If anyone can tell me where this quote comes from, you are the winner. You win a blog post topic with a link back to your site. “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich.”

Seek ye wisdom before Riches

This is the way my brain understands this. Basically, if you want to become the ultimate YOU, meaning, if you want to progress as far as you possibly can in this life, seek ye wisdom. Wisdom has more value than riches. Riches are a bi-product of it, and in my opinion, a great way to gain more wisdom. Money is simply used as a tool to have more experiences….experiences of serving, giving, assisting, building, growing. Life is all about the experience of it. It’s not about how much stuff you can accumulate or having a home bigger than the next guy.

What is the definition of wisdom? It is: 1 – The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight, 2 – Common sense; good judgment, 3 – The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge.

I wasn’t really satisfied with those definitions so I looked a little further and found this one: the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight.

Wisdom is a combination of experience and knowledge used in a way that makes sense. The common sense part of the definition is, in my opinion, the hardest part for a lot of people. In my experience, there are a lot of people that are majorly lacking in the common sense arena! You know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t, you may be the one lacking.

So why is wisdom more valuable? To get my point across, an idiot with a lot of money is still an idiot! Idiots make a lot of mistakes, and they don’t learn from them. Those with wisdom still make mistakes, but by avoiding the previously mentioned, “common sense” mistakes, they make fewer mistakes. Thus, propelling them toward their goals at a quicker rate. Instead of making the the mistakes that the rich idiot makes, he makes mistakes at a much higher level, a level at which the rich idiot may never achieve.

So if wisdom is worth more in the sight of God, how do we gain wisdom? This life is all about having experiences and as we have those experiences, we learn. We gain knowledge. We can also learn from other peoples experience as well, people who have gone before us and already have that knowledge. Wisdom is a combination of experience and knowledge: Past, present and future. We can learn and we can do. We can learn as we do and as we study, the lesson is completely different. We “do” by getting out of our comfort zone, experiencing something different that will inspire growth. Knowledge without experience just as experience without knowledge will not make you wise. Someone with his nose is books all day can tell you why you can ride a bike but will never be able to show you how. Knowing and doing are separate yet powerful when together.

That is what constitutes wisdom. Any wise person will know how to use the riches they are blessed with in order to serve and inspire others to do the same. It’s a calling, not a status. With great ability comes great responsibility.

“Seek Ye Wisdom” and the rest will be added unto you!

I think it is fair to say that in order to grow or progress in an accelerated rate, one must get into the habit of taking risks. Am I right? Without risk, how can there be victory? How can one experience a win? Think about it. The person who reaches the top of Mount Everest doesn’t do so by not taking risks. The child who is just learning to walk doesn’t learn without the possibility that he might fall and hurt himself. Starting a business involves taking an initial risk right up front and then taking consistent risks on a regular basis. Every decision made has a level of risk to it. The degree of the reward most likely depends on the degree of the risk. The greater the risk the greater the reward.

Have you ever looked at someone who was extremely successful in business and thought that everything must have been as smooth as can be for that person? If you’re in a home based business, have you ever looked at the top income earners and thought, “Man, they just had the money sitting around to get started and everything was so easy for them?” Be honest! I know most of you have. I can tell you this much, you are absolutely wrong. Ninety percent of the time, it was a rough, risky, faith teetering journey for them. I know it was for me!

If you look at starting a business, whether traditional or home based, there are start up costs. Every legitimate business will have costs. Don’t ever expect to get started in your own business without forking out some money. Most people do not, I repeat, do not have the capital to get started. That’s why most people aren’t successful entrepreneurs. There’s risk involved right!? People run at the sound of risk. Well, most people do, but not the successful ones. They step up to the challenge and use what resources they have available to them to get to where they want to be.

A resource is anything of value that can be used or sold, available source of wealth, a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed.

Most people actually think that they don’t have these so called “resources!” You do! When we got started, we required a good amount of revenue. We were short in income every month as it was, how would David Allred come up with the money? I used my resources. What were my resources? I had stuff! I sold my jeep and made it happen. Did I love my jeep, YES! But what was I more passionate about? My jeep or my goals of financial freedom? My goals of course, so away with the jeep. Later on down the road we decided to take our business to the next level and required more funding. We looked to our resources again and saw that we had credit! What were we more passionate about? Zero debt or our goals of financial freedom? Financial Freedom!

Now, a few days ago I wrote a blog post on what it takes to be a Big Thinker. A Big Thinker has a different outlook than most people when it comes to making things happen. It’s just the way we think. Big Thinkers, leaders and successful entrepreneurs see 401K’s, credit cards, jeeps, cars, homes, savings accounts and banks as part of their own personal resource center. These are all things that we can use to propel our success. Sure, there is risk in using our resources, but what are you going to do, look at them and think to yourself, “Wow, those are some nice resources!” Do you want to set your 401K up on your mantle, all nice and pretty so that one day, one glorious day you can use it in your retirement. I’ve got a much better retirement plan than what a 401k can provide and you should too.

Everyone else views all of these things as their so called “Safety Nets!” These are things to fall back on in case things get worse. So what do they do? They hang on to them, save them, store them, don’t even think of them as being a tool that will move them closer to their dreams. So these resources just sit there, un-resourceful and useless.

So what are these things to you? Are they safety nets or resources?

In my eyes, one day lived passionately following my dreams is better than a thousand days lived wishing I would have! Use the many resources you have to make that happen!

I received an email today from a business associate of mine that inspired this post. Often times I get asked how I can blog as often as I do wondering how I come up with my content. That’s the cool part, I don’t come up with my content. Everyone else does. So thanks to all of you and everyone else. You inspire me!

The quote he sent me was this, “Don’t ask your children what they want to be when they grow up… Instead ask them, Who they came here to be.” Just as it got him thinking, it got me thinking as well. Who did I come here to be?

This post might just be a bunch of questions for you to ask yourself. It know that as I write this, that’s pretty much all that seems to come to mind. Who am I to be while here on this earth? Who am I to be as a mentor for those looking to create success and wealth in their life? Who am I as a father of three girls and a husband to my beautiful wife? Basically, who is the ultimate me?

Finding the answer is simple….Who do you want to be? Think of the details, get clear on it.

Once clear, the questions is how do we become that person? What are the steps to getting there?

Well, I am a very successful home based business Entrepreneur. Why? Well, I before I become the successful entrepreneur, I saw myself as the successful entrepreneur. Once I truly believed myself to be the person I was to become, I started to act as though I was already that person. I just lacked the results. But what happened to my results once I started acting as my future self? That’s right! They starting to come.

So in order to act as our future selves, do we do it all in one day? No! That would be too difficult. Just add one or two things per day that move you closer to becoming your future self. If you are in my business and are only placing a few ads a week and are getting only a few leads a day, what is going to move you closer to that future self who is generating 20 leads per day? Quadruple your marketing efforts! It’s simple. That is one thing, put into practice daily, that will move you closer to your ideal future self.

But becoming your future self is not as simple as just taking the same actions. Most of these actions are inspired by your mindset, or your vision for you future and who you are. You must dig deep in your visualizing. Put yourself in the shoes of your future self. If you are to become the most successful person that ever existed in the direct sales industry, how do you think? What are your priorities? Who do you hang out with? What do you do during the day? What books have you read? How do you inspire others to greatness? It’s all part of the package!

“In order to become the man or woman you have envisioned becoming, you must first become that man or woman mentally, and then start acting like it!”  –David Allred (My future self is a best selling author, so why not start quoting myself right now! Right!)

Ask yourself honestly, are you the person, right here and right now, that you ultimately would like to become? If the answer is yes, congrats. Are your results in order as well? If the answer is no, in the words of Gwen Stefani, “What you waiting for? Take a chance…!” Choose something to integrate into your day that will move you closer to your future self. Imagine the difference you will see in just 30 days. It’s not that far off. It’s just waiting on you!

I would like to wish everyone here in the United States of America a happy fourth of July! Go out this weekend and be proud of this Great Country. Enjoy the fireworks, the bombs bursting in air, and the festivities but remember why we celebrate this day. We celebrate our independence as a Nation. We celebrate our freedom. Take pride in being an American and represent this country well in all that you do. Become a better person, a better friend, better at business and a better servant. We represent a powerful force in the world. Let’s not take advantage of others, misuse our freedom or put ourselves on a pedestal. With great power comes great responsibility.

Tomorrow this country will be celebrating the Independence Day of the Unites States of America. The day we won our freedom. It’s awesome to be part of it all!

Every year, on March 30th, I celebrate MY Independence Day! It is the day that Amy and I decided to win our freedom. We became Entrepreneurs on that day and celebrate it as the day we broke free from bondage and misery. We fired our boss and went to work for ourselves. We made a bold decision to step through the gateway to independence. We chose to open the door to freedom. Financial Freedom! Time Freedom! We chose to live life on our terms instead of taking orders from someone else.

If you are not yet an entrepreneur, what are you waiting for? When will the day finally come for you? Do you have it planned out? What day will it be? The longer you wait, the longer you will submit and settle for a life of mediocrity. Take a bold stand for your own freedom. You are living in a free country yet surviving in modern day slavery. Take advantage of the Land of Opportunity we live in. Take control of your life. Win your freedom back.

If you are an entrepreneur, I’d like to hear from you. What day do you celebrate your personal Independence Day? Congratulations to you if you already know the answer! Make it a point to celebrate that day, as you definitely deserve it!

What is a phrase or term that can be used in both praising someone and insulting someone depending on the circumstance? When spoken, most people really don’t understand what it means. They think they do, but really don’t. Sometimes it is a term used in conjunction with and has virtually the same meaning as “Think outside the box.” It is something that defines those who succeed and used to educate those who have not yet succeeded. It is a concept, that if truly understood, could propel anyone to new levels in business and life. It is something that some people are just born with and others can work to become. It is a title, a status.

No literally! It’s a title, the title of this post, “Big Thinker.” Not only is it a title for this post, but is also a title for the leaders in every industry in the world. In order to truly experience the level of success you dream about and have envisioned for yourself, you MUST become a BIG Thinker. I capitalize it for what it represents.

Are you a Big Thinker?

Let’s put it in black and white, simple to understand terms for everyone else out there like me, simple minded. It’s two words. Big + Thinker. So, in order to be a thinker, you must use your brain and produce what every person in this world is capable of producing, a thought! Not just any thought though. It’s easy to have a thought pop into your head. Every time you look at something a thought enters your head. A true thinker produces his or her own thoughts. They don’t require an outside source to spark and idea. They just come up with random, creative thoughts and they entertain those thoughts. After a while of entertaining those thoughts, BAM, they get an idea. An idea is something that can be put into action.

The definition of “Big” is: Of considerable size, number, quantity, magnitude, or extent. So a Big Thinker is thinking at a considerable size, number, quantity, magnitude or extent. In other words, normal thinking is me, Big Thinking is Andre the giant. Normal thinking is having enough money to make your bills. Big Thinking is Financial Freedom.

So here are three ways that you can determine whether or not you are a big thinker:

1. When you see someone do something amazing, do you think that person is just amazing, or do you think to yourself, “If they can do it, I can!”
2. Do you constantly rely on others to bail you out, help you out, give you ideas or do things for you…..or do you have others calling you for those same reasons?
3. Do you find yourself overly excited about things that haven’t even happened yet or can you even see past the here and now, dwelling on and constantly think about your current situation.
4. Do you view the cup as half empty or half full?
5. Do you call your mentors to bounce around ideas you have or do you call expecting them to give it all to you, when in reality, all you get is a bunch of dead air?

So what are you? Once you have arrived at the status of being a Big Thinker, it rolls into every aspect of your business, and your life. It is a constant thing. It is a change in the way you think. You can’t just turn it off when you want, it’s you. It’s the way you operate. I believe it was Oliver Wendell Holmes that said, “The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to it’s original size.” Once a Big Thinker, always a Big Thinker!

Throughout the history of the world there have been visionaries that existed, people who have been able to see beyond the knowledge of the rest of the masses. These visionaries have propelled humanity to new heights in science, technology, medicine, sports and every other industry out there. The list would go on and on. These visionaries accomplished things, knew things and discovered things that everyone else thought to be impossible, non-existent or fiction. They moved forward with their vision despite the opposition and belief of others and succeeded. And believe me when I say this, every single icon in history had to overcome intense opposition. Most people thought of their vision as foolish, crazy or risky.

Is this sounding familiar to you?

Roger Bannisters four minute mile

Have you heard of it? Everyone thought it would be medically impossible to break the four minute mile. Medical professionals believed that human lungs would burst if put under that kind of strain. They thought it impossible for a human to run a mile in under four minutes. Well, while the masses sat there in opposition, thinking of the impossible, Roger Bannister completed the impossible. He ran the mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds.

In the face of opposition and all doubt by most of the so called “professionals,” Bannister broke the laws of reason. He achieved a task that had been deemed “Unobtainable” by society and he did it against all odds.

This is just one example of a visionary that existed in his prime at that given time. He acted, and mankind from that time forward will remember his choice to act. Sure, he could have been just like everyone else, sitting there thinking about how impossible things were. That would have been easy. Instead, he trained, he worked at it and he was the first of his kind!

So back to my question, is this sounding familiar to you? Have you heard someone tell you that you were crazy, foolish or taking too large of a risk? Have you had people telling you not to do something that you had your heart set on doing? Have you had someone tell you not to start that home based business or that “thing” you wanted to start?

I sure hope so. Because if you haven’t, most likely, you are the one telling others that what they have set out to accomplish is impossible. You have a choice. You can be the one telling the visionary that he is a fool, or you can be the visionary. One way leads you to a life of fulfillment, abundance and joy. The other way, just leaves you right where you are. I can show you the door, but you yourself is the one that has to walk through it.

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