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.

My primary business is with the Empower Network and is my main focus. But if you’ve ever wanted to throw $10 bucks a month and something just to see what happens, this is it! A La Carte style! It’s a way to invest in a great idea from the beginning and profit from it later. And from what I’ve seen, the app should be pretty great.

The Personal Development App, iLA – The Inspired Living Application

iLA, The Inspired Living Application, is a one of a kind, mobile application that makes it possible for the average, every day person, to profit from the exploding mobile application industry. The iLA application delivers a high quality, professionally produced, personal development video to your mobile device on a weekly basis.

At the time this post was published, iLA hasn’t even reached pre-launch yet and already has over 2000 people involved! It’s expecting to see over 500,000 within 6 months, which, if you’re in early, that means thousands of residual income every month. This thing is going to spread like wildfire.

If you are a compensation plan guru, it’s a forced 3×7 matrix. Basically put…the sooner you get in, the better.

There is no sponsoring requirement to earn in the matrix, but there are matching 10%, 20% and 40% bonuses for those that sponsor 3, 6 or 10 people. This is pretty easy to do.

So what do you have to lose? $10 a month for 6 months? I’d spend $60 to see if I could make a few thousand on a monthly basis, any day! If anything, you spent less than a hundred bucks over a period of six months and received a bunch of great content.

But I don’t think that will be the outcome. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! The network marketing industry has yet to see a mobile app company. This will be the first of its kind.

Visit http://www.ilivingapp.com/davidallred to get started.

Enjoy the Inspired Living App video…

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.”

This year I have decided to volunteer to coach my daughters girls basketball team. My experience in coaching 10, 11 and 12 year old girls is extremely limited, but so far I’ve had a blast. Having recently moved into the Thatcher school district, I wasn’t sure I would be chosen out of the many who had volunteered to be coaches this year. Most of them have graduated from Thatcher High and have been residents of this area since then. But when I received the call to coach, I was told that I came highly recommended. Can you say, “confidence boost?”

With that said, I’m a coach.

I can tell you this much, it’s weird being called “Coach!” I’ve gone by many titles….Elder, Dad, Dave, Private, Sir, Warrant Officer, Allred, Idiot, but never coach. But the more my players say it, the more it grows on me.

Our season opener was the weekend before Thanksgiving and was an amazing game. I only had five days to prepare my team for our first game, so I was a little bit nervous, to say the least. We were able to get in just two practices before the game, just enough to help the girls remember how to play organized basketball again.

Here’s how the game went down

The opening tip went to the other team, and if you’ve ever watched 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls play basketball, you know that there’s not a lot of scoring going on. There’s a lot of shots going up, but not a lot of points as a result.

During the first few minutes of the game, we were up 5 to zero. They quickly caught up and pulled into the lead. From that point on up until the last few minutes of the second quarter, we were just trading baskets and ended up being down by 7 points at half time.

The second half scoring was a little slower for our opponents than it was for us and we started closing the gap. With under a minute left in the fourth quarter, we were down by just one point and had possession. Although we had some good shots, we weren’t able to score and the other team took it down and added two more points to their lead making us three points down.

So, with just 9 seconds on the clock, I called a time out. In the huddle, I drew out a simple play that involved just one pick and at this point, I’m sure the other team thought they had the win in the bag. Who would think that 4th, 5th and 6th graders could shoot the three. The buzzer rang and I sent my team back onto the court. The ref handed the ball to my player for the inbound pass. The pick was set, but our go-to-man wasn’t open, so the ball was thrown to another team member who was open. She turned and launched the ball from three point land. It bounced off the backboard and went in.

Guys, the gym went crazy! It was amazing. With the sound levels in there, I would have sworn we were at a high school game.

That shot sent us into overtime, which ended in another tie. The final overtime period ended with my team winning by two points.

What an exciting season opener double overtime win!

This game taught me that I can have complete confidence in my players. As long as they’re prepared with a plan of attack, they’ll have a sense of direction and can improvise if needed.

The same applies to anything in life. The best drawn out play in the world can only work if you execute that play and improvise if needed.

I run into this over and over in my industry. My business is teaching others how to make money from home using a business model that has been drawn out, just like a play. It has tools, websites, instructions and people who are willing to train and teach. Yet, some still don’t succeed.

It’s because they don’t execute the play and they don’t improvise should the original play not pan out.

Just as our basketball season opener was an important part to the momentum of the rest of our season, so is your first few days, weeks and months in your newly started home business. If you pay attention, execute that play and then improvise when needed, you’ll come out on top!

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.