I don’t know about all of you… but I can say for certain that I may be slightly obsessed with the apple tv show, Ted Lasso. Ok maybe a little more obsessed than I am admitting here..

Not only is it funny but it is the show I think all leaders must love. It shows us all that being vulnerable and transparent in leadership is powerful and has quotes and monologues that make you think and reflect on your own experiences.

One of my favorite quotes…as hard as it is to pick out a favorite is “Be curious, not judgmental” – Walt Whitman.

When I heard the quote it hit me deeper than most . It made me reflect on my life and how I had been treated in certain situations and how I may have treated others. Were there times, especially in my younger years that I passed judgment on someone without knowing the entire story?… I’m sure I did. I can say very confidently that there have been times when someone passed judgment on me in my life.

As I reflect,  I can pick out times and scenarios off the top of my head where I still feel like…damn it … if only that person took more time to get to know me to understand what I was going through instead of just judging me and making other excuses about why I wasn’t qualified for a role or job or whatever the issue might have been.

Now, I don’t hold grudges…. Life is too short for that. But it makes you wonder what would happen if you got to sit down with someone now that judged you so quickly.

Would they be humble enough to realize the mistake they made? Would they give a damn?

More importantly, would it help them open their eyes and see situations and people differently so they would not make that same mistake again? That’s the most important lesson to me.

I know there have been times in my life and I’m sure you have had times in yours that you can think of that you wonder what would have happened if someone or some people were more curious about you instead of  judging you  so quickly. 

Being curious means you are willing to ask questions that build relationships of trust and understanding. And building relationships like this create the opportunities we need to unravel the layers that help us understand each other on a deeper and more meaningful level.

We are all different and  have our own stories. Sharing our stories and being vulnerable doesn’t make us weak, it makes us human and opens another realm of possibility for us all to build the most meaningful relationships we may be craving. 

If I never shared my story with people, they would have never understood why I was the way I was and I would have still been worried about what they thought and never moved forward or improved myself.

Instead they have learned about me on a human level… a level I didn’t allow people to see because I thought it made me look bad or weak…or unstable.

Now people know who I am. I am open about my life, experiences and situations… not ashamed. And that is a huge weight that was lifted off my shoulders.

I encourage you all to be brave. Don’t be afraid of what people think, help them understand you. 

I opened up about my life experiences because I encountered people that really cared and were curious and life got insanely better. I felt better. I became more upbeat and happy. You will too.

Thanks for stopping by again.

This episode was actually created based on your feedback!

This episode takes me a bit out of my comfort zone since I have to actually talk a bit about myself so you can get to know the man behind the microphone.

Sarah and I share a few laughs as she enjoys getting to rifle questions at me… apparently she’s been waiting years to do this.
We talk about everything from why and how I became so passionate about leadership to the way it applies to my life and I’m sure some of your lives too.

I hope this episode raises your curiosity a bit and brings us a bit closer.

Please continue to provide your feedback. You can reach me on facebook, instagram, commenting on the podcast and via email.

So…sit back, relax and enjoy the episode.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-love-of-leadership/id1575230835?i=1000546247813

Episode 2 is now live wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Give it a listen. Give me your thoughts.

Like. Subscribe. Share!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-love-of-leadership/id1575230835?i=1000529850513

The other day my wife randomly asked me if I am afraid of dying. I guess given the events of 2020 so far this was a very valid question. I thought about it for a moment before I responded. Eventually, I said no I am not afraid of dying. I’m not afraid of dying because we all know at some point our lives and existence on earth will come to an end and however or whatever we believe in is what will happen next. For the record, I hope I will have done enough to be invited into heaven.

What I am afraid of though is having regrets whenever the time comes that I didn’t spend my time fulfilling my purpose. I’m more afraid that my legacy won’t be what it should be because I was too busy being focused on the wrong things or that I was afraid to take an important step towards fulfilling my life’s purpose.

Clearly this question has caused me to reflect a lot on my life and more specifically my life recently.

As of late I have allowed myself to become consumed with anxiety due to work and because of that I really have not been present in each moment. Now, I have been leading at work and doing things around the house but it has been a much more distracted presence. I feel like I need to re-learn how to let certain things go so that they don’t have such a negative impact on my life.

Again, we all know that someday our time here will end… it’s just a fact of life. It’s inevitable. We know it is going to happen but what is worse is that every day that we don’t focus on and work on our life’s purpose we die a little more inside and effectively lose part of our very being. At least that is how I feel and what I believe.

Yet every day so many people wake up and work a job that does not align with their vision or purpose or even worse one that makes you miserable.

To paraphrase Dwayne Johnson – We work all day for companies and then go home and don’t work on our dreams. We are not tired, we are uninspired.

The least we can do after working all day on someone else’s passion is put in some time and work on our own passion. We owe it to ourselves and the people we care about.

I know it is easier said than done but I believe that if you find a purpose strong enough it won’t matter how tired you feel, you will work on it and you will ultimately feel better for doing so.

Again, I don’t know when my time will come and I hope it is not for a very very long time. What I do know is that I am not going to cheat myself or my family out of the time we have left. I hope that my wife and I are blessed to see our daughter grow up, get married, have kids, spoil our grandchildren and do so many other things.

I always said I would be the example for my daughter. I want her to see what a life lived with purpose looks like. Not one of misery, sadness or lack of fulfillment. I want her to grow up and do what she loves… and that only has a chance of happening if I model it for her.

Thank you all for stopping by and reading tonight’s thoughts. Feel free to comment and reach out with any of your thoughts or questions.

Have you ever wondered what it really is that keeps you going? What makes you get up every single day and continue to press on despite having an empty feeling inside?

Is it that you are too afraid to be honest with yourself about your situation? Or maybe you’ve spent entirely too much time lost in how unfair something is. Maybe you have left too much up to faith and hope.

Regardless of what it is we may all have likely encountered these thoughts and questions at some point in our lives. So the real question is… what are you willing to do to take action and flip the script on it?

That empty feeling isn’t the job you hate. It’s not the crappy situation you are in. It’s fear and lack of fulfillment you get from doing nothing about it.

It’s the fear that tells you that you need whatever it is. That if you lose it you’ll struggle or suffer. It’s that fear that keeps you where you are and creates the lack of fulfillment you need to be successful.

Every day you live like that you die a little more inside (and so many of us do)… I think that’s how it’s said. I heard that once and it has stuck with me. Think about how long you have worked at a job you dislike or say yes when you should say no out of fear of confrontation. You die a little more inside every time.

But what if you didn’t live in the fear trap? What if you found a better job.. one that made you feel like you were part of something special? What if you built up the courage to say no? I bet you’d feel relieved and empowered. I bet you would finally learn that we weren’t put on this earth to be the sheep.

We are all meant to do something special. We deserve more than to wake up every day stressed about what could go wrong or live in fear or without a sense of fulfillment.

I don’t come to you all and say this without merit. I’ve lived it! Heck.. to a point I still do. But I’ll tell you what.. each day I take another step forward. Each day I make another move to feel fulfilled. Each damn day I speak up as I need to and each damn day I refuse to be treated like a sheep when I know damn well why I am here!

I am here to lead. To teach. To help others grow into the best versions of themselves. It’s not money I chase, it’s fulfillment. Every time I am fortunate enough to see someone else succeed I feel successful. Whenever I hear about someone taking a stand for what they believe in… I feel it again.

I live with the hope that I can inspire as many people as humanly possible to take action in their lives. To make an impact.

I hope that if you read this I have been able to inspire you.

I hope that if you feel the need to speak with someone to help you become inspired you reach out!

Don’t be a victim of your own fears. Instead see them as challenges. Crush them and grow into the person you were meant to be.

“ The only way it gets better for you is when you get better. …” – Jim Rohn

Thank you all again for stopping by. Remember, find a way to make a positive impact today.

I am sure there is a lot on your mind lately… I know there is a lot on mine. In our lifetime we have not been presented with such a challenge. We are all fighting something we cannot see. We can only feel it. Whether it is because a loved one is sick, you are sick or maybe you just miss your loved ones due to quarantine we are all feeling some sort of way about it. And that is O.k.

But now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. Now is not the time to ask “why me?”. No sir. Now is the time to reflect on our purpose… our why. Your purpose needs to be your top priority now. You need to get up and focus on it and find a way to bring it to life in a new way. It’s easy be driven by your purpose when things are good. It’s easy when life is “normal”. But it is now more than ever that you need to find a way to make things happen.

We have to get out of our comfort zones and adapt to this new world we are living in and find a way to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. If you have been regarded as a leader – lead. If you are known as a compassionate person that is always there for others – be that person. Get creative! We don’t need to see each other in person to make a lasting impact. We have phones – let’s use them. We have social media – let’s use it.

Don’t look at this as a problem. Look at it as an opportunity. Re-phrase how you talk to yourself. We don’t have to stay home – we get to! We get to do a lot of things now. We get to create new habits and learn new skills. Isn’t there something you have always wanted to learn but life has been too busy? Think about it… for a lot of us the “I’ve been too busy” excuse is no longer a thing. So, what are you waiting for?

Listen. I don’t know everything but I do know this… I am not willing to sit here and feel sorry for myself. Are you? I am not going to allow myself to sit here and do nothing. Are you? What are you willing to tolerate? What can you focus on that is in your control?

What is happening now with COVID-19 is not about you or me. It’s about us. If we all take this seriously it will be over sooner rather than later and what seemed to be a nightmare with no end in sight will instead be a part of the history books. It will be something that in the end made us stronger and a lot more appreciative of the things we have.

In closing, remember to take advantage of the opportunities in front of you. Form new habits. Cherish your loved ones. Control what is in your control and find new ways to help others.

Stay healthy everyone.

I understand the fear of something new and different. Especially an illness. It makes sense to want to protect yourself and your family. The beginning of any new fear can create panic… and that is exactly what we are seeing.

Like anything else that scares us I urge everyone to stop for a moment and breathe. Process what is happening and understand the simple measures we can all take to help and protect ourselves and others.

Fighting each other for the last of something we believe we need is not the answer. It’s never the answer. Instead we need to find the good in ourselves and help one another. Share.

What we are facing now with Covid-19 needs a clearer perspective. The young and healthy are not the ones at high risk. It is the elderly and those with underlying health conditions that are truly at risk. Yet the young and healthy are so willing to hoard as much as possible and leave others at risk in the dark.

If you are reading this and are one of the people hoarding food and products and are not elderly or have underlying conditions … STOP! Just stop! If you know someone doing the same tell the to stop! It’s good to have food and supplies.. hell, I put a few extra things in my house. But never would I ever take so much that others would possibly suffer or be put at a higher risk.

What I have seen in person and online/in the news has been disturbing. People fighting each other for products and the elderly left staring at empty shelves. It’s like Black Friday got a damn virus!

My plea to everyone… please please pause. Think about others. Share. Check on the sick and elderly. If you don’t need something and you see someone that does, let them have it. Be human. Listen to what the CDC and medical professionals say.

It is the goodness in us all that will correct this situation way faster than selfishness. Stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about US!

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. Feel free to comment with any ideas!

Just about 6 years ago I made a decision to take charge of my health.

After I made my initial decision I also told myself and others that I coached I would never settle. That I would continue to find the best ways to improve (the kaizen philosophy).

You see, since the start of my journey I have done a lot of challenges and cleanses. I’ve made multiple changes to my diet and exercise… and while I did get some pretty good results and help others do the same I was never able to nail down exactly what would work for everyone involved until recently.

At the beginning of the year (2020) I took what I thought was a risk and had my DNA tested… no…not one of those tests that tells you the 500 ways you are going to die or where you are from… a DNA test geared towards my health and fitness.

As it turns out, it was the best “risk” I have taken on my health and wellness journey.

Since getting my results and following through on the results I have:

• Increased Energy
• Added muscle mass
• And best of all … I have a much better understanding of my body’s dietary and fitness needs!!

Now for those I coach and myself there is no more guess work. No blanketed approach.

Now there are plans made for each individual based on their own assessment and DNA!

There are No more challenges. No more cleanses. No more yo-yo dieting. No more guessing.

The journey has turned into a MOVEMENT! And I’m beyond excited to bring as many people as I can along with me on this Amazing Movement!

If you are interested and want to join the movement I’d love to hear from you!

Instagram: Mr. Kay (For The Love of Leadership)

Facebook: Kay Riz

Email: Krizeq@hotmail.com or comment on this post!