| “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” – Dale Carnegie
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Posts Tagged ‘reach foundation’
Helping give back to your community
Monday, December 5th, 2011Help Make a Difference
Monday, July 11th, 2011| “When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears” – Tony Robbins | |
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Perspective
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010When is the last time that you have been to a sporting event? Did you have good seats or bad seats?
Your view of the action probably had a great deal to do with how much you enjoyed the game.
It is the same with every single aspect of your life. By that I mean, your ability to be successful and enjoy your existence is directly related to your viewpoint or your perspective.
Consider the following examples.
Brian is a 7 year old boy who lives with his family in Fishers, IN. His dad is a doctor and his mother is an attorney who has decided to stay at home with Brian and his 4 year old sister until they are both in grade school. Throughout his school years Brian is provided with encouragement from his family, friends, and teachers . During the summers he has the opportunity to travel and attend many camps that provide him with great learning opportunities. As he nears the end of his senior year in high school, he has a choice of many different colleges to attend because he has maintained good grades and his parents have the financial means to pay for wherever he selects. In addition, virtually all of his friends will be attending college.
Tyler is a 7 year old boy who lives in a rundown neighborhood in Indianapolis. His mother works 2 jobs to pay the bills and he has never met his father. As a result, Tyler has very little supervision after school and spends this time getting into trouble. Throughout his school years, Tyler receives very little encouragement from anyone. His is constantly fed a message that has convinced him that the most he can ever hope for in life is a job at McDonalds. As he nears the end of high school, he realizes that he doesn’t have the grades to graduate and is considering just dropping out. Very few of Tyler’s friends will graduate High School and none will attend college.
Now imagine that you get a chance to meet both of these individuals the summer after their senior year. Can you imagine how different their perspectives on life will be?
Every time you are tempted to complain about a challenge in your life, I urge you to remember this example. A change in perspective can help turn any obstacle into an opportunity.
In addition, if you would like to learn more about how you can help kids like Tyler right here in Indianapolis please visit The Reach Foundation.
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit.
Perspective
Monday, May 10th, 2010This past weekend I visited my hometown of Denver, CO for a speaking engagement.
I scheduled an extra day in Denver because that is where I grew up and I wanted to visit some old friends. Before I checked into my hotel, I decided to swing by the old neighborhood. On my drive, I began to reminisce about my street, my home, the park where I played soccer and my old school. These were great memories.
As I turned onto my street, initially I thought I had the wrong block. The houses were a lot closer together than I remembered. In addition, they all seemed so tiny. But, there it was, 1913 South Leyden Street, I was in the right place. The neighbors probably thought I was nuts, but I parked, got out and looked around. I clearly remember mowing this lawn and thinking that it took forever. My best friend Ricky’s house was no more than a couple hundred feet from mine. Back in 1982 it seemed like a mile away. Pulling away from the curb I called my mom and told her that all I could remember was this big house with a big yard on a big street. It was hard for me to believe that my happy memories were from a neighborhood that I now hardly recognized.
What happened?
I’ll tell you what happened between 1982 and 2010, my perspective changed. Your happiness and contentment with life is directly related to this lens called perspective. The clearer your lens the more satisfied you will be and this satisfaction is a building block for living an extraordinary life.
Unfortunately, most of us have a warped perspective. No matter what we achieve in life it isn’t enough.
I’ve got a great strategy that will help you to gain some perspective. Give back to someone in need. Visit a homeless shelter or one of many other of non-profits in your area.
You’ll be amazed at quickly your perspective will change.
On that note, I am pleased to announce that the Reach™ Foundation is announcing our second annual campaign to support the Shepherd Community. This summer we are going to provide back to school clothes for more than 50 middle and high school students. Click here to find out how you can help!
CJ McClanahan
reachmore
www.GoReachMore.com
(317) 576-8492
“We are what we repeatedly do. Success then is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
What are you passionate about?
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009It’s a question I have asked hundreds of people over the years.
It’s rare that anyone has given the concept of “passion” much thought.
We are so consumed in the day to day circumstances of our lives that we don’t think it’s a good use of our time to focus on anything that isn’t on our “to-do” list.
We get bogged down in activities that don’t really interest us, but that we feel must be completed.
I often ask myself – “What am I passionate about?”
I have some really fancy answers. However, do my calendar and checkbook reflect my passion? In other words, do I spend my money and my time on the things that I am passionate about or am I all talk?
I am not 100% comfortable with the answer.
However, I am committed to change this situation.
On that note, I am excited to announce the first event for the Reach Foundation™ Mark your calendars for August 16th from 3-5 pm.
We will be supporting one of central Indiana’s most amazing non-profit organizations.
It’s time for me to focus on what’s really important. How about you?