”The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” -John Bingham

Do you ever wonder how people who achieve great things actually do them? Think about it, everyone has goals and dreams of who they would like to become or what they would like to accomplish, but not everyone achieves what they set out to achieve. So, what separates the achievers from the dreamers?  I have found that achievers dream, decide their going to do something, and take the first step. Dreamers just…dream.

Most people never become who they’d like to become or do what they would like to do because they do not decide to and even if they do, they do not know how to start.

Dreams are great but the question becomes, “How do I achieve this?”

• How do I become successful? 
• How do I become financially independent?
• How do I get into the best shape of my life?
• How I grow to my maximum potential?
• How can I run a marathon?
• How can I raise a great family?
• How do I ____(fill in your goal)?

First, you have to decide. Decide you’re going to be successful. Decide you’re going to be financially independent, decide you’re going to have a great relationship, decide you’re going to change your life, your health, your family, your career, and your relationships.

Second, you have to start. You start by taking one step:

• Having a great relationship with God starts with going to church.

• Getting in the best shape of your life starts with taking a walk around the neighborhood and reading an article on better eating habits.

• Doing well financially starts with educating yourself on personal finance. Reading a book or meeting with a financial planner.

• Running a marathon starts with running .25 of a mile

If you do not know what a simple first step is, ask someone who has accomplished what you would like to accomplish. There are hundreds and thousands of people who have done what you would like to do. They would love to help you.

Once you decide to change and take one step, you will begin to make progress. You won’t reach your goals overnight, but each day you take a step, you get one step closer. Your steps start to compound. Eventually, progress comes quickly. Before you know it, you’re accomplishing things you never thought you would.

Once you become a person who decides to change their life and takes the steps necessary to get there, you will never turn back.You’ll become a person who acts on their dreams. As a result, you’ll become a person whose dreams come true. Why? Because you decided to start. 

• What goals and dreams do you have that you just need to decide you’re going to go after them? 
• What are the first steps you need to get started? 

Write down the steps and then act. Start. Now.

Thoughts? 

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“If you don’t start where you are, you stay where you are” -Keith Moore

The older I get, the more I value teachability. One of the determining factors of whether not you are teachable is how you respond to this questions:

• How do you respond when you are presented the truth?
•  How do you respond when you face reality? 
• What do you do when someone tells you an area that you need to grow in?
• What do you do when you realize you’re not as far along in life as you thought?
• How do you respond to constructive criticism?
• How do you respond when you have to face issues that you never realized you had? 

Facing reality can be extremely difficult, especially if we thought everything we’ve been doing has been great. How you respond in moments where you are faced with truth that you don’t want to hear will determine whether or not you will go to the next level, grow to your maximum potential, and succeed in life.

If you haven’t watched the lesson, “The Wise, The Fool, and the Evil” by Dr. Henry Cloud, I would encourage you to take 20 minutes and watch it right now: http://vimeo.com/43777476 

Henry Cloud – “The Evil, the Foolish, the Wise” from TMCC on Vimeo.

So, after watching this, where do you find yourself most often?

Are you wise? – When facing reality? Do you accept it? Do you own it? Do you do whatever it takes to deal with the issue you are faced with? I have found that wise people are the happiest people. Why? Because growth = happiness! Show me someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to grow to their maximum potential and I’ll show you someone who is happy and hard to bring down! Be wise!

Are you a fool? – If you find yourself in this category, how you respond is critical. From here, you can become wise or you can ultimately become evil! Choose to become wise! It can be painful, but it’s worth it! Becoming everything you’re capable of becoming is what life is all about! Be willing to do whatever it takes to deal with the issues you’re faced with! Once this attitude becomes a way of life for you, you’ll find your life getting better and better!

On the other hand, if you do not choose to go the wise route, I’d encourage you to read Proverbs 1:20-33. It is a warning to fools. God is saying, listen, I’ve tried to correct you a million times, I’ve put so many people in your life to help you, and you’ve rejected everything. You’ve hardened you’re heart and ignored my correction so much that it’s too late. You’re ultimately going to have to deal with the consequences of your bad choices. Ultimately fools will find themselves isolated and start to feel hopeless when they face the consequences of ignoring the truth. In these moments, they can either repent and finally choose to deal with the truth as someone who is wise or they will go down a path that they would never have intentionally chose to go down, but in reality they’ve been choosing it all along, every time they rejected the truth.

Are you evil? – Odds are if you’re a fool, you’re not reading this post. However, if you do find yourself in this category, I can’t imagine you’re very happy with your life. If you have given up hope that you can ever live a good life, I’m here to tell you that there is NO hopeless situation. There is always hope. I would encourage you to get help! Go to church. Go to a therapist or counselor. Do whatever it takes to get out of this category.

How do you react when you have to face reality? Are you wise, a fool, or evil? 

Thoughts? 

If this post helped you and you believe it could help others, please recommend it on Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, and the other social media sites listed below. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on this post. Leave a comment below! Thank you!

I would also encourage you to subscribe to this blog via RSS feed or e-mail!You can sign-up for e-mail by typing your e-mail address in the box on the left hand side of this site that says “E-mail updates”.

A leader once taught me what he called the “Number on your back principle.” The principle is this: 
Often times, we don’t have a choice over who we influence, but we do have a choice over how we influence them.

For example, Sydney Crosby is the best hockey player in the world, because of this, he has influence of millions of people, regardless of whether or not he wants to. The question is, what will he do with that influence?

If a group of raging ten-year old fans see him in public and run up to him and ask him for autographs, how he reacts matters. In those moments, he establishes whether or not he is going to use his influence to make the world a better place.

Are moments like this convenient for him? Probably not. However, if he knows the power of his influence, he’ll use his influence for good, regardless of the cost.

So, let’s say you’re not the greatest hockey player in the world. How does this relate to you?

Ask yourself, “How do you use the influence you have been given at this moment in my life?”

Notice the question isn’t, “How do you become an influence?” but “how do you use the influence you have been given?”

You influence someone. You may influence a lot of people. How many people you influence isn’t important. In fact, I’ve found that if you are a good steward of the influence you have, God will give you more influence. In contrast, if you’re a poor steward of your influence, God will take your influence away.Influence isn’t about filling a stadium full of raging fans. It’s about making a difference in the lives of the individuals God brings right in front of you. Ask yourself:

• When you see someone you know that would love to talk to you while you’re grocery shopping, in your neighborhood, at church, or at Starbucks, do you duck and hide or do you engage them?

• When you have an opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life, but you realize it will require a lot of time and sacrifice  what do you choose to do?

Your answers to these questions matter. These are the moments that can change someones live forever! Influence is a wonderful thing to have, but it comes with a price. The price of responsibility. The price of sacrifice. The price of choosing to use your influence for good, even when you don’t feel like it.

Bottom line: Your influence matters, use it to make the world a better place. It may not always be convenient, but if it is used correctly, it will always make a difference.

Thoughts? 

If this post helped you and you believe it could help others, please recommend it on Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, and the other social media sites listed below. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on this post. Leave a comment below! Thank you!

I would also encourage you to subscribe to this blog via RSS feed or e-mail!You can sign-up for e-mail by typing your e-mail address in the box on the left hand side of this site that says “E-mail updates”.