The Manifesto

We Are Designed to Choose…and Defined by Choice!

The freedom to choose may be the most powerful attribute and precious resource I have in my life. It shapes who I become, the success I achieve and my influence in the world. I am a product of my choices, not my conditions. Therefore, I have made the following decisions:

1. I Choose to be a Player

In the game of life there are players and those who shrink from their God-given abilities. Players charge on to the field with passion, energy and a desire to win—sometimes they get their hands dirty, their faces sweaty and their bodies bloody and bruised by giving their all to the game.

2. I Choose to be Accountable

Using I don’t have authority is an excuse for doing nothing. Leadership is not a title, nor is it a position; it’s a choice. I will lead where I am planted.
My happiness, job satisfaction, sense of accomplishment and ultimate success depend upon ME not THEM. When I refuse to shift the responsibility for these things to someone else I stop being a victim! I recognize that the REAL OPPONENT is out there among our competitors, not in here among my teammates. I will collaborate.
People can be foolish, stupid, abrasive, insensitive, self-centered and dishonest, but I will not be held hostage by anger and resentment. I will forgive.

3. I Choose Service Over Self-Interest

The world is not here to make me happy. My happiness comes from using my gifts to serve the world. To give unselfishly is to gain immeasurably.

4. I Choose to Focus Forward

I can focus on what isn’t working, why it can’t be done and who’s to blame or I can focus on what is working, how it can be done and what I want to achieve. I can be part of the solution or part of the problem. I will move from “YA BUT…” to “YES AND…” and “WHAT IF…?”

5. I Choose to Play to My Genius

My work is my signature—a statement about me, it determines my reputation. I will make it a masterpiece. To know that my work counts is to know that I count. If I engage in work that makes me come alive the world will beat a path to my door.

6. I Choose to Get It Done

No one is paying me today for what I did yesterday. When I stop bringing something of value to the game, the game is over. I am dedicated to results over rhetoric and red tape.

7. I Choose to Risk More and Gain More

Life without risk and adventure is a life not fully lived. I will never discover my true capabilities unless I explore the boundaries and test the limits of what I can achieve. How I handle fear is my choice. If I choose to face it and step through it, fear loses its stronghold giving creativity and innovation a chance to flourish. If I repress or run from fear, it gains strength and enslaves me. Life is not a dress rehearsal.

BOOM!