"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them."- John Maxwell

Introduction:

Years ago, I attended an awesome presentation by Dr. John C. Maxwell at the Injoy Life Club. He talked about the biggest challenge that all organizations face, and guess what? It's the same challenge we face as individuals! So, let me share some of the highlights from my notes:

First and foremost, in life, we can't just hope for things to magically happen. Hope alone won't lead to success. It's all about what we reward ourselves with. Whenever I set a goal, I learned to attach a sweet reward to it. That way, I'm motivated to put in the effort needed to reach that goal. My eyes are on the prize, not just the goal itself. 

Dr. Maxwell explained that it's all about our behavior. We tend to get more of what we reward ourselves for. It's not about asking or begging for something, but about finding the reward that truly excites us. We naturally gravitate towards the things that offer us the greatest benefit, don't we? 

Now, here's the second nugget of wisdom: if we want to be productive, we must learn to reward ourselves for doing the right things. When we follow this principle, we get the results we desire. However, if we forget to reward ourselves for reaching our goals, we'll eventually become unproductive and end up with less-than-desirable results. So, treat yourself, my friend! 

During the lesson, Dr. Maxwell shared this anonymous quote that really hit home: "To look is one thing. To see what you look at is another. To understand what you see is a third. To learn from what you understand is still something else. But to act on what you learn is all that really matters." It made me realize the importance of taking action based on what we learn. 

So, there you have it. I've personally learned the lesson about the connection between goals and rewards, and I hope you now understand it too. Now go out there and apply the Greatest Management Principle in the World to your own life. You got this!

Bill Bergfeld