Meaningful Mondays

“Gratitude does not remove pain. It gives pain purpose.” – Lee Brower “When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation.” – Henry B. Eyring “Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” – Rumi

“Few things are worse than running in the wrong way enthusiastically.” — Lee Brower “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Circles, 1841 Emerson was right. But here's what he didn't say. “It is unfortunate, considering that enthusiasm moves the world, that so few enthusiasts can be trusted to speak the truth.” — Arthur Balfour, 1900 Nearly sixty years later, Balfour named the problem. Enthusiasm without truth isn't a gift — it's a counterfeit. And counterfeits don't just misinform. They crowd out the real signal. The ancient Greeks called it en theos — God within. A quiet, persistent pull toward what you were made for. Not performed. Not manufactured. Received. Which means the most dangerous thing we can do to someone we love is layer our enthusiasm on top of theirs — and drown out the voice already speaking inside them. “Hype seeks applause. Enduring Enthusiasm develops people.” — Lee Brower This week's Monday Morning Message is about learning to tell the difference — and asking an Empowering Question you may have never thought to ask before.

"You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." - Marcus Aurelius "Conflict may visit us without permission... but contention only stays when we invite it." - Lee Brower Conflict is inevitable. Contention is a choice.

“When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.” — Viktor Frankl “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” — Helen Keller "A grateful heart looks for light — and light is what keeps you walking straight." "Your Enduring Vision isn't a destination. It's the sun. Always there. Even when you can't see it." "Most people don't drift because they want to. They drift because the clouds rolled in — and they forgot to look up." — Lee Brower

Where there is love, there is life. — Mahatma Gandhi "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart." — Helen Keller Watch the full press conference on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HacpRDfCbnw

“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” — John Dewey "Naming a moment radically improves the flow of wisdom across generations." — Lee Brower "A moment named is a moment that never stops living." — Lee Brower "Your most valuable assets have never appeared on a balance sheet." — Lee Brower

"Go B.I.G. Begin In Gratitude. Not because life is easy, but because life is the gift." — Lee Brower "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." — Marcus Aurelius "Memento Mori" "Amor Fati"

Dr. Marshall Duke, Emory University psychologist, found that adolescents who knew their family's stories — especially stories of resilience and moral choice — showed significantly greater self-esteem and lower anxiety. Science is validating what Larry's family proved in one conversation. "An experience becomes Enduring Wealth only when it is shared — and unnamed, unshared assets die with you." — Lee Brower "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." — Pericles

Take it to the Limit, one more time. We don't build a meaningful life in the big moments. We build it in the quiet, often unseen choices to go "one more time"... when it would be easier not to. "One more time..." is not about a destination. There's no finish line. It's a commitment to the next moment." It's about doing your best again -- not because the circumstances are easy, but because you've been given one more day. A grateful heart doesn't ask, "When will it get easier?" It asks: "Since I've been given one more day -- who can I bless one more time?

The Brain You're Building Are some of our most prominent leaders unknowingly diminishing the very capacities we most need from them? "You don't have to wait for the rainbow to enjoy the rain." -- Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Gratitude doesn't deny the storm; it changes the mind we bring into the storm." -- Lee Brower This week's RIPPLE: "Knowing what you know now, if you had the chance (or opportunity) to do this over, what might you do differently to make it even better?"*

“Legacy isn't built in the moments when it's easy. It's built in the moments when you're the only one in the room who still believes.”  —  Lee Brower “Courage always looks desperate until it works.” — Lee Brower “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “It's easy to stand in a crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.” — Mahatma Ghandi “You don't need permission from the majority to do what's right. You just need the courage to go first.” — Lee Brower

The Most Dangerous Word... "If you don't choose your focus, something else will." "We rarely lose what matters through crisis -- we lose it through drift." "Drift happens by default. Meaningfulness happens by design." NIX one drift so you can proactively focus your FIX on what matters most.

"A lesson unnamed is a lesson unclaimed." — Lee Brower "The hill isn't the danger. Going down it without looking is." — Lee Brower “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” — Henry Ford “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” — Albert Einstein “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” — John Dewey

Cognitive Empathy is understanding what someone else is thinking. Emotional Empathy is feeling what someone else is feeling. Compassionate Empathy is taking action to help. It moves from: "I understand." to "I care." to "What can I do?" That is leadership. "Empathy is not weakness. It's strategic alignment." "Instruction may produce compliance. Empathy produces contribution."

Are you Intertwined? Or intertwinement. The hidden solution to enduring achievements. “Where might my roots intertwine more intentionally?” “Belonging becomes enduring when people know what they can always count on us to do.” — Lee Brower “We are not put on earth to see through one another, but to see one another through.” — Eric Butterworth “Character is what you do when no one is watching.” — John Wooden “What holds us up is rarely what people see, but it's always what matters most.” — Lee Brower

“How proud moments become anchors for the next generation.” “Every proud family moment is really a principle in action.” — Lee Brower “Those who have a ‘why' to live can bear almost any ‘how.'” — Viktor Frankl “People will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

While belonging has increased, the quality of belonging has declined. When meaning weakens, belonging looks for substitutes. The greatest gift we can give future generations isn't comfort, it's meaningful belonging with purpose. Think of a moment you have felt proud to be a "_____" (insert your family name) "When anchors weaken, substitutes take over." - Lee Brower Meaningful belonging requires anchors: faith, family, principles, and service to something larger than ourselves. When those anchors weaken, substitutes rush in—noise, pleasure, and distraction that promise connection but rarely deliver fulfillment. True belonging stretches us. It calls us to rise, to serve, and to strengthen one another across generations. When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure." - Viktor Frankl “When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing; they then become capable of believing in anything.” - G.K. Chesterton

What strength might re-emerge if I stopped carrying junk that was never mine to begin with--for the sake of those watching me? Most people don't struggle because they lack strengths; they struggle because their strengths are buried. Acknowledging strengths isn't ego. It's responsibility. Real strength isn't pretending you can do everything. Strength that only serves me stops with me. Unacknowledged limitations isolate us. Acknowledged limitations invite collaboration. Self-reliance has value — but it has a ceiling. I'm not the source--I'm the steward.

“Clarity doesn't come from arriving somewhere—it's revealed once you're willing to move." — Lee Brower "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "Life is a journey, not a destination." — Ralph Waldo Emerson “The road doesn't guarantee clarity—but it's where clarity most often appears.” — Lee Brower “The Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that cannot come without it.” — Russell M. Nelson

“Gratitude doesn't change the moment--it changes who's in control of it." - Lee Brower “When I NIX negative thinking and FIX gratitude, I take the wheel back.” -- Lee Brower “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it.” - Marcus Aurelius “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” - William James

“Progress doesn't come from wanting better—it comes from choosing better, one moment at a time.” -- Lee Brower “Being deliberate means deciding what to remove, what to strengthen, and who to move forward with.” -- Lee Brower “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” -- William Arthur Ward

"The future won't judge us by our plans--it remembers us by our presence." — Lee Brower "Recognize regret early enough to choose again." — Lee Brower “In the end, the memories we cherish most are not of the things we have done, but of the people we have loved.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf “The day is short, the task is great, and the time is now.” — Pirkei Avot

“Guilt is information. It's your inner compass saying, ‘This matters to you.'” - Lee Brower "When we Begin In Gratitude, we stop judging ourselves and start asking better questions." - Lee Brower “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” - Coach John Wooden "We are what we repeatably do." - Aristotle

“That tiny shift—from got to get—is what helped my friend Steve move from obligation to opportunity and from bitterness to betterness.” “Letters look small, but they shape legacies. This is the quiet power that transforms experience into wisdom, and wisdom into Positive Generational Impact™.” “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” —John Wooden

What you complain about, you create more of. Are you unknowingly shrinking your prefrontal cortex? The world doesn't need more people pointing out what's broken. It needs people who are wired to see what's possible. “What's one small shift in my self-talk that would train my brain toward gratitude, courage, and better choices today?” What is one thing you're grateful for right in this moment? I'd love to hear it.

"Purpose rarely reveals itself until you're already in motion." - Lee Brower People spend years waiting for clarity before taking action. Waiting for certainty. Waiting for their “why” to magically appear. But purpose is not discovered at the dock. Purpose is revealed on the water. You can't trim your sails when you're tied to the pier. You have to be moving. Even a little. Be the Bee. — B.E.E. — Brave Enough to Engage. You don't need to know all the answers. You just need enough bravery to take intentional motion. “Nectar First.” Take the first step. Move toward something good. Your intention is the nectar. And your true impact — your “pollen” — shows up along the way.

“People may forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.” And how we make people feel is almost always the result of one small choice. “You can't do much about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.” - Jeffrey R. Holland "The fastest way to be liked is to like first." - Lee Brower "Judgement looks for flaws: leadership looks for value."

In the midst of the World Series, the fiercest competitors became teammates in a moment of compassion. "Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.” — John Wooden Where in my life could I let gratitude ripple, instead of needing to be right? "Contempt divides. Gratitude connects. When gratitude moves… humanity wins.” — Lee Brower “Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is also a choice.” — Russell M. Nelson

Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right “We are not held back by stress itself, but by the lack of rituals that help us recover from it.” - James Clear “Rituals are the formulas by which harmony is restored.” - Taoist Proverb “In a world full of noise, rituals bring rhythm; in a world full of rush, they restore reason.” - Lee Brower

What if the more we chase happiness... the faster it runs away? The Horizon Time Map™. Follow the instructions in this video, and you will tap into a source of meaningfulness and wisdom that will bring you Enduring Joy. “Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue… as the unintended side effect of one's dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” - Viktor Frankl “You cannot make a choice without being responsible for its consequences. Even joy has a cost — and meaning is the price worth paying.” - Lee Brower

"What you do should dictate how you feel. Not the opposite." "Gratitude expressed is gratitude expanded." Who did I make invisible today, and what will I do about it tomorrow? You can't always change the world--but you can always change someone's world.

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” — Aristotle "There is no app for building patience." — Simon Sinek "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." — Lao Tzu "You can't microwave trust. You can't instant-message intimacy."

“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” — Anaïs Nin “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Viktor Frankl When we judge too quickly, we risk missing extraordinary people, extraordinary lessons, and extraordinary opportunities. Gratitude in the now. Choices for the future. Ripples for generations.

One small shift you can make this week to change the tone of your family, business, and/or community. ‘Losers assemble in small groups and complain about the coaches and other players. Winners assemble as a team and find ways to win.' - Bill Parcels Remember, "We rise when lifting others." Each time we pause before reacting, we stack one more positive moment.

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain. Arthur C. Brooks once said, “Kindness and warm-heartedness are the antivenom for the poisonous contempt coursing through the veins of our political discourse.” Just because you disagree doesn't mean you have to be disagreeable.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr. “You don't have to wait for the rainbow to enjoy the rain.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf“ "Love is the ‘why' of the leaders that can bring America back together, and of all of us in our families and communities.” — Arthur C. Brooks

"The Enemy of Thriving is Arriving." – Lee Brower "Live life deliberately- no finish lines." – Lee Brower "Knowing your 'So That' will inspire others to find their own 'So That'. “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F. Kennedy

We have God-given rights which bring with them obligations, which, when properly honored, become opportunities. An indigenous elder of Cherokee descent, Stan Rushworth, reminded us of the difference between a Western settler mindset of "I have rights" and an indigenous mindset of "I have obligations." Instead of thinking, 'My rights entitle me,' what if we choose to think that we are born with obligations— not rights —to serve past, present, and future generations?

"Positivity attracts courage, solutions, and people who lift us higher. Who you believe yourself to be is who you become." — Lee Brower “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” — Napoleon Hill “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” — Carl Jung “It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.” — Denis Waitley

Here is a hint- it is not your decisions! "Character is the ability to carry out a worthwhile decision long after the decision has passed." "Our thoughts determine our actions, our actions determine our habits, our habits determine our character, and our character determines our eternal destiny." - David O. McKay

"Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet." — Bob Marley “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” — Chinese Proverb "If you deeply lean into gratitude, the mental 'light' it produces makes it harder for negativity to fully occupy your awareness." — Lee Brower "Negativity is simply the absence of gratitude." — Lee Brower

"Recreational Anxiety feels like motion, but it is just emotion with no direction." And it's silently training our children —and us — to be reactive rather than reflective. Distracted, not discerning. Noisy, instead of noticing. biPas™ is your internal circuit breaker. It reconnects you to clarity, calmness, courage, and control. Outwitting the Devil, by Napoleon Hill. Going BIG so that we can go BIG'R. When we go BIG Begin In Gratitude), it allows us to create even big'r "R"ipples

Do you want to be in more control of yourself each day, each hour, each moment? Would you like to build new neural pathways- mental shortcuts that bypass (biPas™) the reactive brain? “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” —Viktor E. Frankl “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” —William James

The Belief Switch Can you imagine living in a world where the only satisfaction you got was from blaming and complaining? “The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences..." -- Dr. Rick Hansen MRI studies show that the more you complain, the more those neural pathways deepen— until your brain defaults to that behavior. It shrinks your prefrontal cortex—your center for logic, reason, and problem solving. It literally makes you less equipped to find solutions. What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic dopamine production? "Gratitude opens the heart. Self-belief turns the key." -- Lee Brower "Self-belief is gratitude in motion." -- Lee Brower

"Communication isn't about what you say. Communication is the response you get." "Anytime you use something that is 'true' to deceive, mislead, or be self-serving, it is a lie, not the TRUTH." If people walk away confused, hurt, or misled- even if what we said was technically true- we failed as leaders (communicators).

"A reliable system turns guilt-driven ‘yeses' into purpose-driven ‘no's." - Lee Brower "Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not." - Cal Newport, Deep Work. "94% of all failures are the result of the system." - W. Edwards Deming When you say "yes" to something, what are you saying "no" to?

“Can I begin this day with the intentionality, confidence, and courage to say no—even to the very important—so that I can accomplish the essential yeses that move me closer to my most meaningful future?” “This next year doesn't have to be my best yet…it GETS to be.” “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard… Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.” —Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz "Don't just look back with gratitude. Look forward with expectant gratitude. Say no to the noise— So you can say 'yes' to what truly matters."

“The first job of a leader—at work or at home—is to inspire trust. You don't manage people—you model trust, extend it, and grow together." - Stephen M. R. Covey “Trust is the one trait that consistently boosts happiness at every age.” — Research by Utrecht University, 2025 “Trust doesn't follow leadership. Trust is leadership.” - Lee Brower In Th'River, we believe in flow—in letting trust move through us, not just to us.

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” - John C. Maxwell "Did my choices today reveal what I say matters most?" - Lee Brower “The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen R. Covey "We don't drift into meaning. We don't stumble into legacy. We choose our way there--one moment, one choice at a time." - Lee Brower

But here's the thing—character doesn't just show up in heroic moments. It shows up in keeping your word… even when it's inconvenient and even when it is only to you. Character is the ability to carry out a worthwhile decision once the emotion of making that decision has passed.

"A new identity doesn't erase the past. It reclaims the future." - Lee Brower "I am not what I used to be, not what I ought to be, and not what I am going to be, but I am thankful I am not what I used to be." - Coach John Wooden