Fighting for your future

So I haven't had a post in a couple days and I wanted to give an update. I haven't had any time to do anything other that what is on my schedule. One thing that I did not schedule in is time for homework. I will be taking some time off from work today to study for a test that I am not prepared for.I also have homework for my other class that I haven't started yet. I am going to stay up late this weekend and write down all my responsibilities and set priorities for each. I may have to bow out of a few things to allow time to focus on my tasks. Everything I am doing is moving towards a better future and sometimes is gets frustrating that it is not coming fast enough. But I always take a step back and find out that I am moving forward and making progress toward that future.
I am in the training phase right now and trying to grow my skills in several areas. Not really working on balance right now but I am realizing that it might be a mistake. I haven't jumped into a business just yet for the sake of finishing my degree. Once that degree is finished, I plan to fully invest my time into creating my future and retirement. It is an extremely tough time in life right now but I know I will come out stronger and better prepared to fight hard for a future.
I am so thankful that I have an understanding wife. I have not been home much these past few weeks and she has had to do a lot of work around the house and handle the kids. She is amazing and I am so blessed to have her on my side. I think she keeps our future in mind as well. It is the vision we share and it gives us strength each day to keep going.

I would like to encourage anyone reading this to make the most of your time. It is a resource we take for granted. Understand that the way you use your time counts toward something. I asked my wife one day, what do you think the rich do when they get home from work? Do you think they sit down and watch TV? They know that their time is an investment into something. If you are watching TV, you are putting value the media's pockets. You could be investing your time into your family or your knowledge or your health. Entertainment and relaxation has it's place, don't make it a large part of your time each day. Invest in yourself.

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.