There was a study conducted many years ago that had a profound impact on me; I was in fact staggered by what it had found. The study was a very simple one. The researchers asked a number of seven-year-olds if they considered themselves creative, and ninety-five percent answered that they did. They then asked a number of adults in their early to mid twenties the same question, and only seven percent replied that they thought they were creative. What had happened? How did the percentage drop from ninety-five percent to seven? What had happened to us as adults to change [...]

All of us will have times in our life when we are required to lead or champion a cause. Knowing and applying the ten practices below will assist you greatly in that challenge when it comes. Interestingly enough, not only do these practices work in leading others, but they also apply in pursuing our own goals as well. Next month I will take these same principles and show you how we can apply them in our individual lives, but for this month read and absorb these time-tested and proven practices of success in a leadership role. 1. Have a large [...]

There is a common misconception that taking risks is … well, risky. But the truth is that taking risks is no more risky than playing it safe, or maintaining the status quo. In fact, often by failing to innovate, make changes and move forward in different areas of our lives, we open ourselves up to the possibility of stagnation and falling behind. It’s all perception. How we see ourselves, our lives, our world, our intimate relationships with the countless circumstances that surround us, determines how we make decisions and choices. And often our perceptions of reality do not match [...]

Hero worship shouldn't disappear with adolescence. It can and should be a lifelong source of inspiration and motivation for us. Many of the most famous and influential people we know let great men and women shape their lives well into their own adulthood, and so can you. Long before he ever became a Beatle, John Lennon idolized many of the old rhythm and blues greats, people like Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. He had their pictures on his wall and used them as inspiration when he first began playing guitar. In this way he could influence his imagination by conceiving [...]

This above all - to thine own self be true... -Shakespeare The following is an excerpt from Money Success & You, a book by John Kehoe. A recent national poll revealed that more than 80 percent of North America's working population do not enjoy the work they do. This is a profoundly tragic statistic, considering that work consumes so much of our lives. Nor is it a good formula for success, because when you study closely people who are successful it becomes abundantly clear that their achievements are directly related to the enjoyment they derive from their work. This [...]

Her identity is top secret, but word of her good deeds has spread across Canada one Tim Horton's coffee at a time. (Tim Horton's is our largest coffee and sandwich franchise, with numerous outlets in every major city.) For the past three years, a mystery woman from Toronto has consistently surprised Tim Horton's drive-thru customers who pulled up to the take-out window right after the coffee angel" has driven away, only to find their bill has been taken care of. Big order or small, the 40-year-old mother of two boys doles out money for total strangers at Tim Horton's with [...]