Quotes by Donavan Nelson Butler

I am thankful for all blessings and lessons learned that have given me peace and solace which I try to share with great humility and humbleness.

Your most valuable treasures are the ones which cannot be bought or stolen because they live within your spirit.

Place your faith not in the frailness of Man but in the power and glory of the creator and observe what happens next......

During my road trip of life I have encountered many potholes, areas under construction, delays caused by others on the same road, and 18 wheelers that seemed like they were only there to prevent me from arriving at my destination. Through it all my next stop is just down the road and I still have my 4 tires (faith, health, family, and friends) Its also so important to remember the Lord just lets you THINK youre in the drivers seat, its up to you to KNOW who is really in control.

It’s always amazing, when I think about this exact time every year. My goals seemed so lofty and far away. Today, I see that I am actually my own time machine with the ability to write my future through my positive thoughts and actions. However, negative thoughts and inaction can produce a disastrous cause and effect. I reassured myself all year and envisioned who and where I wanted to be at the end of this year and it came to pass. I had some set backs and some uncompleted projects but I never stayed down for long. My faith in the Lord keeps me optimistic and my desire to be the respected leader of my Family gives me all the fuel I need to hit the next check point. I ask the Lord to focus my attention on being more organized and balancing my love of food with my physical activity level. The time is now and the door of opportunities is always open to pass through.

Life is the ultimate gift of experience and if you are not impressed by the blessing the Lord has given you every awaking day to make a difference, I say your stuck in the mud and you need to call AAA which is code for Say A Prayer and get pulled out. Love life and create positive SYNERGY with others while you can before this chapter closes.

If you have the bad MOJO of a situation or a person riding you down you must first remove that saddle.

The future you build for yourself is only as limited as your imagination and a undisciplined goal orientated mind.

No two snowflakes are alike and neither are the Soldiers in your charge. Dont make the mistake of treating your Soldiers like tangible things instead of the valued human assets they are.

Learning to accept help from others is not a sign of weakness its a badge of courage reflecting mutual trust between the giver and the receiver.

In leadership that 20/20 vision sometimes becomes 20/40 or 30/50 depending on how close you are to the situation. To my AG Warrior I may never meet thank you for your efforts in writing the prescription to reestablish the 20/20 for the good of the group.

Educated idiots are the most fearsome creatures in a leadership structure because even though trained they still refuse to think.

Our journeys are different but we can share the same well traveled path during parts of our excursion. Small victories win wars not single battles.

Being a leader doesnt mean you always have to be in charge. Sometimes leaders make certain others have the right information at the right time to lead the charge or pull back to fight another day.

The saddle is off and the rest of this ride will be bareback. Code for its gonna be a tough ride to the finish.

If a leader works hard to break the spirit of their Soldier theyll soon meet the most focused Soldier of a career.

A leader is skating up hill on a slippery slope when Servant Leadership is not part of a leaders philosophy.

You cant fake a great steak nor can you convince a raging bull to give you a easy eight second ride.

There are circumstances which can only be created and remedied in a crucible of fury, fire, and destruction like the serotinous cones of the Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine trees. Only after exposed to extreme heat and enormous pressures will the cone open to begin anew and flourish amongst the cleansed but desolate landscape. Also, like the unpredictable restrained power of a dormant volcano storing its potential energy over long periods of time gives way to this planets most enchanting display of scenic beauty to stark nightmarish backdrops. Egos are like wildfires to me because they start small but uncontrolled they will get out-of-hand and devour without prejudice. However, egotistical people are part of life and the best defense is a good offense with fire breaks dug in advance anticipation and left in place for when the right conditions present themselves where you must decide to fight that fire or be consumed by it.

Its been my experience during my military career that a leader displaying a THIRST for power will ultimately have a APPETITE for destruction to go along with it.