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THE POWER OF PURPOSE: KNOW YOUR “BIG WHY?”

Martin Luther King Jr Power of Core Purpose and the Big Why

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Inspiring Core Purpose

Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly understood his “BIG WHY?”—his inspiring purpose to create equality for all through one of the most successful Civil Rights movements humanity has known.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visited India in the early 1960s to learn satyagraha principles first-hand from Mahatma Gandhi’s family and followers.  He used these principles of nonviolence to lead the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This resulted in improving privileges and rights of African Americans throughout the United States.

Like Gandhi, King saw injustice being imposed on people because of the color of their skin.  Martin held dear the words crafted by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.”

Dr. King chose to take a nonviolent stand and create a movement attempting to bring our society back into alignment with our founding principles of equality.

Why Understanding Your “Big Why?” Is Important

Do you know your “BIG WHY”—your CORE PURPOSE? If not, LASTING SUCCESS AND FULFILLMENT may elude you.

Knowing your core purpose keeps you centered on what’s most important—during good times and challenging times.

The Core Purpose of your organization is like the seed of an apple. “You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the number of apples in a seed.”

No one knows the potential IMPACT your purpose will have in the world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end pre-exists in the means, the fruit in the seed.”

Your organization has a unique Core Purpose for SERVING THE WORLD. This is your “Big Why?”—why your organization was started in the first place—beyond just making money.

Clarifying Your Organization’s Core Purpose

What’s your organization’s Core Purpose? Read more

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REIMAGINE YOUR DESTINY WITH BUILT-IN FLEXIBILITY

When dealing with today's uncertainty, reimagine your destiny by preparing for the unknown and focusing on what matters most now.Dealing with Today’s Uncertainty

Are you and your team feeling anxious about today’s uncertain business climate?

You’re not alone.

With record inflation on the heels of a global pandemic, businesses of all sizes are anxious about what the future holds.

I can surely relate. It certainly has disrupted how I serve my clients.

Prepare for the Unknown

What has worked time and again to ease stress in times like these is to CREATE A FLEXIBLE PLAN that can be molded like clay as circumstances change.

The key word is “flexible.”

The best companies expect the best and PREPARE FOR THE UNKNOWN.

Thinking through ways to pivot, before you need to, will give you and your team an INCREASED SENSE OF PURPOSE AND CONFIDENCE.

Focusing On What Matters Most

This approach will help you and your team to FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS MOST now, with an eye toward the future.

Read more

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Facilitating Effective Virtual Meetings Even While Traveling

Facilitating Effective Virtual MeetingsFacilitating effective virtual meetings can be accomplished even while traveling. This is a necessity for my wife and I who are full-time RVers that operate our business as we roll across America. Here are 10 tips I have learned.

During the past 35-years, I have served my clients as a facilitator, trainer, speaker and coach. Pre-Covid I did so 80 percent in-person and 20 percent virtual. During Covid the balance shifted entirely to 100 percent virtual. This has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It has enabled me to serve my clients more efficiently while simultaneously enjoying our nomadic RV lifestyle. Read more

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Cope with 2020 by Practicing Purity, Patience, and Perseverance

Practice Purity, Patience, and Purity

Twenty years ago, I learned a valuable life-principle for dealing with chaos and uncertainty that has helped me to better cope with 2020 by practicing purity, patience, and perseverance.

My three trips to an ashram in India from 1996 to 2001 continued to reinforce the importance of living this revitalizing triad of values. It has served me well especially when dealing with chaos and uncertainty like we are collectively experiencing today. Here is how you can feel greater confidence, comfort, and calm by applying the 3 P’s—purity, patience, and perseverance—to your life and business…

Read more

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Do Values or Principles Matter Anymore?

Do values or principles matter anymore? If so, what is the most important value or principle you live by? Why?

For me, two intertwined principles seem to rise up from deep within our collective humanity during trying times such as these we are facing today—a global pandemic, widespread unemployment, and the recalibration of political, cultural, gender and racial justice. These principles have been my guiding light throughout my entire life especially during turbulent times.

Hope and Healing After 9-11-01

One such time I remember is the aftermath of the 9-11-01 events. I was inspired, at 45 years old, to pedal my vintage bicycle 3,369 miles in 70 days from Phoenix, Arizona, to Ground Zero, New York City to honor the heroes of 9-11. Supported by my wife, Lyn, we rolled across America and shared a powerful message of hope and healing with thousands of people across America. People shared heartwarming stories with us, grounded in timeless principles that can help each of us be more peaceful and joyful no matter what is happening in our lives and the world.

The Golden Rule principleThe Golden Rule

The principle that echoed the deepest in my heart and others’ hearts that I connected with during my bicycle journey—and has echoed again during this present chaotic time—is The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. This overreaching principle embodies values such as respect, caring, trust, honesty, and simply being nice.

 

The Diamond Rule principleThe Diamond Rule

Another equally powerful principle is the flip-side of the same coin. I call it The Diamond Rule: Strive honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view. It means to walk a mile in another person’s moccasins to better understand their unique perspective. Read more

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Strengthen Your C.O.A.R. in Business and Life with Strategic Focus

Clarify, Organize, Act, RealizeWant some relief during the stressful, chaotic times we are experiencing on a global scale? It helps me to remind myself that chaos is the catalyst for great opportunity, to strengthen strategic focus.

We can choose to be creators or reactors in life. A creative life is a joyful, expansive life. A reactive life is a stressful, diminishing life. When I find myself feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, I take a break from the chaos to refocus my attention onto something more satisfying—energizing future positive possibilities. It comforts me to remember that this too shall pass, so why not plan a rendezvous with the spectacular! Read more

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50 Books for Small Businesses

Hope your summer is off to a terrific start.

Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading. Here are 50 books that a colleague, Lindsey Anderson, recently shared on her blog that are sure to keep you inspired and your business thriving even during your summer adventures. If you don’t own a business yourself, feel free to share it with someone you know who does.

I feel honored to have my book Energize Your Business included on Lindsey’s list of must read business books. Enjoy!

50 Books for Small Businesses

By Lindsey Anderson

(The following is from Lindsey Anderson’s One-Click Lindsey blog post dated May 30, 2019)

In the wide world of business, so much emphasis is put on what’s “Bigger.” It’s good to have a large, successful business, of course, but no business becomes the company of your dreams overnight. Everyone starts somewhere. Maybe you’re in the early stages of building your business—you’ve worked hard, stayed dedicated, and you know there’s a vibrant market out there just waiting for your great idea! However, you may not be sure where to go from here; hard work and passion got you this far and will carry you even further, but maybe you’re looking for something a little extra, some help to push you in the direction you need to go.

Look no further! Countless entrepreneurs just like you have been in your shoes before, and many of them are willing to help. Here are 50 books to aid you in your small business ventures—whether you’re looking to expand your horizons or keep it small-time, these experts know the ins and outs of success in businesses of all sizes and are more than willing to share their wisdom in the hopes that others may follow their dreams…

(Read About the 50 Books)

Enjoy your summer adventures and staying inspired.

Much success and fulfillment,

Ray

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Your Compass to Realize Business Success

Wildflowers at Picacho Peak State Park, AZ

Spring has nearly sprung to life. Here in Arizona, wildflowers are bursting into bloom. Soon the rest of the country will follow suit.

Spring is also a time for cleaning and organizing our lives—and our businesses. It’s the perfect time to refresh your strategic plan.

Strategic planning is one of the best ways to truly engage your employees in the success of your organization. Done right, it can be an easy, fun and inspiring process for involving everyone. It will amplify and accelerate the success of any team and organization.

A strategic plan is both the roadmap and the compass for your organization. It enables you to clarify, organize, act and realize your organization’s intentions as quickly as possible—so you can get on with operating your day-to-day business.

4 Phases of the Strategic Planning Process 

  • 1st Phase, you and your team to clarify the direction to take the organization and why to do it;

    The Strategic Planning Process

  • 2nd Phase, you will learn what will motivate your team to organize and be on the same page, moving in the same direction, and understand what to do and who’s to do it;
  • 3rd Phase, you will learn what will cause your team to act efficiently and effectively with implementing your action plans and why it’s important to keep the plan alive;
  • 4th Phase, you will learn how to ensure that your teams realize results that exceed your desires and expectations.

 

12 Steps of the Strategic Planning Process

Here are the 12 steps that move you through the 4 Phases of the strategic planning process cycle: Read more

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How to Realize Your Goals Like a Pro

Introduction

Are you looking to grow and expand your business and life? There’s and art and science to it. The art is choosing to create an intention (or goal) you love that is meaningful to you and others. The science is invoking the universal creation process to realize your inspired idea.

Invoking the 4-Phase Creation Process

Each of us has been born with the same power to create the reality we desire. In each moment, we get to choose to be a creator or a reactor in life. A creative life is a joyful, expansive life. A reactive life is a stressful, contractive life. As human beings, we feel most alive and energized when we are consciously creating something new.

If you are satisfied with what is showing up in your life, do more of that. If you don’t like what’s showing up, do something different to create a more satisfying experience. The four phases of creation to manifest any inspired idea or intention are:

  1. Imagine
  2. Visualize
  3. Expect
  4. Allow

Here’s what each of the phases entail. Read more

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Human Relations Principle #19 to Win People to Your Way of Thinking

“A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.”

~J.P. Morgan

 

 

Human Relations Principle #19: Appeal to the nobler motives.

(“An appeal that everybody likes.”)

(This is the nineteenth in a series of articles where I will encapsulate each of Dale Carnegie’s timeless, life-changing principles for dealing with people. (Adapted from How to Win Friends and Influence People.))*

Dale Carnegie was reared on the edge of Jesse James country out in Missouri, and visited the James farm at Kearney, Missouri, where the son of Jesse James was then living. His wife told Dale stories of how Jesse robbed trains and held up banks and then gave money to the neighboring farmers to pay off their mortgages.

Jesse James probably regarded himself as an idealist at heart, just as Dutch Schultz, Al Capone and many other organized crime “godfathers” did generations later. The fact is that all people you meet have a high regard for themselves and like to be fine and unselfish in their own estimation.

J.P. Morgan observed in one of his analytical interludes, that a person usually has two reasons for doing a thing: one that sounds good and a real one. The person will think of the real reason. You don’t need to emphasize that. But all of us, being idealists at heart, like to think of motives that sound good. So, in order to change a person’s decision or behavior, appeal to the nobler motives.

Here are some nobler motives that people hold dear . . . Read more

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