View from the Summit

It’s very simple, but it's my routine. Starting my day early is without question one of the keys to my success. I hear guys all the time talking about sleeping in. I guess that is a good thing once in a while, but for me a really late morning would be 6:00 AM.

As a rule, I’m up between 4:30 AM and 5:00 AM. I prepare the coffee maker the night before and a simple touch of the switch the following morning and presto, black magic. The finest drink on the planet, no cream and no sweetener, just pure dark rich black coffee.

Starting out with a full glass of water, a fresh banana and 5 minutes in my high back leather chair sets the mood. Now, I’m ready for the day….

This has always been the $64.00 question. Is a leader born or developed? I have been asked countless times this question and I don’t feel with absolute certainty than anyone is emphatically qualified to answer beyond a shadow of a doubt. I will offer my thoughts and opinion on the topic though.

I have been an entrepreneur my entire adult life. I have not received a paycheck for almost 4 decades. If I did not go out and drag something home, we did not eat.

I personally think it takes leadership to do that. If I sat in the wings and waited, I may have starved. Has it been easy? Absolutely not.

I was talking to one of my advisors and I shared with him that I didn’t always feel up to speed. I didn’t wake up every day just a bundle of joy.

Even questioned some days my long-term commitments. Thinking I was a phony or even an imposture left me dizzy with questions: Was I real? What if others found me out? Was I a liar? Was my integrity in question?

As I unpacked all these bags it was clear that everyone from time to time has doubts. When you’re alone or lying down in bed at night you began to relive that day's happenings, you question your motives and wonder if the truth was embellished.

What are the five biggest challenges you are presently facing? Faith? Family? Financial? Relational? Career?