“An education will make you a living, but working on yourself will make you a fortune.” Jim Rohn
Great Leaders are growing every day. If you look at a baby in the first 4 years of life, you are amazed at how fast they are growing and developing in front of you and you are not as aware of it unless you don’t see them as often. As a leader, you don’t see your own growth much in the same way, but people will notice over time through brief snapshots of your demeanor, actions and decisions that you make when faced with decisive moments. My personal growth has been more pronounced over the last two years when I made a personal goal to read as much as possible. I was never a big reader in school. I considered myself a slow reader, I felt it took me twice as long to read a book then my friends. One summer my best friend and I went to the local library and took out “Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory”. Our objective was to sit by her above ground pool and then share a miniature book review session at the end. I was still half way through the book and she had already finished it and was frustrated with my slowness. In many ways, these small experiences turned me off to reading for years to come.
This renewed sense of self development was faced with a new challenge. As much as I would enjoy snuggling up by the fireplace with a book every evening, I have a demanding career, a husband, 4-year-old and aging parents that demand my time every day. When I get to bed I simply pass out. I have no energy nor ability to read. I analyzed my daily routine and had to find time that made sense for me and my life. It was then that I discovered Audible. I commute to work and other meetings and my travel time has become my self-development time. When I listened to my first Audible, I felt that I had been transported back to circle time in grammar school. I could see myself sitting in the circle and loving the experience of listening to a story. I was sold. Since my first Audible, I have listened to over 50 books, many on personal development. I have made it a point to extract at least one idea from each book. I realized that reading and executing on what we learn is one of the most powerful tools we can have. “Personal development is the reinforcement of the obvious.” - John Ellis.
From time to time we will share some of our favorite books and encourage you to grow one day at a time. As I learned from the “10X Rule” by Grant Cardone, I focus every day on just one thing to improve myself, if all you do is grow by 1% every day in one year, you have accomplished so much. When I feel, I have been wronged or a problem is out of my control, I hear in my head Joel Osteen in “The Power of I Am” telling me to let it go; I must focus only on the things I can control. When I face fear that is affecting my confidence I think of Les Brown in “the Power of Purpose.” He describes a man that was terrified of this dog that was always barking and drooling and terrifying him when he walked by this house. One day the dog got loose and began chasing him. When he decided to turn around and confront his fears, he realized that the scary, big, drooling dog had no teeth. We constantly are in fear of things that truly can’t hurt us and that has been a powerful reminder. When I find myself second guessing a decision to speak up, I think of Mel Robbins and the “5 Second Rule”; I count backwards 5,4,3,2,1 set an anchor thought and move.
Recently, I faced an important decision in my career; my life was spinning out of control. The company I had been with for 15 years had decided to sell us and throw us to the curb. At first, my immediate response was to be there for my team. As a leader, I dedicated my time and attention to comforting and reassuring everyone else before stopping to think about my own career. My phone wouldn’t stop ringing between recruiters and those pesky negative people always wondering what you are going to do. The company that took us over had a completely different business model and for my role, it meant taking an incredible amount of risk to purchase my business and become an entrepreneur. Behind door #2, I had many offers to continue a similar path from what I had built as an employee. One night on my drive home when I was just quietly sitting in my car, the book from “Rich Dad Poor Dad” came to my head. When I read that book I recalled feeling such mixed emotions. Everything Robert Kiyosaki described of living life in a Rat Race was true to me but I felt embarrassed to admit, I had a job. Although I had a six-figure income, I was on the wrong side of the quadrant, I was an employee, not a business owner. I was not in control of my career and I wanted desperately shift that. Here I was facing the opportunity, the scary, big, drooling dog, the ability to own my business and I was terrified and paralyzed. So I counted 5,4,3,2,1 and moved. I will now start my new journey as a business owner and I didn’t stop to seek advice from those around me; instead I found the answer within me.
I know I have shared very brief examples of the power of books but these are some of the influential people in my life that I have never met but are responsible for who I am and the choices I make. I ask you to ask yourself, what are you feeding your mind? You will reflect what you put in. If you eat a diet high in fats and carbohydrates and don’t exercise, chances are you will become ill and unhappy. If you feed your brain a daily dose of news, gossip, and talk shows, you will soon see the same output in your behavior and attitude. Garbage in, garbage out. Make a commitment to yourself... READ, GROW and DEVELOP into the true leader you wish to be.
-Bellaria Jimenez
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