A Matter of Honour

July 27, 2016May 29, 2017Claude Hamilton 5 Comments

Duty and honour have a close relationship. In my last Toughen Up post, I mentioned the linguistic roots of these two words, and today I’m going to tell you a little more. When it comes to succeeding in your life’s purpose, it’s necessary to understand these two concepts and how they’re connected. After all, you hardly ever see one without the other.

From the Oxford English Dictionary (OED):

Duty: “something one has to do because it is morally right or legally necessary.”

Honour: “great respect”, “a clear sense of what is morally right”, “something that is a privilege or a pleasure.”

I find these definitions really interesting. The second definition of “honour” is almost identical to “duty”, which is notable in itself. But the first and last definitions of “honour” are the most striking to me: honour is used to pay “great respect” to the people who have earned it, and it’s “a privilege or a pleasure” to do it.

The biggest difference between duty and honour is even more interesting to me because it’s also one of the things that tightly bind the two concepts together. That difference? Enthusiasm.

I’ll elaborate. In addition to the definitions above, the OED defines duty as something that’s “done because of a feeling of obligation rather than enthusiasm.” But honour is all about enthusiasm. After all, when we have honour, we do the right things because we feel passionate about doing them—it’s a “privilege or a pleasure”. We don’t do them because we feel we should. We do them because we genuinely want to, and we genuinely care.

But when we’re doing the right thing, we’re doing our duty. An attitude of honour gives us the motivation to do it enthusiastically, without complaint. And that’s where the connection lies.

When I first started building my business, Lana and I spent a lot of time talking to and learning from Orrin and Laurie Woodward, and a number of others. These people unselfishly gave us their time and their experience, helping us to build a successful future for our family.

As we began to experience success, we felt an overwhelming sense of respect and honour towards these people—not only because they helped when we needed them, but also because they were a big factor in our success. We’re grateful to them.

In the military, we placed great importance on honouring the people who earned our respect. The people who paved the road ahead of us with hard work, bravery, and loyalty. The people who cared so much about doing their duty that they were willing to give their lives for their cause. We spend time learning about these men and women, and we honour them as much as we can.

Unfortunately, this kind of honour is often missing in business and family, even when it is well deserved. I’ll never forget the sacrifices that Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady made so that I could be successful. And whenever I can, I make an effort to show them how grateful I am. That’s honour.

Honourable Mentions

July 27, 2016July 15, 2016Claude Hamilton 7 Comments

A few months ago I outlined eight strengths that will change your life. Those strengths were attitude, courage, character, duty, honour, relationships, passion, and tenacity. Each one of these strengths is critical to your success, and each one is linked in some way to all of the others. Without courage, you don’t have character. A bad attitude could mean you’re neglecting your duty. And without honour, all of these strengths could be in jeopardy. Today, I’m going to start writing about honour, and what it truly means.

Duty and honour are especially closely linked. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the modern English word duty originally came from the Latin word debutus, which means “to owe”. The word honour came from the Latin word honerum, which means “dignity, reputation, chastity, virtue, courtesy, and distinction”.

But let’s step away from the linguistics and look at how various people showed and talked about honour throughout history:

Christopher Columbus: Columbus is one of my personal heroes. Not only did he travel across the ocean to discover a new land, he did it without a map, on simple faith that eventually, he would reach safety. It’s hard to take risks—it’s scary and it’s a lot of work—but Columbus knew there was something that needed to be found, and despite the challenges, he went out and found it.

Mortimer Adler: This man was an American philosopher, educator, and author. Besides writing a long list of works on everything from education and capitalism to ethics and the arts, he also co-founded the Center for the Study of Great Ideas, which aims to encourage everyday people to realize the importance of philosophy. He explained the difference between duty and honour by putting it this way: “Duty usually involves obligations to others, but a man’s sense of honor may lead him to act in a certain way though the good of no other is involved. To maintain self-respect, he must respect a standard of conduct which he has set for himself.” And based on his body of work, I suspect Adler held himself to a very strict code of conduct.

Lester Pearson: The Prime Minister who brought in Canada’s universal healthcare, the Canada Pension Plan, and the 40-hour workweek was no stranger to honour and duty. In Canada’s centennial year, he wrote some profound words that expressed the sense of honour that he wanted the country to uphold: “Our national condition is still flexible enough that we can make almost anything we wish with our nation. No other country is in a better position than Canada to go ahead with the evolution of a national purpose devoted to all that is good and noble and excellent in the human spirit.”

These are just a few examples of the people I admire for their sense of honour. But I want to hear from you. Who is the most honourable person you know. Why?

How to Do Your Duty

July 20, 2016November 21, 2018Claude Hamilton 13 Comments

If you’ve been following my blog, then you’ve spent plenty of time reading about duty. I’ve written a lot about the theory and history of duty, and my last post explained why it’s critical for you to find your life’s purpose and do your duty. But none of that will do you any good unless you know how to do your duty. Today’s post will point you in the right direction.

Step One: Build strength

When it comes to doing your duty, you can’t be hesitant. You need to act with confidence and precision. But before you can do that, you need to know what your purpose is. Otherwise, you’ll feel indecisive and weak—exactly what you don’t want when you’re trying to make an impact in the world. So spend time getting to know yourself better. Once you understand what you were put on this earth to do, it will be easier to focus on the task at hand. Abraham Lincoln once said: “Let us have the faith that might makes right; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

Step Two: Build your confidence

Once you’ve found your purpose, you need to learn as much as you can about it. Whether it’s a business idea or a desire to build a family, start by talking to other likeminded people, reading books, listening to audios, and taking courses. Immerse yourself in it. Because the more you understand your goal and everything about it, the more confidence you’ll have when it’s time to do your duty. And that’s important—because confidence drives action.

Seems simple, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. But it doesn’t mean it will be easy. As I wrote in Toughen Up, “We have to strive for it, work for it, and settle for nothing less than real excellence. Never let convenience or any other distractions get in the way. That’s toughness. And it’s our duty.”

Step Three: Build your plan

Imagine that you’re building a new home. But your contractor tells you that since they have the materials and the skills, they don’t need a blueprint. They’ll just design your house as they go. You probably wouldn’t have a lot of confidence in them, would you? After all, building a house without a plan just doesn’t make sense.

It’s the same when it comes to doing your duty. You may have confidence and strength, but without a plan, it’s easy to get confused and make poor choices. Plus, putting a plan on paper makes your life’s purpose real. It will bring you clarity and it will make it easier to gather people who will work with you to achieve your duty.

Why not sit down and write your plan today?

Your Duty Matters

July 15, 2016November 21, 2018Claude Hamilton 5 Comments

On my blog, I write a lot about the concept of duty. I’ve written about why we should do it, I’ve looked at how it’s changed throughout history, and I’ve discussed convenience and excellence—the two major internal cultures that every individual has to choose between. But today, I want to tell you what duty means to me.

When I toughen up, I’m doing my duty. When I choose excellence over convenience, I’m doing my duty. When I’m doing my very best, living my life’s purpose, and achieving my potential, I’m doing my duty. Why? Because we’re all connected, and we all have our jobs to do. Each one of us has something very specific that no one else in the world can do in quite the same way. If we don’t do that task to the best of our ability, if we decide to make excuses when the going gets tough, we let everyone down. As author and pastor Mark Batterson once said, “Uniqueness isn’t a virtue, it’s a responsibility.”

When I was still working as a military diver, it was my buddies’ responsibility to look out for me. And I did the same for them. In the military, the way you do your duty could mean the difference between life and death. Thankfully, they did their duty, and as a result, I’m writing this blog post today.

The story of Paul Kariya’s winning goal in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals is one of my favourite examples of a man who’s done his duty. According to the Calgary Herald, he took a major blow to the head at the hands of Scott Stevens. He was taken off to the dressing room for first aid, and everyone assumed he was out for the game. To the crowd’s astonishment, he came back out onto the ice and scored the winning goal. He did his duty at a time when everyone would have completely understood if he’d decided to bow out.

Now think about your life’s purpose. Are you working towards it? Have you chosen a culture of excellence? Because if you aren’t, the world is missing out on whatever it is you do best. It may not be a matter of life and death (although it’s possible that it is), but it will still make a difference to someone. As I wrote in Toughen Up, “We’re all worse off because some people choose convenience over excellence in their lives. And we’re all better off because some people have chosen to do their best, to live their life purpose to its fullest.” American president Theodore Roosevelt put it like this: “The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, safety first instead of duty first, and love of soft living…”

It’s probably not your life’s duty to score the winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals. But maybe it is. Or maybe it’s your duty to be a patient parent, even when you’re exhausted. Or to build a business that helps others. Whatever your duty is, will you tough it out when you’re on your last legs? I hope so. After all, everyone else is counting on you.

Enjoy your weekend!

Claude

Supporting Literacy Nova Scotia

December 7, 2015August 18, 2018Claude Hamilton 1 Comment

Hey everyone!

Recently I shared the amazing news that LIFE Leadership’s LIFE on LIFE initiative is teaming up with Literacy Nova Scotia. This is exciting because it not only allows me to pursue my personal passion for education and literacy, but it is also helping my provincial community, which is incredibly important.

Presenting Jayne Hunter and Marie David with a cheque for $11,000.

The LIFE on LIFE Initiative takes a portion of the profit from each LIFE subscription. The first organization supported by this initiative, Triangle Literacy, is in North Carolina, where our head office is also located. Since the start, we’ve known we want to branch out our funding, so I’m incredibly excited to announce this partnership with Literacy Nova Scotia. Last week I presented Jayne Hunter and Marie David of Literacy NS with a cheque for $11,000. This money will help provide brand new Disney books to families all across Nova Scotia, just in time for Family Literacy Day on January 27.

Why is supporting literacy important to you?

It’s been great to see everyone’s support across social media thus far. The first week of November marked Literacy Action Week, and my newsfeed was filled with your selfies telling me why literacy matters to you. I compiled all the #LAW2015 photos and shared them on Flickr, so if you missed the posts, be sure to check it out!

As time goes on, there will be more ways to get involved with Literacy Nova Scotia, including donation and volunteer opportunities. In the meantime, you can follow Literacy NS on Twitter and like their account on Facebook for updates. You can also become a Literacy NS member for just five dollars! Members are able to vote at the Literacy NS Annual General Meeting, and your voice adds to the advancement of all levels of adult literacy in NS.

I’ll continue to share updates on my Facebook and Twitter as this partnership continues!

Share in the comments below why literacy matters to you!

Have a great week!

Claude Hamilton

Getting to Know JL and Nicole Pellerin

October 22, 2015October 22, 2015Claude Hamilton 20 Comments

Hey everyone!

Today on the blog we have a profile of JL and Nicole Pellerin.

JL and Nicole are such amazing people to have as friends. They’re so much fun, and some of Lana and I’s greatest and most fun adventures have included the Pellerins.

The first time I met JL, he was the sharpest dressed guy in the room. I was there to show him an opportunity, and he came dressed better than me!

I look forward to a long (and fun) life of hanging out with this awesome couple!

Claude

Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders: JL and Nicole Pellerin, as written by Bethany Sampson

JL AND NICOLE PELLERIN

Rock and Roll.

It’s not just a team name for JL and Nicole Pellerin; it’s a way of life, and everything they do revolves around this expression.

The phrase originates from the seventeenth century when ships would rock and roll due to the motions of the sea. As a metaphor for the Pellerin’s action-packed lives, the expression is more relevant than ever.

“You can go through life on auto-pilot, if you want,” says JL, “but I’d rather be out there in the seas where the action is happening.”

“You can’t stay secure, docked, and calm on the shore,” Nicole agrees. At least, not if you want to experience the good stuff.

JL and Nicole Pellerin are high school sweethearts. They’ve been married for seventeen years, and dated for nearly another ten years before that. Over the last quarter century, the Pellerin ship has rocked and rolled over many different seas.

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Ten years ago, Nicole Pellerin had just closed down her retail shop. She’d gone to school at the University of Moncton, and had an interest in entrepreneurship, but after the closing of her store, she wasn’t necessarily looking for a business venture.

JL also worked in business. He, too, had obtained a degree from the University of Moncton, and with his marketing background, he pursued a job in sales. He ended up working as the national sales manager for a provincial newspaper, a job he still maintains to this day.

The couple, content in their life, wasn’t looking for any new opportunities. A close friend, however, introduced the couple to the business, and the opportunity came knocking anyway.

Initially, the couple declined the business venture. At the time, Nicole was pregnant with the couple’s youngest child, and felt they had no time to spare.

The Pellerin’s friend was able to convince them to attend an Open. It was there that the couple met the Dionnes and the Hamiltons. It was also at this Open that they were first able to see “the big picture.”

unnamed-3 That said, the couple still maintained that they were too busy to explore this new avenue. When their friend asked, “Are you doing anything now that’s going to change [the business]?” the couple realized that they, indeed, were not.

Their schedules were packed with work, family, commitments, and life. For the Pellerins, they thought the solution to their over-packed lives was to try harder, and to plan smarter.

That solution, however, was not working.

That night at the Open, on a whim—and with the intentions of gaining more time—the couple said, “Let’s give this a shot!

THE PELLERIN FAMILY

Flash forward one year, and the couple was able to fully replace Nicole’s income, allowing her to fulfill her goal of being a stay-at-home mom to the couple’s two children, Nicolas, 12, and Jacob, 10. The couple hopes JL will soon be able to join Nicole as a stay-at-home parent.

The Pellerins relish in the amount of time they’re able to spend together. The flexibility in Nicole’s schedule means the kids can go home everyday after school, as opposed to attending an after-school program. In addition, the couple schedules in weekly family nights, date nights, and nights dedicated to “helping [their] friends win” in business.

LIFE Leadership’s content has allowed JL and Nicole to better understand each other, and their children.

Understanding each other’s love language, has allowed them to improve their connection, to understand and appreciate each other’s strengths, and to recognize their weaknesses.

Having been together since their teenage years, the couple has learned to grow and adapt together.

“People don’t always change at the same rhythm,” says Nicole. She emphasizes the importance of both understanding and respecting the other person, even if you don’t necessarily agree on everything. Ultimately, she and JL are two different people with two different personalities, and it was important for the two of them to learn that that is okay. Gaining this knowledge has helped the couple to be—and remain—strong, both individually and together.

A FAMILY ADVENTURE

This knowledge of personality types has also helped the couple with their parenting. Their first child, Nicholas, was a sanguine, easygoing child, which made the parenting easy as well. Their second child, Jacob, had a choleric, go-getting personality. JL and Nicole read many books, which aided them in parenting different personalities, as well as informing them of the different love languages and the different needs of each child.

“We love them the same way,” says Nicole, “but you can’t necessarily parent the same way.”

The parenting techniques the Pellerins have brought to the family have made their way into the community. JL coaches the boys’ hockey and baseball teams, and tries hard to constantly encourage the players. He has learned—through his own experience with Joce, Claude, and Orrin—the importance of positive encouragement, and he tries to pass that onto his sons and his sons’ teammates.

“When you give them the smallest bit of encouragement, they just flourish,” says JL.

The business environment has been a backdrop for nearly all of the kids’ lives, and they have been—and continue to be—shaped by the positivity of the business, the material they hear on the CDs, and by witnessing their parents run for goals. JL and Nicole admit to both missing and hitting some goals, but the lesson is still clear: it’s important to set goals, no matter the outcome.

LIFE Leadership has provided the couple with so much more than just a business. They have time, community, friendship, and notably, the chance to help others take the same chance they once did.

“Go on faith,” says Nicole. “This business can offer you whatever you’re look for. Not everybody’s looking for money, but everybody’s looking for something.”

She encourages people to find the dream inside of them, whether it’s for time, money, vacation, or the chance to volunteer, and pursue it.

Despite the successes they’ve achieved, JL and Nicole are still dreaming. LIFE Coach is a long-term goal, building an in-law suite for Nicole’s parents is what they’re hoping to do in the short-term. The couple is confident these are goals they can hit.

“I can’t see us not having this in our lives,” says JL. “The whole business has brought excitement, effectiveness, and betterment to everything that we do.”

“It’s a way of life,” says Nicole. “It’s who we are.”

“We were just a regular small-town Acadian family,” says JL, “and we had the guts to say, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”

The risk, it appears, has paid off.

Do you know JL and Nicole? Leave your comments on the couple below!

Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders: Wayne & Raylene MacNamara

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015Claude Hamilton 100 Comments

Hey everyone!

Today on the blog, Bethany profiled Wayne and Raylene MacNamara as a part of the Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders series.

Wayne and Raylene are such a success story. They have reached high levels in our business, and the reason they’re so successful is because they’re very good at helping others. They’re leaders of leaders! They represent our biggest organization, and I consider Wayne one of the key leaders of the Kaizen organization.

Through this journey, Wayne and Raylene have become best friends with me and Lana, and now they’re some of the closest people in our lives.

Enjoy!

Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders: Wayne and Raylene MacNamara, as written by Bethany Sampson

RAYLENE & WAYNE MACNAMARA

Wayne and Raylene MacNamara didn’t start out in the leadership industry. Wayne was a welder and Raylene was a tire builder. Financially, the couple was doing okay, but when a workplace injury occurred, Raylene was forced to take time off from her job.

It was around this time that Raylene’s sister introduced her to the business. Since Raylene’s injury, finances had been tighter for the couple, so they decided to take a chance on the business. If they could replace Raylene’s salary until she was able to go back to work, or until she decided on a new career path, the couple would be happy.

Initially, Raylene was drawn to the idea of having the materials shipped to her. Due to her injury, she wasn’t able to go out and shop on her own. As soon as the material would arrive, she and Wayne would read or listen to the information.

Despite their initial interest in the business, Wayne and Raylene declined their first invitation to attend a big convention. Claude, however, wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Claude called Wayne directly and the two spoke about the business and its financial benefits. After the phone call, Wayne told Raylene they were booking the tickets. Raylene wasn’t thrilled about the decision, but she saw the chance to visit her friends and family in the area as a positive.

THE HAPPY COUPLE

Claude and Wayne and Raylene met in person for the first time at that major. Despite geographical obstacles—the MacNamaras lived in Ontario whereas the Hamiltons were in Nova Scotia—Claude encouraged them to commit to the business. In fact, Claude said more than that; he told the MacNamaras that he would fly out to Ontario once a month to help their growing business.

Claude stayed true to his promise, and for the next four years he flew to Ontario for monthly opens.

Though Wayne initially saw this distance as a negative, he later realized he helped him and Raylene to become more independent leaders and to grow confident enough to run seminars and opens on their own.

The Hamiltons didn’t just help Wayne and Raylene’s business grow; they helped their family grow, too.

Wayne and Raylene had been together since they were teenagers, but were uninterested in marriage.

“I didn’t want to get married because my parents got divorced,” says Raylene. “I thought if I didn’t get married I couldn’t get divorced.”

THE WEDDING DAY

Claude and Lana, however, were able to sit down with the couple and help them to confront the hard, but important, questions.

In 2004, Wayne and Raylene—a couple of 23 years now—were married. This past July marked their eleven-year wedding anniversary.

The couple also has a two-year-old son, Beau.

Wayne and Raylene consider Beau to be their greatest blessing, and are grateful for the time and freedom allotted to them by LIFE, as it allowed them to become parents.

As a tire builder, Raylene would’ve been working 12-hour shifts, and the couple isn’t sure they would’ve been able to balance parenthood on top of such long work hours.

In addition to the logistical aspects, the LIFE material also helped the couple to feel prepared and confident in their decision to have a child.

They’d been exposed to many children with great lives whose parents are in business. Knowing that they’d have both the support of other leaders, as well as the knowldge and preparation from the material they were consuming at a rapid pace, the couple felt confident in their decision to bring a child into the world. This confidence also helped lessen the fear that they wouldn’t do this well, or that they would fail as parents.

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This association with other leaders has been crucial to the MacNamaras’ many successes.

“Associations are the number one key factor why we’re still around,” said Wayne.

And both Wayne and Raylene say this proves to be true for new couples starting out.

“Motivation is such an individual thing,” says Wayne. “You have to get around someone who’s highly motivated, then you get to see that they’re real people, and their motivation is what makes them get up to do work that they don’t have to do everyday.”

In addition to being inspired by others’ motivation, surrounding yourself with leaders serves as a reminder of how well the business can work.

Starting out can take time, but seeing others’ successes can help you to actualize your own dreams.

Raylene echoes the importance of surrounding yourself with other dreamers, because it allows you to feel comfortable with sharing your own goals and ambitions.

WAYNE & RAYLENE

Wayne and Raylene were hundreds of miles away from Claude and Lana when they first started out, so they used audiotapes and books as a way to stay inspired by other leaders.

Though Raylene was doubtful of the business in the beginning, not thinking the success could happen to her, she soon realized it all came down to attitude. She says her emotional intelligence used to control her, causing her to focus on the negative of a situation instead of trying to find the positive and to move forward.

Raylene worked hard to change her attitude, and she sites John Maxwell’s book The Difference Maker (which she received as a gift from Claude) as a game changer for her. This book served as a reminder for Raylene that attitude truly is a choice, and so she began to believe that this could and would happen for her and Wayne.

The couple’s relationship with Claude and Lana was also crucial in their successes.

“They’ve gotten us to where we are today,” says Raylene. “Everything we have today is because of their leadership.”

The two couples have been best friends for over ten years now.

Wayne and Raylene both admire Claude’s and Lana’s unprecedented leadership. Claude is tough, but treats everyone as an equal. Lana is gentle and soft, but “if she needs to roar, you can hear her roar,” says Raylene.

They both speak of their gratitude towards the Hamilton, knowing they can never fully repay Claude and Lana for all they’ve done; all they can do is treat them with respect, says Raylene.

WAYNE, RAYLENE, & BEAU

Though the concept of working together was initially daunting, Wayne and Raylene came together as a couple to make their business blossom. They ask each other questions, work to find the best solutions, and most importantly, they dream together.

The couple’s relationship has only strengthened since going into business. Wayne and Raylene consume the LIFE material quickly, and the audio CDs and books have allowed them to read and hear about others going through similar stages in life.

“Dating brings out the best, marriage brings out the rest,” quotes Raylene. She says the LIFE material, including books like The Five Love Languages, helped strengthen her relationship with Wayne, as their understanding of each other and their relationship continues to grow.

BEAU, 2

Wayne nods in agreement. Though he’s believes he and Raylene would still be together today without the business, he’s confident their relationship would not be what it is today.

In addition to what the couple has learned and how they’ve grown, they’ve also been financially free for eight years now, allowing them to spend more quality time together and with Beau.

The couple knows they’re blessed to have this life, but it didn’t come without hard work, a willingness to learn, and, of course, a proven business model.

“When you struggle for anything in life, the moment you get it, you just appreciate it that much more,” says Wayne, “whether it be a child, your money, your time, your freedom, or your relationships.”

THE MACNAMARA FAMILY

Wayne and Raylene are careful not to take anything for granted, and are always looking to help others improve their lives, as well. Even if you just get in for the money, they say, all these other amazing things will happen on the side.

“This business has affected us in so many areas and it has helped us to grow tremendously in order to have the life we have today, which is incredible,” says Raylene. “And I did not see that the first night we saw the business.”

“When you get around other people that are motivated and that are dreamers, it’s almost like you catch a dream of your own,” says Wayne.

And it’s clear that this couple has indeed caught a dream.

To find out more about Wayne and Raylene, you can visit them on Twitter or Facebook.

If you know Wayne and Raylene, and have more to add, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!!

Changing Your Life With Perseverance

July 8, 2015July 8, 2015Claude Hamilton 11 Comments

Jim Rohn made an notable observation when he said, “Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like fingerprints. It’s something you weren’t born with and must take responsibility for forming.”

It’s interesting because many people seem to think that character is built-in; either you won the character lottery or you didn’t. But Rohn’s right—a good character is a habit that’s formed by consistently making the right choice for the right reasons.

But that doesn’t mean that we don’t all have a little help. Each of us has our own strengths and, when we push ourselves to discover them, we often learn that they can be quite useful for building character.

When I was in the military, I took a performance test that was disguised as an advanced training course. The test was designed to weed out the best people to pursue a new career in diving. It was an impossibly strenuous course, and we operated on little to no sleep and limited nourishment. We were up at all hours of the day and night–running, swimming, and working out. It was an emotionally challenging time, and we were all forced to push ourselves to our limits, physically and mentally. Now here’s the catch: the course didn’t end until we were down to just six people. The longest record was 21 days.

Everyone was given a whistle, and when they were at their breaking point, they blew it to indicate that they were giving up. I had some tough competition—each of the twenty participants were at the top of their current line of work, whether they were medics, infantrymen, or search-and-rescue technicians. But still, it wasn’t long before we were down to nine.

After all, it was easy to quit. If you weren’t in the top six, nothing bad would happen to you. You just went back to your current high-level career. But if you won… you got to move on to a new diving career with a new mission. You’d be taking your career to the next level. And it was all up to you.

The night the test ended was also the night I encountered one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever endured. That night, we were woken up for a run after only an hour and a half of sleep. We were asked to bring our diving gear along with us.

We ran and ran. We passed all of our usual landmarks and kept running. It felt like we were never going to stop. I knew I didn’t have much left in me, so I started playing mind games, telling myself to run to the next landmark before giving up. Then, when I hit the next landmark, I’d set myself up for a new challenge.

Finally, we hit the water, and without letting us stop to rest, the instructors told us to suit up and start swimming. At that point, I really knew I was done. But then I heard a whistle. We were down to eight!

There were only two of us left to quit, but I decided to try and push through until one more person whistled. When they did, I was almost ecstatic. I’d be done soon! It was my turn!

Just when I was about to blow my whistle, someone else beat me to it. The challenge was over, and I was in the top six. There were just seconds between winning and losing, but I kept persevering, and in the end, it paid off. We were finally done, after 19 long days.

Staying true to my character and testing my limits allowed me to take a step in my career that I almost missed out on. Has there ever been a time when perseverance changed your life? I’d love to read about your experiences in the comments below.

Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders: Jean and Tamie Belanger

July 2, 2015November 21, 2018Claude Hamilton 5 Comments

Hi everyone!

Welcome to part five of the Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders series. This week Bethany profiled Jean and Tamie Belanger.

Jean and Tamie have been with Lana and me since the very beginning of our business. They’ve watched us, helped us, and have always been there for us, as both business partners and friends. They’re such hard workers, and even pioneered the French side of the LIFE business. Jean and Tamie are trusted and respected leaders, and they’re going to have a big influence in the years to come!

Enjoy!

Getting to Know Kaizen Leaders: Jean and Tamie Belanger as written by Bethany Sampson.

TAMIE AND JEAN BELANGER

Jean and Tamie Belanger aren’t new to the industry; in fact, they’ve been with Claude and Lana since the very start.

It was 1991, and the Belangers were newlyweds with two young children. They were living in Edmonton, Alberta. Jean was in the Canadian Special Forces and Tamie worked for a cement company doing accounts payable. Jean and Tamie were doing everything they could to get ahead—Tamie was even playing BINGO with two daubers, Jean jokes—but it was Jean’s job as a hockey coach that ended up being their entryway into the business.

It was a parent of one of Jean’s players that introduced Jean and Tamie to the industry and within two and a half years, they were job optional.

They’ve remained job optional for over twenty years now, as their business—and dreams continue to grow.

For a long time, it’s been Tamie and Jean’s goal to live on a ranch, with horses and animals.One month ago, they were able to finally watch this goal come to fruition as they moved into their coveted ranch house.

THE BELANGER RANCH HOUSE

The Belangers have spent the last twenty plus years dedicated to the business. They’ve watched the system change and grow as they, too, grew.

“We had products that could help build our business but that wouldn’t necessarily help build ourselves,” says Tamie, but, with the entrance of LIFE Leadership, that changed.

LIFE, Tamie says, has helped make them more likable, more teachable, more outgoing, just more.

Jean echoes this, saying the LIFE material helped him to outgrow his sometimes ignorant attitude, which aided him in becoming a better leader.

But Jean and Tamie weren’t just satisfied with building their business and themselves; they wanted to go bigger. Together, they spearheaded LIFE’s growth in Quebec, as they pushed for the French system.

They describe this experience as “a ship leaving the harbor, and going into the middle of the ocean with no navigational system. You just sail until you find land.”

Eventually, they found that land. And that land greeted them with an abundance of success as the French system took off.

Jean is a self-described “system person.” He credits his background in martial arts, hockey, and the military for his systemized approach to life, and thus allowing him to have such success in a systemized business.

“It was a perfect fit for me,” he says, “and it became a perfect fit for us.”

The business suited the Belanger’s familial lifestyle as Jean had been aching to spend more time at home with his children. He’d always dreamed of being married and having children, but with all these financial responsibilities, he wasn’t actually able to spend any time with his family. Tamie, on the other hand, was at home raising their children, but was never able to see her husband.

Getting into business wound up remedying this problem.

When they first started out, the family-oriented Belangers set a goal to take their whole family to Disney World. They succeeded.

And with every goal they surmount, they set a new, even higher, goal. Yesterday, Disney World. Today, the ranch house. Tomorrow? LIFE Coach.

The Belangers are dreamers indeed.

“This is what we do,” says Tamie. “It’s make it or break it, and we’re going to make it.”

Jean nods along in agreement. “We’ve got the right people. We’ve got the right culture,” he says. “I always believe that when you hang around with the right successful people, you become successful.”

JEAN AND TAMIE WITH CHILDREN, NICOLE AND CHRISTIAN

The Belangers grew up with great parents for role models. Jean says he never felt pressured to obtain a certain level of education or a certain career, but instead was encouraged to follow his passions.

For a long time, this meant a career in hockey, but after Jean didn’t receive The Call, he decided on his alternate career route: the military. Luckily, Jean was able to revive his passion for hockey as a coach, which eventually led him and Tamie to the industry.

Jean and Tamie’s children are now 26 and 29. Though they’re grown, the Belangers say LIFE Leadership has helped reinforce the way they chose to raise their children—to be confident, dream chasers.

Their kids grew up listening to audio cassettes or CDs in the car, and weren’t permitted to spend a lot of time watching TV. Jean recalls many days when his daughter would gather friends on the couple’s veranda, and the kids would sit outside listening to Jean talk about leadership, the business, and dreams.

Today, both their children are motivated and ambitious, dreamers and achievers. Jean and Tamie, however, haven’t stopped parenting.

Now, they have a myriad of team members who call them Mom and Dad, and who trust Jean and Tamie like family.

To these new couples starting out, Jean and Jamie say, focus on the whys: why are you getting started in business? They encourage team members to use that “why” to help stay motivated.

“When you set your mind to do something—when you have the right tools, the right help, the right mentor or coach—you can do pretty much anything you want,” says Tamie.

For the Belangers, Claude and Lana have been the right mentors.

“Claude’s a team guy,” says Jean. “That is what our industry is. It’s all about team.”

Jean emphasizes the importance of trust and teamwork in any business relationships, but particularly this industry where one person’s success is directly correlated with another’s.

“Claude’s always been determined that he was going to win and that he was going to take as many people as he could with him,” Tamie says. “Claude and Lana have vision, and we follow them.”

In addition, the Belangers consider their relationship with each other to be vital to their success.

“We had ups and downs in our relationship that affected our business,” says Jean, “and we had ups and downs in our business that affected our relationship.”

JEAN AND TAMIE

“If life happens to you and you don’t get back up, then you’ll never get back up,” says Tamie. “For us to work, we couldn’t ever stay down.”

No matter the up or down, Jean and Tamie are certain to stay by each other’s side, likening themselves to peas and carrots or chocolate and peanut butter.

“A lot of things can happen when it’s you and your wife holding a business together,” says Jean.

And after speaking with the Belangers, it’s clear that Jean is right. A lot of things can happen. A lot of really, really great things.

“We’re here to stay,” says Tamie. “We’re not going anywhere.”

I have no doubt that she is right.

If you have anything to add about Tamie and Jean, please leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Building Confidence and Character

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015Claude Hamilton 11 Comments

Throughout our lives, we’ll all experience adversity—in our personal lives, our careers, or both. We meet adversity when we learn to take our first breath, and we encounter it again and again for the rest of our lives. Not only is adversity a great test of character, it’s often what motivates us to keep trying until we get it right.

But there are a couple of other things, namely power and mistakes, that test character, and have the potential to reveal much more about a person than adversity ever could.

POWER

When you’ve got everything you need and the ability to get pretty much whatever you want, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s important. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

In Plato’s Republic, he writes about a discussion he had with several men. One of those men is named Glaucon, and he argues that “no man would keep his hands off that which was not his own if he could safely take what he liked.” It’s a sad argument that leaves no room for common human decency.

Of course, people will always be tempted to take the easy way out, but someone with true character will resist that temptation and find the honest, fair way to get what they want or need. In fact, I’d go one step further and say that many people in power will consciously avoid using that power in an abusive or negative way, because they’re fully aware of how easy it is to become corrupted.

MISTAKES

How we respond to our mistakes can give away a lot about our character. In his novel Confessor, Terry Goodkind, a successful fantasy writer, says, “I’m afraid that we all make mistakes. One of the things that define our character is how we handle mistakes. If we lie about having made a mistake, then it can’t be corrected and it festers. On the other hand, if we give up just because we made a mistake, even a big mistake, none of us would get far in life.”

And he’s right. I believe that mistakes are opportunities. They’re the wake-up call that tells us we’re doing something wrong and forces us to start over again, with a different approach.

Taking responsibility for mistakes is key to improving character. When we own up to our errors, we’re free to move on, and fix whatever caused the mistake in the first place. And when character is built in this way, we also benefit from increased self-confidence. As journalist Joan Didion wrote in On Self Respect, “Character—the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life—is the source from which self-respect springs.”

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

-Claude Hamilton