BEING.. to hard on yourself.  Perfection is not possible.  Doing a little better each day, each week, is.  Take a vacation from harsh words directed at yourself and your performance this week.  CLICK HERE for more ideas on this.

NOT getting enough sleep.  When you are taught a new skill your performance does not improve until you receive at least 8 hours of sleep.  Your brain needs sleep to effectively process information.  Sleep makes you smarter!  READ more.  (scientific reading… good to skim… well, it could help you sleep)

ONE electronical device.  Could you, for just one week, not use one electronical device you use more than 8 hours a week?  Maybe it’s your TV, or Facebook, or your iPad.  Dare I say it… your smart phone?  Notice how you are able to obtain or process information without it.  Notice how present you are when you’re not using it.

PEOPLE that don’t empower you.  Take an inventory.  Are there people around you that don’t challenge your thinking, support you when you need it the most or encourage you?  Take a vacation from those people for 7 days and see how you feel and what you are able to accomplish without them.  You might even create new relationships that become powerful resources to move you forward.
 
Leaders, like you, continue to learn and grow even when it’s hard, even when they’re tired, even when they’re just not sure how they’ll apply it.  It will be that one article, book, conversation they had, seminar they attended… something that they can use to help empower, support, and encourage someone they serve that will make them champions.   
 
THANK YOU to the following contributors of this week’s list – Kimberly Eakin, Michael Guessford, Jeff Smith and of course, my husband, Allen, who always gives me the male point of view as I make my final cuts… yes, and he’s WAY smarter than I am!

Your TEAM… Be sure to ask your team members what matters most to each of them.  When they achieve something, what would they like to have as a reward?  Sometimes what you think is a benefit isn’t one to them.

Your CLIENTS… Have you identified the top 20% of your clients and created a plan to let them know, on a regular basis, how much you appreciate them and find out how you can best serve them?  If your clients are your team members, are you blocking time to listen to them and address their biggest challenges so they feel heard?

Your FAMILY… Do you have consistent, specified times, that your family members know they can spend one-on-one time with you each day or week?  Inconsistency can create uncertainty.  Even 30 minutes spent consistently can create powerful connections over time. (Don’t forget your closest friends in this equation.)

YourSELF…Do you have a specified time each day, if even for just a few minutes, where you connect with that part of you that ignites your higher level thinking?  Even 10 minutes of a daily practice of quiet, contemplative time can reap rewards that will benefit you and those that matter most to you.

WATCH this… a friend sent me this TED talks link (19:48) to me and I think it’s worth the watch from a psychologist who specializes in understanding the connections we now make through technology.  Definitely ties into the fast is slow with people concept. 

As a leader you have an opportunity, each day, to raise the conversation and connection to one that empowers and brings out the best in those around you.  It is up to you…no one else.  Champions, like you, aren’t lead by their emotions, but instead control them and use them to motivate and create an environment that will serve their highest intentions.
CLASSES forming now in Roanoke and Lynchburg for the next Amp Up Your Leadership program.  If you would like to Amp Up your leadership skills, join us for our next program starting soon.  CLICK HERE for more information about how you can be a higher level leader in less than 3 months.
 
THANK YOU to Derrick Chapman for the TED video, Jeff Smith for all of his input and inspiration, and to my husband Allen for always being the sounding board for these postings.

FEED it.. the top 5 foods to keep your brain healthy. Blueberries, almonds, wild salmon, green tea and dark chocolate. CLICK HERE to find out others and what NOT to eat.
KNOW it’s capacity… the brain can hold 1 million gigabytes of information with the way that the neurons work together to store data. That’s equivalent to 3 million hours of TV shows stored on your DVR. So, it can store as much information as you want it to… the trick is retrieving it when you need it.
WHAT makes your brain age… You have more control then you might think when it comes to how fast your brain ages. FIND OUT here what research has discovered.
REMEMBER more by using these techniques…and know that laughter, managing stress, getting enough sleep and exercise, and challenging your brain will net big dividends when it comes to it functioning well. HERE’s the most comprehensive article on your brain that I could find. This one’s worth printing.
WATCH this…about the #1 rule for your brain. You might design your workspace in a completely different way or change the way you hold your next meeting. Improve your team’s performance when you spend (3:37) viewing this from John Medina.

The next time you want to eat that donut or have that soda that contains high fructose corn syrup, don’t consider what it will do to your body… think about it’s effect on your brain. As leaders you need your brain to work well. If you weren’t a champion, you wouldn’t even be reading this. Take a few moments this week to review this information and maybe pass it along to your team. The great thing is that if you’re taking care of your brain, the rest of your body is going to be pretty healthy, too!

HUGE thank you to Raquel Rothe of SleepEZ Diagnostics for some of the research I conducted for this week’s list and to Allen Foster for always being the “do you think this is interesting?” guy on Sunday afternoon that I turn to and who, well, puts up with me

WATCH this..When you have 3 min, to be enlightened on how changing your thoughts on a situation can change everything about it. CLICK HERE

 BE this…aware that you can control your feelings rather than your feelings controling you. This paradigm shift is a trait of all great leaders. Once you are in control of your emotions and not allowing them to drive you, you will do more and more of the types of things that will propel you towards higher levels of effectiveness.

TRY this…do jumping jacks, toe touches, knee lifts, or simply walk up and down some steps or through your building for 3 minutes. That’s all it will take to get the blood flowing to your brain and ignite your motivation.

READ this… Here’s 5 ways to build your Self Discipline

DO this…when you have 3 minutes this week, write a note of encouragement to a team member who really needs it. As their leader, it could mean a great deal to them.

Champions realize that their job is the hard stuff. Having those crucial conversations, following through when no one else will, being encouraging when no one else can. YOU are a champion or you wouldn’t be reading this. SHOW UP as one in each moment this week…your team is watching you and I stand firm in believing in you!