Leadership Resilience Archives - Page 11 of 26 - Motivational Speeches and books by Snowden McFall

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Why Are You Comparing Yourself?

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” Theodore Roosevelt

This is so true. Why do we as humans spend so much time comparing ourselves to others. I remember as a child that phrase “Keeping up with the Jones.” One of my childhood friends had gotten a swimming pool and everyone else was so envious. None of the other families could afford one and they began to compare themselves and find themselves lacking. Or they badmouthed the family that did have the pool.

That same pattern continues throughout adolescence, where we compare our bodies to those of others, our skin, our romantic relationships, our academic achievement, almost every aspect of ourselves. Our peers don’t make it any easier, and bullies can make it
downright painful.

And as adults, it continues. Our co-worker gets a promotion and we wonder “Why not me?” We judge ourselves as inferior.

All of this is a big waste of time and energy. Truly, the only thing we should be comparing ourselves to is ourselves. Letting go of comparison and choosing self-defined progress strengthens leadership resilience, allowing people to stay grounded, focused, and confident under pressure.

Measure your progress with your goals and dreams. How far have you come? What have you achieved? What have you overcome? And if you don’t have goals and dreams, set some. That way, you can gauge your success.
But let go of the comparison game because you always lose. There will always be someone more and less successful, more and less beautiful, more and less wealthy. Measure yourself on your terms and embrace your own unqiue talents, gifts and magnificence. You are a gift to the world if you will share yourself.

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The Power of Hope

Transform Your Life with Hope

Making Hope Happen- blog by Snowden McFall, stress speaker

“Hope matters. Hope is a choice, Hope can be learned. Hope can be shared with others.” Shane Lopez, Psychologist

The author of this book, Dr. Shane Lopez, is a leading researcher on hope, and a Gallup Senior Scientist. He believes strongly in the power of hope, as he personally recovered from West Nile Virus and almost died. The hope his wife instilled in him during his illness is what led to his recovery during extreme pain. She continually described wonderful places they would travel, great vacations they would take, and the impact they would have on others. It worked- he recovered and they visited all those places.

“How we think about the future-how we hope- determines how well we live our lives,” he says.

Hope is much more than optimism. Shane says optimism is an attitude, while hope is belief plus action. Hopeful students achieve higher grades than students with the same IQ but less hope. Workers with hope are more productive by an hour a day, than their non-hopeful co-workers.

Hope is linked directly to a sense of meaning in life, which we know from Harvard research is directly tied to human happiness.

What do you want to hope for in 2014? How will you tie the belief that you can succeed to positive action? What is your fondest hope?

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

5 Ways to Fire Up Your Sales Without Pressure

Effective sales do not come from force or manipulation. They come from trust, presence, and genuine human connection. When leaders approach sales as service, results follow naturally.

Five Ways to Strengthen Sales Through Connection

1. Truly Listen to Your Customers

Everyone wants to feel heard and understood. Ask thoughtful questions about their needs, concerns, and priorities. Focus on helping first, even if it does not result in an immediate sale. When people trust you as a resource, they return.

2. Use Stories and Real Customer Experiences

Stories create credibility. Share examples of real people whose challenges you helped solve. Testimonials reinforce trust when used ethically and with permission. One participant from a leadership program shared:

“Snowden McFall, may I personally say what a fabulous speaker you are. We all enjoyed your keynote speech. Productivity is certainly the topic of the decade. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
— Mary Fisher

3. Focus on What Matters to Them

Effective sales conversations center on benefits, not features. Ask yourself what problem this person is trying to solve and why it matters to them. Demonstrating understanding of their reality builds confidence and relevance.

4. Address Objections Thoughtfully

Anticipate common concerns and address them proactively. When you acknowledge hesitation openly, you demonstrate empathy and preparedness rather than defensiveness. This creates psychological safety and trust.

5. Lead with Genuine Enthusiasm

Authenticity is contagious. When you believe in the value of what you offer, others feel it. Enthusiasm grounded in service, not pressure, builds momentum naturally.

Sales effectiveness improves when communication is clear, grounded, and human. These same skills are foundational to leadership presence and influence. Learn how leaders strengthen clarity and connection under pressure at
Communication and Executive Presence.

When sales conversations feel aligned and respectful, both sides win.

De-stress with Plants

Nature relieves your Stress and Bringing the Outdoors in Also Helps

Fired Up! bamboo

Many of us know that nature
soothes the soul. Spending time
outside by trees, listening to
the wind, perhaps water
trickling nearby. All of that is restful and
calming in a stressed-out world.

But what you may not realize is
that having plants in your
workspace can make a huge
difference in your stress levels.

Benefits of being around plants
include:

• improved memory

• better concentration
• more patience
• better relationships

The bamboo plant I have in my office is thriving, along with my jade tree and pathos. I highly recomment you use plants indoors and remember that you must take a break from all that technology!

Here’s the full article:

http://www.kare11.com/story/life/home-garden/2014/01/22/green-plants-in-the-workplace-and-home/4780935/

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Aromatherapy: How Scent Can Help

Believe it or not, the scent of lemon in the workplace cuts keyboard
mistakes by 50%! And while keyboard mistakes are not a huge source
of stress, they can lead to major problems when the wrong data is
put into a contract, or the wrong digit is typed into a mortgage agreement.

Fragrance is powerful. It can make a huge difference in
how you deal with stress.

Peppermint, cinnamon, orange or rose fragrance revitalize you while lavender, marjoram and sandalwood relax you.
Peppermint extract on your forehead or temples can help relieve pain immediately. It’s also great for concentration. A University of Cincinnati study found that people who breathe in peppermint oil are immediatelymore alert and better able to focus. Children who eat a peppermint before tests score better. Athletes who inhale peppermint scent
have more energy. Try it the next time you work out.

Vanilla oil is a refreshing way to soothe restless children. It has a positive impact on the limbic center of the brain, which controls emotion, according to a study done at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY. A few drops on the wrists of a child can transform a cranky, whiny child into one who is happy and laughing. Try this on your next road trip.

So the next time you’re stressed out, try reaching for a fragrant oil and see what a difference it makes.

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The Ideal Jobs for Low Stress

What Job is Right for You?

Do you thrive on uncertainty, love a challenge, and like the unexpected?
Or do you prefer consistency, even keel projects, predictable outcomes?
Your answer will determine which job style is right for you.

CareerCast.com has recently done a study on the jobs with the lowest stress levels. Those include audiologists, dieticians, medical records technicians, hair stylists, university professors with tenure, multi-media artists, librarians and jewelers.

The ones with the most stress include jobs with unexpected and unpredictable conditions, like police, firefighters, airline pilots, military, newspaper reporter and taxi drivers.

For a complete look at the article, and expected growth in job categories,
go here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/stressful-jobs/story?id=21441041#

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Start the Year Out Right

Acknowledge Your Achievements of 2013

It’s easy this time of year to begin planning resolutions, which 70% of people will not keep, and start thinking about what you would do
differently.

But before you even go down that path, it’s really
important to give yourself credit for all you have
achieved in the past year.

Take a few minutes alone or with a close friend and make a list of all that you accomplished in 2013.

Include:

• personal goals or milestones: relationships healed, new friendships, forgiveness,
family growth and development, improvements with your partner or spouse

• health and fitness, better eating choices, more exercise, getting off medications, handling that surgery that you needed, more flossing

• professional goals around your career, job, money, awareness and growth, seminars and trainings you have taken

• spiritual growth and personal development– books you have read, webinars and courses you have taken, participation in your church, inner work, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, etc.

• any other area that is important to you– like play, joy, fun, relaxation, happiness, stress reduction, etc.

Review the list. See how much you did. Pat yourself on the back- you did a great job. Let that really sink in. It’s very important to acknowledge all the parts of ourselves that worked hard and achieved before you set new goal and make new plans. It’s part of the circle of completion, and it gives you new energy for your next steps. Good work! On to 2014!

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Are You Sabotaging Yourself?

Stressed Out man is overwhelmed and burntout

Do not let unconscious habits or negative self-talk determine the direction of your life.

Many capable, talented people find themselves stuck, not because they lack ability, but because they are operating from old patterns. These patterns often come from early experiences, limiting beliefs, or repeated messages about what is possible or appropriate.

Over time, these internal scripts can quietly undermine confidence, clarity, and momentum. Self-doubt creeps in. Comparison takes over. Progress slows, even when the desire for change is strong.

How Self-Sabotage Shows Up

Self-sabotage rarely looks dramatic. More often, it appears as hesitation, overthinking, perfectionism, or postponing action. It can sound like a familiar inner voice saying:

You are not ready yet.
You should wait until things are clearer.
Others are more qualified than you.
This is risky. Stay where it is safe.

These thoughts feel protective, but they often keep people stuck in situations that no longer fit who they are becoming.

Awareness Creates Choice

The first step out of self-sabotage is awareness. When you notice your internal dialogue without judgment, you create space. In that space, you gain the ability to choose a different response.

Instead of reacting automatically, you can pause and ask:

Is this belief actually true?
Is it helping or limiting me?
What would a more grounded, resilient response look like?

Small Shifts Create Momentum

Lasting change does not require dramatic overhauls. It starts with small, intentional shifts. Choosing one aligned action. Reframing one limiting thought. Following through on one commitment.

Over time, these small choices rebuild trust in yourself. Confidence grows. Energy returns. What once felt overwhelming begins to feel manageable.

Resilience Is a Practice

Moving beyond self-sabotage is not about eliminating doubt forever. It is about learning how to respond to doubt with steadiness and intention. That capacity sits at the heart of leadership resilience, especially in moments of uncertainty or pressure.

When you strengthen your ability to notice patterns, regulate emotion, and act with purpose, you create a foundation that supports both personal fulfillment and sustained performance.

You are not broken. You are learning. And you have far more choice than you may realize.

You deserve a life built on clarity, confidence, and aligned action.

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Can Entrepreneurs Save the World?

They are Changing the World and You Can Too

In this month’s issue of Forbes magazine, there are some compelling articles about how entrepreneurs are making a huge difference in the world. I encourage you to pick up the issue and read it, because it is one of the most hopeful and encouraging news I have read in a long time.

An unlikely alliance, Bill Gates and Bono, have made huge strides in tackling HIV/AIDS as well as reducing severe illness around the world. Today, there are 9 million people on AIDS medication, according to Bono, where in 2003, there were only 50,000. Infant mortality worldwide is down substantially from 9.4 million to 7.2, in large part to the work of entrepreneurs pooling with charitable donors.

Paul Tudor Jones, Wall Street wizard, is making huge changes to education, starting in Bedford-Stuyvesant, NY and expanding throughout NY. His Robin Hood Foundation is making huge strides. It’s built 62 libraries in public schools, provided relief after 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, and contributes to after-school, pre-school and postnatal care.

As an entrepreneur, you can adopt a local or international charity and make it the center of your company’s giving efforts. Or you can give your folks time off to donate hours to the non-profit of their choosing. You can match their donations. And you can contribute your ingenuity and time to a board, sharing your innovative concepts. We can all make a huge difference in the world- one entrepreneur at a time. This kind of purpose-driven impact is central to inspirational leadership speaking that challenges entrepreneurs to use their influence for meaningful change.

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Are Entrepreneurs Optimists?

Loving What You Do Makes
All the Difference

A new report from Gallup shows that entrepreneurs are more optimistic
about the future than regular workers. They also have somewhat more stress and worry than non self-employed people.

But unquestionably, their optimism wins out. 30% of those inthe study imagine they will enjoy “their best possible life” in 5 years. Only 25% of workers felt that way.

Part of the reason for entrepreneurial optimism and positive expectancy is that they love what they do, this practice also builds resilience in the face of pressure. Going to work every day to do some.thing they are excited about makes all the difference. Also entrepreneurs are constantly learning and growing, key components for happiness.

Optimists also sell 56% more than pessimists and live 7 years longer, according to a Yale University study.

Isn’t time you started thinking more positively? Optimism is a 75% learned trait, so in every situation, start looking at the bright side. What can you learn from the situation? What good connections, contacts, opportunities arose?

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Five Ways to Strengthen Sales Through Connection

1. Truly Listen to Your Customers

2. Use Stories and Real Customer Experiences

3. Focus on What Matters to Them

4. Address Objections Thoughtfully

5. Lead with Genuine Enthusiasm

Acknowledge Your Achievements of 2013

How Self-Sabotage Shows Up

Awareness Creates Choice

Small Shifts Create Momentum

Resilience Is a Practice

Loving What You Do MakesAll the Difference

Loving What You Do Makes
All the Difference