Today’s reality has forced us to question how we lead ourselves and our families:

• Do we need that next purchase or would we feel better with the security of a savings account?
• Should we be constantly going somewhere or are our best times in the backyard?
• Are we eating healthier by eating at home more often?
• Could our children benefit by playing with other children rather than attending another activity?
• Would there be less stress if we drove less?

What positive outcomes have you experienced? 

We  may have been forced to change the way we live but, by shifting our paradigm, we can focus on the positive outcomes. We can determine what is important and meaningful and lead in that direction. Leaders make changes, and by doing so, influence the people around them to also make changes. A leader is not necessarily a CEO of a corporation. A leader is anyone who leads by example. Just look at the “green” movement-many individual leaders making small steps that are leading to change.

Imagine if we taught our children to become leaders. What if we taught children to stop and think about choices, understand and value differences, have balance in their lives, and work together for better ideas?

We feel that their leadership skills would help them become responsible citizens and influence other children! It wouldn’t take long before we would start to see a change. What do you think?

 Leadership is not a new concept. Teaching children to be leaders is. Imagine the possibilities.

 Click Here to learn more about The Leader In Me Process.

 Authors: Sarah Noble and Judy Yauch, FranklinCovey Education Solutions

The headlines are a bit depressing, aren’t they?

At FranklinCovey we think the opposite.  The headlines are fascinating. 

Dr. Stephen R. Covey says, “We’ve never had such opportunity as we do today.”  In Maurna Desmond’s interview with Dr. Covey (Fortune, Dec. 19), he observes that this is the chance, the opening, the break people have been looking for.

When companies close their doors, competitors can jump in and go crazy. When you’re let go, you’re free to change everything in your life.

It’s not a time to mope but a time to get creative. “People are too much a product of their conditions, and not of their decisions,” Dr. Covey says. There are two sides to losing a job, only one of them negative.   The positive side is that you’re suddenly free to create your own future.

Just look at Steve Demeter of San Francisco, who used to work on ATMs for a big bank. When he got interested in programming applications for the iPhone, he created Trism, a game he sold on the Internet for $5 per download and made $250,000 profit in two months.

At 29, Steve is a millionaire.

Have you heard stories like this? Do you have any stories you could share with us? Maybe it’s your own story. We’d like to hear from you about people who are choosing to succeed instead of fail in an economic downturn. 

While there’s a lot of pain associated with the economic crisis, we are much more interested in the possibilities for change.  What do you think, share your comments and stories with us?

Author: Breck England