Dreamers versus Doers. The Great Seperator!

As March Madness has ended, it reminded me of all the opportunities that the different teams had to win it all. Some missed it by one shot, one fowl, one missed play. They were so close to the goal but something happened and it prevented it from coming to pass. It also reminded me of different people I know, some are in the game, some are watching the game and some don’t even know the game is being played. I have found that there is one thing separates the dreamer and the doer. It also separates the wishful from the wealthy. Two people can have the same capabilities, same hope and same aspiration, but have radically different outcomes. How? One acted and the other did not.

ACTION is the great separator from the dreamers and the doers. Right now, there are opportunities, ideas, dreams or aspirations in your life that you know you SHOULD act on, you WANT to act on, but you are afraid to ACT on. Oh, you might be excusing your lack of action by your telling yourself you don’t know what to do, how to do it or if it will work out. I can tell you firsthand, nothing I have ever accomplished had I done before. There are some things that came natural to me and others that I really had to struggle to accomplish. But the fact of the matter is if you want to gain something, you have to do something, and if you want to do something you have to hear something first.  You may not have any experience in the thing that you want to do or the thing that you have been dreaming about, but that is where faith comes in. You have to just jump out there and do it, even if you don’t know whether or not it will work out the way that you want it to. Just jump in, get started and watch that dream come to reality.

Unless you become a doer, you will never know if the outcomes will evolve into  ways well beyond what you could have planned for or envisioned at the beginning, meaning all the paralysis by analysis is useless anyway because it will never work out as you plan. Faith without works is dead without action or being left alone!  The key is to just get started. Someone said to me recently, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step.” That’s the key—just take the first step. Then when you do, take another. One at a time—one after another. Before you know it you will have risen to the top of an industry, maybe heights you could never have allowed yourself to dream of and set goals for, simply because you jumped in and got started. That’s all it takes, ACTION. You don’t have to see it to believe it, you have to believe it first then you will see it. 

Dreamers and Doers are separated and their results are totally different. Dreamers have to wake up from dreaming and go back to what they were doing before they started dreaming. What they were thinking on only remains in the unseen because they fail to take the next step. Doers take the dream and work it until it becomes the reality that they want it to be. They take the next step and put into action what they dreamed about. Don’t spend all your days just dreaming about a thing. I am not saying not to have a dream but if your dream does not call you to action, it has no chance of coming to pass. Don’t let your delay stop the dream. Even Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that was deeply rooted in the American dream. But you can tell that his dream was not just a day-dream because his dream took root. Some legs were put to it and it caused people to run. People need a vision or they will perish because they don’t see something greater than themselves or where they are. But somebody needs to run with the vision once it has been made plain. So wake up dreamer and get to work. Let us see your dream fulfilled in our lifetime and who knows what a better place this world will become because your dream took flight.

Eric Smith

If it ain’t broke, Fix it Anyways

No matter how old or how young you are, there will come a time in your life when you will feel like you are not growing or going forward. You reach a point in your life where you just feel stagnant and like there is no life in what you are doing or pursuing. Some people experience this on their jobs where they feel that they have reached a career plateau. While others may even feel this way in a relationship, where there seems to a lot of inhaling but no exhaling. Stagnation can come in many forms and mean many things to just as many people, but what will you do when you feel like there is no movement in your life and there is no outflow for your inflow? Some people like the status flow and they even live by the motto “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. But I have come to challenge you into thinking differently about your life and your current situation. Just because it ain’t broke doesn’t mean it is working right. Fix it anyways!

When life seems to be stagnant and your pathways don’t seem to be producing the results that you once thought that it would, you need to look at your strengths and not accept mediocre or settling anymore. You need to become your own niche’ product and become the best in what you do. That may mean that you have to go back to school or get additional training but it is well worth it. You have to be continuously evolving if you want to avoid stagnation. You will not become stagnant if you continue to learn something new, and each day that should be one of your goals. If you stop learning, you stop growing. You need to challenge yourself! You need to reinvent yourself! You need to cultivate yourself by pushing the bar further than you ever imagined it could possibly go. If you want to see more you have to be willing to do more. And if you want to do more, you cannot settle. You allow stagnation to set in when you decide it ain’t broke.

Are you valuable to people? Becoming a valuable resource to other people will keep you on your toes and keep you from becoming stagnant. People should be  coming to you for advice all the time for your expert or professional opinion.  When you position yourself to be an asset to people instead of a liability to them, you are showing that you are able to fix what is broken in their lives. You become a resource of knowledge that can turn into speaking engagements, raises, books and other opportunities. In other words, you become a leader and expert in your area and other people will value you because of what you know and who you know. This can only occur by being proactive and not reactive all the time. Becoming proactive will increase your visibility and may expose you to risk, but if you are sick and tired of being stuck in a rut, and going through the motions without any results, you will risk it all so that you can have it all. I heard it said before “be willing to do the things today that others won’t do, so that you can have the things tomorrow that others won’t have”. However, you won’t take calculated risks if you think that it is already fixed.

No matter what, you cannot be afraid of change. Many people stagnate because they are afraid to let go of their comfort zone, even if they are not really happy with the job they do. Change is almost always good for you. Learn to embrace opportunities for change.  People are stuck in ruts all the time, spinning their wheels going nowhere fast. Don’t let this be your testimony. Don’t let this be your life’s story. Stagnation will steal you of your drive so it is important that you recognize it, change your direction and plow full steam ahead. You may think that you have everything going on in your life. You may think that there is nothing in your life that needs to be fixed, but you and I both know that is a lie. Don’t let stagnation keep you from what you can become. If it ain’t broke, still look for ways to expand yourself, even if it means adding value to others, this will help you to stay fresh. Jewel Diamond Taylor said “Champions aren’t made in gyms, Champions are made from something they have deep inside them –a desire, a dream, a vision.”  Make yourself a 30 day challenge and go for it! Write me back and tell my how you did and all about your new adventures.  It’s never too late or too early to start. Even if it ain’t broke, fix it anyways!

Eric Smith

Where is your Passion and What is your Dream

So what are you waiting for? Go get started making your passion your new reality, get to making your dreams come to pass now! The year is off to a great start and there are only 358 more days to make this year all that you want it to be. Don’t start this year off paralyzed by what you didn’t accomplish last year. Don’t let another day go by wishing upon a star and thinking about ‘wish I would have, could have or should have’. There is nothing that you can do to change what you did last year. It is done, over and never to come back again. Put the past behind you and pursue your passions ahead of you. If you keep dwelling in the past and your failures and missed opportunities, you will miss out on your chance to watch what used to be a dream come to pass.

Your passion and your dream should be connected at the hip and should be calling you forward, pushing you onward and motivating you past your limitations. Let the thought of ‘ what is the possibility of this thing coming to pass, up against my current condition’ be a catalyst to make this your day, your time and your moment to shine. If you let this moment pass you by, if you let another day go by where you have put no effort to doing what is inside you to do, then you run the risk of making the grave the wealthiest place on earth. In other words, the grave will claim your dream and your passion because you did not do what you had a mind to do. Don’t let your dream die without being fulfilled. Don’t let you passion die without letting it drive you into success. The whole world is waiting on you to write that book, pen that song, paint that portrait, create that idea. Don’t deprive us of what is inside of you.

People may not believe in your dreams this year, so what. Don’t let their doubt deter you from your dream. You’ve got to make it a priority to make your dream a priority to you. No one is going to want to accomplish your passion more than you want it.  So no matter what you want to do, go for it! What do you have to lose except to lose your passion for it. No one knows your story or what you have been through or why you want to accomplish this goal. No one knows to the full extent of your desire to bring this idea to pass.  You have got to make it a priority to push past the haters, dream-stealers and motivation-zappers. You need to go ahead and throw yourself a bonfire before the world throws a wet blanket on your dream, and tries to put your fire out. Whatever you passion is or your dream is in 2013, you must have something on the inside that is bigger than the opposition you may face on the outside. Because life, circumstance and bad timing are coming to steal your dreams, kill your dreams and destroy your dreams. What are you going to do when they tell you that you can’t make it and you might as well just give up? What are you going to do when no one wants to give you any money to fund your dream or give you an opportunity, even though you don’t have everything together? You have got to know that what you want to do this year is not going to automatically happen so you have to give it your all and not make a Plan B. Plan B is not an option so don’t waste your energy or time planning for it.

Your passion and your dream is what the world needs. Each of us adds something unique to this life that we live. We don’t need anymore copycats, imitators or cookie-cutter individuals. We need some original thinkers, some creative innovations, some extraordinary people like you who are not afraid of risk, afraid of no or afraid of not now. Whatever you do this year, don’t give up on your dreams. Cultivate your passion. like i always say, feed your faith and starve your doubts. We are counting on you to bring forth what our eyes have not seen and what our ears have not heard. There is greatness and potential inside of you and all you need is the courage to step out and live your passion, live your dream!

Eric Smith

Are you a Maker or a Taker?

A few years ago I heard someone tell me, Eric, there are three types of people in the world: Those that are in the game, those that are watching the game, and those that don’t even know that the game is being played. Sadly enough, there is a lack of leadership in the area of makers. Makers, unlike takers, don’t what for change, they implement it. Makers, unlike takers,  don’t wait for something to be handed to them, they go out and make things happen for them. Makers, unlike takers, are always thinking of other possibilities that have not been tried before, They are looking for creative ways to make something happen out of nothing.

Takers always settle. They seldom launch out into the deep and require more of themselves but always require more from others. Takers are primarily are looking for a hand outs and not hand ups. But if a Taker ever encounters a true Maker, they will never be the same. Something happens when you come in contact with a leader or someone who is not willing to let you settle, but who will call you up higher than where you currently are. A Maker has the capacity to mold a taker into a maker because good leadershifting will always shift you to another level if you are willing to go.

If you are a Taker, you have to be willing to get into the game and learn how it is played and then be willing to start your own game. If you are a Maker, you have to be willing to help takers shift their way of thinking and outlook on life. We need leaders who are not afraid to show others how to lead, take risks, be creative and adventurous. We need leaders who are willing to follow others so that they too can learn how to lead well.

Here are some characteristics of Makers:

• Makers are not so interested in who gets the credit for the job well done, but they are content with taking others along with them on the journey.
• Makers influence everyone around them and assist them in achieving their optimal results.
• Although Makers are responsible for the vision, they empower others to help bring the vision to pass. 
• Makers are people-persons and know how to creat buy-in from their team. 
• Makers have a high level of creativity and know how to strategize to bring their project to fruition. Makers are excellent communicators,  and they possess the ability to inspire others around them.

We need Takers and Makers. There are always going to be those that Make things happen, watch things happen and sadly those that don’t know what is happening. Wherever you find yourself today, you can change yourself and help in the change process of others.

Eric Smith

Three Strikes Against Me but I Ain’t Out!

When leading an organization that has already hit its lowest point, sometimes it seems like there is no way that the organization can turn around or  survive. You are the leader so you are taking hit after hit when things are not going right, even when it’s not your fault; you’re the leader. Sometimes you can feel like you are backed into a corner and your adversaries “failure and fear” are closing in on you. But this is not the time to quit! Other’s may say that it is over and that you should just quit and through in the towel. There may be three strikes against you –  STRIKE ONE  – your past failures, STRIKE TWO  – your current circumstances and STRIKE THREE  – the uncertainty of the future. But as Les Brown put it “It’s not over until I win”.

Many times situations will try to intimidate you, circumstances may work to shake you, the enemies called fear and failure will try to trick you and even people may try to scare you. There will be opportunities to doubt yourself and doubt that a good outcome can come out of your bad situation. People may have counted you out and told you that it is not possible for you to get out of this, and that you will never make it, and that you should just give up and call it quits, and that your best days are gone and you will never come back again. But a good leader knows that when you are at your lowest point it is time to leadershift. It is time to look at the situation from another vantage point.

If you give up even though there are three strikes against you, you will never see what good is able to come out of an impossible situation. People will try to limit you because they have been limited in their thinking. Remember, all it takes is for one person to believe that it is possible! All it takes is for one someone who is bold enough to say “I Aint Out!” This may not be good english but it is the best way to get the point across.  All it takes is just someone who believes that their best days are ahead of them. If someone else can do it, you can do it. If anyone has overcome then it is possible for you to overcome. When you get knocked down, when the enemy threatens, when they says it’s all over, you’ve got to Talk Back! Talk back to your situation and realize that there are always other options to quitting. Talk to those that are on your team and ask them to look at the current situation from different vantage points to try to come up with solutions. You have to be creative in your thinking as well because what may seem as the easy way out is not necessarily the best way out. Rely on others to help you accomplish the “shared goal”.

Just because you are the leader does not mean that you have to know all of the answers. It does not mean that you are the only one that has to make the decision, or that you are the only one that has to come up with the solution. However, ultimately you are responsible to why not shift your strategy as the leader. If you are a true leader, there are more people affected by your circumstance than just you. The more people who you can include in the decision-making process, the more options there may be to your situation. So plan for your comeback.

Try this strategy:

There is great value in uncovering and discovering the root causes of problems, issues and concerns. The value is determined when you can see  if the root cause is derived from a chronic event that, while not costly on an individual basis, is costly on a cumulative basis. The unwanted situations within organizations are about 95 percent related to process problems and only 5 percent related to personnel problems. Yet, most organizations spend far more time looking for culprits than causes and because of this misdirected effort, seldom really gain the benefit they could gain from understanding the foundation of the unwanted situation. So uncover the root cause of the problem by simply HIT ONE  – describing the problem that you have observed in your situation,  HIT TWO  – verifying the problem to see if there may have been something you overlooked, HIT THREE – investigating the problem by asking why the situation ahs occurred and finally hit that HOME RUN – taking corrective action necessary for leadershifting to success. There may have been three strikes against you, but the fact that you are still here means  you are not out!

Eric Smith

Hello world! It’s time to Grow from Leadership to Leadershifting

Hello and welcome to Leadershifting. I am Eric Smith and I invite you to take a journey as we explore various leadership issues, entrepreneurship topics and change strategies. I believe that this is the right time to get acquainted with the great resources that this nation provides. It should be the  desire of new leaders to be a part of the change that is taking place and learn from leaders of industry and community that are  making a great impact in our society. This leadership training opportunity will help strengthen the areas that need to be strengthened, help you network with new streams of movers and shakers, and bring awareness to stewardship and community activities that can grow with good leadership.

Michigan has emerged as a cultural and entrepreneurial hub for what is new and exciting and on the cutting edge  in the nation. We are strategically situated to launch creative ideas and foster growth in various sectors of our society. As we facilitate change, I think that it is important that we “leave no community behind”. With this in mind, the needs of urban areas need to be addressed so that all the citizens of this region can collectively enjoy the wealth of knowledge and resources that our nation has to offer. The issues may be complex; but collectively we hold the answers for our turn-around.

John Maxwell once wrote, “Everything rises and falls on leadership”. Good leadership has the responsibility to rise to the occasion and guide followers into solving problems. No longer can we wait for others to come to the rescue of our communities. If our communities are to survive, it is going to be because someone took this opportunity to show what the community is really made of. The community is only as strong as its weakest citizen. If we want to have the kind of success at the top that elevates us in the minds of our contemporaries, it must have a component that addresses not just building programs  but it must center on building people first.

Leadershifting is a way to take the concepts from paper and bring them into reality. By leadershifting, you are no longer taking a walk alone but you are developing a following that will propel you and the community to the next level of greatness; but this time, everyone will be able to enjoy the fruits of the collective labor. Come take a leadershifting journey with me.

Eric Smith