by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 12, 2014 | Decisions, Encouragement, Motivation
It is easy to stay motivated when everything is going well, but what happens when setbacks occur?
What happens when your “well thought out” plans don’t work out, or your world get turned upside down by events beyond your control, what do you do?
You can cry. You can crawl into a hole. You can give up. Or you can try again.
Napoleon Hill once said:
“One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.”
The problem with most of us is that when stuff doesn’t work out we think it’s the END instead of seeing it as just TEMPORARY DEFEAT. What we need to do is realize that the worst is never really the worst. An end isn’t always THE END. It could simply be the end to one thing and the start of another.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 10, 2014 | Current Affairs, Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Success
Most people don’t take into account how many mistakes account for success. For some there is the idea that if you fail it’s the end: The end of the world, the end of the opportunity, the end to your chances for success. In reality the opposite is true. Mistakes are good for you because mistakes give the biggest opportunity for growth, learning and development.
“The only complete mistake is the mistake from which we learn nothing.” – Jacob Braude
Of all the great scientific breakthroughs, inventions or discoveries, not one of them achieved success on the first attempt. In fact when Thomas Edison was ridiculed for his more than 200 failed attempts to create a light bulb, his response was not full of self-pity or anger. Instead in his defense, he simply stated that he’d learned more than 200 ways of how not to do it. For Thomas Edison every mistake was a learning opportunity. How many of us could do the same? 
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 6, 2014 | Communication, Empowerment, Internet, Social Media
“When God provides a tool, He expects us to use it for His glory and the redemption of His people,” according to Pastor Brandon Cox.
If Jesus, His Disciples, or The Apostle Paul were here, they’d log on to Facebook and Twitter. Why? It’s today’s tool to reach people far from Christ. Currently, I use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and The Urban Pastor Blog. Today, I’d like to share why I use Facebook and Twitter.
photo credit: Social Media via Social Media Marketing (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 5, 2014 | Empowerment, Encouragement, Goals, Motivation, Self-Leadership
Do you feel bombarded with change from every direction?
Do you feel stressed, overworked, with too little time to appreciate and enjoy life? Do you find it difficult to keep up with everything you need to do? If so, you’re not alone. Our rapidly changing world is rapidly stressing us out. What can you do to cope?
In Future Shock, Alvin Toffler wrote that when people go through times of rapid change, they need what he calls “islands of stability.” Those are things that do not change in your life—sources of security, safe harbors and anchors for the inevitable storms.
“When the speed of change around you or an organization is faster than the speed of change within you or an organization, they becomes irrelevant,” according to Rick Warren. Staying relevant requires you to take three strategic steps. Check out Rick’s video and discover the secret to remaining relevant.
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What do you do to stay relevant?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 3, 2014 | Encouragement, Motivation, Teamwork
Heard this somewhere:
Don’t press timid people to be bold – Give them hope and they will be bold.
Boldness follows hope. Hope is facing the future believing you’ll win. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” Timid people don’t believe they can win. People who believe they can win keep working to win.
10 Ways to Build Hope:
- Believe in them more than they believe in themselves.
- Do things that matter. Never complete bland tasks; always achieve meaningful vision.
- Remember past successes. “Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent,” Mignon McLaughlin.
- Smile.
- Pat people on the back.
- Celebrate small wins, every day. Small wins create big wins.
- Celebrate effort; it keeps people moving forward.
- Praise often; correct occasionally.
- Focus on strengths more than weaknesses.
- Help people rest and renew.
People who give others hope inspire people to be bold.
