Your Daily Challenge: A poem about being nice to strangers

Everyday pick someone new, 

to pour your happy love into.

It may be someone you don't know

but you are blessed, so let it show.

A little smile, a quick high-five,

can make somebody feel alive.

Just start today and you will see,

how wonderful this world could be.

Intro to Productive Baking

If you're like me then it's very often that you get the desire to create something a few times a week. Sometimes it's writing an app and other times it's baking sweets. Tonight I felt a tingle in my sweet tooth and I knew I had to get to the grocery store ASAP. There were still plenty of things I wanted to do tonight but they didn't compare to my desire to have something warm and sugary come out of my oven.

So I'm prepping ingredients and I realize that as soon as I pop these muffins in I have two options:

A: Sit in front of the oven and stare at them until I develop the power to fast forward time.

or 

B: Use the time they were baking to challenge myself to start/do something I've been putting off and use the muffins as a reward for my hard work!

I didn't just run around doing the chores I was going to do anyway. I picked something that I was probably not going to do for weeks unless I got really bored but that I would also find joy in. This is why I'm writing this post. If I can finish it before the cook timer runs out I get to have the Cinnamon Toast Crunch muffins. The catch is that it has to be of some quality so I'm actually under a little bit of pressure. This makes the muffins all the more rewarding when I earn them.

I wonder how much more stuff I could get done if I decided to bake myself a nice treat (or dinner) every time I felt lazy or what better shape I'd be in if I could have a spoonful Nutella after every run. I don't know what motivates you but I'm sure what ever it is you can use it against yourself to become the person you want to be. Now go get that thing you want, set a timer and start doing that thing you were "eventually" going to do. Good Luck!

My muffins are done!

Please excuse the "Community"-style title. I've been catching up on the latest season.

What a Weekend

This weekend I:

Got a massage

Painted a picture

Recorded a cover song

Took a 13 mile bike ride

Hung out with 3 groups of friends

Watched hours of comedy

Played my harmonica

Went to church 

Watched most of the the SuperBowl with friends

Did some math

Practice coding in Ruby

Read all my emails 

and at no time felt stressed!

This weekend I decided to do all the things I needed to do without sacrificing the things I wanted to do. With a happier, more fulfilled me it was easier to get through all the not-so-fun stuff that usually gets put off until the weekend. I asked myself, "What are all the things I've pushed aside as non-essential parts of who I am? " and I put my heart towards doing those things. I felt like I was really living. I wasn't just maintaining relationships. I was investing in them and strengthening them. This weekend reminded me that sometimes I take myself too seriously and that there's no point in working hard for the life you've always wanted if you never take the time to enjoy it.

Lead by Example

A wise man or women does not just talk the talk. They walk the walk. Their walk is not just down the path to their own success. They reach down and pull others up. A great leader knows about sustainability, tradition and legacy. When you look up and see a great leader they do not just flaunt their power. They spread the belief that others can achieve as well. They strive to leave their mark while gaining a following of others. They mentor those below them. They teach others how to master their strengths and to strengthen their weaknesses. I have had a great many role models and mentors over the past few years. Today I want to highlight Jerica Richardson. A strong women who taught me most about sustainability, tradition and legacy.

Jerica has a passion for helping others(just like me). She has a smile that lights up a room and a warm spirit that you can feel from miles away. When Jerica looked out into the world all she could think was: I want so much more. Jerica wanted more for her family, city, country and the world. She knew that one great leader was not enough. More people must not only be inspired but trained to take their goals, aspirations and plans for humanity and make them happen. She shared with me that we needed to create a system or an organization to create more leaders. Not just leaders who know how to give commands and delegate but leaders who truly care and are driven by an unstoppable passion. We have to be able to sustain this.

How do you make something withstand the test of time? You engrave it on someones heart. You burn it into their mind so that it shines through in their character. There are few things that last forever but something that can is tradition. Traditions are sacred and they are treasured. They make a people unique. They bound them together and set them apart. Most importantly traditions are shared. This keeps them a live and thriving. There is a unique quality about tradition that always amazes me. Traditions can't be forced. There comes a time when a choice must be made. One must think to themselves: "Do I believe in this?". That is so powerful because when the answer is yes there are few things that can change that.

We need to find a way to encourage more people to be leaders and saturate this planet with mentors, role models and heroes. This will be our legacy. Our time has come and they days of old are gone. We have to deal with our current state together. We have to work harder but more importantly, like Jerica, we have to want more. A legacy is strong and can change a life. I am sure you can think of someone and how their accomplishments, lifestyle and deeds have pushed you to ask more of yourself. You can't leave a legacy if you don't do. Serving is what I will do. I will use technology to make the world a better place and I will make a difference in the lives of others. What will you do?

When we have leaders that can be sustained, who believe in a tradition of service and excellence, and they leave legacies to inspire our youth then I think Jerica can rest easy. Then I think the world will truly see change and I would be honored to be a part of it.

Motivation

I found this quote in a Gizmodo article and it really struck a cord with me.I think it speaks volumes not only about leadership but about teamwork. It's absolutely astonishing what can be accomplished by one person with a dream but it is immeasurable compared to what we can all do together.

Leave your favorite motivational quote in the comments! Thanks.

"Start, grow, fight, claw, win. Get knocked down, get back up. Fight again, lose again. Get mocked, laughed at, ridiculed, and ignored. But never give up. Never say die. Never stop believing that the dream is possible … that you can do it."

I Believe in Leadership

 We can view the world through two sets of eyes. Our outlook of being in control or being helpless really alters the way that we approach every situation. I see a huge gap between those who are giving orders and those who are tasked to complete them. My desire is to narrow if not eliminate that gap from both perspectives. I am writing this blog for leaders and followers. My goal is to make them one and the same. To succeed in being one you have to understand the other. I consider myself a strong leader with a lot of diverse experiences and a lot of room for growth and improvement. I hope that the information I share will be able to help and inspire others to be better leaders and also reveal some of the misconceptions and common faults in everyday leadership. I also hope that my readers will give me feedback and comment on what they think so that we can all benefit. I'd love to elaborate on special interest topics within leadership or get others advice in the classifications and terms I use to describe leadership traits. I look forward to a lot of interesting discussion!