Art Williams says, “It’s so simple that it’s revolutionary. The fact is, this formula is overlooked by many, but it can truly be magic by those who understand it. Here it is. You beat 50% of people in America by working hard. You beat another 40% by being a person of honesty and integrity and standing for something. The last 10% is a dogfight in the free enterprise system.”

Today-work hard, be a person of integrity and stay out of the dogfight.

Most ball players dream of capping off a career with a 400 foot home-run at their last at bat-like Ted Williams. When a reporter asked George Brett of the Kansas City Royals what he wanted to do in his last at-bat, “I want to hit a routine grounder to second, run all-out to first base, the get thrown out by half a step. I want to leave an example to the young guys that that’s how you play the game: all-out.”

Commitment is the one quality above all others that enables a person with potential to become successful. What are you going to commit to today to achieve your success in life?

Chicago Bulls rookie forward Stacy King scored one point in a basketball game in which Michael Jordan scored six-nine points. His analysis of the game: “I’ll always remember this as the night that Michael Jordan and I combined to score seventy points.”

Great teams work together to accomplish great results. Each person’s role on the team is built on his or her greatest strength.

The important thing to remember is that all the team members take a role that fits the goals and needs of the team as well as their own talents and abilities.

Remember: A great team requires an attitude of a partnership-that we are all in this together.

Over a thousand times in human history a baby has grown up to become a king. Only once has a King become a baby. When Jesus left heaven to come to earth, He did it for one reason: to give you hope.

If you’re running out of hope this Christmas, I invite you to join me for Little Rock’s Christmas Eve services. There are 3 services: Friday December 23, 2016 at 7 P.M. and Saturday December 24, 2016 at 4 P.M. and 6 P.M. at The Church at Rock Creek.

Come discover where to find hope- and how to keep it.

All good leaders have a dream. All great leaders share their dream with others can help make it a reality. As Florence Littauer suggests, we must:

Dare to dream: Have the desire to do something bigger than yourself.

Prepare the dream: Do your homework; be ready when the opportunity comes.

Wear the dream: Do it.

Share the dream: Make others a part of the dream, and it will become even greater than you and hoped.

And remember what Yogi Berra once said: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”

J. Arthur Rank, an English executive, decided to do all of his worrying on one day of each week. He chose Wednesday. When anything happened that annoyed him or caused anxiety, he would write it down and put it in his worry box- and then he would proceed to forget about it until the following Wednesday, more often than not he would discover that the things that had bothered him the past six days were already settled.

Studies show that only 8% of the things that we worry about are real situations that we’ll actually have to face. Isn’t it time to let go of the other 92%?

Most ball players dream of capping off a career with a 400 foot home-run at their last at bat-like Ted Williams. When a reporter asked George Brett of the Kansas City Royals what he wanted to do in his last at-bat, “I want to hit a routine grounder to second, run all-out to first base, then get thrown out by half a step. I want to leave an example the young guys that that’s how you play the game: all-out.”

Commitment is the one quality above all others that enables a person with potential to become successful.

Professional golfer Tommy Bolt was playing in Los Angeles and had a caddy with a reputation of constant chatter. Before they teed off, Bolt told him, “Don’t say a word to me. And if I ask you something, just answer yes or no.”

During the round, Bolt found the ball next to a tree, where he had to hit under a branch, over a lake and onto the green. He got down on his knees and looked through the trees and sized up the shot.

“What do you think?” he asked the caddy. “Five-iron?” “No, Mr. Bolt,” said the caddy. Bolt snorted. “Watch this shot.”

The caddy rolled his eyes. “No-o-o, Mr. Bolt.”

But Bolt hit it and the ball stopped about two feet from the hole. He turned to his caddy, handed him the five-iron and said, “Now what do you think about that? You can talk now.” “Mr. Bolt,” the caddy said, “that wasn’t your ball.”

Remember today that no matter how great we are on our won-we’re always better with the input of others.

Automobile genius Henry Ford once came up with a revolutionary plan for anew kind of engine which we now know as the V-8. He had some men draw up the plans and presented them to his engineers. As the engineers studied the drawings one by on they came to the same conclusion. Their visionary boss just didn’t know much about the fundamental principles of engineering. His dream was impossible.

Ford said, “Produce it anyway.” They replied, “But it’s impossible.” Ford said, “Stay on the job until you succeed, no matter how much time is required.” For six months they struggled with drawing after drawing, design after design. Nothing. Another six months and still nothing. At the end of they year his engineers once again told him that what he wanted was impossible. Ford told them to keep going. They did. They discovered how to build a V-8 engine.

Persistence is a key ingredient for any successful venture. When you know you’re on the right track-stay at it, no matter how long it takes to accomplish your goal.

Legendary football coach and Arkansas native Bear Bryant once said this about teamwork: “I’m just a plow hand from Arkansas, but I’ve learned how to hold a team together, how to lift some meant up, how to calm others down, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat together, a true team. There’s just three things I’d ever say: If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.

Great teams are built-at home and at work- when leaders shoulder responsibility, and give others the praise.