I would like you to fill in the blank as you say this sentence to yourself: I am _________ by the people in this world. Just fill in the blank with the first thing that comes to your mind. Don’t try to think it through, just do it as it comes in flow. The first thought that enters your mind is the one that fills the blank.

What did you put in there? Are you disgusted by people? Are you amazed, set back, motivated, threatened, deranged? Depending on your answer, this is a great way to determine whether you are being at cause or being the cause.

Now, let’s rephrase that sentence a bit: I am _________ by those I associate with everyday. I am _________ by my family members.

What did you put in those blanks? Whether good or not, listen to the words your mind places there. Sure the word may change from time to time depending on how you allow your circumstances to effect your mindset, but ultimately, you choose the word to fill in the blank.

I once heard a phrase that went something like: If you would like to see more kindness in the world, become kind. If you would like to see more success in the world, become wildly successful. Become exactly that which you would like to see in the world. Only then will the world, in your mind, become what you would like it to become!

For me, I am “inspired” by the people in this world. I am “inspired” and “motivated” by those I associate with everyday. I am “empowered” by my family members!

Have you ever heard of TOMS Shoes? Here is an example of someone that inspires me in this world. This guy decided that he was going to start a company that made shoes and for every pair of shoes that someone buys, a pair is also given to a child in need somewhere around the world. TOMS Shoes is an example of someone deciding to be “At Cause” instead of “the cause.” He is making a difference in the world with his idea.

Do you think that it was easy for Blake Mycoskie to start this company? Do you think everyone thought it was a great idea, to start a company that gave away shoes? If you have read any of my articles or blog posts, you will know the answer. He was laughed at! People thought he was crazy and foolish. There were nay-sayers. There were people who didn’t want him to succeed because they wanted him to stay just like them, “the cause.”

Blake is part of the 3% of people that achieve their dreams. My hats off to him and the thousands of others like him who passionately follow their goals regardless of fear or opposition. I am INSPIRED by the people that surround me! You should choose to be as well! Here is a link to their site.

http://www.tomsshoes.com/

Be part of the ones that make a difference. It’s very difficult to make a significant difference in the lives of those around while sitting in your cubicle at work all day. Become an Entrepreneur. Start a business that inspires you! I have…..and I teach others, who inspire me, how to do it as well!

Enjoy the video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt3BQQ6dQaQ[/youtube]

There’s a very common understanding floating around among the successful people of this world. It’s the fact that most of the decisions they have made and will continue to make are not the same decisions that the majority of people would make. They tend to stand out in a crowd because they are walking the opposite direction. While everyone else merely chooses to go with the flow, they choose to resist and make their own path.

Here’s some statistics that may shock you a bit. Less than 5% of the people of this world will live their dreams out. Less than 5% will accomplish their goals. So what are the other 95% of people doing? They are probably doing what everyone else is doing, or what everyone else says they should be doing. It just makes sense.

Here’s a question for you: When you hear of a success story, why is it always taking place in the middle of opposition or adversity? Any clue?

This analogy might paint a better picture for you.

Have you ever flown a kite? Please say yes, because if you said no, you missed out on an important part of childhood. What do you have to do to get the kite up in the air? First off, some wind is required. You can still kind of make a kite fly without it if you are sprinting while holding the string, but that’s no fun. The wind is the key to all flight. It’s called resistance. Kites fly their best going against the wind, not with it. It’s the resistance that makes them fly. A kite flying with the wind will just fizzle out and fall to the ground to be tossed to and fro. Against the wind, you can feel the power behind the string and it soars.

The same applies to you and I. If it is success you desire, first understand that if you could obtain it by making the same decisions as everyone around you, then everyone around you would be wildly successful. You must go against the flow. You must think differently. Resistance is a good thing on the climb to success. It builds you and gives you the wind necessary to fly. So if you announce to your friends and family that you intend on starting a business and they all tell you not to do it, know you are thinking and making decisions differently. You are on the path.

Don’t try to avoid resistance. It’s all part of the process and necessary for growth. Try this one on for size. We all know how successful Wal Mart is right? Well, they get sued a ridiculous amount. Is it because they are a horrible store? No! They are just wildly successful and everyone else who is not, can’t stand that fact. So they resist!

In my opinion, if you get something negative written about you on an internet forum from someone you have never met, get told that you will never succeed, placed an ad that didn’t work, wasted money with an idea, have been told you are crazy for starting that business or anything similar, you are doing something right!

If you ever find yourself in the majority, and your goal is to become wildly successful, you are doing something wrong. Making decisions, that are just like everyone elses decisions, lands you right where everyone else is. Choose to go against the flow a bit and see what happens!

Think back on your life to a period of time when you decided to wait for something. It may have been a business or a diet you were thinking about starting or maybe even a person you were thinking about asking out on a date. Whatever it might have been, why did you choose to wait? What was the main reason?

There are obviously different reasons for people wanting to wait ranging from fear of an unwanted result to self doubt. Basically, it all leads back to the one word which is an enemy to success, “Fear!” Fear of change, fear of success (It does exist) and fear of failure are the three major fears. Most people won’t even realize they have a fear of success or a fear of change. The big one is fear of failure.

Lesson: What do successful people do when faced with a BIG decision to make? They always choose to act. What do unsuccessful people do when faced with a BIG decision? They think about it, they decide halfheartedly, they make an excuse, they wait! Where does waiting get you in the overall picture of success? Allow me to show you….

The 7 Effects of Waiting

1. You may never stop waiting. If we measure success as if it were a journey, which it is, then someone who is waiting would still be considered “behind” the starting line. That would be the person who isn’t even on the journey to success. Now, I always thought that in order to win the race, you actually have to be on the track. Am I confused?
2. Your Confidence will fade. I learned a new word today, “Obnubilate”, which means to cloud or obscure. The longer you wait, the more clouded your vision gets. If it is a business you are waiting to start, due to indecision, your passion for wanting to start a business will begin to fade almost immediately.
3. Fear will increase. You’ve probably heard of the term, “Cold Feet!” Well, the longer you wait, the colder your feet will get. Why do you think salesman are so persistent? Those who are left to sit on a decision will probably remain sitting on that decision. If they’re sitting on it, obviously it’s not in front of their face and not a priority.
4. Expecting something for nothing will land you right where you are at. A wise man once said, “A bird waiting with mouth open wide for a worm to fall out of the sky might be waiting for a very long time!” Waiting only produces waiting, nothing more. If you expect your dream lifestyle to drop into your lap by waiting to make a decision to create your dream lifestyle, pull up your recliner, get out your TV remote and enjoy those soap operas as you are currently living the lifestyle of your choice, not your dreams. Your friend Wait has chosen this lifestyle for you.
5. If neglected and ignored, goals will fade and go away. If you have children or have ever been a child, you can relate to this example. What will your child think of you and of their importance in your life if when they ask you a question about something important to them and you keep telling them to “wait” because you are glued to American Idol or your computer game. If it is just once and for a brief moment, they will understand. But what happens if that “wait just a second honey” turns into an hour, or maybe happens all the time? What happens to your children? They will fade away, they won’t ask you very many questions anymore and may not even enjoy being around you because you have put them off! Why are your goals and aspirations any different than children? The more you wait, goals will disappear and become a fuzz of a memory because doing whatever you are doing and waiting is obviously more important. They will fade away!
6. The Opportunity may pass you by! I am looking for action takers. I look for people who can make decisions right out of the gate to get started. I don’t sit around waiting for someone that contacted me 6 months to maybe finally make a decision. I move on as does opportunity.
7. Waiting can become a habit. If someone takes 6 months to make a decision to get started in a business, how long will they wait before they choose to place their first ad or make their first call. It’s a ripple effect!

The time to act has and will always be NOW! It has never, ever been later, tomorrow, next week, or next month. How does waiting ever serve you? The only thing waiting ever does, is destroy your confidence. It is the tool of the unsuccessful and the excuse maker. Allow others to wait, but not you. Be a person of action. When faced with a decision to act or to wait, always choose to act.

For the next 30 days I am going to take a challenge to arise before the sun does. Why am I doing this? Well, there are multiple reasons.

First, I am a father of three girls all under the age of 8 and for the most part, the only “Me” time I get is early in the morning. I use this time to educate myself. I once read a quote by Mark Twain, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” If I am not learning, I am wasting my life away doing nothing. What good am I and what difference can I make in the world if I am not making a difference in my life. Educate yourself! Learn as much as you can. As you do, apply it and use it to serve and inspire others.

Second, there is a power spoken of in ancient scripture about arising early. I certainly don’t write all these blog posts just to write them. I do it to teach people what I have learned. Scriptures were written to teach wisdom. Amazingly enough, the principles taught thousands of years ago still work today, and may even be working better today than then. Just as I write, they have written, with the intent for others to read. Scripture reads, “Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.”

Third, I take a moment every morning to express my gratitude for all that I have and know. This is actually the first thing I do every morning. Unless I am grateful for what I currently have, I will never be blessed with more. As I take the time to think of all the abundance in my life, more abundance is added to it throughout the day.

Fourth, I set goals in the morning and come up with some of my best ideas. My mind is rested and fresh. Ideas just pour in like rain in the morning time. It is a self mastery period for me. Visualizing, goal setting, thinking of ways to improve, saying affirmations and setting courses of action for the day are a few of the things I do. For all you fisherman, remember, the big fish are always caught in the morning!

During this challenge I will think of 5 new ideas that will move me toward my goals, every morning. At the end of 30 days, I will have a ton of new ideas to work with, of which, many will already be put into action. I will have my journal on hand to keep record of these ideas as they come to me. I challenge each of you to do the same.

Think about the power that comes with arising early on your own terms. What I mean by, “your own terms,” is doing it not because you have to, but because you choose to. If you are employed and are compelled to get up before the sun does, wake up a little earlier on your own terms. Claim victory on your day instead of giving credit to someone else or doing it because you have to. It will change your outlook. I promise.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I love getting up early. I love it even more than sleeping in, but it can be hard, if you’re not in the habit of doing it. Once that habit is created, it is as easy as brushing your teeth every morning. So starting tomorrow, June the 6th 2009, I’ll beat the sun up.

If you’d like to take this challenge along with me, congratulations! Let me know your thoughts and experiences! See you in the morning!

Have I ever told you all how much I love what I do? Well, I do and here’s one of the many reasons why. Today, as Amy and I were driving our girls to swimming lessons, I told Amy of something I overheard my oldest daughter say. This last weekend, we had a huge family fishing trip. My brother and sister came up with their families and we had an absolute blast and caught a ton of fish. Well, as they were all leaving my home, my oldest daughter decided to tell everyone that we were moving to California.

I had no idea she was doing this. My sister was the first one to come up and ask if we were really moving to California. I said, “no,” and asked her why. She then told me that my oldest daughter had been spreading the news. So, on the way to swim lessons I told Amy what had happened and my oldest daughter overheard our conversation and decided to explain herself. She told me that we were moving to California. I said, “Well, maybe we could just go stay in California for a week. How’s that?” She said, “Nope! I have been meditating about it and we are going to move to California!”

Wow! I was entirely impressed with her. She is deciding her future by preplanning it in her mind. Now, I know that all kids dream about things. That’s just something kids do and they believe they can be and do anything. Well, that’s true! But she was actually visualizing what she wanted to happen and is completely convinced that it will.

It is cool to see the principles Amy and I use on a daily basis being picked up by our children. Visualization is something I do every morning, day and night. It is my planning time. It’s the only way that I or anyone else can see the future and my kids are learning this stuff. Sure, we attempt to teach them to the best of our abilities, but it is great to see them putting it to use.

Being involved in the Personal Development industry has been a blessing to Amy and I and to our entire family. It has influenced our children, our parents and siblings. If you think that improving yourself will only improve you….Think again! It will effect everyone around you, and by effecting them, it will effect many others in a positive way as well. So when they say, “Improve yourself, improve your world,” it’s true beyond comprehension.

Simply by improving myself, my bank account grows, my business flourishes and my family is strengthened. If you want to know the secret to my success, that’s it. Personal Development!

So the best way to make a difference, in not just your little world, but the entire globe, is by improving yourself. The rest will fall into place!

The other day I sat down to watch “Surf’s Up” with my kids and wanted to share a few clips of the movie with you that inspired me. Once again, if you really pay attention to the movies you watch, especially the animated movies, you’ll learn a principle or two that will inspire you.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssxcakbbU7c[/youtube]

What would happen to your results if everyday you told yourself that you are “The Best?”  I am the best! Say it once or twice right now as you are reading this post. I am the best! Doesn’t it make you feel more powerful already? It does for me. It gives me a little bit of a boost to make things happen.

“…never give up. Find a way ’cause that’s what winners do!” Winners don’t run into a snag, throw their hands up in the air and call it quits. Winners find a way to make it work regardless. Injury, failure, disappointment, criticism and anything else that can come up is just a speed bump on the highway of success. The road never ends and the winner never stops!