Padawan

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”

~ Shannon L. Alder

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Philippians 4:9 (KJV)

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 (KJV)

MULTIPLICATION

Multiplication is just a very fast and efficient form of addition. If you want to leave your mark in life, this is one math fact which you will want to embrace, because multiplication is the best way to ensure your legacy. It is though the lives of others you invest in as a mentor, that you can have your greatest impact.

We sometimes call a person being mentored - a disciple. A disciple is a person who follows a leader and they do something more; a disciple reproduces themself in the lives of others who come after them. So we have two important aspects of discipleship; copy and multiply. These two ideas can change your life and even change the world! If you don’t multiply your beliefs, practices and experience in the lives of others, they will soon be lost.

Do you remember the Star Wars movies? They tell about a religious sect called the Jedi who had a very strict system of training their understudies called "Padawans." Their whole plan went wrong when they failed to properly mentor and govern one from among their own ranks and he became their nemesis. Darth Vader was a disciple … but of the wrong leader. He became the Dark Lord of the universe as a direct result of ineffective discipleship by the Jedi. I am not saying that if you do not properly disciple those under you, they will bring the universe to ruin - but it is something to think about. What could you be doing right now to properly guide those who look to you for leadership?

The philosophy of reproducing ourself through others relates to raising our children as well as training our employees and the impact we have on any others who may be looking to us for leadership. It is a universal truth that we will reap what we have sown.

I have been blessed to have a series of great men who have invested in my life to guide me when I needed it. It has not always been easy to receive their input but because the relationships were built on love and trust, there was a solid foundation making it easier. We all need to be looking around us for someone we can invest in and for someone to invest in us – it flows both ways. I never met a successful leader who did not have a series of mentors helping them and I never met a wise man who did not seek to mentor others. The choice is yours to take this admonition seriously; copy and multiply. That is the best way any of us can leave a lasting legacy and assure our long-term success.

Essential Insight – “Multiplication is the only math that really adds up.”

What Happened to the Light?

“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

The light was there first and then came the darkness. We have lost our way and wander in darkness. Unless we seek out the light we will be lost. But where do we go to find the light and how can it be restored so we can all walk in the light continuously and habitually?

The first step is to realize that we ourselves are not the light. That is not to say that we cannot have light within us or that we do not have any good in us at all. But our natural propensity is not to seek out the light but rather we love the darkness more than the light. You see light exposes darkness and we all have some dark secrets and behavior that we would rather not have exposed.

When we are committed to bring the light to those in darkness, we will face adversity. I was raised in a very strict and conservative environment. There is nothing wrong with that and I am not ashamed of it. But my mistake in that early stage of life was to think that those in darkness were somehow not as good as me… and I definitely gave off that vibe. This was very unhelpful in my relationships and alienated me from those who needed what I had access to. So the second step is to realize that we are just mirrors who can reflect the light but in substance we are no better than those in darkness. We are all really the same. If we do not grasp this immediately, we are destined to lose contact with those we seek to serve. Someone has said it best when he said,” we are just beggars seeking to show other beggars where we have found bread.”

The light can be found only on a spiritual plane. It is not the way of the world and the world generally does not operate according to the light. Again, we see many good things in the world and they are useful to us, but we should not be deceived into thinking that the world is friendly to the light. Its systems are dramatically opposed to the light and they will undermine our journey to the light if we do not stay vigilant.

Let’s take the notion of love as an example. I love my wife and she is precious to me. But that does not mean I always act in love toward her in every situation. In fact, most times I act in my own self interest and not hers. I don’t mean to behave in this way nor is it my design, but I naturally slip into this pattern if I am not constantly vigilant.

The third step is to realize that our combined light shines brighter than we can ever shine alone. By that I mean that we should associate with others who have the same values, encourage one another and hold one another accountable to operate in a certain way. Community is essential to light-bearers. We cannot fight this battle on our own and if we try to do so, we will fail. Seek out those who walk in the light.

Lastly we have an obligation to take the light to those in darkness. Most people who walk habitually in the darkness do not consciously understand their plight and will not naturally seek out the light on their own. I have been fortunate to have a series of very committed and wise friends in my life that brought the light to me. At times it was painful when they revealed my darkness to me. They had to be persistent and patient with me and teach me how to be a light-bearer over many years. I can easily slip off the path if I do not stay alert and practice habits that will keep me in the light. Their light exposed my darkness …many times without saying a word. The comparison of my behavior to theirs was often enough to help me see my error. Will you join me in seeking to be a light in a dark world?

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” ~ Carl Jung

The King of Virtues

“Forgiveness is the answer to the child's dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again.” - Dag Hammarskjold

Coretta Scott King, the wife of the martyred civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., was a courageous and strong woman. To me she epitomized forgiveness. When I was living in Atlanta I had the opportunity to meet her and go on a private walking tour of her late husband’s museum. The thing that impressed me most was her ability to resist the hatred and negativity her personal experiences could have fomented in her heart and see how she became a positive force for the sake of the oppressed and down-trodden.

I have witnessed a lot of misery suffered by people who have been abused and hurt by the powers of this world. When we feel we have been cheated by life – we can make a choice either to allow ourselves to become bitter and withdrawn or we can decide to learn from the experience and become better as a result of putting it into our memory bank for future application.

At the age of 16 my parents were divorced and my world seemed to come apart at the seems. I was angry to think that I had been cheated out of my right to be happy. But this was not the end of my life as I supposed. It was merely a temporary detour that eventually helped me move in a very positive direction. Psychologists tell us that it is how we choose to interpret what happens in our life, more than the actual circumstances and experiences, which determines the impact they will have on us. Will our hurts make us bitter or better … we get to decide!

Here is my observation: It is the one who has been wronged who has all the power, not the one who does the wrong. And our power comes in the form of forgiveness. When we forgive we liberate ourselves to live our life more fully. Coretta Scott King discovered that truth early in her life and as a consequence was able to do no end of good for others.

“Forgiveness, in the hands of those who have been wronged, is one of the most powerful forces in the world.”

Believe In Me

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.” – Karen Ravn

I have been blessed to be surrounded by many wonderful friends who can be brutally honest with me when needed. They tell me when I am on track and when I am not. When their feedback tells me I need a course correction, it is usually done in a positive way so I can receive it with benefit. I'm thankful for those kind of friends.

A good friend believes in you but doesn't only say what you want to hear. They are an encourager who shores you up when you are down and brings you down to earth when you are too high on yourself. A friend is a leveler.

My life has been riddled with great successes and sometimes even greater failures. The usual course of action is to hide the failure and publish the success, but as I grow older I am not inclined to do that so much. What I want most is to learn the valuable lessons embedded in my failures so I can become the person I am intended to be. I don't usually learn much from my success.

Failure is not fatal unless we run from it. Our success is far more likely to damage us because it can create an unreliable sense of importance that causes us to think more highly of our self than we ought. Success should never make us feel invincible because that is when we are most vulnerable. On the other hand, success can give us the confidence we need to attempt that which is beyond our immediate reach; it helps us believe in our self when no one else does.

I seem to have always had encouragers around me. When my life was the darkest, they gave me light. I want to do that for others too. I want to have the eyes to see the need in those around me and a tongue that will speak the words of life they need to hear. What a wonderful impact we could have if we valued others in that way.

I want to be a “Believer.”I need to believe in myself and to have others believe in me too. I cannot ever give up on myself and hope those around me never will either. I want to believe in people who are failing; to believe they can succeed. I want to lift them up with my words of encouragement and show them that their failures will never be fatal if they use them wisely to build a foundation for their future success. I want them to realize that everything which comes into our life is useful if properly employed. I want to believe in others the way I need for them to believe in me.

“Encouragement is the mortar holding our failures and successes together like bricks so we can make something beautiful of our life.”

The Message of Leadership

I wrote the Message of Leadership as an inspirational book for leaders of all kinds. It contains 31 daily readings on different topics inspired by the 31 chapters of the ancient book of Proverbs which was written by the wisest man who ever lived.

My goal was to combine these proverbs with pithy personal insights and stories that will make a leader think about the way they exert their gift of leadership on those around them. It is suitable as a gift for those graduating from school, leaders in government, teachers, business associates, moms or anyone who leads others or aspires to do so. I originally intended it as a special way to say thanks to those who give of themselves for our benefit.

Not only will you get my inspirational thoughts, but you will also receive the entire book of Proverbs as translated by Eugene Peterson in "The Message." The volume comes either in the regular paperback edition or a special first edition cover and I will gladly autograph it to you upon request. This book is available directly from: http://www.danielsouthern.com/products.html

I hope this little book of insights will be a blessing to you.

Who is the DSLG Team?

I am often asked, "How can I be a part of the Daniel Southern Leadership Group (DSLG) Team?"

Anyone can be part of our movement to lift the standard of business practice and live a life of integrity. We believe that everything we do flows out of the personal life of the individual. If we guard our habits and behavior scrupulously, even when no one is watching, we will be protecting not only the essence of who we are, but the by-products of our life. This is a commitment which includes everything we do through our personal, business and civic involvement. If you agree with this philosophy, you may qualify as a member of the DSLG Team but at different levels of involvement.

To be a trainer, speaker, coach or consultant for DSLG, you must have at least three things going for you:

1. You must have already accomplished things in your professional life that position you as a model and standard in your field of endeavor for others to emulate; In other words, you must enjoy a certain amount of celebrity in your chosen field of endeavor.

2. You must be able to share your story effectively with others; This includes having published material we can use to promulgate your message and the ability to effectively articulate your message to a live audience.

3. You must speak from a life that demonstrates the integrity of your message.

We call these select few individuals - DSLG Spokespersons.

Although we may have only a few spokespersons, everyone is invited to be a member of our Team by becoming a DSLG Insider or a member of the Leadership Circle with whom we share our principals and encouragement for a subscription fee. Or you might just want to watch what we are doing and operate by the principles we espouse - it's up to you! Any of these various levels of involvement qualify you to be a DSLG Team Member.

Whatever the level of your participation, we encourage you to strive for excellence and we welcome you aboard! Together through commitment and dedication to our core values, we can make a difference in our world.

Soap Box Racer

When I was about 4 years old, my Dad built me a race car that would coast downhill at a pretty good clip. It was very cool. I remember how we first decided to build the Racer. Dad was a Medical Doctor in the Air Force and we found an old Jeep steering wheel in a junk heap; that was the start of our vision. It was so exciting! My Dad could build anything and so we went to work. In what seemed like no time at all, we had ourselves a championship soap box racer. I can still remember it in vivid detail - more than 50 years later. It was black, had red hub caps, a great big black steering wheel and it even had brakes. Wow!! I was the star of the neighborhood.

Today I had a blast from the past. As I walked my dog on trash pick-up day, we saw that someone had discarded their homemade racer. Just looking at it, took me back 50 years in time. As I studied the mechanical marvel in front of me I made several interesting observations.

First, there must have been a dream that brought this contraption into being. I imagine it had to do with a father and a son and maybe a boyhood memory the father wanted to recreate for his own son; or perhaps a son who had a dream of replicating something he saw in a book or on TV. Together they agreed to bring that dream to fruition.

Second, I could see elements of brilliance in the effort. A lot of what sat before me demonstrated a good deal of cleaver thinking; a block that was strategically positioned to keep the front axle from turning too far and causing an unwanted overturn; a rope tied to that same axel to steer it. Both ends of the rope were carefully taped to keep them from fraying and washers strategically placed on both sides of the bolt holding the wheels in place so that friction was kept to a minimum - all very ingenious.

Third, someone had used first class materials to build the racer. The wheels alone would have cost 10$ apiece at a hardware store, expensive long bolts used to hold the lumber together, new 3/8 inch cording for the rope steering guides and pressure treated lumber used as the framework - all showed that someone started out to build a deluxe vehicle. No expense was spared on this little project.

Fourth, there were places where I could see that a child had added his own touches. The most obvious indication was that the seat had been poorly nailed in place. This is the kind of thing a Dad usually allows when he realizes his son wants to help but hasn't had a chance because Dad is doing everything himself; so the son is allowed to drive a few nails in a place that really can't hurt anything... and then there was the green spray paint applied haphazardly in only a few places. again, the father allowing his son to be a part of the project, but his inexperience did not really jeopardize anything important.

Fifth, there were places where I could see that neither father nor son really knew what to do. The strongest indication of this was a lack of any breaking mechanism. I can tell you from my own experience how important that can be! That's when we need to call in the experts or we could get our self in real trouble.

Sixth, I could see that there was a point at which it probably wasn't turning out as well as they imagined. There were a lot of little fixes all over the racer where small pieces of wood had been attached to remedy a little problem or screws had been put in to reinforce the effort as a "Second-thought" and had split the wood or it was broken away. The big idea was in place but the little important touches just were not there to support the grand scheme of things.

And lastly, I found it in the junk heap because they had obviously given up on their dream. Somehow in the building of the race car, enough problems had arisen that it had killed their enthusiasm and the project. The racer looked unused, broke-down and really not very impressive as first glance.

All this was a parable of what so many of us experience in different areas of our life. We start off with a grand vision that inspires us and those around us. We have the big picture in mind and it flows effortlessly as we begin the process. We put our best resources into the effort believing this will be a trophy accomplishment; then the project begins to degrade as we let less talented individuals tamper with our vision. We get out of our depth as we strive to bring the effort to completion and then we cannot finish what we have started because even from the beginning the plan was not fully developed in every detail. So we try to finish but we cannot and therefore become frustrated with ourselves for even taking on such a grand enterprise. And lastly we throw our effort away out of disappointment and sometimes hopeless discouragement.

Any enterprise is made strong by wise planning and careful execution. But most importantly don't give up on your dream even when it does not turn our perfectly at first.

"Learn to perfect your dreams over time as you polish them through experience and determination"