WHAT DREAMS ARE YOU WORKING TOWARDS???

We all need to look forward to the future. In ten days I will be living a huge dream of mine by touring Italy with my amazing wife. From the canals of Venice to the art-covered Florence to picturesque Cinque Terre to the leaning tower of Pisa to majestic Rome. I have been looking forward to this trip for two years. During difficult moments, I have thought of the great times I will have in Italy. One thing that allowed me to endure through the difficulties and the disappointment is looking forward to the future I was creating . I promised my wife and myself that we would go to Italy when I hit Hall of Fame. The hard work has paid off. The long days were worth it. I hit my goal. I am glad I took the necessary sacrifices.

Are you making the necessary sacrifices today so you can live the life of your dreams? Are you putting in the work today so you can see your dreams come to fruition? Are you doing what’s necessary in order to live the life you have always wanted? One great way to make sure we do these things is not to just have goals to hit, but dreams to accomplish. Not just any ordinary dreams. Big dreams. What are your big dreams? Go to Italy. Tour Paris. See the pyramids. Walk the Great Wall. Visit ancient ruins. See Stonehenge. Dream big dreams and tie them into your current goals. I wanted to hit Hall of Fame, and I really wanted to go to Italy. Tie your goals into your dreams together.

I have accomplished more dreams in the past three years than in the summation of the previous years I was on this planet. I took three steps to accomplish this. First, I wrote down my dreams. All of them. I now have more than three hundred dreams in twelve different categories. What are your dreams? Second, I tied my dreams into my goals. I looked at my dreams and figured which of them I could accomplish in a certain period of time if I worked hard and overcame the obstacles. Because of this I have taken fourteen vacations in the past three years. I tied my vacation dreams (and many other types of dreams) into my goals. Have you written down your dreams? Third, I looked at my dreams and my goals often. So often we get discouraged. So often we get sidetracked. Keep your goals in front of you. Keep your dreams in front of you. Let your dreams encourage you to persist. Let your dreams help you to endure. Don’t let distractions affect your resolve and your effort.

I hope you realize you can change your life. Realize the fact that you can live the life of your dreams. Start today. Intertwine your goals and your dreams. We should all have dreams we are reaching for so when we run into difficulty, we can look toward the future. At times, it seemed like my dreams wouldn’t come true. At times, it seemed like I wouldn’t hit my big goals. I sometimes doubted myself. I doubted my abilities. But I never doubted my resolve. I never doubted my passion for my dreams. I never doubted the fact that I could change my life. Dream big dreams. Write them down. Keep them with you. Tie a bond so strong between your goals and your dreams that no matter what obstacles get in your way, they will never break through. Create the life of your dreams. God Bless You.

DARE MIGHTY THINGS

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” Don’t hold back on life. Don’t wait until the opportunity presents itself. I heard somebody call recession “a time of opportunity.” Some are taking this opportunity to save money, to work hard, to gain skills and knowledge, and to look forward to the future while creating a solid foundation. Others are just hoping times will improve. Don’t just hope. Do something about the situation!

Those who just hope for things to get better are those who “live in the gray twilight.” They sit around hoping for their surroundings to improve. They hope for the economy to improve. They wait until the phone rings. Those who are on the path to success don’t care what the economy is doing; they work hard and improve themselves either way. They create their future. Even though their lives are “checkered with failure,” they “dare mighty things” and eventually “win glorious triumphs.”

What kind of a person are you? Do you sit around hoping taxes will go down and the economy will improve? The great business philosopher Jim Rohn talks about when he was young, he used to say, “Things are too expensive.” His mentor responded, “Things are not too expensive, you just can’t afford them.” Up until then, Jim hoped the economy would get better and that prices would go down. Once he realized things weren’t too expensive, and the fact that he couldn’t afford them, he started working on himself instead of complaining about the economy. We can’t change the economy but we can have a major impact on our own lives!

I hope you start working on yourself and not worry about what the state of the economy is. Yes, we should know what is going on in our nation, but we cannot let that deter us from creating the life of our dreams. The great basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Don’t let making a living interfere with making a life.” If your main focus is simply making a living, that’s all you will do, you’ll just survive. If you are focused on creating the life of your dreams and work hard towards that, your dreams will come true. What are you focused on? What dreams drive you? Are you willing to put in the work to live the life of your dreams? Are you going to focus on what you can affect or are you going to complain about the economy? Let others complain while you take action. Let others whine while you work hard. Let others gripe about their lives while you are living a great life. Create the life of your dreams. Create the life you want. “Dare mighty things”. Understand your life will be “checkered with failures.” Then “win glorious triumphs.” Create the life of your dreams. God Bless You!

TODAY'S LABOR CREATES TOMORROW'S FRUIT

What are you doing today to create the future of your dreams? There are many people out there who hope their lives will improve, not realizing they need to go out there and change their own lives. If we want to have a great future, we need to create a great day today. We need to go out into the world and create our dreams. We can’t just hope for our dreams to come true. We must take the initiative in our lives. We must take action in our lives. We cannot wait for tomorrow. Today is what’s important. Create a great day today.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The future depends on what we do in the present.” If you don’t take care of today, you can’t expect tomorrow to be great. If you haven’t taken care of your past, you shouldn’t be baffled as to why you aren’t living the life you want to live today. Many people say they will wait until tomorrow. They say they will wait until the perfect time. They say they will wait until the time is right. Those who are successful create the right time to act, while those who are unsuccessful are waiting for the right time to happen.

Become a person who creates the right time to act. Become a person who will take action when others won’t. Become a person who doesn’t procrastinate. Become a person who takes the necessary actions today instead of waiting until tomorrow. Become a person who is resilient despite the difficulties in life. Become a person who is perseverant. We can’t truly expect to live the lives of our dreams if we wait until tomorrow to act upon what is necessary.

I hope you take action today. Become a person who is in constant pursuit of your dreams. Your dreams wait until you take the necessary amount of action. They won’t appear out of nowhere. Action must come first. Nothing great was ever accomplished without action. Nothing great was built without action. You cannot become a person of greatness without action. You cannot live the life of your dreams if you don’t take action. It is hard to read that last sentence, but it is true. You will not live the life of your dreams if you don’t actively pursue those dreams. Pursue your dreams. Take action today. Do what is necessary. Soon enough, with enough action and perseverance, you will be enjoy the fruits of your labor in the land of your dreams.

LIVE YOUR DREAMS

It is possible to live your dreams. It is possible to achieve goals we set for ourselves. It is possible to design, create, and live an extraordinary life. A couple of years ago, I heard an extremely successful businessman say something that absolutely changed my viewpoint on life. He said, “If I can do it, so can you. If I can do it, there is no reason you can’t do it.” I took this idea to heart. I started dreaming more. I started planning my dreams. I started taking action towards my dreams. I was more resilient along the path. I didn’t let the obstacles stop me. Obstacles can slow you down, but only you can let them permanently stop you.

I have also heard people say, “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” This is only partially true. People hear others say this and think they can just close their eyes, meditate really hard, and become successful. They find really quickly this doesn’t work. The saying should be: “If you put your mind to a goal, commit to the action necessary, and endure through the obstacles, you can accomplish it.”

If somebody accomplishes something great, there is no reason you can’t. If others can live their dreams, why can’t you? Most people in our society stop dreaming in their twenties. They get out into the real world and they lose sight of their dreams. They settle for a job they don’t really want and forget about the big goals they had set for life. Yesterday I saw a friend I haven’t talked to in a year and he informed me he was going to try out for the pro golf tour! He isn’t only putting his mind to it. He is ready to take action, and endure through the obstacles. He told me he is going after his dreams! Are you?

Are you really chasing your dreams or are you just hoping good things will happen to you? Most people just hope their lives will improve. People don’t realize they need to create their dreams if they want their dreams to come true. The government won’t create your dreams. Your parents, teachers, managers, and friends care about you, but they won’t create your dreams. You have to design and create a great life. You have to set the goals and commit to the action. You have to be resilient no matter what obstacles you face. That is how you become successful. That is how you live a great life. That is how you live the life of your dreams.

I hope you realize if others can live their dreams, you can too. I hope you don’t just put your mind to what you want to achieve, but commit to the action necessary and be resilient through the obstacles. Life is about creating your dreams, not just hoping they will come true. Others won’t do it for you; you have to do it for yourself. The good news: if others can do it, you can too. You have to put in the work. What are your dreams? Two days ago, I achieved one of my big dreams by hitting Hall of Fame ($500,000 in personal career sales). If I can achieve and live my dreams, you can too! Commit to creating your dreams; put in the work necessary to live your dreams; be resilient along the path to your dreams; and soon enough, you will be living the life of your dreams! God Bless You and Your Dreams!

STRIVING FOR THE IMPROBABLE INSTEAD OF SETTLING FOR WHAT'S EASY

Too often we seek what is easy instead of what will make us grow. I was reading Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly last night and this quote stuck out at me: “Let us not seek what is easy. Let us seek what is possible.” There are so many people who just seek what is easy. They want the easy answers, the easy road, the easy diet, the easy workout, the easy way out, the easy way to the top, and the easy lifestyle.

Instead of aiming for what’s easy, shoot for what’s possible. The question becomes: what is possible in my life? How great can you become? What can you accomplish in your short life? How much can you give back to your community? What dreams could you achieve if you truly put your mind to them?

We have to stop looking for what’s easy and start searching for what’s possible. Here is a tip: possible and probable shouldn’t go in the same sentence. If something is possible, yet it is probable, there is something bigger you can shoot for. If your goal is to sell $1000 and it is extremely probable, it becomes easy. It is possible, but it is easy. Raise your standards. Raise your goal. Shoot higher. True achievement doesn’t come from achieving what’s probable, but by reaching inside yourself and achieving something that was once improbable.

Landing on the moon was once improbable. Running a four-minute mile was once improbable. Travelling the speed of sound was once improbable. Flying across the ocean was once improbable. Climbing mountains was once improbable. Think about it. Almost everything you do in your day-to-day life was at once time improbable. Driving your car. Talking on the phone. Riding a bike. Seeing clearly without glasses. Heating up food without fire. Watching television. The list goes on and on.

Don’t strive for what’s probable. Strive for what’s improbable. Strive for what’s possible. Stretch yourself. Create such a life that you are always growing and improving. As I look back on my short life, some of the moments I cherish most are those when I was forced to grow and forced to improve. Those times that I made myself uncomfortable in order to better my life. Those times that I was really stretching what I thought I was capable of. Those times that I set bigger goals than I had ever set before. Those times I dreamed bigger dreams that I had ever dreamt before.

I hope you strive for what’s possible instead of what’s probable. Nobody grows by hitting a goal that is probable. Nobody improves by seeking the easy way out. Growth comes through difficulty. True growth comes from reaching for the improbable. Lasting growth comes from setting big goals, committing to the work necessary to achieve those goals, and persevering through the difficulties along the way. Don’t settle for what’s easy. Reach for what’s improbable. Set big goals. Dream big dreams. Seek what is improbable along the path to your dreams.

DEVELOP YOUR OWN WILLINGNESS

Some of us find it hard to motivate ourselves. We drag our bodies out of bed in the morning. We go to work just to do activities, often without a real purpose. We go home and stuff ourselves until we hurt while sitting on the couch watching something we don’t even care to see. We hope others will motivate us. We hope a miracle will happen and we will be whisked away into the land of our dreams. We forget that we have to create our own dreams. We forget others cannot do it for us.

What is necessary to live the life of our dreams? Motivation is nice, but seldom necessary. Ask professional athletes if they were always motivated to put in the hours and hours of practice. Ask millionaires if they were always motivated to spend the extra hours at the office. Ask a mother if she is always motivated to be a great role model. The answer will be a resounding, “NO!”

What is it the answer? What makes these people effective and others ineffective? There are many different answers for each person. Some will say they want fame, some want power, some want recognition, some want money. What really matters is the willingness to do what’s necessary. It doesn’t matter what you are shooting towards, as long as you are willing to do what it takes to get there. The legends didn’t wait for somebody to come around and motivate them; they develop a willingness to work. The greats in the history books didn’t sit around hoping their dreams would come true; they took action.

Millions of people complain because they aren’t motivated. They say they aren’t successful because they aren’t motivated. If only they were motivated. If only somebody could come into their lives and show them the path. If only… If only… If only.

We need to be willing to take responsibility for ourselves and our own futures. We need to be willing to put in the work, whether we are motivated to work or not. We need to be willing to eat healthy and exercise. We need to be willing to listen to others in order to improve our relationships. We need to be willing to put aside a part of our earnings each month so we can become financially independent. There are many things we need to be willing to do…NONE of which require motivation.

I hope you develop a willing spirit. I hope you strive for personal growth. Some of us have been motivated in the past, but we cannot depend on others motivating us in the future. We need to develop a willingness to work. Then we need to take action. Act towards worthy goals. Act to create the life of your dreams. Commit fully to what you want to achieve. These are all important, but we first need to be willing to do them. Don’t wait for somebody to motivate you. Be willing to act. Be willing to dream. Be willing to set and achieve big goals. Be willing to commit to living an extraordinary life, and soon enough, you will be living the life of your dreams.

LIVE A GREAT LIFE

What are you doing with your one short life? Are you taking full advantage of everything you have been given? There are so many people in our society who simply drift by in life. They don't create their lives. They don't chase their dreams. All they do is hope. They hope their lives will improve but they do nothing about it. They hope for change to happen, but they don't realize for change to happen in your life, you have to create the change. We need to realize we can't accomplish what we want if we just sit around. We will never live the lives of our dreams if we wait for our dreams to come to us.

Life is best when you go out and live it. So many people sit on the couch every night, watching others on the television live their lives, forgetting to go out and live their own. I heard somebody say we need to save our money but spend our lives. Don't get to the end of your life with a bunch of life left. Many people save their lives, hoping something great will happen to them in the future, and never end up spending it. They save their lives, yet go out and spend their money. Switch this around. Save your money. Come up with an investment plan. Go out and spend your life. Live well. Live hard.

How do you want others to remember you? Write down five things you want to be known for. Hard working. Faithful. Honest. Trustworthy. Committed. Ask others five words that describe you. How are you doing? Maybe you think you are hard working and committed, but others see flaky and irresponsible. How can you change? What you do today has a huge impact on what you to tomorrow. What changes should you make today? Mahatma Gandhi said, "My life is my message." I challenge you to make your life your message.

I hope you take full advantage of this one short life. There is no second chance at life. There is no chance to re-do life. Once it's over, it's over. What do you want to be remembered for? Don't wait to live life. Almost three years ago, I decided to truly go after my life. I decided to make the necessary changes. I made a list of dreams I wanted to accomplish. I came up with a plan to accomplish those dreams. I put in the work necessary. I endured the obstacles and the difficult times. We all run into times of difficulty. Millard Fuller said, "It's not your blue blood, your pedigree or your college degree. It's what you do with your life that counts." What are you doing with your one short life? I challenge you to live a life of greatness. I challenge you to go out and create the life of your dreams. Don't wait for tomorrow to come. Start today. Plant the seeds today so you can reap the rewards in the future! God Bless You!