Hey, thank you for joining the Maxwell Leadership Podcast today. I'm so excited that you're here. We're committed to adding value to you because we believe as a leader, you will multiply value to others.
And today, that's exactly what we're going to do. I'm Mark Cole and... On today's episode, John Maxwell will be sharing six pictures that help us gain a better understanding of transformation. Now, in full disclosure, I have heard John do this lesson thousands of times.
That is not an exaggeration. I've watched him do this in front of over 100,000 people because when we, with our nonprofit organization, Maxwell Leadership Foundation, go into new countries. John brings every new country the message, transformation, and gives the six pictures of transformation.
So today you're getting insight into a message that we believe will make a difference for individuals and makes a difference for our country's communities. Now once John is finished with his lesson, I'll be back with my co-host. And by the way, you know her as Tracy Morrow, but she is a... board member of our foundation, Maxwell Leadership Foundation.
She's been on transformation trips. She's heard John speak on this many, many, many times. And we're going to discuss these pictures and how they can be applied to our life and leadership. If you would like to download the bonus resource for this episode or watch this episode on YouTube, go to maxwellpodcast.com forward slash pictures. Okay, get ready.
For a transformational message, here is John Maxwell. Pretty sure that all of us can look around and see something that needs to be done, something that could be better. My psychology professor once asked three key questions.
What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? And what makes you dream? I want you to go back and think about what makes you cry, and then think about what you can do about it. In fact, just for the next few minutes, what I want to do is I want to walk you through six pictures that help you to understand transformation.
Here's why it's so important for you to understand it. I want you to do it. And the first step of doing anything is to have a clear grasp and understanding of what it is that you're doing.
So let's go through the... the six pictures, and I begin with a mirror. Now, what is a mirror for?
For you to look at yourself. You know, you and I, we stand in front of the mirror and we see ourselves. And I start with the picture of a mirror because honestly, I want you to look at yourself for a moment. Transformation, it begins when I look in that mirror with me.
When you look into that mirror, transformation begins with you. So we think of like transformation of a country or a community. It sounds like huge, big.
I mean, how could we ever do that? Well, don't start there. Just go to a mirror and look at it. And the person that you see, whoever that person is, it starts with them. So the reason we begin this transformation journey with the picture of a mirror.
It's because when I started, now we're going back now many, many, many years ago, when I was in my 20s, and I really wanted to make my life count. I remember the first thing I wrote down was I wrote the words, I want to make a difference. And I did. I didn't know how I was going to make a difference. I didn't know when I was going to make a difference.
I'm not even sure I knew why I wanted to make a difference. I just knew I wanted. to make a difference. And so I did my best to add value to people, to come alongside people and be a plus in their life, to lift people.
I was very intentional in me making a difference. The good news is I started making a difference. The bad news is that over time, I began to realize that if I just had a mirror and I just looked at me, it begins with me.
That's where it starts. But if If I didn't get another picture of transformation, then just me, it will be good, but it won't be good enough. I just kind of automatically moved to the second picture of transformation. I started out with, I want to make a difference. And I realized I was doing the best I could, but I was limited because I was only one.
And so I went from, I want to make a difference to the second kind of level. I want to make a difference with people who want to make a difference. So the second picture of transformation is a picture of a of us joining hands, of me looking out at you and putting my hand out to you right now and saying, could we do this together? Could we be partners?
Could we join hands? I feel kind of like Mother Teresa who just basically said, you know, you can do things I cannot do, and I can do some things you can't do, but together we can do great things. So now we're starting to see the picture of transformation starting to... It's getting a little bigger, isn't it? The mirror, I look at it and I see the first person that needs to initiate transformation.
It's John Maxwell and it begins in me. I have to be transformed to be contagious to help you be transformed. But it's not enough just to have the mirror. We've got to have a picture of us joining hands, partnership going side by side. So let me take you now to the third picture.
of transformation. And just in your mind, picture a ladder. Okay.
We all know what a ladder is all about. In fact, whenever you see a ladder, what you know is that that ladder is there to help somebody climb up to a higher level, to help them reach a level that they could not reach without it. So now we're talking about giving a ladder to people so that they can climb out.
of their difficult situation. A lot of people, if they just had a ladder, if they just had somebody to say, here's a resource, here's a tool, we're here to help you move up. Now, I call the ladder the picture you have of, we've got the mirror, we've got the join hands. The ladder is what I call the ladder of servanthood. So what that means is, I don't have a ladder.
and you're down in the ditch somewhere, and I just take the ladder and throw it down and say, hey, good luck. Find your way out. No, no, no, no. I go down there with you.
I get in the ditch. I get in the hole, and I hold the ladder. Now, why do I hold the ladder?
I hold the ladder to steady it, to give you security, to give you encouragement. I hold the ladder to help you climb out. Now, this is very important. The moment I get into the ditch with you and I hold the ladder, now you realize how much I value you as a person.
I often say that if I see you as hurting, I'll help you. And if I see you as broken, I'll fix you. But if I see you as valuable, then I'll serve you.
Which brings me now to the fourth picture of transformation. We've got the mirror, we're joining hands, we got the ladder. This is a picture of your heart.
And the reason I have you look at a picture of your heart is because that's where values reside. Values are an inside work within people. If people just practice good values, if they learn them and practice them, society, community, the culture just begins to raise.
Again, as I've said before, when people learn good values and live those values, they just become more valuable. become more valuable to themselves, their community, their family. They just become more valuable.
So the fifth picture of transformation is the picture of a table. In my book, Change Your World, I talk about, I have an entire chapter that basically says we change our world one table at a time. Now, why does it work in a small group around the table? Because the values that the people are being exposed to They need to be expressed. They need to be discussed.
They need to be talked about. They need to be shared. They need to be practiced. In other words, this is more than a mental exercise. This is an embracing of a new lifestyle.
You see, there are three questions that people ask to be transformed. Do you care for me? Can you help me?
Can I trust you? Now, those are transformation questions. And around the table, those three questions are answered. Around the table, you find people that truly care for you. They like you.
Around the table, as you share experiences, you find people that can help you because they've had an experience similar to yours. And all of a sudden you say, wow, if they did it, so could I. And it's around the table after you spend time together that you know, wow, I can trust these people. Now that is the environment that enables transformation. Now we have one more picture that I want to talk about.
And it's the picture of a bridge. When anybody crosses a bridge, what they readily recognize is that somebody has taken time to provide a way for them to cross uncrossable territory. If that bridge were not there, it may not even be possible to get on the other side. There may be a huge chasm.
There may be a wide, wide, wide body of water. I don't know, but what I know is this. that bridges just make it easier to get from where you are to where you want to go. And so, you know, we have bridges around the world.
Everybody looks for a bridge to help them to get from the location they are in to a desired location and where they want to go. It helps them to cross that difficult territory. And by the way, that's exactly what we do.
When we do transformation for other people's lives, we help them cross over. That's how you and I change our world. Let's do it together. And remember, my name is John, and I'm your friend. Hey, podcast listeners.
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Visit us online at maxwellleadership.com forward slash join the team to find out more. Hey, welcome back, Tracy. I very rarely introduce you to our audience with all the other roles and things that you do.
that makes us just a transformational family, you and I, you and me and John. But it's truly an honor to bring this message to our podcast family. And I'm so glad it's with you, a board member, a proven, passionate partner of what our foundation is doing to transform the world around us. And you've seen John speak this.
You've seen John dance to this. We've all danced with John. The six pictures of transformation.
And as John was teaching today, I was doing this image of joining hands. John then started doing the wave. You guys that are not watching on YouTube, you're missing the fact that I cannot dance. And so, Tracy, we have been in aisles and all over the world doing the transformational dance.
It's such an honor to be sharing it for the podcast today. Yes, I don't know if it's a privilege that they get to see it or for those who are blessed that they are not watching on YouTube while we are trying to do the shake a hand and climb the ladder. And I was trying to remember what the mirror was.
I can't remember what it was. It begins in me. Transformation begins in me.
It begins in me. That's right. Oh, John makes every lesson fun and memorable. And kicking it off, let me just say about his memory.
When he first said. I remember when one of my professors, psychology professors said, and I'm like, this man is 77 years old and he is remembering what a college professor said to him. I'm like, do I remember what someone said to me last week? Let alone what someone said to me 50 something years ago. That is crazy impressive to me.
Anyway, but that is John Maxwell. That guy has a crazy great memory. But I also want to remind our listeners that one of the things he kicked off this lesson with was a huge call to action.
And he said, what I want you to do. is to not just hear this lesson, not just to be hearers of this lesson, but doers of this lesson. We've heard John bring these lessons to the world, but we can implement them right here today.
You can take them today and begin implementing wherever it is. If you are in a classroom, if you are at home with small children, if you are in your business, in an office, you can begin implementing what you are hearing today. You know, it's funny, Tracy, just real quick before you jump in.
It's so funny to me because John did start the lesson with a challenge to do something. And I believe that's because this subject matter, you can't tell transformation. You can't learn transformation.
You have to do transformation and demonstrate transformation. And I just I echo what you're saying, Tracy, and to our podcast team, our podcast family. I want to challenge you.
Get. a message within you that number one will transform you. We're going to talk about the mirror.
It starts with you. That will then transform others because it's not about you. It starts with you, but it's not about you. It's about transforming others. John wrote a book at the beginning of COVID, 2020. He wrote a book called Change Your World.
And in that book, in fact, transformation material came from that book. And in that book, John challenges all of us to get a true. transformational message in us that just explodes out of us to transform the world around us. We're going to make that product available to you in this podcast.
It's a digital product. We're going to cut the price for you and let you experience the change your world message, and it will give you a deep dive into these six things. Go to the show notes. We'll get you more information there.
But Tracy, I'm so glad you brought that up. Let's start today's podcast with the end in mind. act. That's right. Because transformation is not told, transformation is shown.
And that's what we're talking about with these illustrations. And it begins in me. I can say, wow, I really am looking around at the world today and I'm disheartened and something needs to change.
Well, guess what? I might not be able to change the world, but I can change me. And the way that I can change the world is through the impact that I have. in all the little places and spaces that I show up. And the way that I do that is by first letting my own heart be changed.
It's an inside job. So with that, let's get off and running. Before we get to those six pictures, he does say, he does recall what his professor told him.
He asked those three impactful questions. And if you've been following John for any amount of time, you have heard these questions before. And so before we get to the six, I would love, Mark, if you wouldn't mind answering those.
and sharing what it is that makes you laugh, cry, and dream. Yeah, you know, it's a very personal thing, and I really still don't know where it sources from, but I think it sources from my mom. My mom was the leader of our home. She was, I mean, my mom is still alive.
She's 95 and such a leader before her time. We still have glass ceilings on women. We still have such a world that needs to be addressed and giving all of us the same opportunities to lead and experience the incredible potential in life. It's just all over the place. We still have so much work to do.
But my mom, 70 years ago, 80 years ago, felt the urge to lead, but just couldn't break through some of the obstacles and glass ceilings that was there. And so every time I watch a movie and I see this potential, and most of the time it's in a young woman, a young lady that wants to lead, that wants to experience. Man, I just tear up.
My granddaughter, Penelope, I just have so much passion for her. And I got the same passion for the boys, but it doesn't make me cry. I just want to kick them in the booty and say, get going, boys. Let's go.
But then Penelope, I just want to take time and work with her. So it makes me cry. What makes me laugh? is seeing people fully come alive.
And again, especially young ladies, my daughter, Macy, just seeing them come alive, it just gives me great joy. And what I dream, as I've already talked about, I just want to see people, especially people that are most of the time overlooked and not given opportunity to excel and to achieve great things. And every time, man, I can watch a movie, I can read a book, that'll grab me. When somebody is...
We put a lid on somebody because of whatever reason, man, it just grabs me. Well, I love to hear when you share your heart, because this is a blow the lid off lesson for people who just have a passion for what they know they were created to do. And they will not let a glass ceiling or a lid define them. They will find a way.
And I think your mom has done that. And when I think of Penelope and Macy, and I think of when your mom, their grandma, their great grandma, who has... who showed a way of how to find a way. And that's what transformation is really about.
It's letting yourself, you're letting yourself be changed and then leading the way for others by example. So six pictures of transformation. He starts with the mirror. And when you look in the mirror, he talks about, you know, you see yourself.
And a lot of times I find just as in raising kids and building a business and just