Insecurity!

The word for today is insecurity! 
Competence does not compensate for the insecurity. 
“From that day Saul showed jealousy toward David.” 1Samuel 18:9 
Insecure leaders are dangerous to themselves, their followers and the organizations they lead. 
This happens because the leadership position amplifies personal problems. Any negative baggage we bring into our lives, the same becomes heavier when we try to lead others. Here are several common aspects that have insecure leaders: 
They do not instill security in others. To become effective leaders we must make feel good those who follow us.
Insecure leaders take from others more than they can give. 
Insecure leaders are always looking for appreciation, acknowledgment and acceptance. This makes them seek their own security instead than infusing it in others. 
They limit the best members of their team. Show me a leader insecure and I will show you someone who is not able to celebrate the successes of others and of his team. The insecure leader appropriates the best work of his own team! 
The insecure leaders continually limit the potential of their organization. When members of our team are not recognized, they get discouraged and slow down their productivity and their potential. When this happens, the entire organization suffers!
Let’s try to determine the source of our security. 
It lies in the fact that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. Each of us is a vital link in an endless chain! Let us trust in God and He will make our path straight. True security lies NOT in ourselves, but in THE ONE who guides us. He knows the right route for the mission entrusted to us. If you know the Lord, and you trust him, you will find the security you have been looking for!
Guy Sottile

Duty!

The word for today is duty, the real seed to success!
Growing in Sicily a recurring phrase for me was to fulfill my duty.
A visit of condolences, attendance at a ceremony and more was always followed by the phrase: so we perform our duty!
I say this because our duties came and are often seen as a façade actions and not as something we do with our heart.
It is clear that duties are not always easy to fulfill and require intentional efforts on our part.
As a father and a husband almost always for me it was a great effort to fulfill my duty to provide everything for my wife and daughters. I always did it not because it was easy and enjoyable but because it was right!
Here is the secret of fulfilling our duty: over time, doing our duty will bring much fruit as a result of our loyal investment of time, resources, and energy.
Therefore let us rejoice in doing our duty reminding us that the time is approaching when we shall see the positive results and fruit of our efforts!
My challenge for you and for me is: are we fulfilling our duty?
Let us not be disappointed, because we always reap what we have sown!
Guy Sottile

Involvement!

The word for today is Involvement!
Most people like to participate from outside and enter the game only when they think they are sure to win.
Everyone knows the famous words of lawyers that when they win a cause they say WE WON, but if they lose they say YOU LOST!I 
I remember once at the stadium a spectator who, while eating a giant sandwich and drinking at least one liter of Coca Cola, criticized the players who, according to him, did not give the best of themselves.
I was tempted to take off the giant sandwich and the Coca Cola bottle and tell him to enter the field and show all his agonism!
Everyone criticizes and gives advice spitting judgments!
It’s easy to criticize when you are not involved first-person!
Keep in mind that trophies are not won on the bench but on the playing field.
Leave your spectator seat and embrace your involvement because each one of us has an important role to play in the race of our life!
Guy Sottile

Trust!

The word for today is trust. 
“Blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord” Psalm 40.4 
Trusting means to firmly believe in the honesty, integrity and loyalty of the other person. 
Although trust delays to settle, it is necessary to obtain an intimate and meaningful relationship, it is essential because it will deepen mutual understanding. 
Trust makes sure that people share the needs and dreams to an increasing level of importance. It is through trusting that people depend on each other and work together to achieve common goals. 
Trust allows people to maintain a close friendship. 
Trust is fundamental in giving velocity to our objectives. In fact if one is worth of trust, other people will embrace more quickly his initiatives and plans. 
In addressing the changes it is not as important how ambitious is our program or our destination but how much percentage of trust we have accumulated through our personal and daily actions! 
The absence of trust, mistrust, means that people do not believe in the other. 
They feed reciprocal suspicions and do not reveal themselves to one another. 
Working in groups is difficult, tiring and generally poorly productive. 
Masks and evasive tactics hide the true feelings and true needs. 
People are reluctant to depend on the strength of others, teamwork suffers or doesn’t even develop. 
People tend to attack one another instead than fighting TOGETHER the difficulties that appear on the horizon. 
Friendships are fragile, usually unable to face the trials that will inevitably come. 
Trust is necessary to give meaning to a relationship. A little bit of confidence is necessary for any type of relationship; more high levels of trust are needed to more intimate relationships. 
Trust frees us from the burden of constantly questioning the true motives of the other. 
Many people believe that their friends, worthy of their confidence, are the greatest treasure of their lives. 
Benefits when trust increases 
*People can confide in one another. 

*Time and energy are not wasted in evasive tactics. * 

*New and interesting things are learned with others, including strength and fragility. * 

*Team work develops. 
The human heart, at whatever age, opens only to the heart that intentionally opens first” Maria Edgeworth 

Think of vulnerability, tests and actions of Jesus. All aim to conquer my trust and yours. 

 What a model and best ally we can find in him as we continue to give meaning to our lives and our daily actions! 

Guy Sottile

Attractive!

The word for today is attractive! 
Who among us does not want to be an attractive person? 
The culture surrounding the Western world, puts its emphasis on the physical and outward attraction. 
During my life I have noticed that if attraction is not accompanied by an inner attraction, its effect on others lasts for a very short time. 
The real attraction lies in our attitude. 
Positive and outgoing people , who wish to help and add value to others, taking them in meaningful journeys, are the ones who attract permanently! 
Physical and external attraction can be palpated in a few millimeters of skin, but the real attraction is inside having a depth that is much thicker! 
If we are attractive inside, our attraction will eventually overflow outside. Think of how much you spend today to be attractive having surgical operations that are done to slow the decline of our body. 
Few can afford it! 
This is not necessarily negative. Taking care of your appearance is good. I remember, from the vain person that I am, when I was little I cried out asking my mom to stop the wind because it was messing my hair 😀 
What is negative is that many do not care about their inner appearance and attraction! 
The internal attraction is available to everyone, you just must want it! 
Investing in improving our attitude, learning how to invest on others, bringing a smile where there is pain, sharing the principles on how to discover the call for our lives, are among the things that make us really attractive!
As said before, who is attractive inside will eventually become attractive outside! 
Perhaps this is the explanation of the statement that God made in the Old Testament through the prophet Samuel when he said : God does not look at the exterior of a person but God looks at the heart! 
Apply these principles and develop your inner attraction and you too will be an attractive person ….. in the true sense of the word! 

Guy Sottile

Prowess

Prowess is defined as an action out of the ordinary, rare!
If we focus on our strengths and develop them daily, we will produce prowesses every day and not rarely!
Prowesses, therefore are normal for those who lead their life and do not passively accept it!
Guy Sottile

Discovery!

The word for today is discovery!
 In leadership to have the mentality of an apprentice, a learner, is essential. The apprentice knows he does not know everything, he learns more and more always aware of the fact that he has so many more things to learn! 
What is most discouraging, is having to deal with people who have stopped discovering because they think they have already found everything in life and, therefore, are in a state of stagnation and not in a dynamic position, which is essential in the life of a leader. 
The famous quote by Socrates: I know one thing, that I do not know, is an important starting point.
 I say starting point because the words of Socrates could be misinterpreted as a basis of relativity, where there are no fixed points and absolutes. 
Jesus said to the contrary that knowing and discovering the truth will make us free. 
Free to build new discoveries on some fixed points. 
The definition of a disciple is the one who builds on the experience of things learned. Many disciples or pseudo-disciples, often show dogmatic and absolute pride on the few things they have discovered thus falling into a stagnation that does not meet the needs of a changing humanity! 
Discovery is a strong word that should characterize our daily lives. Take on the day today with the expectation of discovering new things that can make your leadership more effective in adding value to others! 
After all, our God is by definition infinite in His person and in His actions and it would be childish for us to compress Him into a finite and limited human reality. The Bible says that God is the God of the impossible and it is up to us to find out why and how. 
Let’s learn together, discover together how to fulfill our unique calling in life that we have been given by our infinite God! 
 Guy Sottile