"The GO Button"

By Scott V. Black

Good day Empower U Leadership Team.

I love the Christmas season. It is one of my favorite times of year. Celebrating the birth of Jesus, the spirit of the season, people seem more caring and giving, getting some “down time” and more time with my family… it is a great time of year filled with many memories and exciting times.

I hear all the time that Christmas is for the children. Those of us who celebrate Christmas remember waking up early in the morning and running out to the Christmas tree to see what we got. We couldn't wait to see what “Santa” brought us.

I guess you can tell that I am just a big kid at heart.

This year my son, Major, will be old enough enjoy his first “real” Christmas. He is almost two and he loves the lights, the tree, the gifts and everything else about it. I am excited about his excitement. It will be wonderful for me to take some time out and celebrate with my family. This year has been very hectic and I've been going a thousand miles an hour with everything going on in the “life-changing” business of Empower U.

The Christmas Train

One of my favorite Christmas memories is from 4 years ago. I was looking for a special gift for my son, Christian. Christmas is half way to his birthday, so he was about four and a half at the time. He was small for his age and was still not riding a bike yet.

I thought it would be great to get him one of those motorized kid vehicles. One of those “kiddy cars” that he could drive it around by simply pushing a pedal. I looked everywhere for one that he could handle because I was worried he would crash into things and not enjoy the gift.

Since he was a bit “young” for his age I was also concerned...

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Make Your New Year A Lifelong Adventure

A brand new Leadership Adventure is now on the schedule in January. This means you can start your new year in 2008 by taking your leadership skills 'over the line' to the next level by attending Adventure.

If you haven't committed to attending Adventure yet, read what a recent graduate said after her experience:

"Until I completed Adventure I had not realized the disservice I was doing myself by not completing the process. Awakening is only a very, small part of the big picture. Until completing Adventure it was as though I possessed a winning lottery ticket which I could not or would not cash. I could look at my ticket and instantly recall rush of excitement at winning my millions however I stopped short of cashing it.

"Two years after enthusiastically participating in my own Awakening I chose to take one the numerous opportunities offered to me and attended Adventure.

"Rest assured now that I’ve cashed my winning ticket my want to feed the hungry NOW has a how & when, my want to love the seemingly unlovable NOW has a who, how & when, my want to do a good job NOW has a where, when and for whom and my desire for building a future NOW has a plan, materials & a crew of skilled builders with a powerful and fearless leader."

 ~ Brandy Holmes

Isn't it time for you to make the commitment for yourself, your family and your future?

The New Year's public Leadership Adventure class is coming up on January 24-26, 2008, in Dallas, Texas

Please be aware that some classes are closing fast so there may be limited seats available. Take action today to make sure you can get the dates that work best for you.

See all the latest class updates here. You can also download the most recent schedule in Word format.

To schedule call the office at (775) 575-2298 or email by clicking here.

An Engineering Manager
Shares His Awakening Experience

It is with the utmost gratitude that I write to you today about my experience in committing to the Leadership Awakening process. I arrived thinking that I was at the top of my game and left knowing that there is so much more out there both personally and professionally, that now has become part of my mission. I now know where I am going and have the vision to get there. This process was by far the best two day training package that I have ever engaged in and feel blessed to have been involved.

The Leadership Awakening process has truly opened my eyes to the self imposed walls that have limited my personal success. I once again have the passion and commitment to make a difference in the community and in support of my family. I am amazed by how many opportunities exist right in front of our eyes that allow each and every one of us to make a difference in someone else’s life, yet we walk around dead to our surroundings and the people closest to us. The change for me is that I now choose to say yes to those opportunities and the feeling in return is miraculous. The passion and commitment in my marriage is better then ever and the communication with my children is great!

Professionally, I am focused on leading my team to surpass all expectations and to push each member to achieve more each day. I am committed to success of the team and to each member’s success in achieving their professional goals. Several of my colleagues have attended Leadership Awakening and I now understand the passion that they exhibit about work and life.

It is truly amazing how clear the path is once you rise above the noise and step across the line taking charge of your life. I can only imagine what we could accomplish if we all lived each day like it mattered. It is truly a great day to be alive. If you have ever set back and listened to someone ask a question or give an answer that you yourself had thought of and chose not to offer up, this process breaks down the walls and places you right out front.

Sincerely,

Anton C. Bolletta
Engineering Manager
ACH Food Company

We never really know what is going to happen in the future and often why events in our past have taken place. What I am about to share is as powerful to me as the powerful Adventure process I experienced on Saturday Morning.

As I began my bus ride home I was talking with may wife and getting the reports of all bus traffic going north stopping in Kansas City because of an ice storm in Iowa. That really didn’t worry me. I had no control over it and realized the worst that could happen is I get home later. The fact is almost two busloads of people were stuck there from Friday night until 7 am Sunday morning when my bus was passing thru. I can only describe the terminal as chaotic with a lot of short tempers.

An hour later than scheduled departure, three busses were nearly loaded to head North. My bus had just completed loading. This is when the announcement came that all of us would need to switch to another bus to accommodate luggage. I moved pretty quickly and now had a whole new group of people around me. In the shuffle I move back to sit next to another single passenger so a young couple could sit together (my good deed for the day - so I thought).

The young man beside me immediately put his head back to sleep. Across the aisle a Native American woman (Madonna) my age sat cheerfully talking with an elderly woman beside her. They shared a hotel room the night before while being stranded. They were neighbors of 90 miles apart in North Dakota and had not knowing each other 36 hours earlier but were now friends. The bus was just moving back when Madonna's phone rang. Within a blink of an eye her life had just changed. On the other end of the phone was her daughter telling her that Bruce ( Madonna's boyfriend of 3 years) had been killed in a car accident at 4 am Sunday morning.

Madonna had not seen Bruce for the last three months while he was working in an oil field. He was to pick her up at the Fargo bus station this morning. Madonna had no control over the weather. Her initial plan was to return a day earlier (which would have put her ahead of the ice storm) but her daughters wanted her to spend one more day in Oklahoma city with them. The evening of being stranded she went to a bar for a while. Her last conversation was at 930 Saturday night ended with his anger at her being at a bar.

For the next 4 hours I sat on the edge of my seat facing across the aisle. My hand on her shoulder. Helping her breathe. Helping her cry and crying with her. Praying with her. Asking the Amish couple behind to pray. Listening to her tell me of Bruce’s great accomplishments between periods of sobbing. How they were best friends. They talked often. Seeing picture of him on her phone. Dialing the phone for her when her hands trembled too much to hold onto it.

The change in my life I committed to is taking place. Within seconds of the events taking place my focus had changed. I felt no embarrassment to do what I was doing. I know it was the right thing. I know I made a difference in her life. A life so different than what was expected, a blink of an eye earlier.

Do you ever wonder what you will do in a split second moment of decision? I know I have in the past. Will fear of what others think stop you? Will you be afraid of looking stupid, weak or out of control? My reaction to this event 3 days ago would have been nothing to right in a journal about. Thanks to all of you for changing my life.

Alan D. Aukes - HBS 194
Awakening 504

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