I read a short passage from James Kennedy the other day that, although spiritual, relates well to life and entrepreneurship.  It is a simple way for us to turn things into good in our lives.  

Have you ever wished for a magic wand that could change all the unpleasantness of life into something good? Wouldn’t you love a way to instantly sweep away all the trivial things that accumulate until they drag you down?

I believe the Lord has offered us something similar to a magic wand. It can change our outlook on the circumstances surrounding us. What is it? Gratitude. When we feel grateful, our perspectives toward things change. We see our circumstances in a new, more positive light. And when we have grateful hearts, we want to express our gratitude outwardly through thanksgiving. This can work in reverse, too. If we give thanks even when we don’t feel very grateful, we often feel our attitudes change in a more grateful direction, just as if we passed a magic wand over ourselves.

Thanksgiving transforms the secular or commonplace into the sacred. When we give thanks to God, suddenly we see God everywhere. We find ourselves living in an enchanted land, a land in the presence of our great Creator and Redeemer. With our spiritual eyes open, we can see that it is God who gives us everything, from our daily bread to the money we need. Our faith grows stronger as we express gratitude. All things become suffused with the divine presence.

And as we recognize God’s blessings, our thankfulness gives us victory over temptation and sin. How can we commit adultery when we are grateful for our spouses? How can we steal when we are grateful for and content with what we have? How can we envy others’ talents and abilities when we feel thankful for the way God has made us? How can we grumble or complain when we’re thankful for God’s blessings?

We should thank God, and we should also show gratitude for the ways others have blessed our lives. Everyone needs the kind of lift that gratitude brings.

What are you grateful for today? Thank God for all the blessings He has given you, and see how it changes your perspective on life. And don’t forget to express thanks to someone who has enhanced your life. I hope that in your thanksgiving you’ll experience joy.

I was looking for tools to help make my life easier and save time this past week and came across a post by @HeyAbhishekk on Twitter where he outlines multiple resources to help make your life easier and more efficient.  Check it out below!

Words are important.  They are powerful.  And they can make a huge difference in your life.

How is that possible?

Think about what you say.  What do you say to yourself?  What do you say to others around about your success and what is possible?  What do you tell yourself in your mind.  Do you put yourself down or do you build yourself up?  What words are you using.

Here is an example of how one word can make a big difference.

Most people will say "I have to do "X."  And this makes is sound like a burden.  But, what if you changed it and said, "I GET to do "X."  How does that change things?  Now, it goes from being a burden to a privilege.  It becomes special and worthy. 

Next time you find yourself saying, "I have to..." change it to "I get to" and see how that changes how you approach things and how it changes your attitude - because you are truly lucky to be able to do what you do.    

I came across a great pot by Matt Gray @matt_gray_ on the 7 core systems he uses that have generated over $8 million in revenue.  It's worth a read through.  Check it out below!

There is something that every entrepreneur has at some point or on a regular basis that affects their ability to succeed.  This thing can completely paralyze an entrepreneur, consume them, and keep them stuck until they overcome it.

What am I talking about?  Worry.

It's been said that worry is the interest you pay on debts you may never owe.  Do you every find that when it comes to worry?  How much precious time and emotion have been wasted on worrying about things that never transpire.  How many opportunities are missed or actions delayed due to this success killer?

Worrying is a part of the human condition, so it is not something that we won't have happen in our lives, but we must not let it take over and keep us from reaching out potential.  We must see worry for what it is - being scared of something that could happen.  And in times of worry, we must utilize logic to recognize worry for what it is, but also accept the reality that we are in or that could be if the worry came to fruition, and then decide what actions we will take to prevent or keep going in spite of it.

There was a research study done year ago where they placed a mouse in a cage. At another location within the mouse’s sight, they placed a cat in a cage. The cat had no contact with the mouse: their cages weren’t close together, the cat never escaped from its cage, and the cat never had an opportunity to threaten the mouse. But the cat was in the same room, and the mouse knew it. The mouse kept its eyes on the cat all the time. Six to twelve months of testing revealed the mouse had developed very high blood pressure. Nothing had happened to it. Its life had never been in jeopardy. But worry almost killed it.

So many of us are like that mouse, seeing potential danger and borrowing trouble that may never come. 

Do NOT be the mouse.  Be true to yourself, have faith in your ability and capability, look for the opportunity, and act in spite of your worry or fear,

It's been a little while since I have read Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning."  It is truly a book everyone should read and have in their library.  I came across a great X thread the other day from @MnkeDaniel who did an awesome job sharing some of the best quotes and thoughts from the book.  It should spur your thinking...

I heard a great message from our pastor in church the other day that applies to life and business.  The message was about how to best raise our kids using the "4 L's."  I listened, I could not help but think about how they apply so well to entrepreneurship and leadership.

The 4 L's are as follows:  

1. Love Them
2. Lead Them 
3. Limit Them
4. Let Them Fly

Just by seeing them, you can probably guess how they relate to parenting, but they relate very well to leadership as well because you have to do them same with your team.

First, you must love them.  You hired them and made them part of your team.  You asked them to give a  (big) piece of their life to your mission.  By all means love them for it and show them that you care and appreciate it.

Second, lead them.  Your duty is to lead them and help them become their best and reach their full potential.   You are responsible for their success and helping their path in life, not to mention putting food on their table.  So lead them in the best way you can and do every possible to make sure they succeed and grow into the best in their role that they can.

Third, limit them.  This one may seem odd, but limiting goes hand in hand with leading.  Sometimes, to look out for people, you must restrain them or put limits and rules in place to ensure they and your business can succeed.  And also, so they know how to succeed.  For example, having rules for how to treat each other in the workplace or SOP's to follow to ensure the task is done at the highest standard are example of "limits" in that they help to make sure people are doing their best in the right way.

Fourth, Let Them Fly.  This is my favorite.  Once people are properly trained and know what to do to succeed within the limits - let them go to maximize their impact.  Give them the support, encouragement, and empowerment to make the most out of themselves.  Let them fly!

If you incorporate the 4 L's into your leadership, it will help you create a better team and build a better business, so get started with them today!

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the next 5-10 years and what we wanted to accomplish.  We both own great businesses and are somewhat semi-retired.  As we talked about the possibilities, I found myself challenging my friend and even myself as to the possibilities for us.  Needless to say that by the end of the conversation, we both agreed that we weren't thinking big enough and needed to spend some more time looking at the true potential we have in front of us.  

I love these types of conversations because even when you are doing well and think you have everything dialed in, there is potential to reach higher and challenge yourself.  

After the conversation, I was energized and started writing down my thoughts and pushing myself to what could truly be possible.  I asked myself where I was "comfortable" and thought through how I could move from comfortable to uncomfortable and raise the bar.  I looked at my current trajectory and asked a lot of questions of myself about why I was on the that trajectory and how I could make it even better.  I asked myself what I believe my capabilities and future.  I challenged myself when it came raising the bar on total income.  I also took inventory of the daily and weekly actions I am doing in my businesses and asked what I should keep doing and stop doing.

If you haven't done an exercise like this, you should every year.  You should challenge yourself to think bigger and ask questions of yourself no matter how successful you are.  There is a world of abundance out there and god-willing, it is yours to tap into.  So, think bigger and reach higher.  

I came across a great thread by @AccentInvesting on Twitter the other day of a study done on the habits of over 200 millionaires.  Here are the habits that made them ultrawealthy.

In life, we are going to face many battles.  We will face them in our work, personal lives, and most importantly in ourselves.  The biggest battle that we must win is the one fought in our own minds.  

Our mind can be the biggest obstacle to our success in all areas of life.  In fact, the mind can create almost a prison for someone who does not overcome the mind's ability to sabotage them.  How can this happen?  The mind can manifest all kinds of scenarios and thoughts that "feel" real, but are not.  It can create fear and anxiety of almost anything - and left unchecked, this can compound to a point where a person is paralyzed and becomes a shell of their former self.  

Sadly, this happens way too much to good people.  But, the good news is that the same forces that can sabotage an individual in the mind can be harnessed to reach a person's full potential.  

The question is how does one learn to use their mind and control it in their favor?

The first step is to understand that you are in ultimate control of your mind.  You decide what goes into it and ultimately what to accept from it.  It begins with recognizing debilitating and sabotaging thoughts throughout the day.  Do you put yourself down?  Do you find yourself creating scenarios of fear over things that could happen, but are unlikely to?  We all have thoughts that are negative, but it is how we recognize and act on them that matters.  And ultimately, if you can recognize the thought and know that it is not one, you want to have, you can choose to change it to the thought you want to have.  For example, if you find that you put yourself down frequently, you can begin to recognize when that happens and say "No" to yourself and redirect to a positive thought about yourself.  This will be and is awkward at first, but you'll find that after a little while, it will become second nature, and a transformation will begin to take place.

The second step is to act on the thoughts that improve you life and choose not to act on those that sabotage your life.  It comes down to action in the end.  You can recognize all the negative thoughts in the world, but if you are not willing to remove them, replace them with the thoughts you want to have, and then take action on making them reality, you will not improve.  The power is yours, but you have to choose to use it.

The last step is to commit to doing this exercise for the rest of your life.  And don't try and eat the elephant all at once.  Tackle one area first, then move the next, and so on.  Tom Ziglar once said to me, "The fastest way to success is to replace a bad habit with a good habit."  What is one bad habit you can take control of and act on for your betterment?  Focus there first until you have mastered overcoming the old with the new and the move on to the next and so on.  

Remember, the power resides in you.  The hardest part is taking those first action and then sticking with it.  If you do so, you can change your whole life and reach higher potential than you ever thought possible.  Win the battle!