly, whether you face your obstacles or not, that is solely up to you. Thus, there is no avoiding the lesson to be learned and both actions will teach you a lesson, provided you are mature enough to listen and learn.

Your Success Awaits!

Thank you,
David Guerra, MA, MBA

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Accountability blog Change Decisionmaking Ethics Inspiration Leadership Motivation Training Work Ethic

2024: FACING FEAR & CHOOSING COURAGE

This week, I am talking about facing fears and choosing courage.

Recently, my nephew made the jump from amateur to professional MMA Fighter. He had been training for several years and it was time. He knew it was time.

It was the inevitable path to take if he wanted to achieve his goals as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter.

However, making the jump from amateur to professional means stepping into a professionally sanctioned match, a professional MMA cage, fighting against another professional fighter. Most certainly his amateur days were over.

He knew going in, he was going to be taking that first professional punch. He also knew he had to take that professional punch to the face. He gave punches and kicks as well as he took punches and kicks. And after 3 rounds he did not get the W.

That’s OK, because in all actuality he did win.

See, in the grand scheme of his MMA career he scored a HUGE W. While his fight record shows he is 0 and 1. His EXPERIENCE record shows him and 1 and 0.

As soon as the fight was over and the referee did not raise his arm in victory, I immediately saw in my nephew’s eyes he was already moving on to the next match. As there was nothing he could do to change the outcome of the match that just concluded.

Now before I go any further, you may be wondering what does this have to do with facing fear?

Folks, it is simple. Who in their right mind willfully steps into a Professional MMA fight knowing they are going to get punched in the face? Who in their right mind goes rushing into a burning building to save lives and put out a fire. Who in their right mind volunteers to join the Military to purposefully to go to the frontlines while everyone else is sitting in the rear with the gear.

Someone who has a LOT of fear but does it anyone because it has to be done. That’s who!

Someone who on any other regular day would be at home with their feet up on the coffee table drinking a cold one and watching the ball game but instead makes a conscious effort to face their fears and chooses courage.

Those are the individuals that have a firm grasp on where they are, where they are going and of course, success is just within reach.

Courage is a HUGE factor in achieving success. However, courage alone is not going to get you or anyone there.

Having the courage and then taking action will get you there. Sure, there are people that claim they face fear and are courageous but truthfully, they are ALL TALK and that is all they got.

They are ALL SHOW AND NO GO!

Those are the people that talk a good game be have absolutely no idea to how to face fear. Sure, they may have done it once or twice in their past but not to the point that it inspires them to try again and again of facing their fears and choosing courage.

Sadly, for those ALL SHOW AND NO-GO KIND OF PEOPLE fear has overcome them, it has overtaken them.

When push comes to shove and doing what they know they must do, they would rather back down and let others do their dirty work for them. They would rather push others into harm’s way without getting their hands dirty.

Yet, they would be quick to take the credit for the success of others and quick to point the finger and blame others for a failure.

So be careful as a leader, and especially be careful as a follower not to fall for those kinds of managers. Those bad managers will bring morale down faster than a lead balloon.

Let us get back to my nephew’s first professional MMA fight.

As the referee did not raise his hand in victory there were a couple of things that I saw as victories, as his victories; he got that first professional punch to the face out of the way. More importantly he gets that first L out of the way.

While the other guy did get his first professional punch to the face out of the way. That other guy now carries the specter of the L on his shoulder. Going forward everyone will be expecting a W including him but that first Loss is weighing heavy as it is only a matter of time.

My nephew walks into the next match without having to carry the idea of he might lose. He already has. He has tasted the L and now the first W will taste even sweeter.

My nephew knew it was not going to be easy going Pro. However, he also knows and lives on the idea and the mindset of that to get to where he wants to be, in his life he must step into something he knew was going to physically hurt him.

My nephew and countless others like him with that same mindset, are a great example of overcoming your fears by choosing courage. So starting facing your fears and choose courage.

Everyone, Your Future Awaits!

  • David Guerra, MA, MBA