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    Joseph Lalonde

    Joseph Lalonde is the owner of JMLalonde.com. He shares leadership insights from movies, extreme sports, and life experiences.

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    What Are You Focusing On?

    I saw a cute meme recently. The headline of the meme was: This is why dogs are happier

    The photo showed a man and his dog sitting next to each other. The man had multiple thought bubbles. There were thoughts of

    • A car
    • A plane
    • A house
    • Money
    Lok the Vizsla playing with his toy

    A blissful moment with Lok the Vizsla

    Then there was the dog. The dog had one thought bubble:

    • The dog and man sitting together

    Man and dog sitting next to each other with thought bubbles

    What Are You Focusing On?

    This meme shows us something. We’re often lost in thought. We’re not lost in the moment.

    Our minds are racing. Thoughts of our house, the next fancy car, or how we’re going to make money run through our minds.

    These thoughts crowd out what is happening around us. Our focus isn’t on the present moment. Our focus is on everything else.  Read more...

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    The Law Of Diminishing Return On Success

    Do you remember your first taste of success? It may have been when you were 5 years old and you sweet-talked your mom into just one more bite of the peanut butter pie. Your first taste of success may have come later. You may remember what it felt like to land your first sale. It was oh so sweet.

    Something happens after that first taste of success. We begin to chase success. We want to feel like we did when we first tasted success.

    The high. Oh, that high of success. It felt so good.

    The next success still felt good. But it felt different. The success didn’t fill you the same way your first success did.

    Then, there’s a big success you experienced. You get the dopamine hit again. You’re off to the races.

    The hit wears off and you’re back where you begin.  Read more...

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    Quotes And Leadership Lessons From The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

    A Reel Leadership Article

    Logo for Reel Leadership

    Four years after the release of The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Ryan Reynold and Samuel L. Jackson return to their buddy comedy with a new addition – The hitman’s wife, Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). This time, disgraced AAA bodyguard Michael Bryce has been hired by Sonia to rescue her husband, Darius.

    Michael does the extract. He saves Darius. The adventure doesn’t end there, though. The adventure only begins.

    screenshot from The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard starring Samuel L Jackson, Selma Hayek, and Ryan Reynolds

    While irreverent and vulgar, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is entertaining. It takes you on a journey of despair, heartache, and laughter. If you can get past the language, I highly recommend The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

    With that, there are also leadership lessons in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. That’s what we’re going to take a look at today. So sit back and remember, as Michael Bryce would say, to fasten your seatbelts.

     Read more...

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    Start Believing In Yourself

    There are days when I battle extreme bouts of self-doubt. I believe my writing isn’t up to par or that I am a failure as a husband or that I couldn’t lead someone if my life depended upon it.

    These days are hard. We all have these days where we fail to believe in ourselves.

    This happened especially recently.

    I was going through my emails. I saw a marketing email come through. The title said something along the lines of:

    Your beginning guide to writing. How to gain your first 100 fans.

    My first thought was

    I need this! This will help me get more eyes on my writing. It could help me become a serious writer.

    Then I had to put on the brakes.

    What was I thinking? I’m already a serious writer. I’m not a beginner. I’ve been writing for over a decade.  Read more...

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    3 Reasons Your Organization Isn’t Growing

    Has your organization stopped growing? Are they at a standstill for growth?

    You may lead a church, a small manufacturing company, or a large business. There will be times when growth doesn’t happen.

    You may look around and wonder why the organization isn’t growing. It’s a great question to ask and one you must answer.

    Digging into the reasons behind a lack of growth isn’t easy.

    But there are 3 reasons (and areas) that you must examine when you see stagnation in your organization. Today, we will examine these 3 reasons and what you can do about them.

    3 Reasons Your Organization Isn’t Growing

    1. You’ve stopped growing as a leader:

    Let’s tackle the elephant in the room right off the bat. Many organizations stop growing because their leaders stop growing.

    Leadership feels like they’ve reached the pinnacle of their career. They can coast.  Read more...