Lessons from a 102-year old Doctor, Positive Thinking and Taking Action – Your Champions Brew for Friday, July 21, 2023

Happy Friday, Brew Nation !

Grab your favorite coffee cup, sit back, relax, and get ready to sip on some enriching and thought-provoking content that will equip you to thrive in all areas of your life:

• Love Always – This week, Ed Mylett interviewed Dr. Gladys McGeary.  Dr. McGeary is 102 years old and is the author of The Well-Lived Life – a 102-year old Doctor’s Secrets to Health and Happiness at Any Age.  In the interview (as well as in her book!) Gladys discussed the 5 Ls for living a long and fulfilling life.

The five Ls are Life, Love, Laughter, Labor and Listening.

1. Love is foundational and activates and transforms the other four Ls. She went on to eloquently describe how Love was so foundational.
2. Life – Without love, life is like a little seed. It can be buried for thousands of years, dormant, but then love activates it and makes it grow. Like a seed needs to be energized by water, life needs love to grow.
3. Laughter – Without love, laughter is cruel, rude, and rough but with love it becomes joy and happiness.
4. Labor – Without love, labor is hard.  She amusingly said that without love, life is like having to change too many diapers!  With love it becomes bliss – it’s what inspires the painter to paint, the singer sing, and a writer write.
5. Listening – Without love, listening is just empty sound, but Listening with Love is understanding.

At 102 years old, Dr. McGeary is a testament to the power of the 5 L’s, and her wisdom serves as a reminder to all of us to prioritize love and connection in our daily lives.

• Think Positively – I recently finished The One Truth, by Jon Gordon.  One of the powerful things he emphasizes in the book is the importance of being intentional with your thinking. As leaders, we know that some days are great, while others aren’t so great. Negative thoughts can creep in, and it’s important to have a way to intentionally shift your mindset and avoid getting stuck in a rut.

To help with this, Gordon offers some inspiring words that could be printed out and read daily to help to train your mind to focus on positive thoughts and intentions:

• When you feel entitled of complacent, focus on appreciation.
• When you feel fear, remind yourself that love casts out fear and focus on loving the process rather than worrying about the outcome.
• When you feel lost, pray for guidance.
• When you feel weak, pray for strength.
• When you want to give up, remind yourself how far you have come and where you are going and why you are going there.
• When you are facing a challenge, find the opportunity to learn and grow.
• When are going through a difficult time, tell yourself to trust that adversity will bring you character and strength.
• Find meaning in the mundane, purpose in the pain, and focus on the frustration.
• Through all your daily challenges keep thinking with faith and hope. Faith in God and hope for the future gives you power in the present.
• Be optimistic
• Keep believing and trusting that your best is yet to come.
• When you elevate your thinking, you elevate your soul and life.

Remember, negative thoughts can have a powerful impact if left unchecked. By intentionally choosing your thoughts and focusing on positive outcomes, you can build resilience, overcome challenges, and achieve your goals. So, take the time to train your mind and be intentional with your thinking.

• Read More –And here we are, the last of The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication – Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message.  Each week, I have traveled with you  through a new chapter of this book and I have found it to be very inspiring and helpful to the development of my communications and presenting skills.  I hope that you have found value as well!  Here we go:

Law #16 – The Law of Results

The Greater Success in Communication is Action

This is because good communication is not just about inspiring people, it’s about moving them to take positive action that will help them. As John puts it early in the chapter, “If your motive for speaking is anything other than adding value to people and moving them to take positive action that will help them, you’re missing the boat.”

If no action comes because of communication, then the message never really leaves the stage. It’s not enough to have good intentions; you must be committed to action yourself. People want an example of someone who has lived it.

When you look back on experiences in life and think of those things that you regret, what would you regret more, those that you did but wish you hadn’t, or those things you didn’t do but wish you had? According to studies, 75 percent of people have more regrets for actions they had not taken. So, shift the mindset from good intentions to intentional actions. When you help people change from trying to doing, it changes their mindset. Success comes to those who do today what they were thinking they might do someday.

Appealing to what motivates people in an audience requires more than a simple call to action. It requires you to paint a picture of the positive outcome they will experience once they take the suggested action. Use communication to create a bridge to action. The hardest part of exercising is not the exercise, but the drive to the gym! As a communicator, we need to convince people to drive to the gym. “Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life,” as Naeem Callaway, founder and CEO of Get Out the Box, puts it.

Jim Rohn said, “Any day we choose we can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence.” In the final analysis, it is how we feel about ourselves that provides the greatest reward from any activity. It is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value to our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from ideal into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.

Other quotes on action include “It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than it is to think your way into a new way of acting.” And, Philippians 4:8-9 are two verses that are impactful for me when it comes to going from thinking to acting.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Don’t just think…ACT…put it into practice!

Never forget that the greatest success in communication is action. That is the Law of Results.

• Quote:  “When engaged in work which he loves, a man may labor for an unbelievably long period of hours without becoming fatigued.  Work that a man dislikes or hates brings on fatigue very quickly.” – Author unknown

What You Need to Do:

Call to Action:  So, this week, how can you make intentional, positive thinking a habit and ensure that you are regularly reflecting on your mindset as a leader?

It’s an honor to be your trusted “Friday Coffee Guy”.  Each week, I’m excited to provide yet another round of curated content that I’ve been reading, listening to, watching, or thinking over. The purpose of the Champions Brew is to inspire, equip and encourage you to become the uncommon leader you were designed to be. I am so grateful for your decision to invest a few moments with me! I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with someone who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.

Until next time, Go  and Grow Champions!

P.S. – Are you a podcast fan?  Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you.    Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast?  Do you have a story to tell?  Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!