You Cold Busted!

There's something that you're not doing.  Yes, you.  I caught you.  And in the words of Oran "Juice" Jones (no, his Mama didn't name him "Juice"), "You cold busted!"  If you're wondering what that means, allow me to translate.  That means you've been caught red-handed.  I caught you in the act.  There's no denying the evidence against you.  Tell the truth and shame the Devil.  And finally it means, well, you're busted.  Straight up.  Word to Big Bird!  Now that you know how busted you are, what are you going to do about it?

You've got a choice. 

You could muster up the courage to do the thing or things you committed to doing at the beginning of this year.  Uh oh.  I just said something.  Yep.  I just called you out about your beloved New Year's Resolutions.  You know.  The ones that you were definitely going to keep and adhere to.  This time.  This year. 

The ones that meant more to you than those in the past.  Because you got that special word this year.  It set you on fiiire like the Ohio Players!  For about a week.  But now?  You're a little over three weeks into your year.  And you've already fallen off. 

What are you going to do about it?

You could also lie your way to laziness, lethargy, and loneliness.  That is, you could lie to yourself about why you haven't done what you haven't done.  Then, after settling for a settled-for existence, you could revel and wallow in your lethargy.  Boy howdy!  You'd be soooo much fun to be with!  Right?  Of course not!  That's where the loneliness comes in.  Because who wants to be around you if you've quit?  Not folk who keep moving forward.  So. 

What are you going to do about it?

Ok, full disclosure time.  You're not in this alone.  I've got to get back in the groove of a few things too.  Yep, I've slipped into the land of comfortable.  And I'm packing by bags and leaving it!  Ain't nobody got time for that!  I've got dreams to remember!  And so do you!  Together, we can do this!  I'll encourage you.  Then you've got to encourage some other folk.  Deal?  Thanks!  I appreciate you!  I've got a question though.

Are you really going to do anything about it?

You could  keep going down the dry and barren path of nothingness.  The path of the sluggard.  It's detailed throughout the book of Proverbs.  Most notably in Proverbs 6.6-11.  Verse 11 says, "...poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber."  In short, his path is wack!  But make no mistake.  It's a well-worn path, because so many have taken the easy way out.  Are you next?   

What are you going to do about it?

Aren't you glad that I asked?  Of course you are.  And here's what you're going to do. 

You're going to win. 

Because you're going to recommit.  Because you're going to refocus. 
Because you're going to re-engage.

And you're going to win.

You're going to put the work in.  You're going to believe in you again.  You're going to trust God's plans and promises for you again.

And in case you forgot...

You're going to win!

Because when you resolved to do your things three weeks ago, you were in it to win it.  And you still are.  You just have to make a few adjustments.  You may have to start from scratch.  And that's not a bad thing.  It might even be the best thing for you.  Take a look at your plan and reassess it before you do.  Because you don't want to do more than you need to.

Now ask yourself, what were you doing before you started reading this?  Just in case you have a selective memory, I'll help you.  Prior to reading this, you were probably ready to throw in the towel.  Shoot, it might be sitting on a pile of towels!  You also might have been ready to pack up your tent and go home.  Don't you do it!  Not while Coach Eric J. Watts is here!  Remember what I've told and taught you.  "As long as you're still here, you've got a shot!"  Newsflash!  If you're reading this?  You're. Still. Here.

And...

You Cold Busted! 

What are you going to do about it?

I need you to know something.  You are not alone (this is the part where you start singing Michael's song).  I'd love to help you figure it out!  As a Certified Coach, Teacher, and Speaker with the John Maxwell Team, this is what I do.  It's my life's calling.  This is no mere work for me.  It's my passion and purpose.  I want you to experience transformational coaching and inspiring teaching.  I am fully committed to adding value to your life and helping you reach your full potential.  Contact me and let's talk about how I can speak life into your existence!

It's your life.  In 2015, it's your time.  You've got one life to live.  

What are you going to do about it?

At the Movies Pt. 2

Howdy, y'all!  Thanks for joining me.  We're going to get right back into it.  So, let's get it!  Remember, this week we're talking about endurance.  Any guesses on who said this, "What would you have me do, Alfred?"  Alfred says, "Endure, Master Wayne."  Now, come on.  The names make it easy for you.  I'll wait while you think...  You, sir.  You have the answer?  Ok, go ahead.  Good guess, but no, sir.  It's not from Chariots of Fire.  But there may be something coming from that movie in future posts.  So, keep the eyes of your inbox peeled and wide open.  The aforementioned lined comes from The Dark Knight.  Alfred says it to Bruce Wayne after Bruce admits to being perplexed on how to handle the Joker.

"Endure, Master Wayne."  We'd all do well to endure when things look bleak and we'd like to quit.  When hope seems all but lost.  Yes, it's easier to run away.  Yes, it's easier to give up.  But there's no fun in that stuff!  Dear readers, we must learn to smile in the fire.  When things are heating up around us, we must learn to sit still.  It's a bit early for y'all to be talking to me, but go ahead.  "Eric, how on earth am I supposed to sit still in the midst of a fire?!  Have you gone mad, man?!"  No, I'm not..."Well, there's something wrong, because you're talking crazy!"  Actually, I'm...  "And this better be good, because I'm not sure how much more of this fire I can take!"  Wow.  A lot to say?  Ok, now it's my turn.  Here's the thing.  When we're in the fire, it's never without a greater purpose.  A far greater purpose than we can see or know at the time.  In fact, if we knew all that was going on during the times that we're in the fire, many of us would ask for more fire.  Yes, I said it.  We.  Would.  Ask.  For.  More.  

Because we all want to be our best, right?  We want our character to honorable.  Don't we?  Of course we do.  That's why we must endure the fire.  Just as Alfred said to Bruce.  We must "Take it."  The biggest difference between Bruce and us?  We're not relying on ourselves.  Oh.  You are?  Well, that explains a lot.  No wonder you can't figure some things out.  You already know where I'm going.  Your trust should be in the Lord.  You know that, maaaan!  "I know Eric, but..."  No buts!  That's how you get caught up.  It's how you mess up!  Buts will mess you up!  Buts are the reason that you've got to learn to be still.  In fact, peep this.

1. Do not lean on your own understanding.  

2. Stop striving.    

If you will stay in the fire--and I strongly encourage you to do so--you'll come out of it much better off than you were before you went in.  And I know that fires can get pretty nasty.  I also know that there were these three young cats who an evil king ordered to be put in a blazing furnace.  He even ordered it to be heated seven times hotter than normal!  Question?  Sure, go ahead.  "Eric, that sounds awful!  What happened to them?"  Well, let's just say that those three you fellas kept their cool.  "Did they survive?!  C'mon, bud.  Ya gotta tell me!"  You already know that I'll never do your legwork for you.  You can read all about 'em by clicking here.  

Dear readers, when we endure our pains, hurts, and the things that press us, we're better for it.  We're also able to help other folk by way of our painful experiences.  There are many, many reasons that we should endure and do so with a good attitude.  I've given you a few and I'll leave you with this.  When you endure the fire, you become better equipped to Start A Fire.  Because as its been said, "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."  And that's exactly why you need to endure.  So you can become a fire starter!  Some of you just got too excited!  That's cool.  Keep your level of excitement right where it is and bring it with you as you join me on my new webinar, and I'll teach you all about how to Start A Fire.  

To learn more about what you need to do to start your fire, join me on my new webinar, Start A Fire! on November 10, 2014 at 7.30 PM EST.  During this special call, I'll teach you:

- How to set up your fire
- Tending your fire- Equipment needed for the fire  

You’ll also receive:

 - SPECIAL ACCESS to the EXCLUSIVE RECORDING! 

- LIFE-ENRICHING, insider leadership tips!

- EXCLUSIVE PRICING for January 2015 training: Fit In ‘15!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!  

SPACE IS LIMITED AND GOING FAST!

 

REGISTER NOW!  

BECAUSE IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY OR TOO LATE TO START YOUR FIRE!  


CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHY THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON ON EARTH IS THE HUMAN SOUL ON FIRE! 

   

Webinar: Start A Fire!

Registration: http://startafire14.eventbrite.com

Date(s): Nov 10, 17, 24, & Dec. 1

Time: 7.00 PM—8.30 PM EST

Join me!  It's guaranteed to be a hott time!  (Sorry, with all of the talk about fire, I couldn't resist!)

At the Movies Pt. 1

Good people.  My dear readers.  How are you?!  Doing well and feelin' fine?  Yes.  No.  Kind of?  Well, my aim today is to make you feel better, feel good, think better, think good, know better and know good.  Shoot, y'all might even want to do some good by the time I'm through!  Note: You should already be doing good all over the place.  Y'all know that.  Right?  Right.  Y'all also know that I love movies too.  Don't you?  Yep.  I thought so.  They're entertaining and fun.  They're thrilling.  Encouraging and uplifting.  Even sad.  They're also inspiring and have great messages.  Sometimes, God will use a movie or movie line to speak to you.  Can I get an amen?!  Thank you to my blonde-haired sista in the back!  Testify, my sista!  Oh, I didn't mean right now.  No, really.  Will you...  Yes.  I promise you can testify later.  I know.  It's tough to hold it in when you think about all that He's done for you.  I need you to try though.  Just for now.  Ok?  Cool.  Where were we, y'all?  Ahhh, that's right.  At the Movies.  Today's post will be a bit different than what you've read in the past.  I'm going to take a few of my favorite movie lines and expound on them and tell you what they mean to me.  I pray that they'll be a source of encouragement for you.

Note: Because so many folk love movies and movie quotes, and they're easy to digest and fun teaching tools, this is going to be a fun and awesome series! Let's get it, y'all!

First up..."What we do in life echoes in eternity." - Maximus Decimus Meridius

Y'all know this one.  No?  Who's got the answer?  You.  Yes, ma'am.  I'm talking to you.  That's right!  The movie we're looking for is Gladiator.  I could do an entire series about the leadership lessons from that movie, let alone examining this one line.  In fact...  I'll say this much.  Keep the eyes of your inboxes peeled!  What?  You didn't know your inbox could see?  Yep.  Sure can.  Mmm hmm.  Now, back to Maximus.  He's right, ya know.  Do you ever really, truly consider what you do?  Or do you just do anything?  Taking no regard for the impact of what you do.  Y'all know that what we do has lasting impacts on things, right?  On people.  I won't beat this one into the ground.  Just know a few things:

1. Do good.  When you do good or do good things, you will receive good/good things in return.  Doing good is it's own reward.  Don't believe me?  Try it.  Then come back and tell me how you felt after you did your good things.  No, I didn't say come and tell me the person or folk didn't say thank you.  Because if that's what you were in it for, you were doing good for all the wrong reasons.  And don't hit me with, "Well, folk should say thank you."  We know that.  Sometimes, they don't.  Sometimes, we don't.  Get over it.  All you can do is be your best.  You say thank you.  There are far more folk who appreciate it and will acknowledge it than those who don't and won't.

2. Be good.  At something.  You've got a skill.  A talent.  A gift.  Find out what those things are.  Explore.  Search.  Remember, you're a search engine.  And behind the scenes of you are algorithms.  Therefore, when you search yourself for your skills, talents, and gifts, there's going to be a return or returns on what's in you, what's put in you, and what you've put and allowed to enter into you.  So, be sure that only the right and good things enter into you.  Be vigilant about guarding your eyes, ears, and mind.  I know.   You can't keep thoughts from entering your mind, but here's what you can do.  Defenestrate them!  Evict them!  Choose not to allow them to linger in your mind or overpower you.

Also, and most importantly, be good to people.  Do I have to tell you why?  Good.  But y'all know I'm still going to give you something to chew on anyway.  

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right.  That's Matthew 5.10

Give and it will be given to you.  That's Luke 6.38.

A man reaps what he sows.  That's Galatians 6.7.

And know this.  You should be good to people just because.  So, don't think I'm saying that you should be good to people, because you expect to have good done unto you.  Nope.  Because if you know like I know, it doesn't quite happen like that all the time.  And that's all the more reason that we need to be good to each other.  Yep.  I know.  Deep.  Uh huh.  I just said something there.

3. Do more good.  Why?  Why not?  Stevie, tell 'em.

If love and peace you treasure...Oh, sorry y'all.  You caught me jammin'!

I'm back now.  I thought I was going to be able to wrap this up in just a few posts (and I may), but I feel a series comin' on.  A series, comin' on.  If you can name the song I just referenced (no, not the Stevie song), you win the grand prize!  Huh?  What is it?  It's reading the forthcoming posts, maaaan!  But...there may be an opportunity to win things in the future.  What kinds of things?  Good question.
Things like:

- Exclusive invites to groundbreaking webinars about leadership!  

- Special access to the exclusive recordings!

- Life-enriching, insider leadership tips and more!

What's that?  Another question?  Oh, a comment.  Sure.  Go ahead.  "YEEEEESSS!  Eric, I knew I liked you, bud!  That is some waaaaaaaayyy cool stuff!  And who doesn't like waaaaaaaayyy cool stuff?!  Eric, you are allllllriiiight!"  Well, thank ya kindly.

Be sure to join me next week when we talk about endurance!

In the meantime, visit my website and keep tuning in for more upcoming details about...

- Wisdom-filled webinars!
- Down-to-earth trainings!
- Real world coaching!

All with immediately applicable and usable takeaways!  And of course, waaaaaaaayyy cool stuff!!!

I appreciate you!  Thanks for reading!

Headless Chickens - Part 2

Welcome back, y'all!  Good to see you again!  I know you're anxious to get going, so let's get after it.  You're surrounded by Headless Chickens.  What do you do?  Here are a few tips.

1. Keep your head.  It sounds like a corny play on words based on the title of this post, but it's 100% true.  Think on it.  When you "lost your mind", what good were you for anyone?  For yourself?  What good did it do?  You accomplished nothing.  Here's what you do instead.  Keep calm.  Process the situation.  Make a decision and act on it.  Execute your plan.

2. Speak up.  Headless Chickens tend to squawk.  A lot.  And they do it loudly.  I can tell you why this happens and explain such behavior, but we'll explore those things in another post.  Make sure your voice gets heard.  Don't just sit there.  After you've assessed the situation, speak to it.  Speak on it.  Don't worry about being right.  This is to show that you're engaged (I can't believe I just used that word.  More on that in a few.) and that you're concerned and care.  Because you do.  At times, that gets lost on folk because of the Headless Chickens and their antics.  Don't let it.

3. Black and white.  Confused?  Don't be.  Listen.  You've taken everything in.  You've got the facts and necessary information.  After the meeting/session, head back to your office or your desk and put your plan on paper.  Whether that's electronic paper such as a Word document or an actual piece of paper.  Who cares?!  Just get it down.  While the Headless Chickens are running about, you're coming up with a plan.  For now and--watch this--the future.  After all, you've seen the future and it will be.  You'll have something to present to your manager and explain to her why your approach is a good option.  It doesn't have to be the best one all the time (Note: Please don't fall into that trap!  The trap of perfectionism.).   

Those are a few things to help you survive and thrive while in the midst of Headless Chickens.  I know you've got more.  Share them with us!  Remember, we're here to help one another.  

As promised, here's a final thought about that word I mentioned above: engaged.  Shamefully, some folk in leadership roles use it with a negative connotation.  They say that you're not engaged.  Allow me to translate that for you.  "You're not running around like a chicken with it's  head cut off like the rest of us.  Like me.  Because you're not doing so, that means you don't care and you're not getting anything done."  That'd be cool.  If it wasn't a lie. 

Hears the deal.  You care.  You are engaged.  It's just in ways that they don't notice.  We'll hit those in another post.  Side note: I'm starting to realize that this is going to require a bit more examination than I thought.  It's all good.  I promise to hit in full.  Back to the point.  You to need to realize that you engage for different reasons, in a different way, and with a different end in mind.  You want more than an engagement.  You want a good, solid marriage with your clients.  After all, you're a relationship builder.  And you want to build and cultivate strong, solid, mutually beneficial, and life-giving relationships.  

Their thinking shotgun wedding.  You're thinking, "Engagement?!  I never accepted the proposal!  And y'all want me to marry this mess?!  No thank you."  Friends, that's one of the reasons that you have to speak up.  You can't afford to be attached to that mess.  That's why you've got to have a plan in black and white.  It's why you must keep your head.  In spite of the criticism.  I promise you that it'll bear you out.  It may take some time (It will.).  It may not happen in your current role, but it will happen. 

I encourage you to fight the good fight against Headless Chickens.  Believe it or not, there's a few things you can learn from them.  See, I told y'all this thing requires more examination.  I'll get after it.  In the meantime, think of and share some of the other ways and tips that you use when you're surrounded by Headless Chickens.   Additionally, think of some new ways that you can and will try as well.  

I leave y'all with a lil' bit of Kipling.  That's Rudyard Kipling to you.  :-)  This is from his poem, If.  It applies to everyone.  I encourage you to think on it.  Apply it to your life.  To your situation.  Hang it on your wall.  Remember it when you're surrounded by Headless Chickens.  After all, it just may help to keep you engaged until you get the proposal you've been waiting for and the wedding you deserve. 

"If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs...Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"