Great Readers Make Great Leaders

Great readers make great leaders
There is so much to learn
A new opportunity
On each page you turn

Opening a book
Is like opening a door
To new experiences
And so much more

Millions of books
Millions of ways
To expand your mind
Each and every day

The more you read
The more you’ll know,
The more you know,
The more you’ll grow

You’ll grow into the leader
You were born to be
When you’re a great reader
Your mind will be free

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Dream Team

It takes a team to fulfill a dream
- Who is on your dream team?
Is it simply those nearest to you
Or those who’ve pushed you to…

Go after your dream no matter what,
Help you up off your butt
And been there beside you through it all
Reminding you to hold your head tall

Together we can accomplish more
- And it’s fun, not a chore
For serving others is a great deed
And it also fills a human need

We need each other to live our dreams
- More for the joy it seems
With every accomplishment you make
Your team contributes but does not take…

Credit or accolades due to you
- Instead here’s what they do
They lift you higher so you can see
And enjoy success wholeheartedly

Each member giving all they can give
- So that your dreams will live
And continue to thrive every day
Whether your dream is for work or play

Your dream team always believes in you
- And you believe them, too
Your dream team is both family and friends
That will be with you until the end

And in the end they will stand and cheer
- For you have faced your fears
You have expanded your comfort zone
An reached success you can call your own

Then you can celebrate with your team
- Proud to have reached your dream
Ready to go after the next thing
And the opportunities it brings

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Creating Balance

If your life is passing by so fast
That you can’t see what you’re driving past
Take your foot off the gas
And make this moment last

Stand still and close your eyes
Try to balance and recognize
What are you doing while you stand?
Are you pushing or pulling or devising a plan?

If you cannot stay present in the moment you’re in
You’re battling life, and you’ll never win
For looking to the future or to the past
Causes stress and worry to come up fast

And life can throw situations at you
That will consume your energy if you allow them to
But you can maintain balance if you release & let go
Of any unnecessary drama as it starts to show

When what you’re doing is full of commotion
Then who you want to be is overwhelmed with emotion
So let go of the actions that are not serving you
And you’ll be amazed by the balance when you do

Let go of perfection and just do your best
For perfection is a fantasy that won’t allow you to rest
And let go of any grudges you’re holding on to
With forgiveness you’ll find freedom you never knew

Remember that you alone have the key
To empower yourself and set yourself free
You have the choice, you have the power
To create the balance you want every minute, every hour

Don’t let the myriad of choices weigh you down
It’s simple – you can either smile or you can frown
And when you’re living authentically
You’ll see how the choices set you free

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Influencing the World Around You

Your purpose on this planet
is not to take what you can get
but to give what you have
so the world can benefit

You alone make a difference
to those whose lives you touch
and whether it’s one or many
both mean just as much

So do what you can
where you are right now -
go ahead and get in motion
even if you don’t see how…

What you do will make a difference
when you focus on providing service to
those in need and those you can help
and remember to first serve you

For only when you feel worthy
can you influence the world around you
toward the betterment of all humankind
which is what you were meant to do

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Competent Leadership

Leaders have a great deal of influence
and an attitude that sets them apart
they commit to things with determination
and they carry a vision they can impart

Leaders set demanding goals
and high expectations, too
they also seek responsibility
rather than accept it like many do

Leaders are more impactful
when the characteristics they display
are present in their actions
as well as what they say

Leaders live their vision
with courage and creativity
their enthusiasm is contagious
as is their humor & integrity

Smart leaders know the secret
that with acceptance, people thrive
so they give people permission
to let their authenticity drive

People will drive in the direction
of passion, for it’s contagious
as long as it’s founded on trust
and isn’t too outrageous

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Financial Discipline

For when you give what you can
the abundance will be clear
- and in return for your gifts
your heart will fill with cheer

when you give without expecting
anything in return
- you often get more than you give,
whidch is a great life lesson to learn

Another lesson to remember
hinges on your attitude
- your attitude about money
affects your financial altitude

When your attitude about money is negative
you’ll probably struggle with it
- but a positive attitude
can bring great benefit

Every dollar comes into your life
for a purpose and period of time
- so have discipline with your dollars
and your life can be divine

Copyright © Cybil Smith

From Vision to Plan

Your aspirations for the future
are what comprise your vision
and your purpose for existence
makes up your life’s mission

The outcomes you desire
are the goals you set
for which you use objectives
or tactics to get

Finally you plan
how to achieve your objectives
with your everyday activities
and then being reflective…

For after you work your plan
you must examine the outcome
and constantly improve the plan
- you must keep changing some

Until you’ve achieved the life you want
and you’re living your vision now
You’ve got to keep working the plan
as best you know how

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Choosing a Positive Attitude

Your attitude is a state of mind
and you can decide the state
- be diligent and stand guard
to your mind’s entry gate

Your present attitude is a result
of thoughts present in your mind
– what goes in affects what comes out
is the truth that you will find

For you choose your attitude
- it does not choose you.
You can either see opportunity or failure
- one picture offers two views

Like the glass is half full or empty
- you alone get to decide
If you’re positive you see potential,
while negative allows fear to be the guide

Or perhaps you accept other people’s thoughts
like in your formative years
- take on their attitudes and beliefs
and hear their voices between your ears

But when you understand your mind
can only hold one thought at a time
- it’s easier to choose to replace
your penny thoughts for a dime

The power behind positive thinking
is combining grace & attitude
- where the two merge together
you experience gratitude

Praise is the action of gratitude
- whatever you give, you get more.
“The more you are thankful for what you have,
the more you will have to be thankful for.”

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Change Impossible to I’m Possible

Change is the great conundrum
we want it, and yet we resist
we wish things could change without having to change
and what we resist, persists

If we could master change
we could master life
- but we all have our own way of reacting
to adversity and strife

Picture pots of boiling water
with carrots, eggs & coffee beans
- each one reacts differently
let’s look at what it means

The carrots start off strong & hard
and soften with the change,
The eggs do the opposite
which seems kind of strange

The coffee beans react uniquely,
they change the water they’re in
and none of the 3 can ever
return to what they’ve been

When faced with change do you soften
like the carrots in the pot?
Or do your insides harden
like the hard boiled egg we got?

Or perhaps you’re like the coffee bean,
when you face a test
you impact everything around you
- the change brings out your best

Change is the one thing in life
that is never going to change,
You can always count on it
…even though it might seem strange

The payoff for mastering change
is the freedom you will find
- you’ll be able to flow through life
rather than getting stuck in a bind

When you feel life’s testing you
remember this key line,
‘no test, no testimony’
- your life can be divine

There’s something worthy in your future
that’s stronger than your past
and when you can welcome change
the strength is sure to last

Your attitude is your constant companion
you can view change as a loss
or you can see it as an opportunity
that also has a cost

But what you pay is miniscule
compared to the riches that you gain
when you feel the freedom of embracing change
- it’s like a cleansing rain

And nothing is impossible
it only takes a shift
from impossible to I’m possible
- where everything’s a gift.

Copyright © Cybil Smith

Self-Esteemed

Resigned to mediocrity
…just getting by…
feelings of inadequacy
lead to blame, shame & justify

Is this the life you want?
Believing other factors have control?
In your life, do they hold the key
to successfully achieving your goal?

Do you stay within your “comfort zone”
because you know what to expect?
Even if it’s unhappiness and drama,
feeling safe while suffering neglect?

Is it fear that keeps you here?
Fear of the unknown…
and yet, the unknown could be
love and happiness of your own

In this “Monkey See, Monkey Do” world
you learn to conform
seeking acceptance and approval
from what appears to be the norm

Along the way your self-esteem
gets lost, if not forgotten
And belonging seems more important
than what you’ve really thoughten

Yet out of adversity comes greatness
…if without self-esteem you were raised,
you can wade through the injustice of your upbringing
and fight for the mirror of self-love and praise

Without this self-esteem & self-love
life is a perpetual search for approval
at the mercy of others opinions,
it leads to self-removal

So take responsibility,
you control your self-esteem
As it stems from the values you hold
and the dreams you dare to dream

Self-esteem leads to self-confidence
and to self-respect
where you can live authentically
and know what to expect

You’ll feel good about who you are
you’ll live by the Golden Rule
where self-expression comes naturally
and self-esteem is a powerful tool

To use when you’re confronted
with environments unfamiliar to you
…the key to success is knowing who you are
and what you were born to do

Self-esteem is a habit
you must practice every day
and though at first it feels like work
in time, it will be as easy as play

Copyright © Cybil Smith