Dream Bigger – Get Rid of that Small Thinking

It’s funny how sometimes we can get so fixated on one thing that we put on the blinders that keep us from seeing the bigger things right next to us. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing I guess. It just means that we’re being super focused. But what if that one thing that we’re focused on is keeping us from getting something much, much larger?

It’s like taking a chicken leg from the chicken because all you’ve been thinking about eating for the past week was chicken legs, when we all know that there’s a heck of a lot more meat on the rest of the chicken.

Anyway, to get to what inspired me…..I stumbled across a slideshow of a $40 million mansion in Hawaii, and it made my jaw drop. It expanded my vision for myself and helped me realize that I have been trapping myself with my small thinking.

I think it’s a healthy practice, to dream big, more often than not. So, in your busy schedules today, whether you’re on the job or working from home, like myself, take time to watch, look at, visit or read something that expands your vision of all that’s possible.

This mansion did that for me today. The image you see doesn’t even include the golf green or the Olympic swimming pool and diving platform. If you click on the image, it will enlarge for a little better view.

But before I do….

…answer me this: Do you believe that everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, physical appearance, circumstance or political preference deserves a shot at creating success in their life?

With that question in mind, allow me to take you back to that email I received this morning. But before I paste the text of the email, let me throw out a quick disclaimer for the person who composed this email. I hope that by the time you finish reading this article, that you will understand this concept, that everyone deserves their shot at success. I share your words, not only to teach you, but to help others who may be struggling with this very same principle. With that said, I do this with my best intentions.

To preface the bit of text I’m about to show you, its author had recently joined a home business, and within a month and a half, had already quit. This email was part of his intention to quit. Normally when I receive an email from someone who has decided to give up, I simply wish them the best of luck and move on. People quit. It’s just part of life! But following this email, I felt inclined to educate him a little.

Now, the business he got started in is an affiliate marketing business. One key aspect of success in this business us list building.

With that said, here’s part of the email I’d like you to see:

One lady wanted to subscribe. She has been unemployed for 2 years. She wanted to pay by credit card. I could not let her do that, seeing I have not yet made any money. That will just be unethical.

Another Question: Is it up to me to determine who does or does not deserve the opportunity to create their own results, in ANY business venture? Especially when that person is not only able financially, but willing to give it a try?

How many success stories have you heard where the person got started in a home based business after just being downsized with less than fifty bucks in their bank account? I’ve heard those stories left and right?

And you have to ask yourself WHY?

The answer is simple…..it’s because they are the ones that are the most motivated. If they don’t succeed, then they’re flat out screwed. They have no choice but to make it work. Quitting is not an option. It’s do or die time!

So my answer to the first question posted above is YES! Everyone deserves a shot, regardless of who they are, where they come from or what their circumstances are.

And my answer to the second question is NO! It is not up to me to deny ANYONE their one shot at creating success in a business, when they are both financially able and willing to get started.

Folks, this is still true even if I haven’t made a single penny and no longer believe in the business. The truth about business is that RESULTS VARY. Everyone’s experience is different and who’s to say that the homeless guy down the street can’t create results in a business in which you couldn’t?

Denying someone the their shot at success is unethical. Giving them hope by assisting them in getting started in a business that can help them achieve their goals, in my book, is extremely ethical.

In conclusion, some people win while other lose. Some people succeed while others quit, or fail. This much is life. But whatever you do, don’t deny someone their shot at making a ton of money online, because your results didn’t end up that way.

Their results just might.

So if you’d like your shot, now’s your chance to take action. As long as you’re able and willing, I will not deny you that opportunity. Fill in your email address at the top of this site to watch a free video that will blow your mind!

Let me explain.

In my small community, most people are known by the place they work at, such as Joey from Haralson Tires, Aaron over at Case, Dave at Freeport or Larry at Farmers Insurance. This is how a good portion of this valley’s population knows and refers to each other.

Two of the people I mentioned above own their own business, or are partners in a business, two are not. The two business owners make it a point to brand themselves as the owners. A familiar face can sell more product. However, I doubt that the other two really care to be recognized by their place of employment, yet, they are. Because what do we do when trying to describe someone? We mention their profession!

“Do you remember so and so, you know, the one that works down there at the grocery store?”

That’s just how it is.

So, what do you want to be described as? Are you up for being known as the guy who sells tractors down at John Deer, or maybe the manager at the local Taco Bell? Maybe you’ve upped it a level or two and you’re the lawyer down the road at the nearest law firm or the family doctor at the clinic.

If you’re okay with being known as your profession, great! Hopefully you’re following your passions in life. But if you’re not, wake up man! Do what you want to be known for and start doing it today!

My point is, don’t allow what you currently do for a living define you. Remember, it’s just a job, it’s not your life. Jobs come a dime a dozen. They’re free to get started in. They’re all over the place.

But a life lived to it’s fullest potential, that my friend, is an entirely different story. How many of those can you have?

With that said, it kills me to see someone in a job just because it’s a job. Because it means that that person is either there for the money, or has no direction in their life. And if that job pays like most jobs that I know of, it’s definitely not because of the money! So the reason for being in that “just a job” situation is because that person has nothing they’re aiming to achieve. They have no purpose, and whatever skill and talent they uniquely possess is being wasted in a job that is getting them no where in life. And at the same time, they’re allowing their circumstances, not their dreams, to define who they are!

For me, not very many people I associate with locally actually know what I do for a living. They just know that I’m home most of the time, around the town during normal working hours and serving in various non-paid positions in church and community. I’m known as the “stay at home Dad,”….the guy with tons of time on his hands. And I’m okay with that for now, because I’ve just begun creating what I will be known for here. There is still much to do!

So here’s a quick exercise. Sit in a quiet area and describe yourself. “David Allred, he’s the guy that Fill in the Blank.” Is he the guy that fixes tires for a living, sells insurance or builds homes? If the phrase in that blank isn’t what you want to be known for in your life, please, from every fiber in my being and for your happiness, change it.

Take some sort of action, however big or small, that will move you towards changing that phrase into something you can be proud of!

We live in a world of hatred, greed, selfishness, disease and death. It’s easy to see those things and how the world keeps getting worse. But we also live in a world of love, service, selflessness, miracles and the beauty of life! And it is also very easy to see those things as well. Everything must have it’s opposite, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to choose one or the other. We wouldn’t know what joy really was because we had not experienced misery. But once we had experienced it, we would, without a doubt, know what true joy was.

Every Person has some Good in them.

So, as individuals, it is also my belief that each of us have both good and bad within us and it’s up to use to choose which side dictates our actions. It’s Star Wars at it’s best! The dark side of the force exists and can make you very powerful, but you still have to choose it. And once you do, it will take over and make things more difficult when trying to access the good side. So even within us, there is opposition.

For example, I used to work closely with a man who was, within the last few years, convicted for the murder of his wife and was sentenced to life is prison. When I first heard of the news, I was absolutely shocked. From my experience in working with this guy, in my mind, there was no possible way that he could have done such a thing. Although he was extremely large in stature, he was what I would call a “Gentle Giant.” He was happy, got along well with others, gave of his time freely, was glad to help out and seemed to be a really good person.

There were certain things which happened in his life at that time that accumulated until he just couldn’t take it any longer….and he snapped. He allowed the bad side of him to take over. Regardless of how much good we have within us, we all must pay the price of our actions, whether that price is good or bad.

Now maybe this was naive of me, but I trusted this man enough to leave my family alone with him. I had no concern over their safety while in his presence, because of who he was when I knew him. Now, a lot could have happened in the few years that followed which led up to his conviction, but at that time, I chose to see the good in him and he reciprocated that.

So my point is, there is some good in everyone and everything. It’s all in our perspective and there are certain things that happen to us or that we go through which influence that perspective.

I encourage you to see the good in those that you work with. Make that your focus, because if you get caught up in seeing the bad in everything, it will eventually take over and you will most likely experience more misery in your life, your business and in all you do.

I’m not saying that it wasn’t his fault that he murdered his wife. It was, and justice be done. I’m just saying that during those few years after working with him, if others could have focused more on the good in him, especially those closest to him, rather than the bad, I am willing to bet that the murder would have never happened.

I know, it’s kind of a morbid story for such a good topic. A little negativity can go a long way, and so can a little positivity. Let’s be the ones that are the creators of good and set expectations of good from others. As a leader in my business, my church and in my family, it is up to me to see in others what they may not be able to see in themselves, and then help them reach that potential.

That’s the greatest job in the whole world. May you entitle yourself to be a leader of good as well and make this world a better place.

(If you’d like to get all your friends together and sing a song, now would be a good time.)

It takes Hard Work to support a family

During a leadership meeting I recently attended, helping our youth was one of the topics we received instruction on. During that lesson, we discussed what our youth think about work, and were they learning the value of it. The conversation went down a road that involved teaching our youth how to work hard. With today’s technology and all the modern conveniences we have, kids really aren’t required to work hard, physically. This is especially true for kids that live within city limits. With homes stacked on top of each other like Legos, there’s not much physical labor needed around the homestead.

Our instructor then told us of why he moved here to the Gila Valley. And for those of you who don’t know where the Gila Valley is or what it’s like, just picture cotton fields, a mine and a few AA schools. We are a small community in which you can purchase land, raise cattle, have a horse or two, have your own chicken coop and still have enough room for a windmill in the corner of your lot. And that’s exactly what our instructor wanted for his kids. He was raised in that same environment and was taught how to work. He wanted the same thing for his kids as well. Even though his work situation hasn’t always worked out according to plan, he is here for his kids. He wants his kids to learn how to work hard….and they are!

If we can teach our children how to form a callus or two, and to enjoy doing it, then they’ll be that much more successful in life. And no, calluses on their thumbs from playing too much Xbox doesn’t count!

Seriously though, if we don’t learn to work hard while in our youth, how will we ever learn it when we’re more set in our ways. Work habits are formed as children, whether good or bad.

Does hard work always involve sweat?

As I was sitting there in our leadership meeting, the conversation seemed pretty one sided. We determined that we needed to teach our kids how to work hard. So I had to bring up a point. Hard work doesn’t always involve sweat and calluses.

Instead of focusing solely on working hard, why don’t we focus more an working productively.

Back in the day, I used to work pretty hard for a living. I did everything under the sun in order to support myself and my family. If I was short in funds for a bill, I would see if there was a ditch I could dig or repairs I could do on someone’s home. At the time, the only way I knew how to be productive was through sweat. Actual sweat.

We’ve all been in those situations where we jumped in and started working, and then someone comes along with a better idea that made the job a whole lot easier. When something like that happens, we naturally take a step back and think, “I should have thought of that!”

So with a little more thought and creativity, we can not only work, but work more productively. Holding up a brick wall is pretty hard work, but a stick or a rope could make that work seem not so tough. Leverage is always a better concept when it comes to getting more done within the same time frame.

In conclusion, it does take hard work to support a family. As an entrepreneur, I am always thinking of ways to grow my enterprise. It’s never ending, and neither is supporting a family. Don’t think that your role as the supporter is over when your children leave the home either. They will probably need you again and again.

My point is, teach your children how to work when they are small, and when they leave the home, they probably won’t need you to continue supporting them, financially anyways! Emotional support….now that’s another story.