“Trust is the highest form of human motivation.” – Stephen Covey

Trust takes time to build, but can be lost in an instant. Trust is built on consistent experiences between individuals. How people experience you determines the level of trust you build with them.

It isn’t about what you say; it’s about what you do. It isn’t about what you proclaim to believe; it’s about your core principles guiding your actions.

Are people experiencing you as the person you want to be? Are you true to your core beliefs while embracing a growth mindset with the world around you? Do you desire to lead others? If so, build trust first . . . the rest will follow.

“You don’t know anything if you don’t know yourself.” – Brian Kight

Self-awareness is essential in success.  We strive to live our purpose and we work to maximize our talents.   We overcome weaknesses and we build relationships with those who make us better.

Knowing yourself . . . being self-aware . . . permits you to understand your biases and perspective, thus creating an opportunity for empathy from others as you put yourselves in their shoes.  It all starts with recognizing your perspective first.

Knowing yourself also means understanding how to keep yourself at your best.  You must be aware of your EDGE . . . you must know how to maintain balance so you are at your best each and every day.  Burning the candle at both ends, unhealthy life habits, and self-destructive weaknesses cripple even the most talented among us.

Think about you . . . reflect on you . . . and take appropriate action so you are at your best as you serve others.

“Excuses are attempts to avoid the psychological discomfort of accepting responsibility.  It never works.  Excuses weaken you.” – Tim Kight

Our self-talk is extremely important for our individual state of mind.  We naturally try to convince ourselves of ways to avoid discomfort.  We all know people that are able to convince themselves of anything; it’s as if they believe the excuses they create for themselves.

Our self-talk can also be used to reach elite level of performance.  Our self-talk, rather than making excuses can push us towards success.  We have a choice.  We can either make excuses and talk ourselves into taking the easy way out . . . OR we can embrace the discomfort in the journey ahead and push ourselves to the EDGE of our abilities.

It’s important to remember, pushing to the EDGE doesn’t mean we don’t take time for relaxation, for rest, and for enjoyment.   Pushing to the EDGE often means embracing the discomfort of saying “no” to things in our lives, to make time for our families and for ourselves.  No one can live the entire time at the EDGE . . . it is knowing when to push and making time to relax.  It’s about the balance . . . this is part of our individual challenge.

“The goal in life is not to be better than anyone else.  It’s to be better today than you were yesterday.”  – Jon Gordon

This is the foundation of our Passion for Growth.  For each of us, life is about improving ourselves from day to day.  Yes, there will be times that we fail . . . times we have a day that doesn’t live up to our expectations.  It’s natural; it’s part of our journey.  The key is to refocus, gain balance, and continue faithfully on your journey.

It isn’t about competing with yourself; it is about extending yourself to your limits.   It is about looking back at yesterday and reflecting on opportunities for improvement today.  It is about taking a great performance today . . . and making it even better tomorrow.

“A good attitude costs you nothing.  A bad attitude costs you everything.” – Tim Kight

Take a moment to think about how you want others to experience you today.  As you interact with the people in your life – the people you encounter in the coming day – and decide right now the experiences you want to create for them.  Each of us create Events – create E’s – for the people with whom we interact.

You have a choice – you can create positive events for others or you can create negative events for others.  Your attitude is the determining factor.  A good attitude makes any situation better.  There is no situation that a negative attitude improves; there is no situation that a negative attitude provides new opportunities.  It is your choice – be positive.

Everyone wants to DO what the great ones DO but very few are willing to do what they DID to become great.  – Jon Gordon, Training Camp

Success doesn’t come without effort.  In order to move from “where you are” to “where you can be” you must be willing to reach the edge of your comfort zone.

You must have a mindset focused on being better today than you were yesterday.  You must be ready to succeed tomorrow.

You must sustain your focus – to be committed and connected to the process.  It’s about practicing, training for success, and living at the edge of your comfort zone.  It’s easy to be average; it takes work to be great.

You can’t be great alone . . . it takes teamwork, critical friends, and accountability.  It takes being coachable – and being willing to coach.  It takes putting in the effort, doing the work, and having the mindset to become great.

Faith and fear have one thing in common.  They both believe in a future that hasn’t happened yet.  Choose to believe in a positive future.   – Jon Gordon

You have a choice today . . . will you permit faith or fear to determine your actions?

Are you committed to your cause?  Is your inner-core directing your actions?  Do you have the right mindset to set-up and act with purpose?

You get to choose faith over fear.  You get to choose optimism over pessimism.  Your mindset is up to you . . . choose faith.

Challenges are just part of the journey.  There’s no accomplishment without struggle.  No triumph without tests and failures along the way.  – Jon Gordon, The Carpenter

Our job as public educators isn’t easy.   We are preparing the next generation of American leaders . . . we are providing the foundation for our own future.  For these young people to truly be Ready for Tomorrow we must provide both academic skills and life skills.

We must ensure the next generation is better prepare, is more equipped, to lead than we are as today’s leaders.  Our job is difficult; the challenges are real.  We face struggles, but we must overcome them.  We are tested and we don’t always get it right, but remain committed to our cause.  We embrace the struggles of our journey knowing the joys of success will be sweet in the future.

If you love it, you won’t fear it . . . fear is what keeps us from being our best.  – Jon Gordon

The mantra of the “Life Is Good” tee-shirts is, “Do what you love, love what you do.”  When you are pursing your passion . . . when you get to do what you love each and every day . . . you are willing to give it your all.

Dedication to your passion, pursuit of your love, will to take you to another level.  When you love what you do, you are more focused.  When you love what you do, you are willing to overcome obstacles.  When you love what you do, optimism and positivity provide drive for continued growth.

When you love what you do, the challenges of daily life are opportunities for success.  Live your passion – life is good when you love what you do.

Stop worrying about your greatness in the future.  Just strive to be great today.  Do great things today.  – Jon Gordon, Training Camp

Win the day . . . it is a common statement that motivational speakers frequently share at presentations.  Your legacy, your influence, isn’t the result of a single action or event.  We build a narrative on our journey.  Your legacy, your journey is the result of daily effort – or daily events.

On our journey we are guided each day, at each moment, by our changeless-core to have the right mindset and approach.  We are motivated by purpose; we have confidence in knowing we aren’t alone.  We live our purpose, we reach elite status, by winning each moment.  Be great today . . . win each event with an intentional, skillful response.

As Jon Gordon reminds us . . . “just strive to be great today.”