Dr. Henry Venter's Blog

We live in a world that’s inundated with quantity, but is sadly lacking in quality. As the people on earth multiply it seems as if there’s such a mad rush to supply all their needs that it is easily forgotten to supply quality. Gone are the days where someone took pride in how they made something – it’s now about how fast and how many we can produce in the least amount of time. Three reasons are responsible: lack of responsibility; no accountability, and uninspiring leaders.

• Responsibility and accountability has flown the coup – it’s gone!
The other day I made use of a company’s complaint line in desperation after weeks of not being able to conclude a simple transaction. I received an email that started off with the words: “As our valued customer you are very important to us.” Unfortunately, at the bottom of the email it also stated, “This is an automated message. Please do not respond to it.” Well, I didn’t, but neither did they. To this day no living person has followed up on that message to this “valued and important customer.”

• No one wants to be accountable.
In a recent article in the New York Times a journalist eloquently captured this trend in a piece about who’s to blame for the financial crisis in America (and some other parts of the world). The answer? No one! Experts he talked to hold the notion that no one could see it coming, regardless of the fact that financial analysts now look back and pinpoint where companies started to take ridiculous risks such as selling expensive homes to people without verifying their income. And then structuring the loans to escalate in repayment within a few years way above what the buyers could afford. We live in a world where you can’t even trust your financial adviser to responsibly invest your money. That pipedream went the way of people like Bernie Madoff who fraudulently embezzled billions from his trusted customers, even from his closest friends.

• Uninspiring leaders.
Democratically elected officials turned out to be another disappointment. Often it is those who run their campaigns on the basis of family values that have been shown to be the very people that had no family values and morals. And yet, it seems as if there is no end to the unscrupulous and opportunistic people seeking power. Looking around at business and political leaders today few people are inspired. In fact, looking at voter participation we have given up voting – often less than 50 % of the people actually vote.

How can we save the world?
With new leaders! There is truly a need for a new kind of person, for a new kind of leader. There’s a need for people that can be trusted, whose word is their honor, who are willing to take responsibility and lead in a new way. The world is anxiously looking for trusted visionary and inspirational leaders. Inspirational leaders are people that can transform their world, their school, their city, their state, their country and their neighborhood – wherever they emerge they produce solutions that inspire people. They are people with passion, compassion, and character. Visionary leaders are able to show the path to others, to help people prepare for the future, and bring hope and faith. That leader could be you!

And now I would like to invite you to claim your FREE Ebook, “Six Vital Steps to Develop Inspirational and Visionary Leadership” when you visit our home page! In addition, you will also have access to several audio recordings and Podcasts all free.

From Henry J. Venter, Ph.D., psychologist, university professor, speaker, and author.

The biggest problem facing the 21st century is not the threat of terrorism, the economic recession, or what do about health care. Rather it is the prevailing sense of hopelessness that have invaded our minds and trapped us into a way of thinking that blocks us from our full potential.

In his online self help eBook Be Your Own Therapist- Whoever You Hire Is Just Your Assistant, © 1995, psychotherapist Thayer White, MA MFT, a therapist with over 23 years experience in the areas of therapy and self-growth and a past president of the San Francisco Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, says that hopelessness is a crucial psychological problem.

Once hopelessness ensnares a person, it is easy to lose your way and direction. White states that it is then that we begin to say, “This is a bigoted society that stacks all the cards against me. There is no way I can get ahead.” He reasons that hopelessness is often compounded by a belief in entitlement: “In whatever ways I feel bad, the government/ society should fix.” In other words, now that I’m in this position of hopelessness someone should rescue me. Someone suffering from hopelessness becomes a victim of a negative reasoning pattern and as a result, gives up without even trying (or seeing) possibilities that can have positive outcomes for their problems.

We live in a worldwide society that is increasingly losing hope. The last foothold, the remaining anchor for many, was the economy — and that has spectacularly failed over the last year. In addition, the current political system worldwide gives very little security to anyone. In light of so many things going wrong in the world hopelessness has struck deep into the core of both young and old…and the world looks dark and bleak. How can you get yourself out of this quagmire of hopelessness? How can you, in these uncertain times, remain secure, steadfast, and calm?

It is possible for you to do! I have the answer here in my article, How to Conquer Hopelessness: 5 Steps to Break the Pattern of Despair and Negative Thinking.

My best wished to you my friends,
Dr. Henry Venter