Gratitude #12 22.2.18

Gratitude #12: Tonight I reflect on the people who are still around, but are no longer a part of my journey. They played a role for a season and taught me something valuable that has led me to who I am and where I’m at. They are not in my life anymore for a number of reasons but where I once looked back at them with hurt, I now look forward with appreciation and grace. I’m blessed to be on my journey every day. Maybe someone else needs this appreciation tonight as well! If it is you; take it!

Gratitude #11 21.2.18

Gratitude #11: Tonight I am so thankful that I am able to help out a young people on the other side of the world. I recently found out my Kenyan Sponsor child Hemphrey has graduated high school and I am humbled that I was able to be a part of that journey. We have never met but I know that I have been able to help shape him for his future. Now I just need to consider what I do next. So Blessed!!! #childsponsorship #salvationarmy

Gratitude #10 20.2.18

Gratitude #10: Being able to look at the ‘problems’ and change the framing to a ‘challenge’. It is then that with a positive frame of reference, you can then develop solutions that will benefit all.

Gratitude #9 19.2.2018

Gratitude #9: Today I wish to show Gratitude to the people who remind you of a positive and more compassionate way to look at life and those we interact with. I was again reminded today of the joy it is to not only lead but to also listen and learn from other leaders in my field.

Gratitude 2018 Catching Up!

I have commenced a new daily journal. It is real simple, A thought of gratitude each day. I have to catch up people for the first 8 days and then I will post daily my gratitude. Here is 1 to 8.

(February 11-18th 2018)


Gratitude #1: I want to recognise that I am able to see the joy in young people doing something they enjoy and be happy for those who see that in me!

Gratitude post #2 to the people who encourage me to rise above the mediocre thinking and instead soar. You are a great reminder of support and of encouragement.

Gratitude #3 So blessed to have so many people in my life that I am truly humbled to spend my time with.

Gratitude #4: Tonight I wish to be thankful for the value of independence in choices and experiences. Today being a day in which a lot of people may feel lonely or left out due to their relationship status, I chose to celebrate the fact that it is ok to be single. It is ok to be able to reflect on your strengths and abilities and it is ok to be able to say I'm happy with where I am right now, even when others around you don't see how that cann be a happy place for you. Tonight I shout out to my friends who are single on this day. Let's be greatful that we can be a part of life and all it has to offer.

Gratitude #5: Today whilst sitting at the school swimming sports I was reminded of the amazing young people that I get to interact with everyday. All have a story, All have dreams, All have their own little unique qualities. I give gratitude today to the many teachers I had in my life that taught me to embrace all that I am and move forward on my path. I may not have all that I want, but I have a life that allows me to use my journey to inspire and encourage young people daily to not let excuses get in the way of progressing on their journey!

Gratitude #6: Today I am thankful for those perfect days of weather. To have beautiful clear skies but thankfully not overly hot was a true gift today. I didn’t see a lot of it as I was in classes or meetings but when I finally did, it was such a blessing!

Gratitude #7: Today I have been reminded time and time again of the beautiful surroundings of where I live. To be a short walk to the mighty Murray river and a place where the sunrise and sunset visuals are constantly breathtaking just make me feel inspired and at peace. I am so blessed to be able to feel at home when I sit and just take it all in.

Gratitude #8: Today my thoughts go to the blessings I recieve by being creative and being allowed to express myself using my gifts and abilities in performing. It doesn't matter the total number of people (if anyone) that hears it, for my soul is enriched when I am able to do what I feel is an integral part of my DNA and journey!

Week 5 YLC Thought 2017

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed". Michael Jordan Have you ever thought to yourself, that's it! I've failed so I am not going to do that again? We have all done it and if you haven't, one day you will. I grew up as a huge Michael Jordan fan. All of my friends did. We would pretend that we were the Chicago Bulls playing the LA Lakers at school. We pretended we were Jordan, Pippin, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, in fact any NBA player we could think of. We were dreaming of being the amazing players that those guys were, even when none of us we tall enough to even hit the ring with the ball half the time. They were heros to us. We had all the merch. But, I'm not good at basketball. I much prefer sports where you get to run into your opponents.. We all thought Jordan was perfect. He had an amazing knack of making flying through the air to slam dunk the ball look so easy. He had it all it seemed.. Money, skill, talent. But he isn't perfect. You don't have to research very far to realise that Jordan missed many shots, sometimes the most fundamental and basic shots. Many of which were potential game winning shots. He tried many things in life and failed. The key to his success was that he didn't give up. He stuck at it. This is called Resilience. Bouncing back from failing. This week marks the middle of Term 1. Some of you are tracking very well, some of you are starting to feel a little overwhelmed, some of you may have already given up. Now is the time to reflect on where you have come from, where you are and where you want to go. How is your goal looking for the year? Have you made one? Even if you are not hitting the mark atm, the question is not where you are and why, it is how are you going to take where you are and turn it around to see it as a success.. we all fail over and over again, that is where we see when we succeed.

Week 4 YLC Thought 2017

Have you ever thought to yourself Man I wish I could see where life will end up? The reality is that life is not that simple and the end journey is not really known until you get there. That does not mean that you shouldnt aim to achieve goals in life, it just means that some of those goals will get you closer to the end and some will send you off on many of the tangents that is life. So you have a goal. It may be to lose weight, get faster, to find a career to strive to, or even just be a better person. Some goals can be measured by numbers, others by moments of clarity. The important part of goals is to keep moving towards achieving them. So you have started a goal and people are keeping you accountable. You may not see the benefits yet and may think that you are failing. People might be laughing at your goal or telling you wont get there. In my gym is this quote on the wall. I look at it every time I feel like giving up or that Im not reaching my potential goals. It has inspired me many times. It is because I look at it and think about the people who arent even trying, the people who are happy to pick on those who are trying to better themselves and I remember that just like life, my goals are not short term but long term. I know that Im not at my goal yet, but Im pretty happy that Im moving towards it, even if it is a little step every day. Im moving towards it and that is what is important.

Week 3 YLC Thought 2017

"The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own Example" John Wooden John Wooden is a legend in American Basketball. When Wooden arrived at UCLA for the 19481949 season, he inherited a little-known program that was based in a tiny gym with little to no support. He left it many years later as a powerhouse of college basketball with 10 national championships, maybe one of the greatest achievements known to college basketball. John Wooden ended his UCLA coaching career with a 620147 overall record and a winning percentage of .808. That was from just his run at UCLA. That doesnt account for his success at Indiana State Uni. The John Wooden era at UCLA included winning ten college basketball championships. A record that was only broken in 2016 by Geno Auriemma. Wooden had four perfect seasons!! The only other Division I men's or women's coach with more than one perfect season is Auriemma, with six at Connecticut. In 2009, Wooden was named The Sporting News "Greatest Coach of All Time". The thing for me that makes John Wooden a great leader is that he didnt just say words and hope people would follow him. He placed a great importance in life to lead by example. This is often termed Integrity. Does integrity mean you wont make mistakes? No it doesnt. What it does mean though that when you make them, you own them. No person is immune to stuffing up! All of us though have a responsibility though to learn from those mistakes and correct our wrongs. John Wooden lived a life of some 99 years. His later years demonstrated the respect that he had attained from his achievements, but more so the legacy that a man of humility demonstrated by raising up people under him to be great! I suggest that you find his inspirations on how to live a great life. His 7 points of creed are particularly good for those who wish to be the best they can be in all your endeavours but most of all life. Are you a leader? How do you lead? How do you want others to remember you?

Week 2 YLC thought 2017

"Set your Goals high, and don't stop till you get there! Bo Jackson. Welcome to your second thought for 2017. Most of you probably know by now that I love goals and achieving them. On Sunday afternoon, I met with one of my two mentors. 
We spoke about the challenges and joys of dealing with teenagers everyday, the experiences that sometimes can make us forget about how cool it is to be able to live in a world where technology and community allow us to share our experiences in real time and most of all, how challenging it can be to set good goals. We chatted for 6 hours!!! His last comment is something I want to share with you all as I find myself saying the same thing when I share about my students. "I am proud of you because you are trying to be better everyday." The first 5 words really hit you when you hear them from someone you respect. I remember the first time I heard my parents say it to me.. It made me sit up straight and feel on top of the world. You may never hear it if you expect to hear it though. It's much like Goals. You have to set them high and push through all of the rejection, pain, frustration and wanting to give up. When you get there (and you will) you might be like Bo Jackson. Dual all star in both NFL (Gridiron) and MLB (Baseball). His football career included four seasons in the NFL. Jackson rushed for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns with an average yards per carry of 5.4. He also caught 40 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson's 221 yards on November 30, 1987, just 29 days after his first NFL carry, is still a Monday Night Football record. After a career ending Hip injury he returned to Baseball for the White Sox. Here's some baseball achievements AL All-Star (1989) 1989 All-Star Game MVP 1993 AL Comeback Player of the Year Award 20-Home Run Seasons: 4 (19871990) 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1989) 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1989) Why do you set goals high? They are not meant to be easy! They are challenges and for all of you, it is time to step up to the plate and smash a home run in whatever you choose to aim for. Injury didn't stop Bo Jackson. His attitude might of though if it wasn't for chasing after what he set out to do.

Week 1 thought for YLC 2017

You are receiving for the first of what I hope to be a weekly quote and thought to you. Do you have to read it? Do you have to answer questions on it? Do you have to take what is here and put it into your daily life? The answer is No. You don't have to care about it or read it or answer any questions or even make it something more than it is. But I believe that if you just spend a couple of moments in your week thinking about it, you may just find something to get out of it. So to Number 1 of the Year (Look at the attached image for the Context) Dr. Seuss was an amazing author. During his senior year at Dartmouth College, Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and nine of his friends were caught drinking gin in his room. This was the spring of 1925, and the dean put them all on probation for violating the laws of Prohibition. He also stripped Geisel of his editorship of Jack-O-Lantern the colleges humour magazine where Ted published his cartoons. To evade punishment, Ted Geisel began publishing cartoons under aliases: L. Pasteur, D.G. Rossetti 25, T. Seuss, and Seuss. These cartoons mark the first time he signed his work Seuss. As a magazine cartoonist, he began signing his work under the mock-scholarly title of Dr. Theophrastus Seuss in 1927. He shortened that to Dr. Seuss in 1928. In acquiring his professional pseudonym, he also gained a new pronunciation. Most Americans pronounce the name Soose, and not Zoice. And thats how Ted Geisel became Dr. Seuss. In 1955, Dartmouth gave him his first honorary doctorate. He would eventually receive several more honorary degrees, including one from Princeton. By pursuing his love of drawing, Ted Geisel became one of the few people to earn a Ph.D. by dropping out of graduate school. (Source: www.suessville.com) So you might say so what? He is famous and I'm just a kid. I want to share a secret about life with you. In life it is not the academic results that necessarily grant you success. Success is what you measure it to be. For me Success is achieving the things in life I strive for and feeling a sense that I have learnt something new. It is also not your teachers that will make an opportunity just work for you. It is your brains, your journey to greatness and in the end your decisions in which way you lead life that will give to you all of the things you aim for. If you want great, work towards great! Don't blame others if you don't put the effort in. You have Brains and you have Feet! Move towards where you want to go and we will support you all the way to achieve greatness.