Follow your passion. One of the key elements to success in life and business is having a passion for what you do. There is no limit to what you can accomplish when you feel passionate about it. Passion is the fuel that gets you out of bed in the morning, helps you endure while performing tasks that you don’t consider enjoyable, and gives you the strength to successfully deal with problems and challenges. To find your passion you might ask yourself the following questions:

• What would I do if I could not fail?
• What would I do if I had all the money in the world?
• What situation (on the evening news or in the daily paper) touches my heart the most?
• What type person, culture, lifestyle, and/or material item am I drawn to the most?

Have a clear idea about what you want to do. In just a few days most of us will do the same the same thing. Along about the time we are watching the New Year’s Day parade we will begin to think about 2006. We will begin dreaming about what we want to accomplish, how much weight we want to lose, or the relationships we hope to have formed by year’s end. Most call these New Year’s Resolutions, but by the end of the year we look back and realize that we didn’t accomplished all that we had hoped to accomplish.

How to accomplish your resolutions, or you may call them goals? There are three basic but very important steps to take.

• Dream what you want.
• Decide why you want it.
• Determine a plan to get it. This is the step that I feel most people leave out, but perhaps could be the most important of the three.

Find a niche and be the best you can be. Booker T. Washington once said, “Do the common things uncommonly well.” John Eldredge in Wild At Heart wrote, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Both of these people give us good advice. Once you find what makes you come alive, and do it uncommonly well, you will discover that you have found your passion. If your passion turns out to be a love for the elderly then find your niche in helping or working with senior adults in your community.

[As you can see, all of these traits connect to one another.]

Make a difference. It has been said that the only thing that lasts long after you are gone is the relationships that you leave behind. In some respects that is true. All the money you made will not be in your pocket, and property deeds will not be along side you in your coffin. However, there is something else that will continue long after you pass from this world to the next. If you look into the history books you will find people that made a difference. We still feel the impact of their existence. I can think of at least two things that you can begin doing today that will extend your difference making ability long after you are gone.

• Live a life that is worth remembering and writing about. Statues in the town square are always erected in the memory of someone that made a real difference, and most are of people that did the common things uncommonly well.
• Start something that will out live you. “Like what”, you ask? Well, there is a person that you probably have never heard of, his name is Grant Powell. About twenty years ago Grant moved his little family to a small unheard of town in Florida. He had a dream of making a real difference in the community and worked hard at doing just that. After being in that town for about ten years Grant and his wife Jennifer begin to have a dream of starting a private school that would not only teach the “3 Rs” but would do it with class and excellence.

This school is now a reality with hundreds of children attending each day, and ground being broken for new educational buildings to be built. In short, Grant has started something that will not only out live him, but his children and their children.

Keep it simple. There is an old saying that I would like to change. You might have heard it put this way; K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. I would like to change it to be Keep It Short and Simple. Many times we make life so complicated. Some of us carry a cell phone in their pockets, keep a PDA on our desks, and two or three calendars pasted to our refrigerators. The secret is to do what you do best and stick to it. Don’t make things more complicated than they are. Much of this is a mental exercise that you must go through each day. If you apply the following examples you will live a very simple life.

• Live your life to the fullest each and every day.
• Love your family members as if you will never see them again.
• Let your passion drive your career.

Go with your instincts. Never under estimate your instincts or intuition. If you have to work hard at selling yourself on an idea, it is probably not a good idea. Your instincts are like muscles, they get stronger the more you use them.

Value your time and be a good time manager.

• Take Charge. Decide now that you will get on top of managing your own time. Remind yourself that poor time-management is nobody else’s responsibility but your own.
• Be Decisive. Don’t put off decisions. Remember there’s often time later to reverse an early decision, there’s rarely time to correct a late one.
• Prioritize. Decide what is worth an allocation of your precious time and what is not. Don’t let others set your time agenda.
• Plan extensively. You can use a pocket or desktop PC, or a Franklin organizer, either way take five minutes each morning to review the day ahead. And…
  • Plan tomorrow today.
  • Plan next week this week.
  • Plan next month this month
  • Plan next year this year.
• Delegate. Give away what others can do so they can begin to reach their potential, and you yours.

Mental Preparation

In a driver’s mind, the race has to start before he ever arrives at the track. The driver and his team have to be mentally prepared to endure whatever it takes to win. That’s the No. 1 priority, the No. 1 goal: Win.

In order for you to win, or overcome your day’s challenges, you must be mentally prepared. I have found that mental preparedness and success in my day comes from…

• Preparing and planning the day before.
• Expecting the best but being prepared for the worst.
• Remembering to keep God first in my day - long before my appointments and tasks.

Sound Car

Every racetrack is going to have its peculiarities and a different set of problems to solve, but the driver and crew must identify them beforehand and factor that information into the set-up of the car. Adjusting the car to each track is the single, greatest challenge, week-in and week-out, for every driver and team. Every piece of equipment on the car must be thoroughly checked. The engine has to be lovingly massaged by every member of the crew that works on it. By the time the green flag drops on Sunday afternoon, car, driver and team must be as one and as close to perfect as possible.

The better we stick to our priorities the more successful we will be. If priorities are what keeps us heading in the right direction, then our plans are the equipment that must be adjusted and analyzed with a fine-toothed comb. The old saying is true, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”

Track Position

Track position is the key of keys when it comes to winning a race. The secret to establishing track position comes down to risk. While the crew chief can keep a driver posted on what his car can do, knowing when and where to do it is still left up to a driver’s instincts. Trying to pass a car that’s going the same speed is very difficult. You need the right combination of timing, knowledge of the track and experience.

Track position in racing is just as important as being in the right position at the right time in life. It has been said, “It is not what you know, but who you know that counts.” That may very well be true, but if you are not in the right place at the right time it does not matter. So the question is, “How can you be in the right place at the right time so you can capitalize on the opportunity?” The answer, at least for me, is to focus on preparing for the opportunity instead of always looking for the opportunity. I am of the opinion that if you prepare well enough the opportunities seek you out.

Pit Stops

Making up time on the track, only to give it back in the pits, is one of the surest ways to stay out of Victory Lane. While most pit stops routinely take between 12 and 15 seconds, and might only occur four or five times a race, they can combine to total the most significant minute in a three-hour race.

A pit stop in your life is R&R, rest and relaxation. Most of us live lives going Mach 3 with our hair on fire, and love every minute of it. However, pit stops are the key to life’s success. Just like in racing, the pit stops in our lives are short and few in number. But they are extremely important. Also, as in racing, our pit stops must be intentional, planned out, and effective. The goal of each pit stop in our life should be to refuel our tanks, clean our view of life, and provide strength enough to overcome life’s challenges.

Luck

If luck is where preparation meets opportunity, then bad luck is where preparation meets circumstance. More times than not, cars involved in accidents really did nothing wrong. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is inevitable that a certain amount of bad luck will take place at every race.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds just like my life. I have found that bad things do happen to good people, and that good luck shines just as often. Many times it is our perspective and attitude towards things that makes all the difference.

Thanks for reading, and I hope that one or all of these keys will help you win life’s race today.

To be extraordinary, as successful people have found out, you must do something different. Tonya Jacobik, a good friend of mine, recently shared with me a list of six things that she does each and every day. I have added one more to make it number seven.

But, before I share the list with you I must tell you that Tonya lives on a farm with several different animals, is married to a wonderful man, has seven children, and runs a very successful home business. In fact, Tonya is one of the most successful female business women that I know. Her success comes from taking the time daily to do the following:

1. Do something spiritually. You will be amazed at the strength you get from beginning your day with a  prayer, scripture reading, and/or worship.

2. Do something for yourself. We must remember that we can’t take care of others until we take care of ourselves. Life is just too short to “always” keep our feet to the grind stone; live a little or a lot. Therefore, it is a must to plan something for yourself every day. It can be as basic as a car ride in the country, or as elaborate as a day at your favorite spa.

3. Do something for your family. We have all heard the story of the very successful business man that worked his fingers to the bone, at the sacrifice of his family and his health. Now he finds himself lying in a hospital bed struggling to make it through the night because he just had a massive heart attack. The main thing on his mind is “not” how he spent his time, but rather how he didn’t. He now wishes that he had spent time with his family showing them how much he loves them by making them his number one priority.

4. Do something for someone else. Perhaps you’ve seen one of my favorite movies, Pay It Forward. If not, it is a movie where a small boy literally changes the world. He begins this quest because his school teacher asks all the students to choose a world-changing project. One student decided to get everyone in America to jump up and down at the exact same time, thus throwing the earth off its axis. The star of the movie tried to change the world in a more practical way. His plan was to do three random acts of kindness to three different people. And all they had to do in return was the same. At one point in the movie a person stepped assign in a hospital emergency room so a little girl could go first. At another point a person donated a new Porsche to someone.

5. Do something to increase your personal growth. Successful people know if they are not moving forward that they are moving backward. Because there is no standing still I would encourage you to take a few minutes and develop a 2006 personal growth plan. A plan that can help you grow each and every day. I would suggest that you include in this plan time to read some books, on a regular basis have lunch with a mentor or close friend, and attend a personal growth seminar or two this year.

Whatever you do make sure it stretches the most powerful tool you have; your mind.

6. Do something to enhance your profession or business. I will make you a promise. If you will daily apply the list below this time next year your life will not be the same.

• Learn - do something that will grow your business.
• Relate - spend time with your customers.
• Appreciate - show your team how much you appreciate them. Appreciation = Action.
• Train - share what you know (and are learning) with your team.
• Tasks list - work on 2-3 large projects each day. Set a timer if you have to so you don’t forget about all the other important people and things in your day.
• Network - Eagles don’t flock with turkeys. In other words, successful people flock with successful people.

7. Take time to dream. As stated previously, I have added number seven to Tonya’s list. Dreams do come true, just ask Walt Disney, Tiger Woods, and Tonya Jacobik. I am convinced that dreaming is not only one of the most important things you will do all day, but quite possibly the most powerful.

• Dream it - See it in your mind.
• Write it - Schedule time for it.
• Achieve it - Celebrate the success and start over.

Before you can find anything you must first know what you are looking for, and finding financial freedom is no different. When I was in college, many years ago now, I received a free membership to a video rental store. A friend and I took off in the direction that we “thought” we should go. We knew where we wanted to go, but didn’t know where the store was. We drove, and drove, and drove but we never found the place.

Finding financial freedom is much like that; you must know what it is in order to know if you have found it. So what is financial freedom? A street reporter asking that question would get many different answers. Therefore, lets start with just the concept of freedom. William Wallace from the movie Braveheart would say that freedom is giving up your life for something or someone else. Others would say that freedom is living a life not needing anyone or anything. And still others would say that freedom is living free from oppression and communism.

As you can see there are many different definitions - and you must find your own. Most would agree that finding financial freedom can be defined as, “Being free from financial bondage and being able to pay all the monthly bills while at the same time saving something for the future.”

The Five phases of Finding Financial Freedom

Discovery Phase

The first step in the discovery phase is setting financial goals. This is discovering what you want to accomplish - your road map. Once again, if you don’t know where you are going then how will you know when you get there? The second step is to begin seeing the real issues. In other words, discovering what is happening in your financial life right now. To do this you should make a list of your:  assets, current household expenses, and current short-term and long-term debts. Knowing where you are will help you get to where you want to be.

Tracking Phase

In the tracking phase you begin to do just that - track what you are spending. Actually, you begin tracking all income and spending - this will tell you just what is happening, no lying to yourself here. You do this by developing a spending plan. This may sound to basic but I will assure you that if you begin tracking your income and spending you will be well on the road to finding financial freedom.

Adjusting Phase

Develop a financial blueprint is critical in the adjusting phase. This is a more detailed roadmap. A map that will help you focus in with laser-like precision on your financial goals. During the adjusting phase you lay out a plan of action that is detailed enough to get you where you want to go.

This could be compared to a builder building a house. Doing so without a blueprint would get the house built, but what would it look like and how long would it stand when the storms of life come? That reminds me of a 3 Stooges show I saw years ago. The three friends (Moe, Larry, and Curley) set out to build a home for their three new wives. The fact that they didn’t have a blueprint didn’t decrease their determination. The end result was odd shaped doors, a roof that allowed the light of day and the rain of night in, and a bathtub nicely installed in the bathroom - but it was on its side.

Systems Phase

Systems are what you need to make sure you stay on track. Many have tried to find financial freedom but have come up short because they didn’t have a good set of systems in place. One very easy system is the Envelope System. What you must realize is that temptation is a very strong force to fight. Many times you may feel like you are in the ring with the heavy-weight champion of the world and its name is “temptation.” Having “cash money” set aside for each category in your spending plan will keep you in line and make you a financial champion.

Another system you need is a group of professionals that will help assist you on your financial journey. You must realize that you can’t do it alone.

Future Planning Phase - this is why we started the entire process

During this phase you look out into the future and begin to organize your estate, plan for retirement, and put things in place for your children.

Many families have been devastated by the death of a loved one only to find more turmoil because a good plan was not laid out and financial records were not able to be found.

In order to find financial freedom you must take a deep look inside yourself and determine what you want your future to be like. Then…

• Discover very practical and logical steps to get there.
• Track your progress along way.
• Make the necessary adjustments to keep you on track to your preferred future.
• And realize that you can’t do it alone and that you need the help of others to get there.

By Coach Jeff Earlywine

The date was Saturday, April 11, 1970, the time 13:13 CST.  The event to take place was to be one of NASA’s finest hours; the launch of Apollo 13. Apollo 13 was supposed to land in the Fra Mauro area of the moon. However, an explosion on board forced the crew to circle the moon without landing.

The first two days the crew ran into a couple of minor surprises, but generally Apollo 13 was looking like the smoothest flight of the program. At 46 hours, 43 minutes Joe Kerwin, the CapCom on duty, said, “The spacecraft is in real good shape as far as we are concerned.”

At 55 hours, 46 minutes, the crew finished a 49-minute TV broadcast showing how comfortably they lived and worked in weightlessness. Nine minutes later, oxygen tank No. 2 blew up, causing the No. 1 tank to also fail. The explosion came in the form of a sharp bang and vibration. Next, the warning lights indicated the loss of two of Apollo 13’s three fuel cells, which were the spacecrafts prime source of electricity.

Then, the crew aboard the spaceship, and the entire NASA staff spent the next 5 Days, 22 hours, 54 min, 41 seconds working to get the three-man crew back to earth.

In the midst of this disaster this team of NASA employees demonstrated some leadership lessons that you can apply to your business (and life) today.

• You must be committed regardless - It has been said, “Teamwork is what makes the dream work.” A group of people working as one will usually get the job done and come out on top. This team of NASA employees couldn’t be any more diverse. Upon reviewing the team you see they are different in every way but one. They were different in age, education, experience, and agenda. But they all were committed to getting that spaceship back to earth in one piece and the crew back alive. Each team member demonstrated 100% commitment to his/her area of responsibility. In a time of disaster or uncertainty you simply don’t have time for diversions showing up in the form of team members trying to fulfill their own selfish agendas.

- Leadership lesson: Refuse to lose and work as a team.

• You must be willing to do what has never been done before - CapCom, the person responsible for the success of the mission, had to keep his staff believing they would not lose those astronauts aboard Apollo 13. His commitment was tested a few different times when his top leaders, letting human nature get the better of them, began to talk about the odds of getting those men back alive. As soon as he quickly put an end to this talk, his leadership skills were again tested with challenges such as the lack of power, oxygen, or water aboard the spaceship.  As human beings it is easy for us to get comfortable and to settle for “what we have always done.” For your business to excel past all others you must be willing to think outside the box.

- Leadership lesson: Thinking outside the box.

• You must be willing to look at your job and business in a totally new way. NASA had to look at space flight, specifically this flight, in a totally new way. Not being willing would have ended in the death of those three astronauts. It is certain that your business (even your life) will face challenges this year. How you view these challenges will determine your future success. While at the same time, how you view your business (the values, vision, and mission) will determine its success.

- Leadership lesson: Your focus must be flexible in order to reach your preferred future

Practical steps to lead your business through uncertainty

I am convinced, more than ever, if you prepare yourself, your staff and your business to embrace and learn from uncertainties you will increase your client base and have more successes, which will result in larger profits. The businesses that don’t will probably not be around to tell about it.

Therefore, lets explore in detail what it means to have a committed team that refuses to lose, a team that constantly thinks outside the box, and a team that focuses on a preferred future. This will provide you with skills and ideas to help you develop your own preferred future. If you will indulge me, I would like to use another analogy - stockcar racing.

Stockcar racing is one of my favorite sports, and has been most of my life. I have spent hours sitting on a hard bleacher watching 43 drivers race at speeds exceeding 200mph, and doing it just inches from each other. It is a sport that has evolved from a bunch of moon-shiners showing off their “beefed up” cars to now a multi-million dollar industry full of high-tech computerized equipment. In the middle of all these high-powered engines, fast turns, and million-dollar paychecks are some basic principles to help you and your business thrive in a world of uncertainty. Below are five of those principles first explained in racing terminology and then made applicable to your life and business.

Mental Preparation

In a driver’s mind, the race has to start before he ever arrives at the track. The driver and his team have to be mentally prepared to endure whatever it takes to win. That’s the number one priority. Losing is not an option!

In order for you to win, or overcome your day’s challenges, you must be mentally prepared. I have found that mental preparedness and success in my day comes from…

• Preparing and planning my day, yesterday. You can do this by simply making a list of what you want to get accomplished tomorrow - this can be done on something as basic as a 3×5 card.
• Managing my time. Your daily agenda is managed with good time management techniques. The real question is… “Are you the master of your time, or is it the master of you?” The following concepts will help you maximize the 86,400 seconds that you have today:

1. Establish measurable goals and plans
2. Know how to invest your time
3. Identify and eliminate time wasters
4. Know yourself and your priorities
5. Learn to say, “No”
6. Delegate, delegate, and delegate
7. Group similar and like activities together
8. Organize for quick and easy retrieval
9. Use a calendar and a to-do list.

• Expecting the best but being prepared for the worst.
• Remembering to keep my priorities first in my day.
• Thinking outside the box - just because you have never done it this way before does not mean you can’t or shouldn’t.

Sound Car

Every racetrack is going to have its peculiarities and a different set of challenges to overcome, but the driver and crew must identify them beforehand and factor that information into the set-up of the car. Adjusting the car to each track is the single, greatest challenge, week-in and week-out, for every driver and team. Every piece of equipment on the car must be thoroughly checked. The engine has to be thoroughly checked by every member of the crew. By the time the green flag drops on race day, car, driver and team must be as one and as close to perfect as possible.

The better we stick to our priorities the more successful we will be. If priorities are what keep us heading in the right direction, then our plans are the equipment that must be adjusted and analyzed with a fine-toothed comb. The old saying is true, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” Remember, your life is a glass jar. You fill it each day with large, medium, and small rocks. The large rocks are your priorities, which must go in first.

Track Position

Track position is the key of keys when it comes to winning a race. The secret to establishing track position comes down to risk. While the crew chief can keep the driver posted on what his car can do, knowing when and where to do it is still left up to a driver’s instincts. Trying to pass a car that’s going the same speed is very difficult. You need the right combination of timing, knowledge of the track and risk.

Track position in racing is just as important as being in the right position at the right time in life. It has been said, “It is not what you know, but who you know that counts.” That may very well be true, but if you are not in the right place at the right time it does not matter. So the question is, “How can you be in the right place at the right time to capitalize on an opportunity?” The answer, at least for me, is to focus on preparing for the opportunity instead of always looking for the opportunity. I am of the opinion that if you prepare well enough the opportunities seek you out. Then, when you get an opportunity, go at it with a refuse to lose attitude.

How to prepare your business for coming opportunities

1. Offer the right services by hiring the right people.
2. Build a reputation of 5-Star service before, during, and after.
3. Be patient, never give up on offering your services. Remember, Michael Jordon missed over 9000 shots in his career, lost over 300 games, and twenty-six times he was trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed but he is still the best player to play the game of basketball.
4. Network with other professionals in the community.

Pit Stops

Making up time on the track, only to give it back in the pits, is one of the surest ways to stay out of Victory Lane. While most pit stops routinely take between 15 and 20 seconds, and might only occur four or five times a race, they can combine to total the most significant minute in a three-hour race.

A pit stop in your life is R&R, rest and relaxation. Most of us live lives going Mach 3 with our hair on fire, and love every minute of it. However, pit stops are the key to life’s success. Just like in racing, the pit stops in our lives are short and few in number. But they are extremely important. Also, as in racing, our pit stops must be intentionally planned out, and effective. The goal of each pit stop in our life should be to refuel our tanks, clean our view of life, and provide strength enough to overcome the uncertainty of life’s challenges.

Luck

If luck is where preparation meets opportunity, then bad luck is where preparation meets circumstance. More times than not, cars involved in accidents really did nothing wrong. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (circumstance). It is inevitable that a certain amount of bad luck will take place in every race.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds just like life. I have found that bad things do happen to good people, and that good luck appears just as often. Many times it is our perspective and attitude towards things that makes all the difference.

Changing your attitude is as simple as the five suggestions listed below:

1. Smile. It has been proven that smiling causes chemicals to be released in the body resulting in increased health and energy.
2. Speak something positive about yourself. Each day we hear all kinds of negative remarks about ourselves. From heart-piercing jokes from friends to television advertisements telling us that we must be in perfect physical shape to reach our goals in life. Creating a habit of positive self-talk will build your self-esteem with tremendous benefits - remember FOCUS.
3. Count your blessings - family members, occupation, material things. We are so blessed. Stopping to count your blessings will cause you to be satisfied with who you are and what you have. Having goals to achieve greatness is important, but not being satisfied with what you have achieved will only cause you to become frustrated and desiring the proverbial “grass on the other side of the fence.”
4. Treat someone you care about or work with as if they are the most important person in the world.
5. Don’t take yourself so serious - learn to laugh, especially at yourself.

We should consider it pure joy when we face trials because these tests serve to make us better business owners, better bosses, and better leaders.

Before you stop reading thinking that this will be an article full of negative comments and statements, please don’t. You might get some news like I did this past week from my doctor. The words that came out of his mouth so easily, as if he was commenting on the color of my shirt, were, “That little sore on your nose is cancer.” There had been no test done, no biopsies, no nothing, but those words froze in my mind and my heart, and caused me to begin thinking down a pathway of what would happen if it was true?

The following are several steps that I challenge you to consider before life turns up the heat on your life.

Contingency plan in your business. It’s A Wonderful Life is one of my favorite holiday movies; I can watch it over and over again. The story in the movie is about a man that decides the world would be better off without him. With an odd turn of events he gets his wish, but has to watch and see what the world would be like without him. He soon realizes that he is very important and does have a reason and a purpose for living.

What would happen if you suddenly disappeared? Perhaps if you were in a terrible automobile accident and spent many weeks in the hospital and then many more in a rehab center or if you had a heart attack that put you on the sidelines for months - would your business miss you? Or better yet, would it do more than just survive but continue to strive to be a leader in its industry?

I have spent the last twenty years coaching and consulting with organizations that have not been prepared for such events and when it happens the business suffers and the staff begin looking for their golden parachutes. However, it does not have to be that way. With a little consideration and planning your business can leave a legacy for many generations to come. A few thoughts for you on this:

1. Realize that you are not going to live forever. It has been said that we should live every day like it is going to be our last.
2. Meet with your top employees and begin developing a plan to be put in place if the unthinkable does happen to you.
3. Begin training your top employees to be able to take over your job at any time.
4. Get your personal finances in order - a will and living trust should be written. Debt should be lowered or eliminated, and your spouse shown where all the important papers and documents are.

Emergency fund set up in your family and business. I am of the opinion that you need to have plans in place to take care of your family even before you take care of your business. If you are the main money earner in your family, and the guiding force in your business, then it is imperative that you have funds set aside for emergencies. Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes, and usually when we don’t expect them. Most personal finance experts suggest you set aside enough liquid money to be able to pay living or operating expenses for at least three to five months. This is just as important in your business as it is in your personal life.

Adequate health and life insurance. There are too many variations and options of health and life insurance to go into detail here, however you need to have adequate coverage in both areas. Don’t let yourself be tricked into thinking that you will get to it one of these days. One of these days might come too early. I challenge you to set up an appointment this week with a qualified and educated insurance agent that can explain every option and policy to you. Choose an agent that has your best interest at heart and one that can explain the coverage without trying to sell you after every sentence.

Eliminate debt. In most people’s lifetime two of the largest family expenses (other than taxes) are interest paid on mortgages, care loans, and credit cards, and depreciation on practically everything you paid all that interest on. The average family spends over $1.20 for every dollar that they bring into their home. Therefore, if your family earns $75,000 per year, then statistics say you are spending $90,000!

Families are not like the federal government, we can’t just “print” more money. We have to live by a spending plan, a plan that is designed to pay all the bills, save for future emergencies and retirement, and save for purchases such as that new big screen television or that new shiny, candy apple red sports car (without financing a penny). If you are struggling to pay the minimums on your credit cards then you know what you need to do - develop a spending plan and be determined to eliminate your debt regardless of what you have to give up.

I help many families work through these type issues, and one recently sent me this note - a true success story in the making.

My husband and I have had difficulty handling finances for many years, particularly because of lack of communication. Without sounding too dramatic, we were close to giving up on ever being debt-free or being able to “get on the same page”. I actually remember, in our first couple of sessions, Jeff asking me if I saw any light at the end of the tunnel. I’m sure I said “no” because I really thought we were a hopeless case. After six months, I am relieved to say, I definitely see light at the end of the tunnel and we’re learning how to communicate and get “on the same page.” We’re finally learning how to plan ahead and have been able to establish a savings account even with a lot of unexpected expenses. We still have some unresolved issues, but are trusting God to help us work through them together. I think we’re going to make it after all!

Adequate income streams.

If something drastic happens to you how will your family meet its obligations? Yes, having a nice amount in savings is a great first step, but if going to work is required to be able to provide for your family then you need to rethink things. Many people have the following definition of being financially free, “Having enough passive income to pay all my monthly bills.” One of the easiest ways to do this is to have several streams of income. From investing in real estate, to stock options, to having business ventures in your line of work and perhaps a network marketing company or two. This will help assure you that your family will have enough income if something were to happen to you.

The story is not finished in my journey. I prayerfully believe that the little sore on my nose is not anything to worry about - but it has caused me to look into the mirror and answer some very important questions regarding my family and my business. I hope you will look into that same mirror with me.

Last weekend I was flying a kite with my six year old daughter. The wind was gusting and the kite was flying with little help from us. All of sudden, it started to spiral down to the ground. Why? Simple. We let go of the string.

What do these two stories have in common? Tension. If Lindsey had kept the tension tight she might not have come tumbling to the ground like our kite.

There are areas in our life where we need to keep the tension tight if we hope to reach our potential. That potential might be as wonderful and memorable as an Olympic gold metal, or as basic as spending time being a hero to your daughter. Either way, I don’t think we will ever reach our potential if we don’t keep the following in check.

FOCUS

If we peel back a few layers of the word focus we are able to see some very helpful ideas. Ideas such as Faith, Opportunity, Consistency, Understanding, and Self-talk. Each of these concepts could take volumes to explain in detail, but are briefly explored below.

Faith - In order to reach your personal and professional goals you must have faith in yourself. You must be willing to take calculated risks without looking back. Very few people ever accomplished great things if they didn’t first have faith in themselves. You must also have faith that God is your safety net, that helping hand, that guiding light in the darkest of nights.

Opportunity - In our world today many are still searching for that “get-rich-quick” scheme. I have found that true accomplishments are achieved because of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right experience, and a willingness to do the job. In order to reach your goals you must continue to focus on preparing for that next opportunity. For instance, by reading one book a month, for twelve consecutive months (on any one subject), you will be better prepared than most of the people you work with, worship with, and compete against.

Consistency - It has been said that success is found in your daily agenda. My personal trainer has told me many times how important consistency is to better health and a stronger body. Questions for you to consider… Are you consistently putting 100% into everything you do? Are you consistently following a plan of action (a game plan)? Are you consistently planning for tomorrow, today (goals)? Are you consistently taking time to refocus your life?

Understanding - In order to be successful you must understand your limits. You are simply not going to be good at everything, and the things that you are good at are limited to your skill level. A good example of this is my tennis game. Not long ago I was playing a singles match, a match I was losing badly. During one of the breaks I said to myself, “Jeff, just have fun and play within your game.” What I meant was enjoy the day, and hit only the shots that I knew would go in. To my surprise, and my opponent’s as well, I began to play tremendous tennis. I was having fun and was soon hitting shots with confidence (faith). Remember, work, play, and live within your limits. If you stay focused long enough those limits will expand.

Self-talk - In the world of psychology this is also known as self-fulfilling prophecy. In other words, what you and others say to you will more than likely happen. As mystical as this sounds it really is true. I challenge you to keep a log for a few days of all the positive and negative comments you and others say about you; don’t forget your thoughts. If you are like most people, by the end of the challenge you will have many more negatives than positives. I can’t tell you how important it is to say to yourself, “I can do it, I am great, I can get that sale, I can live a Christian life, I can hit that shot, etc.” Just like the little train going up the mountain, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

In order to reach new levels personally and professionally, you must stay focused. I encourage you to spend one afternoon this week contemplating what you are currently focusing on.

LEARNING

With schedules packed more than ever. Microwaves not being fast enough. Paying for your gasoline at the pump so you don’t have to go in the store. Who has time to learn? If you are going to keep moving forward in your life you must make time to learn. Some of the best ways to learn are…

• Reading books.
• Watching people - you might be surprised at what you can learn by sitting on a bench at your local shopping mall and observing the people going by.
• Dreaming (using the power of your mind).
• Giving (of your time and talent)

PLANNING

In order to keep growing you must manage your daily agenda. Your daily agenda is managed with good time management techniques. The real question is… “Are you the master of your time, or is it the master of you?” The following concepts will help you maximize the twenty-four hours that God has given you today:

• Establish measurable goals and plans
• Know how to invest your time
• Identify and eliminate time wasters
• Know yourself and your priorities
• Take time to set and evaluate goals
• Learn to say, “No”
• Delegate, delegate, and delegate
• Group similar and like activities together
• Organize for quick and easy retrieval
• Use a calendar and a to-do list.

LAUGHING

On August 3, 2005, Anika Logan described in her article entitled, “Laughter is good for you.”

Laughter is more than just an enjoyable activity. It is very beneficial to the body and mind. It doesn’t cost a cent and it is highly contagious. But is laughter really the best medicine? Read on and decide for yourself.

Everyone enjoys a good laugh, don’t they? If they don’t, they should! Laughter has many benefits, which in turn have positive effects on the human body. Laughter lowers blood pressure, activates the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers), reduces stress hormones, helps reduce pain, allows muscles to relax and is helpful for breathing as frequent laughter empties the air in the lungs. And that’s just the beginning!

Remember, keep the tension tight and the priorities right, and you will accomplish more than you ever dreamed.

Commitment - are you committed and if so, what to? Some thoughts for you to ponder?

1. Commitment usually is discovered in the midst of adversity
2. Commitment does not depend on gifts or abilities
3. Commitment comes as a result of choice, not conditions
4. Commitment lasts when it’s based on values

Not sure what you should be committed to? Let me offer a free e-course that will help you and your business get on the right track. Sign up today! Click on the get started link at the top of the page, then the Help My Business Graphic in the middle.

We looked at several aspects of succeeding through failure. I even shared with them what it takes to overcome through failure. I shared a quote from Michael Jordan, “I’ve missed over 9000 shots in my career, I’ve lost over 300 games, 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed, I’ve failed over and over again in my life - and this is why I succeed.”

However, after I taught this lesson I began to think about succeeding and being a success. The more I thought about it the more I realized that it is often harder to succeed after a success than it is after a failure. Thus, the topic of this Footprints and Monuments.

Before we get into this, let me give you a definition for success; something to base your thinking on as you read the rest of this article. Booker T. Washington stated that success is, “Doing the common things uncommonly well.” This definition does not necessarily have to do with living in a five bedroom house, driving a very expensive automobile, wearing $6,000 suits, or having a membership at a very exclusive country club; but it might.

Just ask Michael Jordan, or any other winning sports star, and he will tell you that it is extremely hard to repeat success. Thirty-four years ago the Miami Dolphins set a new NFL record. What did they do? They had a perfect season, winning every game. They not only had playing football figured out, but obviously every one of their opponents. The Dolphins’ offense instinctively new what the other team’s defense was planning, and the Dolphin defense was equally prepared. The next season (1973), the Dolphins had a good year (12-2) but what happened? In fact, in the following seasons the team began to lose more games until in 1976 they lost more games than they won (6-8). What went wrong in just five seasons???

Succeeding after success is very difficult. A success today will not guarantee a success tomorrow. To prove a well-known theory wrong, “Doing the same thing over and over will not always accomplish the same thing.” Being successful seems to cause our human minds to become complacent. In other words, we get comfortable and tell ourselves to just do what we did before. However, failure causes pain in that same human mind. That pain causes us to dig down deep and work harder, smarter, and look for ways to succeed like never before.

So, how do we string several successes together so we don’t have to feel the pain of failure? After many years of researching this and going through many failures myself I have a few tips.

1. Forget the past. Don’t get me wrong, you need to celebrate your successes; and learn from both successes and failures. This celebration causes incredible feelings in your brain, feelings that your brain will begin to crave. However, the past is a canceled check. It is over. My friend Pat Williams (former executive with the Philadelphia 76ers) once wrote that he found himself starting a new season staring at his recently won NBA championship ring. Then he realized that that season was over, and if the team was going to be successful they would all need to forget the past and work hard to achieve the future that they wanted; another championship.

2. Never be satisfied with the status quo. Let’s be honest, when we win at something, a game of checkers, a hotdog eating contest, or beating your spouse home in your unofficial Daytona 500, you have a feeling of satisfaction. We love this feeling, but this feeling will cause us to begin to accept the status quo. And, as the 1972 Miami Dolphins team members will tell you, that feeling will not drive you to succeed in the future.

3. Stick-to-it. This has to do with passion. Passion is what gets you out of bed in the morning. It is what gets you on that treadmill when everyone else you know is still in bed, it is what keeps you up at night working in your office, and it is what brings you home to your family. In order to repeat success you must have a stick-to-it passion. You can’t give up, you can succeed, and you can win!

4. Plan your future. This has to do with your goals, dreams and focus. I recently had a good example of this happen to me. For the first time in my life I went to a batting cage with a friend of mine. Remember, it was my first time. I put on the batting helmet, grabbed a bat, and stepped into the cage to hit some baseballs. My friend pushed the button and the war was on. All I knew was this machine would be throwing baseballs at me, at a speed that I normally drive my car. The first ball came out and “smack”, it hit the fence just behind the make-shift home plate. The second ball did the same thing. I hadn’t even moved my bat and I had two strikes on me. Then my friend told me to watch (focus) the mechanical arm that was throwing the balls. The ball came out and I hit it. Ah, I have this figured out now. After a few more pitches I got bored with just hitting balls. I told my friend, which he quickly bet me lunch that I couldn’t do, that I was going to hit a ball back through the small hole (goal setting) where the balls were coming from. Not only did I enjoy a free lunch but I realized that I no longer focused on hitting the ball, but focused on where I wanted the ball to go. I was so focused and desired (dream) to hit that baseball back through the hole where it came from that I soon found success.

5. Play your game. In order to continue succeeding you must play your game. If your skill level is a five, then don’t try to live your life succeeding at an eight skill level. You will probably not reach the skill level of a Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Mary Kay, or Omar Periu over night. In fact, I would be willing to bet that you won’t. Furthermore, if you try to play your game at their skill level you will get discouraged and you will find yourself making excuses as to why you are not succeeding. Play your game, at your skill level, and you will continually improve. Improvement will result in success, success that will result into you accomplishing your greatest dreams.