Tag Archives: influence

31 Day Leadership Gauntlet – Day 1 – Gargantuan Goals

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Minimalism is the concept of small. To live in a state of not wanting to rock the boat, make waves, or bringing attention to yourself. You want to go through life unnoticed. The minimalist leader does not want to grab anything large, unwieldy, which would require maximum effort. Contrast this to a gargantuan state of mind. Gargantuan refers to being large, enormous, headline grabbing, of significant size.

You have probably heard about the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. He talks about the BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal). They are large and intimidating. They are not for the squeamish or faint of heart. They attracted attention but required enormous cooperation and focus. The BHAG became the rallying cry for many organizations on their way to greatness. The gargantuan goal is a goal of this variety. It is monumental, motivating with the power to establish momentum, as a snowball that starts an avalanche.

Think about your purpose, vision and mission in life. Which gargantuan goals identify to help propel you to your destination?                                                                                                                                                         Gargantuan goals can be defined as enormous objectives that may ultimately have a profound impact. The challenge we face is to avoid timidity and reach for goals that will have a profound impact on the world. It is necessary to set a timeline, a deadline by which we plan to reach or exceed these results.

It would be magnificent to have a vision that encompasses these gargantuan goals in our lifetime. When we speak and act with such boldness, the ripple, chain reaction effect will embolden others to work with us to make this world a better place. These are not just nice to have goals but necessary for our survival.

In Our Lifetime*  https://youtu.be/DiMCh_R8c2U

To stem the flow of violence;

In our lifetime,

Let us pledge

To have courage to stand on the edge

Of fear and shout through the silence

Of apathy and turn the tide

On racism, poverty and genocide.

In our lifetime,

Let us commit to heal

The division among the races

And issue a universal appeal

To love as a spirit that replaces

Selfishness, to release

Old information as new interactions

Help form a foundation for peace,

And heighten our sense of obligation

To change the world,

Through an imperfect nation.

In our lifetime,

We should be known

As contributors, as well as consumers;

And millennials should bond with baby boomers

On major issues whatever they may be,

Freedom, justice and equality;

And serve as activist and catalyst,

Advocate and protagonist,

To diminish, devices of division;

To challenge consensus for the best decision.

In our lifetime,

An enormous task lies before us;

To consciously congeal

Around a greater purpose;

To be strategic as we invest

And endure the chorus

Of special interests;

To build coalitions in our zeal;

To stoke the fires of innovation

For the evolution of new ideas,

To suspend competition,

And collaborate on solutions,

To make our world a better place

For the environment and the human race.

*An excerpt from In Our Lifetime, reprinted from the book FREE by Orlando Ceaser, copyright © Watchwell Communications, Inc.

Personal Reflections

  1. Observe your world and situations in the outside world and decide where you would like to influence.

  2. What bold gargantuan goal can you create to incrementally make the world a better place?

  3. Who will be your partner to discuss your progress?

More leadership information at OrlandoCeaser.com.

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Death Paid a Visit to Our Home

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A leader is present for many of life’s challenges and celebrations. Death inevitably and invariably touches everyone and we must be there for our people. This poem features death as a silent partner in our grief, as we struggle to gain our composure an ability to be strong and go forward.

Death Paid a Visit to Our Home

Death paid a visit to our home.
He was a gentleman and came alone.
He shared in every somber thought.
He saw firsthand the pain he brought;
Sat silently among recollections,
And listened to the words of reflection.

Death as a nomad, a traveler combs
The countryside and the streets of the city.
Death, an unwelcomed visitor to homes
That had hoped he’d pass over; For pity
Precedes the wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The sense of loss that torments beneath
The epidermal layers of grief,
Begs the physician for cure or relief.

He led us through songs to put us at ease,
To sway minds off the pain and disease.
He led us through pleasantries revealing,
The depth of wonder and girth of feelings.
Death was conductor to grief stricken kin.
He led us in fellowship as we sat in
Communion with the nearly departed;
The forlorn, lonely and brokenhearted.

Death when he visited cherished the rights
Of mourners as we suffered the nights
And days until the anguish of the soul
Transported our loved one to Sheol.
Death as a quiet manifestation,
Did not disclose their destination.
We discovered that Death first collects
And returns later to pay his respects.

Death paid a visit to our home.
He was a gentleman and came alone.
He shared in every somber thought
He saw firsthand the pain he brought;
Sat silently among recollections,
And listened to the words of reflection.

Copyright © 2001 Orlando Ceaser
Reprinted from Teach the Children to Dance
By Orlando Ceaser
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Adverse City

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Adverse City is a place we pass through
On the highway to Being Great;
Where storm clouds hover as a residue,
Reminding us that fortunes fluctuate.

The Motel Misery on the town square
Near “Woe Is Me” Hotel, is over booked
With occupants chanting life is not fair
To the downtrodden who are overlooked.

Adverse City has a Welcome Center,
And millions visit and wander its streets;
Through equal opportunity enter
The masses who find life is bittersweet.

Children of this town are known to excel
When love through compassion inspires dreams
And possibilities exist to quell
The stereotypes and negative themes.

Some hospitals convey hope with their names
And patients vary in their will to live.
On corners like Finger Pointing and Blame
Are angry victims and those who forgive.

Adverse City extracts enormous tolls
And develops or deteriorates
Based on acceptance that we can’t control
All things, and even strife can educate.

Adverse City should not be faced alone
On the highway to Being Great;
Each crisis, a detour, a chance to atone,
A chance to invite God to navigate.

Copyright © 2003 Orlando Ceaser
Reprinted from Leadership Above the Rim

God’s Plan for Your Life https://youtu.be/at7lNa60tjk

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MADENeverIgnore2
There is a purpose and plan for our lives, but we are often influenced and distracted by people and circumstances that distract us from focusing on our journey. This piece was written to supplement instruction delivered to individuals participating in a career seminar. You may see yourself in these words and hopefully it is a resource that can benefit your spirit and your well being.

God’s Plan for Your Life

Once you desired to be,
Who you were wired to be,
But you satisfied friends instead.
Though blessed with talent and skill,
You lacked the courage and will;
To follow the dreams in your head.

Your parents hinted at times,
Since they were reaching their prime,
You should let them plan your success.
Therefore, achievements were built
On a foundation of guilt,
Which was geared to their happiness.

You were not strong enough then
To use self-discipline when
You heard the voice of the divine.
In whispers to intervene,
He said he placed in your genes
The elements of your design.

Once you conspired to be,
Who you were wired to be,
To match the image of your trade.
You sought the power and fame,
The money, title and name,
In service to the masquerade.

Unplanned events played a role,
You flowed away from your goal,
Imprisoned by the undertow.
You gave into their appeal,
Although the look and the feel,
Was not what you needed to grow.

Through the influence of peers
You alternated careers,
And thus, fulfillment was delayed.
You showed an absence of nerve
And therefore, did not deserve
To prosper from poor choices made.

Now you aspire to be,
Who you were wired to be,
To do all you can with your life.
Committed to seek His will
And use your talents and skill,
To embrace God’s Plan for your life.

Copyright © 2001 Orlando Ceaser
Watchwellinc.com

Structure

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The beauty and simplicity of the right structure can add balance and effectiveness to our lives. A system of routines, people and resources can inspire us and hold us accountable to complete important tasks and enable us to maximize our potential and provide greater value to others.

In Nature, all of life is organized;
The body systems’ elegant design
Rivals a universe categorized
As millions of stars in the night sky shine,
As planets in order orbit in space,
As structure keeps each object in its place.

We need structure and a firm foundation;
To set boundaries in our routines,
So we concentrate in conversations
On short term and long term and in between;
To keep us on schedule and on track,
To manage a structured plan of attack.

We have a purpose, as we run this race,
Programmed with a sequence for us to win;
There is a pattern that we must embrace;
A series of actions we must begin.
We set goals and methods to reinforce
Each goal with a checklist to stay on course.

There’s structure with diet and exercise;
Willpower and demonstrating constraint;
The flexibility to improvise;
To be creative and resolve complaints;
We need discipline, so we can abstain;
From actions that will later cause us pain.

Structure is a gift that we should enjoy.
When structure appears confining,
A well tuned strategy we should employ;
When our performance is declining.
It has a formula like a lecture,
With strength in content and architecture.

We need structure that is clearly defined;
That includes respect for authority;
To help develop our heart and mind
With excellence as the priority;
The structure will hold us accountable,
So obstacles aren’t insurmountable.

Structure will lead us to the right decisions;
Those consistent with what we want to be,
To excel and thrive with supervision,
To channel our time and energy;
Its skeletal framework will ease the threat
Of reckless actions that place us in debt.

To live comfortably within our means,
We have standards and a choice to say no;
We are not just for self, but for the team,
Interdependence is the status quo.
We use ambition as a strategy;
For the good of group and community.

We need structure in order to advance;
To study harder and perform the tasks;
Learn fundamentals before we freelance,
And give the assignment all that it asks
And know structure’s role in all we do,
As it gives us guidance to follow through.

Structure trains us to allocate the time,
So life is far less complicated,
And puts us on a path away from crime,
That’s choreographed and orchestrated;
To be on the field not on the sidelines
And functioning according to guidelines.

Structure can be seen as stimulation;
Keeping the mind engaged and occupied
Through a number of planned simulations
To grant experiences that provide
The guard rails to sustain us in our lanes;
And to fully utilize our brains.

When we master how structure should be used;
We will not easily be distracted;
Temptations will be ignored or refused
And we will no longer be attracted
To positions of mediocrity,
When it is excellence that makes us free.

Copyright © 2016 Orlando Ceaser

In Our Lifetime

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Consider the things we would like to see during our time on Earth. Our contributions are welcomed, as leaders to help it happen. The In our lifetime (Remix) https://youtu.be/DiMCh_R8c2U is available for review and preview on Youtube and for purchase on streaming and digital services.

In our lifetime

In our lifetime,
Let us pledge
To stem the flow of violence;
To have courage to stand on the edge
Of fear and shout through the silence
Of apathy and turn the tide
On racism, poverty and genocide.

In our lifetime,
Let us commit to heal
The division among the races
And issue a universal appeal
To love as a spirit that replaces
Selfishness, to release
Old information as new interactions
Help form a foundation for peace,
And heighten our sense of obligation
To change the world,
Through an imperfect nation.

In our lifetime,
We should be known
As contributors, as well as consumers;
And millennials should bond with baby boomers
On major issues whatever they may be,
Freedom, justice and equality;
And serve as activist and catalyst,
Advocate and protagonist,
To diminish, devices of division;
To challenge consensus for the best decision.

In our lifetime,
May we provide healthcare
To the uninsured masses
And make progress to share
The world’s wealth;
As compassion surpasses
The generosity of generations
Present and the past,
As biases, stereotypes
And prejudices are cast
Into oblivion, we will be content
If our life time was life
And time well spent.

In our lifetime,
May we walk across a room
And shake the hands of neighbors;
May we ask questions and not assume
That we’re entitled without labor;
And hold people accountable for their deeds,
Develop citizens who meet the needs
Of others and honor and will not shame
One’s heritage and family name.

In our lifetime,
Communities on committed patrol,
Reclaim their neighborhoods,
Their values,
Their souls.

In our lifetime,
We can approach a mountain
With the faith to move
Impediments and cope
With adversity.
We can improve the planet for posterity,
Redistributing prosperity,
And the capacity to hope.

In our lifetime,
An enormous task lies before us;
To consciously congeal
Around a greater purpose;
To be strategic as we invest
And endure the chorus
Of special interests;
To build coalitions in our zeal;
To stoke the fires of innovation
For the evolution of new ideas,
To suspend competition,
And collaborate on solutions,
To make our world a better place
For the environment and the human race.

Copyright © 2008 Orlando Ceaser