Donavan Nelson Butler Quotes

You have a nearly a 0% chance of affecting change in others attitudes, behaviors, and skullduggery. However, you have a 100% chance of affecting your own attitude, behavior, resiliency, and reaction to all things within your direct ability to shape the outcome.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Envision life as you're juggling 6 balls. The balls are called faith, work, family, health, friends, and integrity. But one day, you realize that work is a rubber ball. If dropped, it will bounce back. The other 5 balls faith, family, health, friends, & integrity are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be surely scuffed, nicked, or even shattered. Grasp this concept and you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

In all trust there is a possibility of betrayal, but without trust there is no friendship, closeness, or the emotional bonds that give us so much happiness when the time is right for it. Trust is a hardening agent to all relationships as Carbon is to Iron to create Steel combined in the desired amounts

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

We are one people until you decide we are one person in the churning sea of humanity.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

You've evolved when you realize the effect that your positive contributions to others create ripples of humanity in the sea of life.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

I've never been part of an formation where the leader succeeded on their own merits apart from their Soldier's.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Winning doesn't necessarily mean you'll walk away with a trophy. Sometimes winning means you dared to show up at all to see the shocked look of your rivals.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Your future is not fixed, it's fluid in motion. Your world is very malleable like clay desiring to be something useful. Go ahead feel free to hammer your life into shape like a skilled Blacksmith.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Let's make a deal, if you don't blame me for your failures I won't take credit for your successes.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

You can be inspired externally but when it comes down to achieving your lofty goals it's all personal determination which is internal derived from the eternal.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Where your soul meets your purpose is the azimuth known as your passion and from there you can plot points of inspiration and achievable goals.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Fear is a liar and a good one at that, Fear feeds on self doubt and insecurities both internal and external. Know this, optimism, faith, and resilience are like penicillin to fear if it has been allowed in. But the best course of action is to not feed it in the first place.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Wisdom from Top Butler: Guard yourself at all times but don't let anyone lead you to live a guarded life that is all.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

As a leader you should look in the mirror and ask yourself would I follow you ensured of a victory.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Strength isn't measured by how many things or people you manage but more prevalent is how much you can self manage and guide yourself to your next check point.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Life Algebra 101 - I truly value my own ignorance of what is to come for me, It is those unknown variables the shape my future based on my knowns of today and yesterday.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

My position is for one to be thought of as a CHARACTER is totally different from one having CHARACTER.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

If you haven't learned to love yourself you are in reality living a lie proclaiming to be in love with someone else.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

When you look down the length of your chain and see it is made mostly of weak links it is time to pull out the bolt cutters.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

What do I and a diamond have in common? We are tough, brilliant, and carbon based entities which evolved into something better under immense pressure, tribulation, and trials.

~ 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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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) It's also so important to remember the Lord just lets you THINK you're in the drivers seat, its up to you to KNOW who is really in control.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

No two snowflakes are alike and neither are the Soldier's in your charge. Don't make the mistake of treating your Soldier's like tangible things instead of the valued human assets they are.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

Being a leader doesn't 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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

You can't fake a great steak nor can you convince a raging bull to give you a easy eight second ride.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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 it's 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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler

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.

~ Donavan Nelson Butler