Inspire ME Friday: 8 Things To Remember When Everything Is Going Astray.

"Yes, life is tough, but you are tougher. Find the strength to laugh every day. Find the courage to feel different, yet beautiful. Find it in your heart to make others smile too. Don’t stress over things you can’t change. Live simply. Love generously. Speak truthfully. Work diligently. And even if you fall short, keep going. Keep growing."

Good Morning Folks,

Our friends Marc and Angel are two passionate writers, life-hackers, and the authors of 1000 Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently. 

Here’s their list of 8 things to remember when everything goes wrong. Awake every morning and do your best to follow this daily TO-DO list:

Think positively. Eat healthy. Exercise today. Worry less. Work hard. Laugh often. Sleep well. Repeat…

#1. Pain is part of growing. 
Sometimes life closes doors because it’s time to move forward. And that’s a good thing because we often won’t move unless circumstances force us to. When times are tough, remind yourself that no pain comes without a purpose. Move on from what hurt you, but never forget what it taught you. Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing. Every great success requires some type of worthy struggle to get there. Good things take time. Stay patient and stay positive. Everything is going to come together; maybe not immediately, but eventually.

Remember that there are two kinds of pain: pain that hurts and pain that changes you. When you roll with life, instead of resisting it, both kinds help you grow.

#2. Everything in life is temporary. 
Every time it rains, it stops raining. Every time you get hurt, you heal. After darkness there is always light – you are reminded of this every morning, but still you often forget, and instead choose to believe that the night will last forever. It won’t. Nothing lasts forever.

So if things are good right now, enjoy it. It won’t last forever. If things are bad, don’t worry because it won’t last forever either. Just because life isn’t easy at the moment, doesn’t mean you can’t laugh. Just because something is bothering you, doesn’t mean you can’t smile. Every moment gives you a new beginning and a new ending. You get a second chance, every second. You just have to take it and make the best of it. (Read The Last Lecture.)#3. Worrying and complaining changes nothing. Those who complain the most, accomplish the least. It’s always better to attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed. It’s not over if you’ve lost; it’s over when you do nothing but complain about it. If you believe in something, keep trying. Don’t let the shadows of the past darken the doorstep of your future. Spending today complaining about yesterday won’t make tomorrow any brighter. Take action instead. Let what you’ve learned improve how you live. Make a change and never look back.

And regardless of what happens in the long run, remember that true happiness begins to arrive only when you stop complaining about your problems and you start being grateful for all the problems you don’t have.

#4. Your scars are symbols of your strength. 
Don’t ever be ashamed of the scars life has left you with. A scar means the hurt is over and the wound is closed. It means you conquered the pain, learned a lesson, grew stronger, and moved forward. A scar is the tattoo of a triumph to be proud of. Don’t allow your scars to hold you hostage. Don’t allow them to make you live your life in fear. You can’t make the scars in your life disappear, but you can change the way you see them. You can start seeing your scars as a sign of strength and not pain.

Rumi once said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most powerful characters in this great world are seared with scars. See your scars as a sign of “YES! I MADE IT! I survived and I have my scars to prove it! And now I have a chance to grow even stronger.”

#5. Every little struggle is a step forward.

In life, patience is not about waiting; it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard on your dreams, knowing that the work is worth it. So if you’re going to try, put in the time and go all the way. Otherwise, there’s no point in starting. This could mean losing stability and comfort for a while, and maybe even your mind on occasion. It could mean not eating what, or sleeping where, you’re used to, for weeks on end. It could mean stretching your comfort zone so thin it gives you a nonstop case of the chills. It could mean sacrificing relationships and all that’s familiar. It could mean accepting ridicule from your peers. It could mean lots of time alone in solitude. Solitude, though, is the gift that makes great things possible. It gives you the space you need. Everything else is a test of your determination, of how much you really want it.

And if you want it, you’ll do it, despite failure and rejection and the odds. And every step will feel better than anything else you can imagine. You will realize that the struggle is not found on the path, it is the path. And it’s worth it. So if you’re going to try, go all the way. There’s no better feeling in the world… there’s no better feeling than knowing what it means to be ALIVE. (Angel and Mark discuss this in more detail in the “Goals and Success” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

#6. Other people’s negativity is not your problem. 

Be positive when negativity surrounds you. Smile when others try to bring you down. It’s an easy way to maintain your enthusiasm and focus. When other people treat you poorly, keep being you. Don’t ever let someone else’s bitterness change the person you are. You can’t take things too personally, even if it seems personal. Rarely do people do things because of you. They do things because of them.

Above all, don’t ever change just to impress someone who says you’re not good enough. Change because it makes you a better person and leads you to a brighter future. People are going to talk regardless of what you do or how well you do it. So worry about yourself before you worry about what others think. If you believe strongly in something, don’t be afraid to fight for it. Great strength comes from overcoming what others think is impossible.

All jokes aside, your life only comes around once. This is IT. So do what makes you happy and be with whoever makes you smile, often.

#7. What’s meant to be will eventually, BE. 

True strength comes when you have so much to cry and complain about, but you prefer to smile and appreciate your life instead. There are blessings hidden in every struggle you face, but you have to be willing to open your heart and mind to see them. You can’t force things to happen. You can only drive yourself crazy trying. At some point you have to let go and let what’s meant to be, BE.

In the end, loving your life is about trusting your intuition, taking chances, losing and finding happiness, cherishing the memories, and learning through experience. It’s a long-term journey. You have to stop worrying, wondering, and doubting every step of the way. Laugh at the confusion, live consciously in the moment, and enjoy your life as it unfolds. You might not end up exactly where you intended to go, but you will eventually arrive precisely where you need to be. (Read A New Earth.)

#8. The best thing you can do is to keep going. 

Don’t be afraid to get back up – to try again, to love again, to live again, and to dream again. Don’t let a hard lesson harden your heart. Life’s best lessons are often learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes. There will be times when it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong. And you might feel like you will be stuck in this rut forever, but you won’t. When you feel like quitting, remember that sometimes things have to go very wrong before they can be right. Sometimes you have to go through the worst, to arrive at your best.

Yes, life is tough, but you are tougher. Find the strength to laugh every day. Find the courage to feel different, yet beautiful. Find it in your heart to make others smile too. Don’t stress over things you can’t change. Live simply. Love generously. Speak truthfully. Work diligently. And even if you fall short, keep going. Keep growing.

“Everything is temporary, this too shall pass” is a phrase that always comes to my mind whenever things are not going well. All of these are excellent reminders. If you enjoyed this Marc and Angel’s tips, share them with your friends and family.

If you enjoy this, be sure to check out their website for more inspirational advice and practical tips to improve your life. Have you checked out our book, “1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently” It includes an eBook, audio book, paperback and bonus material on sale for a big discount.  Click here to check it out!

We are a great team. We are a great company. We have great people. You have to come every day with your game day ready to go. Let's see how many football teams remember that this weekend.

Have a Happy, Healthy, Safe, Fun and Refreshing Holiday Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

......................................................................................
"Remember that you deserve to be happy. It's your natural-born right."
......................................................................................


Source: 

At FSO, Perfection is the Expectation – No Excuses!

"One of the biggest errors we can make in the delivery of Hospitality services is to assume that what we are doing is meeting the expectations of our clients. We never assume because we know what's happened when our competitors have: We eat their lunch!"

Good Morning Folks,

One of our most urgent corporate goals is "Perfection is the Expectation – No Excuses!"

We know that we need to deliver Service Extraordinaire. But how do we know we are meeting that expectation?  

Living in New York City in the 1980’s when Ed Koch was the Mayor, he had a very simple formula to find out if he was meeting expectations.  He would simply ask the people, “How Am I Doing?”  It is the simplest question and easiest format to solicit feedback. 

==> As managers, we are asking our staff, “How Am I Doing?”

==> As service providers, we are asking our clients when we deliver services, “How Are We Doing?” 

One of the biggest errors we can make in the delivery of Hospitality services is to assume that what we are doing is meeting the expectations of our clients. We never assume because we know what's happened when our competitors have: We eat their lunch!

So… today I challenge each and every FSO employee in our morning meetings – ASK THE QUESTION, and more importantly, listen for the answer. If the response is “fine” or “ok”, take the opportunity to follow up with another question – “How can I make your answer be ‘Perfect’”? 

In order to improve as a team, we must improve as individuals and constantly strive for perfection in our daily activities. Only through the consistent quest for feedback can we ensure that we are improving every day and inspiring happy clients and happy employees.  

most important thing is taking the feedback we receive and turning it into positive actions. No matter what position we hold within FSO, we have the responsibility to ask the question “How Are We Doing?”

Take the answers that you receive today and share them with management, so we can ensure PERFECTION – NO EXCUSES. This allows us to make it PERSONAL and by making it PERSONAL, we fulfill my vision, and legacy.

The passion, the hard work, the skip step and fire, and the overall communications resulting from this never-ending pursuit of excellence have been well-received.

Prospects we take on site tours leave VERY impressed and I am super proud!! They are BLOWN AWAY actually.

It's such an honor to work with each member of our FSO team, and having these individuals representing us in the field.

The is what differentiates us from our competition and why our great clients made that change from their current service provider to FSO. It's what we do everyday that makes us special and the obvious choice.  

Needless to say I am so pumped up for all of you and the great company we are building. We have the greatest people on earth who love what they do across FSO. 

Our future is bright and we have only just begun. 

FSO = Hospitality = YOU

Join me as we inspire a nation and fulfill dreams!  Lets rock the world together. 

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold."

~~ Maurice Setter
. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     

InspireME Friday: Don't Die With The Music Still Inside You

Good Morning Folks,

A couple of years ago, Adam Dachisapr, on a assignment for Lifehacker, put together, "Top 10 Highly-Desired Skills You Can Teach Yourself."

On countless occasions, you've likely said to yourself "I wish I knew how to do 
______."

Then, of course, life got in the way and you put it off until you could find the time.

Maybe you wanted to become fluent in a language, learn a new instrument, start performing your house repairs, or a master a myriad of other skills.

With the vast amount of knowledge online, you're now your only excuse.

==> 10 Diserable Skills You Can Teach Yourself Right Now BY ADAM DACHISAPR

10. Repair Just About Anything
Sure, you don't need to repair anything anymore. You can just pay someone else to
do it. But where's the ingenuity in that? Plus, who wants to waste a bunch of money
on simple tasks you can handle on your own?

If you've adopted the DIY spirit, learning to repair your own stuff is one of the
easiest and more rewarding skills you can acquire. It's especially fruitful because
as you learn new things, you can put them to use right away.

So how do you teach yourself?

We've outlined tons of repairs you can learn on your own to get you started, but if you're looking for something specific there is no shortage of how-to videos available on YouTube. There will be occasions when you do need to call a professional, as you're not going to be a master repairman (or woman) instantly, but do remember that there is an opportunity when things break: you can learn howto fix them.

9. Pick Up an Artistic Skill Like Illustration, Painting, or Photography
Although it often won't earn you the big bucks, artistic skills are highly desired because they provide you with the technical abilities required to create something beautiful. You're going to have to find your own inspiration and subject matter, but the skill you'll need is really just a matter of technical aptitude and practice.Picking up a book of anatomy and drawing different bones and muscles will teach you how to draw people.

Drawing grids over photographs can show you basic perspective. Obviously it isn't
as simple as that, but focusing on learning to draw one simple thing, like the petals
of a flower or the human hand, will help you learn how it works and get in a reasonable
amount of practice. When you're ready to move on from the basics and start illustrating
on your computer, check out our digital painting lessons. For those of you interested
in photography, we have lessons for you, too.

Whatever you're looking to learn, just set aside 15-30 minutes every day to practice
a very small part of that skill. It'll take awhile to teach yourself how to draw, paint, take better photos, make hamburger sculptures out of clay, or whatever it is you want to do, but breaking the daunting task into pieces and practicing each part slowly will do the trick. Plus, it's a really nice way to unwind at the end of the day.

8. Learn to Defend Yourself
Who likes getting their ass kicked? Probably a very small majority. If that's what you're into, it doesn't require much skill-just endurance. If you'd prefer to not end up hurt or injured as the result of an unexpected attack, perhaps it's time  to pick up some self-defense skills.

While you'll probably want to have a partner around to help you out-at least when you want to test your skill-we've outlined several self-defense moves that you can learn on your own. Although you will hopefully never need to actually employ the techniques you acquire, if you do you'll increase your chances of coming out of a fight unharmed. Plus, it's pretty cool to walk around with the confidence of being able to take on most anyone in a fight.

7. Improve Your Design Skills (or At Least Acquire a Sense of Style)
Design and style aren't an exact science, as tastes differ and change as time goes on, but there are a few principles you can pick up that'll make your work, home, or whatever needs an aesthetic boost looking better than average. If we're talking traditional design, you'll first want to learn the basics of type and layout.

These are skills you can employ in your everyday work to make it look a lot more attractive. This may seem like a nearly-useless skill, because spreadsheets aren't getting entered in any beauty contests, but when something looks good it can have a greater impact. That's always a plus in your work. If you want to take things a bit further, you can bump those skills up a notch and apply them to web site design in Photoshop. Your sense of style is even a useful thing when choosing a great wallpaper and creating a clean and organized desktop on your computer.

If your home is boring, just follow these guidelines for awesome interior design. You don't have to be a pro, but learning the basics of design can make your life a lot brighter.

6. Pick Up Just About Any Subject You Missed In College
Whether it's science, finance, math, humanities, law, or anything else, if there's a course you wish you took in college you're not out of luck-you can probably find it online. To help you out, we've rounded up every great source of online education so you can gain that knowledge you missed. What's great about learning online is that you can take it at your own pace and put in as much time as you can spare each day. You don't necessarily have to master a subject, either, but learn as much as you need or want to know. While you won't end up with a degree for your hard work, you will be a little bit smarter-and that's the most important part.

5. Build and Hack Electronic Hardware
We love technology, and we love it more when we can make it do pretty much whatever
we want. There is almost no end to what you can hack, but getting started does require
teaching yourself a few skills.Learning to build a computer is a good place to start.
Soldering is especially helpful, and understanding the basics of arduino can help you build some really neat stuff.

One of the best ways to get started is to pick a project and learn by doing.

4. Play a (New) Instrument
Whether you already know how to play an instrument and want to learn something new
or are musically inept, you'll find plenty of resources online to help you teach yourself to play just about anything. If guitar is your thing, you're in luck as you'd be hard-pressed to not find online lessons.

The Internet can also teach you piano, drums, and even orchestral instruments like the flute and violin. Just like with repair skills, you can find a lot of how-to videos on both YouTube.

In addition to the instrument, you're also going to want to learn a little music  theory.

3. Cook Like a Pro
With so many recipe sites and cooking skill how-to videos online, it's a surprise that everyone isn't a master chef at this point. There are so many simple things you can learn that can vastly improve your culinary skill set really quickly, many of which we've covered. We've written so much on the subject of learning to cook better that this little paragraph isn't enough to cover it all, but there are a few posts in particular that you'll want to read to get started.

First, these tips and tricks for budding foodies will make your learning process easier. Second, follow this station-by-station kitchen guide to stay organized and efficient when cooking. Finally, these must-know recipes will help you round out your arsenal of cooking knowledge. 

2. Become Fluent in a New Language
When we asked you which skills you really wanted to learn, language was at, or close to the top of many peoples' lists. Fortunately for you,this clever technique offers a way to all but master a new language in a short period of time by teaching yourself. You'll still have to work hard and put in the minutes every day, but you can come out speaking fluently in about half of a year. Pretty cool.

1. Make a Web Site, Create an App, or Just Learn to Code 
Learning to code is something most of us Lifehackers aspire to do at one point or another, as it's not only a great way to create cool apps and tools that we want to use but it's also an incredibly marketable skill when trying to get a job. To get you started, we've put together two helpful sets of lessons: the basics of programming and making a web site.

Both sets include further resources, but there are plenty of others that we've learned about or have cropped up since. For starters, commenter mistermocha suggests using the "learn ___ the hard way" series.

If you just fill in the blank with the language you want to learn and put that into a web search, you'll likely find what you're looking for. (You can also find most of the series here.) If you prefer more interactive lessons, you'll want to check out one of our favorites: Codecademy.

I learned by subscribing to online learning site Lynda.com (and through a few basic classes back in college), which is still excellent, but I'd probably have gone with Code Academy at this point since it's in the free category.

Regardless of how you decide to learn, programming skills are becoming more and  more useful as time goes on. Code is not as complicated as you think, so go get 
started!

As we head out for an awesome weekend with Fall in the air, know that the future is bright, and I promise you that I personally could not be more focused on helping each and every one of you achieve your greatest success. 

Thanks to Adam for sharing, and to you for listening.

Have a HAPPY, SAFE and HEALTHY Weekend.

Love Life and Light It UP!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . .. . .
"Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so?
Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live.
Before they know it, time runs out."  Oliver Wendell Holmes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .  . .. . .

Speaking of Changing Fall Colors, A Leader's True Colors Are Revealed in Tough Times

"Regardless of where you work, always continue to learn what makes leaders successful and what makes them fail" 

Good Morning Folks,

As I have often reminded our teams, anything is possible. Regardless of where you work, or what you do, always continue to learn what makes people successful and what makes them fail.

Because.. The most important resource in the entire universe is YOU. Products, services, innovation, ideas, breakthroughs – they all exist in your head, your heart and your hands. The output of your thinking, the engaging of your heart and the enlistment of your hands create profound results.

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people can’t do”. Find me anyone with skip, fire and twinkle who wants to learn and grow, and I will promise you a career in my company, never just a job. No one ever sets out to be average at FSO, we need to be the best at everything we do.

I am forever grateful to you all for being such a loyal audience and for the great feedback you've been sending my way. I really appreciate it!

Great leadership seems easy when things are good and everybody's happy. When times grow tough, however, a leader's true colors are revealed.

Ten years ago, a group of U.S. soldiers tasted combat for the first time in Sadr City, Iraq. Bill Murphy Jr. got to know one of the junior U.S. leaders in that battle when he wrote a book about West Point and wartime.  

Murphy chronicles the lives of representative 2002 graduates of the United States Military Academy. A former trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and an army veteran, Murphy was protégé of celebrity journalist Bob Woodward and has military experience that may have helped him connect to his subjects and perhaps encouraged them to be open with him. He also reported from Iraq for the Post. Here's an excerpt from In Time of War that first appeared in INC:

Dave Swanson was a 26-year-old lieutenant then. He's out of the military now, and we talked recently about what he learned by leading 40 soldiers in 82 straight days of combat. Most of us probably won't be taking a platoon into a hail of gunfire anytime soon, but applying these principles can greatly improve your effectiveness as a leader, no matter what challenges you face. 

1. Control your fear.
As bullets whizzed by him for the first time, Swanson says he was very much afraid. However, he realized he had to subdue his fear because his soldiers were looking to him for clues as to how they should react. 

Courage doesn't mean the absence of fear, and of course being a leader certainly doesn't mean charging ahead blindly in the face of adversity. It does mean you can't allow your fear to become contagious. Your team needs to believe you're in control of yourself, if they're to have confidence that you can make smart decisions in tough times. 

2. Remember that the mission comes first.
You owe a lot to your team for giving you the privilege of placing their trust in you. First on the list, you owe them a goal worth dedicating their efforts to, and you need to demonstrate that you're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. 

"I say complete the mission at minimal expense to the people," Swanson says. "Every military leader will publicly say that the mission comes first, but we always accomplished the mission with the soldiers in mind."

3. Remember that the mission comes before you, too.
The only way that "mission-first" mantra can work is if your people truly believe that you will put the mission before yourself, too. In a life-imitates-art moment, Swanson says that in the heat of combat, he thought of a line from the 2001 HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers: "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier." 

In combat, this means being willing to risk your own safety for others in the unit and the mission. In other contexts, it means demonstrating that you'll sacrifice your personal short-term interests for the team's goal. Otherwise, how can you ask them to do so? 

4. Rely on your preparation.
Swanson spent years preparing for battle. He had been an enlisted solider, he spent four years at West Point, and he trained for nearly two years after graduation. While training alone will never quite prepare you to lead in real life, he says, it's as close as you can get to the real thing. 

The same principle applies in any leadership context. Think ahead of time about how you'll react to tough situations, so you can free your mind in crucial moments to react and adapt quickly. 

5. Be tough, but human.
"To those who have been in combat," Swanson explains, "you live by hardness, intuition, and compassion." 

As an example, he stayed awake and on duty for 60 straight hours at the start of the battle, pushing himself until he physically collapsed, but he also found moments of humanity and even humor in the heat of combat. Your team needs to know that you're tough, but also that you're reacting to the world around you like an engaged leader, not a machine. 

6. Encourage your people.
Business is rarely a matter of life and death, but war certainly is. One of Swanson's soldiers, Specialist Jacob Martir, was killed in action during the months of fighting, and several others were wounded and sent home to hospitals in the U.S. 

"It absolutely ate me alive to lose anyone in the platoon," Swanson says. However, he realized that it fell to him to encourage his soldiers and inspire them to keep going. "They were all special. The next day after any [casualty], I would remind them that each of them had already sacrificed themselves for each other on a daily basis--and how, if required, I would sacrifice myself for any of them." 

7. Communicate effectively.
In the heat of battle, it's easy--almost natural--to shut down everything else and focus exclusively on the job at hand. That's a dangerous inclination, however. It's important to make communicating what's going on a priority as well. Your team and all of your stakeholders need to know what's going on, or they can't contribute. 

"Early on in combat, radio communications weren't always the greatest, but that was no excuse," Swanson says. "When technology fails--and it always does at the worst possible moment--you need to have backup ways of getting and giving information." 

8. Use your resources wisely. But use them.
Especially in the first days of combat, Swanson's unit dealt with destroyed and unarmored vehicles, and insufficient supplies of almost every sort. More important, confusion, combat, and casualties left them critically short of soldiers. 

At the same time, they made full use of everything they had. At the end of the first week of fighting, for example, Swanson reflected that he had personally gone through ten 30-round magazines, meaning he had fired 300 bullets at the enemy. Just about everyone else in his platoon had, as well. 

9. Imitate the leaders who inspire you.
When Swanson had to act in the heat of battle, especially when his soldiers' eyes were on him, he thought back to the lessons he had learned at West Point, and some of the other leaders he had known and respected. He also found himself asking a question that has circulated for years among military leaders as a sort of joke: "What would John Wayne do?"

"Regardless of where you work, always continue to learn what makes leaders successful and what makes them fail," he says.

We have amazing employees, customers and leaders at FSO. Thanks to our employees for all you do for us, and to our clients for awarding us with the privilege of serving you.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 

"Excellence is not an act, but a habit"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 

==> Inspire ME Friday: Let It Go

"If you wish to inspire yourself and others, be joyful. Have fun. Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Accept yourself.  Be unapologetically YOU."

Good Morning Folks,

Lets end the week strong with Marc and Angel and an excerpt from their book, "1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently."  It's filled with short, concise tips on how to do just that.   Let's go! You will find that it is necessary to let some things go, simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go... LET GO of them. Tie no weights to your ankles. "Yesterday afternoon my twin sister called me from her hospital room. She's been in a coma for almost a year now. Entering the holiday season and New Year with my sister back at my side is a priceless feeling. We actually spent the entire night together, talking and laughing. She's still weak, of course, but surprisingly coherent." That's the opening paragraph to an email I received this morning from a reader named Amber. It caught my attention for obvious reasons. Amber then went on to say, "But you know what the really crazy thing is?  A month before my sister's accident, we got in a ridiculous argument and didn't speak to each other for that entire month. And today, honestly, neither one of us can even remember why we were so darn mad. We were just being stubborn and holding on to the wrong thoughts. I'm so grateful we were able to let it go and get another chance to love each other." Wow!  Talk about a wake-up call and a great reminder for all of us to LET IT GO. And since the summer is upon us, which inspires many of us to refocus our energy and attention on the right things, I think it's a perfect time right now to start letting go of the wrong things.  Wouldn't you agree? So today, I challenge you to this: 1. Let go of your temper. - Never do something permanently foolish just because you are temporarily upset. 2. Let go of petty grudges. - Life is far too short to be spent nursing bitterness and registering wrongs. If there's someone in your life who deserves another chance, give it to them.  If you need to apologize, do it.  Give your story together a happy, new beginning. 3. Let go of the idea that everyone has it better than you.- If the grass looks greener on the other side...  Stop staring. Stop comparing.  Stop complaining and START watering the grass you're standing on. 4. Let go of lingering false beliefs. - Stop from time to time and ask yourself, "Is it true?"  It's funny how we can sometimes wrap our minds around things and fit them into our version of reality.  But thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.  So watch your thoughts. Be wise. When your identity is not rooted in the truth, it can lead to toxic and lonely places where we seek approval from the wrong things.  (Read Loving What Is.) 5. Let go of expired ideals. - Growth is painful. Change is painful.  But in the end, nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you do not belong. 6. Let go of yesterday's tragedies. - You are not what has happened to you; you are what you choose to become in this moment. Drop the needless burden, take a deep breath and start again. Ultimately, you will know you are on the right track in life when you become disinterested in looking back, and eager to take the next step. 7. Let go of your tendency to avoid problems. - You cannot change what you refuse to confront. 8. Let go of life's little annoyances. - Don't let dumb little things break your happiness. Frustration and stress come from the way you react, not the way things are. Adjust your attitude, and the frustration and stress is gone. 9. Let go of assuming other people are more "normal" than you. - The only normal people you know are the ones you don't know very well.  Period. 10. Let go acting standoffish and unapproachable. - We all need to learn to be more human. Don't avoid eye contact. Don't hide behind gadgets.  Smile often. Ask about people's stories. Listen. 11. Let go of the idea that some people are below you. - Even if you've worked really hard to get to where you are in life, there's no such thing as a self-made person.  Someone believed, encouraged, and invested in you. Be grateful and be that someone for others too. That goes around eventually comes around.  No one has ever made themselves strong in the long run by showing how small someone else is. So don't be lazy and make assumptions about people. Ask about their story. Then listen. Be humble. Be teachable. Be human. Be a good neighbor. 12. Let go of the idea that you are what you physically own. - You are an incredible human being who's entirely detached from what you have physically acquired in this world. Remember to remain humble.  Ultimately, two things define you more than anything else: Your patience when you have very little, and your attitude when you have more than enough. 13. Let go of wanting stuff you don't need. - Don't think of cost.  Think of value. And remember, it's always easier to find wealth by needing less, instead of making more and more and more.  (Read The Total Money Makeover.) 14. Let go of seeking happiness from outside yourself. - In life, you have to create your own sunshine. Happiness starts from within. So read something positive every morning and do something positive before you go back to sleep. Keep your focus on all the positive possibilities and opportunities, and you will feel great. Feel great, and you will do great things. 15. Let go of wanting to be repaid of every good deed you do. - Don't worry too much about what's in it for you.  If you're making a positive contribution to others, there's always something in it for you.  You were born with the ability to change someone's life.  Don't ever waste it. Be kind. Be present.  Be someone who makes a difference. 16. Let go of all the little white lies and charades. - How do you build credibility? It's not rocket science. Be honest. Follow through. Honor your promises. Say sorry when you screw up. Be the type of person you want to meet and spend time with. Be the type of person whose actions, words and values always agree with each other. 17. Let go of any hypocrisy. - For instance, don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. 18. Let go of putting everyone else's needs in front of your own. - Give as much as you can every day, but don't allow yourself to be used.  Listen to others closely, but don't lose your own voice. 19. Let go of fearing what your intuition is telling you to do. - Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. So don't let fear shut you down; let it wake you up. Do one thing every day that scares you. The more that you act on your intuition fearlessly, the more your intuition will serve you. If you genuinely feel something, pay attention. 20. Let go of waiting for the stars to align. - Remember, you don't always need the perfect plan. Sometimes you just need to give it a try, let go, and see what happens. Just do the best you can until you know better. Once you know better, do better. 21. Let go of the need to get everything done at once. - Keep going.  True purpose has no time limit. True purpose has no deadline. Don't stress and overwhelm yourself. Just do what you can right now. 22. Let go of the "all or nothing" mentality regarding success. - Appreciate the grey area between the extremes of success and failure - the journey, the process, the path - what you're learning, how you're helping others learn too, and the growing process you allow yourself to participate in. And above all, never let success get to your head or failure get to your heart. 23. Let go of criticizing yourself. - Nobody is inspired by your misery or self-deprecating comments.  If you wish to inspire yourself and others, be joyful. Have fun. Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Accept yourself.  Be unapologetically YOU. 24. Let go of those who say you aren't attractive enough. - More women worldwide are suffering from anorexia and bulimia than are fighting breast cancer. There are similar statistics for men too. Love yourself the way you are, because you are beautiful just the way you are. 25. Let go of changing just to impress people. - Change because it makes you a better person and leads you to a brighter future. Change because you know it's the right thing to do for YOU. 26. Let go of needing everyone to like you. - Everyone doesn't need to like you, and some people won't no matter what you do. Try not to take the things these people say about you personally.  What they think and say is a reflection of them, not you. 27. Let go of all negative influences.  Period. - You can't expect to feel good if you surround yourself with negativity.  Be with those who bring out the best in you, not the stress in you. 28. Let go of thinking that giving up the wrong things (and relationships) means failure. - Giving up and moving on are two very different things. 29. Let go of the idea that it's too late to start over and get it right. - Remember, it's always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don't. 30. Let go of putting things off for one more day. - Stop procrastinating.  Stop wishing for it and start working for it. Do what you have to do today so you can do what you truly want to do, and be where you truly want to be, tomorrow. Afterthoughts Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go, but rather learning to start over in certain areas of your life. This is a challenge all of us face.  If you're struggling with any of the points above, there is a clear path to the new beginning you seek. Your present habits are simply broken and need to be mended. When you trust a broken set of habits every day, it's only a matter of time before you feel broken too. It doesn't have to be this way though. You can make adjustments starting today that will instantly help you feel better, think more clearly, and live more effectively.

There is never a guarantee of tomorrow, so show the love now. HAVE A JOYOUS Weekend! Mitchell D. Weiner Chief Happiness Officer   ........................................................................................................................... "Now is no time to think of what you do not have.  Think of what you can do with what there is." - Ernest Hemingway  ........................................................................................................................

Ted Tuesday: Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn ... then lead

“One of America’s greatest warriors.” — Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Good Morning Folks,

If you want to be a better leader, today's Ted talk is going to be quite remarkable for you. This is a good speech on leadership from one of the finest Generals of our time, General Stanley McChrystal.

General Stanley McChrystal is the former commander of U.S. and International forces in Afghanistan. A four-star general, he is credited for creating a revolution in warfare that fuses intelligence and operations.

Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning — and addressing the possibility of failure.

Says McChrystal, "I was raised with traditional stories of leadership: Robert E. Lee, John Buford at Gettysburg. And I also was raised with personal examples of leadership. This was my father in Vietnam. And I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal or abandon their comrades. And I still believe real leaders are like that. But in my first 25 years of career, I had a bunch of different experiences."

"And I learned personal relationships were more important than ever. We were in a difficult operation in Afghanistan in 2007, and an old friend of mine, that I had spent many years at various points of my career with -- godfather to one of their kids -- he sent me a note, just in an envelope, that had a quote from Sherman to Grant that said, "I knew if I ever got in a tight spot, that you would come, if alive." And having that kind of relationship, for me, turned out to be critical at many points in my career."

"I stood in front of a screen one night in Iraq with one of my senior officers and we watched a firefight from one of our forces. And I remembered his son was in our force. And I said, "John, where's your son? And how is he?" And he said, "Sir, he's fine. Thanks for asking." I said, "Where is he now?" And he pointed at the screen, he said, "He's in that firefight." Think about watching your brother, father, daughter, son, wife in a firefight in real time and you can't do anything about it. Think about knowing that over time. And it's a new cumulative pressure on leaders."

Have a look:

Concludes McCrystal: "That was my journey. I hope it’s not over. I came to believe that a leader isn’t good because they’re right; they’re good because they’re willing to learn and to trust.

This isn’t easy stuff. It’s not like that electronic abs machine where, 15 minutes a month, you get washboard abs.

And it isn’t always fair. You can get knocked down, and it hurts and it leaves scars.

But if you’re a leader, the people you’ve counted on will help you up. And if you’re a leader, the people who count on you need you on your feet."

Thank you General. Any day our Future Leaders need more inspiration I encourage them to watch this and then watch it again.

Good leaders are able to get others to buy into a common cause and to give others a sense of purpose, which is what this talk was about. Leadership is needed to communicate. He says that they must build trust and confidence in order to communicate with the people. I think that a true leader is trying to fit the characteristics. Thanks for listening.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

.......................................................................

"Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure."

...........................................................................

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.