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Preface 12. The Gift of Gratitude – ‘In those times we yearn to have more in our lives, we should dwell on the things we already have. In doing so, we will often find that our lives are already full to overflowing.’

Month 10 and the small gathering was back in front of the video with Red Stevens: ‘I have always found it ironic that the people in this world that have the most to be thankful for are often the least thankful, and somehow the people who have virtually nothing, many times live lives full of gratitude.’

Red Stevens told of how he used to ride the rails in the Depression Years and mixed with ‘so-called hobo’s or tramps who were well-educated and had a life full of rich experiences.’ His great and happiest friend from those days, Josh, left him with a legacy called The Golden List.

‘When we parted I asked him why he was always in such good spirits. He told me that one of the great lessons his mother had left him was the legacy of The Golden List.’

‘He explained to me that every morning before he got up, he would lie in bed – or wherever he had been sleeping – and visualise a golden tablet on which was written ten things in his life he was especially thankful for. He told me that his mother had done that all the days of her life, and he had never missed a day since she shared The Golden List with him.’

Jason’s task was to produce his own Golden List of all the things he was thankful for in his life.

As the reviewer of this book I know that I have reached a spot where a truly profound piece of wisdom has been shared that is truly life changing for anyone who follows it… producing your own Golden List is that life-changing piece of wisdom. Do it..!

Jason’s list..?

I am thankful for my health.

I am thankful for my youth.

I am thankful for my home.

I am thankful for my friends.

I am thankful for my education.

I am thankful for all the places I have been able to travel and experience.

I am thankful for my car.

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful for my money that Uncle Red has made available through the years.

I am thankful for each of the steps leading up to The Ultimate Gift.

More tomorrow:

Preface 11. The Gift of Giving – ‘The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away.’

Month 9 sees Red Stevens proclaiming: ‘Conventional wisdom would say that the less you give, the more you have. The converse is true. The more you give, the more you have. Abundance creates the ability to give; giving creates more abundance. I don’t mean this simply in financial terms. This principle is true in every area of your life.’

Red Stevens supplies us with some wise words: ‘It is important to be a giver and receiver.’

‘It is important when you give something to someone that it be given with the right spirit, not out of a sense of obligation.’

‘One of the key principles in giving, however, is that the gift must be yours to give – either something you earned or created or maybe, simply, to give away part of yourself.’

Jason’s task was to give away something from himself to someone else… every day of the month!

What seemed like an impossible task to Jason changed his life. From reading articles to visually-impaired children on Day Seven, delivering meals to disabled and elderly people on Day Nineteen, to helping a neighbour rake leaves on day twenty-eight, he discovered how simple it was to give of himself unconditionally every day of the month.

More tomorrow:

Preface 10. The Gift of Dreams – ‘Faith is all that dreamers need to see into the future.’

Month 8 and Jason heard Red Stevens say from his video: ‘Jason, this month you are going to learn about a gift that belongs to all great men and women – The Gift of Dreams. Dreams are the essence of life – not as it is, but as it can be. Dreams are born in the hearts and minds of very special people, but the fruits of those dreams become reality and are enjoyed by the whole world.’

‘I have been trying to decide as I have been formulating the Ultimate Gift for you, which of the gifts is the greatest. If I had to pick one, I think I would pick the Gift of Dreams, because dreams allow us to see life as it can be, not as it is. In that way, The Gift of Dreams allows us to go out and get any other gift we want out of this life.’

Red Stevens told of two friends who had different views on life. One was a man who tacked the plans for his newest project on the ceiling above his deathbed – he died with his passion for his dreams burning to the last breath. The other was a man who had declared that he would work until his fiftieth birthday and then retire. This he did, but he committed suicide a month later. His dream just did not fit his personality.

‘Jason, it is important that your dream belongs to you. It is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Your dream should be a custom-fit for your personality that grows and develops as you do. The only one who needs to be passionate about your dreams is you.’

Jason’s task was to identify his dream for himself. He voiced his concern for the task: ‘I have never thought about what I wanted to do with my life. I guess I always felt just existing and drifting through day to day was enough.’

That makes Jason no different to 99% of the rest of the world’s population… it is sad, isn’t it?

He returned a month later to say: ‘Somehow, some way, I would like to be able to help deprived young people live a good life. I don’t really mean poor young people. I mean young people who have not learned the power and passion and the values they can have which will make their lives worth living. Somehow I am going to do for young people what my Uncle Red is doing for me.’

Jason Steven’s learnt that every person should have a worthwhile dream and goal for their lives.

More tomorrow:

Preface 9. The Gift of Laughter – ‘Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Our world is desperately in need of more medicine.’

Month 7 and Red Stevens opens his video message with some sage words… ‘This month you are going to learn about the Gift of Laughter. It is the ability to look at yourself, your problems, and life in general, and just laugh. Many people live unhappy lives because they take things too seriously. I hope you have learned in the last six months that there are things in life to be serious about and to treasure. But life without laughter is not worth living.’

Jason’s task was to find someone who was experiencing problems but still maintained the ability to laugh.

At the end of the month he returned with a blind man… ‘He wore dark glasses and carried a white cane.’

Jason talked of how he had met David Reese on a train and had struck up a conversation, when someone asked David if he was finished with the magazine he was sitting on – to keep his pants clean.

‘Right after the guy asked David “Are you reading that magazine?”, David stood up, turned the page, sat back down, and said, “Yes, sir, but I’ll be done before long.”’

Jason shared how David had dealt with many prejudices as he was growing up and how he had chosen to deal with his challenges. Said David, ‘Sometimes in life, you either laugh or you cry. And I prefer to laugh.’

More tomorrow:

Preface 8. The Gift of Family – ‘Some people are born into wonderful families. Others have to find or create them. Being a member of a family is a priceless membership that we pay nothing for but love.’

Month 6 sees Jason arriving on the doorstep of the Red Stevens Home for Boys in the State of Maine. The burly driver of their large limousine stepped out into the cheering arms of a herd of young boys. Jason learnt that he was the line backer for the New England Patriots football team… and during his spare time off he returned to his ‘home’ where he had been brought up to give something back to his ‘family’.

Jason’s task for the month was to be house parent to several dozen young boys of all ages. His response: ‘Look, I don’t have a clue here. I’ve never been around any kids.’

Mr. Hamilton was there to watch the boys on the last day, each giving Jason a warm hug and a little hand-made gift as they said their teary goodbyes. Jason took a long while on the journey back before he spoke.

‘You know what’s amazing. Not one of those boys has a family, but each of them knew more about a family than I did. I think family is not as much about being related by blood as it is about relating through love.’

More tomorrow:

Preface 7. The Gift of Problems – ‘Problems may only be avoided by exercising good judgement. Good judgement may only be gained by experiencing life’s problems.’

Month 5 saw Jason being given the challenge to find people with problems in each stage of life – a child, a young adult, a full-grown adult, and an older person.

Said Red Stevens from his video, ‘When we can learn from our own problems, we begin to deal with life. When we can learn from other people’s problems we begin to master life.’

At the end of the month Jason returned with an emotional report.

‘I was so frustrated one afternoon, I just went for a walk in the park. I was feeling sorry for myself and considering that after all this work I was going to lose my inheritance and whatever this Ultimate Gift is that my Uncle Red had for me.’

‘Finally, I sat at the end of a bench, and I noticed at the other end of the bench there was a young mother watching her daughter playing on the swing. The mother told me she thought the young girl was amazing, and in my depressed condition, I was not as kind as I should have been because I told her that I didn’t see anything amazing about her six- or seven-year-old daughter playing on a swing set.’

‘She told me, “First of all, I’m not her mother. Although I wish I were. Secondly, she’s probably the most amazing person you’ll ever see in your life. I am a volunteer at St. Catherine’s Hospital. I work in a program where we try to grant special wishes for terminal patients. Emily has a terminal form of cancer. She has been through countless operations and has spent probably half her life in hospitals dealing with great pain. When we told her that we could try to make a special wish of hers come true, she said she would like a fun day in the park. We told her that many kids went to Disney World or ball games or the beach, and she just smiled and said, That’s very nice, but I’d like to have a fun day in the park”.’

‘She went on to tell me that Emily had touched everyone in the hospital and had made a real difference in everyone’s lives. About that time, Emily stopped swinging and slowly walked across the grass and sat between the two of us on the bench. She turned to me with a smile I’ll never forget and told me that her name was Emily and this was her special day in the park. She asked me if this was my special day in the park, too. I told her that I didn’t think that it was, and she laughed and told me that I could share her special day in the park.’

‘So, Mr Hamilton, I spent the rest of the day in the playground with Emily. She has more courage and joy in her seven-year-old little body than I realised any human being could have.’

All had tears in their eyes, listening to the story, including Jason!

He went on to talk about meeting a middle-aged man who was out doing odd-jobs to feed his wife and three young kids… after being retrenched. He told how despite this man’s obvious problems: ‘He just laughed that amazing laugh of his and told me that he was the luckiest man on earth – he went on to tell me about all the wonderful things that he and his wife were learning and doing together; and in the whole world he couldn’t think of anyone he would want to trade places with.

Jason told of how, the next day, he was driving past a cemetery that had just experienced the largest funeral procession he had ever seen. Later he stopped to ask a solitary man at the cemetery who the ‘celebrity’ was. The man answered that it was his wife… and she was just a schoolteacher that had made a huge impact on all her students. In that regard she had been a celebrity and superstar.

‘I told him that I was sorry for disturbing him on what must be the worst day of his life. He just laughed and told me that his life would be different, but no one that lived sixty years with Dorothy can have a bad day.’

And so… what about the young person that Jason was supposed to find.

Jason chose himself.

‘I couldn’t find any young person who has learned as much from their problem as me. I have lived my whole life in a selfish and self-centred fashion. I didn’t realise that real people had real problems. I finally know that joy does not come from avoiding a problem or having someone else deal with it. Joy comes from overcoming a problem or simply learning to live with it while being joyful.’

With that he rushed off to meet a special young person at the swings in the park.

More tomorrow:

Preface 6. The Gift of Learning – ‘Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel.’

Month 4 and Jason’s progress is described thus: ‘He had shown many signs of improvement, but his belligerent, arrogant, and selfish attitude – borne of a life of idle privilege – still showed through from time to time.’

Red Stevens appeared on video and said, ‘Jason, the next element of The Gift I am trying to leave you encompasses knowledge and learning. As you know, I never had the benefit of a formal education, and I realise that you have some kind of degree from that high-toned college we sent you to that is little more than a playground for the rich.'

‘In the final analysis, Jason, life – when lived on your own terms – is the ultimate teacher.’

‘Your destination will be the greatest source of learning I ever discovered. If you will keep an open mind, you will find the key to the Gift of Learning – the fundamental key to all learning, education, and knowledge - that will serve all the days of your life.’

The next day we follow Jason on a flight to a dusty village in South America. In a street of simple wood and sheet metal structures they come across a building with a sign proclaiming it to be the Howard ‘Red’ Stevens Library.

Jason Stevens’ first impression was of a book-less library with… empty shelves! Jason’s task was to work in this library for a month. On asking where all the books were, the librarian answered: ‘All the books are being read by people in our village and for miles around. Your great uncle told us when he gave us this library that books don’t do any good sitting on a shelf.’

At the end of the month Jason was a little bemused: ‘The only thing that I found out is that there are good and simple people who will get up hours before daylight and will walk many miles along mountain trails to get a tattered old copy of a book. The only thing I can honestly say I know now that I didn’t know when we left four weeks ago is that the desire and hunger for education is the key to real learning.’

Mr Hamilton replied, ‘Congratulations, young man. I will see you in the office on Monday, and we will discover where we go from here.’

More tomorrow:

Preface 5. The Gift of Friends – ‘It is a wealthy person, indeed, who calculates riches not in gold but in friends.’

Month 3 and Jason is having an impetuous attack of impatience. ‘Look. Why do I have to go through all this stuff? This is ridiculous. You must know what it is that I am going to inherit. Why don’t we just cut through all the garbage and get down to the bottom line?’

Mr Hamilton responds: ‘I will tell you one thing, your attitude is putting you dangerously close to losing The Ultimate Gift that your great uncle planned for you.’

From Red Stevens’ video we learn that, at age 48, he was hospitalised with an incurable kidney disease. His only hope of survival was a kidney transplant. At that time, kidney donors were very rare. He instructed his lawyer, Mr. Hamilton, to conduct a nation-wide search for a donor. He had only a few weeks left to live if one wasn’t found.

Two days later, Mr. Hamilton called to say that he had found a kidney donor on the East Coast.

‘Well, as I’m sure you can guess, the operation was a success and gave me back over half of my adult life. What I am sure that you couldn’t guess, and what no one has known until now, is that the kidney that Mr. Hamilton found was his own.’ Red Stevens continued, ‘There is only one way in the world to explain something like that, and it’s called FRIENDSHIP.’

Jason was asked to go out and find an example that demonstrates that he understands the principles that underlie true friendship.

On the last day of the month he reports back. ‘The best I can do is to say that friendship involves loyalty, commitment, and a process that includes sharing another person’s life.’

He shares a story told by Gus Caldwell during his first month on the farm. Gus told him of how Red Stevens and he owned neighbouring cattle farms many years ago. Gus did not think that Red would ever make it as a farmer in the early days and branded 30 of his own calves with Red Stevens brandmark to help his friend out. But when it came to tallying up his calves instead of being 30 short, he had 50 more than he started with.

Many years later, when both had made it, Gus mentioned the incident and remarked as to how confused he had been. Red Stevens replied that he had been concerned himself that Gus would never make it, and he branded a whole lot of his own calves with Gus Caldwell’s brand..!

Said Jason: ‘That story that Mr. Caldwell told me about my Uncle Red best describes how I understand each of the elements of friendship. I know it takes many years to build a friendship like that, but I think somehow it must be worth it.'

Jason then told of how he had befriended Brian with the broken-down car and how they had gone out and done things together during the month.

More tomorrow:

Preface 4. The Gift of Money – ‘Money is nothing more than a tool. It can be a force for good, a force for evil, or simply be idle.’

Month 2 and Jason learns that he is to be taught the value of money. ‘That is not your fault,’ says Red Stevens from the video. ‘That is my fault. I am hoping that in the next thirty days, you can begin to understand what money means in the lives of real people in the real world. More of the violence, anxiety, divorce, and mistrust in the world is caused by misunderstanding money than any other factor.’

Jason was handed an envelope of $1500 and told to use it to make a significant difference in the lives of five different people.

We follow his good deeds as he helps a group of Boy Scouts to meet their fund-raising budget shortfall of $200 by getting them to clean his car… and paying them the $200 that they were desperately in need of.

Later, he spots a young woman with a baby in an argument with a tow truck driver about to tow her junket of a car away. Jason learns that the young woman had missed out on her last two car payments of $100 per month. She also had only another 4 payments to pay off the vehicle entirely. Jason gave the tow truck driver the $400 and got a Paid-In-Full receipt.

He then came across a young husband and wife in a shopping mall and overheard them telling their children that Santa Claus would not be visiting that year as the father had lost his job. Jason slipped the mother $300 and asked her to make certain that Santa made it to their house that year.

On leaving the mall, Jason came across an old woman who had been crying. He learnt that she had been married for 57 years and that for the first time in their lives they just couldn’t make it financially. She was crying because she couldn’t afford the $60 per month for her husbands heart pills… and the pharmacy wouldn’t accept her food stamps. Jason spent $180 on 3-months supply of heart bills and left her with $20 to take her husband out for lunch.

Jason then talked of meeting a young man – Brian – who needed $700 to repair his car to get his kids to school and himself to work.

Said Miss Hastings at the follow-up meeting: ‘Sir, that seems to add up to $1,800. I believe the original document called for only $1,500.’

Replied Jason, ‘Well, I put in $300 of my own money. Is that okay?’

It was.

More tomorrow:

Preface 3. The Gift of Work – ‘He who loves work never labours.’

Month 1 arrived and Jason learnt that he was to pack his bags and prepare for a little stay on the farm of Red Steven’s old friend – Gus Caldwell – in Austin, Texas. Gus Caldwell was an old-school disciplinarian and took cityslicker Jason through a gut-wrenching process of adapting to the working life of a farm hand. From the very first day when Jason was thrown into the back of a dirty pick-up truck… to missing breakfast because he had slept late… we follow the transformation of Jason during four weeks of intense labour.

‘An amazing transformation had taken place. Jason was browned by the sun, lean from his physical labour, and working steadily…’.

Said Gus, as he put his arm around Jason’s shoulders: ‘Son, I wasn’t sure you were going to make it, but you turned into a really good hand. Your Great Uncle Red and I discovered nearly sixty years ago that if you can do this kind of work with pride and quality, that you can do anything. I think you’ve learned your lesson.’

More tomorrow:

Preface 2. ‘In the end, a person is only known by the impact they have on others.’

Red Stevens has instructed young Jason Stevens to follow the tasks laid out in a series of 12 videos… one for each month. It appears that he was well prepared for the response of his nephew in his message to the lawyer and his assistant:

‘Ted, I want to thank both you and Margaret for dealing with all of my in-laws, out-laws, and assorted misfit relatives today. I know that none of them will win any prizes. I also want to apologise to both of you for the sorry attitude that I am sure Jason has already displayed during these proceedings.’

‘Jason, I lived my life in a big way. I had a lot of big accomplishments, and I made a lot of big mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was when I gave everyone in our family everything they ever thought they wanted. It took me many years to figure out that everything we ever do or know or have in this life is a gift from the good Lord. He has a special plan for each of us, and He has provided everything we need to fulfil that plan. I spent many years trying to achieve happiness or buy it for friends and family. Only as an old man did I come to learn that all happiness comes from the gifts that God has given us. Unfortunately, the money and possessions I spread around didn’t help people to understand the gifts that have been provided for us. In trying to make up for all the times I wasn’t there, I gave them all material things. In doing so, I robbed them of everything that made my life wonderful.’

‘Regrettably, I think they are all permanently ruined. It’s like when a horse goes bad. You simply have to take him out and shoot him. Unfortunately, as my lawyer, Mr. Hamilton advised me shooting our entire family would be frowned upon. Therefore, I have taken the steps in my will to provide a living for all of these relatives even if they will never experience life.’

‘You on the other hand, may be the last vestige of hope in our family. Although your life to date seems to be a sorry excuse for anything I would call promising, there does seem to be some spark of something in you I am hoping we can capture and fan into a flame. For that reason I am not making you an instant millionaire for the rest of your life.’

As Jason was about to fly off into a tantrum, Red Stevens caught his attention when he said: ‘On the first of each month for the next year, you will meet with Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings and be given one element of what I call The Ultimate Gift.’

‘If you stay the course over the next year, and embrace each element, at that point you will be the recipient of the most significant bequest I can leave you through my will. But understand, if at any time you do not perform as indicated or give Mr. Hamilton or Miss Hastings an undue amount of difficulty, I have instructed Mr. Hamilton, through my will, to stop the process and leave with you with nothing.’

For an impatient young man like Jason this seemed like the most unreasonable set of conditions ever.

More tomorrow:

I am particularly struck by the neat little one-line statements prefacing each chapter which, by themselves, contain a mountain of wisdom.

Preface 1. ‘A journey may be long or short, but it must start at the very spot one finds oneself.’

The story unfolds, in Og Mandino-type parable style, in the boardroom of octogenarian lawyer – Theodore J. Hamilton – now into his fifty-third year as one of the most successful law practitioners in the United States. Mr. Hamilton is busy presiding over the dispensing of the Last Will and Testament of his oldest and dearest departed friend – Red Stevens.

We get a verbal picture of a stern old courtroom master peering over his half-rimmed glasses contemplating the horde of money-grabbing relatives eager to get their hands on some easy money.

The conditions of the will are unusual in that the first to be read out is expected to leave the room… not knowing what the others are to receive. But all those lower in the order are well aware of what those in front of them have received.

The oldest son – Jack Stevens – is first… a 57-year old playboy. He is left with an Oil and Gas company worth $600 million. But it comes with a rider… Red Stevens has left ownership to his son and management control to his Board of Directors.

‘Jack, I want you to know that since you didn’t have an interest in this company when I was living, I figured you wouldn’t have any interest when I am gone. And to let you control something like this would be like giving a three-year-old a loaded gun. I want you to know that I have instructed Mr. Hamilton to write this will in such a way that if you fight for control or hinder the Board or even complain about the nature of my bequest to you, the entire ownership of Panhandle Oil and Gas will immediately go to charity.’

Jack Stevens left the room with very mixed emotions.

His daughter, Ruth, was left with the family home and ranch in Austin, Texas. She and her greedy husband were so self-absorbed in their gleeful hand wringing that they left the room not ‘hearing’ that… ‘the entire operation would be managed for them’.

His youngest son, Bill, received was left the entire stock, bond and investment portfolio… but to be managed by Mr. Hamilton and his firm who would divide up the dividends from these investments for distribution and to ensure that the portfolio remained intact for the long term.

And so the disbursement of the will took place to each of the more distant relatives… each receiving comparatively less in value than the one before… until only one was left in the room – Jason Stevens – 24-year-old great nephew of Red Stevens.

‘I knew that mean old man wouldn’t leave anything for me. He always hated me.’

And thus we are left thinking that Red Stevens was extracting the ultimate retribution by seemingly making his least-thought-of relatives sit through the more valuable bequests being given to the others above them on the list.

‘Not so fast,’ said Mr. Hamilton. ‘You are, indeed, mentioned here in the will.’

‘Okay, what did the old goat give me? I bet it is nothing’

‘Young man, it is, indeed, nothing and everything – both at the same time.’

Now, if that doesn’t leave you intrigued then nothing will..!

More tomorrow:

I see that folks are enjoying the snippets from my book reviews, so here goes with another one... :-)

I am always amazed at how the most inspiring of events seem to arise out of the most ordinary of moments. I was sitting with my family, having a leisurely Sunday morning bacon and eggs breakfast, when the quiet was shattered by a loud banging on the front door. Wondering who had the audacity to be hawking goods so early on a beautiful Sunday morning, I opened the door to find my friend Roy – on his way to church - with a book in his hand.

I recalled that he had phoned a few days earlier to say that he just read a magnificent book and that he would deliver it to me. And here it was… hand-delivered with a firm ‘rat-a-tat-a-tat’.

As usual, whenever I am handed a new book written by someone I don’t know, I went straight to the About The Author section.

The author of The Ultimate Gift – Jim Stovall – is BLIND…! Now I am hooked… I know people who have all their senses, limbs and faculties who are too bone idle to write a shopping list… and yet, here is a blind man who has written a book about ‘The Ultimate Gift’.

But, that is not all, Jim Stovall showed that blindness was no handicap to him by becoming a national champion Olympic Weightlifter, a successful investment broker and co-founder and President of the Narrative Television Network for visually-impaired people. He was also voted as one of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Ten Outstanding Young Americans’ and the President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity’s ‘1997 Entrepreneur of the Year’.

I read, with an appreciation for his wry sense of humour, that he has previously authored three books entitled… ‘You Don’t Have To Be Blind To See’… ‘Success Secrets Of Super Achievers’… ‘The Way I See The World’.

Now, I must admit to making just one little mistake. I thought I would quickly read a chapter or two and then relax in the sun catching up on some of my unfinished research work. No such luck! The book proved to be so engrossing that I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it some two hours later.

And what a GIFT it was!

More tomorrow:

Bibliography
McFarland. Lynne Joy. Article ‘Leading The Way’ - Entrepreneur January 1994.
Daniels. Peter J. ‘How To Be Happy Though Rich’ World Centre For Entrepreneurial Studies.
Covey. Stephen R. Author of Principle-Centred Leadership. Article written for Executive Excellence Publishing.

Points To Ponder

1) I have a clear vision of the person I want to be.
2) My purpose in life is to ...
3) I really enjoy doing what I do because ...
4) I make a difference in other peoples lives by ...
5) I am filled with hope for the future because ...

Action Program

Sit down at a quiet writing table with at least 5 to 10 sheets of paper and write a report on how you are currently making, or are going to start making, a major difference in your life.

Then analyse how this is going to make a positive difference in your family’s life. And, then what you are doing, or going to do, to make a difference in the lives of others.

Finally, make a note of how you are going to do all this while fully enjoying what you are doing.

To do this essential exercise correctly you will need to ponder the points posed above to find out what you believe you want to do that will really make you happy in life. When you discover what this is, then you must source as much information as possible to help you become the person you want to be.

Only then will you really begin to enjoy your life. You can do it! Be patient.

Ends.

Peter Daniels offers the last words on this subject of leadership, ‘You can be a leader in the area of your vocation, by being the best in your field. You can be a leader in sports, academics, or home life. You can be a student, a pensioner, or a gardener. You can be in bereavement or achievement. Whatever your circumstances, you can show others the best God-given way to handle, and excel in, every situation.’

‘A leader, among other things, has always been a person who can create, recognise, motivate, initiate and inspire. The causes to hold aloft are always there, but unfortunately there are too few who are prepared to meet and deal with the causes.’

‘Those who want effective leadership must continually ask themselves the question, “Am I an effective follower in the area of loyalty and willingness to work for a cause?” In a sense we are all followers because there is no human who has either the capacity or ability to lead in all areas.’

Yes folks, leaders are followers too!

And, all followers are potential leaders... if they choose to make a difference in their own lives, in their families lives, and in the lives of those that come into their centre of influence.

So what are you doing to make a difference in your life?

And, what are you doing to make a difference in the lives of all South Africans?

What are you doing for your country?

Bibliography tomorrow:

Writing for the Entrepreneur January 1994 edition, Lynne Joy McFarland - chairperson of LINC Corporation in Irvine, California - concluded her article, ‘We must invest wisely in leadership for our current and future generations. As entrepreneurs, we must empower ourselves and others to go forth and lead as never before. We must act as role models and inspire our teams to tap their enormous potential, challenge conventional ideas, take risks in pursuit of dreams, create enthusiasm for excellence and, finally, focus on visions that guide our organisations and nation.’

‘Our society is, in many ways, at a crossroads. Tremendous crises need to be faced; at the same time, there are windows of opportunity for enormous breakthroughs. These breakthroughs will only occur to the degree that more and more of us from every segment of society see ourselves as leaders, stretch beyond our comfort zones, and commit ourselves to making a greater contribution.’

Yes, this lady understands leadership too..!

More tomorrow:

Leaders develop plans, set goals, and actually work them - The essence of great leadership is to have a clear vision of what you want to get done and keep all your actions focused on that vision.

Leaders go about their actions with uncommon passion due to the clarity of their vision. Leaders get things done! They don’t just talk about getting things done.

These action steps - your plans, goals and targets - need to be clearly written down and internalised so that you can check your progress towards your ultimate objective.

This personal list of leadership qualities is by no means exhaustive, but gives an indication of the most critical qualities for leadership success in South Africa.

More tomorrow:

Responsibility for their lives, and responsibility for their actions.

Leaders recognise that God does not help those who do not first strive to help themselves.

Peter Daniels - the Australian billionaire - puts it like this, ‘The attitude amongst Christians today is that they just want to “jog along” in business without competition, pressure or accountability! I have to disagree with that attitude, and suggest that the story of the talents in the Bible (Matt. 25) disagrees with it also. In fact, almost every area of human existence disagrees with it.’

Daniels goes on to say, ‘If we Christians are unwilling to accept a measurement on our wealth performance, then I say carefully, but deliberately, that we are delinquent in our Christian responsibility. We are no example to our fellow citizens, nor do we show true responsibility to those who are disadvantaged both in our country and in other countries.’

This man really understands the principle of leadership!

More tomorrow:

When leaders are knocked out, flat on their back, all they see are stars!

Leaders are filled with eternal hope, a belief in the unbelievable. Not wishful thinking!

But rather, positive believing based on sound personal research, and an intimate knowledge of a Supreme Creator having created a world of abundance by design.

More tomorrow:

Covey has identified that this sense of stability and security ‘comes from having a changeless set of principles at the core and getting our security from integrity to those principles.'

'And since we live in a dizzying world of change, we can actually thrive if we have a changeless core.'

'People who don’t have that changeless core, who have never gone to bedrock, who have never visited their own secret life, and who have never tried to get in alignment with natural laws and principles will be tossed and turned by everything that is happening.’

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum