Make it happen today
What would be the use of immorality to a person who cannot use well a half an hour?
The ability to motivate others well flows from the importance that we attach to today.
What can we do today?
John Wooden was the most successful college basketball coach of all time. His UCLA teams won 10 national championships in a 12-year time span. Wooden created a major portion of his coaching and living philosophy from one thought -- a single sentence passed on to him by his father when Wooden was a little boy: "Make each day your masterpiece." While other coaches would try to gear their players toward important games in the future, Wooden always focused on today. His practice sessions at UCLA were every bit as important as any championship game. In his philosophy, there was no reason not to make today the proudest day of your life. There was no reason not to play as hard in practice as you do in a game. He wanted every player to go to bed each night thinking, "Today, I was at my best."
Most of us, however, don't want to live this way. The future is where our happiness lies, so we live in the future. The past is where the problem began, so we live in the past. But every good thing that ever happened, happened now, right now. Leadership takes place now, too.
The key to leading others is in your willingness to do important things -- but to do them now. Today is your whole life in miniature. You were "born" when you woke up, and you'll "die" when you go to sleep. It was designed this way so that you could live your whole life in a day. Do you still want to talk around telling your team you're having a bad day?
When your people see you making each day your masterpiece they will pick it up as a way to live and work.
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