While in Puerto Rico at this last event, I must have taken around 10 full pages of notes. Six of those were from Yossi Ghinsberg. The guy was a walking quote book and if you’re like me, you get more out of a simple, blunt and to the point statement than you do a long drawn out explanation. Simple minded! That’s me.

One of the things he said was, “I don’t dream when I sleep….the dreams keep me awake.” This statement had a little deeper meaning for me than what it might have intending. Now it’s obvious that we all dream when we sleep and if you’re anything like me, most dreams you might have really make no sense at all and have very little meaning. If you forget them the moment you wake up, it’s okay. But, every once in a while you might have a dream that wakes you up in the middle of the night because if feels as if you just had instant revelation or pure knowledge flow into your brain. Instead of being able to sleep you are prompted to get up and write it down so that you can remember it in the morning. It has you inspired and excited to face the next day. You now have an immediate purpose or a direction…. and that’s exciting! Don’t under estimate the power of your dreams. If you are on purpose, they can be a great source of direction to you.

How many of you just can’t wait until the days passes so that you can hit the pillow? On the other hand, how many of you just can’t find enough hours in the day to fulfill your passions and accomplish your goals, having to be forced to sleep while eagerly awaiting to start the next day? Some people love to dream without action and others love to dream in real time….in action. That’s the difference. One is really happening and the other is forgotten.

In a true dream, you should be awake. Stop sleeping through your dreams and start living them!

Yossi went on to say, “If you don’t have a purpose or a dream, that is the most dangerous place you can be.” If you don’t have a purpose, then you fall back into the default purpose….which is the purpose of those that have a purpose. This means YOU are the victim, the one being directed…not the one directing. That is default.

If your purpose is to help everyone else in the world achieve their purpose, the way to do it is proactively. A dream is only a dream and will never become reality without belief that it actually can. Today, define your purpose or your dream. What is it that you are here on Earth to do? Stop thinking of what others would have you do! What is it that YOU want to do? Now, write it down, IN DETAIL, and then go do it. You are right in the midst of your dreams. The only difference between a sleeping dream and that same dream awake, is that one is done without your body. Just include it next time. It really is that simple. And according to my watch, that time is NOW!

Last week while Amy and I were in Puerto Rico we attended an inspirational conference. This was a three day event centered around the Positive Media and Personal Development industries. This conference, just like many others we host around the world, is a setting to learn from some of the most amazing speakers, individuals, authors, entrepreneurs and guru’s in existence today. This is what I do! I show people with ambition, such as yourself, how to grow personally and financially through these events. It’s a huge industry and for the next three blog posts I am going to give you a sneak peek of the three top notch speakers I was able to meet and listen to while at one of these conferences in Puerto Rico.

All three of these individuals inspired me with their stories and for me, life is all about your story. As you near the end of your life, what story are you going to be able to tell to your grandchildren and great grandchildren? Is it going to be a story of passion? Excitement? Adventure? Accomplishment? Or is it going to be a story of wishing? Failure? Mediocrity? Misery? The choice really is yours and the start of your story isn’t what really matters…we all have to start from somewhere. It’s the middle and end that should be the climax!

What do you think will inspire a child more: Telling that child of all the hardship you had in your life’s story and all the things that child should learn from your mistakes, or telling that child of all the amazing things you were able to accomplish and experience? As I ask that question I can literally picture that child’s face. As I picture the child, the first story has his eyebrows looking stern and wrinkled. With the second, you can nearly see the dreams stirring through the child’s eyes. That’s more powerful than anything. Inspiring a child to dream by sharing your own dreams will allow him to soar far beyond a child who is simply taught how to avoid your mistakes. A dream speaks volumes in comparison to anything else.

Whether you can picture that day or not, it will come. You will one day tell your story. Is it going to be a story that inspires or restricts? Making a difference today creates a great story right now….but that story will continue to inspire and make a difference many years after it was created. That’s the beauty of it!

So what actions will you take today to make sure your story is exactly the way your heart wants it to be….not the way your brain tells you it should be?

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.

Let me ask you a question: Why is it important for you to be as wildly successful as you possibly can? To add to that, why is it important for you to achieve extraordinary results beyond that of anyone you currently know? Now I’m talking about financial and lifestyle results….results that mostly everyone wants but will never achieve because of lack of action.

One of the most common reasons that people do not take action is the fact that they just simply have no idea how to take the first step. Another common reason for lack of action is not the fact that they don’t know how, but that they are terrified to start. So instead of knowledge being the issue, confidence and skepticism is. Maybe it all ties right back to a simple word called “Desire!” If their desire was strong enough then they would gain the knowledge and overcome their fears. It all wouldn’t be an issue then. But how does someone who has never seen anyone else create huge results in their personal and financial life get that desire? Most of us base our desires from some sort of example right? If you see a family driving a Chevy Suburban down the road, it looks nice, they all look like they’re having a blast and you have always had a desire to have a family, you then set them as your example of what you want to achieve in your near or distant future. Examples are what drive people’s ambitions in life.

Make an example out of yourself!

There exists in this world a select group of people that think outside of the limits that surround them. They are the creators of opportunity and set the example. They, in a sense blaze the trail of success. Where no trail existed they create one.

If you think about the word “blaze,” what comes to mind? Well for me, I think of fire…..not just a simple campfire but a huge friggin’ blazing, sparks flying, blue, yellow, red and orange flames type of fire. This is a fire that will be seen by more than those that are standing right next to it. It’s something that can’t be missed. It’s a beacon or a mark which can be see by many.

Blaze a Trail of Success

So it’s vitally important for you to blaze your own trail of success. It leaves a flaming path for others to follow. It’s a beacon pointing the way to results. The more  blazingly successful you are, the more influence you will have on others and the longer your trail of flames will last before they fizzle out. Now don’t get me wrong here. There will be people who just sit there, watching this blazing trail of success you have just created, thinking to themselves, “Wow! Cool! I wish I could do that too!” Yet, they don’t follow the trail out of fear for being burned! Or, there just simply isn’t enough desire to do so. But, there will be those who will follow your trail and will experience success as well, making your blazing trail even bigger and more noticeable.

So guys, blaze on and blaze big!! Don’t look back at your own flames, that’s all history. People will follow and you can know that you were the one that started it all!

The other day I decided to hike a mountain I have been wanting to climb for a very long time. From where I was looking, there rested a small stone on the very top that I could see myself sitting on. Well, later on I found out it was more like the size of a small house! It was the highest point in the nearby area and I was set out accomplish my goal. It was around 9:30 am when I started the hike and I finished at around noon. Just me, my bottle of water and my thirst for adventure.

I reached the top of the mountain, looked around at the beauty that surrounded me and yelled at the top of my lungs, “Whoohoo!” The echo was amazing! If you think I’m strange, you may be right! I then sat down to empty my shoes of all the pebbles and dirt and just sat there soaking up my success! There was a slight breeze coming from the north east and no one but me and my thoughts. Talk about the ultimate place to visualize!

The longer I sat there, I started to notice a fan club of buzzards starting to build up overhead. At first there were only a few, then more started coming and by the time I decided to head back down the mountain, there were twelve. I could feel their desire for me to fall and die so that they could fulfill their purpose in life, scavenge!

Isn’t this just like our hike to success? The hike itself is where all the victory comes from. The harder the hike the stronger I become. There are obstacles to face, delays, hardship, smooth sailing, jumps, falls and many other things along the way that are all just part of the hike. Unless I had my goal of reaching that little house-like rock on the top, I might have given up after the first few “close calls” or rough spots. And the real treat is that once you have done it, it’s easier to do it again and again. Duplication and consistency are the keys to success in any industry. Sure, anybody can make  a sale…but can you do it over and over again, consistently.

Once you are at the top, there are always an abundance of those who are just waiting for you to slip up and fail so that they can feed off your scraps. It is their calling in life. The ratio is actually less than that of the buzzards. It is more like three to 5 out of one hundred! But the scavengers are always around….the ones who wish for your failure that tell you to quit. We as humans are still part of the animal kingdom. Why would things be any different for us? The buzzards are always there.

Regardless of opposition, the passionate and determined will always win. At times while on that hike, I lost site of the goal because I was too focused on the obstacles at hand. I simply had to step back, look up, and as I did, I realized I was a lot closer than I thought I was.

Guys, you are a lot closer to your goal than you really think you are. Trust me on this one. Five years ago, it was inconceivable to think that I could work three hours a day from home and make more income in a month than I had ever made in a year…….but I was a lot closer than I thought. Enjoy the hike, keep your eye off the obstacles and fixed on the goal.