Dwight Moody was one of the most successful evangelists of the 19th century -- despite the fact he didn't have much of an education.  Several British ministers once asked him why he had been so effective. Moving to his hotel window, Moody asked them what they saw outside.  Across the way was a city park and all Moody's guests agreed they saw people. With tears in his eyes, Moody responded, "But I see countless souls who will one day spend eternity in hell if they do not find their Savior." Great men are filled with great passions. Posted from WordPress for Android

Reprinted below is an article I received via email from SmartBrief on Leadership. ********************** Peter Bregman, the CEO of Bregman Partners, has served as an adviser to leadership teams at some of the world's best-known organizations. An edited version of SmartBrief's conversation with him is below. Read the full interview on SmartBlog on Workforce. Much of the conventional wisdom about business leadership encourages people to suppress their emotions. Your take on this is a little different. Tell us about that. Suppressing our emotions is a dangerous game because it's an illusion. We think the emotion isn't there anymore, but it's just gone into hiding. And now, forced to hide, it becomes petulant. If we don't admit our feelings -- at least to ourselves -- they will seep out in unproductive, dysfunctional and hurtful ways. Here's the trick: Make a distinction between what you're feeling and how you behave. Know what…

This post from John Maxwell is a great reminder that nothing great was ever accomplished until someone (or something) started.  Enjoy! ******************* Do you want to be a success? As you know, many obstacles can keep even a highly-motivated person from succeeding. But today I want to talk about the ONLY obstacle that will ALWAYS keep us from success: Not starting. Starting is the Great Separator. It separates… The doers from the do-nots, The haves from the have-nots, The winners from the whiners, and The successful from the unsuccessful. If a desire were enough, then everyone would be a success. But success is like a book, and starting and finishing are the front and back covers. Until you open that front cover, you can’t experience anything from the pages within. So how do you get started? 1.   Start with Yourself. If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you’ve heard the…

I came across this quote from Michelangelo, the great Italian artist, about how he approached his art:  “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” All great musicians hear the music before they write the music. All great film makers can see the movie before they start shooting. All great leaders see the potential within those they lead. Jesus looked at Simon -- the impetuous one who walked on water only to sink in doubt -- and changes his name to "the Rock", also known as Peter. You might be surrounded by angels and not know it if you can't see it first.

How do you motivate people?  If you are a parent, how do you inspire your child to tackle greater challenges?  If you are a boss, how do you get employees to produce consistent results? While there are many answers to the question of motivation, I'd like to focus on just one: belief.  Not belief in terms of a "set of beliefs" or dogmas or even convictions. But belief in this sense: people want someone to believe in and they want someone to believe in them. Children desperately need someone to believe in. They need someone to look up to.  They need someone who will model for them the right values.  They crave consistency. As they grow up in a world that is constantly changing they also need a steady presence that will reassure them, console them, even confront them when necessary.  In short, when they go through a season of…