Sowing Seeds of Purpose

THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY FAIL IS TO QUIT TRYING

Today, I was looking for something to read and while going through a stack of the latest issues of some of my favorite magazines, I noticed a few titles or headlines on the front of a couple of them that inspired me to post.

On the front of Inc., the feature article read, "Make The Most of What You've Got". On the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, the feature article read, "Who's in Charge of the Future? You are!", and on the cover of Selling Power, the feature story simply stated, "Success Without Limits".

These feature titles brought to mind something I read in Jack Canfield's, "The Success Principles" (How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be).

There was a lesson in the book called, "The rule of 5", where he suggests, that if you take a sharp ax and strike a tree 5 times every day without fail, that it will eventually fall over. It doesn't matter how big the tree is, it will come down as long as you continually go out every day and strike it 5 times.

The fact is, you are in charge of your future and sometimes, the best that any of us can do is to make the most of what we've got.

How many of you have become jaded? How many of you reading this right now, who used to dream so big, it made the universe seem small and cramped, have become leery and skeptical of new opportunities.

You may have good reasons for being suspicious. After all, how many opportunities have you found in magazine ads and late-night infomercials that have left you empty-handed? Of course, we all must admit that in some cases, we either made a wrong choice or simply didn't put our best foot forward.

The point I'm trying to make here, is that you owe it to yourself to keep trying. Sure, you may very well order a few more "duds" and fail a few more times, but why would you even consider giving up?

You never know which opportunity will succeed and which will fail, but you absolutely know the outcome of giving up and calling it quits. Keep weeding through the magazines, newspapers, websites and infomercials. You never know which opportunity will be the one.

If you honestly desire success without limits, then you will get up again and again and again, a thousand times if that's what it takes, and go out to whatever tree that represents your goals and swing that ax another 5 times. If you will do this, I promise, you will succeed! If you are persistent, the odds are in your favor.

Gift:

"The people who get on in this world are the people who
get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if
they can't find them, make them."

-George Bernard Shaw

God bless

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE HONEYBEES?

I've been following stories in the news recently about the disappearance of the world's honeybees. After seeing a story in the local news this past week, I realized that I had been a little behind on this information, so I decided to search the New York Times archives to up-date myself.

I was astounded, to say the least. According to the one article in the Times, honeybees are responsible for pollinating some $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States alone.

What scientists find alarming, is that millions of these honeybees are just disappearing without a trace.

The cause for this tragedy is not known, but theories suggest that it could be pesticides, viruses, fungus, poor bee nutrition, stress or maybe even confusion caused by cell phone waves.

For those unaware of the importance of our honeybees, you must understand that they are responsible for the pollination of our fruits and vegetables. Remember, humans AND livestock depend on fruits and vegetables in some way or another eventually.

For those of you who might suggest that our advanced technology will save us, think again. It is my understanding that we have tried artificial pollination and have yet to be successful.

I share this information for the simple reason that some of you may not be aware of the urgency of this matter and it has been my experience that sometimes an answer can come from a source we least expect. In other words, one of you reading this post may find the solution.

In studying this story, I couldn't help but find a similarity between real honeybees and the other ones that affect our lives.

We work to sow our seeds of prosperity, good health, love, friendship and abundance and too often, we forget how important the honeybees are to our success. The honeybees I'm referring to, are those people in our lives that have the ability to pollinate our seeds.

These people may be friends, family or acquaintances in our network, that can help take us to the next level and help us realize our dreams and goals.

These people may be teachers and masters that we have never met, that we may have access to through their books, audios or classes, such as, Anthony Robbins, Joe Vitale, Jack Canfield, Joel Olsteen, Norman Vincent Peale, etc...

After you have done your due-diligence, I urge you to make the comparison between the literal honeybees and the people who are, in a sense, honeybees in your life. Both are important to your survival.

It's been quite a while since I read this quote, so forgive me if it is not exactly word for word, but Albert Einstein once said:

"If all the honeybees were to suddenly disappear from the earth, Mankind would begin to disappear as well and would eventually cease to exist as a result."

Gift:

"Treat every person you know or meet as if your dreams, goals and even your very existence depends on them and you will never regret over-looking the one or ones who could've been instrumental in your success or survival."

Elbert West

God bless

GOD BLESS THOSE SUFFERING AT VIRGINIA TECH

Like a lot of you, my heart has absolutely been broken by this horrific waste of life.

In light of this terrible tragedy, I want to say what a blessing it is to see that so many of these young men and women interviewed over the past few days, have handled themselves with such strength and dignity.

The students, their families and the faculty of this great institution should serve as an example to us all, as I have seen and heard more than just a few of these individuals talk about their expectation of something positive coming from this unfortunate event.

I won't spend time discussing the details of this event or analyzing the shooter. There are countless blogs and news stories you can visit to learn the details. Here, we are just going to focus on healing.

There are 32 dead (33 counting the shooter), 15 injured and many more close to these people and around the country who will be heart-broken for a long time.

I would like to ask that all of you take moment in silence to remember these souls and those affected by their passing. Pray for healing and comfort.

For those of you who would like to find out more information and how you might get involved and be of help, you can go to Virginia Tech's website.

Gift:

Never allow your own sorrow to absorb you, but seek out another to console, and you will find consolation.

J. C. Macaulay

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are sheared with scars.

E. H. Chapin

God Bless

IF ONLY I HAD IT ALL TO DO OVER AGAIN

For those of you not aware, I teach e-classes from time to time and the last few weeks has been one of those times.

It is customary for me to correspond with my students via e-mail throughout these classes, which can last anywhere from 3 weeks to 7 weeks, and then at the end of each course, I will usually engage in one-on-one coaching by phone with some of the participants.

Recently, I had an inspirational experience while coaching a very nice gentleman named Joe, who had just completed one of my classes.

Though Joe was a student of my class, it wasn't hard for me to quickly become a student of his.

Having read every book ever written by the likes of Norman Vincent Peale, Anthony Robbins, Napoleon Hill and Dr. Joseph Murphy, Joe himself, could literally inspire and motivate a desert rock.

A couple of weeks ago, while Joe and I were discussing one of Joel Olsteen's recent programs and his book "Your Best Life Now", he brought to my attention just how valuable each day and each moment of life really is, by sharing with me a list he has displayed on his bedroom mirror of common regrets among the elderly and terminally ill. His list is titled, "If only I had it all to do over again."

I have not been able to get it out of my head since, so I'm going to share it with all of you.

"If only I had it all to do over again....."

"I would go barefoot earlier in the Spring and go later into the Fall."

"I would go ahead and enjoy that second helping of brown beans and not worry so much about the after-affects."

"I would clean house less often, so that I could read to my kids more often."

"I would stay up later at night and take more naps during the day."

"I wouldn't give so much importance to my credit score or the mileage on my new automobile."

"I wouldn't be in such a rush for my kids to grow up and become independent."

"I would have dessert first and the main course last every once in a while."

"I would serve my children ice cream for breakfast and let them have it in bed at least once a month."

"I would greet my friends and family with a hug more often."

"I would tell my wife how incredibly sexy she is, more often."

"I would tell my husband how incredibly sexy he is, more often."

"I would laugh at myself more."

"I would ask Dad to share his old war stories one more time."

"I would ask Mom to write down all of the recipes she used to cook when we were growing up."

"I would play "hooky" from work and keep the kids out of school every now and then and go to the zoo for the day."

"I would take longer, slower walks."

"I would ride my bike more often."

"I would worry less of what others thought and be myself."

"I would live more in the moment, less in the past and if I live to see tomorrow; well then, that's just a bonus."

I think it's amazing at how it is the simple things we regret when it's all said and done.

Gift:

Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely.

Kay Lyons

God bless

"JACKPOT JIMMY"

After recently finishing an eight month coaching session with a client, I found myself compelled to share this story with all of you. This is a true story, as I witnessed this while in Las Vegas with my friend James. He's o.k. that I'm sharing with you. You will also find this story in my book.

This is a great lesson to help you on the path to sowing seeds of financial independence. My client was dealing with this same issue.

Here's the story of "Jackpot Jimmy":

While in Las Vegas, Jimmy had been dropping quarters into this one particular slot machine for almost 48 hours, when he suddenly realized that he was down to his last twenty dollars.

With a potential one million dollar jackpot, Jimmy had no doubt what-so-ever that this slot machine was hot and ready to pay. With his last twenty dollars in hand...

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM DON IMUS?

I would like to believe that Mr. Don Imus did not intend malice when making his comments about the ladies of the Rutgers basketball team. At the end of the day, only he knows his heart.

What I do think, is that many Americans today who truly have no racist feelings at all, have simply allowed themselves to become too relaxed in conversation where race is concerned.

You turn on the television to African Americans demeaning other African Americans through song and comedy and after a while, a few white Americans begin to feel comfortable doing the same.

Believe me, I am aware that there are still plenty of individuals both black and white who are true racists.

Maybe there will come a day when these nicknames will carry no weight or meaning to either sides of the races, or they will simply be eliminated from humanity's vocabulary. For now, we must understand that these jokes or slurs do matter and do cause hurt and resentment.

We need to remember that you don't just erase the feelings embedded in another person's heart. Whether it be love or hate, it is up to the person who owns these feelings to come to terms with them.

So, where do we begin?

Well, to begin with, my wife and I have chosen to at least make a contribution to the future.

We have chosen to sow the seeds of equality in our children.

Both my wife and I, grew up in the south where racial slurs were as common place as "howdy y'all" among some of our adult relatives. Though, for the most part, I don't recall a family member of mine being cruel or malicious to any person of a different race or ethnic background.

As I became an adult, I learned to detest racial jokes and slurs. After growing up impoverished, I recall the hurt and shame I felt when others looked upon my family differently because of how and where we lived.

As a lot of you probably know, children can sometimes be quite cruel when you are a child who looks or lives differently than the majority. Going through adolescence was tough enough without being ridiculed for the clothes we wore or the fact that we had to accept free school lunches.

We may not be able to absolutely change the hearts and minds of the adults who feel differently toward others of another race, but if you are a person who is not a racist and wants to make a difference, a good place to start is with your children.

Our children have never heard racist remarks in our home and if a visitor were to attempt to talk in this manner, they would promptly be corrected.

If we teach our children to accept their peers as equals regardless of race, sex or financial status, then maybe we can raise a generation where situations like the one with Don Imus are a thing for the history books.

As far as those of us in the current adult world, I believe we should not accept this behavior or language from anyone white, black, oriental or otherwise.

If we wish our seeds of equality to develop strong roots, then we need to protest an African American's jokes and slurs with the same passion as we do a white person.

We can't erase what was said by Don Imus or the hurt caused by his remarks, but from all negatives, a positive can be found if we just look closely with an open heart.

The Civil Rights movement was littered with pain and sacrifice so that many freedoms could be experienced by future generations. It is my hope that we find a way from this current situation and others like it, to take yet another positive step forward.

Gift:

"Do unto others as you would have done unto you, or treat your neighbor the way you want to be treated, or... well, you know what hurts another person, so do the right thing and begin now sowing the seeds to make sure our children do not have to continue this dialog generations from now."

God bless

YOU ARE AN AMERICAN IDOL

I hope all of you had a blessed Easter holiday. 

For the past 3 years, I have followed the show, American Idol. Like a lot of you, I enjoy a great sense of personal power and satisfaction in the fact that I get to take part in lifting a certain individual or individuals to a position of stardom.

I'm amazed at how it seems as though it is almost human nature for the many to want to lift-up the few to heights of greatness.

You can ask every successful person and they will tell you that they had plenty of helping hands and cheerleaders along the path to achieving their success.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself; "That's great and you're probably right, but how does this help me? No one's gonna want to lift ordinary Ole me to great heights of success."

Believe it or not, you too can enlist the help of the masses to rise-up.

If you would like to recruit others to help you achieve success, you must first emanate these three characteristics:

- Know exactly what you want and where you are going.            

- Maintain a steady flow of thoughts, words and actions toward the outcome your desire.

- And don't be afraid to ask for all the help you need.

Remember, the world steps aside and lets pass, the person who knows where he or she is going.

Even on American Idol when it comes time to vote, you will see the contestants hold up the amount of fingers that represent their number for the night. They are asking for your vote!

Last week on Joel olsteen's show, he spoke of how a lot of us tend to undervalue ourselves and therefore, fail to give ourselves permission to succeed. This is why we don't allow or ask others to lift us onto their shoulders. We think we're not worthy and so we remain a part of the masses, existing only to  lift others.

We all enjoy to some degree, the ability or the power to lift others up to greatness. The question now, is are you going to take your turn?

If you know what you want and where you're going, if your desire shows in your thoughts, words and actions and if you will simply ask; we will lift you onto our shoulders and make you an "American idol".

A gift:

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

William Jennings Bryan

God bless

FORMER CNN ANCHOR DARYN KAGAN'S "GOOD NEWS" WEBSITE

Absolutely refreshing! I just read in the April 9, 2007 issue of U.S. News & World Report (Washington Whispers section) about former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan and her website, where the main focus is on reporting the "good news" that's happening in the world instead of the bad.

I realize that I may very well be the last person to find this news, but after going to the site, I became motivated to share this information just in case there may be others like me who haven't found the place yet.

Sites like Kagan's helps to show that humanity is not totally without hope. If you watch enough news on the regular networks, you might begin to feel at times, as if the world is in total chaos. It's refreshing to have a place where we can go to get "the rest of the story", as Paul Harvey would say.

As much as I like watching the news, I have at times, gone as many as 4 or 5 days without watching, just to give my positive mental attitude a chance to recharge. It's obvious from Kagan's site, that there are just as many positive, up-lifting stories going on around the world, as there are stories of violence, crime and just plain hate.

I'm not suggesting that any of us stick our heads in the sand and ignore the truth, I would just appreciate a little more balance in the news reporting.

It's one thing to keep informed, but when you allow your mind to be constantly bombarded with negativity, you will find that you can tend to feel a sense of gloom and mental exhaustion. The stories reported by Kagan are just as relevant and news-worthy as the those reported elsewhere. Check out the site and take advantage of the opportunity to create a little balance in your life.

During the 1st Iraq war, studies showed that a large percentage of Americans were experiencing an unusually high level of stress, as well as, reporting more cases of depression than before the war. Now, you would figure that this would be normal. It is after all, a war.

The thing they found really interesting, was that the level of stress among individual households seemed to be higher than in previous wars. It was decided, that the reason for this, was a constant dose of the television, where as I recall, you could watch the war 24/7. In previous wars, a constant visual play by play was not as common as it is now.

We were all glued to the tube pretty much every waking hour and in most cases, even at our jobs. The point I'm trying to make, is how constantly absorbing bad news can cause a negative effect on your mental, physical and spiritual well-being.

It's hard to maintain any sort of positive inspiration when you constantly view the negative side of humanity. The purpose of this blog, for example, is to provide at least some relief and there are obviously other choices as well. It's hard I know, but we need to try to develop some balance.

Gift:

You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts.

Brian Tracy

God bless

 

HERE'S SOMETHING FOR YOUR FUNNYBONE

1> THE DEVIL WENT TO CHURCH<1

My wife shared this joke with me and I thought it might kick-start a smile for your day.

One Sunday morning, everyone in a bright, beautiful, tiny
town got up early and went to the local church. Before the
services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews
and talking about their lives, their families, etc.

Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church.
Everyone started screaming and running for the front
entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get
away from evil incarnate.

Soon everyone was evacuated from the church, except for one
elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew, not moving,
seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy
was in his presence. Now this confused Satan a bit, so he
walked up to the man and said, "Don't you know who I am?"

The man replied, "Yep, sure do."

Satan asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Nope, sure ain't," said the man.

Satan was a little perturbed at this and queried, "Why
aren't you afraid of me?"

The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for
over 48 years."

By:  Milton Freund

Quote:

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.

Victor Borge

THE "SIMON COWELL" PRINCIPAL

I appreciate your e-mails in response to my "scolding" by the grammar teacher. She did, however, inform me that she is actually not a teacher at all, but someone who just appreciates good grammar. I can respect that.

Though your e-mails were intended to show support for me by showing your aggravation with her, I would like us all to pause for a moment and ask ourselves this question:

"Do we want the truth or not!?

Most people say they want the truth, but they don't. We demand the truth from our government. We expect the truth from those with whom we share an intimate relationship. We teach our kids to tell the truth even when they may still be punished as a result.

Yes, we want the truth, but only if it doesn't offend us or cause us to face a fact that we would rather ignore.

I watch the show American Idol and I personally, love what Simon Cowell does. At first glance, I know a lot of people think he's being mean-spirited, but he's not. He's just being honest.

After spending 20 years in the entertainment business, I can appreciate what Simon is doing. I've seen quite a few tone-deaf individuals make the trip to Nashville, because their friends and family didn't want to hurt their feelings by telling them they couldn't sing.

Now, the pawn shops are full of instruments that were traded for enough cash to get back home after they spent 4 or 5 years denying the truth they found in every record label office on Music Row.

We all agree with Simon's assessment of an individual that obviously cannot sing, but we can't help, but to think to ourselves; "Does he have to be so brutal?"

It just sounds brutal because we're not used to hearing that kind of blatant honesty. You see, most of the time we ask for someone to give their honest opinion, when what we really want is for them to be polite and tell us what we want to hear.

Why shouldn't Simon just say it like it is. After all, isn't he qualified?

In case you were not aware, Simon is a 20-year veteran of the music industry. He is an executive with SonyBMG Records and has helped to shape the modern pop music industry. Over the last 15 years, his acts have achieved sales of more than 100 million albums, and he has had over 70 No. 1 records.

Now, wouldn't you agree that his honest opinion is qualified?

I want you to really ask yourself; "Do I really, really, want other people's honesty?"

I for one, want you to be honest with me. If I have a booger on my nose, don't worry about embarrassing me; just tell me discreetly to get it off. I assure you that I'll be a whole lot more embarrassed should I discover the booger after leaving a social gathering.

What I really appreciate, is the person who's honest and yet, offers an alternative or a solution. This is what our grammar teacher (who's not really a grammar teacher) has done for me.

She was honest by pointing to my mistakes, but she then, offered corrections.

I'm not saying that you have to change course every time someone gives an honest opinion; I'm just saying that if you ask for the truth, don't get upset.

Wouldn't you rather know if your dress is partially tucked into your pantyhose when you leave a public restroom?

Wouldn't you rather know if your blog has unacceptable mistakes? Or, that your breath smells bad?

Of course, in the case of you telling someone their breath stinks, it would be nice if you had a mint to offer at the same time. This will help to ease the sting of your honesty.

Bill O'Reilly has the "No Spin Zone", so from now on, we'll consider this blog to be the "Straight-up Zone".

I don't mean that we have to pick-apart each other's every little mistake or flaw, but if we ask each other for the truth, it will be because we really want and will appreciate the honesty. What do you say? Are you with me?

Let us remember that we are here to lift each other up and to enjoy the company of those of like-minds.

If we truly aspire to personal growth, then we are going to have to change the way we look at the truth. Learn to love other people's honesty. Embrace it, as it may save you immediate embarrassment, years on the wrong path, or it may simply make you a little wiser.

Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders, than from the arguments of its opposers.

William Penn

God bless