Does passion have anything to do with success? Now I’m not referring to the Lovey-Dovey kind of passion…I’m talking about the stuff that drives you. The ingredient that separates the people who just do average from the people that excel. Do you think it would benefit you to have passion for what you do, or at least for the end result you are doing it for?

The more prepared and passionate about the task at hand, the more perfect the outcome. In hindsight we can always recall the times we had the least passion and see the degraded results. We can also compare those to the times where we had the most passion and see the accelerated results.

So it’s obvious that the more passionate we are about something, the higher our chances are at succeeding or performing at a higher level. It will consume you until you accomplish your task. If you are passionate enough, you will be compelled to know everything there is to know about whatever it is you are passionate about. You will take the actions necessary, without thought of necessity, because it’s just the next step in moving you closer to your goal. Passion is like a fire lit within your soul that is not easily distinguished.

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire” ~Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch

“When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.” ~John Wesley

Or in other words, the more passion you have, the more people you will attract. In network marketing, that is exactly what you want.

“Life without passion would be a dull wasteland of neutrality, cut off and isolated from the richness of life itself.” ~Daniel Goleman

Life without passion is just mediocre. Live your life rich with passion. Let it flow into your life’s goals and when all is said and done, you will be able to say that you have done all you have set out to do. You will truly be able to experience the joy of a life well lived.

This weekend I went on a road trip to see some family. I had a little extra time while there so I decided to shoot some hoops across the street at a school playground. It was the perfect setting. There was a slight breeze, the sun was setting and the weather was great. Not only was it a great time for basketball, it was also a great time for reflection. Sunsets seem to do that. They get me all deep in thought.

Change Hindsight to Foresight

As I was there I started to reflect a bit on my actions in the past. I started to think about how passionate I have been in pursuing all that I have up until this point. I started to wonder if I truly am following my heart and what I really want for myself and my family.

While thinking of all that I have been able to accomplish, I started to realize and acknowledge that my passion for being the best in everything I have done has been mediocre in several areas. I realized that I could stick my neck out a little more, put in a little more effort and utilize my time a little better. The reflection of the past turned into a reflection of the present and my immediate future. “I am 32 years old. I have accomplished a lot…but am I doing it at the rate I want to and am I making a big enough difference in people’s lives?” These were my thoughts. By looking into my past I became more passionate about my future.

As long as we don’t constantly dwell on the past, I think a good self check is in order, a quick glimpse into the past to keep ourselves accountable for our actions. We must review our performance from time to time to make sure we are acting as though we think we are acting. But isn’t that so true? While in the present we always think we are doing all that we can and once we look back, we realize that we could have done more.

This is a classic example of hindsight…to perform the action and then realize later how it could have been done better. Of course, as our knowledge of what’s possible increases so does our hindsight. But, the same is true for our foresight. As our knowledge of what’s possible increases, we are better able to foresee a bit of the futures outcome.

Our past and future are connected by the present…and at the same time, separated by the present. Our past will NEVER dictate our future unless we allow it to, through our present. Meaning, the actions we take right now, and right now and right now, will determine the future and if those actions are the same actions we have always taken, then our past is dictating our future. Now, if the actions we have taken in the past are good actions, leading to a brighter future, then all is good. However, if those action are not good and lead us to a life of misery, unfulfillment and struggle, we must separate our past from our future by our present actions.

It sounds simple right? All someone has to do to get better results is change the present. This is where your hindsight becomes important. The entire purpose of studying history in school is to learn from the past so that we might avoid making the same mistakes as humanity. The entire purpose of self reflection is to learn so that YOU might avoid making the same personal mistakes, over and over again. If you haven’t learned anything from your past, what the heck are you living for. Grab a pen and piece of paper next time you reflect on your past results and become a student. Learn how to avoid repeating the mistakes of your past. Surprisingly, you’ll learn a lot more than you think, if you do it right.

But it’s also important to know, if you spend too much time studying the past, you will lose sight of the future. So learn from your past as you gaze on your future. Learn for your future. That’s the goal.

To sum things up: To change your actions in the present, become a better student of your history so that you can become a better YOU in the future.

One thing we have going for us as humans is our own ability to create something out of thin air. Especially when it comes to our time. We have the ability and resources to spend it in an array of ways. How we spend it has a direct reflection on our results in life. If someone isn’t getting their desired results in life, chances are, they just simple aren’t spending their time doing the things they must do to get the result. The hard part for people is knowing how to change the way they spend their time. It’s so easy not to change, right?

My point is….so many people have time working against them instead of for them. It seems that most people are in a hurry to die, to put it bluntly. The sooner they get off work the better, the quicker the day goes by the better, the faster the time goes by so that they can sit there on their couch, the better. Most people want time to fly by and in my experience, thinking of all the times that I wanted time to fly by, these were the times when I was most miserable. I was either at a job I hated, with someone I didn’t enjoy being with, terribly sick, in pain or just flat out sick and tired.

These were the moments in my life that I wanted my time to go faster. These were the times that I wanted to speed up time and literally get closer to my end. I wanted time to pass by faster, I wanted to waste that time just to spare myself of the misery I was experiencing at the moment. I wanted to get older, just by a small bit, so that I could move on with doing what I wanted to do and enjoyed doing. In doing so, I wasted a small section of my life…..a section that I will NEVER get back. Your TIME is your LIFE. It’s a simple concept….if you waste your time, you waste your life.

Don’t Waste Your Life

So let me ask you a question: Who in their right mind wants their life to pass by quicker? Who, having a sane mind, wants to die sooner? Because that’s basically what you’re doing when you spend your time doing what you can’t stand to do, hoping it passes by quicker. Now, fifteen minutes of time wasted at your job may not seem like you are wasting your life, but what is fifteen minutes multiplied by five or six days out of the week times 52 weeks in a year times the number of years you have been wasting 15 minutes a day. That adds up to a lot of wasted time, doing something you cannot stand to do. And if you are just working that job or business just for a paycheck and get no personal satisfaction or enjoyment from it, what are you doing?

So let me rephrase the question: Who in their right mind, who is following their passions in life, wants their life to pass by quicker? Who, having a sane mind and is living life to it’s fullest, wants to die sooner?

So how do you live life to it’s fullest or at least know you are? Here are a few questions for you:

• Is there something you have wanted to do for a while but haven’t taken the action?
• Do you feel like you should be doing something more with your life?
• Do you hate your job?
• Do you feel like you are just going through the motions just so the time will pass by?
• Do you find yourself thinking of all the great things you could have done in your life up to this point?

These are just a few questions and if you answered YES to any of them, chances are, you are not living your life to the fullest. My suggestion to you: Time is ticking, get to it!

Over the past few years this website has been found for people looking for a movie about a potato farmer. The term they are all searching for is “Potato Farmer Movie.” So I decided to look for this movie today. I stumbled across this YouTube video that definitely has a potato farmer in it and was fairly inspiring, so I thought I would do a blog post on it.

The one thing I found to be the most inspiring was the fact that this guy is 61 years old, wins this huge race in Australia, gets a check for $10,000 and gives the entire thing away to his competitors! So first off, age for some is only a mental state. Don’t ever think you are too old to follow your dreams and passions. It’s NEVER too late. I personally know people in their early 50’s that seem to think that this is their year to die. Secondly, he is thinking of others over himself. Everyone completed the race, not just him.

Enjoy the video!

The Potato Farmer Movie

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGFA2N0oS1Q[/youtube]

You have to wonder at times why the majority of the public thinks the way they do. This summer I took my family and my business down to Hawaii for two weeks, and yes, we had a blast! Thanks for asking. I can tell you about all the things we did while there in a different post. Well, we happened to be down in Kona for the day and before heading back to the resort, which was nearly 25 – 30 minutes away, we decided to stock up on a few necessities.

A buddy of mine wanted to find some more board shorts so while browsing through the clothes section, we ran across some t-shirts in Walmart. As I read the messages on these shirts, I realized that I absolutely had to take a picture of them. Now forgive me, my phone camera was obviously fogged up a bit when I took these. But I think you will get the point.

So it amazes me how people think. Negativity sells and it sells well! We all know why. Think about it. Is it more difficult to tick somebody off or to make them happy? Depending on the person, it’s generally easier to tick them off. That’s why negativity sells better. It’s just falling into the majority.

Now try on these shirts on for size: “Optimism can take you anywhere.” “Spreading smiles since 1994.” “Life is Good!” These t-shirts are awesome. I own several of them.

Now allow me to get a little scientific on you. A while back I attended a conference where I learned about how the environment effects water. Now that I think about it, I was also in Hawaii at the time. The presenter gave scientific proof that negative words, negative music or negativity in general had a negative effect on water crystals. So this guy would carry around a bottle of water with nothing but positive words written all over it. Now here’s why: He believed that if negativity was effecting the water as much as it was, then how would that effect him by drinking the water. Being that our bodies are made up mostly of water, it would effect us in the same way. So this guy wouldn’t drink anything unless it came from a bottle covered in his positive words. I did a post on it a while back if you’d like to check it out here: Water Crystals.

So, if it is scientifically proven that negativity has that much of an effect on water, what kind of an effect do you think negative t-shirts have on our bodies. We know the effect they have on our minds but most of us have probably never really thought that negativity could have a physical effect. Remind me sometime to tell you a little more about “Intelligences” that exist in almost everything. It may be beyond the realm of understanding for most people, but is as simple as the concept of what a cell is.

Just food for thought!

So, wear uplifting clothing. Don’t feed the beast of negativity by buying their crap! Literally.

From time to time I like to put the word out about new social sites I discover. Most of the sites I list on this blog are sites I am part of and have a common theme to that of what I share here on CreateFinancialWealth.com. The theme of this blog is Entrepreneurship, Personal Development and Lifestyle…..creating a better you. You will find the content here empowering, opinionated and useful in your journey as an entrepreneur.

PositiveAtmosphere.com

The other day I stumbled across a social site called PositiveAtmosphere.com. So far it only has a member base of around 650 people, but has potential. For the most part, the people I have been able to connect with are authentic in their reasons for creating a profile there and interactive as well. Taken straight from the site, “Positive Atmosphere is where positive people connect and empower.”

For those of you looking to find community, mastermind with others, share your insight or simply create traffic to your site, this is another great site for it. With an integrated blog, video and picture uploading and placement of links back to your site, PositiveAtmosphere.com has it. Drop by and be sure to connect with me as a friend while you’re there!

I am always looking for new, exciting and relative sites to check out. If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comment section. Thanks!