Life limits

So last night I read my favorite kids book of all to my two little girls. "Oh the places you will go" by Dr. Seuss. Almost every time I read this book I have an epiphany. Maybe not quite an epiphany, but a moment of realization. We all get so caught up in life that we naturally start to blend in with the crowd. We forget that we can achieve greater things.
As I was reading this book, I was thinking of my kids and could see the whole future ahead of them. Each one of my kids has great potential and have gifts they can use. They got my wife's ability to socialize with people and be the cool girls. They have a natural attraction.
The book talks about flying higher and faster than the rest and then suddenly watching them all pass you up as you crash. But that is where most people will stop and be content with blending in with the environment around them. They will never take a risk again fearing they will fall again and just say "What's the point." Less Brown points out that those who learn how to get back up every time they are knocked down are the successful people.
But there real moment of realization was not that I was able to see a bright future for my girls and what they could actually do in their life, but that I did not have that natural ability to see it in myself. So while I was reading the book, I started to apply it to my kids and my own life. There are mountains to be moved and I am stuck here at my corporate job trading time for money.

If you are comfortable with getting up everyday only to do the same thing you did yesterday, you probably got caught up mixing into your environment. Jim Rohn says "You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most." I believe that applies to today's theme. Don't be content and complacent, get out there and find the mountain you are going to move.

Each step counts toward something

Yesterday I left off talking about how each decision we make is a stepping stone towards a worthy ideal. Earl Nightengale gave his definition of success that I believe most people will agree with. He said "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal." This is becoming more and more real everyday to me as I keep moving forward. Although I have my hard times or times that I fail, I know through those times that I am a success because I am still moving toward my goal.
If I lived in California and I wanted to get to New York, I would have to first come up with a plan to get there. Lets say that that was my goal and I just started walking in that direction. I would have to guess that it would be only by a very small circumstance that I would make it. Most likely I would run into situations that would pull me from my ultimate goal and I would get comfortable there. It could be that I meet new friends and they drag me into their goal and I become content with it. Whatever the circumstance, the point is you would never reach your goal.
If you planned correctly and kept your goal in mind, you would be able to move past every obstacle with ease and determination. Some people might plan to walk there, or to ride a bike, or even fly a plane. No matter what plan you make you will never make it there in an instant. My guess is that if you planned to walk, you would find a different and faster way eventually.
The point I want to make in this post is that you have to work toward your goal every day. But first of all, set your goal and know "why" you are going there. Your why will be your motivation and determination to get there.
I am in the process of writing my goal on paper and hanging it somewhere that I will see it. I have had a general goal for a long time now (to be financially independent) and I am making better plans to get there along the way.

Proverbs is riddled with knowledge. Proverbs 3:6 says "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." I challenge you to take steps everyday to move toward your goal and learn from those times that you fall. I promise you will get better at getting up and better at walking. But you have to make the choice to take those steps.

Out of balance, lessons learned

I thought I better write another post about balance since I feel like I cannot keep up with everything right now. First of all I woke up late today because my alarm is not going off. So immediately I get a shot of Cortisone and already feel stressed. Not a good way to wake up. So I tried to switch my mood and started thinking of where I left off before I went to sleep. That wasn't good because I didn't get all my work done and got stressed about not having enough time to catch up now. Then nothing seemed like it was going in a good direction. Since I woke up late, I didn't have enough time to do my devotions, workout, take time to meditate or even make my food for the day and get to work on time.
But I was able to stop myself and think about my two little daughters and their smiles. My wife and life partner and how she supports me and our family. The support I have from friends I surround myself with.
Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
Jim Rohn once said "Any man that can go to work everyday and still feel his kids hug and kiss; that man is unstoppable."
Although I am unbalanced in life right now, I will not let that stop me or slow me down. That is not in my plans and I am determined to keep moving forward and to succeed in life. I will use these moments in life as learning lessons and be proud that I could experience them and grow from them. I do know that I have too much on my plate and am trying to see every aspect of each lesson.
Each moment in life becomes another stepping stone to something. Let's all make sure the direction of those stones leads to a worthy ideal.

Holistic approach to life

My wife was reading an article to me this morning that she thought was interesting. It was another article about becoming successful in life. But this was a little different, although it was an article focusing on real estate investing it discussed why we should be balanced. Some people may become great at their finances but they are overweight, tired, depressed, have poor relationships or even addicted to drugs. They could be the healthiest person you know physically but have no spouse and can't hold a relationship. Finding that balance in life is essential to live a happy life.
If you look around us and try to understand the way things work, how they connect with each other, or how they are made, you will begin to see how incredibly balanced this universe is. You will notice how things will go bad when they are out of balance as well. Just look at our world economy and how unbalanced it is right now.
A holistic doctor treats the whole body. Not just in nutrition but they understand how our bodies cells are connected and how things like stress can impact them. Most of them are chiropractors or were at one time. I dare you to compare the success rate of a good holistic doctor compared to the medical field we have now. I'm sure you will find startling results.
Even though I am going to school for computer engineering, I view it only as an avenue to help me become a better person. I probably won't even use the degree for a career. It is teaching me commitment and discipline. I am also learning as much as I can about health and wellness, business, real estate, parenting, God, and leadership. I listen to podcasts or audio-books while driving or at work. I am leaning a lot along the way about balancing my life. That includes my time.
I have such a passion for learning and becoming a great leader that I get so frustrated that I have to sleep and there are not enough hours in the day to get the things done that I think I need to. But that is a part of learning to balance my time. I can see the effects of my growth and I know that I am heading down the right path to be successful, so I have to sit back some times and re-evaluate where I am spending my time. That is why I have such a hard time coming to my corporate job. I am just trading time for money right now.

I know my articles are a little unorganized right now, but the more I do this the better I will become. I can tell you that I have become a much more joyful person since I have worked towards a balanced life. Although I am busy, I am getting better at using my time wisely for the priorities in life.

Perceptions

I wanted to talk a little bit about perceptions. I have been using the quote by Henry Ford about failure lately and it seems to be coming up a lot more. He said "Failure is only an opportunity to do better next time." With such a short sentence, it packs a big punch with the underlying concepts. I have been beginning to understand it more and more as I live it out each day. I have been afraid of failing at things for a long time and the more I understand this concept the more I realize there is less and less to actually be afraid of.
So take for instance, this weekend I had to take care of the Service Engine Soon (SES) light on this new BMW I bought for the RelayRides business. It will not pass inspection without the issue taken care of. With the limited time I have, I decided to save money and work on it myself. As we were out running errands about 20 miles away from the house, I chose to replace a hose on the vehicle to clear the SES light before driving home. After I wrestled with this hose for 45min (10min job with the right tools) I finally got everything back together. But it did not run good after I started it. Long story short, I had to get a tow and have my cousin take us home. that was at 11:45pm. We didn't get home until 1:20am.
I skipped church the next day and finally got everything back together and even fixed a few more issues to boot. I had to clear the SES and drive it for 50 miles in order to make sure there we no more issues. At the 50 mile mark, I got the SES light again. This is a difficult issue to diagnose because it is a vacuum system mixed with the fuel system. So I am not done.
Even though this is a very frustrating situation, I chose to look at each area that most people would consider a failure as a moment in time to use to grow and move forward rather than allowing it to manipulate my mood and control my decisions. It still needs to be fixed and is costing me money just sitting there, but it is also an opportunity to grow. And that might be just what I need right now rather than success in finances.
I choose to look at it as a success in growth and the ability to handle stressful situations the right way. And my wife was supportive through the whole thing. I am so glad I have her.
So next time you run into a situation that you could consider a failure, stop for a second and ponder the lessons you could learn from it. You may grow more than you think, who knows you may even be able to handle it better next time.

Close relations

You are probably familiar with the law "An object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by a foreign object." This is one of those principles I have found works in may areas of life. I find that many principles can be applicable to areas or circumstances that we face. Usually you use this law in physics and can easily apply it to the physical world around us. But have you ever applied it to your own life and the direction you are heading?
I want to share a couple of observances I have recently made. For one, my wife has been reversing some of her ways of thinking and really applying it to life. I listen to a lot of podcasts and try to learn as much as I can as much as I can. So I am moving in the direction of working for myself and trying to get to the point of being financially independent. I am constantly moving forward toward my goals, but it becomes very difficult when your life partner doesn't want to ride that train just yet. But I have noticed the past few months how my wife is accepting the offer and striving to become that leader God has created her to be. She is stepping out and taking risks and making better choices. It is evident in our kids and our relationships with friends.
Another observance is my dad. If you are familiar with Rich Dad, Poor Dad you will understand when I say that he has grown up with the Poor Dad mentality. "Go to school and get good grades so you can get a good job." I had an argument not too long ago about how to get ahead in life an not struggle to make the payments and keep up with life. It was an argument that I don't think I will ever forget because of what I said to him. While he was telling me what I need to be doing to get ahead in life  I jumped out and said "and look at where that philosophy got you. You are still operating on the same philosophy a degree and your background determines your income!" There was a long period of silence, but I broke it with a determined "You are smart and so much more worth the credit that you give yourself because of this belief in school credentials or work history!" I have felt bad about saying that to him, but I have never regretted it.
Just the other day, I asked him to go to this networking meeting for real estate investors. He was way out of place and felt very uncomfortable. I called him and forgot he was at the event. He text me later and told me how uncomfortable he really was. I tried to encourage him and tell him to at least meet some people and make some contacts. Afterwards he called me and talked about what he had learned and the contacts he created. I was very proud at that moment to hear that he was stepping out of his box to try something new. He is really starting to break some barriers in his old ways of thinking.

So I mostly wanted to encourage you to never give up even if you feel you are paddling upstream. People will see the progress you are making and start taking those same steps. But don't do it for them, do it for you.

What am I doing here?

I recently requested a one-on-one meeting with the CEO of the company I work for. I work for a large global corporation during the day. Unfortunately it is paying my wages for now, but I am aspiring to be my own boss some day soon. I am looking at different avenues to best asses which one fits me the best. I have a lot of skills and gifts, I just need to find the one that I can use to provide the best service to people.
So back to the meeting. I had a good talk with the CEO and I think he is a great leader, except for one thing. I believe he has his blinders on in some aspects of our business, unless I am just not seeing the big picture. He was thrilled that I wanted to talk to him and not complain about something. Most of the time, people want to escalate an issue and go to him to complain about it. I wanted to talk about how we could implement ways of improving the capabilities of the soft skills our managers are missing. Or really the lack of soft skills. But that is one of my strong points which makes it easy for me to see in others.
If you watch Simon Sineks video on "Why leaders eat last", your level of understanding to be a leader will increase tremendously. Once you are able to grasp the concepts, you will be able to construct a lifestyle built on serving people and become a better leader. Someone people feel safe around and look up to for guidance. You can watch the video here.
Later that night I went to go look at a Porsche Cayenne at a used car lot. I met the owner and listened to her story of how she became her own boss. We had the same philosophy about working for corporate america. We talked about stories such as the ones I mentioned in my previous post about people who get burned over and over again by their corporate. We are head counts, not heart counts. Anyone can be disposed of at any time without remorse.
So why are we still working for these companies. It really doesn't make sense if we apply logic to it. Think of it, how many people do you know that their company actually went above and beyond for someone? In the military we are given medals for sacrificing ourselves for others. In business we are given medals for sacrificing others for ourselves. There is a false security there that we are leaning on, and one day it will be pulled out from under us and we are going to fall.

I want to encourage anyone reading this to look for options to create a service or product to as many people as you can. You will get your freedom from corporate and enjoy the rest of your life with a feeling of accomplishment.

3 days in a row!!

After a long stretch of time, I started blogging again. This will be my 3rd day in a row, so I am celebrating it. It is good to celebrated things in your life. It enables your brain to search for the positive things in life rather than the negative aspects of life.
Have you ever noticed those who are pessimistic never seam to be happy? They can laugh and even create bonds with people as friends, but you can tell inside they are truly unhappy. The base for their joy stems from self gain. That is so hard to achieve because it is not how we were designed. Well one aspect is: the fact that our nature is self gratifying and we are always looking for satisfaction. But we have to reverse that idea in our head that filling our desires with the wrong things always leads to a constant fight to fill it.
I have been working on a 21 day happiness advantage challenge by Shawn Achor. If you have never heard of him you can check out his TED talk here. He has done an extensive study on what makes people happy and has found a formula for reversing our minds to create a more positive attitude. At the end of the challenge you will have trained your brain to look for the positive things in life and therefore have a better base for happiness. Joy is the base for happiness and it always come from an external source. To serve others gives us a lasting fulfillment.

I have started the challenge but not finished it yet. If I miss a day on even one aspect of the challenge, I start my day count over. So far I have seen a major difference in my perception of people and my job. I have noticed a difference in others as well. Join me in this challenge an make a step to create a better world. If not the whole world then at least the world around you. And remember to celebrate even the small aspects of good in your life.

So here is a short little blurb about my day yesterday.

I have been pretty slow at work regarding actual technical work, since that is what my job description requires. Yesterday I had 5 new assignments come in that are actually due this week. It seems like when it comes in, it is hot and a short due date. I don't believe we will be able to make it in this market if we continue to do the same things over and over.
There is definitely a lack of leadership here. A large majority of the managers we have right now are new and inexperienced. You can tell they are in it for themselves. I have been listening to Simon Sinek on leadership and have marked traits in all our managers that screams failure. So I have had a great opportunity here to be a leader to those around me. It is working out really well. I get a lot of respect from people here. People are really starting to look up to me, except my manager. I have learned that a great leader sacrifices himself for others and in business we have it backwards, we have learned to sacrifice others for ourselves.
I am working on building people up by telling them they are doing a great job and pick at some aspects that I believe they excel at. I have suggested to some managers of other departments that they keep an eye on someone because I believe they would be a great fit for their department and why I believe so. I have also started to see others doing the same, it must be catchy.

On a personal note, I am trying to diversify my income through Genesis Pure, RelayRides and Real Estate. I am picking up two more cars to start building a fleet and have a possibility of three GP meetings this week. I am aiming to get our new members building their teams this week. I am also listening to several aspects of Real Estate to analyze where I would fit in the best by using my gifts and strength.
My goal is to not have to rely on corporate for an income. As Jim Rohn says "I am making my wages with my full time job, but working on my fortune in my part time". I feel bad for people that are working so hard at their full time job and not getting anywhere. They spend so much effort in trying work for corporate and in the end will not be appreciated and end up loosing their employment.
Two of my old colleagues have passed away just recently. One never got the chance to retire and the other had retired only two years previously. It was a heavy reminder that I do not want to devote my life to a company that doesn't care about its workers. We are head counts to them not heart counts.

Anyway gotta get back to the grind.

Remind yourself everyday that you are worth it. You deserve more in life, so get out there and live.

It has been a while since my last post and I have bee trying to get back into sharing my life. So let me share a little what has been happening.
I posted earlier that the intention of this blog is to provide the aspects of a Journey of someone aspiring to be an entrepreneur. This has been a rough road so far, but I know every second of my journey has been worth it. I have volunteered my time to so many things that I am now finding ways to limit my involvement in too many things and focus my efforts on my priorities. I do have a pretty full plate and it is teaching me a lot, but I do not believe this should be a lifestyle for many. Let me list out the things I am working on right now.

     - We are working on trying to figure out what is going on with my daughters development. She is behind in her speech and development by a long shot. We have spent a lot of money this year on her and would do it all over again if we had to. We have still not found out what the blockage is. We are looking into nutrition (which has helped), neurological treatments such as BIT (Brain Integration Therapy), and much prayer. Without a large income there is only so much we can do. DNA testing may be our next step. We have spent a lot of time and effort on her this year. And much of it by developing parenting skills.

     - I am a deacon at our church and that comes with a lot of responsibility. That involves carrying our pastors vision to the community. I am on the committee for developing our 'Lifegroups' and am also leading one. My efforts go into being a leader. People come up to me all the time and I see how I am viewed as a leader, but all I am doing is following the direction God is leading me in. I never knew what a blessing it would be to serve others in a role such as this.

     - I am now leading several men in a fitness lifegroup. I will be gathering everyone's goals and tailoring the training for the group with different levels of fitness. This is more like a physical fitness trainer. I will be giving out nutrition tips and setting up exercise goals for the week. This is exciting for me because it is something close to my heart.

     - I am still running a rental car business through RelayRides and am planning to add a couple cars to my fleet this week. I have been working on learning the market and supplying what it is asking for. So far I have been very successful and plan to keep it going.

     - I am still working on building teams for Genesis Pure and helping people with their health and their wealth. In the small pockets of time that I have, I am trying to fill them with presentations for Genesis Pure. That is going alright and I can see the level of success one could have if they truly invested the time into it. I still really enjoy this type of business.

     - I am now the Chairperson for the Inclusion and Diversity committee at our site for Siemens. I&D is a global initiative that strives to utilize a diverse culture to penetrate the market. I work on developing ways to include everyone at work regardless of their skill level or culture. I attend regional meeting in Houston with other Siemens sites to collaborate with.

     - I am working in another committee at work that in responsible for coming up with ways to retain good employees and find out why we are loosing them. Ultimately it is the lack of good leadership. I am responsible for giving a presentation to our executive management and then presenting to all management on site. This is a huge responsibility that I am afraid I am not going to be prepared for.

     - I am still attending school. I am busy Tuesday's and Thursday's for one class, and then most of Saturday for another. I am finding it hard to make time to study and get my homework done. I only have one more class after this to finish my AAS degree.

On top of all of that, I have to take care of my top priorities, such as my wife and my kids. So my service to God comes first and my service to my family comes second. That also includes my parents and my wife's parents. I will share later how I am working on all of this in a later post.

Thank you for reading. I hope to provide some valuable content for you later in the future. Until then take care and God bless.