Mental Balloon
2024 Mental Balloon Mission Statement
Teaching, coaching and emphasizing the urgency and importance of the Mental Balloon.
Some of my past Mental Mission Statements from over the decades.
· Read the Newspaper every day.
· Determine who I allow to influence my daily thinking.
· Be willing to separate myself politely from negative input.
· Wake-up a half hour early to accomplish that “One new dream.”
· We all have 176 hours in a week – don’t squander them.
· Our bodies functions better if we wake up at the same time every day.
· Take ownership for my lack of planning – don’t make excuses.
· Pity parties are okay - know when to end them!
· Invest in yourself “Mental Balloon” first. It impacts the others.
· Begin every week with specific written action steps, objectives and goals in all of the Ten Balloons.
· Spend 5-6 hours a week with positive input and effective planning.
3 Mental Balloon Life Changing Turning Points
My journey of understanding the importance of a “Mental Balloon” began my Senior Year in high when my English teacher took me aside to tell me that he saw a great need in my life. “Read the newspaper every day. Read every headline and the caption under every picture. I promise you that you will eventually want to read more and more of the positive stories each day. I believe your academic potential will increase greatly and you will understand the world from a perspective different than your peers.”
His words could have not been more accurate. I began the daily reading of the Louisville Courier Journal while in college and have since read the newspaper daily and rarely miss a day! I attribute this one challenge to helping me become “Interesting and Interesting” throughout my life. The influence on the other 9 balloons became a constant in my life.
My Mental Balloon thinking expanded at age 26. I began the process of writing my own “Ten Balloons” and setting daily, weekly, monthly and annual goals. Within the first year of learning these practices I became an avid reader of both secular and faith-based books. I learned to glean leadership and life practices and disciplines that became the curriculum of 95% of the trainings I led over the decades with young people and adults.
“Someone” once advised me to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual if I had a dream I wanted to accomplish. I listened. I soon added another 30 minutes to my personal wake-up call. 50 years later I continue to use this time to invest in myself. Committing this time alone each day has led to living a fulfilled life that the Ten Balloons offers. I have realized that the more time I invest in my own thinking, planning, journaling each day - the less excuses I offer myself and the world - and the best version of continues to evolve.
Sharing the Mental Balloon
Because of the countless opportunities I have had over the decades of day-long, extended days and week-long leadership trainings and service oriented initiative I have had the opportunity to create consistent models of a “mental mindset” for those involved. The health of our Mental Balloon has an amazing ripple effect on our sphere of influence.
· Youth Ministry Vision. The core vision of leadership, missions and discipleship thinking.
· Mission/Work trips. The consistent mindset of: Work Hard. Sleep Hard. Study Hard and Play Hard.
· Idea Factory Teen Leaders. The core values of: Teachable. Coachable. Passionate.
· DNA: Respect. Responsibility. Daily disciplines = Success in life.