Are You On the Wrong Road?

I went into Lowes the other day and met this amazing guy who just loved his job. He was whistling as he walked down the aisle, greeted me with a big smile, introduced himself, and asked if he could help me find anything. I told him what I was looking for, and rather than tell me to go to Aisle 16, he said, "Come on, I'll show you exactly where that is." So around the corner we went, and he took me to the exact spot where the item I needed was hanging on the wall.

After making sure that was exactly what I needed, and then asking if I needed help finding anything else, he shook my hand, thanked me for shopping at Lowes, and started whistling that same happy tune as he turned to walk away. I stopped him and asked, "It sure looks to me that you like what you're doing." He grinned a big grin, and replied, "My dad was a handyman growing up. Been around hardware my entire life...and always wanted to be around it. Here, I can share what I learned from my Pop and help others figure out exactly what they need to fix what's wrong at their house."

I wished him well, and went on my way. As I thought about our conversation, I realized this man was living life in pursuit of his passion. He was, in his own way, adding value to others as he shared his knowledge and life experience with others who were not as far along their own "handyman" journey as him. He was leading others, and developing those around him.

He was on the Road to Somewhere, and taking others on the journey with him.

That's what real leaders do.

Sadly, that's not the norm. Far too many people are waking up every morning, dreading with every fiber in their being having to endure another workday doing whatever it is they do, only to go home at the end of the day mentally exhausted and dreading having to get up the next morning and do it all over again. There was once a dream inside them, a lofty goal they wanted to pursue, but they have chosen (for whatever reason) to forsake the pursuit of that dream and settled for mediocrity and the status quo of the work-a-day world.

Welcome to the Road to Nowhere!

Today's marketplace is filled with people who believe they are in "dead-end" jobs with no opportunity for growth or promotion, and their performance in the workplace reflects this. As I've visited employers, and done training with employees, I've met some amazing people with incredible talent, who (for whatever reason) have chosen to accept a role that is beneath their ability and skill set - and are living life well beneath their potential.

(Q) Why is it that so many people are content to settle for mediocrity?

(Q) Why do people with amazing potential and incredible talent fail to develop those skills and pursue their dream?

(Q) Why do so many people give up on their dreams, choosing instead to live their lives traveling the Road to Nowhere?

In John Maxwell's "Developing the Leader Within You 2.0", he shares some of the reasons people don't develop as leaders - never learning how to lead themselves, discover and develop their strength zones and live lives of significance by adding value to others.

(Q) So why don't many people develop as leaders?

1. They believe leaders are born, not made.

Guess what? No one is born a leader. Everyone has the potential to lead, and leadership can be developed and improved by anyone who is willing to make the effort.

2. They believe without a title, or seniority, they can't be a leader.

Leaders lead, regardless of title, seniority or position. You don't need a title (or a position, or seniority) to be a leader. Leaders develop themselves, choose to learn from every situation, and focus on adding value to others.

3. They believe work experience will automatically make them a leader.

Simply because you have experience, it doesn't mean you're not qualified to lead. Experience is important, but if you haven't taken the time to evaluate that experience, to learn and grow for it, experience is of little value.

4. They believe they must wait until they get a leadership position to develop themselves.

One of my football coaches used to tell us that if we wait until the kickoff to get ready to play, it's too late. Preparation is a prerequisite to leading. When you have the mindset of "If I become a leader", you won't take the time to develop yourself - and you'll never be ready to lead, even when the opportunity presents itself.

So...if you're traveling on the Road to Nowhere, don't despair. The good news is there are exits along the way. It starts with believing in yourself, that you DO have value. It starts with investing in yourself. Here are three action steps you can take, starting today, to exit off the Road to Nowhere and navigate to the Road to Somewhere.

1. Invest in yourself. Purchase a copy of John Maxwell's "Developing the Leader Within You 2.0" or "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth". Commit to reading through one (or both) of these books, and applying these growth principles to your life. It's a great way to learn from other great leaders, and to add their wisdom to your own.
2. Start adding value to people. Zig Ziglar said that you can get everything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want in life. There are opportunities all around you to add value to others through an encouraging word or a helping hand if you will look for them, and act on them. When you do that, you become a person of influence. Now, you're learning to lead.
3. Make each day a learning environment. We can all learn something every day from what life brings our way. The best type of experience, according to John Maxwell, is evaluated experience. At the end of each day, take 10-15 minutes to reflect on what has happened today (good or bad), and what you can learn from this. This simple exercise helps you to grow and mature - and make better choices that lead to a better life.

You don't have to stay on the Road to Nowhere. You can grow yourself, improve yourself, develop yourself, and use each experience as a stepping stone that gets you one step closer to achieving that incredible, audacious, amazing, life-changing goal or dream within.

The Road to Somewhere Significant, awaits! Others are waiting for you to lead them there.

It's an incredible journey...so what are you waiting on?

Develop the leader within you, starting today!

John's Recommended Reading

2X martial arts Hall of Fame inductee, John Terry is a motivational speaker, leadership, sales & communication coach and trainer.   

Through his coaching and training company, IMGA.com, John (and his daughter, Jessie) seeks to INSPIRE others to see their limitless potential, MOTIVATE them to pursue black belt excellence as a leader in life, GROW personally and professionally and ACHIEVE greatness through living a life of significance.  

For more information, schedule John (or Jessie) to speak to your organization or to book a personal, group or corporate coaching session, visit www.IMGA.com.  

If you are a faith-based organization, learn more about John and Jessie's outreach to churches, para-church organizations or faith-based volunteer groups by visiting www.DunamisFactor.com.

John is an Executive Director with the John Maxwell Team and is passionate about helping others pursue excellence as they become "Leaders in Life".  

Jessie is a Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team. By the age of 18, Jessie has traveled to Guatemala and Cameroon, Africa to challenge and inspire young people to believe in themselves, and (regardless of age) to pursue with passion the dream within them. She is actively involved in the JMT Global Youth Initiative. Jessie was the youngest JMT member to ever speak on the Big Stage at the International Maxwell Certification conference in Orlando, FL in February, 2018.

Jessie's first children's book, Ebenezer's Journal, is available on Amazon.com.

Join Ebenezer as he uses the power of imagination to transform Dr. Lime's School of Normal Monsters into something amazing. See AWARENESS on display as Ebenezer awakens the dreams of his fellow students to transform his school and his community.

A fun read that can start young children on their own personal leadership growth journey. Buy a copy for yourself, and a copy to share with someone else.

?Click HERE to order.?