• Words That Change: "Vision" - by Scott V. Black, CEO
• Call to ACTION: Join Scott Black and Dennis Huff in Sacramento on May 7th - Be Part of the 3%
• The Time is NOW to Use Those $200 'Christmas Special' Options for Leadership Adventure... May 15th is Last Date
• Empower U is Looking for an Enrollment Officer in the Ft. Worth Area

• Making a Difference - by Michael Arisco, Team 376

• New Feature: My Word Coach - Can you figure it out?

Words That Change: "Vision"

By Scott V. Black

Hello Empower U Leadership Team. Thanks for taking the time to join us at Empower U as we continue the process of being Leaders Under Construction.

We are continuing to look at words, specifically words that Change. Words are programming and the better the programming the better the results… the better the results the better the life. The better the life the more peoples lives that are impacted in a positive way. The better the impact on others lives… the more people you get to take with you!

Anyone can become successful, but one of the keys to life is… how many people are you taking with you?

As I have been preparing this article, the sledgehammer of truth has been rapping on my skull. The power of words to build and to destroy has been evident in my life. I am more aware today that my words are not always of the quality and nature that they should be, and will be! Up until now, I have allowed some of my words—both internally and externally—to hurt, to “take away” both from others and from myself.

Words Move Us

I received some great emails from some of our graduates on the power of words in their lives. Your words that you shared further confirmed for me the power of words to move people.

The great thing about what I get to do is I get to filter everything I do through the lens of wanting to be the best me I can be. Just like words, this “filter” can sometimes lift me up, and at times, the disappointment in myself is so great that it can crush me like a fallen skyscraper.

During this process I have come to realize over and over again that the words I allow to go on in my head dictate the words that come out of my mouth. So as you read these words, don’t just read them, put them on.

How Are Your Words Moving You?

How are the words in your head, dictating the words that come out of your mouth? For the words that we use to communicate to others come from the plethora of words that we allow to exist in our internal dialogue, in our mind.

Our words cause a chain reaction in our lives. They create, they inspire, they build up, they educate, they create excitement and anticipation… but they can also, destroy, slap, cut like a “two edged sword,” create depression and anxiety.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been reminded about the power of our words. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

As you read this article and we go through this series, I ask that you too… again… become aware of words that change.

What Leaders See

Today, I want to talk about the word vision. Vision: It’s what Leaders See. What is your Vision? As leaders when we talk about Vision it is analogous to a dream. Not a dream, like when you are sleeping, but a dream that keeps one moving forward to a bigger tomorrow.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Talk about not mincing words! Do you have a vision that stirs you, that pulls you? If not might I ask, are you living, or are you just surviving? Are you moving in a forward direction or are you just getting through the day, the week, the pay period, the month, your marriage, your kids' childhood… your life?

I remember that I used to be a dreamer. When I was younger I dreamed of fame and fortune. I was put on this planet to be president, I was going to be a millionaire by the time I was 35, I was going to have an incredible marriage, I was going to travel the world and meet presidents, I would be sought after for my wisdom and guidance, I would go places and do things that most people could only dream of… I would be somebody!!

People used to laugh at me, and talk behind my back… that Black, what a dreamer. I would bounce off the wall with enthusiasm. This poor, under developed, under-talented, white kid from the poor side of the tracks, was going to be somebody.

Do you remember dreams like that? Did you dream when you were a kid, a young adult? Did you want to do, be and have more than most people thought was realistic? Did you have this bubbling excitement about the potential of the future? Did others laugh because your dreams were so ridiculous to them, so outrageous that they chuckled? I did, and it stirred me, it made me bounce off of walls just thinking about it.

The Death of the Dream

For whatever reason, people stop dreaming. They stop setting goals, and stop dreaming… they lose the vision. They become realists and then they live this quote: “Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eyes off of your goal.”

All the sudden all that is seen is the obstacles, the “Why Nots.” We become realists, we start living day to day, problem to problem, paycheck to paycheck, anniversary to anniversary.

Time To Change All That

Today I want us to start creating a vision for our lives. Today I want us to start dreaming again. I want us to imagine a life that is beyond what we have today. Today I want you to take out your journal and start dreaming again. What is your vision?

We all know the famous speech from Martin Luther King, “I have a dream.” We just memorialized the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. King. I was watching TV and they showed the footage of that famous speech and it brought tears to my eyes. He was so emotive and so inspirational, not for the sake of inspiration but for the sake of his dream. It was so real to him, it stirred him, it moved him and a nation.

Today, that dream has been lost. It is easier to blame and to live in regret, resistance and resentment, than it is to dream.

What are your dreams? What is your vision for a brighter tomorrow than your current today? Lets move beyond the three R’s of survival: Resent, Resist, Regret. Instead, let's look forward.

So many times in our Leadership Awakening class I hear people say, “I am looking forward to… seeing my kids, hugging my spouse, getting to work, applying this… .” What great words, “Looking forward.” That is what Vision is, looking forward.

The Empower U International Renaissance

Today, I will share with you two of my visions for Empower U International and Scott V. Black. The great thing is I too, UP UNTIL NOW, have ceased to dream. In my recent past I had created some tough times. Over the last 5 years, I have stopped dreaming and been in survival mode. I have started dreaming again, I have been creating a vision, I have gotten emotionally involved in my life again…

How about you? What are you dreaming for? What is inspiring you to move beyond the 3 R’s of Survival? What is your vision that you are creating that is pulling you out of the quicksand of life? Take out your journal and start dreaming; what is your vision for your future, for your family?

After World War 2, Deming went to Japan and helped the Japanese rebuild their country. Deming brought a philosophy of continual improvement to this devastated country. The Japanese embraced this concept and bought into Constant and Never-ending Improvement (CANI)… achieve more today than yesterday, more tomorrow than today.

Using that concept the Japanese went from a nuclear devastated country to a Leading economic power in the world in a span of 30 years. Today billions of dollars are spent on Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Lean Sigma… all offshoots of Deming’s philosophy. One of my dreams is to be the Mexican Deming. To help the country of Mexico through the Maquilla’s that manufacture in Mexico, to become a great country, a great people!

Another vision of mine is to build the Empower U corporate retreat center on our 19 acres in Texas. To build a retreat center that is inspiring and induces higher learning. I want to create an environment where people can come together to become the “Best of the Best.”

I envision people from all over the world coming to Mansfield and using this special place to change their world and the one we live in! I can see it… the pool complex, the pond, the contemplation garden, the housing complex… the canopy with hidden elements under the trees… It is so real!

What About Your Dreams?

What are your dreams? Write them out, dream… feel, see, hear, smell… taste them, as if they were! As you do this, become aware of how that makes you feel. Vision is life, it gives meaning and reason. Where there is no vision, the people perish… have you been dead and lost your vision?

One of the things I love about our training is people leave our training with vision. They are looking forward to so many things. As John Maxwell put it in his Leadership bible, “Leaders see it, say it, and show it before they see it.”

That is the power of Vision; it is the ability to see what is not there … it is very similar to faith. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

What are you hoping for? What are you seeing, hearing, feeling… that is not there… yet? Write it down, dream about it, look forward to it!

In closing I want you to know one more thing about me. I would rather not dream, than dream and take no action. There are a lot of talkers out there. People that talk a good game but never put legs to it! So many people stop dreaming because they have dreamed and not done anything about it… that is called disappointment.

So don’t cheat yourself by dreaming with no action. In relation to my two dreams, I am taking action. I am doing classes in Mexico. I have started learning Spanish; I purchased, and have been doing, my Rosetta Stone Spanish Software. I have verbalized my Mexican Deming dream to many of my friends, our graduates in Mexico.

In relation to the retreat center… I have the a blue print of the pool complex. Joe Vasquez has created a sketch of the entire property. Me and the kids drive our golf cart on the property and see the different buildings, we talk about fishing in the “stocked” pond, we see the walkway behind the pond that leads to the dorm rooms. We are putting it out there that we need 3.5 million dollars to make the dream the reality. We will get it, we will find investors, and it will become the place that Mr. Black rides out the rest of his life!!

Above All, Take Action!

Once you have your vision, your dreams penciled out… now what are you going to do about it? Start putting legs to your dreams, to your vision! I have heard so many graduates talk about how they need some help Living our training after class is over.

We create so many tools at Empower U. The website, the newsletter, our music, staffing opportunities, 6 different classes, videos, radio programs… still people want more ways to “keep it going.”

Again, I want to help “put legs to it.” I want our graduates out there LIVING it! So we are helping our graduates in Sacramento by helping them create a “re charge” group, club. We are having the first meeting of this group on Wednesday May 7th at 6:57 PM at the Clarion hotel (see below for more information). For those that have a vision of continuing to live what you did in Leadership Awakening this is another opportunity for you to do so. Come out and join us and put some “legs to that vision.”

As Henry David Thoreau put it, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” In other words, keep on dreaming, create a compelling vision and remember…
When you live your life like it matters… It Does!

With Passion-HBS
Scott V. Black
The Empower U International Leadership Team

P.S. - I would love to hear about your dreams and your Vision… Please email me at vision@empoweru.net

Call to ACTION

Be Part of the 3% By Joining
Scott Black and Dennis Huff
in Sacramento on May 7th

The people you surround yourself with have a lot to do with your success.

To become your dreams, you want to associate with like-minded people, people—people who are committed to being the “best of the best.”

On Wednesday May 7th, we are planning to kick off our first ever “3% Club” in Sacramento, California. Since—UP UNTIL NOW—Sacramento represents the largest percentage of our graduate base, we are going to plant the first club there. Empower U will help get the club started and be actively involved for the first few meetings, then the graduates will take over and run it themselves.

The meeting will start at 6:57 pm at the Clarion Hotel Cal Expo and we will bring it to a close by 8:58 pm. It will be an honor to connect, stay connected with other graduates.

This monthly “re-charge” allows you to connect with other like-minded graduates of Empower U. It will be a social, re-energizing, Empower U centered monthly opportunity to help LIVE what you committed to in Leadership Awakening. There will be a fun process, mingling with other members of the EU Leadership Team, and a chance to make a difference in the community as an organization of committed leaders.

Take Action. Make a Commitment.

Important: To plan effectively, we need to know if you'll be coming. If you are, please let us know. Email by clicking this link to confirm you'll be there.

The Time is NOW to Use Those $200 'Christmas Special' Options for Leadership Adventure...
May 15th is Last Date

If you were one of the fortunate people who took advantage of our 2007 Christmas Special (buy one Adventure spot, get a second for $200), the TIME IS NOW! to take take advantage of your savings.

As you may recall, that special must be used before June 1, 2008. That means there's only one remaining Leadership Adventure date before the special expires! That date is May 15, 2008, just 2 weeks from now.

So if you haven't yet done so, contact us today to get into class. Call (817) 478-1858 or email by clicking here.

Empower U is Looking for an
Enrollment Officer in the Ft. Worth Area

Make a Difference by Being
Part of the Empower U Renaissance

If you'd like to make a powerful difference in the world, we may have the opportunity for you.

Empower U International looking for an Enrollment Officer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to help prospective students understand more about our classes by answering their questions and helping them enrolled in class.

You'll learn a time-tested and highly effective sales process as well as work with motivated and empowered people helping make the world a better place one person at a time.

If you're interested, call the Dallas office at (817) 478-1858.

Making a Difference

by Michael Arisco, Team 376

Just after gradating from Empower U I overheard my wife on the telephone talking with someone about a program that a local woman (Remy) started 14 years ago. The program is called “Will Santa find me”. Remy fulfills the Christmas wishes of terminally ill children and their brothers and sisters.

The parents of these children are so overwhelmed with circumstances that they don’t have time, money or energy to provide for their children.

My role was donating my truck and time to help pick up the gifts from various locations throughout Connecticut, and then getting them to the hospitals that the children are in.

While traveling with Remy she shared with me several stories from the past years. It was hard to drive and wipe tears at the same time. I believe that I met an Angel. Remy is so devoted to her cause that in all the 14 years she has fulfilled every wish one hundred percent.

For me the experience is like none I’ve had before. It felt so great to be able to help these children (95 in all) to smile during their time of suffering. The stories from the parents of these kids were wonderful.

It gave me even more to be thankful for every time I look at my own kids. It felt so good, that I’m looking for other opportunities with my wife and children to keep giving. I want to thank Empower U for helping me see the incredible benefits of giving.

My Word Coach

Can you figure it out?

We commonly use words and phrases that have old meanings. Often we aren't even aware of where those words came from.

Twice a month we'll be giving you a hint about word and a phrase and ask you to guess what the word or phrase is. Of course we'll be giving you the answers, but do yourself a favor and see if you can get the answer before clicking on the link.

Have fun!

Question #1: Greek mathematician, Archimedes was said to have run naked through the streets of Athens shouting this word after he figured out that he could measure the volume of gold by the amount of water it displaced. The word is Greek for “I have found it!”

Question #2: This phrase means to be in a very bad situation that's hard to get out of. It comes from a popular pool game in which the person sinking a black ball wins if it's the last ball, but if they sink it before all of the other balls are in, they lose.

See the answers by clicking here.