RAISE YOUR VALUE

For every one of you reading this blog, you have a great opportunity before you. But I’m sad to say, that many of you will not take advantage of this great opportunity. What is this great opportunity I speak of, it’s the ability to add value to your life. Hopefully today’s blog will inspire you, upset you, push you or make you take responsibility for you.

Many people live life without ever learning the laws that govern life, life runs on a cycle, a system. Learning the system is the key to living a worth while life. Let me ask you a question, where ever you live in this world, do you know the laws that govern success in that region?

Let me explain it this way, all over the world, the profession of farming exists, but the climates for farming are different around the world. If you lived in Ghana, Ghana only has two seasons, raining and dry season. India has four seasons, winter, summer, monsoon and post-monsoon. America has four, but they are winter, spring, summer, and fall. Travel to Germany and be met with autumn, winter, summer and pro-longed summer.

As a farmer, you would have to know the environment you live in to properly plant and harvest successfully.

What I have learned in all my travel is that there is a principle that works in all environments. It is the principle of “RAISING YOUR VALUE.”

I have personally experienced this principle and seen it work all around the world. And the exciting thing about a principle is that it works for everybody.

Many people I talk with want to raise the amount of money they earn, but are not sure how do to it. This causes a great deal of stress for many people. One of the most common ways I have seen a person try to earn more money is by working two or three jobs. But there is a better way to approach this issue.

Here is the key to earning more money, simply learn more. If you want to earn more, learn more. I know it sounds simple, but think about this. Where ever you work, it is what we call the “Market Place.” If you bring more knowledge to that market, the market will pay you more. Why does one person at McDonald’s earn $7 and another earn $22 per hour. They are working the same hour, so you are not paid for your time, but for the VALUE you provide in that hour.

Why does a manager earn more, because they have learned and acquired knowledge about a particular area of the market they work in. As it relates to this market, they add VALUE. Take this same person and place them in another market and their VALUE to this new market may go down.

How does this $7 employee move to the $22 level? By adding VALUE to them selves, if this person, LEARNED all the ins and outs about their job, what makes it work, what will it take to make it grow? They begin to acquire knowledge, in no time they will be recognized for the VALUE they are bringing to the company.

Remember, the way you EARN more, is to LEARN more!!!

Think Better, Live Better

WAKE UP AND LIVE YOUR DREAMS PART 2

Last week I told you about my friend who after some life challenging events found the guts and faith to pursue her dream of becoming a Police Officer. And to top it all off she is over forty years old. But I told you I had two friends, so this week I want to tell you about my other phenomenal friend who is pursuing her dream.

In 2005 after eight-teen years of hard work and dedication, my friend found herself forced out of her corporate position with a Fortune 500 company. After making all the right moves and connecting with all the right people, the grim reaper of down sizing would knock her off the corporate latter.

Angry, hurt, disappointed and fearful, my friend begin to ponder her next move. Quickly she came up with the idea that she would use her corporate experience and become a consultant. The only problem was this little voice that kept saying “Now is the time to pursue your dream.” But after all these years could this still be my dream my friend thought, or was this just crazy talk?

After wrestling with the idea of chasing her dream, she put every reason why this was not a good idea to pursue this dream. First off, it would mean a huge decrease in pay. Secondly, pursuing this dream meant going back to school. And thirdly, it was just out right crazy.

But here is the problem with purpose, it never shuts up, you can ignore it, but it never shuts up. After much deliberation and prayer, my friend made the move to pursue her dream. She would go back to school to get her teaching credentials and become a teacher.

She had run from that small voice that kept saying “You were born to teach.” My friend realized that life at it’s longest is short, and you better start doing what you love. She confronted her greatest fear at the time, which was the drastic difference in income, and decided on fulfillment and life purpose.

When I asked my friend what she had learned, here is what she said “Never allow money to determine your destiny, if you are happy doing what you do, you are already rich.” I’m so excited to celebrate with my friend this upcoming December when she not only gets handed her credentials, but her life long purpose.

My friends let these two women be the spark that gets your fire going. Your passion is waiting on you to grab a hold and ride into the sunset with no regrets in life.

Think Better, Live Better!!!

WAKE UP AND LIVE YOUR DREAMS

In my seminars I tell the audience not to die before they have lived. Life at it’s longest is short, so we have no time to waste. In today’s blog I want to inspire you with two stories about two women that decided to LIVE THEIR DREAMS!!!

But before I share their stories, let me first kick out all your excuses for you living your dreams.

Number one, it’s never the right time to live your dreams, you just have to go for it, the timing will never seem right. Secondly, you will never have everything you need to start off initially, but start any way. And lastly, what do I say to the person who says, “What if it doesn’t work out?” I say, what if it does!!!

My first friend I want to tell you about is someone I really call I dream chaser. I have known her for over twenty-five years, and she is beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside. Like many of us she has experienced challenges in life, and life has not always turned out as she thought.

After being married for fourteen years, she found herself divorced with two children and a mortgage to pay. To top it off she was downsized from her corporate job. Faced with unthinkable changes and challenges, she did what most people would do. She went into survival mode. She began to look for work any where she could find it, just to stay afloat. She found that the market was not so friendly to an older single mother of two.

What would she do now? Faced with a dilemma, she turned to her dream. My friend had a dream of being a police officer from a very young age, but gave this dream up, earlier on in life. With a new marriage and two young children, she could no longer see herself being on the force.

But after the disappointment of a failed marriage, she took the disappointment as a reappointment to her dream. She began to inquire about what it would take to fulfill her life long dream. Her age put her right at the limit to join the force; she would have to move quickly, if she was going to follow her dream.

After talking with a few friends and her now teenage children, she was ready to chase her dream. My friend was ready to put herself through some of the most mentally and physically challenging ordeals of her life, but this was her DREAM!!!

I am proud to say after several months of intense training, my dear friend is living her dream she is now a Los Angeles Police Officer.

Next week I will share about my other friend who is chasing her dream as well.

Think Better, Live Better!!!

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Many times we think of the future as some distant far off event, but actually the future is NOW!!! Today use to be what you called the future yesterday, tomorrow which will be today when you get there is the future. So what you will experience in your future depends on what you to today. Read that sentence a few more times……lol

Most people allow life just to happen to them, but we have the power to orchestrate our future. If you don’t believe me, you will never enjoy life, you will only endure it. You will be forced to just react to what happens to you, instead of controlling what happens to you.

Today I want to challenge you to plan your future, I recommend that you take a few hours and really think about what you want your future to look like. Let me tell you, this will be very tough for many of you, because you will be engaging in a practice that you are not use to. But it is well worth it.

By planning your future, you will begin to see how much more control you have over your life then you ever imagined. Step away from the crowd, step of away from those that just allow life to happen to them.

One of my favorite Proverbs says “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.” When you plan your future, you are more equipped to handle the challenges of life, the road blocks and the detours that come your way.

See yourself as that majestic eagle; the eagle can see three times farther than the average human. When you can see farther, you can plan better.

Don’t be the person that waits for things to happen, or the person who allows things to happen to them, be the person that makes things happen!!!

Good Thinking, Good Living!!!

FOLLOW YOUR PASSION

We live in a society that creates pressure for us to live a certain way, obtain a certain position and acquire a bag of toys we feel me must have to be in the “IT CROWD.” This misconstrued form of thinking has lead many people to lead a passionless life.

In my seminars I try to persuade individuals to follow their passion and not a career path. Following a career path my get you stuff, but it will never get you fulfillment. We have houses we never see, clothes we will never wear, and cars that stay parked for most of the day as we die away in a cubicle.

Following your passion no matter what it may be is the only way to enjoy true peace and prosperity. Don’t be fooled by following the crowd into bleak future, follow your passion.

For some of you that may be basket weaving, that’s what it was for Jeffery Gale. Jeffery always loved working with his hands, and one day he came across a hand woven basket. He fell in love, he new this was what he wanted to do. He sought out someone to teach him, but found no one who still maintained the hand crafted tradition. So Jeffery taught himself.

Now he creates some of the finest basket you will ever see. For Jeffery his peace was in his passion for basket weaving.

For Richard and Sandee Gerber, their passion was hidden in the plumbing business. Following their passion lead them to start their on business 29 years ago in Eugene, Oregon. Over the years, their passion for the business has allowed them to exceed 12 million dollars in sales annually.

Richard says their passion has created an environment for excellence. Sandee sums it up this way "Now after 29 years we still enjoy every day of the business."

You can only make that kind of statement when you are passionate about what you do. Ask yourself, do I enjoy everyday of what I do? Or do I dread what I do and can’t wait for Friday and hate Monday?

Now more than ever is your time to follow your passion. Don’t waste away your life sitting around wishing and day dreaming that life was more fulfilling. Begin today to start mapping out a life full of PASSION!!!

TOO MUCH TO LIVE FOR

Watch the news, take a walk through the inner cities, or simply talk to the majority of our youth, and you’ll see and hear of a society that has lost a zeal for life. The wisest king to live was King Solomon, and he was quoted as saying “When there is no vision, people perish.” This is so true, when people have no reason, purpose or desire to live, they will live aimless lives.

In the last decade or so I have had two life challenging health issues. The first was the morning I woke up and the left side of my face was paralyzed. The doctors told me it was cerebral palsy, a condition that would affect my motor skills. This was horrifying news to a young healthy twenty something man. I was told my condition would either get better or worse, but no one was able to tell. After several months, thank God, my condition got better and was reversed. This ordeal should have made me focus more on my life purpose, but it didn’t. Like many people I ignored this warning and continued to live life as it happened.

The next health challenge I was met with was a mild stroke at the age of twenty-six. As I lay on that stretcher, I had a sense that this was not the end, but a time of reflection. I thought about my family, my life and what I had done with it up until that time. On that day, on that stretcher riding in the ambulance, I made the choice to live life to the fullest.

I begin to ask God, why was I really here on earth. I didn’t want to waste any more time. From this inner search for meaning, I received my life purpose. In a nut shell, my purpose would be to help individual live their best life. I wouldn’t let this second warning go by without life altering changes.

This compelling vision would be my guiding light. My whole life is centered around people finding their reason for living. Each of us are here for a purpose, finding that purpose is the answer to a fulfilled life.

If you have found your life’s purpose, then you know what I’m talking about. I want to challenge you to help at least three other people find theirs.

We all have too much to live for…………………………..

CHANGE YOUR THINKING

But if you correct those who care about life, that's different—they'll love you for it!

Save your breath for the wise—they'll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know

Proverbs 9:9 (Message)

If you know me personally, you know that I believe that success is a science; it can be obtained by following proper principles and correct labor. Now let me be clear that I am referencing only one aspect of success, the part that deals with your career or life purpose.

The other day I was talking with a colleague and he was inquiring about how I reached a certain level of success. I begin to explain to him that I work hard at what I do. He quickly begins to point out that he works hard also. I said this is true, but you are working hard for other people.

Now I also work hard for other people, but in a different way. Let me explain what I mean, if you work hard for someone on a job your return is limited. It may come in the form of a promotion that will increase your pay by several hundred dollars, but most of it will be taxed.

The harder I work; I get to give myself an increase that I determine. As a public speaker I can charge anywhere from $1-$50000, for a one hour presentation, based upon how hard I work. The person who has a job is capped at a certain level. Remember the company you work for is in business to make money, not to make you rich.

This was a radical shift of thinking for my colleague; it was very difficult for him to wrap his mind around. I begin to explain to him, it’s because the mental conditioning that you received, has prepared you to be a consumer and not a seller. For most of us in the Western world, we are thought to go to school, get a good job and save for retirement. We are never thought ownership.

Think for a moment who last longer, the boxer or the promoter? The player or the owner, the employee or the employer.

I ended by explaining that his job must become his business. You have to learn to use your current job to spring you into your destiny……………..

Hear is a quick example how you make your job your business. I can imagine you feel you are pretty good at your job, probably the best. Have you ever said, if everyone was like me this would be a better place? I’m sure you meant if they had your work habits, the business would run better, right? Well, put in a little extra work to become a subject matter expert in your field and write a manual on work place success. Offer to teach this manual for an additional fee to your company.

This is just one example, there are several ways you can turn your job into your business. If you think like the boss, one day you will be the boss.

GOOD THINKING, GOOD LIVING!!!