INPowering Thoughts: Recent Episodes
Garland McWatters
Our belief system is the truth we decide to live by. It is likely that when we decide to change our mind about an important matter, we must simultaneously modify a fundamental belief or value by which we identify ourself.
When we are absolutely clear about and committed to our principles, we know when to stand up for them.
The secret to success is to learn and practice the fundamental abilities and knowledge on which all other abilities in that discipline depend.
When people honor a common humanity and cherish the innate beauty of every living species we have a chance to live in a heaven on earth.
Duty is acting on behalf of a greater good or principle even when one does not feel like it. Sometimes it also takes courage
Theology and science converge in this thought: this divine energy animates us as individual living souls, an incarnation of individual spirit-filled persons.
Human well-being stems from a sense of connection to others and to the world around us.
Ethics are embedded in how we behave regardless of what we claim in our words. We demonstrate them for all to see.
The universal underlying principle is we bring about what we think about. Good in, good out.
The greater our skill and competence, the more risk we are willing to accept. The more in control of the outcome we feel.
No matter how dedicated we are when we set out on a commitment, we occasionally must re-engage and renew our commitments.
Kindness is the act of doing something, anything — no matter how small — that we perceive will make someone else’s situation better.
I find balance and rhythm in exploring this interdependence, my wholeness, as one finite soul in relationship with all that surrounds me.
Newness of life is tinkering with possibilities instead of being locked into already defined rules and forms.
Seekers of “the way,” regardless of faith origin, heed the admonition to love one another as children of god begotten with divine attributes and inalienable rights.
Each springtime, as I see the earth coming alive around me again, I am reminded that I have within myself the ability to renew—to rejuvenate.
When people see us coming our energy vibration precedes us. Do those vibrations make others want to come near, or make them want to run away?
Waiting until all conditions are perfect before beginning will doom the project the project to never getting off the ground.
The secret to living in harmony is not a secret. No alliance can endure if it is not anchored in the bedrock of GodLove in which we mutually live.
You are the king or queen of your domain and your throne room is you heart and mind. You rule over your beliefs and attitudes.
Being goal driven is not a problem in itself, except that keeping one’s eyes fixed on the horizon keeps them from taking a good look at what is around them now.
Everyone has standards that guide life choices whether they set their own or others set them for them. The more we expect, the higher the standards.
Looking into what went wrong gives us the opportunity to improve both systems and personal performance and competence.
An assertive listener focuses on making sure the other speakers get to say what is on their mind with the clarity they intend.
Experiencing disappointment? Sometimes, when time passes, we realize that not getting what we thought we wanted turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
This intentional exploration of valleys and peaks, of streams and oceans, will help us find diverse limits and boundaries as well as possibilities and opportunities.
“Follow me” is an invitation, not a demand or a threat. Followers are volunteers and true believers, not conscripts.
We demonstrate behaviors either because we are practicing the behaviors that we want to become second nature to us, or because we are acting from our true character formed from our values.
We all are imbued with a sense that no matter how good we are, we can do and be better. It carries the energy of motivation.
We set boundaries for what we will do, and we set boundaries for what we will allow others to do to us. I believe in red lines, and I’m willing to take a stand against those who threaten to cross mine.
I learned to savor moments regardless of what I was doing — even mundane chores and hard work. I attended to each activity, being more mindful of the experience and my surroundings.
Each of us is here now because of all that preceded us. We live in our time and place because of those who lived in theirs and made us possible.
Some changes seem like sudden changes, but they have been quietly in the making for a long time. We can thrive by learning to adapt.
We live in partnerships, families, work teams, communities, cultures, and countries — one mankind populating the earth, children of common origin and parents of infinite human potential. Out of many, one.
As Mark Twain observed, “It’s easier to to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
This is the way lies go. The innocent suffer for the ego of the liar and the lies he tells for his self-interest. It’s an eternal problem as long as there are those who want to believe the lie.
Influences are not always obvious. It takes a trained eye to recognize them before they can do irreversible damage.
Our character contributes to the character of the world around us, whether the family, the workplace, the neighborhood, whatever your sphere of influence might be.
We have all been stuck in place with indecision, wondering which path to choose. We have evidence to inform us if only we will take time to consider it honestly.
We say we want to matter. Our anxiety comes from trying so hard to be noticed. We insist on looking in all the wrong places.
We pause from our busy lives to esteem those worthy of honor. To be credible, we establish standards for honor and protect them from being corrupted.
The INPowered demonstrate the INLIghtened mind by applying knowledge to a task to develop a skill that can be used to create a intentional result.
Stopping to admit a change is necessary and committing to a different tactic can be the difference between success or failure, or between a great project and a mediocre one.
We all know we have an internal voice either encouraging us or tormenting us as it informs us regarding our decisions and actions.
The INPowered athlete’s heart welcomes the competitor who tests them, the critic who objectively judges them, and the coach who molds them.
The scoffer ridicules, belittles, and bullies his adversaries, trash-talking their ideals and values out of his own arrogance and pride.
Continual practice results in habitual behavior. Behavior that becomes so second nature to us that we might not be self-aware of who we have become, or when.
When we are interested in others, we want to know how anyone different from us is perceiving their world according to their life experiences.
When I thought I was treated unfairly, I simply did not think I deserved it, and the consequences could never be adequately remedied.
Confirming our faithfulness to our values, relationships, and causes asks us to pause, reflect, and re-affirm that we are still on the course we initially chose for the reasons we originally believed.
The concept of out of many, one is universal and timeless and enthusiastically adopted, except where disunity and disharmony is used to weaponize bigotry and hatred in the service of greed and power.
If something or someone makes a claim about itself, we must believe it to be as it claims so we can act with confidence regarding it.
When we get past skin-deep cosmetics, all people are the same specie expressing minor genetic variations. We are the same race in body, mind, and spirit.
There is immediate reward when you develop your talents for the future. Discipline make an incremental and noticeable difference.
Toxic influences and personalities will damage us. If we cannot avoid them, we should keep our guard up.
Each of us has a personal boundary of faith where we stand on a frontier of daring and ponder whether to take the next step into the unknown.
The motivational speakers first have lived through their story and learned something about it, and then,their walk can inform ours. They walk, then they talk.
We need people who look into all the places most of us overlook to tease out their secrets and to give us mysteries to ponder and solve.
As we live our life, we are in a continuous iteration process. Begin and end each day with the attitude of, "new and improved."
Conflict often grows from a faint ripple—that something is different from what is expected, or usual. The perceived ripple can be either conscious or intuitive, or both.
I gazed into the starry night skies of both mountains and plains unpolluted by urban lights and mouthed the words to \my favorite hymn, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed.
The best any of us can do is to own our past life and engage our present life so we can influence our future toward the quality of life we desire.
If love is the most pure power in the universe, then, leading with love is the most INPowering form of leading.
With reliable information it’s easy to tell whether the truth is being accurately presented. Those not aligned with the truth are off course.
Many successful people decided for themselves what the standards of success would be for them and set out to achieve them.
We rationalize our reaction, and that causes us to either cower and slink away or to over-compensate by exaggerating or over-reaching.
People mostly want to feel comfortable, successful, happy, and proud. Everyone hopes to flourish in a sense of well=being.
I know I cannot demand either respect or a good reputation. Both are granted by others over whom I have absolutely no control.
Relax, because being frantic is a lack of focus that panics us to fly off in all directions without any thought for which way we need to go.
I’m not sure I can always be courageous or compassionate. But I’m certain that I can aspire to these noble qualities of excellence in mind and heart.
As a human being we deserve to be love and to love our humanity. We also deserve the right to earn our way and create value for ourselves and others.
Gratitude is INPowering simply because it reminds us of how connected we all are in ways we scarcely give a second thought.
There are situations when thinking out loud is exactly what needs to happen, such as in idea generating discussions, and conversations about the what if possibilities.
We humans decide what motives we will ascribe toward others without knowing for sure what they are thinking.
The INPowered learn to focus on their central calling and shut out the other distractions so they can devote their creative energy to their calling.
The rank and file follow the lead set by the leaders to whom they are either loyal or afraid of, or both.
It takes many small contributions of effort to make large successes possible. Everyone who contributes get to say they helped.
Even though the seeds of goodwill might fall on seemingly impenetrable ground, I am optimistic that in time goodwill will take root. We reap what we sew.
Promise only what you can and are willing to deliver, then do it. That makes you trust-worthy.
Life unfolds, evolves. Every moment is shaped by what came before and will affect what comes next.
What is it that you cannot NOT DO? Whatever it is, that is the core value of your life purpose—the guiding centerline of your INPowered Way.
A benevolent heart is generous with money, talent, time, and encouragement. The generous chip in whenever they see the need.
We owe it to ourselves to find two or three minutes of stillness several times a day. Even in crowed, noisy places, you can calm yourself with measured deep breaths.
Watching out in all directions and being realistic about risk is not being paranoid. Being watchful is being mindfully present.
The mind and body are not two separate selves; they are two aspects of the same self. They are inseparable and partner in decision-making.
The selfish stir things up to create an advantage for themselves in their manufactured urgency. The selfish want you to give them what they want now,
An adventure is a trip outside the comfort zone where there are wonders to behold that will add depth and breadth to your life.
I find it more INLightening when I take the time to listen to ideas in as much detail as possible from the original source of those ideas rather than listening to others’ interpretation or spin on those ideas.
Morality matters. The INPowered wake up to its power and speak up for its value, and show up when it is under attack from the vile self-interest of the disconnected.
Self-provocation is putting the pressure on yourself to spring into action—to lead with your heart when you head just can’t come up with the reasons.
When you lead the collaborative effort you show that you are willing to see the value in others, their ideas and their beliefs.
An oasis draws attention just by being present. It need not boast or proclaim its value. The value is implicit in its welcoming existence.
It’s when you commit to doing something for someone else when you have nothing to gain directly, that you are on the verge of finding your life purpose.
The first truth to accept is that admitting we can do better is not admitting that we are less than or that we are a personal failure as a human being.
I’ve learned to start a conversation with an attitude that I just want to learn something about someone else for the sake of knowing them, not because I want something from them.
Tomorrow is the next opportunity to be in the present, fully engaged in the process of creating something that springs from your creative energy.
I am an improvisational co-creator expressing the creative energy of the universe in the moment to moment unfolding of my life.
We need to press ourselves incrementally against intellectual sharpening stones. We must engage more and more precise and accurate information and test our knowledge and our ability to make sense of it by understanding the why behind the what.
I get busy planning and implementing my plans. I adapt. I reshape, retool, recruit others to join me, and generate more creative energy as I anticipate bringing myself closer to that which draws me.
We recognize acts of love and the good works that result and celebrate them, herald them, and seek our own way to demonstrate our individual works of love.
Each of us produces a piece of the whole effort, and the quality of our contribution matters to the quality of the whole.
It begins with the thought followed by action that causes other actions and before you know it, you are getting something done by getting something done.
Learning is multi-faceted. Often the issue is not our direction, but our speed and how much risk we are willing to take at any one time.
The accountability that is set by someone else feels like coercion. But accountability to ourselves feels like the freedom we relish.
simplifying our lives make the clutter more obvious and easier to discard without remorse.
We all should respect people for the content of their character. Yet, we are more likely to connect with those whose soulful essence resonates with ours.
We learn to live in harmony with the changes, especially if they bring value to our quality of life. The dis-harmony comes when we decide we do not want to change with the times.
There is something going on inside our fleshly boundary that projects itself outward in all directions. Our energy ripples from our center. There is something that makes us tick. But what? And why?
Factual truth that can be proved by evidence does not depend on whether one chooses to believe it. While belief, no matter how sincere, is entirely within the will of an individual to accept it.
Everyone wants to live forever without looking or acting like they are aging. There are aspects of growing older that are universal and inescapable.
You don’t become a pro overnight. Being naturally talented might give you a head start, but it isn’t enough by itself.
Courage is intentional. Knowing to do the right thing and acting righteously, understanding the personal consequences, but taking the action to make things better in the face of risk.
I might have made a good first impression, but the second, and the third, and the fourth impressions got progressively worse the longer I talked.
A priority is what I must do now, no matter how inconsequential it seems, in a series of linked tasks so I can do the next thing.
Buying in to the message leads to inspiration, enrollment, and engagement. Leaders walk their talk, or no one follows.
Creatives will tell you that their standout achievements are surrounded by the hundreds or thousands of preliminary ideas and attempts they had to go through.
Dwelling on grievance does not solve the problem. It only points it out. Because, not getting what you DO NOT WANT will never guarantee that you will get what you do want.
The master is forever a student. New knowledge provokes new questions. Curious discovery—the hunger and thirst to know more deeply and intuitively.
There is something inside us that compels us to strive to reach our highest potential. That appetite is fed by the notion that we can be better, or more, than we are now.
Companionship suggests an active and continual relationship. Companions are close by physically and emotionally, which means they likely share a common purpose or destination.
Boldly go because each moment is a new destination, and each destination reveals a new horizon.
Let’s admit that we have our own prickly glitches that annoy others. We want to be the person others can’t get enough of instead of the one they’ve long ago had too much of.
A dream might be noble, but it will languish if it is never shared or expressed in ways that others can latch on to the idea and join the cause.
We rely on our five empirical senses to find our way around in the world. We have invented work arounds to correct impairments, but only to a point. We must become alert to our gaps in noticing information we have missed.
Every response to the question, "Why?" invites further exploration into the underlying Why. The process itself is the INPowered Way.
Wisdom is being able to recognize when we are going the wrong way, and correcting it as immediately as possible.
Because we so love, we give unselfishly. Because we so love, we can do no less than everything that is necessary to convey the full dimensions of that love.
Since I can imagine a Santa Claus, I can imagine a world of generosity, joy, the delight of surprise, goodwill, and celebrating the child within us all.
To extend your reach is to stretch yourself beyond your usual space. Sometimes we reach beyond our comfort zone—out on the frontiers where we are likely to encounter situations we haven’t faced before.
It’s easy to say, “I’m sure things will work out.” But, I’ve noticed the most powerful form of encouragement is that which comes after listening to the needs and longings of someone.
The brain research into gratitude shows how expressing our thanksgiving turns on, what I call, the happy juices in our bodies—dopamine and serotonin.
When it comes to criticism, we relish the good, dismiss the bad, and if the news is more negative than we think necessary, we can get downright ugly about it.
Sometimes we drift into a state of mind when we are just going through the motions of living and are not really engaged in anything productive or meaningful. Time to snap out of it.
Surprise wakes us up from whatever business as usual mindset we were in. The surprise makes us more alert, and we might take a closer look.
Every hope we entertain is a longing for something better. For people who say we resist change, we’re always hoping change for the better will come our way.
It might surprise you that the truth in advertising laws do not require the seller to tell the truth. So, protect yourself at all times.
Whenever you must find the extra energy you need to persist in the face of doubt, courage shows up for the INPowered.
Givers profit from a deep sense of satisfaction that they were able to help with nothing required in return.
Want to be successful? Set your expectations for excellent, then hold yourself to them.
It takes courage to share new learning. You might be scoffed and ridiculed because others don't get it.
By staying mentally flexible from daily stretching, you can live in a mental land where you never grow old.
Do you love yourself enough to identify the character traits and attributes you want to be known for when people say your name?
Are you impulsive, easily distracted, and a world class procrastinator? Find the self-discipline hacks that work for you.
We hear a lot about potential as a way of encouraging ourselves. Another way of encouraging potential is to look at our successes.
Soft heartedness is misunderstood for weakness. When we INLiven our heart, we wake it up the full range of emotions that inform us from the inside out.
I've learned that when I move on, a sense of relief reinvigorates me on those projects that are front of mind and vital.
Rather than write a goal statement, I should write myself a challenge, "My mission, should I choose to accept it is to . . . then fill in the blank.
There can be so much information that obstructs and distracts that the truth of a matter is not immediately obvious.
Dare we hold ourselves to the highest ethical and moral standards in governing, business, and personal conduct?
We must continually hold ourselves responsible for being the example good we expect in others.
Check out what’s going on around you as a matter of casual exploration. No agenda. Just wholesome curiosity.
When you hit the headwinds of adversity, find your angle of approach so that the adversity creates some advantage instead of letting it stop you.
Nature involves a struggle, a give and take, resistance, challenge. Hanging in there, persisting, overcoming is fundamental to personal growth.
I have become more INPowered as I have become more curious about new experiences, especially if they might help me grow or mature as a person—that will nurture me.
Our north star as a guiding, changeless, principle or value that informs our goals and decisions.
When we explore the habits and behaviors of the exceptional, we often find that they developed their talents by training in areas other than their specialty.
Being real about the challenges also means to neither diminish it nor to exaggerate it. Be honest about it.
To Live INPowered, we must find a way to cut loose from the mental and emotional ties that hold us from reaching our goals.
One way to strengthen relationships is to be very, very slow to jump to conclusions about someone else’s intentions.
Everything we know is a product of our thoughts. All languages, all ideology, all religions, our total and complete life, is a product of our thoughts, both conscious and subconscious.
Learning how to get out of trouble is as important as learning how to avoid trouble in the first place.
Going deep on an issue takes a willingness to know and understand information that will help us make good choices.
Criticism is always personal. It can hurt our feelings while liberating us to seek our personal betterment.
What good does it do to find your voice then fail to open your mouth? The INPowered stand firm when it is time to speak up.
Our intellectual health is similar to our physical health in that junk food will provide the calories to keep us alive, but not provide the nutrients to keep us healthy.
Because of Love, there are some things we will do without hesitation, and there are some things we will not do, without exception.
I used to live in communities of man-made fear where I was told to believe the world was a dangerous place. Then I decided to stop living in that world.
Why stop now? Everything you were committed to learning, and pushed through the tough times, you did it to some degree of mastery. You have what it takes.
It’s easy to go negative on ourselves when things don’t go our way. Still, I'm grateful I had the opportunity to give it my best shot.
I might not understand the choices others make, or even approve of them. But I’ve learned to allow others to live the life they choose.
Notice the humor in being human and enjoy our funny quirks instead of being judgmental on others and yourself.
Think of all the things we do in life one at a time. In our linear lives, we live one hearbeat at a time. We take one breath at a time. We take one step at a time.
MVPs are in the game, not in the stands
INLiven the heart INLighten the mind INCourage the spirit INLarge the expectations of living
Our lives are a continual evolution from one phase into another. We must let loose of that which was so we can embrace what comes next.
When I started listening. I started getting a lot smarter. Listening and learning from others also helped to improve my decision making.
Those who make things happen must act. There is no magic genie that makes things suddenly appear. Thoughts turn into things through intentional actions, and actions happen in the moment.
At the center of just about every success story I’ve heard is the heart-and-soul-effort of the daily grind. Getting up and doing what was required at the time, even when they would rather be doing something else.
What you don’t see in the before and after photos is the “during” photo when the work is being done to create the change. The work of change that happens from the inside and shows up on the outside.
We all want to be influential, which is the ability to make our ideas and words take hold and make a difference. But being pushy and overbearing is exactly the wrong way to go about it.
Influence is an invisible force that shows up in the way we act. Often a successful person will say they were influenced by someone they admired.
Let your light shine. When we say, “let your light shine,” it’s a way of saying let your example speak for itself.
Evolution has given us a kindness response that flashes with a smile on both the lips and in the eyes.
The INPowered trust themselves to recognize when it’s time to recalibrate, and they move forward with the confidence that their creative energy will find the way they need to go.
Rather than what am I supposed to be, we should ask how can I take what I am currently doing to the next level? How can I become a better version of my current self?
We are what others see we are no matter what we think we are. We manifest the output of the inputs we choose.
Fear is our built-in automatic early warning system designed to protect us from danger. What happens next will determine whether we continue to live in fear.
Why is it that people say they find more meaning in their volunteer work than in the work they do to earn a paycheck? You can make your work whatever you want it to be.
Finding wholeness happens only when I cannot discern the boundary between myself and the universe from which I come and in which I live.
When we seek to become the most perfect version of ourself, we always are holding ourself accountable for the decisions we make to live in love.
We can see only so far, and we have no idea what is hidden in the woods. Yet, we move forward.
When those self-imposed delays and detours hit you, try asking the appropriate question so you can act now.
Every day we can seek to improve ourselves in some way—to accomplish a personal best in some aspect of our life.
You are here. Sometimes in our life we have to stop and get oriented to where we are. You are here. You can do anything you want.
Sometimes, when I can’t think of many reasons why I want to take some action, I realize my desire or will was more of a whim,
The INPowered are absolutely clear about what values and ideals are so important to them that they will hold fast to that conviction no matter how terrifying the consequences might be.
We prefer to hear from those who have accomplished something rather than from those who are planning to. Saying, “I did,” is incredibly more satisfying than saying, “I’m planning to.”
A different way to know gives us a different way to understand. And a different way to understand gives us a different understanding of our world and those with whom we share it.
The most brilliant people in the world are the first to admit how little they know in the grand scheme of things. But the fool scorns wisdom.
Some people relish their routines. No variation, no variety, and no exceptions. Change is too risky to venture. Some people relish variety. They would say, “variety is the spice of life.”
Learning can be threatening. It’s like being an explorer who is willing to be the first one to venture into uncharted territory.
We will risk our own safety to fiercely protect or guard something we love or hold dear. From love comes acts of courage and self-sacrifice.
Turning loose of our troubles helps us find a measure of inner peace, which in turn, helps us become stronger and more resilient.
Have you noticed that it’s almost impossible to snap something in two that’s flexible? But those objects that build strength solely in their hard, rigid structures are more susceptible to snapping or cracking under extreme force.
Many do not get stronger because they backed off before the fatigue and failure hit, so they did not have the benefit of the failure. Anyone not willing to hurt is not willing to grow stronger.
The INPowered understand the value of acting with intent. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is capricious or haphazard. Action is both efficient and effective.
Chaos and order help to frame our lives. The push and pull of partners seeking the rhythm and flow of the dance of life.
Think of all the ways we set boundaries to establish the line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. When we give our word, we are establishing a boundary.
As much as I am a go with the flow person, I do believe there is a difference between going with the flow and just winging it. I am the most effective when I plan my work and work my plan.
Reconciliation is the act of closing the gaps between people so they can rebuild a harmonious relationship. The aggrieved party is the only one who can grant the opportunity to reconcile.
A life reconciled is a life in balance. We have several life-ledgers that we keep an eye on in addition to our financial account. Every once in a while, and maybe too often, one or more of those accounts get out of balance, causing stress and anxiety.
Wholeness is a sense of being complete, unified. Every facet of our life is in sync. Body, mind, soul, and spirit. But, you know, there is no absolute standard for perfect wholeness.
The INPowered focus on our innate similarity, which allows us to see a world of joy, compassion, and dignity, and we commit to live and flourish and evolve in mutual respect and love.
Change brings uncertainty and dissonance. But change also bring with it the possibilities of a better way, once we tune in to the different vibrations.
When it’s time to stand your ground you also find out on which side you stand and what you are willing to risk in that cause.
The imagination is an amazing self-help therapy and can serve as an empathy-builder or a compassion-generator as we try to relate to the circumstances of others.
Every what if question is challenging you to take a leap of faith, instead of letting your doubtful mind win out one more time.
As soon as the analytical practical side of us says, "that's silly," that's when we are being invited out to play, to wander around, to take the side trip into wonderland.
Through that gateway we find an ardent desire for something we believe in, and so the fantastic voyage of enthusiastic action is launched, and it must inevitably become reality.
An opinion is a personal judgment. It must be accepted as sincere, regardless of whether we agree.
Go find out. The willingness to go find out implies the willingness to accept the observable, verifiable truth.
Truth is accepting the fact of verifiable circumstances—the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's liberating.
Chip away what is not you. You can say NO to many distractions and refocus your creative energy to reveal your passion and sense of purpose.
Love is a no-strings-attached gift. Love takes the initiative. It does not have to be coerced or manipulated or shamed into action.
When we perform acts of kindness, our levels of oxytocin, the love hormone, increase. We often feel more energized and better about ourselves when we are kind to others.
The promise to all is that if we seek, we will find. The question for all is, for what are you seeking? Love? Health? Wealth? Meaning and purpose? Fortunately, we can find INCouragment and INLightenment on these quests.
A trendsetter offers their creative self-expression without apology or explanation. Whether or not it becomes a trend is not even the point.
Rest better with a thankful heart. count my blessings no matter my immediate circumstances, and right now for me that’s in the throes of a health pandemic and economic downturn. Yet, I am thankful simply to draw a breath and to rest in the love of my family and friends.
Let's get real. The presumption is that once we get real about a situation, that gives us a framework for maintaining it or changing it.
We choose our destiny. Every decision—without exception—every decision has a consequence, no matter how much or how little time we spend contemplating it before making a choice.
Brave is thinking for yourself. Some of my best ideas are the ones that come because someone challenged me to stop and think further, or because they embellished my idea with some innovative thoughts of their own.
There is no physical reason why anyone should become set in their ways. The brain is pliable and regenerative. Everyone can think young.
Our culture seems to reward the illusion of self-improvement by emphasizing the cosmetic over the authentic. Lasting change and authentic beauty begins on the inside.
Don't let fear turn into hate. Some people misuse our fear response. They tell us we should be afraid of certain groups. They are the enemy. It's us versus them. We should hate them.
Know what moves you. To know what moves you is a way of saying, "what do you care enough about that would cause you to make the smallest change or to take minimum action?"
Find yourself a labor of love. A labor of love is not a duty, not a chore, not an obligation. A labor or love is any act to which you devote your creative energy.
WE live in a world where it is time for radical imagination in how we can come together and let love abound. Radical imagination stirs the spirit and feeds the soul and unleashes our creative energy.
Keep your promises. If you are unclear about what you will or will not do, others will assume that you will live up to their expectation of you even though you know nothing about what they expect.
The INPowered often realize that in order to make things better, someone will have to step out on a new path for the first time, and they are willing to be that trailblazer.
Think of the qualities for which you want to be known? Name them. Describe how you would be different if you possessed them. Then practice those qualities. Rehearse yourself doing what it takes for that change in character to become your authentic character.
The INPowered will find the way, no matter how tough or discouraging. They dig deep into their bottomless well of creative energy and unleash its unfathomable power.
Some of our greatest inventions came because visionaries refused to accept things as they are. The INPowered see through the obvious into the possible.
The INPowered act to make things better by the principle of just one more of whatever it takes at a time. Just one more.
We’re big on planning and knowing exactly what outcomes we want. But how many of your plans work out exactly as you planned?
Become an activist for something that you believe in. Don’t wait for an invitation, Activate yourself. It’s a good thing.
Whichever story you tell yourself is the one you live. We tell the story we believe to be true about ourselves. And it turns out to be a self-fulfilling narrative.
We walk into the future where we want something better than what was before. More prosperous, more healthy, more safe, more just.
Remember, you were born with a heart and a mind from which you grow a conscience and the courage to follow it, use them both.
A mistake means the result of our action did not measure up to the expectations we had when we took that action. Therefore, we can ask a few important questions as we learn our way out of our mistake.
Look for constructive ways to use this pause of the storm that mother nature provided to give you reprieve from the distractions, the hustle and bustle, the frenzy that you had let happen to you.
Accountability is he essence of INPowerment. Choice is the ultimate freedom; therefore, accountability is the ultimate responsibility.
Control is a man-made illusion. Life is not choreographed; it is expressed. It’s a freeform dance not knowing the next step until it presents itself.
No matter the obstacles, the adaptable will learn the necessary new tricks, and we will survive and thrive.
In any time of crisis, do the work of recovering from adversity. Love yourself enough to show up every day and doing what is necessary to get a little better—to fly above the clouds in the sunshine.
An INPowering and ethical Leader knows that for every statistic they cite, there are human beings associated with the numbers. Everything is personal.
Keep your eyes on the main thing. Distractions cause us to take our eyes off the real, underlying issues that must be addressed.
In times of crisis, decisive action can’t afford the luxury of the perfect solution. Sometimes good enough will do to get past the immediate danger.
We live in a world of relationships. In difficult times, no one needs to be alone. Isolation is a choice.
Performers get noticed. Just showing you are willing to be involved and lend whatever talents and gifts you have to offer will put you on everyone’s radar.
Nothing stands still. Even those things that look permanent to us are continuously exchanging energy with the environment.
All binary either-or distinctions are man made by those who stand to benefit from the divisions. The INPowered seek a larger truth that can never be found on the islands of either-or division.
Focus your intent, your will power, then let the creative energy of the universe work with you.
Sometimes doing right is easy because it’s the popular course. Sometimes doing right is difficult because it cuts against popular sentiment.
In life there are many right ways to do things. It might take some experimenting and tweaking the process, but it’s the quality of the result that counts.
If you are looking to make big differences in your life, take comfort in knowing you don’t have to do it all at once.
Aspiration is the energy to move toward something of greater value. Aspire literally means to breathe.
Stop doing those things that waste time, stress you out, or make you angry. Start building INPowering habits.
We take on the new day as if life were a spring. We can't go Mach 2 hair on fire every day or we'll burn out early.
When you reach out to spend time with someone you are telling them they are worth your time and attention.
Courage in your convictions comes from seeking to understand, even as you are seeking to be understood.
The INPowered are athletes of the spirit who continually seek the higher self through lofty ideals.
Don't ever let anyone break your soul. Stand your ground. Use your voice to make things better for everyone.
Waiting for something good to happen? Get off the bench and into the game. Make your own luck and success.
Self-deception can sneak up on anyone. It begins with the white lies we tell ourselves. We can move from "the truth hurts" to "the truth can set you free."
We all can grow our circle of friends when we are willing to let others see our authentic self.
The INPowered act to make things better for themselves. That includes making good choices for their physical wellbeing.
Intellectual growth is more than being spoon fed talking points or being content with bullet points of information about a topic.
Every time we limited ourselves through self doubt, we cheat ourselves out of the possible person we can become.
Stop losing the impact of your message with all the extra verbal clutter surrounding it.
Your creative energy is the spiritual life force you invest to manifest your creative intentions. Protect it.
The ranter seeks to draw attention to himself or herself. The informed opinion focuses on the issue and potential resolutions.
Awe comes from the heart and soul. We must live in harmony with nature from the dust of the earfh to the stardust of the universe.
We live in a country that values freedom of speech and expression. That freedom gives us the opportunity to know a person's heart and mind by what they say.
Work and play are creative companions. Play is the highest form of research and the source of new ideas.
Some people are so afraid of being laughed at that they can’t let themselves be alive. Others sincerely want to like you, if you will let them.
Life is a continuous flow. We can learn much from the river about living, change, and relationships.
After snapping back from difficult times, we realize we have stretched into a new normal.
We all are apprentices and interns of disappointment and loss. This is how we learn to encourage others.
The box of self-limiting beliefs vanishes when the mind switches from "I can't" to "How can I?"
The INPowered don't try and fail. they try and adapt and try again. Life is an experiment.
A mistake is just another way to do something. The are often the doorway to a breakthrough.
Each moment we live evaporates into the past as soon as it's lived. Each day is a gift. Each moment an opportunity.
The courageous live according to a higher purpose. They find their lives by thinking of others above above themselves.
Living INPowered requires both zooming in to catch the smallest detail and pulling back to appreciate the vista.
Making a difference begins with being willing to make myself different and strengthening my own identity.
Love is the animating power in the universe. When we are infused with love we live to give our best.
No masks or camouflage is necessary. The true beauty of your essence radiates from the inside.
Do the work of truth, even if painful at first, and find peace of mind and strength of character.
Pushing the boundaries of comfort leads to growth through controlled stress, and ultimately to self-respect.
Great leaders are readers. Reading broadens your world and pushes the limits of your imagination.
Leaders set the tone for their sphere of influence. The culture will be as the leader allows.
What makes America uniquely great is precisely its willingness to allow and to celebrate diversity.
The first step into the unknown is timid, then more comfortable as the unknown becomes familiar, then more bold as you learn to lead others there.
Wander in your wondering. Let what you know be a stepping stone --not a stumbling block.
Create whitespace around the central element of your life and work that you want to stand out. Eliminate the distractions in the margins of your life.
When life gets too muddled, when you are overloaded with too much to think about and sort through at the same time, look for the refresh tool.
When you meet someone for the first time, there are an infinite number of possibilities as to where that encounter might go. Who knows.
Rise above the petty and the pitiful. Magnanimous people are strong and large in spirit.
The common denominator to all superstars is that when they started, they were not so great. But they began.
Your real work is a manifestation of your soul purpose, and it is inherently spiritual.
When everything is possible, anything is possible. You are connected to the energy of the universe. Use it.
Living is a blend of the emotional and intellectual. The INPowered seek a rich life with a variety of experiences.
What do you do when you mind wants to jump around and take you off task? Find liberation in self-discipline.
To find meaning in your life, you must engage. Stop thinking about it and just live it.
The moment you consider giving up is the moment of truth whether you will quit or grow.