Introduction

Throughout our lives, we face many challenges. Some challenges are more difficult to overcome than others. Nevertheless, for those of us who develop the ability to consistently overcome challenges to achieve our goals, sustainable happiness is our reward. In today’s chaotic and fast-paced world, it can seem as though new and more difficult challenges come at us at lightening speed, leaving us ill-prepared to successfully deal with them. Challenges such as economic debt, ill-fated relationships, and increased stress on the family unit from work-life balance issues are just some of the challenges that have brought about a sense of hopelessness and frustration for many.

Questions such as why is this happening to me or what is going on with my life persistently dominate the thoughts of many of us who are trying to overcome challenges such as these. However, the problem is not with the challenges themselves; the problem is with how we deal with them. Many of us are looking outside ourselves for answers to these problems; however, the answers to many of life’s challenges cannot be found outside of ourselves, but, rather, within. Nevertheless, we continue to search for things outside ourselves that we believe will bring us enough momentary happiness to avoid life’s challenges or to compensate for our inability to deal with them. Although actions such as purchasing unaffordable items or engaging in self-destructive behavior by abusing alcohol or drugs may provide momentary happiness to some, problems will remain if not dealt with from an inside-out approach. In fact, chasing momentary happiness as a means of dealing with life’s challenges is only a distraction from the real problem and will only make things worse as we find ourselves deeper in debt, unhealthy, and unhappy.       

Personal Leadership Development Is the Answer

The answer to most of our problems resides in our lack of personal leadership development. Personal leadership emanates from within and then, through our thinking, behaviors, and actions as it manifests itself into the world we live in. Who we are and how our lives manifest themselves in the world is a direct reflection of our personal leadership development. Our development, or lack of development, pushes us to be our greatest selves or allows us to succumb to life’s challenges and resort to searching and settling for momentary happiness. What most of us do not realize, however, is that we have a choice in who we want to be, what we want to do, and how we want our lives to go, even as we face some of life’s most difficult challenges. At this very moment, you are choosing, consciously or subconsciously, who you are and the direction your life will take.

Some may argue that people cannot control the direction their lives take, but this is  incorrect. Through personal leadership development, you can learn to create and pursue your life’s vision and to manifest the life that you want for yourself, regardless of the challenges you may face.

Creating and pursing a future to live in is a powerful and exhilarating process that will fill your life with purpose, joy, and a sense of self. This is what many of us are missing as we try to navigate this world. The reason for this is that many of us lack the personal leadership development necessary to make this process a reality. But by doing what is asked of you in this book, you will be able to create your life’s vision and move toward fulfilling it. It will not be easy, but as you travel along this journey, you will increase your self-confidence and attain sustainable happiness instead of falling prey to searching and settling for momentary happiness.

Access to Personal Leadership Development by Utilizing the Barrett Leadership Model™ (BLM)

Because of the constant challenges of this chaotic and fast-paced world we live in, many people are turning to self-help or self-development programs with the hope that they will be able to learn or gain insight into living a happier life. This book falls into this category but is a little different, as its purpose is to guide you in achieving sustainable happiness through the development of personal leadership using the Barrett Leadership Model™ (BLM). The BLM is based on the premise that it is our level of personal leadership development that arms us with the tools we need to overcome most of life’s challenges and pursue our life’s vision. It is this creation and pursuit of our life’s vision that gives our life meaning and purpose, while our personal leadership provides us with the self-confidence to overcome life’s challenges and achieve sustainable happiness.

The BLM forces us to take an introspective look at who we are, our goals for life, and what we need to do to achieve them. By providing a practical means to delve inward, the BLM will impact your thinking, which informs your behavior, actions, choices, and life. The BLM consists of eleven leadership practices that, when properly developed in sequential order, will increase your personal leadership, enhancing your ability to overcome life’s challenges, pursue your life’s vision, and thereby attain sustainable happiness. The BLM’s eleven leadership practices are listed below.

1. Visionary Thinking
2. Assuming Personal Accountability
3. Tactical Planning
4. Information Acquisition
5. Open-Mindedness
6. Assessing and Managing Risk
7. Courageous Action
8. Delayed Gratification
9. Creating and Maintaining Supportive Environments
10. Perseverance
11. Continual Self and Goal Assessment

Let the BLM start you on your journey toward attaining sustainable happiness by utilizing personal leadership development to create and pursue your life’s vision.

Paperback, $13.95
ISBN: 978-159858-565-0
152 pages

Available at fine bookstores everywhere