Julio’s World

I just got home from a missions trip to Honduras. WOW! My heart broke as we went deep into the mountains and jungle and provided food and medical services to the poor. These people are what some would call the least of the least. We reminded them that they have not been forgotten. No electricity, no running water, no a/c, no access to health services or medicines. Your heart would break to see infants, 5, 6 and 7 year olds filthy, sick and with rotten teeth.

We provided medical and dental services for them. Our team worked around the clock to treat and help as many as possible. We provided a tooth brush and tooth paste which most had never seen. If you live in America, count your blessings daily! Most of these people would love to trade their problems for yours and mine. Talk about perspective!

So many thoughts have been running through my mind as I reflect on this trip. I have never gone that deep into the jungle or mountains. The simplicity of these people struck a huge cord in me. They aren’t worried about their 401k value, stock market going up or down or what they are planning for the weekend because they are focused on what they will eat today to survive.

While we were there, we experienced an earthquake (talk about scary)….7.1 on the Richter scale! It hit in the middle of the night and felt like a tornado and train coming at us at the same time as the ground shook violently. Everyone on our team was alright, but it reminded me of how fragile life is for all of us.

Last thought, at least for now. Right before we left, a leader in the village came and asked me to gather our team because he wanted to share some words. He thanked us, blessed us, read a scripture from the book of Psalms and then sang a song from his heart to us. It was all he had but one of the most moving and valuable gifts I have ever received! He reminded me in a few minutes what it means to live humbly and be thankful in all things and circumstances.

Here are some pics from the trip:

My niece, Alexandria, daughter, Hillary and me

Little children lining up for the food we were about to serve them

Neil Jackson and I at the Medical/Dental clinic

People lining up at 6:00 in the morning for medical/dental attention

Dr. Williams and me with a widow and one of her daughters

One of the infants we were able to care for

The bridge that broke during the earthquake

Lots of poverty but beautiful country

Recently I spoke at the Texas Roadhouse annual conference in California where their theme was, “With Purpose.” I’ve had the honor of addressing this company on several occasions, and their PASSION for their people, culture and customers continues to impress me. A lot of companies talk about culture but don’t invest enough in designing it, protecting it and growing it. I loved the topic of, “With Purpose,” because when you stop and think about it, at the end of the day, it is all about purpose.
 
Helen Keller once quoted, “Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” She was right. Think about it:  What is the purpose of our life? What is the purpose of our family? What is the purpose of your career? What is the purpose of profits? What is the purpose of relationships? In today’s crazy world, it has never been more important to not just have a purpose-driven life, but also a purpose-driven business.
 
Most extraordinary businesses are driven by purpose. Nike, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks and even Wal-Mart all started and developed a purpose when they launched and grew their business. Why? I believe one of the reasons is because PURPOSE is one of the paths to high performance (both at an organizational and personal level).

So let me ask you a question. What is driving your life right now? Everyone’s life is driven by something. The dictionary defines the verb drive as, “to guide, to control or to direct.” Whether you are driving a car, a nail or golf ball, you are guiding, controlling and directing it at that moment. What is the driving force in your life?
 
Today I want to remind you that the greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose. Purpose drives everything in our lives. It will drive all major decision making in both your personal and professional life. Purpose will also determine how you allocate resources, hire employees, sell and build relationships with clients, plan for the future and even judge your success. There are so many benefits of living and working with purpose, and I want to give you four of them:
 
1. With PURPOSE, your life has meaning.
2. With PURPOSE, your life is simplified.
3. With PURPOSE, your life has focus.
4. With PURPOSE, your life has motivation. Why? Because purpose always produces PASSION!
 
Make sure you stay positive, stay passionate, and that you live and work WITH PURPOSE!

Happy New Year! 2008 is gone and 2009 has arrived!

As we embark on a new season, I want to remind you to keep dreaming BIG!

 Stay positive in a negative world. Pursue EXCELLENCE in all that you do!!!! PASSION! ENERGY! ENTHUSIASM! ENDURANCE! will all determine if you achieve your goals and targets this year.

We must INNOVATE in Business otherwise die!

Give more VALUE and strengthen relationships to win! In every economy there are winners and losers. History reminds us that the winners FOCUS on all of the above! Design, dictate and create the year you want to have. 

 Let’s go! Get Fired up! It’s time to rise up, make a difference and impact our companies, clients and communities. Don’t let circumstances or the cyncial conversations of others hold you back. Instead, let your CREATIVE THINKING  and PERSONAL RESOLVE  help you conquer the next mountains in your work and life. There’s opportunity out there. Go for it.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers to a great 2009!

Change is here and change will continue to come.The last couple of weeks as I been in several business meeting it has been obvious that the speed of change is catching many organizations by surprise. The political, social, economic and even religious landscape is changing at a pace never experience before. Many are running scared, others are consumed by worry but for others all this change means opportunities. Innovation, flexibility, speed and the ability to embrace change in organizations will determine who wins or losses in the next couple of months and years.  What are you doing to be a catalyst for change in your industry?

I wrote my first book when I was 29 and had a goal to write 10 books in ten years. That was the goal, but this is what happened. Between the ages of 29 and 35 years old I wrote four books—and then I started having children! Can you relate? My world was turned upside down for the better no doubt, but time was in short supply. Now that my princess is nine and my twin boys are six, I have had time (early in the mornings and late at night) to produce my first book project. Over the last five years I have compiled hundreds of  weekly Mental Snacks, selected some of my best and have developed them into a new book, Mental Snacks: Nourishment for your mind and fuel for your life! It comes out in two weeks. It’s a great resource you can use to renew your mind daily with a variety of topics to fuel your mind with hope, inspiration and motivation. Click here if you’d like to learn more about it or pre-order some copies for your clients or friends.

I’m in the midst of a campaign right now and need your vote! Thank goodness it isn’t a political campaign but it is a Pink one. Pink at the Polls is underway. It is a campaign to bring breast cancer awareness to our community. The campaign is a fun way to raise awareness of serious disease. Here are some important facts all of us should be aware of: 

• The American Cancer Society estimates that 178,480 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2007, making it the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is about 1 in 8. The chance of a woman dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 33.
• In 2007, about 40,910 people will die from breast cancer in the United States (40,460 women, 450 men).
• Right now there are slightly over 2 million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer.

The good news is that breast cancer death rates are declining, thanks in part to screenings, early detection and improved treatments. For  resources and to  learn more  go to www.pinkatpolls.com …by the way don’t for get to VOTE FOR ME!

Well, I still don’t have power at my house, but we’re up and running at the office. Gustav winds battered the the Southeast part of Louisiana (see below). Over 850,000 homes were left without power and hundreds of homes damaged. Part of the beauty of Baton Rouge is that it is an urban forest, but it was those same trees that raised havoc on the city, after gust winds of up to 91 mph pounded them. With the exception of some minor trees being lost along with power at home, our family is fine. Unfortunately, that was not the same with thousands of others. Our governor and mayor, along with other elected officials did an amazing job in preparing for the storm and continue working hard to bring the resources to help the people impacted by the hurricane. It’s during times like these that we remember the most important things in life.

Photos by Carolyn Valentine Blakley

It has been anything but a typical Labor Day weekend in Southeast Louisiana. The last couple of days have been spent preparing and planning for the arrival of Hurricane Gustav. I have been blessed by all the calls, text messages and emails I have received from all over the country and world from people praying and thinking about us down here. I’m proud of Governor Jindal’s leadership and all of our elected officials for their early pro-activeness and preparations to insure the safety of citizens. The churches in the region have been amazing in reaching out to help those who can’t help themselves. I personally know of several who have turn their facilities into nursling homes to help the elderly. They are prepared to serve and help after the storm. I have my entire immediate family hunkered down at my home and so we’re at peace because at least we’re together. One really never knows the storms they will face in life.  Tonight however, we know it’s name is Gustav.

This past week I had dinner with some friends who are such life givers. Their joy and passion challenged me.  On my way home I was thinking about how our world needs more life givers. We have tons of energy drainers running around, some in our families, some at work, others at church or school. You know the type of people who only point out the bad, what’s not working and have a critical comment about most things. Their attitude is cynical and their thinking is limited. These people are the energy drainers.

I made up my mind a long time ago to stay away from such people. I try my best to surround myself with life givers and pray that I am a life giver. Life givers are those who encourage and challenge people around them. They inspire others, dream big and have passion for their work, family and purpose in life. In other words, life givers are people who add and multiply to your life, not subtract and divide. Today I took inventory of my relationships and am thankful that I have more life givers than energy drainers surrounding me. How about you?