When is the last time you took a moment to ruminate on all the good in your life? If you can't remember, you're not alone.

Between jam-packed schedules, caring for others, and the never-ending daily list of chores we tend to forget to create time to take a breather. Unlike other beneficial health practices, cultivating a gratitude practice can be done in very little time with no costly devices, memberships, or equipment.

Gratitude is a strong and deeply-rooted emotion of appreciation. It originates from days when our survival depended on the help of others. The positive feeling of gratitude can inspire us to show appreciation, which will, in turn, make others more likely to help us again in the future. This is perhaps why today we feel the most grateful when we give or receive an act of kindness.

According to psychology research, gratitude is "a social emotion that signals our recognition of the things others have done for us."

A more details definition is provided by The Harvard Medical School, writing that gratitude is "a thankful appreciation of what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives...As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals-whether to other people, nature, or a higher power."

So if it's been a while since you've evaluated the good in your life, a simple way to start is to think of three things that have gone well for you and identify the cause. Go a step further by imagining what your life would be like if these positive events had not occurred.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a household name today due to his inspirational words and brave activism as a leader in the civil rights movement.
 
With beliefs deeply rooted in Christianity, he used his platform as a minister to provoke action toward equality and provide words of hope at a time when segregation and hatred was public and rampant against African Americans in our country.
 
As a way to honor and commemorate his life and memory, we urge you to find a way to give back to your community in some way, and do your part in helping to make the world a kinder, more peaceful place.
 
Wishing you a Happy Martin Luther King Day, from our family at Leadership Solutions to yours.
 
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate’ only love can do that.” - MLK
 
Live Successfully,
Angela Decoteau
John Maxwell Leadership Expert

From a young age, we are able to feel gratified by the things we receive. 
Over time, we cultivate our capacity to be grateful externally to other people, animals, and the world. These are the two stages of gratitude—recognition of the goodness in our lives, followed by the acknowledgment that this goodness came to us externally.  

Learn more about the reciprocity of gratitude and ways to continue to deepen this fundamental emotion by opting-in to my upcoming Gratitude Email Series!

To opt-in, visit angeladecoteau.leadingthebest.com/GRTE0002
Angela Decoteau

Yesterday, while on vacation with my family, I met a hero who has inspired me for many years. His name is Ken Ham, an emigrant from Australia. He is a man with purpose, with vision, and passion. In 2004 he had a vision to build a life size replica of Noah's Ark. In 2016 he saw his dream become a reality.

Perched on a hill in rural Willamstown, KY sits the largest wooden structure in the world. A massive undertaking even in this modern world with equipment and resources. Ham met with numerous obstacles along the way but he never gave up on his vision. 

The interior is a wonder to behold with numerous massive trees as upright columns. These trees are so large it took 6 men two days just to cut one. The magnitude of the construction is just an incredible sight to behold. 

As you are reading this I know you have a voice within you that is your passion, your vision,  this is how you shine as an individual.

What ever it is and no matter how difficult, I know that you are able to achieve it. 

Ken Ham-- against many odds-- was able to see his vision realized. He was able to obtain the talent and resources needed in rural Kentucky, and he did it. He built THE largest wooden structure in the world because......

he didn't quit.

Whatever your passion and vision today I just want to encourage you to never ever, ever, ever give up.

Live Awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Encourage. Equip. Empower.

As a leader, I know you are out there doing great things, but if you haven't done this first, all that you have accomplished...and all that you hope to accomplish... will be lost. 

The first thing that every leader must do. In fact this is the one thing every great leader must continually do. That one thing is that you, as a leader, must invest in yourself.

 If you do not grow your leadership then the people you lead, the company, or organization you lead, will soon out grow you. A team will never follow a leader whose leadership level is less than their own. It's never happened and never will happen.

Those around you will soon leave. You yourself will become the lid on the team. This stop in growth of the entire team and the entire organization will eventually destroy the team and if it doesn't change, it will destroy the organization as well. 

To grow your team you must grow yourself. Growing yourself, taking time to invest in yourself, yields an exponential ROI.


Live Awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Encourage. Equip. Empower.

We are awaiting hurricane Laura’s landing here in Louisiana and I can tell you that fear is alive and well. Thankfully for our area, Laura will likely be nothing more than a few thunderstorms…not a big deal for us. 

But let’s talk about fear. As I write this we are still in the midst of a global pandemic that has brought paralyzing fear to many. As a leader, it is important for you to insulate against fear. In order to be a successful leader, your followers must see your courage in the midst of fear. 

Ask yourself the following questions:
Are you insulated against fear in your life? 
Are you insulated against fear in your business life? 
What would your team say about you? Is your team insulated against fear?
I have a proven method that will take you through the steps to become insulated against fear.  High level coaches will walk you through a process that is guaranteed to insulate you against fear and empower you to achieve success you never imagined possible.

Join us on September 16, 2020. Bring your entire team for maximum benefits of being empowered against fear and other obstacles that limit your success.


See you there!

Live Awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Encourage. Equip. Empower.

I’m sure you’ve been there before, you made a plan, you just know it’s going to work, you made all the right moves, taken all the right steps, and you are moving in the direction you desire. You can see success just ahead. Then it happens, suddenly there is a major change in circumstances, and you find yourself scrambling to find a new path to success in your new-- unexpected--situation. If you are actively seeking success in your life this absolutely will happen to you. Actually, it will likely happen numerous times...

Great leaders learn to shorten the time between the initial shock and the initiation of new behavior patterns that give you positive results in the new situation you find yourself. But here’s the secret… 

Learning the skill of rebounding quickly can get you and your team moving forward in a short time. 

The first thing to remember is that experience isn't the best teacher. A bad experience will only teach you that you don't want to re-live that experience again. It won't teach you how to change your results. 

To change your future results it is important that you evaluate your experience. Take a good hard look at what went right, what went wrong. Don't sugar coat anything. Listen to your team and anyone else who is willing to give honest feedback.

Listen and don't justify. Just listen and take notes. Take a moment on your own for self reflection. What do you think happened?

Don't pause here too long. This step should not take longer than a day or an hour, depending on the severity of the problem. The key is to identify and move on.

Next, be open minded about how to move forward. If you've been open to what went wrong and took a thorough and open minded approach to the problem you are already ahead of the curve. Now strategize for a better outcome in the future. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.



Live awesomely, Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Encourage . Equip . Empower

Have you ever wondered why some people succeed while others do not? Here's a simple three step process that you can apply today that has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the globe achieve success. 

We are all born with different God-given talents, but that’s not enough. Talent does not equal results. Otherwise, all successful people would be talented, which they’re not, and all unsuccessful people would be untalented, which they’re not. You know this from your own observations.
 
Do you know or have you heard of someone who is really talented but doesn’t seem to get the results they deserve? You probably know someone like that. Maybe you know dozens.  You probably know many successful people who seem to lack talent too. Again, they’re everywhere – aren’t they?
Here’s some statistics that may help you see what I’m talking about. 

• More than 50% of all CEO’s of Fortune 500 Companies had C averages in college.
• 65% of all US senators came from the bottom half of their school classes.
• 75% of US presidents were in the lower half of their school classes.
• More than 50% of millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college.

 
Here’s the good news, leadership is absolutely a teachable skill. When applied to your life, leadership skills can help you become the best version of you possible. Below is a method of goal achievement. It's one thing every successful person has in common, and it’s not natural skill, the one thing they all have in common is that they: 

1. have a vision
2. create a plan to achieve that vision, and 
3. execute upon that plan.
 
It’s three steps to success.  Yeah I know, seems easy on paper. Don’t let those three simple steps fool you. They aren’t easy steps by any means. These three steps take a daily determination, a daily walk, toward that goal to achieve the desired success. 
 
I’m not sure where you are today in your journey of success. I’m sure things have changed in your life due to the Covid-19's  ever changing climate. But I want you to know I am here for you. My team is here for you. I just want to encourage you today to never give up on yourself. Never give up on your goals, never give up on creating the best version of yourself.
 
In your heart and in your mind, you have a voice that is telling you how amazing you are, maybe even prompting you to achieve something. Maybe it’s as simple as achieving some distance from the pantry. Whatever it is, no matter how seemingly small the goal, take some time and take action in those three simple steps. Don't get over zealous, only choose one goal. 
 
My personal simple goal right now is to consistently do 10 minutes of yoga every morning starting at 7am. I’ve been working the plan for three weeks now and still not able to do it consistently every single day. That’s ok, new habits are hard to achieve and I’m not giving up.
 
I would love to hear from you. Send me a message and let me know what your vision is for your future and how you plan to achieve it. 
 
Live awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Encourage . Equip . Empower

I learned a deep and profound lesson in the store this week. One that woke me from a slight daze. Now don't get me wrong,  I do live a very disciplined life. I wake early every day, even weekends and holidays, checking off lists, and generally moving in the direction I desire for my life. But I have to confess, the whole Covid thing did sidetrack me for a bit.

My slight drift came to a screeching halt when I had a huge aha moment recently. It helped me regain my focus and I thought it may help you get your life journey on track as well.  
 
It all started when I ran out of toothpaste. So I decided to brave our local grocery store. I was slow at getting several things ordered and since I would be in the store for toothpaste, I thought it would be more efficient if I picked up a few other things as well. Going quickly in I decided not to take a shopping cart or basket as I thought it would slow me down. The produce aisle was first. I have to say those “gotcha” items sure do get me sometimes and I picked up some new vegetable sprinkles on an end cap along with avocados. They weren’t on my mental list, but I had room in my arms for a few extras besides the toothpaste. But a few more gotcha items later and things were not looking so good. By the time I got to the toothpaste my arms were full. I had already dropped a can of corn on aisle 3 while the eggs teetered precariously on my elbow just above the bread.  Meanwhile my arm muscles began to ache. As the bag of chocolates began to slide off the top of the eggs I realized I was still a long walk away from the cashier.
 
How many times has this ever happened to you? You go in for one thing…focus…. but in the busy-ness of the moment you lose focus and are distracted into adding something that was not part of the original plan? There were a good ten things in my arms that should not have been taking up space. They weren’t good for the diet and would never have made it on any list that was focused on my health goals.
 
Then it hit me.
Bad choices in life are like the bad choices I had made in the store. Time is just as limited as the space in my arms.

I had let small things take over my time that did not serve my goals. A little YouTube here, a little news there. Slowly but slowly little chunks of time were missing in my day. My time slots were full--much like my arms in the store—full of things that did not serve me. 
A life adrift is much the same way. A life without purpose is one filled with meaningless tasks that get you nowhere you want to be. Essentially, your "arms" will be so full of wasted time that you will have no room for the tasks that would get you where you really want to be. 
 
I’ve spoken to many business owners that are currently on pause--frozen if you will. They are completely unable to move forward or pivot. This is a very sad place to be.
 
Be careful my friend. Don’t let your life be filled with items that do not serve you in where you want to be. It happens slowly. One bad habit will lead to another. Before you know it you will be so busy, that you will have no room for what you really want, and you will find yourself, like so many of the masses, living a life without passion, without fulfillment, and without real joy. 
 
Here's the good news. You have the power to transform your life.

The first step to living a fulfilled life is to ask the right question first. The question you must answer first, before anything else can happen is this:
 
Where do you want to be in ten years? This question has to be answered first. Then after this question ask each of the questions below.
 

• Are the tasks you have chosen getting you where you want to be? 
• Are your daily habits getting you where you want to be? 
• Are the people in your life helping you get where you want to be?

 
If you answer yes to each question, then you are in good shape. If you answer no or a maybe to any of them then its time to make adjustments. 
 
In the grocery store I had to put back quite a few items. They were taking up precious real estate that I needed for the items that benefited me more. Back at home I didn’t even miss those items that were so hard to put back on the shelf. 
 
The process of letting go of the parts of your life that do not serve you is a little difficult at first blush. But ten years from now when you are exactly where you want to be, you won’t miss those people or time wasting activities one bit. 

Live awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Success Strategist, Awesome Activator
Encourage . Equip . Empower

I love affirmations. I use them all the time to help get me through the tough times. Positivity is an essential trait for a great leader. However, positivity alone is not enough to see you through to success. 

True success requires your positivity go one step further.

As a leader, it is your job to add traction to your positive train.  Then give your team a solid road map on where that train is going, and you have a formula for true success. 
 
Having hope is not a bad thing. You need a team that has a high degree of hope. You need people who truly believe they can succeed. But here’s the bad news, hope is not a strategy.

Below are three steps to get you started.
 
Step one: define your goal. Where are you going? What is your goal? Does your team know the goal? If they don’t know the goal how can they help you get there?
 
Step two: develop a plan. Most people take more time planning their vacations than their business goals. Do you have a step by step plan of how you will reach your goal? 
 
Step three: test and measure. While keeping the goal in sight, measure your strategic practices. How efficiently does your plan help you reach your goal? You will likely have to go back to the drawing board numerous times. This is ok, trust the process. Keep implementing, refining, testing, and measuring until you get the right formula that works. As dynamics change you will likely have to change your processes along your journey to success. That is perfectly normal.
 
From John Maxwell’s book “How Successful People Think” 
 
“Leaders continually surprised by the unexpected soon lose credibility with their followers. On the other hand, leaders who think realistically and plan accordingly position their organizations to win.”
 

Live awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Success Strategist, Awesome Activator
Encourage . Equip . Empower