W.I.N. Wednesday: Great wisdom from the unknown.

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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September 30, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: It's a beautiful thing.

"The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you."

B.B. King

Too often we associate learning with school and think of school as a place where you were forced to sit through classes that you had no interest in and saw no application for. Once you graduated from high school someone may have told you that you had to go to university if you ever wanted to make something of yourself. For some of you that resulted in another 4 to 8 years of sitting in a classroom or lecture hall and felling like learning was a chore.

Now, this may not have been your experience. You may have loved every minute of school and developed a love for learning early in your life. If that is the case, I am very happy for you.

Unfortunately, many people associate school with someone trying to force them to learn and being made to read books they had no interest in or even hated. The result is the staggering statistics on how few people ever read another book after they leave high school or college.

Regardless of your experiences in school you can develop a love for learning if you develop a new attitude about learning. Learning is something you do for you. Reading is something you do for you. Learning is an investment in you. Learning comes in many forms and formal schooling is just one of them.

You can learn through print books, audio books and e-books. You can learn through podcasts, webinars and tele-seminars. You can learn by taking successful people out to lunch and asking great questions. You can learn by taking courses online or in person. You can learn by attending seminars, conferences and workshops. You can learn by doing crossword puzzles or brain games. You can learn by watching documentaries. You can learn from teachers, coaches, role models and mentors. You can learn from your failures, your mistakes and your successes. You can learn from watching and listening to people. You can learn from life.

You can learn more about things you already know about and you can learn new things. You can learn to paint, to sing, to dance, to fight, to lead, to be a stand up comic, to be a writer, to surf, to climb mountains, to ski on ice or water, to knit, to be a better communicator, to cook, to be a sommelier, to build a website, to set goals, to eat healthier, to get fitter, to invest in the market, or to be a better parent. What you can learn about is endless. The key is to learn.

B.B. King was right when he said, "The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you." Learning is for you. It will grow your mind and enhance your life. Learning, like healthy eating and exercise, is an investment in you. If you are only going to invest in one thing in your life, invest in yourself.

What's Important Now? - View every opportunity to learn and an opportunity to invest in you and to grow you. Seek opportunities to learn. Make opportunities to learn. Stay hungry and humble. Keep learning until you die, it will enhance the life you live.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com

September 23, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What you up to Willis?

I have had a number of people ask me lately about what I am up to as far as new projects. Well, there are two main ones - The Excellence in Training Academy and WINx.

The Excellence in Training Academy is a membership site created for law enforcement trainers who want to invest in their professional development and growth as part of their journey to become great trainers. I hear from trainers across North America who are frustrated by shrinking training budgets and restrictions on travel that keep them from being able to attend professional development training programs. These dedicated trainers (you may be one of them) are also frustrated by the lack of training programs focused on helping them become better trainers, not just more effective practitioners. If you are one of those trainers, or know someone who is, the Excellence in Training Academy is here to serve you. We provide new training every week in the form of audio interviews and webinars. The interviews are with top trainers who share their knowledge, experience and wisdom and provide strategies and tactics to enhance your skills and abilities as a trainer. The end result is better training for your officers. In addition to audio interviews and commentaries the Academy offers monthly webinars, which provide a deep dive into the Excellence in Training philosophy, answer pressing questions trainers have and provide insights and take aways from books and courses. This training is accessible to members of the Excellence in Training Academy when it is convenient for them and can be accessed from a computer, tablet or smart phone. There are also a number of bonuses for members of the Excellence in Training Academy Community. Check out www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com for more details and to join the community. Join today and you will be eligible for this month's book give away.

WINx: Inspiring Excellence in Law Enforcement is a unique training event for the law enforcement profession that I am proud to be running with Roy Bethge and the amazing team from The Virtus Group. The event takes place on November 18 in Lisle, Illinois, at the Grounds for Hope Cafe.

WINx is a fast paced, dynamic learning experience consisting of nine presentations which are each 18 minutes in length. In addition to the dynamic presentations there are interactive sessions before and between presentations. Each of the WINx presentations addresses an issue critical to the law enforcement profession and will challenge, engage and inspire attendees to action. This is the first year for WINx.

"Excellence is a choice. A choice to think, train and lead differently. WINx is a unique experience in law enforcement created to inspire excellence in the profession."

Brian Willis, Co- Creator of WINx and President, Winning Mind Training

WINx speakers are from around North America. Full information about WINx and our speakers can be found at http://www.experiencewinx.com/2015-experience/.

The list of speakers is as follows:

Melissa Agnes, President and co-founder of Agnes + Day Inc., a Crisis Management Firm
Mark Fallon, Director of ClubFed, LLC, retired NCIS agent
Charles Huth, Police Captain and Past-President of the National Law Enforcement Training Center
Kevin Briggs, Retired California Highway Patrol Sergeant and nationally renowned speaker
Brian Willis, CEO Winning Mind Training, retired Police Sergeant
John Bostain, co-owner and Lead Instructor for Command Presence Training Associates
Daniel Linskey, Superintendent-in-Chief (Retired), Boston Police Department
Jamey Gadoury, Talent management professional, West Point Graduate and retired Army Infantry Officer
Patrick Van Horne, author of Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life

“WINx is exactly what our profession needs right now. It’s time for all of us to challenge ourselves to think, lead, live, train, behave and prepare differently”

Roy Bethge, Co-Creator of WINx and Deputy Police Chief.

As a W.I.N. Newsletter subscriber you can save $20.00 off the registration price for you and your friends by using the code WIN20. Space is limited so register soon and be sure to bring a friend.

This event will be worth travelling to and we will have a special room rate at the Hilton in Lisle if you want to stay overnight.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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September 09, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: A message to the Law Enforcement Profession.

You Quit; They Win

They are loud, angry, hateful and accusatory.

They throw rocks, bottles, punches and insults.

They protest, riot, loot and burn all in the name of ‘justice’.

They call you pigs, racist, thugs, bullies and murderers.

They accuse you of misapplying the law.

They attack you, resist you, murder you and injure you.

Who are They? They are the violent criminals, the gang members, the haters, the anti-police groups and the special interest groups. They have their own agendas.

They get a lot of coverage on the 6 o’clock news. They however, do not represent the majority of the people in your community and in your country. The majority of people in your communities support you, appreciate you and understand you have a challenging job to do.

If you quit; They win.

If you quit being professional; They win and you lose.

If you quit doing your job; They win and your community loses.

Who are you? You are a law enforcement professional who has taken an oath of service. You have within you a heart of service. You have the warrior spirit; a spirit of courage, integrity, honor, humility, leadership, strength, professionalism and service.

Think back to the pride you felt when you took the oath and pinned on that badge. Embrace that pride. Hold on to that pride. Keep you head up and be proud of who you are and what you do.

It takes courage to continue to serve and to dare to be great in the face of the anger, the hatred, the accusations, the attacks on your character and the violent physical attacks. Continue to grow that courage.

It is not easy to continue to serve greatly and wear the uniform proudly in these challenging times. If you wanted easy however, you would not have chosen the law enforcement profession.

Now, more that ever, we need you to stay professional and serve proudly. Now, more than ever, we need you to dare to be great.

You quit; They win.

You remain strong and proud; you win, your community wins and the profession wins.

On behalf of the communities you serve, thank you for your service. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you for your professionalism. Thank you for choosing not to quit.

What's Important Now? Stay strong. Be proud of who you are and what you do. Continue to serve. Know that you make a difference in the lives of people in your community.

(I wrote this article a few months ago and it was published in the Calibre Press Street Survival Newsline. Due to recent events and discussions I felt it was important to get the message back out there.)

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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September 02, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: It is supposed to be hard.

"When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"

Sydney J. Harris

Make a list of all the things in life that are easy.

Now make a list of all the things in life that are hard, that you had to work for and that you struggled with.

Which of those two lists do you appreciate more?

I am thinking life is supposed to be hard. That way we appreciate it more.

Life is hard. You have to work at it to make the most of it. That work results in successes and failures. Those experiences lead to learning (especially the failures). That learning leads to growth. Your growth enhances your commitment to serve others. Your service to others leads to significance.

Life is a journey that is supposed to be hard. When you get to the end of the long, hard road then you can reflect back and smile knowing that you made it and that you made a difference.

What's Important Now? Accept that life is hard and enjoy the result of your hard work.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 26, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Think How not Can.

“In contrast, a process orientation . . . asks ‘How do I do it?’ instead of ‘Can I do it?’ and this directs attention toward defining the steps that are necessary on the way. This orientation can be characterized in terms of the guiding principle that there are no failures, only ineffective solutions.”

Ellen Langer

One of the key thought processes I seek to instil in athletes is to focus on the process, not the outcome. If you focus on process and execute your process to the best of your ability the outcome will look after itself. Focusing on outcome often causes you to deviate from the process and negatively effects your performance.

Langer's question, "How do I do it?" causes you to focus on the process, the steps necessary to successfully accomplish the goal, mission or task. "Can I do it?" on the other hand will often cause self doubt, a flood of negative thoughts and a host of reasons why the answer is "No".

In my presentations on The Pursuit of Personal Excellence and Dare to Be Great I talk about the importance of coming up with a new definition for failure. You are going to fail. It is part of life. The key is whether you view that failure as an opportunity or, as a setback or even a reason to quit. Failure can be feedback that provides you an opportunity to learn a better way and a chance to grow as a result of the experience. As Langer points out in her quote, failure is simply a method for identifying ineffective solutions.

What's Important Now? - As you prepare to wade into that next project focus on the process. Ask yourself, "How do I do it?", "What action steps do I need to take?", "What do I need to learn?", "Who do I need to get help from?" then take the first step and keep asking "What's Important Now?"

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 19, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: No matter what you have achieved...

"No matter how much you have achieved, you will always be merely good relative to to what you can become. Greatness is an inherently dynamic process, not an end point. The moment you think of yourself as great, your slide toward mediocrity will have already begun."

Jim Collins, Good to Great and The Social Sectors

My oldest son Jesse (along with his business partner Jeff Jamieson) owns Vine Arts, an extremely successful boutique wine store, and Proof, the hottest new cocktail bar in Calgary. They understand the lesson Jim Collins talks about in Good to Great. They are continually innovating and doing new things both at Vine Arts, which opened in March of 2012, and Proof, which just opened in May of this year. Even though they get this concept and live it, I shared this quote from Collins with Jesse a few months ago to pass along to all his staff.

My son Cody open his restaurant Native Tongues Taqueria on July 1. Having his open restaurant has been a dream for years and took an amazing amount of hard work, vision, creativity, grit, resilience and persistence. The result is a really cool space, amazing food, great staff who provide great service creating an first class dining experience for customers. They have been busy since the day they opened the doors.

While having lunch at Native Tongues with Cody a couple of weeks ago I made the comment,"It must feel great to be packed every night for the first month you have been open." His response impressed me. He said, "It is easy to pack the place the first month, even the first six months. The challenge is can we make sure it is still packed after a year, 5 years and 10 years." Wow. I wish I had that kind of wisdom and insight into the pursuit of excellence when I was 29.

What about you. Are you basking in the glory of your success? Have you 'arrived' and stopped innovating, creating and serving? Have you gotten comfortable with the status quo? Have you begun your slide to mediocrity? It is easy to do. The problem is that by the time you realize you are on the slide to mediocrity it is often too late to recover.

What's Important Now? - Dare to be great, but never think of yourself as great. Greatness is a journey, not a destination. Stay hungry and humble. Keep learning. Keep growing.

Take care.

Brian Willis

August 12, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Dinner guests?

I was recently interviewed for the soon to be launched podcast on leadership called The Police Leader Podcast. Roy Bethge, the host, sent me a list of potential questions in advance so I would be able to provide more concise answers and ramble less. One of the questions, which we did not get to during the interview, was, "If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead), who would they be? Great question.

My first thought was my wife Lynda and our two sons Jesse and Cody. I love hanging out with Jesse and Cody and picking their brains on leadership, business, marketing and life. They are very good about making time for dad, but due to their very busy schedules we do not get to hang out as much as I would like.

Then my mind drifted, as it often does. If I was going to have dinner with three people to learn about teaching and coaching who would they be? This list ended up with Lou Holtz, John Wooden and Pete Carroll as the dinner guests. I would sneak John Maxwell in as the moderator as I know he would come prepared with a list of deep questions that would draw out the knowledge, wisdom and insights from all three coaches.

I then began to think that where this was a leadership podcast I should contemplate who would be on the list if I wanted the focus to be leadership. That list ended up with Bill Westfall, Paul Callan and Joseph Campbell. Bill Westfall is a friend, mentor and an amazing leadership trainer. Paul Callan is a retired Marine Corps Colonel who teaches Heroic Leadership and Joseph Campbell is an author who wrote extensively about the hero's journey and is often quoted by Westfall and Callan. I would have Roy Bethge there as the moderator and get him to start the conversation by asking them all their thoughts on heroic leadership and then I just sit back and listen to what would surely be an amazingly insightful conversation.

If the dinner focus was "How to be a better man.", I would have Joe Ehrmann, Tony Dungy and Ron Scheidt. Joe Ehrmann is the author of InsideOut Coaching and I talk about his program 'To Be Better Man' in many of my presentation. Tony Dungy is a former NFL coach, the author of a number of books and an amazing individual and Ron Scheidt is my partner in the am I that man? project.

Every time I make a list I think about two or three more people I should add.

By this point my mind is racing and thinking about a monthly dinner roundtable so I will stop here.

For the dinners focused on coaching, leadership, and being a better man I would have have my son Jesse there as the Sommelier and my son Cody there as the Executive Chef. That way I would get to hang out with them, we would be sure to have great wine and food to accompany the stimulating conversation and they would be able to benefit from the dinner conversation.

What about you? Who would you invite to that dinner? What if you could have a series of dinners each with a different theme what would your themes be and who would you invite?

Share your thoughts in the comments section or send me an e-mail and let me know.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: The myth lives on.

July 29, 2015 / Brian Willis

I continue to hear people talk about the important of Work - Life balance and the need to get more balance in their life.

I find it interesting that we refer to work, which occupies 40 to 60 hours out of most people's week, as separate somehow from your life. If you have a job, work is part of your life. The stage of life you are at, and the type of work you do (work at an office, work from home, work on your education, work on your health, etc) will determine how big a part of your life work actually is.

According to www.dictionary.com the definition of balance is: a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.

If you spend 40 to 60 hours a week at work and another 5 to 10 hours a week commuting to and from your place of employment, you cannot spend an equal amount of time in hobbies and with your children and with your spouse and volunteering and coaching youth sports and….. well you get the point.

Work - Life Balance does not exist. It is a myth we continue to chase.

It is not about balance. It is about focus and priorities. It's about What's Important Now?

What's Important Now? - Determine who and what are the priorities in your life.

What's Important Now? - Become aware of where your focus and energy is when you are at work.

What's Important Now? - Become aware of where your focus and energy is when you are with your family.

What's Important Now? - Become aware of where your focus and energy is when you are reading a great book or out on the golf course with friends?

If your focus and energy are not on the task at hand, or on the people you are with, there is an issue you need to address. It is not about balance, it is about focus and priorities. That feeling of dissonance you experience when you are one place and your focus is elsewhere because you are feeling guilty should tell you that your focus, priorities and energy are misaligned.

Stop seeking balance. Instead, use Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now? - to guide your decisions and keep your focus and energy on what is truly important.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Beware the thief of joy.

July 22, 2015 / Brian Willis

"Comparison is the thief of joy."

Theodore Roosevelt

In my presentations on Dare to Be Great and The Pursuit of Personal Excellence I talk about being "your best, not the best".

Being your best is about making a commitment to get a little bit better every day. It is about building on your strengths and talents to be the best version of you. It is about doing the best you can with what you have on that day, or in that moment. It is about allowing yourself to be human. It is about owning up to your mistakes, learning from your failures and growing from the experience.

Striving to be "The Best" however, always requires a comparison. You must compare yourself to someone else, or someone else's definition of the best. Every other person has different strengths, talents, and experiences than you do. It is this comparison that too often causes people to lose the joy and give up the dream. They get frustrated and tell themselves, "I will never be as good as them so why bother trying." They allow comparison to steal the joy and the dream.

Abraham Maslow said, "What one can be, one must be." He did not say, "What someone else can be, so too must you be."

Learn from others. Listen to others. Find strong mentors and role models. Read, study, work and grow yourself. You can model the qualities of others without striving to be someone else.

What's Important Now? Strive for excellence. Dare to Be Great. Commit to being the best version of you that you can be and you will frustrate the "Thief of Joy".

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Some thoughts on success.

July 15, 2015 / Brian Willis

Lets start with a question - How do you define success?

Is it based on how much money you make?

Is it based on the positive impact you make?

Is it based on the number of championships or titles you have won?

is it based on how you have been of service to others?

is it based on the quality of your relationships?

Is it based on the awards you have received?

Is it based on what you have helped others accomplish?

Regardless of how you define success it takes work. It takes hard work. And, it takes hard work over an extended period of time.

There is no such thing as an overnight success. In today's digital age you might go viral in a short period of time, you might become a YouTube sensation overnight, but success takes hard work, and is usually the result of a lot of falls and struggles along the way.

What's Important Now? - Reflect on how you measure success, then reflect on the following quotes. Once you are done reflecting, do the work.

"The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in this business. You've got to keep on working that talent. Someday I'll reach for it and it won't be there."

Irving Berlin

"You cannot own success. You can only rent it and the rent is due every day."

Darren Hardy

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What are you holding on to?

July 08, 2015 / Brian Willis

"The problem with holding a grudge is that your hands are too full to hold anything else."

Seth Godin

What are you holding on to?

How full are your hands?

Who are you hurting by holding on to the grudge? (Probably only yourself.)

What is that grudge costing you? (sleep, heath, peace of mind, happiness)

"Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head."

Esther Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers

What's Important Now? - Build a bridge and get over it. Let it go. Kick out the squatters.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: More than a question. Make it the culture.

June 24, 2015 / Brian Willis

I spent a fun hour yesterday talking with Melissa Agnes (www.melissaagnes.com) for an episode of her Crisis Intelligence Podcast. We were speaking about the current challenges facing the law enforcement profession and much of the discussion centered around Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

I believe the power of the question - What's Important Now? - comes from:

Its simplicity, and
Its diversity in application

As I reflected on our discussions it struck me that we need to make sure that we take What's Important Now? beyond seeing it as a powerful decision making tool and make it part of the culture of our organizations. How do you do that?

It starts with education. You need to make time to explain the question to people and give them simple, every day examples of how to use it in their personal and professional lives. Once people understand the question (and the acronym W.I.N.) you can start to make it part of the culture. How do you do that? Ask yourself What's Important Now? and:

Ask More - Tell Less. At staff meetings, in training, in brain storming sessions instead of giving people the answer, ask them the question What's Important Now? Use the question to guide them to self discovery of the answer.
Work with your training staff to help them understand the applications to the material they teach. Once the training staff are on board build W.I.N. into every training and education session taught in your organization.
Create What's Important Now? posters and put them up around your offices and facilities. These posters can have What's Important Now? at the top and an important message below. Here are some ideas based on key messages from my presentations, "Have that courageous conversation.", "Dare to be Great.", "Embrace the pursuit of excellence.", "Your life IS your legacy.", "Take the blame and give away the credit.", "Excellence, not Perfection.", "What are we celebrating today?", "Do what is right. It is not always popular or expedient, but it is always what's right.", "Praise great effort." or "Focus on process, not outcome.". You can also use key messages from your mission statement or core values.
Give out W.I.N. wristbands, which can serve as a constant reminder for people.
Use What's Important Now? to help create the long term vision or mission for your team or organization. Then use What's Important Now? to identify what is important for you to do right now to take the first steps towards achieving that mission. Use W.I.N. in every part of the journey as a guide.

When you start to build What's Important Now? into every training session, every staff meeting, every planning session, every coaching session and every discussion, it will become the common language of the organization, it will serve as a rallying cry for the people in the organization and it will become part of the culture.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: How would you spend this prize?

June 17, 2015 / Brian Willis

I have had two people for whom I have a great deal of respect that both sent me this recently. I am taking the hint and sharing it with you.

(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

THIS WAS FOUND IN THE BILLFOLD OF COACH PAUL BEAR BRYANT, ALABAMA, AFTER HE DIED IN 1982

The Magic Bank Account

Imagine that you had won the following *PRIZE* in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private account for your use. However, this prize has rules:

The set of rules:

1. Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.

2. You may not simply transfer money into some other account.

3. You may only spend it.

4. Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for that day.

5. The bank can end the game without warning. At any time it can say, “Game Over!". It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right? Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love and care for. Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right?

You would try to spend every penny, and use it all, because you knew it would be replenished in the morning, right?

ACTUALLY, This GAME is REAL ...

Shocked ??? YES!

Each of us is already a winner of this *PRIZE*. We just can't seem to see it.

The PRIZE is *TIME*.

Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.

And when we go to sleep that night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.

What we haven't used up that day is forever lost.

Yesterday is forever gone.

Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can close your account at any time WITHOUT WARNING.

So, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?

Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.

Think about it and remember to enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.

So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply, and enjoy life!

Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day. Start “spending”....

DON’T COMPLAIN ABOUT GROWING OLD.

SOME PEOPLE DON'T GET THE PRIVILEGE!

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: It's Not About Me.

June 10, 2015 / Brian Willis

As a professional speaker and trainer, it is not about me. It is easy to think it is because I am the one who stands at the front of the room or on the stage, gets the glowing introduction and the one people say nice things about (usually) in the evaluations. But, it is not about me. It is about the people in the audience. I am there to serve them, not the other way around. I need to make them the heroes of my presentation and my job is to serve as the wise and humble mentor. I need to provide the audience with strategies, tools and tactics that will enhance their lives. I need to teach in a way that makes it easy for them to learn. I need to remember it is not about me.

As a leader, it is not about me. It is easy to think it is. I get the fancy title, the corner officer, and people call me Mr. or sir. I might even get the preferred parking stall. But, it is not about me. As a leader it is about the people I have the privilege and honour to lead. It is about serving those who honour me by following me. It is about developing the people I lead. It is about supporting, acknowledging and recognizing the people I lead. It is about them. I need to remember it is not about me.

As the son of aging parents, it is not about me. It is easy to think it is. Easy to think I know what is best for them. It is easy to convince myself that they just don't know what is best for them, and I do. It is easy to think I know what is best regarding where they should be living and what care they should have. But, it is not about me, it is about them. We go through phases in our life where we think our parents don't know anything and we know best, then we realize how smart they are, then we slide back to thinking we know best. As long as they are sound cognitively, then I have to accept they know what is best for them. My job is to be there to love and support them. I need to remember it is not about me.

What's Important Now? - I need to remember it is not about me. I need to get over myself and focus on being of service. What about you?

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Your Power. Are you giving it away or taking it back?

June 03, 2015 / Brian Willis

It’s your power. You have to decide if you are going to take it back, or give it away.

You give it away when you hold on to anger and resentment towards other people. You give it away when you let other people control how you feel and how you respond. You give it away when you let the comments and actions of others ruin your day, and negatively affect your attitude, your happiness and your health.

You do not control other people. You do not control what they say, or what they do. You do control yourself and how you respond.

You take back your power when you forgive other people and set them free. When I talk about forgiveness I do not mean "forgive and forget" or condoning the words or actions of others. You do not control them, you have no power to change them, you cannot make them "take it back". You do have a choice however. You can choose to hold onto the anger and hurt and give them the power or choose to forgive them and set them free, and in doing so take back your power, your control and your life.

You take back your power when you accept the reality that you cannot change, or fix other people. You only have control over you.

You take back your power when you take a breath, build a bridge and "get over it". Holding on to 'stuff’ from the past only drains your power and gives it to others.

It is your power. Your life. Your choice.

What's Important Now? - Choose wisely.

Take care.

Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What horse are you betting on?

May 27, 2015 / Brian Willis

During my bike ride yesterday I listened to a podcast interview with Dan Millman. Dan is the author of 17 books including The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and is working on his 18th book. He is an incredible story and a man with a great deal of wisdom and insights about life. One of the many gems I took from that interview with Millman was a comment he made. "The horse I am betting on is effort over time."

That comment made we reflect on two previous events this week.

The first was breakfast with my son Jesse. Jesse owns a boutique wine store in Calgary called Vine Arts and along with his business partner Jeff Jamieson opened a cocktail bar at the start of May called Proof. Vine Arts opened in March of 2012 and is extremely successful and while Proof has only been open a month they have been packed every night. On April 26, Jesse ran a fundraiser for cancer with a Carnival and Cocktails theme. Jesse put in a huge amount of time and effort resulting in a first class event which raised over $20,000.00 for cancer research. Jesse and Jeff are also in discussions with developers for a second Vine Arts location.

The second event was lunch yesterday with my son Cody. Cody will be opening his first restaurant called Native Tongues Taqueria on July 1. He has been working on the concept for years and has been working on this restaurant, at this location for close to two years. I think it is a safe bet that the day they open the doors Native Tongues is going to be crazy busy every single day. Cody has a great team in place and the design, menu and service are going to be amazing.

What does the comment by Dan Millman have to do with these two meals? Nothing and everything. It has nothing to do with the actual food and everything to do with the conversations with Jesse and Cody. Both Jesse and Cody are extremely successful. They have worked extremely hard and developed amazing reputations for themselves in the food and wine industry in Calgary. Why? Because of their work ethic and their understanding of the importance of relationships, service and effort, integrity, and commitment.

When Millman said, "The horse I am betting on is effort over time.", my thoughts immediately went to Jesse and Cody and their deep understanding of this concept. They understand there is no such thing as an overnight success. I am betting on both of them to continue their efforts and their success.

What about you? What horse are you betting on?

What's Important Now? Do the work. Do the work over the long haul. Be willing to commit to effort over time and be the horse others are willing to bet on.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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W.I.N. Wednesday - Unexpected Challenges. A setback or an opportunity?

May 20, 2015 / Brian Willis

One of the W.I.N. Newsletter subscribers sent me the following e-mail recently:

Brian,

My wife is the new HR manager at her company and was having to replace 5 people in a unit that had 6 people total. All the managers were panicking. She sent out her message to all the managers explaining that she had 4 new candidates to fill some of the spots and ended her message with this new mantra that I thought you would like. It's below:

Unexpected challenges = undiscovered opportunities for improvement.

Great message and a great attitude from someone who understands leadership. For many people unexpected challenges trigger complaining, panic, and fear of the worst.

True leaders see those unexpected challenges as an opportunity for growth, positive change and improvement. They embrace the suck and look for the good in the situation. As a result they come through the challenge better off for the experience.

What about you? How do you deal with unexpected challenges in the workplace? What about in your life?

What's Important Now? - Next time you are confronted with an unexpected challenge look for the opportunity to grow and improve.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Are you sacrificing the gift?

May 13, 2015 / Brian Willis

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

Steve Prefontaine

You have a gift.

I do not know what it is, but you do.

If you do not know what your gift is ask the people who are closest to you in your life, they know.

Then ask yourself:

Am I using my gift to the fullest of my ability?
Am I giving my best?
Am I daring to be great?
Am I embracing the pursuit of excellence?

What's Important Now? - Accept that your gift is too important to the world for you to give anything less than your best.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: I dare you.

May 05, 2015 / Brian Willis

“Greatness is the birthright of everyone.”

Paul Coelho

Allow yourself to imagine back to when you were a young boy or girl and dreaming of what you wanted to be when you grew up.

I am confident that you dreamt of being great at whatever you did. Most people do not grow up dreaming of being mediocre, of flying under the radar their entire career, doing the bare minimum to get by or just being average. You dreamt of being great.

Sometimes however, life gets in the way and beats you down and you find yourself embracing the status quo and focusing on just getting by.

I dare you to go back to the dream. I dare you to be great.

Dare to Be Great is the name of the presentation I did at the ILEETA conference in April and the title of my newest seminar. It builds on the theme of What's Important Now?

What's Important Now? - Accept that greatness is a choice.

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.”

Jim Collins

Every day you have to decide whether you are going to dare to be great, or accept the safety and security of average. Deciding to dare to be great takes work and a long term commitment to the process of growth.

“No matter how much you have achieved, you will always be merely good relative to what you can become. Greatness is an inherently dynamic process, not an end point. The moment you think of yourself as great, your slide toward mediocrity will have already begun.”

Jim Collins, Good to Great and the Social Sectors

What's Important Now? - Accept that greatness is a process, a journey, not an end state. At the point you think you have arrived, at the point you think you are great, your slide to mediocrity will have begun.

Daring to be great is not about trying to be perfect, it is about a commitment to be a little bit better every day.

“You don’t need to know what perfect looks like you just need to know what better is. Use better as your guide.”

Eric Greitens, Resilience

What's Important Now? - Go back to the dream. Go back to your why. Accept the dare. Dare to be Great.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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