Category: Vision

2023, Growth, Leadership, Leadership Development, New Year's Resolution, Self-Improvement, Vision

Determine how you will succeed in 2023

Well, can you beleive it? We are fastly approaching the end of another year. If you have not done so, I recommend you review the year, and identify key highlights. My highlights will include the things I am grateful for, lessons learned, new adventures, and challenges.

Evaulating the year, is very important as it relates to growth. We have to identify the good as well as the bad. The good experiences are a reminder of our success, goals achieved, and a sign we are moving forward. The challenges we experienced are, lessons learned, opportunities for improvement, and a reminder of growth. Growth is a great part of our awareness, and from that awareness comes true transformation. Finally, transformation allows us to move forward and experience a greater expansion of our lives.

I also recommend everyone conduct a personal SWOT Analysis, to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is an exercise, I love to use in classroom with students. When you can identify and understand these crucial areas, you can use this information to your greatest advantage, as you move through the new year.

Therefore, as we move through the final day of 2022, take a look back and identify some highlights. Conduct an analysis of your personal landscape, and decide what you will leave in 2022, and what you will take into the New Year. Celebrating the good times is always important. Learning from the challenges, helps to prepare us for growth, expansion, and success. Determine how you will succeed in 2023.

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

2022, Growth, Leadership, New Year's Resolution, Personal Development, Vision

New Year, New You

New Year Message

Hello Everyone, 2022 is here whether we are ready for it or not.  I used the weekend to reflect on 2021, and was reminded that time continues to pass on.  As I thought about time, I thought about the goals and dreams of 2021.  I took out my list, to see what I had accomplished.  I was proud of some of my personal and professional goals.  I also spent time reflecting on the goals I had not achieved, to understand how I missed the mark.   I saw that my successes were attributed to the constant reminder that I kept in from of me.  That reminder was the true purpose and importance of those goals.   

For the goals I did not achieve, I realized that I did not place them high enough on my list.  Somewhere, I had lost touch with how important those goals truly were.  So, now I will refocus, and use 2022, to achieve those goals.  I also gave myself a break about what I did not achieve, because the goals I achieved in 2021, were relevant, specific, timely, measurable, and attainable for 2021.   

Therefore, as you think about your 2022, cast a vision for what you want your year to look like.  Choose a word for the year, create a vision board, create a journal for yourself, and/or find yourself an accountability partner.  Someone, who will be accountable to you, and someone who will hold you accountable, as well.

The one takeaway from this post, that I believe is important, is that you find the best method that keeps your vision for 2022 in front of you.  

For those of you, that would like a deeper dive, I would like to invite you to my webinar on January 20th, entitled: “A New Year, A New You.”  In this webinar, I will provide you with some strategies on how to maximize your 2022.

Let’s start the year off by identifying our strengths, skills & knowledge to create the best year ever!

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

https://reginabankshall.leadingthebest.com/NYWE0001

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2021, Leadership Development, MLK Day, Self-Improvement, Vision

How will you be remembered?

Etched into the stone on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a marker of the exact spot Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood to deliver the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in 1963 in Washington DC

Today, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Dr. King was born in Atlanta Georgia in 1929 and died by assassination April 4, 1868 in Memphis Tennessee.   Dr. King was a Baptist Minister and lead the Civil Rights Movement from the mid-1950s until his death.  He advanced civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience.

He is often remembered for his “I have a dream” speech, but throughout his life he shared many words of wisdom.   Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from his speeches, books, and writings.  

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 

—Strength to Love, 1963

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.” 

—Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” 

—Strength to Love, 1963

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” 

—Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, Norway, 1964

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 

—Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

As I thought about Dr. King today, I thought about all the struggle for equality, and the fight to make life better for all.   I agree that we have made great strides, but we must continue so the dream of a better world never dies.  My mission is to use my gifts and talents to help others discover theirs.   I believe that when a person is walking in their purpose, they do not have time to hate, or mistreat others, because they are on their own mission of greatness.  So today, as you celebrate his life and legacy, I think it is important to think about your own.   How will you be remembered?   What will people say?  

I end with another one of my favorite quotes, by Dr. King, and that is “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

We all have to determine what matters in life, how we want to be remembered, and what impact do we want to make.  Therefore, make a lasting impact.

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

2021, Growth, Leadership, Vision

Smart Goals for 2021

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hello Everyone, as you are moving through 2021, I wanted to share excerpts from a video I released last week on the Smart Goal Principle.   SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.  

Statistics show that many people will create new year’s resolutions in 2021, but by February, the resolutions will be forgotten.   The Smart goal principle will allow you to clearly communicate, document, and monitor, exactly what you want to achieve this year.  

The first thing you want to do, is to make sure your goals are specific.  A specific goal answers the question of who, what, where, when, and why.  

The second step requires you to measure your goal, thus a measurable goal allows you to track your progress and measure your success. 

The third step in the process is to identify goals that are achievable.  An achievable goal helps you determine if the goal is within your reach.

The fourth step in the process, requires you to create relevant goals.  Relevant goals connect to your larger objectives in life.   The goals are usually stepping stones to something larger you are trying to achieve.

Finally, your goals must be timely.  A timely goal has a deadline attached to it.  When you set a time limit on your goals, you can monitor your progress and stay on track for completing the goal.

By using the smart goal principle, you can construct goals that support your career, health, finances, relationships, and your personal growth this year.  This formula will also ensure that you create effective goals that produce the desired results.

As you prepare for 2021, set good goals and strategies for yourself.   Take what you learned in 2020 and use it in 2021.   With a little determination and perseverance, your success is guaranteed.

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

2020, 2021, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Vision

What we learned in 2020.

Hello Everyone,

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to a moment of motivation with Dr. Regina Banks-Hall.   As we close out 2020, I wanted to spend time, like so many others, recapping the year.   We rolled into the year, with hopes, dreams, and visions.   Two months later, the world would change based on a global pandemic, that has taken the lives of many.  

We went from eating inside restaurants to picking up our food curbside.  We saw movie theaters and concert venues close their doors. We saw the rise in social justice, where many took to the streets to fight for the equality of those disenfranchised.  Small business owners suffered the worst, unable to secure enough funding for their businesses.   However, I believe these business owners will return with new and improved models.   They will have to go back to the drawing board and rethink their plans, but they will chart a new path. 

Therefore, as we close out the year, I want to focus on some of the things we learned in 2020, that we can take with us into 2021.   We learned that we are resilient, we are compassionate, we are survivors, we appreciate life, and we could pivot, as it relates to family and business.    Think about it, we sheltered in placed, we wore masks, vinyl gloves, and learned how to make our own hand sanitizer.   We managed remote learning and found new ways to use Zoom and WebEx for meetings.  Some of us, started businesses during the pandemic, went back to school, started new podcasts, and released new music.  For me, I released a new book.  Finally, some of us discovered talents and skills, that we never knew we had. 

As you enter 2021, I encourage you to identify what you learned in 2020.  Use this information to set new goals, start your business, write that new book, start your podcast, prepare a vision for your family, learn about the stock market, change your career, but most of all, go for it.  None of us know how much time we have, therefore, do not squander what time is left.  We must live life to the fullest, practice social safety habits while we recover, and chase our dreams.  Remember, you are only as good as what you have learned.

You have been listening to a moment of motivation with Dr. Regina Banks-Hall, I wish all of you health, prosperity, and success in the new year.    Let’s use what we have learned.

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

2020, Growth, Leadership, Motivation, Personal Development, Self-Improvement, Vision, Women & Leadership

Planting Seeds for Success

person holding a green plant
Photo by Akil Mazumder on Pexels.com

 

The year of 2020 has truly become a year for the history books.   We have experienced massive unemployment, the significant loss of life, business closures, and thousands of zoom meetings.  We are now wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, and the term social distancing has taken on a whole new meaning.     However, during this crisis, I noticed that people are still finding success.    Hair salons are now selling PPE products. Bar owners have now converted their business to producing hand sanitizer.  Restaurants and stores are now offering curbside service.

Day to day business is now being conducted through virtual conferencing and facetime phone meetings.    Americans are buying sewing machines and producing cloth masks that are now being sold on Etsy and Amazon.  Faith Leaders have discovered how to expand their reach, using Facebook Live, weekly conference calls, and online giving platforms.  Doctors are now conducting virtual meetings with their patients while providing medical care.  They discovered new technology, which provided new opportunities.

Therefore, as we continue to manage the current crisis, I want to encourage anyone who feels overwhelmed, defeated, or just feels like giving up to hold on.   This is not the time to quit.  This is the time to plant your seeds for success.   When you think about the concept of planting seeds, you are planting something that is not expected to grow right away.   Your seed will experience an incubation period where you will have to water it, and nurture it to ensure its future success.   Soon the seed will bloom, and your harvest will manifest.   What you plant now, will determine what will grow up later.

As we continue to work through this crisis, what seeds can you plant, that you will nurture and help grow?   What new business idea can you cultivate now, that will become a Fortune 500 in the future?   What new book project will you nurture now, that will become a best seller next year?  What new business relationship will you water now, that will provide the resources for your next big deal?   You must also question yourself through your interpersonal lens.  Will you plant the seeds of fear or hope?   Will you plant the seeds of confidence, or failure?   And finally, will you plant the seeds of love or hate?  Anything can grow, it just depends on what you plant.   Every day, we all have the opportunity, to plant seeds of success with our actions and our words.

As we head into the final few months of this year, this is a great time to plant good seeds.   They may not grow right away, but with a little patience and a little nurturing, you can create a future harvest that will bless you, your family and those who will be blessed by your renewed spirit and winning attitude.  As I close, I heard it said once, that the only people that are happy when it rains, are those people who have seed in the ground.  So, go out, plant your seeds and grow something great.

Dr.  Regina Banks-Hall

 

2020, justice, Leadership, Social, Vision

Passing the Torch

United States House of Representatives / Public domain

I was saddened by the recent passing of Congressman John Lewis.  Congressman Lewis was an important figure because he dedicated his life to fighting for justice and equality at a time when this was not a reality for African Americans. Congressman Lewis began his work as a civil rights activist when he was a college student.  He was one of the original freedom riders, who organized sit-ins and led the March 7, 1965 civil rights march that was supposed to go from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama, the state’s Capitol. 

In his fight for justice he was jailed over 30 times and beaten unjustly, however he remained a champion for equal rights and the fight for justice.  Congressman Lewis is remembered as one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement. He worked hand in hand with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  and other notable civil rights leaders.

So today, I want to talk about passing the torch.   The concept of passing the torch, takes place when someone passes on their job duties, or responsibilities, to someone else. The hope is that the next person will carry on that work with the same passion, dedication and determination. The symbol of the torch is important because the torch is fire, that burns brightly and increases vision for what is ahead. 

So today, we must reflect on how we can continue as individuals to use our platforms, to carry the torch and make sure we create a world that is equal and just for everyone.  We must never take for granted the opportunities that we enjoy, that were created by the sacrifices of the great men and women of previous generations.  We must remind ourselves that we honor them by continuing to advocate for change.  

As a professor, motivational speaker, author, and leader, my job in helping Congressman Lewis’s dream stay alive, is to continue to empower and educate others. In order to do this, I must continue to have the difficult conversations, speak out on injustices, and help the underserved and disenfranchised see that they have advocates that will fight for them and give them hope.  

We are all blessed by those who fought for equality, and we must not let their work be in vain.   Who has passed the torch to you?  How can you lead?  How can you help someone find their purpose?   How can you help to create a world that embraces everyone?   Let us not allow the torch that was lit by Congressman Lewis to fade or burn out.  But let us proudly carry that torch and pass it on to future generations.

As I close, I would like to share a quote by Congressman John Lewis, that I believe is important. He states that: “Freedom is not a state, it is an act.  It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest.  Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”

As we reflect and celebrate the life of Congressman John Lewis, let us commit ourselves to a life of service, and a willingness to keep the torch of justice and equality burning.  

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

2020, Growth, Leadership, Motivation, Personal Development, Self-Improvement, Vision

Twin Power

By Dr. Regina Banks-Hall

Hello Everyone,

Today, I want to talk about motivation and goal achievement. I was watching a video posted by CBS News of two little girls in Savannah, Georgia, who set up a lemonade stand, and called it “Twinmonade.” Soon after, someone questioned whether they had a permit to sell lemonade. This could have been a source of discouragement, yet the young twins soldiered on, secured the needed permit, and marched forward.

After overcoming early head winds, business is now booming, as long lines of people form to support and enjoy a cold cup of their multi-flavored lemonade. Here is a link to their story. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/7-year-old-twins-reopen-successful-lemonade-stand-after-questions-about-permit/

I believe there is a lesson here for all of us. In life we are going to encounter setbacks. The pandemic has been hard to navigate, yet we can still find victory as it relates to our goals, if we hold onto our dreams.

We must take on the attitude of these twins, and press forward. I have been working on a animated character of myself for a educational series I will be creating over the summer. Today I am releasing my first video on motivation in this new format. I did not give up on my goals, but stayed focused to make sure this character was created. Now I am ready to create my educational series, which will cover Leadership, Motivation, Human Resource Management and Small business success. Stay tuned for more ways to subscribe to my training videos and workshops.

I am inspired by these twins, and I know that with faith and hard work, we can achieve our dreams. What lesson can you learn from these twins today?

Dr. Regina Banks-Hall