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Letter From The Editor

Dear Friends,

You don’t have to look very far to find someone waiting, but waiting for what? Waiting for Spring, waiting for the economy to get better, waiting for graduation day, waiting for the government to pass their idea of a stimulus bill, waiting for a new job opportunity, waiting to have more physical energy, waiting for people to wake up, waiting… waiting… waiting! Ugh!!

Now, I’m not a very good “waiter” – patience isn’t a virtue I have. At times, that lack of patience has probably gotten me in some trouble. However, most of the time the unstoppable urge I have to move forward is a gift; it serves me well, and being in action can serve you well too!

Think about the times you pushed your fears or worries aside and moved forward anyway. What did you learn, what did you accomplish, and how much fun did you have? Now, think about the times that you waited… possibly too long. What did you miss out on?

For those out there fixated on their graduation day: what are you missing out on today? For those of you waiting for spring: what could you be doing NOW to be productive and ready for spring when it happens? For those of you waiting for the government to solve our problems: you may be waiting a really long time!!

A headline in yesterday’s news stated: “Investors await news of stimulus, bank bailout”, and in reading it I just cracked up. After all, if we all quit waiting for the government to do something about the economy and got into action, we probably wouldn’t need a stimulus package that costs $800+ billion!! Now, I realize that this is an over simplification, but do you get the point?

The longer we wait for anything, the further what we are waiting for moves away from us. We either allow our heads to cloud our direction (i.e.: fear) or our simple inaction causes us to miss out on the opportunity. We end up wasting time that none of us have the luxury of wasting!

Yes, prudence in some cases requires us to wait, but when we wait around too long – or we use caution as an anchor for our fears – our feet eventually become cemented to the ground. Do you really want to live that way? After all, even in those circumstances when we must wait, there are things we can do to be productive; we don’t have to wait to make a difference in our lives now!

Be in action by:

• Creating and acting on a list of (10) things you can do energize your life and have more fun NOW.
• Making a difference for someone in a nursing home or a neighbor who is going through a difficult time.
• Volunteering your time to a school or community center – both of which are seeing their budgets slashed and programs diminished as a result.
• Helping out at an animal shelter.
• And participating in countless other activities that light you up and make a difference in your community.

Waiting around like there is nothing more for us to do is senseless. In addition to being in action in your own behalf, there is no shortage of organizations/issues to be involved in that desperately need you NOW!!

If you want to have a life you love, you have to choose it; you have to give up waiting, un-cement your feet from the floor and get into action. There is no other choice. Well, actually there is, but the truth is that the last several months of waiting hasn’t served any of us very well. So let’s choose something different. Choose Action over Inaction. Now is the time!! What do you choose?

Warm Regards,

Clay S. Nelson

Would You Like to Have Clay Speak at Your Next Event?

Clay Nelson has over two decades of experience coaching construction business leaders in creating life balance, building teams, and writing business and marketing plans. We have a number of programs that can be customized for your specific event. Visit our Speaking section for more information, or contact us with your questions and comments:

Beth Geier, Managing Director
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Phone: 309.698.7966

We Need Your Leadership NOW

Have you ever had a ‘bad day’ when you allowed yourself to be less than powerful? Let’s face it. We’ve all had days like that, days when a circumstance has us by the toes screaming to be let go. So, who would you have to be to get past the sudden and unexpected circumstances that stop you?

Get present to and acknowledge that you are stopped. You can’t get unstopped until you can admit that you are stopped and stymied by the circumstance at hand.

Get clear. Call a trusted member of your team and ask for permission to clear your mind. Just speaking what is there for you in terms of your upset, fear, and general feelings will allow you to channel your power toward a resolution or, in some circumstances, simply allow you to put the circumstance aside and move on acknowledging that there really is nothing you can do.

Ask for help. Why do we expect ourselves to know everything? Most often the circumstances that get to us the most are those that leave us feeling helpless and vulnerable. So, rather than making yourself wrong for not having the answer to everything that comes along, which drains your power even more, ask for help!

Get in action. Admittedly, there isn’t always something we can do to fix a circumstance. No matter what the situation, however, we do retain responsibility for how we react to our circumstances. It is up to us to choose to use our power to be outrageous and unstoppable or sullen and stopped!

Remember: As leaders, we are responsible for using our power wisely. We can create amazing possibilities with our power, and we can destroy months of effort by not being present to how we are using our power when a ‘bad day’ rolls around. Keeping this in mind, the next time you have a ‘bad day’ how will you choose to use your power?

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