While politics have been the spotlight in news headlines, we can now expect competition to bring us together as coverage of the much anticipated 2016 Olympic Games in Rio begins.  As we cheer on our country and favorite athletes we are sure to witness many victorious celebrations, but at the same time learn from moments of struggle and defeat. Four-time United States National Champion Heather (Dorniden) Kampf once used a setback to propel herself into making a powerful comeback to win gold at a Big Ten Championship.  Today, author Michael Hyatt shares with us three reasons we should stay in the game when the going gets tough. 

Helen Walton was once quoted saying “It’s not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.” Married to the founder of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, she certainly knew a thing or two about wealth but more importantly, the significance of living a life of influence and positively impacting others. Writer Gail Rodgers shares a similar message reminding us our words and actions touch lives far beyond the boundaries we think they go.

On Wednesday evening the ESPY Awards were held recognizing individual and team athletic achievement. The winning streak continued for the Cleveland Cavaliers off the court as they received several awards, and the careers of retirees Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, and Abby Wambach were celebrated. As athletes were recognized and admired for their determination, commitment, and confidence throughout the season, an individual “on the sidelines” provided the greatest inspiration that night.

Jessica Herrin, CEO & Founder of the Stella & Dot Family of Brands and author of Find Your Extraordinary, recently published an article after meeting with a new college graduate in search of landing her “dream job.” With two job offers in front of her, she was concerned that they weren’t all she had hoped they’d be after obtaining her degree; one could be too tedious, the other could be too challenging. Her goal was to begin her career in a position she was very passionate about without compromise. The words of wisdom Jessica shared are valuable not only to those entering the workforce but each one of us as we are reminded those that look for easy will never find extraordinary.

They say there is always a lesson to be learned from every experience and the NBA finals were no exception. LeBron James had been tasked with delivering a promise – a championship to his hometown. But even leaders need to learn to be led and in this week’s message we share words of wisdom that helped the Cavaliers bring the championship trophy home to Cleveland. 

In this issue of WealthNotes we share the final teachings of Doug Smith’s series, Living and Leading in the Second Half of Life. It is with the principals of leading in the second half of life that you are now able to fully reflect on Doug’s message to ultimately live with greater joy and lead with greater effectiveness for the benefit of ourselves and everyone with whom we come in contact.

You will recall in our previous issue of Wealth Notes Doug believes in order to have a profoundly successful life, there is a transition between the “two halves of life.” Throughout the transition, the soul becomes our primary focus and our lives and our leadership take on a very different character. In terms of living, those who transition most successfully…

Criticism is like medicine, it all depends on administration and dose. But here’s the problem: If we’re quick to judge, we’re upping the odds that we’ll misdiagnose and seriously hurt someone. New York Times bestselling author and former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers shares with us three reasons why we should be slow to judge.

Want to be a better leader? Become a better reader. In excerpts below from e-mail blast, author, former CEO and virtual business coach Michael Hyatt, he shares his own perspective on the importance of reading and offers five ways that reading makes us better leaders: