As stated in an earlier post, ”The Inspiration For Change,” Pain, not Pleasure, is more times than not responsible for seasons of Change.  Can one safely assume that the Black Plague that hit Europe like a tsunami during the 14th century was the catalyst responsible for birthing the Renaissance?  Let me know what you think.  

The book, HOW TO THINK LIKE LEONARDI DAVINCI, by Michael J. Gelb, is the primary source for both today’s post and this brief excerpt.   

“You can’t help but notice that change is accelerating.  How these changes will affect you personally and professionally, nobody knows.  But, like the thinkers at the end of the cataclysmic change caused by the Black Death, we owe it to ourselves to ask if we can afford to let the authorities of our time — whether church, government, or corporation — think for us.

It is safe to say, however, that accelerating change and increasing complexity multiply the value of intellectual capital.  The individual’s ability to learn, adapt, and think, independently and creatively, is at a premium. …

©Copyright by Michael J. Gelb.  All Rights Reserved.

Why did it take the Black Death to set the forces in motion that released the “surge of intellectual energy,” that was ”dammed for a millennium in ecclesiastical reservoirs, began to flow through the pestilence-inspired breach”?  Imagine how different our lives would be today had this “seminal event” not occurred over 500 years ago.  During 2007, what will it take to release a similar surge of intellectual energy that will begin to flow freely from the untapped brains of great people divinely destined to achieve greatness?  Pain, Pleasure, or Necessity.   

Quick question.  When was the last time you conducted an inventory of your intellectual property?  If you’re a creative person, or the resident idea person, you may be surprised to discover that, intellectually, you’re worth much more than you thought.  For reasons now known, don’t underestimate the power of your own words or the value of the intellectual capital that’s stored inside your brain’s memory banks.

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon.  All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a quote from THE 8TH HABIT, by Mr. Stephen R. Covey, for us all to think about as we take yet another step closer to the day when we will make our dreams come true and achieve great things with God’s help. 

“If you think education is expensive, just try ignorance.”

On February 12, 2007, I initiated an informal study group to challenge great people like us to explore the book, THE 8TH HABIT, by Mr. Stephen R. Covey. “From Effectiveness To Greatness,” is the subtitle of THE 8TH HABIT. Diligently mining this book for the nuggets of knowledge hidden between its covers has already rewarded me in unexpected ways.

The wisdom gained from the profound contents of Mr. Covey’s insightful books has proven to be invaluable to me once it became powerful enough to inspire me to apply it to my own life. Reading to learn has played a major role in the subsequent empowerment of my God-given ability to be “more than a conqueror” as I overcome the side effects of an extended series of sunny-side-down days that tested my faith in God beyond belief.

Mr. Covey is also the author of  The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People and Principled Centered Leadership. “Sharpening The Saw” is one of the 7 habits covered that reinforces the need for to constantly upgrade our personal and professional skill sets both inside and outside the classrooms of our own choosing. The ever-evolving educational process didn’t stop when we graduated from high school, college, or grad school. Our love of reading and learning new things keeps feeding that internal desire to seek the wisdom needed to become insightful teachers to the next generation of leaders.

God willing, our journey, from “effectiveness to greatness.” will enable each of us to leave a lasting impression on the lives of the great men, women, and children still living impoverished lives due to a plethora of adverse circumstances beyond their reasonable control. Only God knows what will happen to strengthen the localized economies of humanity’s global village once enough of the right people are repeatedly denied their right to fundamentally fair treatment by both employers and the courts. Am I the only one who believes that the money a person has matters more than the merits of a person legal case? If you agree, or disagree, let me know.

In a globalized economy, a perceived threat to social justice anywhere will remain a clear and present danger to “equal justice under law” everywhere the sun rises and sets on the same person twice. Only God knows when the knowledge acquired will make our insightful souls powerful enough to ensure “social justice” doesn’t become yet another unredeemable reality check that keeps bouncing for all the wrong reasons. Only God knows if our children’s children will also have to bear the burden of carrying around the same insufficiently funded promissory note that’s still making the idealistic phrase “equal justice under law” an unrealistic goal for one too many poor people.

Reading the rest of what inspired Monday’s brief excerpt from THE 8TH HABIT gives me hope that the health and well-being of our children’s children will not have to suffer the same unduly burdensome set of debilitating, humiliating circumstances that are still creating crosses God never intended for poor people to bear alone. Hopefully, attempting to answer the question, “When Does Knowledge Become Powerful?” that was posted yesterday provoked enough thought to inspire insightful leaders like you to take a closer look at what one too many of us just blindly accepted as the truth.

Can it be that knowledge only becomes powerful in the hands of an insightful person who has finally found their voice and now feels inspired to encourage others find their voices? Inspiring each of you to find your voice is the primary reason why this particular website exists. Only God knows how long it will take for those of us, who honestly believe we’re destined to achieve greatness to acquire the insight needed to transcend the benchmark of effectiveness until we achieve greatness.

God willing, the insight we’ll share between now and December 31, 2007 will inspire great people like you to engage our critically thinking souls in some healthy, objective dialogue as we choose to actively participate in the shaping of our history. God willing, the insightful people we’ll become will make each of us powerful enough to shift a few petrified paradigms that are standing in the way of all who choose to lead the way. God willing, we’ll dive into our discussion about the difference between a “scarcity mentality” and an “abundance mentality” by Friday of next week.

In closing, can such a culturally diverse group as ours learn to laugh with each other about our great weaknesses as great people like us choose to believe we’re destined to achieve great things? Despite the diversity of our personal preferences and the beauty of our cultural differences, can our blended, extended family members learn how to love unconditionally? Can we maintain our effectiveness while learning to live, love, and lead by example like Jesus Christ did and still be able to encourage each other to keep practicing our excellence together until we achieve greatness? I hope so. Are you willing to try? Great. I thought so.

Copyright © 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

Reading the book, Hand Me Another Brick, by Mr. Charles Swindoll, of Insight For Living, enabled me to begin wrapping my brain around the difference between knowledge and insight. Despite the world-wide acceptance and popularity of the phrase, “Knowledge Is Power,” I respectfully disagree. How many of you know that if a lie is communicated often enough, it becomes the truth? How many of you agree that the written word and visual images are the two most powerful forms of communication known to humanity?

It’s undisputed that knowledge has the “potential” to become powerful once great people like you become insightful enough to make your dreams come true as you begin to achieve great things. But when does knowledge truly become powerful? To answer that question, please allow me to share a quote from the pending release of, Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great.”

Only when the knowledge you possess transforms the mediocre into the excellent can what you know truly become both powerful and insightful.

It’s undisputed that today’s students have acquired the knowledge needed to pass enough multiple guess tests to graduate from high school. But how many students with a lot of book sense lack what’s needed to effectively apply the knowledge they’ve amassed? How many students are properly prepared to step out of the classroom today and successfully design an energy efficient home, engineer a car that runs on anything but fossil fuels, or build cities with highways devoid of traffic jams tomorrow?

How many of today’s students are simply being trained to memorize data facts and information just long enough to store them in their short-term memory banks until they can receive a passing score on a standardized test? If these highly intelligent and extremely talented keepers of knowledge choose not to use it, how powerful is it?

In the mid 1990′s, I created an informal seminar, Talent Alone Is Not Enough™, to serve me while engaging grade school and middle school students during Career Day Activities. Their favorable response to the nuggets of knowledge shared inspired me to develop a more insightful seminar series to compliment the informal class discussions. Out of the many life lessons lived and learned while residing in Los Angeles, California, I birthed the Talent Alone Is Not Enough™ seminar series.

During the humble beginnings of Talent Alone Is Not Enough™, I utilized a unique way to illustrate my belief that knowledge is not power. Standing before students and educators, I’d say, “Imagine if you will that the book in my hands, and its contents, symbolized knowledge.” I would open my hands and let the book fall to the floor thereby creating a loud bang. Dropping the book raised more than a few eyebrows but doing so amply illustrated my point and got my participants’ undivided attention.

Knowledge has no power without the wisdom and understanding to know how to effectively employ what’s taught in the classroom in the real world with “excellence.” Without insight, knowledge has no power. An internship under the leadership of a professionally trained, insightful mentor is frequently required to transform knowledge into a powerful tool that will serve its wise owner well. But be forewarned.

“If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!! 

Since a happy home needs a happy wife, I’ll be brief because I choose to remain a happy husband on day 45 of 2007. 

Failure is part of the process great people choose to endure as we persevere until we can excel, succeed, and achieve all the big dreams and great things we honestly believe are possible with God’s help.  For those of you still struggling to overcome your fears of Failure, reading the book, FAILING FORWARD, by Mr. John C. Maxwell will challenge you to embrace Failure as a brutally honest, trustworthy friend.  Here’s a quote from this book.

 ”While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.”

With God’s help, a lot has been accomplished since the first day I started building this site from scratch on January 1, 2007.  Was doing so easy?  No.  Challenging?  Most definitely.  Impossible?  Only if you choose to make it impossible.  If I can do it, so can you.  As evidenced by what you’ve seen over the past 45 days, I’m not afraid to let anybody learn from my mistakes. 

Quick question.  Why should any of us be afraid of making mistakes or failing?  I’ve already made many mistakes and failed more times than you know while growing this site not knowing where this journey is going.  Nevertheless, I’ve learned much while struggling to write something insightful and meaningful enough to inspire you to become powerful, yet meek, and courageous enough to live, love, and lead like Jesus Christ did –by example.  

From this point forward, only God knows what you’ll find when you get up and show up on December 31, 2007.  I’m still excited about what may happen as we choose to keep growing stronger, older, and wiser together.  By faith, challenge yourself to keep going to places never seen before despite not knowing what tomorrow will bring.  Don’t forget that half the battle is just showing up.  Remember what we said about a faith that cannot be tested?  If not, click on the word faith to refresh your memory.

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon.  All Rights Reserved.

LOVE was the answer to yesterday’s question. 

On day 44 of 2007, a profound passage from the book, THE 8TH HABIT, by Mr. Stephen R. Covey deserves our undivided attention until we know what to do with it.  Mr. Covey also wrote, THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE.  Hopefully what we read will challenge us all to do what we can to inspire our children to make their biggest dreams come true as we do something today to help the next gifted generation of leaders to achieve “Greatness” tomorrow. 

For reasons now known, I’m challenging each of you who showed up today, especially the educators, to walk through this book with me until God has gifted each of us with the wisdom and understanding we need to “know how to” properly apply the knowledge we seek and collect.  As you read the following passage from THE 8TH HABIT, please do so prayerfully and carefully.

When is the best time to learn the software that enables you to find your voice?  When in one’s lifetime is the best time to get the cultural overlay, the software, to be completely in harmony with our “hardwired” gifts?  I think we would all agree it is in our childhood — primarily, in our early home life.  But what if people have bad early home lives and learn the software of victimism, scarcity, and the metastasizing cancers of competing, complaining, contending, comparing, and criticizing.  Could one’s early home life take place at school?  Could a teacher or a school administrator become a surrogate parent to perhaps compensate for the dysfunctionality of the home when the children are very young and impressionable and innocent and uncorrupted? 

Better still, what if you could get a partnership between home and school so that there is continual reinforcement and alignment from both sides at all times with the child?  Can you imagine the result if the software and the hardware were aligned during those first few years of childhood — the kinds of people it would produce and the kind of achievements that would flow from their characters and competencies?

Think about it.  Only God knows where I’d be today had not my Creator gifted me with the tools I needed to keep overcoming my own dysfunctional, pathological behavior, something I must still do on a daily basis.  But by grace still go I.  I’m not content with just gathering knowledge.  Are you?  Besides, nobody really cares about ”how much somebody knows” until everybody “knows how much somebody cares.” 

 Clicking on THE 7 HABITS or THE 8TH HABIT will direct you to the Book Store that’s been recently added to the Home page of this ever-evolving site for your convenience.  I hope you’re still bringing your dictionaries with you.  As always, may the peace of the Almighty be with each of you today as we struggle to learn how to love, live, and lead like Jesus did — by example.

© Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

For those of you who got up and showed up everyday since January 1, 2007, you’re 43 steps closer to making your dreams come true as we take yet another step towards achieving great things. If people are starting to hate you, look around. They’re also beginning to hate on the rest of your teammates. Can it be that, for the first time in our lives, we must be doing something right? Matters not what happens next. Don’t give up!! Don’t quit, push the red button, and self-destruct like you did last year! Besides, we’ve come too far to turn back now.

Only two days left before Valentine’s Day. Matters not whether you show your love in a traditional manner or choose to demonstrate your love by daring to be different this year. Don’t procrastinate and wind up being a day late and a dollar short like you did last year. Quick question. How many of the real men standing here today ready to prove to the women in our lives that they are our most valuable resource? As you ponder that question, see if you can guess who I am.

Guess Who I Am

I’m extremely kind. There’s not an envious bone in my entire body. I’m not boastful nor do I push my weight around. I’m not self-seeking. I don’t get easily provoked. I dont think evil thoughts nor do I rejoice when evil prevails over good. I rejoice when the truth outlives the lie. I bear, believe, and hope while enduring all things. I will always succeed when everything else is failing.

I can suffer for long periods of time. I never give up. I care for others more than I care for myself. I don’t make it a habit to want what I don’t already have. You’ll never see me with a swelled head or struttin’ my stuff up and down the street. I would rather be served last, not first. I’m slow to anger to keep the people near and dear to me away from anger.

I refuse to keep score. I will never seek revenge when somebody does me dirty. I’m always moving. I never look back. I won’t celebrate if you experience a great fall. I’m constantly searching for the best in all God’s children. I refuse to find fault in hopes of receiving a huge financial reward.

I can tolerate great people with great weaknesses. I will be your most loyal, trustworthy, and faithful friend until the end. I’m like that energized bunny with those big ears because I’ll never get tired of playing my drum for you. Besides, I have no other gifts to bring but me. I am who I am. Do you know me? If so let me know before tomorrow comes.

Until we meet again, may the peace of God be with each of you today.

© Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

On day 42 of 2007, those of you who got up and showed up today will have an opportunity to preview a “rough draft” from the first page of Chapter 1 of a book that’s scheduled for publication and release in 2008. Enjoy.

Working Together For Good

Stepping through the double doors the hands of Time just swung open positions you and I in a safe place where we can stare into the smiling, albeit tear-stained, face of Demetrius. This jubilant manchild is too busy celebrating right now to talk to us. As we stand here, we’ll just listen for now.

Inspired by an adverse set of demoralizing circumstances Demetrius will not soon forget, the resilient one kept aiming high and higher still until he graduated from “Gotta Dewwitt University.” Despite his antagonistic peers’ attempts to retard his God-given ability to excel and succeed, every weapon designed to curtail his academic and personal goals failed and fell harmlessly at his feet. Every malicious attack he overcame originated from a pugnacious pack of predators. His antagonists hated, haunted, and taunted him most of his life simply because he dared to dance to the beat of a different drummer.

Upon first glance, it appears that he has survived a relentless series of spiritual attacks he endured unscathed. But the emotional toll from the unprovoked physical street fights his pugilistic peers instigated has severely scarred the protective skin covering the face of his deeply wounded soul. Nevertheless, this grateful college graduate gives honor to God amidst his family and friends. He also acknowledges all the unsung heroes and sheroes who faithfully stood by his side until his childhood dream of graduating from “U. Gotta Dewwitt” comes true.

Demetrius’ twin brothers, Vince and Vance, are two of the many slappy happy huggers mingling amongst the eclectic mix of well-wishers, hand grippers, and cheek kissers. Both are seven years older and stand almost a foot taller than their sibling. It’s virtually impossible to tell these towering mammoths apart absent the scar adorning Vince’s right eye. Following the behest of their mother’s protests, these soft-spoken twins suffer the consequences for initially choosing to call their little brother “Stutterbox.” But their gritty no nonsense mother, Ruth, isn’t pleased by her baby boy’s unflattering alias. Out of respect, the strong, yet gentle, men — who faithfully supported this cancer survivor during her darkest night of the soul — refuse to refer to Demetrius as Stutterbox whenever Ruth is around.

Copyright © 1997-2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

On day 41 of 2007, it’s my heartfelt desire that the following excerpt from, FAILING FORWARD, by Mr. John Maxwell will provide some insight about why it’s important to keep pushing past the pain. As we keep digging deeper into the place where our secrets hide, we will gradually unearth and expose the truth about what caused the painful moments of our past experiences.

By the grace of God, those of us with the inner strength of character to unearth the truth beneath “our deepest fears” will attain the wisdom and understanding needed to know how to transform painful moments into meaningful moments.

People who don’t get beyond the problems or the pain of the past eventually become bitter. It is the inevitable consequence of not processing old injuries and tragedies.

Wes Roberts, president of Life Enrichment, advises, “People do not have to remain victims of their pasts.” But when they do, they become prisoners of their own emotions. “Often as adults, those prisons are addictions — workaholism, alchoholism, sexual addictions, eating addictions. We place ourselves in prison.” In other words, we allow the past to hold us hostage.

©Copyright 2000 by Maxwell Motivation, Inc., a Georgia Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

As always, the choice to keep pushing past the pain is yours alone to make. Just know that you’re not alone. God is always closer than you think. So are the rest of your teammates.

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.(unless otherwise noted)

On bended knee, I’m asking all who got up and showed up on day 40 of 2007 to pray that the dearly departed soul of Ms. Anna Nicole Smith is finally resting peacefully in the serenity of the love that fills our Father’s house.  Since our Father does not desire that any of His children should perish, neither should we.  Matters not if you didn’t like Ms. Smith.  Matters not if you vehemently disagreed with her dramatic lifestyle or her personal preferences and choices.  But God didn’t ask any of us to “like” her. 

Maybe I’m mistaken, but didn’t God, with specificity, command all His children to love and forgive the antagonistic, unlovable people we may not like?  Imagine what would happen if every member of humanity’s global village exercised our free will to live, love, and lead by example as courageously as Jesus Christ did over two thousand years ago.  Maybe Ms. Anna Nicole Smith and her son, Mr. Daniel Smith, would still be alive today. 

It is my prayer that Ms. Smith, and her son Daniel, are making a joyful noise while dancing on “happy feet” in God’s presence because they now know how it feels for somebody to love them unconditionally.  For those of you who are grieving the tragic loss of yet another great person at such a crucial age and critical stage of their development, I offer to you the beautiful lyrics to the song, “Imagine Me,” by Mr. Kirk Franklin.  For now, I pray that imagining Ms. Anna Nicole Smith singing the words to this inspiring song will help to ease the pain you feel right now until God’s love can heal your broken heart. 

Since it has been said that Ms. Anna Nicole Smith also had a wonderful sense of humor, maybe she’d also want us to celebrate her homecoming with a laugh on the day after her homecoming.  Maybe now, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Daniel Smith, have finally been given the love and the significance they kept searching for all of their lives.  For now, I can only imagine their saved souls doing the happy feet dance across streets paved with gold.  Only God knows what will happen to the 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn Smith, Anna Nicole is leaving behind.  Before you leave this place today, please say a prayer for this innocent child’s future.

Happy Feet Remix

Until we meet again, challenge yourselves to impact the history-making lives of the men, women, and children you come into contact with in a positive, unforgettable way.  As always, the choice to live, love, and lead by example as Jesus did to give all who believe in Him an opportunity to receive the greatest gift of all is yours alone to make.  As always, I’ll challenge you to accept the grace of God by faith because I choose to love you as Jesus loved me — unconditionally. 

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.