The Profile About The Editors Came From Vital Life Lessons

Life is for sure a journey, we all knew that. But we didn't expect our paths to cross on that trek. Three very different personality types, three dissimilar backgrounds, personal histories, and professional experiences. But notably, all of us had some intersecting beliefs and values. All three of us carried an unshakeable trust in the original American Dream. There was another thing about the editors that would inspire us to take this leap into the world of website construction.

As a group, we all carried the common vision of an empowered legion of young leaders coming up to take their roles in shaping our nation's future. When fate and opportunity brought us together, it didn't take long to see a possibility in front of us to utilize our combined skills and expertise to help bring about that vision.

We came together in a fairly unusual situation, all stemming from forms of regret. Over time, something good happened. Now we're paying it forward. You can read part of that story about the editors in this link that would become a three part series. 

One of the initiatives we are most proud of include building teams of volunteers, mostly high school and college age people who worked on projects that put them right in the middle of the daily lives of the most at-risk and most vulnerable people they will ever meet. These were steps far out of comfort zones, steps that many older adults didn't have the courage to take.

Along the way they brought in more young people who joined the work. We were very proud of how these young leaders lifted up the new people and set in motion a wave of enthusiasm and a structure of new leadership development that welcomed all and set egos aside.

We recognized our individual limitations were offset by the strengths of the other two. From that early recognition came the three core values that would become our mission statement. It was concise, to the point, and easy to remember.

Those three lines would form the structure of our website.

Following The Mission

Our own individual pathways were shaped by a desire to utilize our skills to leave things better than we found them. Along the way, each of us, long before we met, sought the wisdom of experts in the endeavors we were pursuing. Experts aren't purveyors of theory. No, actual experts have done the work. Many failed along the way, but overcame those challenges and kept moving forward. Failure is a step on the way to success.

Our collective goals with this website include providing the necessary skills to become accountable citizens of America. To that end, we've shared some of our struggles. Some were merely embarrassing, some we very painful. But we shared them so you would know that you can overcome, you can succeed even when failing in the beginning.

We're upfront about the personal demons and fears. We'll give you the straight up truth on where we failed so you don't have to take those same steps. Experience has taught us that it isn't where you start or if you tripped up along the way. It's all about doing the right things for the right reasons. The missteps can be inspiring to the next group and will offer encouragement to those who will follow you.

You'll find more about the editors story included in many of the pages on our website. 

We set up this website to provide the "how to" and the "why to do it." Our goal was, and still is, to provide the necessary skills to become accountable citizens of America.

There are specific skills needed to lead and inspire. Managers don't need them, but they are indispensable for anyone looking to lead people. We have two major subsections.

1.) Leadership and Self Development: In this section you will find the nuts and bolts pages describing how you can influence, teach, motivate, and duplicate the best methods for leadership development.

2.) Being Accountable for Your Actions: These page are self-reflective to help you gain confidence, overcome doubt, and escape regret. We gained an unexpected bonus as our project developed. A contributing author, T.O. Illustratio emerged with a creative mind and unique perspective on a variety of relevant subjects. Those columns are included in this section as well. Both sections provide timely information to help you thrive as a leader and positively impact your own futures.

Many of you already have expertise that could help in our mission. Please share your ideas and insight by using the contact link found in the right margin of every page. Thank you in advance.

We've branched out into more controversial topics. It would be safer to stay away from hot-button issues, but would that serve our mission to live by those three core values?

You might have heard of crab mentality. This centers on the way crab fishermen never have to put a lid on their crab pots. They just throw the catch in the pot. If one tries to pull itself out, the others pull it back down with them. Think about the political landscape in our nation right now.

What if instead, our elected officials followed the example of those young people we wrote about a couple paragraphs back? What if they put all efforts into problem-solving and lifting people up? Not by pandering for votes with unsustainable government stipends that only serve to maintain the entrapment in welfare dependency.

But rather by empowering citizens to take bold steps to lift themselves up. We all grow as a nation when we strive to lift others up with us.

About the Editors. One Example of How It Began.

This story is from my younger years. I grew up in a family of self-employed parents. Work ethic was not a new thing. In my twenty-something years, I started a small business that bought abandoned houses, renovated them, and then re-sold them. I was pretty much a one-person operation except when my Dad helped me.

I didn't realize at the time that I would start the process of learning valuable lessons about humility and leadership principles. But this small business set those wheels in motion.

I was a very introverted person back then and am still that way today, although not nearly so much. That was a challenge in many areas, especially when dealing with people.

As I entered the selling phase of these newly renovated homes that I spent so much time making safe and dependable for new buyers, I noticed a trend that concerned me. It didn't affect me personally and financially it had nothing to do with my business. But it just seemed like young home buyers were being taken advantage of by some of the supposed professionals they had contracted to help them get into their new home.

My next idea was to start a company that would offer honest, upfront help. My Dad always told me to talk to people who had succeeded in anything I wanted to do. I found that person and he did agree to help me, but only on the condition that I first get some much-needed instruction in leadership development and in understanding personalities. He knew my reserved demeaner could hold me back and wanted to see my commitment level.

I share "the rest of the story" in another page. Look for the container block on that page. You'll read where that interaction led to more of our posts. Some are listed below. All of our pages can be found in the page directory.

Difference Between Leadership and Management

Diary of Gratitude

Servant Leadership

Fear of Failure

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