8 Life Lessons from a Good Old Dog

My dog Marley taught me 8 great lessons in her amazing life.  Today I am honouring her by sharing what she taught me.

What if we could live our days as authentic people, real and true to ourselves and our loved ones?   How would our lives be different if we could be patient and trust that everything is exactly as it should be?  How much more efficient would our lives be if we were obedient to the rules that have been established for the safety of ourselves and others?  What kind of family or work environment could we create if we gave one hundred percent of ourselves in service, and received from others what they have to offer us?   How can we be more loyal to the hand that feeds us?   What kind of love could we experience if we placed no conditions on people?

Valentine’s Day is a day to remember those who touch our hearts, and those who help shape us to be who we are.   Marley made my world a better place and I bless the time we shared and the lessons you taught me – just by being YOU.

Read my latest article, a tribute to my loyal golden retriever.  www.PennyTremblay.com

January 7^th

If you plant carrot seeds, what do you get? … carrots.

If you plant bean seeds, what do you get?  beans.

What seeds are you planting in your mind?  Are they the seeds that you expect to have sprouting up in your reality?

I am grateful to be in attendance at the MLM Blueprint Workshop in Salt Lake City, founded and led by CEO of SendOutCards.  We are on our way to becoming a billion dollar house-hold name.

Jack Canfield taught me that you can’t stick your hand in a bucket of glue without some sticking on.  Meaning when you expose yourself to motivational experiences or information, some of it sticks. The greatest thing about being here, is sitting with my 11 year old daughter, who is listening and learning about multi-level marketing, with a crowd of 2300 other people.  There may be one other child her age here.  Most are adults, who have recognized the value of personal development.

Why do we wait until adulthood to invest in ourselves?  Why don’t we bring personal development into the lives of children?  I am sitting here asking myself these questions.

I believe that there is nothing we cannot accomplish with a positive mindset.  The world is full of negativity.  We stay plugged into positive energy by exposing ourselves to the right things everyday.  Its so easy to do, and its also so easy not to do.  Our imagination, beliefs and habits are formed by our thoughts.   It’s critical that you guard with your life what your mind is exposed to.

Feed your mind the fuel that will propel you to achieve the lifestyle that you desire.

Wishing you prosperity, health and happiness in 2012, … Penny

A year ago I was told by a manager in human resources of a large organization, that she had to ask an employee to remove a sign on their cubicle or office that said “Merry Christmas” because it offended someone else in the office.

“How sad that people can’t celebrate in their chosen traditional fashion” I thought to myself.

I have been thinking about this for a year, and I am making a conscious decision to include Christ in my seasonal greetings.  Yes, I am taking a stand for what I believe in, and I am allowing myself to speak, to think, to celebrate in my traditional way.

Christmas, December 25^th is the birth day of Jesus Christ, a man who changed the world.  I celebrate Him, and I will not be silenced by political views, policies in the workplace or others who have different beliefs.

You see, I understand that others celebrate differently.  Different religious cultures name their Gods differently, and celebrate differently, and I think that is terrific too.  Who am I to say what is right, or THE way, or the ONLY way.  I can respect other people’s beliefs, even though they are not mine.

I also respect my own beliefs and traditions, and I will not be silenced or change my traditional greeting of Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays.  My Christian values guide me to stay true to who I am, and share my joy with others by greeting them a Merry Christmas before or on this day.

So too will I wish my Jewish friends a happy Hanukkah this year during their eight-day commemoration which begins on December 20^th and ends December 28^th this year.

We can wish our African American friends a joyful Kwanzaa, during a weeklong celebration of their heritage and culture from Dec. 26 to January 1st.

As these and other faiths celebrate during this time, it is not only a Christmas season in our diverse country, but other holidays too, thus, Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings are generic greetings that recognize all groups of people that celebrate differently during this season.

Rather than try and silence people from offering the greetings of their choices, can we not stay true to who we really are by celebrating our own greetings and messages, and find peace in accepting what others believe as well?

I will hang a MERRY CHRISTMAS poster in my office this year, and I encourage all faiths to celebrate and hang their message too.  Won’t it help us all accept diversity when we can allow people to be who they really are, and be educated in the true meaning of what their holidays represent to them?

I personally have experienced the give and grow rich principal many times and it has nothing to do with chasing the almighty dollar. Its an attitude and an awareness about gratitude and love.

One thing that my Dad taught our family about abundance is very basic: Give with a heart of gratitude and you will be showered in blessings.  No matter how difficult the customer or how small the amount he profited, he always treated everyone the same.  My father was a farmer who struggled during the era where there was no insurance for his crops when family farms were totally dependent on the weather.  After 3 years of loss, he sold the farm and started a family business.  This was a transportation business where he built long and lasting relationships.  One of his methods of giving back was to plant a huge garden, which he loved because he could still enjoy growing food while providing for his family.  My Mother could never figure out why “he planted enough food to feed all of huron county”. He had two large gardens where he spent his spare time (many hours) tending to vegetables and he even grew cantelope and watermelons.  We knew he gave away produce to the neighbours but we didn’t know how much he gave, until he passed away.  At his wake, many people appeared and we had no idea who they were. There were families that came in gratitude and told us that they loved our Dad because of his generosity and he basically kept their family from starving.  We were told many stories of how my Dad had made up care packages of fresh produce, packages of meat (as he never lost his love of raising livestock) and distributed them to low income families in the war time housing on the base. He often would leave the food on their doorstep and the family knew it was from “Earl”.  Needless to say, when the priest spoke of my father’s genuine love and generosity, there wasn’t a dry eye in the church.  My father was not interested in wealth, he only wanted to provide a loving and secure home for his family and to enjoy his hobbies.  His whole approach to give and grow rich was being rich in the love from his family and friends and knowing that some of his small acts of human kindness would make a difference in other peoples lives.  When I return home to visit my family, I often drive around the neighbourhood on the old air-force base and think of my Father and the families who’s loads were a little lighter due to these wonderful acts of human kindness.  My Dad was the epitome of “give and grow rich”.

Karen

It is interesting to me, that the only book Steve Jobs had on his iPad was Autobiography of a Yogi.

He knows that when we can transform ourselves from the inside, we can transform the world.  This portrays the power in personal development.  You can’t skip it, or work around it, you must work through it to be your best and transform the world.

from source:  This acclaimed autobiography presents a fascinating portrait of one of the great spiritual figures of our time. With engaging candour, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda tells the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood; his encounter with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher; ten years of training in the hermitage of a revered yoga master; and the thirty years that he lived and taught in America. Also recorded here are his meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Luther Burbank, the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann, and other celebrated spiritual personalities of East and West. The author clearly explains the subtle but definite laws behind both the ordinary events of everyday life and the extraordinary events commonly termed ‘miracles’.

“I believe that communication is the most important leadership skill that one can possess for success in business,” I shared with Robin, the CEO of a successful Canadian-wide franchise.  Robin has experience working in many different companies and countries around the world.

I asked him, “In your opinion, what is the most important leadership quality?”

“Authenticity,” he said.

“Authentic leaders create environments where exceptional performance is nurtured through honest, intelligent and sincere communications.  The very best in people is brought out not through fear of consequences but through a desire to achieve.  This is best accomplished, in my experience, where the leadership agenda is all about engaging with genuine candor.  It’s pretty simple really.  Our goal as leaders is to get talented people totally focused on the work at hand and not waste time with the distractions of politics and  implied messages.  Once leadership authenticity takes root, people stop looking over their shoulder and become energized around moving the business forwards – not looking backwards.”

Authenticity is paramount in personal and professional leadership, and in order to exercise it, communication skills are key.  I learned a deeper lesson in leadership from Robin, and I am grateful to pass it onto you.

You can learn more about The Authentic Leader in my November Leadership Tip at www.PennyTremblay.com

Best wishes for an amazing November,

Penny

Giving and growing rich is an inside job. It starts with giving to ourselves.

Doing the work for this book and researching and creating programs for this topic gave me the opportunity to work hard on mending and fixing my own relationships. I had to learn to give in areas of my life that were suffering. I had to look deep within to find my internal flaws so that I could be a better giver.

What I discovered was that my relationship with myself has everything to do with the relationships that I keep with others.

When I’m feeling good about me, I see good in others. When I doubt myself, I doubt others. When I am feeling that others are not contributing enough to my life, I realize that the root of the problem is that I am not contributing enough to theirs.

The root of everything is found in our relationship with ourselves. In doing the work to nurture a better relationship with myself, my family problems vanished. Yes, I was the problem the whole time, but I was also the solution.

People ask me often how they can balance their time between their personal and professional needs, to make more time for themselves.  I address this question in my October 2011 Leadership Tip, Time To Get A Life

Let’s define the riches of life.  They are not always measured in money. Other riches include:

• Lasting friendships
• Harmonious family relationships
• Sympathy and empathy for other people
• Understanding between business associates
• Attracting an abundance of good feelings

Riches do not only consist of material things.  How do you define the Riches Of Life?  Please comment so we can survey the mindset of August 2011.

Read the full article, The Riches of Life, August edition of Leadership Tips by Penny Tremblay.

Here is another excerpt from my new book, I Give and Grow Rich, An Inspiring Guide to Circulating Abundant Wealth.

Cooperation vs. Competition

People in the workplace environment don’t always want to share their knowledge since they feel threatened. They feel that knowledge is power, and that they become more powerful by withholding all of their knowledge.

Nothing could be more detrimental to one’s career.

Knowledge is not meant to be hoarded. Those that do hoard do so under the false pretense that it makes them a better leader, but in reality, they are actually demonstrating a lack, limitation, and scarcity mentality, based on their fear that there is not enough knowledge for everyone.

How powerful will you be when you can share your information to build other leaders around you?

How important will you be to your organization when you can coach people toward better skills and influence and inspire them to perform to the best of their abilities?

People are often stuck in dead-end career positions because of their lack of ability to lead others.

Don’t hold back or keep secrets that could help someone else. You have experience that you can offer to others. Teach it to them. You have resources that others can use; pass on that knowledge so others can benefit.

Be the company’s biggest cheerleader, encouraging and empowering people to grow. When one person wins, we all do.

Always focus on cooperation versus competition in the workplace and beyond.

Cooperation like love and friendship is something you get by giving. ~Napolean Hill

I have just finished my book, and want to share a story that represents our theme this month of being a leader, and building leaders.

Building Mutually Supportive Relationships

The best way to get promoted is to get your boss promoted, and find your own replacement.

Laurie’s story

I had mastered the skills required as receptionist for a construction company, and I was bored.

I asked my employer to find me something more mentally stimulating, and I recommended a friend to fill in as their receptionist.

The company created a new position for me to administrate a condominium complex project that they had begun, and within a couple of years, when that job came to a close, I moved on once again.

I always taught someone everything I knew about my positions while I was working within them. I felt confident knowing that someone could step right in when I moved onward, and everything would continue to run smoothly.

I never felt threatened by sharing my knowledge and information because I always believed that there was something or somewhere better for me in my career, even though I could not name it at the time. I avoided leaving tasks undone, to further ease new employees’ transitions, and I always made sure someone was trained and capable of fulfilling my role.

This strategy of giving to others — sharing what I knew, and giving myself aspiration for consistent growth on my career path — has evolved into my dream job.

I am currently a successful entrepreneur, working from my beautiful country-set home, making a living through giving, teaching others how to do the same, and changing the world.

***

Learn more about developing your leadership potential, and building leaders around you at www.PennyTremblay.com