Don’t ever start something you aren’t willing to maintain and eventually finish. It takes little to no effort to start something, perhaps that explains why so many people have so many great starts. This theory is also applicable to Olympic runners awaiting the sound of the starters’ gun. Many times, the person who takes off first or the fastest off the block isn’t always the one who ends up with the gold medal at the end of the race. The person who wins is typically the one who finishes strong.

No one will remember how you started but the world will never forget how you finished. If you are going to exhaust effort on anything affiliated with your dreams, I encourage you to focus intently on finishing. I am guilty of not finishing a few things that I’ve started, we all are. The goal is to develop and strengthen the skill of follow-through. Following through with the careful execution of any goal is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

There is an unexplainable feeling that you experience when you accomplish anything. The ultimate goal is to experience this feeling early and often. There is a way to accomplish this. Step one, finish strong. It doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish that matters. It’s funny what our minds have the capability of retaining. As I wrote this, all I heard was an old friend’s voice echoing “finish strong”. I choose to finish what I start and so should you or don’t bother starting it at all.

Be a finisher and finish strong.

To The Top!
Joe Paul

No one likes a no-it-all, no one. I have found that people are less likely to offer information to those who act and even think that they know it all. Never be foolish enough to think that you have all of the answers because you truly don’t. That is certainly the first sign of an unwise person.

Another thing to consider is ensuring that you are teachable. No one wants to teach someone who isn’t willing to learn. Are you a teachable person? Do you take constructive criticism personally? If you answered yes to the second question, you are not a teachable person just yet but it’s certainly a muscle you can strengthen.

Finally, be open to learning new lessons. There are so many lessons to be learned from life on a daily basis through your very own mistakes and by watching the mistakes of others. These same lessons will be less difficult to identify the more open we are to learning them. When we learn a lesson, any lesson, we are less likely to repeat the mistakes which caused us to learn the lesson in the first place.

If you act like you can’t learn, no one is going to teach you.

To The Top!
Joe Paul

Don’t ever turn down a challenge. One summer while I was conducting leadership trainings for a Summer Youth Leadership Internship program, one of the organization’s senior leaders suddenly walks in and says “I need a volunteer”. Without hesitation, one of my star interns raised his hand having no clue of the challenge at hand but he accepted anyway. She didn’t tell him what she wanted done before asking for a volunteer but he did it anyway. That’s what winners do; we accept challenges without the specific knowledge of the task at hand yet are confident that we can execute it to the best of our abilities.

About a half-hour had passed before he quietly eased his way back into the large conference room. Once he returned from his secret mission, our entire group was eager to hear about what she had asked of him. Before he could answer that question, I asked him a different one. I asked him, “why did you say yes to something with without the specific knowledge of the details?” His reply made complete sense. He said “I accepted because I figured whatever she was going to ask me to do, she clearly felt that one of us had the capabilities of doing it”. And I thought, Bingo!

Accepting a challenge even if you don’t know the specifics is essential to your growth as an individual and as a leader. By accepting new challenges you are able to learn new skills and strengthen your abilities overall. Never turn down an offer to be better. Learn to recognize the life lessons that are learned through accepting challenges and learning as you go. I challenge you to start saying “Yes” to opportunities that increase your overall value.

Do you accept this challenge?

To The Top!
Joe Paul

You have been very cautious about whether or not you should take risks. You continue to question if it is right or wrong and at times ask yourself if the risk is worth the potential reward; considering there is a reward. Please understand that the system of Risks and Rewards is alive and well. You cannot reasonably expect to claim the inevitable rewards if you don’t bother taking risks. Understand that I do not mean taking unnecessary risks; I encourage you to take calculated risks that have the potential to yield positive results.

Take a second to imagine that you are standing at the edge of a cliff and you can’t see the bottom. There is either a bed of pillows at the bottom of the cliff or a bed of thorns; you will not know what is down there until you jump. Some people would stop there and not jump thinking that surely the bed of thorns is a more fitting end to their story. Winners understand the importance of taking risks so they would most likely choose to jump and find out.

I for one would jump without even thinking about it just to see where I land. I am almost certain I would land on the pillows; a bit optimistic I guess. Perhaps it is due to my deep understanding of the importance of taking chances. I encourage you to start taking risks. Helen Keller once said “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.” This message should be very clear to you. You know what you have to do, now do it.

Take that chance, make that move, and believe in the path that has already been charted for you.

To The Top!
Joe Paul

Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Once you get it, be sure you know what to do with it. Most of us ask for things we really don’t want. I had a friend who was working but absolutely hated her job. She would complain about it daily and discover new things that were wrong with her co-workers. Her wish was to get fired. She wished upon every star in the sky that her employers would dismiss her but they didn’t.

One morning she followed her same routine; she arrived in a bad mood wishing her normal wish. Later that same afternoon, she was summoned to Human Resources for a meeting. The meeting lasted a few minutes and at the conclusion of the meeting, her wish had been granted. She didn’t know how to react; naturally she didn’t see it coming or did she? She didn’t have a plan b after she got what she was asking for.

Again, be careful what you wish for. Here’s a person who was gainfully employed with a great organization wishing she’d get fired. Well, she got what she wished for. Now what? Before you experience a similar fate, if in fact you are the type to make wishes, I encourage you to wish for good things. At least you won’t be disappointed when it comes true.

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Joe Paul