Tag / initiative

by Tom Leu

Call to Action

So many are scared… to make a move… a real move… in the right direction… Sometimes we can be our greatest ally and our own worst enemy simultaneously….

So many are scared… to make a move… a real move… in the right direction…

Sometimes we can be our greatest ally and our own worst enemy simultaneously.

Most people long to live more fully, more freely, to feel more fulfilled, and to contribute more profoundly.

Many have shied away from opportunities, and recoiled from challenges and wonder why they feel like they’re stuck in an infinite funk.

Shooting themselves in foot, and becoming perpetual victims of self-inflicted wounds they say:

“But that’s just how I am. I’ve always been this way.”

But, there are endeavors, ventures, undertakings, projects, and situations that demand a new perspective and approach if we hope to affect different outcomes.

Human behavior is largely influenced by learned mental scripts and activity patterns that have been instilled in us from an early age. Some serve us; some don’t. It’s our job to honestly assess which ones are which.

Let me be clear:

  • I am not advocating becoming someone or something you are not.
  • I am not encouraging people to be artificial, superficial, or fake.
  • I am not urging people to be actors or inauthentic versions of themselves.

Instead…

  • I’m endorsing that people embrace those parts of their personalities that are already there, but may be lying dormant.
  • I’m asking people to move out of their comfort zones and take action in areas that they have historically side-stepped or overlooked.
  • I’m prompting people to get honest and objectively decide to make changes for the best interest of themselves, and others around them.

Anything less is fear-based and the ultimate selfishness. To do less is to deny others the ultimate greatness and uniqueness of you.

So, I’m daring you to move.

“Tension is here | Between who you are and who you could be | Between how it is and how it should be | I dare you to move | I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor” ~ Switchfoot

If the fear of moving into the unknown is the illness, then action is the antidote.

This stuff is live-giving IF embraced.

The call to action begins by making a decision to answer the call; to finally decide to begin doing things differently than you’ve ever done before; and to be disciplined for the benefit all around you.

You’re staring down the barrel of a new beginning.

But nothing changes until you change.

Will you answer the call?

This is the “easier-said-than-done” stuff that most won’t do.

How about you?

Stay tuned-in…

Please share and click HERE for info on my Communichology™ course.

Get my articles and exclusive content with science-based insights to shiFt your communication from adequate to ass-kicking!


 

by Tom Leu

Stop Complaining, Get Pissed, & Grow a Pair

This piece is for those (of us) who benefit from getting the cage rattled a little bit sometimes. If you can’t handle that, then you should consider clicking off. No harm, no foul…

If this title offends you (*self-assured chuckle*) then you probably won’t find anything of value here.

This piece is for those (of us) who benefit from getting the cage rattled a little bit sometimes. If you can’t handle that, then you should consider clicking off… no harm, no foul. But, if you think you might be in the 5% I target, then please read on…

I can’t stand perpetual whiners. I have a very low tolerance for those who bitch and moan constantly about the status quo; those who are solution-averse, problem-dwellers.

Boo, fucking hoo…

Your plans didn’t pan out? Your goals got side-lined? Your expectations weren’t met? Your ego got bruised?

What are you gonna do now? What do you do with those inevitable moments of discouragement, doubt, disillusionment, and despair?

Kick and scream? Pout? Blame others? Give up? These are all (self-sabotaging) options for you if you choose them.

However, I suggest you start stopping your self-sabotage NOW!

How?

STOP…

…wasting your precious time; it’s NOT unlimited; time is ticking.

…complaining about everyone and everything.

…whining about all the reasons why your life has not turned out the way you wanted it to.

…blaming others for why you don’t have what you want.

…beating yourself up for having dreams that are challenging and hard to achieve.

…turning to diversions (attractive distractions) that get you off track.

…using money as an excuse for why you can’t do something (point: we all “find” the money we need for the things that we really want).

…hearing only what you want to hear and believing your own bullshit.

…second guessing your real passions (point: if they recur, they’re likely real).

…envying those who (appear to) have what you want (most don’t).

…trying to be all things to all people (point: diplomacy has its place, but so does drawing a line in the sand, taking a position and putting people in their place when necessary).

…ignoring the signs that confirm you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

Instead…

START…

…listening to others you trust.

…believing in your real abilities and strengths.

…taking tangible action toward your goals.

…accepting that you’re going to get down occasionally, and that’s OK.

…embracing that not everyone is going to dig you and what you do.

…committing to sharpening your skills, learning new things, and growing as a human being.

Stop complaining – and only identifying and rehashing the problems, without a solution.

Get pissed – reach your threshold, the point of no return, a moment of truth that moves you act.

Grow a pair – realize your solutions, make decisions, undertake massive and consistent action of high-pay off activities to change your circumstances.

To accomplish all of the above, keep these 3 initiatives on your radar at all times:

  • FOCUS – continually be creating, evolving, and executing your plan.
  • INSULATE – avoid the many dream stealers attempting to suck the fucking life out of you; embrace primarily those who keep you inspired, yet accountable.
  • PERSPECTIVE – recalibrate, recharge, recommit, re-examine, and re-focus your actions daily along the way.

Stop simply drowning in the “dreaming”… start really doing.

Agree or disagree; just no apathy.

Stay tuned-in…


 

by Tom Leu

It IS Self-Help!

The term “self-help” gets a bad rap all-too-often. It’s looked down upon by some as corny or ineffective. Hardly…

The term “self-help” gets a bad rap all-too-often. It’s looked down upon by some as corny, ineffective, or worse… inconsequential.

Hardly.

What’s ineffective and very consequentially disastrous is denying that YOU are driving your own ship… that YOU can help yourself.

Relying soley on some external “source” for direction is foolish, misguided, and sometimes tragic.

Look at it again… I said: “relying SOLEY upon…”

Seeking various forms of outside counsel, guidance, encouragement, and support isn’t a bad thing in and of itself.

As long as this is done in addition to, and not instead of, the realization that only YOU have the power to change your reality and influence your outcomes… right here, right now.

So it IS about self-help! It has to be…

the shiFt:

Recognize that no one or no thing is going to truly be able to help you until you are willing to help yourself first.

This requires recognizing the difference between needing and wanting.

We all need lots of things. But until we want what we need, no changes are going to to happen. At least not long-lasting change.

This is much more than just personal development. This is about personal achievement. This is about actually accomplishing the goals you undertake both for business and for pleasure.

It starts with YOU, and your awareness, and your decisions, and your commitment to take the initiative to transform your lifestyle.

It’s an inside job.

Stay tuned-in…

by Tom Leu

Dare You To Move

I get it.

You get down. You feel out sometimes. You get stuck in ruts… don’t we all right?

But this doesn’t have to mean you’re down and out all the time.

Winners in the game of life aren’t victims; always blaming. Winners are victors; always beginning again. Winners exchange excuses with extra effort and get after it.

With this post, this site, and this life’s work, my life’s work… I’m daring you to move.

I’m daring you to apply all the common sense you claim.

I’m daring you to reach higher levels of performance and acheive whatever it is you aspire to achieve.

the shiFt:

Moving requires taking initiative and being proactive.

It requires being honest with yourself first and foremost. Without this honesty, nothing else matters.

It’s about embracing effective intrapersonal communication skills and understanding your unique psychology.

It’s then about executing effective interpersonal communication skills with everyone you interact with.

This is hard to do. This is often uncomfortable.

Winners willingly choose to live outside of their comfort zones much of the time.

“Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone.” ~ Robert Allan

Winners recognize that this is the place where true growth occurs.

We don’t grow when we’re comfortable. We grow when our pain is sufficient enough to WANT to make necessary changes.

“The tension is here | Between who you are and who you could be | Between how it is and how it should be” ~ Switchfoot

So, I dare you to move… outside of your comfort zone…

And, I dare you to move… inside the vantage point where “seeing things” clearly begins…

It’s the tag line. It’s also the call to action.

Your move…

Stay tuned-in…

Please share and click HERE for info on my Communichology™ course.

Get my articles and exclusive content with science-based insights to shiFt your communication from adequate to ass-kicking!


 

by Thomas Leu

The “Common Sense” Defense

Sooooo often… sooooo unbelievably often… I hear some variation of the following statement while out training, teaching, or speaking:

“I already ‘know’ all of this stuff; it’s all just ‘common sense‘…”

Really? Give me a break… It’s a BIG, ballsy statement if you really think about it.

Someone is basically saying: “There’s nothing you have to offer here that I’ve not already learned, been exposed to, or already mastered. Your entire life, life experiences, and acquired education can offer me nothing new and useful to apply to my life because I ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING.”

Wow! Read it again and SAY it out loud this time; hear just how ridiculous this claim actually is…

CSD

By even making this assertion, you’re demonstrating the exact opposite of what you’re claiming. <Strike 1>. This supposed knowing indirectly asserts that the information is somehow less valuable because it’s “common” and therefore a commodity.

The BIG question you should be asking yourself: “Is this knowledge I claim to have evident in my actions?” If the answer is ‘No’ it doesn’t matter how much you ‘Know.’ It quickly becomes knowledge that is worth… less. Not worthless, just less valuable. <Strike 2>.

Knowledge is good. Acquire all you can. Learn, and then learn some more. Read and research ’til your heart’s content. But KNOW this: Knowing and doing are completely different. We all “know” lots of things. It doesn’t mean we consistently apply what we know. It’s not enough to know about something or to simply talk about something. We have to DO something and make things happen for the common to become uncommon. Recognizing this distinction and putting good knowledge into action to produce real, tangible results is rare.

Uncommon success in any area of life requires taking common sense on the road so-to-speak.

Those who are unable to bridge this knowledge-to-action gap (either because of oblivion or obstinance), are likely suffering from what I call the “Common Sense” Defense. This is a conscious and/or subconscious defense mechanism people use to manage their disappointment around their lack of progress or production in certain areas. This technique shields a person from the discomfort associated with facing themselves up-close-and-personal. This is so uncomfortable for many, that any method to avoid it will be employed. The most common tactic is to claim “common sense.”

“Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18.” ~ Albert Einstein

Smoking is an obvious, yet powerful example. No one will argue that smoking is hazardous for the health of the human body. People die from it every day. We can call this common sense because everybody knows it. Yet millions still smoke despite this common knowledge. History proves that the most profound wisdom and universal truths are simple to understand, yet often difficult to implement.

If your supposed knowledge is not evident in your actions; if I cannot “see” it demonstrated in your behavior, then this “knowledge” you claim is compromised, therefore inconsequential.

the shiFt:

Instead of proclaiming what you supposedly “know,” start demonstrating it in what you DO, everyday, in every way. Of course what some call common sense, others call crazy. It becomes a matter of perspective based on one’s social, cultural and educational background.

Soooo, to all of the “know-it-alls” out there, keep reading, listening, and watching here, there, and everywhere because YOU are the ones who likely Need It Most… If not, <Strike 3>…

Stay tuned-in…

Please share and click HERE for info on my Communichology™ course.

Get my articles and exclusive content with science-based insights to shiFt your communication from adequate to ass-kicking!