You Are Intentional

This is to let you know that you are special.  You are unique and were created with purpose and intention.

God, the Creator, put a lot of thought into you.  He didn’t create you on a whim, but rather considered every aspect of you.  He carefully thought of you and when the fullness of time came, He shaped you in your mother’s womb that 9 months later you could be born (at the perfect time) into a visible world as a unique expression of Him.

He gave you something very special that everyone has, but everyone uses it differently.  He gave you freedom.  He gave you the power to choose.

Your existence came from the heart and thoughts of God.  He crated you for something very specific, something that only you can do.  Then he gave you a heart and mind to seek out what that “thing” is and then gave us a will to choose if we would do it or not.  Following you dreams will take guts and perseverance. 

You know what it is.  You thought about it as a child, but loved ones and friends brushed it off as a fantasy.  Eventually you stopped dreaming and just did what others do: get good grades, go to school, and get a job.  When the time comes you will retire and die.  What I described is the life of the majority of people…and this is very sad.

The intention of this article is to sound a wake-up call.  It’s to let you know that you can still do what you were designed to do.  You can still live life intentionally and with purpose.  You can still accomplish great things and affect many lives.  God wants you to win BIG in life.  He wants you to think BIG, dream BIG, and do BIG.  He gave you everything you need to do the impossible.  Most of all, He is inviting you to do it with Him.  For with God all things are possible. 

How do you know what you were meant to do?  Let me ask you two questions:

1.     What do you love?

2.     What do you hate?

What you love to think about and do may be an indication of your purpose.  Your love produces passion and passion produces action.  Can what you love be used to serve others?  If so, you may have found your purpose.  It may be baking cookies.  Famous Amos became famous and rich from his dream of making cookies.  Don’t diminish what you love it.  Rather pursue it! 

What do you hate?  What drives you crazy and makes you mad when you think about it or see it?  For me, I hate lack of any kind!  I detest lack!  I hate poverty and seeing people do without.  I hate sickness with a passion and realize that most sickness starts with our thinking.  Now what do you hate?  Can what you hate be used to serve others?

Why do I mention serving others?  It’s your service to others that will be the source of your provision.  God intended for you to make money in abundance.  He wants you to always have more than enough.  It’s when you have more than enough that you can use your abundance to provide for your family and the needs of others.  When you serve others you are glorifying Him; thus fulfilling His purpose.  When we are living on purpose everyone is blessed!

Take time and consider the two questions stated above.  You might just find true meaning and start living a very fulfilled life.

The Second Revolutionary War

Some think a war is coming…I think it’s already here.  It’s the second revolutionary war.

This war is not being fought with guns and bullets; it’s being fought with information.

The citizens of the United States of America are under attack, and this attack is not coming from another nation; it’s coming from within.  We are being inundated with false information that appears to be real.  We are being inundated with words and images (information) that are destroying the moral fiber of our county.  The sad part is—most of us are unaware of what is actually happening.

The first phase of this attack on America began with the dethroning of God.  A very small group of people found a way to use the Constitution, which is based on Biblical teachings, to undermine the very essence on which our nation was built.  The separation of church and state become a new mantra and thus ushered in a way to make it unlawful to say prayers in PUBLIC schools.  Why schools?  Because the strategy of this war is to corrupt our children, and future generations!

Even before this an evil plot was levied against us by the 1913 institution of the Federal Reserve Banking System and the IRS.  The Federal Reserve is not part of the federal government.  They just wanted you to believe it was by putting “federal” in the name.  The Federal Reserve, under the blessing of the Federal Government is nothing more than a “legalized” counterfeiting agency owned by private bankers to pump fiat money into our society in order to control the population with debt.   Our government gets all the money they want created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve who, in turn, charges interest on money that does not exist!  It’s a Ponzi scheme of the worse kind!  Now we have a government that spends money it doesn’t have and encourages its citizens to do the same.  Taxes are levied to pay off government loans from the Federal Reserve on money that is not even real!  Once citizens are in debt you can control them and that is what “they” want…control! 

As people went into debt and were forced to pay higher taxes, Mom was forced to go to work.  Without parents keeping an eye on their children and raising them as they should, the government got more control over them through the education system and their new partners in crime:  Media and Hollywood!  Our children spend more time in school and in front of the TV than with their own parents.  The result is children and young people with little discipline and minds that were being controlled by other forces not so friendly to God, parents, and authority. 

Do you see a pattern?  They are after the future generations!  Young people today are clueless, for the most part, regarding God, the Constitution, free enterprise, perseverance, creativity, and critical thinking.  They are taught that premarital sex is ok; abortion is acceptable, homosexual behavior is normal, divorce is the way out, debt is the way to get ahead in life, your word means nothing, and need I go on?  They are observing that cheating, lying, drunkenness, and perverted sexual behavior is acceptable, after all, our national leaders do all this stuff and get away with it.

What can we do?  Do we just remain silent and do nothing?  Abraham Lincoln said: “Silence makes cowards out of the best of men.”  We need to expose the darkness by revealing the truth.  We need to get educated as to what is going on.  The Bible says that, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” 

I think it all starts with repentance.  Repentance isn’t a bad word; it simply means taking a 180° turn in our thinking.  It means coming back to God first, after all that’s where the attack began.  Next we need to pay attention.  What are our children being taught?   Who are our kids hanging around?  What are they watching on TV?  We need to spend more time with each other.  Shut off all the gadgets, look into each other’s eyes and engage in meaningful conversations.

Get out of debt!  Scale back.  Get mom back in the home where she can nurture the children.  Hey Dad, spend time with the family and build meaningful relationships with your wife and children. 

Vote!  Don’t vote for “what’s in it for me,” but vote for what’s best for this nation as a whole.  Think long term; think of future generations, not just what is good for you in the present.

Get a self-directed education.  Read great books on history, success, people skills, etc.  Listen to good information from CD programs.  Go to church gatherings and get involved with your local church community.  Hang around good people and make sure your children do as well.  There is so much we CAN say and do, we just have to start NOW!

It’s not too late, but too late is just around the corner!  We have no time to waste.

Turn Rejection into Energy

When I started my sales career I experienced some form of rejection on nearly a daily basis.  Most sales people fail become they LET rejection get the best of them.  Instead of pushing forward when they face rejection they recoil; they let off the gas or even quit.  This doesn’t just apply to sales people, but to every single person who is running toward a goal or dream.

I remember on time in particular that I was getting nowhere FAST.  I went from business to business trying to find someone who would listen to me and hear about what I had to offer.  That day I was tired but I kept pushing from business to business.  Finally I said to myself, “Just one more.”  That “one more” became the biggest blessing in my sales career at that time.  I met a man who owned a business and our businesses complemented each other and we formed a friendship and partnership that accounted for at least 60% of my six-figure income in the years to come!   That “one more” didn’t just make my day; it blessed me for all the years I lived in Cincinnati.

Don’t let rejection be your end; make it your beginning!  Success will yield to the one who will not let rejection deter them from their goals and dreams.  Determine to just do it until you win! 

The Power of a Dream

We were born to dream.  Children are big dreamers.  They are always saying, “When I grow up I want to be…” or “When I grow up I’m going to…”  The imagination of a child is amazing!  I remember all the things I dreamed about and imagined to be when “I grew up.”

What happened?  The opinion of others happened!   We dreamed and spoke of our dreams while others proceeded to shoot them down including our parents, in most cases.

In my business I ask people, “If money and time where not a problem, what would you do or have?”  I get a lot of hesitation.  I find that the older people get, the harder it is for them to dream.  It seems that they have lost all hope and don’t dare dream for fear of disappointment.

Eventually I work with them enough to get them dreaming a little.  They dream of having time to do what they want and having things like nice homes, cars, vacations, among other things.  They dream of giving to worthy causes.  They dream of paying off all debt and even the debts of others.  What is holding them back?  Money!  Without money we cannot fulfill our dreams, goals, or destiny.

I have good news.  You are not stuck where you are!  You can still achieve your dreams and earn the necessary income if you just start by changing the way you think.  What is the difference, really, between the wealthy and the broke?  Why do some have all they want and others lack most of what they really want?  The answer is simple; it’s the way people THINK.  Ninty-five percent of people think in terms of what is possible while five percent think in terms of what is impossible and then go about finding a way of making the impossible, possible.  They do this by thinking differently than the majority of other people.

Now, let’s talk about you.  What can you do to achieve massive success?  Just begin, little by little, day by day, by changing the way you think.  How do you do that, you may ask?  You do this by reading and listening to talks from people who have succeeded in leaving the crowd behind and accomplishing great things.  If you can learn from top achievers’, you can learn to be one too!   

Shut off the TV.  Stop listening to talk radio.  Turn off the music. Pick a couple of good books and pick up some solid CD’s from the top leaders of the day.   Read every day and listen to CD’s every day.  Over time your mind will begin to change and you will begin to DO things differently.  You will begin to take control of your life and live life on purpose. 

What I am suggesting is very easy to do, but it’s also easy not to do.  It’s the slight edge principle that says, if you take small steps every day, over time, you will get to your determined destination. 

I encourage you to dream again.  Make a dream board and begin to picture the future you WANT and stop settling for the life you now have.  You can change or situation, but it starts by making a decision to read and listen to good information little by little, day by day.  When you start dreaming again, you will start taking the necessary action to achieve those dreams…and the money will follow.

The Multi-million Dollar Question

Here is the question:  Which would you rather have; a million dollars cash right now or a penny doubled every day for 30 days?

The logical answer is to take the $1,000,000 right now and run!  After all, how could a penny, even doubled every day, add up to anything close to $1,000,000?

Let’s say you take the million bucks and I take the penny doubled each day.  On day 15 I would have accumulated a whopping $163.84!  You would call me an idiot for not taking the million!  By day 20 I would have accumulated $5,252.88...that’s a big jump in 5 days!  By day 25 I could have accumulated $167,772.16.  That’s still nowhere near a $1,000,000.

However on day 30, the penny, doubled every day, would be worth $5,368,709.12!  Now who is laughing!

What seemed stupid and insignificant in the beginning accumulated, over time, into something very big!  This happens every day with every single thing in our life.  Did you know that if you read about 15-20 minutes each day that you could read 12 books a year!  Is 15 minutes a lot of time?  I think you would agree that 15 minutes is very little time, but the wealth of information that one would gain over a year would be very significant!  Now double that 15-20 minutes a day and you are up to 24 books a year.  Just think of how much knowledge would would gain from a 30-40 minute daily investment in reading!  You would be a different person!!!!!!

Every good or bad habit starts out small.  However over time it grows into something very big.  Therefore I would encourage all who read this blog post to invest their time wisely.  Invest in personal development by reading great books, listening to quality speakers on various topics and associating with like-minded people who are aspiring to make a difference for good.  Those small, wise, investments all add up!

So make some small investments in time toward something worthwhile and watch your life change.

What Are You Listening To?

What are you listening to?  I want you to think about that for a minute.

Most people are not aware of what is going into their ears, but it’s easy to determine.  You can tell the income of your hearing by the outcome of your living.  What you consistently hear will eventually be believed, and what you believe will be lived out in your daily life.

Your ears are the gateway to your heart.  What is your heart, you may ask?  Your heart is the seat of your personality.  Your heart is the embodiment of who you are.  Your heart dictates your entire life and living.  Consider your heart a garden FROM which all things in your live grows. 

Your mouth is the first indicator of what is in your heart, followed eventually by your actions.  That is why it is MOST crucial that you guard your heart ABOVE anything else!  For from your heart come the actions of life!

How do you guard your heart?  Guarding the heart is a purposeful action.  You must use you mind and will, the gatekeepers to your heart.  You must consciously evaluate everything you hear. Only allow in what is good and chase off anything that you don’t want to manifest in your life.

One of the best things I have found to infuse my heart with what is good are CD’s or MP3’s.  I constantly listen to quality information!  I subject my heart to Biblical and success principles through listening!  Your beliefs will come by your hearing!  What you hear, over time, will manifest in your life.  If you don’t like the way your life has turned out so far, change what you are listening to!  It’s simple really.  It’s God’s design, so flow with it.

My first love is the Word of God.  I love listening to the Bible and Bible teachings.  On top of that I listen to success audios.  I found an excellent source of quality information from Rascal Radio.  Rascal Radio is the first personal development radio app that infuses me with quality success information in the areas of Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, Following (leadership), Freedom, Friends and Fun!  I listen to this awesome app all the time on my iPhone (Android & Blackberry Apps are available as well).  Maybe that’s something you could check into.

My life is so different once I understood the power of words and the need to guard my heart by only allowing into my hearing what is worthwhile and builds me up.  If you want to change the outcome of your life, change what you are listening to and enjoy the difference it will make!

Distinguish Yourself

The successful have learned one very important lesson:  To distinguish themselves.  In other words they have learned how to set themselves apart from others.

In today’s competitive market it is vital that you find ways to set yourself apart.  I am not talking about how well you dress, how beautiful your makeup, if you have six pack abs, or anything outward.  I am talking about distinguishing yourself be who you are within.  It has been said that we are all the same value from the neck down.  What matters is the way we think.  It’s our thinking that truly distinguishes us from the crowd and determines our value in the marketplace.

Years ago when I was seeking work in management, I was approached by a head-hunter in Atlanta who asked me if I considered a sales career.  Prior to that others said that I would be good at sales, but I was scared spitless when considering becoming a salesman.  The unsteady income made me feel uneasy.  And even more so I was wondering, what if I fail?

At the time the head-hunter approached me I was ready for change and was willing to take a gamble.  I met with a security company in Cincinnati.  Now keep in mind, I knew nothing about security and little about sales.  Eventually I was hired.  I found out later, that based on me resume, the sales manager had NO INTENTION of hiring me.  They were interviewing me based upon a favor to the head-hunter.

Why then did they hire me?  Well, during interview the sales manager and I got into a conversation about books and audio tapes (no cd’s at that time).  He was impressed with what I was reading and who I was listening to.  It was not on paper, but in the interview that what was within me came out and that is what distinguished me from all others.  Others had the credentials, the nice resume’s and sales experience, but I had something they didn’t have:  I was different.

What separated me from all others was what I had sowed into my mind during the prior 2 years.  I listed to Zig Zigler, Tom Hopkins, Anthony Robins, Earl Nightingale, Stephen Covey and many others.  My knowledge and enthusiasm won me that sales position!

Here I was with little sales experience; no college education, taking a sales job in a field I knew nothing about and I went from a low 5 figure income to a six figure income in a very impressive period of time.  What made the difference?  I invested in my mind and by doing so, I distinguished myself. 

I looked average, but I didn’t think average and it’s my thinking that made me uncommon and valuable in a competitive market.

What are you doing to DISTINGUISH yourself?  Are you doing what everyone else is doing:  Going to college, having fun with your friends on weekends, watching television in your spare time, or playing endless games on your mobile device?  What are you doing to set you apart from the pack?  Until you willing to do what the common person will not do, you will never stick out when opportunity comes a looking.  Success is seeking the uncommon person with uncommon dreams and uncommon knowledge. 

I don’t care who you are.  I don’t care what you background is.  I don’t care how many times you failed.  And guess what, neither does success!  Success will come to anyone who will pay the price, invest in themselves to set themselves apart from all others.

I challenge you today to take some time and invest in yourself.  Put good information into your fertile mine and watch what will happen.  You will be a person sought after.  You will not have to look for opportunity, opportunity will find you! 

If you are looking for a good place to start, click here.