Don’t Ignore The Spider... Part V

Talking About The System And Talking About The System And Not Talking About Its Maker Is Not Talking About Its Maker Is Like Talking About The Web Like Talking About The Web And... And...

Ignoring The Spider! Ignoring The Spider! ~Bro. Bedford ~Bro. Bedford

Leading…

When it comes to leading there have to be some steps that are taken to ensure the, like my good friend Cori Briggs always says, success leaves clues. With that being said, this article will focus on the first part of our framework for our upcoming course: The Fundamentals of Leadership. We will look at the first 6 modules in our flagship course for our upcoming academy;

(1) Assess the Situation (2) Talk To Involved Parties (3) Write Down The Facts (4) State The Goals (5) Plan of Action (6) Assign Responsibility

(1) Assess the Situation

When you come upon a situation, one of the first things that you should do is your assessment. That means that you should observe the situation. While observing you need to make notes. Sometimes these notes are mental, other things they need to be written down. It is said that the mind is for thinking and writing is for remembering. So take the time to do your analysis even before talking to anyone. This helps in two ways, (1) it helps you to develop attention to detail, and (2) it keeps you from being tainted by someone else’s perspective.

(2) Talk To Involved Parties

After you have your assessment it’s good to make sure that what you thought you saw is really what you saw. All of us can make mistakes even though what we observe, that is why we must get all sides of the story. My good friend Wendell Graham would often say that there are three sides to every story, there’s This Side, there’s That Side, and somewhere in the middle is the True. So as we Lead and then teach how to Lead we have to bring that to the forefront.

(3) Write Down The Facts

Going back to what I said earlier, “the mind is for thinking and writing is for remembering” we cannot rely on what we remember but we have to rely on what’s recorded. In the movie Training Day, Denzel Washington’s character made an amazing statement, “It’s not what you know; it’s what you can prove!” Writing down information helps to keep everything straight and keep everyone honest. The fact can be verified and they cut down on confusion. Good record keeping can be the difference between success and failure.

continued from page 5 As I walk you through the process of finding my way out of the darkness, perhaps it resembles a similar story within yourself or someone you care about. See, we all may struggle getting to the light of a new day. It’s a challenge. One of the hardest things for many people is to face their truth. I ran from my trauma from rape because I buried it.

I ran from my most private things in my life, disconnected from people, carried trust issues because the very people that were entrusted with my care abused me and could have easily turned me into a victim but I chose victory over my circumstance. It was a mindset choice. I had made up my mind because of my parents reinforcing that I could be, do and have anything with hard work, focus and tenacity. The positive choice did not come devoid of challenge.

Once I shared my truth with my parents, 15 years later, that alone did not free me. The truth of private things in my life still haunted me. Although I tried to conform to my church’s and society’s view, I never stopped to ask how I viewed myself. I never stopped to ask myself what God saw in me because God created me. Once I finally listened to the God in me rather than the chatter of the outside world, I moved into self-acceptance and enhanced creativity. One of my favorite gospel singers Vicky Winans says, “You can’t please all people all of the time.”

“The first step to getting what you want is having the courage to get rid of what you don’t want.”

Being free is an everchanging paradigm and I choose me over chatter, I choose the voice of I Am rather than myths, I choose to make a choice and the choice is to not just exist but to live the one life that I have.

Like the phoenix rising, I used courage to soar through my pain. Courage is many things to different people but for me courage is looking fear and truth in the face - accepting it, embracing it and taking action. If I am scared as hell, I do it anyway so that I can experience internal and external completion and freedom. 8

Courage is more than a thought, a look or a feeling, it is all of it moved into positive action that yields the change in one’s life that they need and deserve. One of my favorite sayings by Kathy Phillips is “The first step to getting what you want is having the courage to get rid of what you don’t want.”

When you embrace this concept and take action, it creates a segue to walking in your purpose. What I realized is Courage is me and I am Courage. The Lotus Flower rises from the mud of life to magnificence, and you can, too.

I hope my story can inspire others to get out of the darkness. If I can share one message with you, it is that of HOPE. Sexual violence is often cultivated in the desire for one to control another. Tell your truth, take back your innocence, take back your voice, take back your life in order to create the life YOU desire to experience.

Please know above all that you are beautiful and you are worthy of the best that life can offer. You can move from victim to victor. Millions of people have similar stories so know and believe that you are not alone. Reach out to me and I will help walk the journey with you.

Lotus Riché is a transformation coach and a woman willing to help other women. Lotus is a African American. She is a New Jersey native who served in the U.S. Navy, graduating at the top of her class as an electrician. After completing her tour of duty, she became the youngest and only woman of color in the southern region to work for Kodak as a clinical engineer back in the 1990s.

In addition, she is a prior officer for the Department of Corrections in South Carolina specializing in youth offenders and incarcerated adults, where she was part of the Rapid Response Team and proficient in hand-to-hand combat and firearms, especially the shotgun, her weapon of choice. She worked for the University of Phoenix-Augusta campus as a Student Services Coordinator influencing young students to pursue higher education and working as a counselor conducting individual and family interventions and behavioral interventions for children who had experienced trauma and abuse.

continued from page 9 Lotus has been a pillar of strength and love feeding and sheltering the homeless for over 10 years. She has helped to rehabilitate homeless individuals and employ them at one of the top hospitals in the nation. In 2013, in continuing her main love of helping people, she moved to Japan while employed with the Department of Defense supporting U.S. service members as a Substance Abuse Counselor.

While in Japan, she became an active member of a local Toastmasters club and American Red Cross volunteer. She became a certified instructor in First Aid and CPR, post-deployment Reconnection Workshop Facilitation, and suicide intervention. She continued to spread her message of love and lifting people up by working with Japanese nationals to feed the homeless population in Yokosuka, Japan, and surrounding areas.

After many long and tiring days, she braved the cold weather to help locate and feed several hundred homeless people on the street and encourage her fellow military service members to join the fight to help stomp out homelessness and hunger. She was honored with an award from the Yokosuka Naval Hospital in Japan for her humanitarian efforts.

She received a Humanitarian award from the U.S. Navy for supporting the city of Charleston, SC in the wake of the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo. She was recognized into the 2000 Most Notable American Woman book in 1998 and nominated for the Who’s Who Registry of Distinguished individuals in 2012. She’s also a recent 2020 Guinness World Record holder and number one international best-selling author. She has spoken on stages with thought leaders such as; Jack Canfield, (Author of Chicken Soup for the Soul) Satish Verma (CEO of Think and Grow Rich Institute), Dr. Ruben West (Lead Trainer at Black Belt Speakers), and host may great leaders on her Shows to include; The Lotus Riche’ Ignites Show, Bring Who You Are, News You Can Use. 10

As a wounded warrior sustaining a hearing impairment and having to use a walker and cane in the prime of her life, she understands limitations and how to overcome them and has a strong desire to help others overcome them. She focuses on helping young girls and boys from being abused. She has been in the trenches helping families and care providers identify and prevent abuse.

According to the American SPCC,2020, 4.3 million child maltreatment referral reports received. Child abuse reports involved 7.8 million children.,91.7% of victims are maltreated by one or both parents. Only 3.3 million children received prevention & post-response services. Lotus strive to help prevent and help others overcome the victimization and step into victory by sharing their story, seeking help, and obtaining the help to triumph.

Lotus Riche’ will help you connect your head, heart, and spirit in a way that transforms your passion for your dreams into action for your life as she strives to mentor and add to the quality of human life. She is a beacon of hope that continues to shine in every space of time as she encourages people to “Ignite & Take Flight.” She truly brings inspiration to every nation with her global reach to men and women globally.