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.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Thursday, September 17, 2015
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
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.
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.
Monday, September 14, 2015
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.
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.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
New Business (small)
I haven't been blogging in a while for a few reasons. Let me to you why.
Priorities. One thing that I have learned from many key note speakers on personal development is that you need to stay busy. I am staying very busy right now and have neglected blogging about it. My priorities are based upon my goals which are based on my values and where I want to go in the future.
So number one in my life is to maintain a healthy relationship with God and continue to grow in maturity in that relationship. That usually comes with more responsibility. And I got it; I am leading a Life Group on Friday nights and am part of the men's group at church. I was asked to speak at the retreat coming up which I now have to prepare for.
I also have class Monday through Thursday. This is also a high priority but just behind family. With every day filled up until Saturday and Sunday afternoon, I have to be sure to spend time with them.
One thing that I would like to point out in this blog is that I am starting to see changes and the effects of success. I am becoming a better person and it is starting to become evident. It is also easier to see the areas where I am lacking and need to give a little more time to.
I had an idea about a small business that wouldn't be too hard and could make a little extra cash on the side. I bought a car. For all the investors out there that might read this, let me explain before you just disregard this. There is a new company out there called Relayrides. You can list your car for rent and the company covers most of the rest. My idea is no different that renting out a house or apartment. I bought a nice vehicle at a good price fully on a loan, and I am using someone else's money to pay it off. Of course I calculated insurance and maintenance in the formula too. So far it has been a big success. I am already booked for at least 80% of my cost through May. I am actually making money in March so I believe the next few months will be the same. It has only been listed for 3 days now.
That is also another reason I have not blogged in a while; I was going through the car buying process. All the money we get from that vehicle will go directly toward the vehicle until it is completely paid off. Anything after that will just be residual income.
I hope this inspires some of you to try to fill up your time with progress and to try something on the side that would benefit your pockets. I also want to say thank your for those who have been reading my blogs. If you could please leave me some feedback (good or bad) and I will be sure to learn and grow from it.
Priorities. One thing that I have learned from many key note speakers on personal development is that you need to stay busy. I am staying very busy right now and have neglected blogging about it. My priorities are based upon my goals which are based on my values and where I want to go in the future.
So number one in my life is to maintain a healthy relationship with God and continue to grow in maturity in that relationship. That usually comes with more responsibility. And I got it; I am leading a Life Group on Friday nights and am part of the men's group at church. I was asked to speak at the retreat coming up which I now have to prepare for.
I also have class Monday through Thursday. This is also a high priority but just behind family. With every day filled up until Saturday and Sunday afternoon, I have to be sure to spend time with them.
One thing that I would like to point out in this blog is that I am starting to see changes and the effects of success. I am becoming a better person and it is starting to become evident. It is also easier to see the areas where I am lacking and need to give a little more time to.
I had an idea about a small business that wouldn't be too hard and could make a little extra cash on the side. I bought a car. For all the investors out there that might read this, let me explain before you just disregard this. There is a new company out there called Relayrides. You can list your car for rent and the company covers most of the rest. My idea is no different that renting out a house or apartment. I bought a nice vehicle at a good price fully on a loan, and I am using someone else's money to pay it off. Of course I calculated insurance and maintenance in the formula too. So far it has been a big success. I am already booked for at least 80% of my cost through May. I am actually making money in March so I believe the next few months will be the same. It has only been listed for 3 days now.
That is also another reason I have not blogged in a while; I was going through the car buying process. All the money we get from that vehicle will go directly toward the vehicle until it is completely paid off. Anything after that will just be residual income.
I hope this inspires some of you to try to fill up your time with progress and to try something on the side that would benefit your pockets. I also want to say thank your for those who have been reading my blogs. If you could please leave me some feedback (good or bad) and I will be sure to learn and grow from it.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Every Day
I am stuck on this quote by Jim Rohn and think of it all the time.
For one thing, I think it has made me reflect on my level of success more than it has on my personal development. That is most likely a natural response which makes me think I need to re-evaluate my view of it.
Let me just paint a picture of me for you fist of all.
I work for a large global corporation. I am very mechanically minded but happened to land an electrical job early on and stuck with it. I have learned a lot about electricity and more about controls. I am now moving in the direction of a Controls Engineer through a Design position.
I have been going to work every day for 8 years now believing I was living up to my potential. If someone asked me why I get up every morning and go to work, I would probably tell them it is something I have to do to pay my bills. I wouldn't really know why, it was just a routine.
Now I am still doing the same thing but am at the point where I just feel drained and stuck. I have also developed a false sense of security. I have a strong work ethic and am a valuable employee, but that doesn't mean that the company will not let me go at the drop of a hat and stop paying me. Especially when a young manager comes in with his own agenda and thinks he is going to change everything and make things better. That may mean letting some people go.
Lately I have learned that this security is false. I have live with a metaphorical lid on my potential and developed skills for a company and not myself. Through my new journey, I am learning to develop skill that will benefit me and in turn benefit any company I work for.
My daily routing has changed quite a bit. Every morning I work on my "self" by meditation, affirmation, visualization, reading, and exercise and then finishing up my day by journalling. So now instead of investing in a company, I am investing in myself first.
I challenge you today to think about your everyday routine. Are you ending your day feeling fulfilled by what you do during the day, or do you feel drained. You can't treat people with respect when you get home if you don't have that respect for yourself.
Remember your past was at one time your everyday!
Paid to Exist
"Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development. Because success is something you attract by the person you become."
For one thing, I think it has made me reflect on my level of success more than it has on my personal development. That is most likely a natural response which makes me think I need to re-evaluate my view of it.
Let me just paint a picture of me for you fist of all.
I work for a large global corporation. I am very mechanically minded but happened to land an electrical job early on and stuck with it. I have learned a lot about electricity and more about controls. I am now moving in the direction of a Controls Engineer through a Design position.
I have been going to work every day for 8 years now believing I was living up to my potential. If someone asked me why I get up every morning and go to work, I would probably tell them it is something I have to do to pay my bills. I wouldn't really know why, it was just a routine.
Now I am still doing the same thing but am at the point where I just feel drained and stuck. I have also developed a false sense of security. I have a strong work ethic and am a valuable employee, but that doesn't mean that the company will not let me go at the drop of a hat and stop paying me. Especially when a young manager comes in with his own agenda and thinks he is going to change everything and make things better. That may mean letting some people go.
Lately I have learned that this security is false. I have live with a metaphorical lid on my potential and developed skills for a company and not myself. Through my new journey, I am learning to develop skill that will benefit me and in turn benefit any company I work for.
My daily routing has changed quite a bit. Every morning I work on my "self" by meditation, affirmation, visualization, reading, and exercise and then finishing up my day by journalling. So now instead of investing in a company, I am investing in myself first.
I challenge you today to think about your everyday routine. Are you ending your day feeling fulfilled by what you do during the day, or do you feel drained. You can't treat people with respect when you get home if you don't have that respect for yourself.
Remember your past was at one time your everyday!
Paid to Exist
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