Chuck, Thanks for a great post! I committed to memory a quote by John Wooden that I think really compliments your post. He said “In everything you do there is a choice you have to make so just know, in the end, the choice you make is what makes you.” I thought that quote was an extremely valuable piece of wisdom. The truth is that many people don’t lead their life, they just merely accept it. All of us can choose to spend our life anyway we wish to, but the catch is that you can only spend it once. “When you are eighty, sitting on the porch rocking, and looking back on your life, how will you feel? You won’t have to answer to anyone else but yourself…..not to your parents or to your spouse or your business associates. What did you do with this gift of living? It will be an important question to you then. So you should make it an important question now.”—Anonymous Often times I have thought that cemeteries are one of the saddest places to go. Obviously it is sad when a loved one passes on, but for me the real burden I feel is the fact that beneath the ground I am standing on are certain empty bodies that allowed that culture erosion to make them feel the worst pain of all before their time on earth was over. That is the pain of regret! To me a cemetery is a symbol or place that where, for the most part, books were not written, voices were not heard, businesses were not started, causes were not pursued, etc, and the mark they left on the world was the dirt that framed in the place where their casket was lowered. That is painful! I read a quote one time that said “your gifts and abilities are God’s gift to you and what you do with those gifts is your gift to God.” The fact is that we all are created for a reason or purpose. We were all born originals and it saddens me to know that most people die a copy! And then William Wallace summed it all up by saying “every man dies, but not every man really lives.” So what will it take? Orrin and Chris said it perfectly in their book “Leadership is an assault on the status quo.” I believe to start that assault each person needs to be the catalyst for change. You have to start with yourself! Too many people are like travel agents; they want to send people to places they have never been. To be an effective warrior for change you have to be a tour guide! You have to take people where you have been! In the TEAM world that means growing to your maximum potential! You cannot give what you do not have! For many of us, if we are going to grow towards our purpose and fulfillment in life it will require change. Now the word change just scares the daylights out of people. Most people need to change the way they look at change! Here are some truths about how people look at change that I have discovered: 1.Most people see change as an insult to their pride that must be done, instead of an opportunity to increase their potential that should be done. 2.Most people want to change someone else first, instead of changing themselves to influence the change in others 3.Most people overestimate the good in their life, therefore don’t change, and forfeit their ultimate gift of greatness 4.Most people change just enough to accept their life, not enough to lead it. 5.Most people want to change just enough to forget about their problems, not enough to eliminate them 6.Most people are complacent with who they are, therefore don’t change, and in the end pay the ultimate price of regret 7.Most people want to change their circumstances to improve their lives, instead of changing themselves to improve their circumstances. When we discover what it is we want out of life it is imperative that we develop the necessary habits to propel ourselves towards. You see, too many times people think all that is needed to achieve our goals and aspirations is a big dream. I am not downplaying the fact that everyone needs a big dream, but if that is all we possess it will quickly turn into a nightmare. Because for every one step we take towards our dream our habits might take us 2 steps backwards. I have written about these 2 equations before, but I feel it is necessary to bring them to light again. A Big Dream + Bad Habits = Frustration and Disappointment A Big Dream + Good Habits = Fulfillment and Success You see a person can have a huge dream, but if their habits are not aligned with what it takes to achieve the dream it will turn into a nightmare. It is hardly ever a dream issue as to why people don’t achieve success, it is a habit issue! Continual success is a result of continual good habits. Just like continual failure is a result of continual bad habits. Aristotle said “we are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an event, but it is a habit.” A person that wants to achieve excellence has got to put the “Law of Compounding” on their side. What I mean by that is this: practicing the right habits compounds over time; practicing the wrong habits compounds over time. That is why I agree with John Maxwell so much when he says “success is a daily thing, not a destination thing.” You just don’t become successful by “wishing or dreaming” your way, you become successful by practicing daily the successful habits that produces the desired results you want! Thanks for a great post Chuck! Sorry for my long response but it really hit me. I look forward to seeing you on down the road! Best, Matt