It’s been a tradition in our family for as long as I can remember, that when you see the first star of the night, you make a wish. This wish is to be kept secret and is not to be shared with everyone, otherwise, you wouldn’t get the wish.

The same thing happens on birthdays. You know how this works! You bake a cake, put some candles on the top, light the candles and tell your child to make a “what?” You tell them to make a wish and blow out the candles!

People make a wish as they blow the seed flurries from a dandelion.

Some people make wishes every time they see a falling star. My wife taught me one that I encourage every man to take advantage of…..with every tunnel you pass through, give your wife a kiss, and of course , make a wish.

There are a ton of examples out there and everyone has their own special “Make a Wish” traditions. These traditions are passed from generation to generation as if they were of some unknown or astronomical value. Heirlooms worth thousands and thousands of dollars get sold off before “Make a Wish” traditions are dropped or forgotten.

So what’s the big deal? Why do we teach our children and grand children these things? Why is it so important?

It’s simple…..We are teaching our children to NEVER… STOP… DREAMING!

Every one of us were born into this world, curious, inquisitive and ingrained with the natural ability to dream and create. We, as adults, play a very small roll in keeping these types of traditions alive. Once you teach a child how to dream and wish, with every opportunity to do so, they will make that wish. They will continue to dream. Children keep the dreams in all of us alive and well. You can’t look at a child without wondering what they will create in their lifetime, who they will be and what they will become.

I’ve seen situations in which parents destroy this very important attribute in children with their negativity and lack of compassion. Instead of encouragement, they give disappointment and despair. To look into a child’s eyes after they have been informed that their dreams will never come true is one of the most heart breaking occurrences. I wouldn’t wish that upon any child or their parents. Yet I’ve seen it happen. It’s sad and pathetic.

That’s what happens when a tattered, broken soul meets a naive, dreaming soul. So many people can make that transition. One bad experience or one failure can cause someone to stop dreaming…to stop making those wishes. In being a creature of habit, instead of keeping the habit of dreaming alive, they adopt the habit of disappointment and attempt to ingrain that habit into every person they come into contact with…and that includes children.

If our children stop dreaming, what kind of a future could we possibly build? What kind of a future could we build if we stop dreaming?

I encourage you to not only keep these traditions alive and well in your families, and also in your life. Whenever you see a falling star, blow out your birthday candles, blow the seeds from a dandelion, see the first star of the night or pass through a tunnel, make a wish. Start your dreams right there, and then follow through with the necessary actions to bring them to reality. A wish is just a wish without action. It’s better to have dreamed and failed to accomplish that dream than to have never dreamed at all.

Never stop dreaming!

What do you do when the only time you have to exercise is at five in the morning and your body just doesn’t want to get out of bed? Or what do you do when the daily grind seems to be taking you one direction when your goals are supposed to take you another?

Is it possible to hit the pause button, and while the movie is on pause, change it to a completely different movie? Can such a drastic change happen for regular ole Janes and Joes? Can you wake up Clark, and like in the movies, still turn into Superman at will?

Can you just start living the life you want and become who you want? Just like that?

Well, I don’t know if you can or not. That’s something that is between you and yourself. Do you actually listen to that little voice inside that is telling you all you are capable of, or do you just roll with the punches and take what life brings your way?

For me, the way I do it, is with a simple phrase I learned long ago called “Be, Do, Have.”

For those of you who know what that means, I sure hope you’re living it. BE the person you want to be, DO the things that person would do and then you will HAVE the things that person has. The part that most people struggle with is always the beginning….the BE.

So at five in the morning, when the alarm clock goes off, do I reset it for seven, or can I BE the person I want to be. Honestly, that’s the secret for me. That’s exactly how I do it. It’s just a word, I know…but I repeat the word in my head when I hear that little voice inside. That voice just gets louder and louder, repeating the be, Be, BEEEEE….until I start to DO. At that point, with some consistency in Being and Doing, I will Have the health and strength I want for myself.

So it’s a good idea to scream it if you have to. Do what it takes. Be, Be, BE!

I think I’m going to create my own clothing line and put a logo on it that says, “Entrepreneur for Life.” Not only will it give me a little boost in my step, it will educate people about who I am and help them to understand why I do the things I do. So the next time someone asks what I do for a living, I’ll tell them and possibly share a little of what I see for my future. Maybe, just maybe, if I am wearing my shirt that bears “Entrepreneur for Life,” they’ll get the big picture.

It’s actually pretty funny to see the look I get when I tell someone of an idea I am having. They look at me like I’m crazy and proceed to tell me that it won’t happen.You know, because they are an expert. I think the reasoning behind it is the fact that they just don’t understand why I can’t just be normal. Why can’t I just get a job like everyone else they know. I am so weird to them. To them, it takes too much energy to do what I do.

After the first few times of being lectured about how things can’t be done, I started to make a game out of telling people about my ideas, just to see what kind of a reaction I could get. It’s actually pretty fun. You should try it…often…and where possible, capture it on video. I’d like to watch it because chances are, you’ll get the same reaction I always do. Only a few people in my life actually get excited for me when I share my vision for my future.

I remember specifically, the other day I told someone about my future goals as an entrepreneur…dead silence. Not even an acknowledgment! And lately, whenever that happens, I know I am on the right course. It just motivates me and should do the same for you, knowing that you are definitely “outside the box” they are currently living in.

Now I don’t know about you, but it seems like when I am the most comfortable, the less control I have of my life. As entrepreneurs, we do the things that most people won’t, so that later, we can live a life that most people can’t.

I’m excited to be on this journey with all of you! Entrepreneur for life baby!

“Live today as if it’s already tomorrow!” Lately, this is a motto I have come to know well in my life. Basically, if it’s today, yesterday is already gone. You can’t change it, alter it or get it back. What’s done is done…or on the other hand, what’s not done is just a missed opportunity. It’s gone! So seriously, live today as though you will never have today again…and the crazy thing is, you won’t ever have it again. I know….deep right!?

My point is simple. Yesterday, I listened in on a conversation my wife was having, and it was the most motivating conversation I have ever heard. It brought tears to my eyes to sit there and listen to this man pour out a life of regret. He had spent his life striving to live the dream, business venture after business venture. He started out in the Glass Industry. Instead of running his business, his business ran him. His paperwork kept him at the office into the late hours of the night. He rarely saw his family. Then one day, he decided to build a shop behind his house and his daughter said, “Mommy, I’m so happy that Daddy is building his house so close to our house because we can go visit him now.”

He went on to say that the big house, the nice cars, the huge successful business, the glory and the fame just don’t matter. Looking back on his life now, he realizes that he was never there. The words “I wish I would have” rolled off his tongue as he spoke of his children. He wishes he would have been around more when they were little. That’s all that matters to him now, and now he is full of regret. He can never get that time back.

To me, to hear stories like this, is very, very depressing….yet at the same time, extremely motivating! I don’t ever want to say, “I wish I would have.” Ever! I don’t want to be the guy with 20/20 hindsight. I want to be the guy who lives today as if there is no tomorrow…..and so I do. If I have  and idea or a gumption, I act on it. I don’t wait. Waiting is a waste of time and besides, what are you waiting for? A better time? There will never be a better time in the history of YOU, to act on your dreams.

So just don’t. Don’t be the guy that says “I wish I had!” Don’t live a life of regrets. Don’t put off your dreams for anything. And yes, that includes the lack of knowledge on how to achieve your dreams. That’s no excuse. Live a full and fulfilling life. Every moment counts!

How good is your vision? I mean, how far can you really see? Well, the answer to those questions depend on your vision, right? The stronger your eyes, the better you see. It’s a fact. So if I asked you how far you could see, depending on where you are standing the answer would vary. If you were standing in a building, your answer you be “to that wall over there.” If you were standing on the edge of a cliff or a mountain peak, you could literally see for miles and only the curvature of the earth could keep you from seeing farther.

Now most of us can see pretty good with our physical eyes, some better than others. They are what we use to see all that is happening in the here and now. They show us present events. The things right in front of us. Depending on the health of these eyes, these present objects and events can be completely blurry, kind of fuzzy or completely clear. Using glasses, contacts and corrective surgery, we can improve our vision and see more clearly. These eyes have a purpose.

Now, if you plan on making any progress in life or creating any degree of success, you must learn how to use your physical eyes as well as your “other” eyes! We have many different eyes…the eyes of the past are our memories. We can always gaze into our past just as far as we can remember….and there’s a purpose for that. Through these eyes we learn from our mistakes. Hind sight is always 20/20.

The third set of eyes are more abstract. These are the eyes that sense, feel, dream and create. These are the eyes upon which all progress lies. Through these eyes, we can see further than the curvature of the earth or the farthest Galaxy. Through these eyes we can see things that have yet to be created or which don’t even exist. These are the eyes that know, regardless of physical sight, who we are going to become tomorrow, or a year from now. It has always worked that way.

So many people have it backwards. What you see right in front of you should NEVER, and I say NEVER, influence what you have already envisioned to for yourself. So many people live their lives being influenced solely by the present. They move from one job to the next, making zero progress in their lives, and have not learned to use their “other” eyes. They just haven’t exercised them enough to know how to use them. So they keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, because they can’t see farther than that. They can only see as far as their circumstances allow them to. It’s like being in a building, only being able to see to the wall in front, not knowing about the endless universes outside. If these “other” eyes of ours aren’t ever used….they’re going to be blurry.

Just as we can nurture and strengthen our physical eyes to see better in the present, we can also nurture and strengthen our other eyes, and I say “other” because I don’t know any single word that can define their purpose. That exercise is self education, personal development and self mastery. We must realize our true potential and it is then and only then will we realize how far we can really see. It’s an amazing thing and the boundaries are endless.

The power of the human mind is beyond comprehension, if we but learn how to use it. It is the greatest tool on the earth today with the most potential….and combined with the soul, is beyond this world. We were created for a purpose and that purpose is to realize our full potential and to fulfill the measure of that creation to is greatest.

All I can say is think bigger. If you have an idea, see how far you can take it. Push it until you think you have reached your limitations…..and once there, push it just a little farther. You’ll be completely surprised and also extremely impressed with how things turn out. You have an endless amount of potential within you. All you have to do is open your eyes and have the vision to see it. It’s right there and it always has been. You just have to open your “other” eyes a bit more in order to see it. So don’t just think big…..think much, much bigger.