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Get Wisdom!

by Fred Hughes

As an entrepreneur, it is my job to evaluate business practices and decide what and where to invest the companies resources. I was considering recently what value all of the self-help and business coaching materials I have acquired and studied, really are worth to me and my enterprise.

Quite honestly, I often consider much of what is out there a lot of hype and recopied clutter. (Anyone, understand what I’m saying?) There is a lot of noise but not much substance to much of the available training. So where do we search? What are the main things we actually need to do well? It turns out the same answers have been sought after for thousands of years. Moreover, the foundational principals and precepts we are looking for have not changed, they remain the same.

3 John 2-4 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

One of the basic understandings of how we prosper, and according to these verses, how we stay healthy is that we need a soul that prospers. Your soul that it is talking about is your mind, will, and emotions. The soul is what we think, how we react or respond, and what we determine to be the truth which we choose to follow. Finally, one of the greatest joys we can experience is to see our children or mentees actually walk in the truth we taught them as we pass to them the same prosperity we enjoy.

One of the true treasures of life is a prosperous soul!

The ability of the father or mentor to establish truth and wisdom into the next generation is called legacy — not only prospering yourself but passing it to generations to come. That will never happen unless it is based upon truth. Truth stands through time and validates the wisdom and understanding being passed!

Proverbs 4:5-13 Get Wisdom! Get Understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you. Hear oh my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.

Get Wisdom! Get Understanding! What great advice from a father to a son.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without doubting…

Notice that we are talking about the wisdom and understanding that comes from God, not the world. There is a big difference!

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God…

Please understand that the wisdom that comes from God is far better than the wisdom of men. So if you are a Christian (a believer, a son), you have access to the wisdom of God. That wisdom is the truth, and it is the truth that will set you free — free from making poor business decisions and free to build a legacy of truth that can be transferred to others.

The self-help stuff has some value, but if you want real wisdom and understanding, there is a better source, my friend.

GET WISDOM! MAY YOUR SOUL PROSPER!

Fred Hughes, M. Photog.

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.orgGetWisdom-Photo Credit - Mika Matin (Large)

Desert Experiences

When challenges loom larger than life.

Life has a way of bringing issues that are seemingly so vast and insurmountable that hopelessness arises quickly to steal vision. “Dream Dashers” or “Desert Experiences” I would title the books that could easily be written by almost any entrepreneur, writer, artist or ministry. All of us face this same formidable foe at one point or another, and it is no small task that must be overcome.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Whatever you do, do it as though you are employed by God. Knowing that He will give both strength and provision to accomplish what He has called you to do. Rest assured that what things stand in the way are big compared to you but small compared to God.

If there were nothing to overcome, how could you become an overcomer?

Consider this perspective: if an obstacle arises to block my progress, I can seek wisdom from either of two sources, God or the world. Both can provide a game plan for me to follow. Take note of this Bible verse with that in mind.

1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

Our faith! In other words which choice do I believe and act upon? Which choice will make me a victorious overcomer? I desire for my ideas, choices, and decisions to be born of God. God ideas, not just good ideas. Sometimes the world actually has good ideas, but God ideas are out-of-this-world better!

Rejections, disappointments, failures, lack, and the list goes on of “Desert Experiences” that we face and need to be able to overcome. The good news is that God never runs out of ideas. Our lack of faith to believe those God-ideas is the only real “Dream Killer” that will keep us from overcoming whatever the world throws at us.

3 Keys to Overcoming “Desert Experiences”

1.) Deserts are dry! So, you need the Water of the Word: Jesus is the living water.

2.) Deserts are a place of temptation! The enemy will come and test your commitment levels offering what looks like alternative good ideas. Testing of the original “Born of God” idea will reveal your faith.

3.) Deserts are a bad place to wander around for 40 years. Without water and without the God Idea, wandering in the desert is what happens. Some die out there, so avoid wandering and get started being an overcomer. All the God-ideas come with a good set of instructions.

Your challenges may seem bigger than life, but they are never bigger than God.

Fred Hughes, M. Photog.

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

photo-By Lionello DelPiccolo (Large)

Which way do we go?

How to lead the way when you are totally lost!

Honestly, that is just not going to happen, is it? The baseline definition of a leader is: “One who knows the way.” The world is full of want-to-be leaders, but who really knows the way? The USA where I live has just undergone a change of leadership, and our entire country is prayerfully hoping our new leaders will lead us in the right direction. Some of us are expectant, others are fearful, but all of us should be prayerful!

The following thoughts are intended to challenge your thinking a little concerning leadership. I want to take a look at leadership from two perspectives:

1) You as the leader

  • Are you real? Just because you are a leader does not always mean you are the leader. Collaboration is a wonderful concept but useless and time-consuming without real leadership to guide it.
  • Are you a leader of one or many? What grows, matures or changes with more people to lead? What stays the same no matter the number you are leading?
  • Is there someone with you that has some knowledge, experience, or ability you do not have? If so, do you have the wisdom to utilize it?
  • If you do not know the way, do not take the lead. If someone else knows a better way, let them take the point for a while. This makes you more, not less, a leader.

Pride always leads to disaster

2) You choosing a leader to follow

  • Do they know the way? Even a bad leader can get you somewhere if they know the way. If reaching a destination is all you need, this leader is able. If you want to arrive safely, morally, ethically, or financially, your search may not be over.
  • Follow integrity above intrigue. Is this leader upright and consistent? Can they deliver what they promise?
  • Is there any peace associated with the choice? If everything looks good but there is no peace about the decision, wait until there is, or do not follow this leader.

Peace surpasses understanding, trust peace

There are many other things to consider concerning leadership. My hope is that these thoughts will help you in some way.

Let me suggest a great leadership model written years ago about a truly great leader. * NKJV and my own thoughts inserted in ( )

Psalms 23 The Lord is my shepherd (I know who my leader is.)

I shall not want (Under his leadership I will lack nothing. I trust him!)

He makes me lay down in green pastures (Because the grass is green and plentiful, I am full! I can not eat more. It’s nap time!)

He leads me beside the still waters (He does not lead to strife or troubled waters but to peace and refreshing…. life more abundant.)

He restores my soul (My mind, will & emotions (soul) are repaired by Him.)

He leads me in paths of righteousness (He leads the right way at the right time.)

For His name’s sake (Because his name is honorable, He will not lead me to destruction but to life.)

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.(I have full confidence in my leader. He is equipped to guide and defend me, and the integrity of his name is above reproach. What Comfort My Leader Is To Me.)

Follow and mimic this kind of leadership and you will do well!

Fred Hughes, M. Photog.

photo-By Peter Hershey

photo-By Peter Hershey (Large)

Which way do we go?

 

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Sticky Notes In Your Head!

photo-Evan Kirby-SNote copy (Large)

 

It seems to me that certain images or memories are like sticky notes in my head. Something like an old car or brand of chewing gum can trigger thoughts from years gone by. (Some remind us of events we experienced or relationships we enjoyed along life’s way.) What is important now, and what was important at that point in time can be vastly different. But, still there they are sticky notes in your head! Those little sticky notes are not always bad or good. They are just there, and they remind us of something we once experienced. Our memories are like a series of photos and sticky notes that have been animated into a collection of short films that we can access on demand.

Luke 2:51-52 (When Jesus was a young 12-year-old boy an incident happened that caused Mary his mother to create a sticky note of the moment.) … but his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

What mother does not hide multitudes of snapshots and sticky notes of their children from birth upward. As Jesus was on the cross looking down, he saw his mother, and she was still “keeping all these things in her heart.” John 19:25-27…”Woman behold your son”. Jesus assigned John to care for his mother. Sticky note moments are hidden in the head and heart. Mary later saw her Son after he had risen, and after that, she was present in the upper room when the Holy Spirit fell upon them. Lots of sticky notes!

For 30 plus years I have been a professional photographer. I have created many photos for clients that captured moments in their lives and preserved them for later reflection. I carefully crafted visual sticky notes for my clients designed to assist their heads and hearts remember more clearly those special moments in times and events that were meaningful.

What kind of sticky notes are in your head?

Will you still be able to access them with clarity 20 years from now? Mary’s story is recorded in the Bible; someone wrote it down! My clients have photographs; someone hired me! Sticky notes have only one really bad characteristic: they fall off! The sticky with age gives way, and the note is often lost. Make sure you do something to keep those sticky notes hanging around as long as you can!

Just an old school photographer’s opinion, but I still think prints and albums are much greater than a hard drive that will fail and must be accessed before the images can be seen.

Fred Hughes, M. Photog.

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

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Are You Happy?

Are You Happy?

Seriously, Are You Happy? What makes you happy and why?

A few years back a song that was almost worn out by the regularity it was played on the radio stations across America titled, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin was a favorite of mine. I loved the beat, the feel, and the message. I was thinking of this song one day, and it occurred to me, hey, that is scriptural!

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, (Don’t Worry), but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, (Be Happy) which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Also see) Luke 12:22-31

Back to the main question, are you happy? Perhaps a better question would be, what is happy? According to the song and the scriptures, worry, being anxious, frustrated or fearful is not happy! Therefore, I am asking you, what makes you happy? Let me offer a little help, another word for happy is content. What makes you content, satisfied, fulfilled, happy? Is it possible to identify it?

Possibly it is feelings, safety, adequacy, acceptance, worth, possessions, legacy, fame, freedom, love, relationship, authority, knowledge, fun, a day-off, chocolate, family, friends, food, hunting, dancing, reading, music, movies, money, kids, pets, facebook, twitter, travel, or something else.

What is your happy based on? How long does your happy last? How do you find happy again, when it goes away? Can you be happy all the time? The Bible has those answers.

Psalm 127:3-5 (vs. 3 Children are a heritage from the Lord) vs.5 Happy is the man who has a quiver full of them.

Psalm 144:13-15 vs.15 Happy are the people who are in that state; (must be Texas!) Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

Proverbs 3:13-18 Happy is the man/woman who finds wisdom, and the man/woman who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.

Proverbs 14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins: But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Proverbs 16:20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy! Happy is an atmosphere or an attitude you can move into anytime you choose to do so! Happy or Sad, Mad or Glad, Blessing or Curse, it is your call, your choice, your life! Wake up every morning and say to yourself, “self, today we are going to be happy!”

Cast your cares (worry & fear) on God, because He cares about you! When you do that, you will find that happy happens! Happy is an atmosphere or an attitude you can move into anytime you choose to do so, happy or sad; mad or glad, blessing or cursing … your call, your life. Just say, “Self, listen up, I am going to be happy today no matter what gets in my way!”

My desire is that you discover the real happy that will live inside you and always help you and be there for you! The Holy Spirit is that ever-present help in times of need, and the one who will guide you into all truth. But most important of all, Holy Spirit is the one who brings fullness of joy (happy) into your life.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

HAPPY < Let me leave you Happy! (YouTube Links) > Don’t Worry Be Happy

Fred Hughes

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Season’s Greetings

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I love this time of year. It truly is a series of seasons in which we have opportunities to give greetings to those around us. What greetings are you giving?

Thanksgiving is an awesome time for greeting. First, we greet our Creator, because we are thankful for life, abundance, fullness, and joy! Second, we give greetings of thanksgiving to those around us at work and play. We are thankful for real relationships and all that we are blessed to have in this great country where we are privileged to live.

Christmas is the season’s most wonderful time of expressing great tidings or greetings to everyone you meet! “Merry Christmas, Peace and Good Will to Men, Blessings from our House to Yours” are all heartfelt expressions of love and warmth on greeting cards and letters, as well as salutations in passing. Wow, what a wonderful time of the year! Greetings announce the birth of the Savior of the World! Declarations of the Good News, salvation for all men, have come and are available to all!

A New Year is a time to greet one another in the fresh opportunities of a new beginning! This nation and each citizen living here should begin the new year of 2017 with great expectancy! With jubilee, we celebrate the New and build an expectation of Better — a better life, a better job, a new chance to improve and excel in this brand new year! Perhaps, it will be the best year ever! Perhaps, this will be the Year of Jubilee where we are set free of bondages and disappointments we have faced in the past. Be free and free indeed! Happy New Year!

In the past great American leaders in our nation have greeted each new year in, and they blessed it to be the best year ever! As new leaders emerge, I pray that the tradition continues to the next generation. Be the person that God has endowed you to be in 2017! Greetings to you as you participate in the most exciting days that have ever existed on this earth! These days belong to you!

Season’s Greetings!

Fred Hughes

This and other great posts can be found at our websites:

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Speaking To The Mountain

We experience opposition in life on many levels. We find resistance and push back on our ideas, decisions, actions, goals and dreams; this is actually normal! How we deal with the voices that oppose us is critical to a successful life. When we face towering, ominous mountains that seem to proclaim death to any hope we have of being successful. How we handle these very convincing voices of opposition and the mental pictures they paint is so vital to our becoming victorious overcomers!

There are volumes written about how to win over these opposing forces. Loads of self-help books and videos are available showing you the 3-winning ways and the 6-step method to climbing the mountain. Unfortunately, most offer no substantial assistance, because they are more about marketing than revealing real truth and wisdom.

Listening to the one true voice will empower you to overcome. Nothing is impossible for God. The Holy Spirit is our advocate, our “ever present help in time of need,” and the voice of God in our lives. Holy Spirit is the Voice of Truth and will never speak contrary to the Bible.

Matthew 17:20 And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

This scripture says we only need a little bit of faith, so it is not necessarily a lack of faith but rather that we do not use the faith we have. We do not say or speak to the mountain or problem and command the solution we need to manifest. Sometimes we pray and ask God to do it for us when God has given us the authority and power to overcome the troubles we face.

1 John 5:3-5 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

As believers, you and I have been given the victory, and we are called overcomers!

Don’t speak to God about the mountain. Speak to the mountain about your God!

 

“Well, I hope we at least break even this next year!” Does that sound like the voice of victory or failure? You need to understand, how we speak matters! How you see yourself determines what you say. Those voices coming from the mountain are saying, “You are defeated from the start! You will not make this work! You should have never started this!” Statements like these will defer your hope and make your heart sick. Hopelessness will come, and failure will soon follow. However, with only a little faith rising up in you to say, “No! I am more than a conqueror. My God shall supply all my needs. I am going to overcome these things that are in my way, because the wisdom and power of God is inside of me. When I agree with what God says, I know He will cause it to manifest. How do I know that? Because Jesus did it two thousand years ago so that I could have it now! It is already done, and the minute I believe it, it is mine! When I know whose I am, I began to get the revelation of who I am and what I have in Christ. I can then boldly proclaim “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” “Mountain, move out of my way!” ” I’m going over I’m not going under!”

You see, the Greater One lives inside of you, and nothing is too difficult for Him. This is not merely a positive mental attitude or positive thinking. This is knowing without any doubt the truth and power of a Child of God… an overcomer! It is from a position of authority and power like that of a king sitting in a chair called a throne, and he speaks or decrees something, and all of the forces of the kingdom rally to accomplish it. Speak to your mountains, and you will discover God has already moved them for you. Opposition and resistance are easily broken with words of faith! You move in the faith and power of the Holy Spirit and walk in victory, not defeat.

Take your little faith and start telling those mountains to move over, you are coming through! No matter what your age, race, gender, economic status or abilities are, if you are a child of God, you are an overcomer! Moses was old, and a foreigner, but he asked God for another mountain to overtake! Timothy was young and inexperienced, yet he was handed great authority and leadership. Paul worked two jobs but he was a great overcomer. Time to get it all done seemed to be multiplied for him, and revelation came to him that still amazes us even today.

It may feel a little silly, my friend, but find time to pray, and then start speaking out loud to that mountain – Addiction, Lack, Debt, Fear, Sickness, whatever name it has. SPEAK to it. Tell it about your great God, and command that it move! You do not have time to mess with it! You have bigger mountains to climb!

Fred Hughes, M.Photog.

Read more posts like this one at our website blog page or listen on our podcast page. You can also find and subscribe to our podcast using iTunes, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio, TuneIn, Spreaker Radio, Soundcloud, and YouTube. Search for “The Fred Hughes Show” and “The Decision Ministries Show”

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Now

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“Now”

 

2 Corinthians 6:2 or He says: “In an acceptable time, I have heard you, And in the day of salvation, I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold,now is the day of salvation.  NKJV

Awesome is the word NOW!

Nothing worthwhile ever happens anywhere except NOW. (Can now be a place?)

Tomorrow never arrives until NOW gets there. Yesterday once was NOW, but not now.

Simplistic, I understand, but a powerful reality none the less.

NOW is the time! The person who has control of his/her own destiny understands how important Now really is. The time is now to adjust your thinking in a productive fashion. How you think in the Now is what you will be doing in the Now, tomorrow. Conversely, what you did in the now of yesterday manifests in the Now of today.

Living in yesterday or tomorrow is the enemy of NOW!

OK, enough of the double talk. Now is the time! Today is the day of salvation! I don’t know about you, but just about every day I need to be saved from something! Often what I need to be saved from is myself. Taking advantage of “Now”is where I am lacking. Today and planning what I need to do “Now” tomorrow! Oops! I’m double talking again. Planning is a “Now” event that schedules your “Now” for tomorrow. Without a plan, “Now” seems to vanish. My friend live in the “Now.” It is the most productive place you can be. By the way, your relationships are always located at the corner of Right & Now. Your relationship with God, your spouse, your children and your coworkers will always happen in the “Now!”

The Right Time Is Now!

If you have a challenge with your spouse, the right time to make it right is “Now!” If you have trouble brewing with your kids the right time to resolve those issues is “Now!” I submit to you, lay down the law of love, and insist you are going to clear every conflict with people in your life, before the Holidays. Say to yourself “I’m going to do that Now!” Then when you are in the Now of the Holiday, you can tell yourself “I am so glad I did that, because this is a wonderful Now!”

It only happens if you do it NOW!

Romans 15:13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  NKJV

Have a great Now!

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Have We Lost The Forest In The Trees?

photo-samuel-scrimshawPerhaps we have lost the big picture to all the details of the day. There seems to me to be an inability to see the forest in many ways. What are you seeing?

Mark 10:13-16 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, Jesus was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

It seems to me that the main thing isn’t the main thing anymore.

Our culture seems to be missing important things like love, honor, charity, and morality, all because we do not want to offend anyone. We build our walls of race and economic divide or move the ministry to the people out of the way of the TV cameras. Similar to Jesus’ disciples, are we not missing something here?

On a regular basis, I see young couples failing in their relationships and people of all ages suffering rejection and bitterness, because parents and children can no longer communicate at any level. Business and social structures are turned upside down by warped ideologies that are based on greed or control. I propose that what seems right because, “that is the way everyone is doing it,” is in actuality very wrong!

Prov 14:12-16

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. 13 Even in laughter, the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief. 14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above. 15 The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps. 16 A wise man fears and departs from evil,

NKJV

So, why point this out? Rediscovering the real forest and not getting tangled up in the trees is a high vision that will change the day you live in. Perspective is important, if you want to have a big vision. I believe it is important to pay attention to the details, but ask any artist about the value of stepping back and seeing the big picture from time to time.

The foundations of American life have been attacked and much damage has been done. There is a crossroad, a clearing, a vantage point that is available. His name is Jesus; His word is true; His wisdom and ways are good. Will we stop and rediscover the forest? Or, will we continue being lost among the trees not knowing we are in grave danger!

My friend, unless we become like little children, we will not see the kingdom of God, nor a great nation called America. Unless we run to Him and let His hands and blessings be upon us, we will not prosper as a people. May God grant us eyes to see the forest, not just the trees.

IN GOD WE TRUST!

by Fred Hughes

This and other Posts can be found at our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

What Color Are Your Doors?

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What Color Are Your Doors?

How do people perceive your entry points?

Honestly, how do you think people see your accessibility? Can they enter at all? Is there a sign out front of your face, business, or brand that says: CLOSED!

We have to start at the top because critical ownership has to be taken. Personal, Corporate, and even in the Brand someone has to own it! So, let me point out a few things that top leadership must look at.

Number 1) “What color are your doors?”

“To enter or not to enter?” that is the question every client/buyer/student/investor/parishioner/family member/friend/social contact are asking themselves. Is this place painted fun or drab? Is it an institution or a home? Am I about to experience something Joyful or Intimidating? What is the color of the atmosphere, bright and open, or secretive and dark? Leadership sets the color scheme, and everything else has to function within that environment. McDonald’s and Subway spend a lot of money establishing the color, texture, style, and font in the signage; they must match the design scheme. Even the landscaping on the outside of the building must match the overall color… branding. The face the public will first encounter, the door they will enter into, must carry the specific branding message you want to convey.

The atmosphere of leadership sets the tone in the workplace, in the community, in the family and in every leader personally! There must be a leader that will set the color of the doorway! This establishes and affirms the mood and character of the staff, workmen, employees, volunteers, and family members. Finally, the color of the brand is the basic building block of the direction and destiny of the business, organization, family unit, church or group. I hope by now you are understanding that leadership in every facet of life sets the color of the doors! The identity of the business, organization, or family is established by leadership.

Number 2) Where do your doors lead?

The brand and leadership are vital, but there has to be some substance and integrity behind the colorful doors and clever enticements!

Is there real value behind the doors? When they pull the curtain and show, what is behind door #3? Will it be a worthless deception or a valuable prize?  Does the value match or exceed the perceived expectations?

Over deliver and under promise or over promise and under deliver! You have to watch this constantly! Things shift and change continually and can not be ignored. It is vital to every level of relationship. Trust is earned slowly and lost quickly. Set a guard and a guide at this door!

The guard at the door is set there to watch for outside influences that want to come in and change the dynamics and alter the course. Guard against vision-destructive outsiders who have an agenda of their own. The guide at the door is there to help people capture the vision and find a place at the table, a friend they can trust.

Number 3) What opportunities will your doors open?

It is great to discover good products and dependable friendly people, but is there more? Are there other opportunities available to people, if they are looking for more? Job opportunities? Affiliate programs? Professional relationships? Will they find more beyond that door? Leaders develop “More;” it never happens by accident. Someone always chooses the color and decides what the atmosphere will be. The color of your doors should complement what is found inside and more!

The Bible story of Joseph tells of a coat of many colors given in love by his father. Joseph was despised by his brothers, and his coat was used to identify the tragedy. But it was not the coat that mattered, it was the person to whom the coat belonged that was important. Leaders are like Joseph: their character and endurance produce the true color of their integrity. What color are your doors?

by Fred Hughes

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www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org