Bad before Good and ultimately onto Great!

If I ask you, “do you remember learning how to walk for the 1st time?”  You probably don’t.  Do you remember learning how to run?  Again, probably not.  Learning to speak?  Nope.  And now look at you!  Those are most likely three actions you perform regularly without any thought as to ‘how’ to do them.  You’ve done them so much over the course of your lifetime they’ve become “second nature.”  What happens when the ideas of maintaining a positive mental attitude(PMA), living the life you desire, and accomplishing your dreams become second nature?  When you don’t worry about the ’how’ because you’ve done them so much that  maintaining a PMA, living your desired lifestyle, and dream achieving become a part of your genetic make-up.  Is this your current reality?  For some, maybe, and for others, maybe not.

Highly Anticipated Pre-Launch Just Days Away!!

The highly anticipated book What Are YOU Waiting For?  11 Action Steps to Giving Yourself the Green Light in Life! is days away from pre-launch!  You will have an opportunity to be one of the first to possess this powerful book!  What Are YOU Waiting For? gives you the foundation from which to launch yourself into immediate action!

This book will show you how to:

• Create momentum in your life
• Establish an all-star team
• Develop an empowering attitude
• Balance work and rest
• Cultivate a success consciousness 
• And much, much more!!!

Take Your Life Back! by Joel Osteen via Mamie Farrar

Source: hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org

To be rich is one dimensional, dealing only in the financial realm.  To be wealthy is multi-dimensional, possessing the tangibles and intangibles!  A wealthy person experiences abundance in the physical, emotional, AND spiritual realms.  Don't just aim for a rich life, strive for and lead others to a wealthy and abundant lifestyle!  My friend Mamie shared this today:

     

Take Your Life Back

Today's Scripture

" …take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV).

Everyone has days when they feel like life is out of control.   This usually happens when we allow our circumstances to dictate our thoughts and attitudes.   You might say, “Well, the economy is wreaking havoc on my financial standing, or this relationship is just too far gone to repair or my company hasn’t elevated me for the position I rightly deserve.  But I say, today is the day to take your life back! You can take your life back by choosing to take your thoughts back. Even though we live in this natural realm, as believers, we are not limited by this natural realm. We can tap into God’s power by making every thought line up with the Word of God. Don’t allow your circumstances to control you; instead, meditate on His Word and let His truth set you free!

Today, as you take captive every thought and boldly declare His promises over your life, you are setting yourself up for victory. You are positioning yourself to partake of His blessing. You are taking your life back, and you will live the destiny He has prepared for you!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, thank You for empowering me to live in victory today. I choose to take my life back by taking captive every thought and submitting it to You. Help me live a life that is pleasing to You, Jesus, today and every day. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

It's Possible!

We're continuing to deliver on the promise!  

Providing Uplifting, Empowering, and just as important, Practical Information!  

Learn, Improve, Enjoy!

Life is Giving You the Green! 

Go!

Les Brown

Everything Works Out!

Source: media.photobucket.com

Anyone, who knows me well, knows I wholeheartedly believe Everything Works Out!  In the midst of temporary setbacks, circumstances which may arouse cause for concern, or even situations which appear to be hopeless I always believe Everything Works Out!  And you should too!  I used to wonder if things worked out because I believe they would or if I believed they would because they always worked out.  I'd imagine it's a combination of both!  So often we get all bent out of shape and fearful over things that either never happen or are so far out of our control that worrying is rendered futile.  One of my favorite prayers:

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me 

The Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The Courage to change the things I can, and

The Wisdom to know the difference.

The message here is so powerful, it says so much with so few words!  Think about all the times in your life when, had you only prayed these simple yet powerful words, your experience would have been tremendously less stressful.  We could spend days discussing the various examples.  One quick example we can look at, which I'm sure you have either witnessed or experienced, is road rage.  I've seen people ready to blow a gasket in their vehicles if someone cuts them off, isn't moving fast enough, doesn't respond to the traffic light quick enough, and on and on.  Folks go from 0 to furious in no time flat!  And then, if one driver has an opportunity to pull up next to the other, you have the infamous stare down.  Is it really that serious?  I'm not a doctor but I'd imagine all that stress puts a strain on the heart.   Now, we used road rage as the example here but feel free to use whatever example fits in your life.      

Following are three tools I use to remain stress-free in the face of all sorts of circumstances:

6 Books That Made a Difference to Jay-Z, reposted from MyComeUp.com

The rapper and mogul reveals the six books he "absolutely" lives his life by, what he learned about marketing from a purple cow and why a certain Greek tragedy feels like a dream.

1.The Seat of the Soul By Gary Zukav (Click Here)

There are two books that I absolutely live my life by. This is one of them. Growing up, I was always curious about religion. This book made the most sense to me; it's about the way you live your life. I believe in karma and doing the right thing even if it may not advance you as far as you want. If every single person felt the same way about karma and intention, then the world gets fixed tomorrow. But temptation gets in the way. Zukav is right: It may take lifetimes to learn.

2.The Celestine Prophecy By James Redfield (Click Here)

This is the other book I live by. It's fiction—a guy travels to find a secret book that has a series of principles. The story is a metaphor for life: I could go left or right, I could be stuck, or I could keep advancing. Some people are happy where they are. I tried to hire a guy once, and I said, "Don't you have ambition to be bigger?" And he said, "No, I'm good." I had to respect that, but for me that was the wrong relationship.

3.The Odyssey By Homer (Click Here)

This epic poem was kind of difficult for me to get through, but it has a beautiful rhythm. I got lost in reading about Odysseus' struggle to get home and his longing for someone so strong, as his wife was, waiting for him. That's like a dream—that kind of strength, love, loyalty.

4.Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell (Click Here)

This book is about the principles of timing and repetition—about preparing yourself for luck, really. He talks about a hockey team, and how the players born in January had a year up on the guys born in December. They were fortunate that their birthday was early, but they also practiced—they put the work in. The book resonated with me because I was born at a time when there was an influx of incredible music into the culture, and I was lucky that my mom and pop were huge record collectors. In my house, I had music by Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Prince, and the Commodores, and I'm listening to it every single day.

5.Purple Cow By Seth Godin (Click Here)

This is straight marketing advice: Your product has to be a purple cow—it has to be distinct to have any success. You have to be clear on your product: What are you? What are you putting out there? For years I never did an ad for [my company] Rocawear, because I cared more about the quality than the face in front. I hadn't read this book back then, but when someone puts words to feelings you have, it's like, "Wow, that's exactly what it is."

6. Nigger By Dick Gregory (Click Here)

I don't know who turned me on to this autobiography, but his sense of humor and the hardships he went through stayed with me—especially the scene where he started running home from school. It led to his joining thetrack team, which led to a scholarship to college. Running opened up a whole world for him.

THE SOURCE: http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200910-omag-books-jay-z

Are You Racing in the Daytona 500 in a 1985 Yugo?

This book is amazing!  Get your hands on it asap!  Gary talks about a number of intriguing points regarding the shift in business today and more importantly why and how you can position your family to capitalize from those changes!  In one chapter he presents 3 questions:

1.  Are you happy with your present job?  Like, really happy.  Like you don't bitch and moan every Monday morning about how much you wish it were Friday night.

2.  Do you work for a company that allows you to have a public persona, either about your field or your true passion (which when I'm through I'll have convinced you should be one and the same, but I'll cut you some slack for now)?  In other words, are you allowed to have a blog, a Twitter account, or otherwise brand yourself in the public eye with an identity that is separate from that of the corporation?  Some industries, like finance and law, will not allow this.  If your passion is finance or law, do you love your field enough to make that sacrifice?  Do you think you'll love it as much  in ten or twenty years and not regret missing out on all the opportunities inherent in social media?

3.  If you're not allowed to develop a public persona at work, are you allowed to do so during your personal time?

Gary goes on further to say, "If you answer no to numbers 2 and 3, I don't care how happy you are now, you should do everything you can to find another place to work or start the groundwork to launch your own business, because eventually you are going to suffocate."

So at this point you may be asking yourself what does the Daytona 500 and a 1985 Yugo have to do with the price of tea in China.  If you're not changing with the times you will get left behind!  My promise with this blog is to always bring you empowering information and Why Now is the Time to CRUSH IT! certainly falls within that category.  Gary will tell you, and I agree 100%, it's not about the money, it's about loving and providing for your family and living your passion!  I heard a speaker say once, "money can't buy you happiness, but it allows you to make one hell of a down payment!"

Last Friday, I had an opportunity to meet and hear John McQueen, author of the #1 Best Selling book Living Proof: Celebrating the Gifts that Came Wrapped in Sand Paper.  He made three points which I believe are pertinent to living your passion.  John said you must:
1.  Find what you love
2.  Get good at it
3.  Convince someone to pay you for it (All sorts of creative ways to make this happen!)

Get After It!  What Are YOU Waiting For?  GO!

YOU Are An Incredible Human Being! 10 Powerful Daily Affirmations!

No one talks to you more than you do.  You are with yourself 100% of the time, no one has more access to you than you.  Naturally the majority of what we say to self is negative, "it would be just my luck...," "I really should have...," "I'm not good at...," "I can't...," and the list can go on and on.  What goes in is the only thing that can come out.  If you put high octane fuel in your sports car, you will get high octane performance.  Our minds are no different.  Your self-talk represents the fuel for your mind.  Are you using 110 Octane or regular 87 octane?  Les Brown says we must think about what we think about, catch yourself in your thoughts.  Create a filter which captures the negative thoughts and immediately replaces them with positive, empowering, high octane thoughts!  Change "I should have..." to "next time I will..." Notice most times when you say, "I should have..." you're beating yourself up over a perceived mistake you've made.  Negative. It's impossible to change the past so beating yourself up over it is futile.  When you say, "next time I will..." you've taken control and responsibility for the outcome of your next opportunity.  Positive!  I'm sure you'd agree, much more empowering!
Positive affirmations are a way for you to continuously deposit high octane fuel into your mind. Speaking positive affirmations, like showering and brushing your teeth, needs to be done daily. Can you imagine waking up on the 1st of the month and saying, "well ok, I've taken my shower for the month so I'm done until next month."  Your friends would quickly let you know your thinking is flawed.  The great thing about this, you have absolute control.  You can talk to yourself whenever you feel like it.   Below I've given you 10 powerful affirmations which have certainly helped me in my life.  I welcome you to incorporate them into your daily habits and encourage you to share any others which have worked for you.
10 Powerful Daily Affirmations:

Do What You Love!!

I read some of the reviews of this video on YouTube and of course some folks took issue with the fact that it appears he came from money. My suggestion to you is that you not get caught up in the details and listen for and embrace his overall message: Do What You Love!
Do What You Love and stop wasting time with other stuff! You may, at first glance think, "but yeah, how am I going to finance this lifestyle?" Leave the "how" to the universe and establish an incredible "WHY!"  Convert your excuses for not doing into ridiculously strong reasons why you must make it happen!  Once complete, the route will avail itself to you. And you don't need to see every step, you can travel from Philly to Los Angeles in the dark because the headlights on your vehicle illuminate the next 100 feet. With each step you can see the next and the next until you arrive at your desired destination. Live by the marathon runner's mantra,

"Just Take One More Step!"

GO!

7 Healthy Habits I Learned from My Dogs

1. Stretch Often- Especially critical during the winter months when its easy to forgo getting to the gym.  You've heard it before, a body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion....wants to get back to resting :)  Seriously though, taking a few minutes at various moments of the day to flex and stretch your muscles can go a long way in preventing injury and revitalizing your body.  Our dogs have been known to randomly break out into a full stretch after eating, after resting, as they prepare to curl up, and many other times.

2. Basque in the Sunlight- Regardless of the time of year, Muffin and Jazzy will locate a spot on the floor illuminated with natural sunlight and layout as if they are on a beautiful Caribbean beach!  I understand the feeling though because I love the sun!  It feels great on the skin and its a great source of energy for plants, humans, and animals.  The sun provides necessary Vitamin D, the lack of which has been tied to major health challenges.  Take some time today to turn your face to the sunlight, close your eyes, and embrace the energy penetrating your skin.

3. Drink Plenty of Water Daily- Our bodies are 70% water...not soda, not juice, not alcohol.  Good ol' H2O.  Our planet, mostly water.  Some would argue this is what they call a clue!  Of course you ought to drink the highest quality water available to you.  Its a fact that most people are not drinking nearly enough water.  If you purchased a $250,000 sports car would you pour sugar and gunk into the fuel tank?  Of course not, it would be unthinkable.  Well how much is your body worth?  I'm sure you'd argue much, much more!  So why then, would we treat our priceless bodies any less than we'd treat our high priced sports car?  Treat your apparatus properly, give it what it needs.  And that starts with high quality water in the proper quantity.

If You Won $100,000,000.00 Today, Would You Go to Work Tomorrow?

3 Steps to Finding Your Purpose!

Photo: mindmillion.com

In response to that question, I can hear the collective sigh and a resounding H-E-Double Hockey Sticks NO coming from the majority of you!  And then there is that small group of folks who know they've found their higher calling in life, they believe they are doing exactly what they were born to do.  If you have the priceless membership card to this select group, congratulations!  If not, no worries, I have 3 steps which will put you on the path to your purpose.

I chose an outrageous number such as $100,000,000 because I knew it would really get you thinking freely.  When I first did this exercise with self, I thought about one million dollars but then realized it wouldn't be enough.  I envisioned my dream homes, the amount of charity I intend to donate, the foundation I plan to establish, start-up businesses I aspire to fund, etc. and realized I'd be a little short.

What would you do if you won $100,000,000.00?  After the vacations, after the material purchases, after clearing your debt, after donating to your favorite charities, etc.  What would you do?  If you were independently wealthy and had no need to work to maintain your standard of living, what would you do?  As I mentioned earlier, some of you can answer as quickly as the time it takes you to snap your fingers and others need a little more time.  Many of you may say, "I have no idea, I never really took time to think about it because I never thought it was possible."  That too is understandable since I believe settling for what life offers you is a learned response.  We've seen so many people come before us with big dreams and aspirations and we've watched as they have allowed the light in their eyes to dwindle.  And at some point, consciously or subconsciously, we said, "oh well, I guess this is the way it has to be for me too."  It is important to recognize this learned philosophy and actively make the decision not to settle.  Following are 3 steps I know will position you on the path toward finding your purpose.  You must be willing to:

Living the Dream!

 I often find myself thinking about all the unrealized dreams in the world, wondering what could ever be so powerful as to make a person give up on a dream.  I'm not just talking about a wish or a hope or a fleeting desire for a fad, I'm talking about a deep down in the pit of your gut dream.  That type of thing which has kept you awake at night.  That thing which has you mentally plotting and scheming all throughout your day.  The thought of not chasing this dream makes you queasy and nauseous.  You know the kind of feeling I'm talking about?  What makes a person give up on that?  We've all known someone, maybe very personally, maybe the person we see in the mirror everyday, who has given up on a dream.  Ask yourself this question...What would the world be like if those unrealized dreams materialized?  If your book was written, who would it have impacted?  If you ran for President of the United States, how could you change the global atmosphere?  If you manifested your business idea to end world hunger, provide a cure for cancer, obesity, etc.?  Maybe your dreams aren't that grand, albeit no less important to you or the world.  You may very well have a dream to mentor a young person, a teenage parent, an aspiring entrepreneur.  Or even to learn a new skill such as playing an instrument or learning a new language.

Whatever your dream, I'm here to tell you, you CAN live it!  I believe it is not only your God-given right but also your obligation to live your dream and walk in your purpose.  You never know who might be watching you and deciding whether or not to go after their dream based on whether or not you aspire to yours.  So many people today, as Henry David Thoreau says, are "slaves to their work and enslaved to those for whom they work."  He continues, "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."  The staggering number of people who complain day in and day out about their jobs is amazing.  We often hide behind, "the job isn't paying me enough."  When, in actuality the discomfort stems from the realization that you're walking in someone else's purpose and attempting to live another person's dream.  Your inner guidance system is sending the strongest signal it can, your gut feeling.

 Follow your gut, create the vision, and Live YOUR Dream!!!  

Nothing Much vs. Everything!

I'm sure you've heard this before: "repetition is the mother of all learning."  Sound familiar?  Do you remember your beginning multiplication table lessons?  What's 2 x 2, or 12 x 12?  Of course you know the answers are 4 and 144 respectively.  Our teachers and parents had us repeat them so often, the first 12 are ingrained deeply in us.  Quickly what's 13 x 14?  Sure some may know it immediately but if you're anything like me, that's one you'll need to work out rather than just "knowing" it since that wasn't on the memorization list.  How about the concept of positive affirmations?  The idea of speaking positively to ourselves.  Affirmations don't have to be in the form of some elaborate speech.  One of the simplest I know of...Nike's Just Do It! Other examples: "I can do it" or "Everyday in every way I'm getting better and better" or "I'm someone special." Affirmations come, unfortunately, in the negative as well.  You ever find yourself saying something like, "It'll be just my luck...?"  Usually when we utter that phrase we end it with something negative.  We're saying its just my luck that something bad is going to happen or things aren't going my way, correct?  I'm a firm believer with every fiber of my being that all is supposed to work out in my favor.  I know great things are supposed to happen to me.  Its my birthright!  Yours as well!  Earlier in life I questioned, do things work out for me because I believe they're supposed to or do I believe they're supposed to because they work out for me?  I'd imagine its some combination of both with a greater responsibility for the outcome stemming out of my positive belief.

6 Keys to Learning to Love Your Critics!

Your life is a movie and you have the starring role!  Take a breath, internalize, and embrace the previous statement.  And of course you know every movie has its critics.  I've always thought critics had an "interesting" profession, more often than not their job is to tell the world what's wrong rather than what's right.  One of my favorite quotes comes from Hip-Hop artist T.I. in which he says, "My life's your entertainment, you watch it while I live it!"  The imagery on that is strong.  I'm sure you're like most people, if given the opportunity you would rather live the life than watch it.  Since the Super Bowl was just played we have a perfect example.  Option 1: Sit in the stands and watch or Option 2: Be on the team and receive your championship ring.  Even if you were on the practice squad, I know which option you'd choose.  It takes courage to be on the team or in the movie or in the limelight.  It takes a certain willingness to endure all that comes with being the star of your movie. 

I've been very fortunate in my life to have all sorts of experiences and, for as long as I can remember, I've been a glass half full kind of guy.  I not only view the glass as half full, I'm grateful to have a glass at all which allows me to capture more of life's experiences.  As a result I'm more able to pour into others.  I've had the blessing of successfully, and at times not so successfully, leading teams of adults in business as recruiter and trainer and young people in sports as coach.  These experiences have brought me to the realization that if you are doing anything at all you will have critics.  The presence of critics means you are moving.  The old cliche rings true, "dogs don't bark at parked cars."  Don't sweat it though, people criticize God everyday and She is creator of everything in the known universe.  If He has critics what do you think folks are going to do to you?      

This does not mean close your ears to suggestions and people in your life who are trying to make you better.  Down below I talk about Pushers as being people to whom you should listen and get around.  More on them shortly.  There is a difference between being criticized and encouraged.  Highly criticized and higly acclaimed are two sides of the same coin. A few notable examples:

• Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper and criticized for not having any imagination or original ideas
• Les Brown was criticized for not being college educated
• A Google search of the phrase "Oprah criticized for" generates almost 800,000 results 

We know in spite of all the criticism these folks have gone on to experience massive success and I'm sure we could insert your name as well and all the things for which you've been criticized.

Like it or not, critics play a role in who you become.  You either allow them to bother you which may cause you to shy away from your goal or you use them as fuel for the fire of your passion.  The decision is yours.  I choose to pour their words as fuel on the fire of my passion!  You?...Great Decision!!  

Following are 6 Keys to Learning to Love Your Critics: