One of the greats, even Albert Einstein said:

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.”

Profound words, right? But what the heck is a man of value and how does one become that?

A Man of Value

A good reference to begin with is encased in one of my favorite church hymns, “Have I done any good?”

1. Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyoneâ€s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

[Chorus] Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

2. There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime Iâ€ll try,”
But go and do something today.
â€Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Loveâ€s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.

To become a man of value is to become a man who can find joy in the service of others. And since this site is all about building wealth, all service doesn’t have to be given for free. Some of the highest paid professionals in the world are needed the most, and perform great service. Surgeons, dentists, law enforcement, firefighters, pharmaceutical companies and automobile companies, to name a few, offer a service that in most cases, can’t be given for free.

Although, sometimes the most fulfilling service is that which is given, without gain.

To become a man of value is to bring value to others. If you’re not in a position to help anyone, you’re not providing value. If you’re living off the efforts of others without returning value, you’re on the wrong path.

Become someone who is irreplaceable. Build a legacy. Build something in your lifetime that will be remembered, and that will add value well after you’re gone. Be a successful Husband and Father. There is no accomplishment outside of the home that can compensate for failure within the home.

In simple words, if you have a good heart, and you desire to make a difference in the world, you probably will….that’s a man of value.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 2012 Quote of the Year:

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Now I’m not real sure, but the fact that it was New Year’s Eve could have been the reason this phrase stuck out to me the most. Life DOES move by really fast and if you’re not careful, you’ll miss a lot of it, if not the entire thing.

In fact, I took this entire holiday season off from any kind of work. Starting on Friday, December 21st, through January 1st, 2013, I was invisible to everyone who wasn’t with me in the flesh.

I loved it…and I highly recommend it.

There are fifty other weeks during the year to work! Right?

I did actually take one or two calls. One of those calls was from a colleague of mine. In fact, he’s the one who enrolled me into the business opportunity I work right now. He mentioned something we had spoken about in a conversation a while back, something which I was supposed to take action on, and I realized that that particular conversation happened nearly three months ago.

“Life moves pretty fast”, is an understatement. I feel like I’m in warp speed and if I let something fall by the wayside, it’ll never get attention. And my biggest concern is that others let things fall by the wayside, just like I did after that conversation. Important things! Families fall by the wayside everyday, because someone is too busy at their JOB or with their new business to “stop and look around.”

Life moves by really fast and it’s important to push the pause button occasionally, so that you can actually live in the moment.

My call to action: If you didn’t take a vacation in 2012, stand up and add a date to your calendar. Do it right now! And when I say vacation, I mean a week or two without working whatever it is you work on that provides you income. Take your family with you, and do your best to give them ALL of your attention.

They deserve it, and so do you!

P.S. Taking time off is much, much easier to do when your business will continue to pay you, residually, even when you’re not working. Click HERE to learn more.

Just for kicks, here’s the quote on video!

[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]http://youtu.be/91lJhEzMaH4[/youtube] ]]> https://www.createfinancialwealth.com/a-tribute-to-personal-development-guru-zig-ziglar/ Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:07:02 +0000 http://www.createfinancialwealth.com/?p=5054 I’d like to write a quick tribute to personal development Guru, Zig Ziglar. He was born on November 6, 1926, and left this world on November 28, 2012. He was 86 years old.

Zig Ziglar

I remember the first time I listened to Zig as if it were yesterday. I had recently joined a network marketing company within the personal development industry, and we had purchased some audio cd’s to listen to as we were on the road. Amy had just purchased her dream vehicle, a Hummer (H2), and we were driving through the Salt River Canyon, between Showlow and Globe, Arizona.

As I listened to Zig, he was captivating, and had  a great speaking ability. His audio was mixed in with several other professional speakers and his message seemed to stick out above the rest.

Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar, was a great author, salesman, a veteran and public speaker, to name a few. His message has inspired the hearts of many.

When I leave this world, I’d like it to be said of me, “He made the world a better place.” This much is true about Zig Ziglar.

Thanks Zig, and thoughts and prayers from the Allred family extend out to your loved ones.

Here are a few of my favorite Zig Ziglar quotes:

“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

“People often say motivation doesnâ€t last. Neither does bathing—thatâ€s why we recommend it daily.”

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

“If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

“You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.”

“You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”

I also encourage you to choose for yourself council, and when I speak of council, I mean appointed men and women who inspire you. It’s more or less a board of directors, a group of people you can ask questions to and confide in when making important decisions. These people can be dead or alive, and they don’t even have to know they are on your board of directors. Benjamin Franklin is one of my personal directors and his wisdom and learning effects certain decisions I currently make and will make in the future. Principles are eternal, only if we put them to good use.

The Counsel of Benjamin Franklin

There are many things we can learn from Ben, however, the one I want to touch upon was said in a conversation with his mother. He stated that he would rather it be said of him, “he lived useful,” rather than, “he died rich.”

As an entrepreneur, this principle is always on my mind. I find myself constantly asking the question, “Are the products and services I offer helping people?” And when I say, “helping people,” I mean more than just financially. Now don’t get me wrong, I love helping people make money so they can live out their dreams, but money isn’t everything. I’ve seen too many people forfeit their integrity, morality and all family ties in the pursuit of riches. Money only means something if you can remain loyal to who you are, and this is done by living a useful life.

Can’t We Have Both?

I’ve seen this question in almost every personal development book I’ve had the opportunity to read. It’s the classic “this or that” scenario. We were taught this method of reasoning as children and as many of us matured into adults, we just weren’t able to shake it. It is one of the best methods of control for parents. And it goes something like this, “Either you can stop your whining right now or I can give you a spankin’!” When my kids are throwing a fit, I prefer, “Do you want a spanking or a hug?” They’ll always ask for a hug. Try it. It works!

So we’re all raised with having to choose between one thing or the other. However, there are certain scenarios where there has to be a choice. Just as good and evil cannot exist in the same place at the same time, certain things just can’t mesh together. However, living a useful life and accumulating riches can! In fact, they should.

Living a Useful Life is the Best Kind of Business

The business of helping people can either be the most lucrative or the least lucrative ventures. It depends on your approach. You can do some of one and more of another, but depending on which you do more, that action will reflect in your income. The success of your business, measured in capital profits, is directly related to who your customer is. If you are targeting communities with a lower income, your income will be lower. No secret there. However, if your target customers are those with some extra cash, then you’ll be more profitable, while still being able to help others.

TOM’s Shoes is a prime example. For every pair sold, a pair is donated to someone in need. His target customer isn’t the less fortunate. They are his cause. The target customer is you and I, the ones with some extra cash and a good heart. (Assuming you have a good heart. I’ll take my chances!) TOM’s is a black a white scenario where it’s obvious why he started his business. Even if your product isn’t going to be directly donated, your time and your resources can.

Conclusion

In my mind, it’s obvious that I connect the two phrases shared to Benjamin Franklin’s mother. I see it like this, if you’re a good businessman and a good person at the same time, you’ll die rich because you lived a useful life. Your legacy will live longer than you will, and others will speak more of the service you rendered to others than the fortune you gained from doing so.

Another great resource on this topic, one of my favorite blogs, The Art of Manliness on Personal Finance Lessons from Benjamin Franklin.

Sound at all familiar?

Personal Development Today

As the personal development industry has evolved, especially within the past decade, terms such as the “law of attraction” and “the secret” have surfaced. These terms have spread like wild fire inside and outside the home based business industry. People were given the idea that they could attract absolutely anything they desired into their life through their focused thoughts. Basically, if a person could hold a concentrated thought for long enough that the “universe” would present this desire in physical form. Now… hold that thought for a moment while I go on.

The Allegory of the Cave

Topus Uranus is a dialogue between Socrates, Plato’s teacher, and Plato. In this dialogue, Socrates explains the Allegory of the Cave, sometimes known as Plato’s Cave, which further explains the meaning of Topus Uranus. It refers to a group of prisoners being chained to a wall in a cave to the point where all they can look upon is the rock of that wall. As people pass by the fires behind them, all they see are shadows being cast on the wall. The prisoners only know what the shadows on the wall look like. That’s their reality. That’s how they discern one thing from the next.

Suppose that a prisoner is freed and permitted to stand up and gaze around the cave. If someone were to show him the things that had cast the shadows on the wall, he wouldn’t recognize them. He couldn’t name them and would believe the shadows on the wall more than what lies before him. That’s his reality. Better yet, what would happen if that man was forced to look at the fire that once burned behind him? He would be struck blind and would try to turn his gaze back to the shadows on the wall, because that’s what he can see clearly. The shadows are real to him, not everything else. He wouldn’t be able to recognize an animal in real form over the shadow it cast upon the wall.

What if someone were to drag this prisoner out of the cave into the sunlight. Everything that he once knew to be real was only a figure on a rock wall. Do you think this prisoner would have an anxiety attack? He’d be a little distressed, wouldn’t he?

After some time on the surface, the prisoner would acclimate and learn. His eyes would eventually be able to look into the sun and realize that it is the source of warmth and light. He would learn a different reality. He would learn that his old reality, once just shadows on a cave wall, is no more his reality. His eyes have been opened, but only because he believed  and accepted what he was shown. Fear could have overcome him and pushed him back into the cave where he came from…back to the reality he had known for so long.

So here are a few thought provoking questions:

Do your thoughts really create your reality? If so, are your thoughts and ideas hindering you? Is your reality at this very moment serving you? Is there another reality for you? If so, when are you going to decide to change your reality and how?

We have all heard of the common phrase, “The best place to start improving is in the space right between your ears.” Paraphrased of course. To change your reality, the change must, I say MUST start in your mind. The way we think and view our surroundings is our reality. What one man considers to be junk, another considers to be treasure. Some people can create nothing out of the same thing others can use to create amazing things. It’s all in our perception of what is possible and what is not.