In the last post I covered success category #1, Self….and for a quick reference, here is a link to the 5 categories of success post. Today, I’d like to share a bit about the second category, Family. I am sure you have all heard the common phrase: No other success can compensate for failure in the home. Family is the very first organization a child is exposed to. It is the first source of education, principle and love. If correct principles are taught in the home, those principles will be carried out and practiced throughout relationships, business decisions and the life of that child. If those principles are not taught by parents, no other success experienced outside of that can compensate for it.

My greatest source of happiness, sense of belonging, fulfillment and sense of accomplishment stems from my family….my wife, my children, my parents and siblings. It’s my support structure. No where else on the planet can you duplicate the result, environment and feeling of having a successful family. As parents, we have a sacred duty to make sure correct principles are taught to our children. Many of the problems in the world stem from the deterioration of the family unit and lack of proper, initial education. It’s a proven fact that those who are raised in a family that teaches correct principles, are more likely to succeed.

Why do you think that so many people search for a feeling of belonging, or a community they can feel welcome in. It’s in our instinct. We want to be loved, included and supported.

Family is always first. Everything else comes second. If I am successful at home, my life flows well. If I am not, I stress.

Now this isn’t to say that someone cannot be a success if they have failed in the home. That’s not my point at all. Many successful people have come from or have created broken homes and relationships. An example is Abraham Lincoln. Given the circumstances in his time, he had a broken home and neglected his children, yet, he was extremely successful. But, all of the success he achieved for himself and this country will never compensate for the emptiness he causes in the lives of his family. And maybe that was a sacrifice he had to make……a divided home or a divided country. Which obligation is greater? Maybe he didn’t have to choose?

So my advice to you is to choose a career that brings you closer to your family, instead of tearing you apart. If you are faced with a decision to work more hours so that you can pay for that bigger boat or spend time with your kids, spend time with your kids. Teach them what their Mom and Dad value in life. Teach them correct principles of integrity, honesty, love, compassion, boldness, ethics and faith. They don’t learn these types of things in school. It’s up to the family to build that solid foundation correctly, before they send them out into the world. If we can do that as a country, as a world, this planet will become a better place to live.

Success isn’t a status, it’s a series of events, one right after the other, that go right. The success series for a child starts at home, within their family. It’s where the ball starts rolling, or doesn’t roll at all. Let’s make sure it starts!

In my eyes there are five main categories in which you can experience the greatest amount of success and in my opinion, should be the main points of focus. Being a religious person, it reminds me of a scripture, “Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy………let your soul delight in fatness.” In other words, invest your time, energy and money into something that is of worth and that brings value to your life and to the life of others. To me, true success comes from achieving things in all areas of your life. “Fatness”……meaning broad, wide, abundant, an overflow of…..not one skinny, narrow channel of success.

• Success Category #1: Self
• Success Category #2: Family
• Success Category #3: Spiritual
• Success Category #4: Financial
• Success Category #5: Recreational

If you notice, the name of each category gets larger and larger. Well, it’s pure coincidence. I didn’t plan it at all….but it does carry a degree of truth with it. Each category builds off the previous one, expanding success to a much larger spectrum of “fatness.” For better illustration, take a look at this success triangle. Now going from top to bottom, it all starts with you, your “Self.” As you get further down the triangle, your success expands, or the more success you experience.

As I said in the beginning, true success is an accumulation of several smaller successes spread across many different areas of your life. Financial success without personal success (Self) or recreational success without financial success just wouldn’t seem like much of a success at all. If you’ve ever felt like you are on top of the world, at the peek of your game, that is what I am speaking of. Instead of feeling like a gnat in the middle of an Arizona monsoon, true success is a time in your life when things are rolling for you and you feel like you are at the wheel of your life. You are in control!

During the next few posts I will expand on each category and how each one plays a vital role in the building blocks of success. Stay tuned!

We have all heard of the people that say their biggest desire in life is to live “The Simple Life.” Not much responsibility, worry or care, just simply them and what they love the most. Out of all they have experienced in life, their truest desire is to live simple, to get away from the hustle and bustle of the world.  That’s the simple life!

I think that living “the simple life” has different meanings for different people. I have personally had conversations with people that say their idea of a simple life is living like a hermit in the mountains without clocks, a schedule or even a wife. Just them, nature, maybe a dog and no where to be. The more common idea of living the simple life is to own a home in a suburb somewhere, have a few kids, a mortgage, a dog and a white picket fence.

I just asked my wife what her idea of a simple life would be and she said, “My idea of a simple life would be to live on the beach, in a hut with clothes made out of hemp, bathe in the ocean and just lay out all day!” I think her idea of the simple life wins the golden nugget for today! I wouldn’t think that hemp clothes would be that comfortable but obviously she is a beach bum at heart!

The word simple means, easy or not complicated. So the simple life is plainly a life that is easy, or not complicated. It is a life without much worry or stress, a life of simplicity. Although life can be complicated by nature, it is our choices that make it that way. We create our lifestyle. We either are the cause of our simple life or the cause of our miserable and complicated life.

My idea of the simple life involves a few key words. It involves financial freedom, so that the worries of bills, mortgages, rent, basic necessities of life, gas for my car or anything else that requires money will not be in my simple life. It involves complete time freedom. I mean the ability to choose for myself the schedule of the day, which is never set in stone and always subject to change. It involves service, the ability to give, teach and inspire those in need. It involves pursuing my hobbies and passions. It involves my family right along side me every step of the way.

That’s the simple life and in order to ensure that I have all those key elements in place, I have got to make key decisions right now that lead me closer to the simple life and the more I think about it, I am mostly there!

Know this, 9 out of 10 people who read this post will statistically NEVER reach their ideal lifestyle. They will never live their version of the simple life. Believe it or not but it’s true! Most people grow old wishing they had done things differently. They wish that had purchased that land or they wish they would have started that business. Your life can and will be just as you plan it to be if you choose to do so starting today. So tell me, are you hanging out with the nine……or are you the one?

So what do I do that most of the world does not? There are many levels of living your life. Some people make a living and some people live their life and there is an extreme difference between the two. One way of living involves the word “settling” and the other does not. Both involve choice! Not choosing to live is still choosing not to live. I can tell you, there are a lot more than just 3 things I do that most people don’t, but let’s name a few.

#1. Instead of only having 2 weeks paid vacation, I have over 3 months. In doing what I do, it doesn’t matter where I am in the world. As long as I have my laptop, a phone, and the internet, I am generating income. How many people do you personally know that can be on a beach in Cancun or in Rome with their family and still make thousands? It is a lot easier than you think! Do you really know what it is like to not remember what day it is. Monday or Saturday? It’s really the same thing to me. I always miss the holidays that most people treat as gold because they usually get the day off. Everyday is a weekend and everyday is independence day for me. I celebrate my independence from bondage!

#2. I eat breakfast with my kids on Monday mornings, and Tuesday mornings, and Wednesday Mornings, and Thursday mornings etc,. I have the privilege, that most people will never have, to sit and eat a bowl of Lucky Charms with my kids while listening to the soundtrack of “Surf’s up!” I don’t wake up in the mornings thinking of what work I have to do. I wake in the mornings thinking of how to enjoy my day. My kids wake me up. They are my alarm clock!

#3. I work 3 hours a day, Monday through Thursday! I work a total of 20 hours a week…..MAX! How many people have that kind of a work schedule and still make a huge income. Now, when I say a huge income, I really mean that. I mean, how else would I fund my 6 vacations that I plan on taking this year! How can I afford that kind of a lifestyle. Some may think of me as wealthy and I feel I haven’t even scratched the surface yet! What would you do with the rest of your day after only having a 3 hour work day? Finally enjoy your life, maybe?

Now you have been introduced to the concept of the 3 hour work day and a few of the things that I will never take for granted again. I love this business and what it has provided for my family and I. Everyone deserves to have these things in their life as well. It’s as simple as a choice….a choice to stop settling and to start living!

This last weekend we had a 2008 kick-off event out in Miami at the Deauville Hotel right on Miami beach. What an event. The morning of the event my buddy and I took a walk down to IHOP for a quick breakfast and on the way back noticed that the Miami Heat Dance team was there at the hotel. Now, what are the odds of being at the same hotel they were at. Not very likely right? Well, as the event started, the Miami Heat Dance team came out on stage and performed for our whole company. What a way to kick off an event. There was fire and all kinds off cool stuff.

These events are designed to train, teach, and give out awards to those who are having some phenominal results in their business. They announced the top seven income earners for the year of 2007. The top income earner in this business for 2007 was Wendy Stevens. Congratulations Wendy. You deserve it! She came in just shy of the one million dollar mark. I am sure that there were people nipping at her heals as well. What a great story she has as well. She was 90 days from losing her home, not living the life she wanted to live, and just made a simple choice to get started in this business and is now, in a few short years, a millionaire.

The only difference between you and I or you and Wendy, is a choice to get started, and a little bit of time. That is it. This business is creating millionaires guys. Don’t sit on the side lines and watch it pass you buy. Jump into the game and create some wealth for yourself and your family.