The Dream Factory

Now Is the Time! Recession Is No Excuse for Recess!

Contrary to the human tendency toward flight in times of danger, these are days for entrepreneurs to venture forth into the unknown and strut their creative stuff. The time is right for new ideas, for niche thinking, and for bold initiatives by men and women who will not be ruled by fear or passing circumstance.

The very limitations, restrictions, and scarcity of our times that cause some to retreat will prompt others to think more creatively and move aggressively into the arena of invention and innovation.

In the midst of recession when the tides of prosperity appear to be receding, there sounds no recess bell. Class is still in session. The need for vision and visionaries is profound. Life goes on. There is a sea change of thinking, a correction in our collective greed for consumption, and a reevaluation of our definitions of success. But people still require basic services and great ideas still have landing places among receptive minds.

We cannot retreat from entrepreneurship, Rather, we must embrace it at a new level. Our communities need out-of-the-box thinkers and risk takers. Our nation and world need people who are willing to move forward to build great business, social, and spiritual initiatives on a shoestring.

Recession is no excuse for recess.

More on Solomon - Leadership Guru - Proverbs 1:1 Part 2

In Proverbs 1:1, the greatest collection of practical wisdom the world has ever seen is attributed to a man who never advertised, promoted himself, or had a fee schedule. Yet, recognized leaders sought out his counsel, traveled long distances to meet him, and payed him handsomely for his advice.

To what might Solomon attribute the attraction?

First, one cannot discount natural gifts. God had gifted him early in life with leadership abilities. He had a natural affinity for wisdom that deepened his desire to grow in this area of his life and request a wise heart as his first and primary gift from God. He played to his strengths, but his strengths were in place from the beginning.

None of us can change our basic aptitudes, but we develop them with differing levels of commitment and skill.

Solomon was committed to developing his abilities and he started the process by asking God to give him a discerning heart.

The he put feet on his prayers and began to collect all the positive truth, sayings, and life lessons he could. He collected them and practiced them.  The Bible does not say that Solomon wrote all the Proverbs, just that they were his. There were his in that he wrote some, collected many, applied all, and thought deeply about them, memorizing and teaching them to others.

We are all given a certain capacity for wisdom and leadership. How we develop that capacity has a lot to do with seeking it as Solomon exemplified in his prayer request, collecting it by reading and listening, and applying it in our every day lives.

As used in Proverbs, wisdom is defined as practical choices that are moral, pragmatic., and centered in lasting values.

If you want to get paid for what you know, learn some lessons from Solomon.

The World's First Business Consultant - Proverbs 1:1

My wife chooses books by title and by reading the back cover. She also has favorite authors to whom she gravitates, but primarily, she is a title/back cover book picker.

I see the author's name first. I seek out the latest books by my favorites who are most likely people whose wisdom I trust.

Thus, as Solomon identifies himself in Proverbs 1:1, it is an attention getter for me and others.

"The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;"

Solomon was the world's first business consultant, life coach, motivational speaker, and professional wise man. People paid him just to be able to hang out with him, listen to him, observe him in action, and ask for his advice.

Some might call him a leadership guru.

For that reason, it is impossible to gloss over the first verse of Proverbs as an insignificant footnote. It is what gives the entire book credibility.

So, I ask myself. Who is seeking my advice and counsel? Who is willing to pay for it? What is it worth?

Solomon began his illustrious career by asking God for wisdom above all else. God heard and granted his request.

Perhaps that is a good starting place for all of us.

Big Rocks

Note: This is a speech I will be giving today to a graduation class of family life educators. Some of the material has been previously posted.

In "First Things First," Stephen Covey tells a story that was told him. I don’t know the sources, so I will embellish a bit.

 

There was a speaker who was called upon to address a group of young people. As a prop, he pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar and placed it next to a pile of fist-sized rocks, another pile of gravel, a jar of sand, and a glass of water.

 

“Who believes I can get all of this into this one gallon jar?” The question evoked some chuckling. No one raised their hand.

 

After filling the jar to the top with rocks, he asked, "Is the jar full?"

The group replied, "Yes."

 

He then took the pile of gravel and began to pour it in. He jiggled the jar until the gravel filled the spaces between the rocks.

 

Again, he asked, "Is the jar full?"

 

By now, the group cautiously replied, "Probably not."

 

The speaker then added the sand and asked, "Is the jar full?"

 

"No!" shouted the group.

 

Finally, the speaker filled the jar to the brim with water and asked the group the point of this illustration.

 

Someone replied that you could always fit more things into your life if "you really work at it."

"No," countered the speaker. The point is, if that if you don't put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get any of them in.

 

What are the big rocks in your life? I’d like to suggest a few for your consideration:

1. Do not neglect the rock of FAITH:

 

a. Have faith in the power of TRUTH – and by that, I suggest to you, ultimate truth, a higher power, God if you will.

 

b. Have faith in the power of TENACITY. Keep on keeping on. Don’t give up. Persist and insist on a successful outcome and work toward it.

 

c. Have faith in the power of TENURE – By that I mean, time invested and time passed. Be patient with temporary setbacks and inconveniences.

d. Have faith in the power of TEAMWORK. Work together. TEAM stands for – Together Everyone Accomplishes More! "Gettin' good players is easy. Gettin' 'em to play together is the hard part." - Casey Stengel "The strength of the team is each individual member...the strength of each member is the team."- Coach Phil Jackson Chicago Bulls - "Men have never been individually self-sufficient." - Reinhold Niebuhr - " All winning teams are goal-oriented. Teams like these win consistently because everyone connected with them concentrates on specific objectives. They go about their business with blinders on; nothing will distract them from achieving their aims. " - Lou Holtz 

THE WOLF

``Now is the Law of the Jungle---as old and true as the sky;

And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.

As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back---

For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.''
- Rudyard Kipling

 

2. Do not neglect the rock of FAMILY: You are here because you believe in family and have committed yourself to strengthening families. You have been sharpening your skills for that purpose. You are already heroes and deserve praise. Now, do not neglect your own family.

 

a. If you do not have a warm family, CREATE it! Gather folks around you with whom you can be accountable, authentic, and supportive. If your family is dysfunctional, you will also be in creative mode by setting and observing strong boundaries and creating a safe zone of functionality around yourself. When Rich Mullins, the song writer and leader of the Ragamuffin Band died, there was a traveling funeral that moved from city to city, mostly on university campuses because it was said that Rich created communities wherever he went.

 

b. CULTIVATE family. Like a garden, a warm and nurturing family must grow. To grow, it needs the sunlight of truth, the food of love, and the water of life.

 

c. Third, we must all make it a point to COMMUNICATE as families and develop healthy communication skills which we can pass on to our children. Strong and nurturing families that resolve conflict with healthy communication, fair “fighting,” and unconditional love are the hope of society because the skills children learn in families, they practice in the larger community and world.

 

3. Do not neglect the rock of the FUTURE. Become futurists. That means to begin to live a life of hope and optimism in a dark world.

 

a. Have a WINNING attitude. Your future will rise or fall on your attitude.

 

b. Translate I WANT to I WILL! Then, will it and do it!

 

c. Then, WORK toward a brighter future for, after all is said and done, the big rock of success, which is a journey and not a destination, is a four letter word spelled simply: W-O-R-K.

 

Don’t forget the big rocks in these difficult times and be blessed:

 

Blessing

Times are tough.
You are tougher. Face the times.

 

Life is hard.
You are resilient. Keep moving forward.

 

The future is uncertain.
God is already there. Do not be afraid.

 

Hope is a rare commodity.
Hope is within the grasp of your imagination. Let it soar.

 

Money is scarce.
You have all you need in a seed. Plant it and watch it grow.

 

You are discouraged.
There is a great dream within you. Feed it, follow it, fulfill it.

 

You deeply desire a blessing.
Be a blessing.

 

You lack courage.

Encourage someone else.

 

You have nothing left to give.
Give what only God can supply.

 

You are frightened of failure.
Risk everything to be all you can be.

 

These are not idle words. This is how you must live if you will live above your circumstances.

 

Weighing all possible outcomes of the choices you can make right now, to do nothing, risk nothing, and give nothing will insure that nothing will come back to you. You will be a success in the art of failure by default.

 

However, if you risk extending yourself, you may also fail, but you will fail with the satisfaction of trying and with all the lessons you can only learn by climbing out on a limb.

 

But you might also succeed. Out on that limb, when circumstances cut it from under  you, you may discover that you can fly.

 

You'll never find out without taking the big risk.

 

Take the risk, get the big rocks in place, and be blessed.

 

- Tom Sims

Tomsims1@compuserve.com , www.pastortomsims.com , 559-647-2203

© 2008, Thomas B. Sims, all rights reserved

Big Rock Productions and Workshops to Go – www.workshopstogo.com

15 Minutes to Better Health

I have been applying the 15 Minute Challenge to my health in several dimensions.

Along with the major changes in my life it had started to become apparent to me that I needed to do something about my body's condition or (A) die young or (B) become an invalid. (B) sounded worse than (A) and neither sounded good.

So I took several steps and one of them was to start using my gym membership more effectively.

I know the kinds of workouts we need for maximum aerobic effect, but I also knew I had to start somewhere - and I did - 15 minutes  - a little of this, a little of that, a little of the other, and a lot of hot tub.

It is a start. Now I am up to a longer workout and feeling positive results.

Don't let starting slow or with inadequate resources stop you from starting at all.

15 Minutes

I am presently engaged in a challenge with the folks in my church. I asked them and myself to identify 4 areeas of their lives where they really needed to work. All dimensions of life were legitimate areas of concern.

I then asked them for an hour a day in 4 - 15 minute slots to devote one of those slots to each of those areas.

It could be reading the scriptures or professional/personal development books, exercise, family time, or anything that just wasn't getting done - things most likely that need more than 15 minutes but areas where that would be a good start and a major improvement.

What difference could 15 minutes a day make in some area of your life?

I have been readjusting to changes in my life personally, in family responsibilities, and professionally and my posting activity has suffered.

Yet, this took about 5 minutes.

I still have 10 to go.

DOWN Time

Here is a dilemma : You don't have large enough blocks of time to focus on your big projects. Everything is chopped up with what we have called cracks in time available. The cracks seem to small to allow accomplishments. On the other hand, you work so hard that when you get the big blocks, you are weary and wasteful with that time. Your body doesn't want to do what is necessary for you to dig in.

What will you do?

Well, there is down time and then, there is down time.

True down time is a good thing, is to be celebrated, and is to be sanctified. It is sabbath and we all need it.

Remember it and keep it holy. that means separate and unique and uncluttered with worry and self flagellation over how you ought to be using it to catch up. You ARE using it to catch up. Your body is replenishing its resources and your total being is renewing itself for future full engagement.

The other sort of down time is all in your head.It is not down time at all and needs to be redefined - I do that by spelling things out.

D = Decide that you can use the time fruitfully and be ready to do so. If I seem redundant it is because I still don't have this attitude perfected in me. I need to decide and re-decide and maybe you do too. Prepare for the times when all you have is ten or fifteen minutes. So many of the jobs I procrastinate for months take less time than that.

O  =  Obligate yourself to use every moment that is not genuine rest and reflection to some productive end. Rest and reflection are also productive, so don't count them out if that is what is called for in the moment. Make a commitment to live every second of your life with purpose.

W = Walk in Wonder. It may well be that the next thought you need to think will arise from something you see or hear if you will stop to look and listen. Don't pass up the opportunities for "aha" moments because you are in such a hurry to get to the next thing.

N =  Negotiate and renegotiate with time. It is not your adversary but you can enrage it and yourself by not honoring it with some attention and respect. Time can be arranged and rearranged, but it will always be a factor.

SPASMS - When Life and Business Flutter

Spasms are normal in nature and in the physical body.  From earthquakes to growth spurts, the temporal world intrinsically knows that change is not 100% ooze, but at least 10%-20% jerking motion.

The same is true of life, business, culture, faith, and the economy.

That is why economic downturns may also be opportunistic upturns.

That is why the long view of life and business must allow for interruptions of the unexpected and invasions of the unanticipated. The best bet in life is to anticipate what cannot be predicted and to learn to wait it out, flow with it, and celebrate it.

We need a plan that connects to our purpose that transcends passing details of our lives. We need a vision that is independent of our circumstances and durable enough to endure crises and complications.

What, then, happens in a spasm? It can be a life crisis, a tragedy, a hardship, and economic upset, a setback, a change in the landscape of our culture, a demographic shift or any sudden change which presents a critical moment in which we must respond or just give up.

Spasms have some characteristics.

S = Stability Shaken - Something that we are leaning on gives way. Something we rely upon for balance is no longer steady enough to steady us, our methods, or our strategies. The opportunity here is for reeVALUation - which means taking a new look at what is of greatest VALUE. Realignment is necessitated and that can be a very good thing because of the drift that inevitably makes us comfortable and complacent in our assumptions. Times change and so do strategies. It often takes a crisis or spasm to shake our stability and get us back on track. Principles never change, but life and methodology do.

P = Priorities Challenged - A challenge does not equate with a defeat. It is a test. Again, we are subject to drift and there is a disturbing tendency for praxis to assert itself in first place above agreed upon priorities. Spasms challenge us to examine our practices and reconnect with our priorities. Ultimately, real priorities are reflected in budgets and calendars whether or not these are our stated or desired priorities. Spasms are a correction in this way.  One priority-related spasm question might be: Is this REALLY something I MUST do?

A = Activities Change - Sometimes this is the result of a spasm, sometimes, when the change is beyond our control, it is the cause. An unexpected sickness, a new responsibility, or a decision by someone or some entity, perhaps even a change in the bus schedule can cause an activity generated spasm in our lives. What we do every day and when we do it is important, but it is not  definitive in our lives and businesses.  Activity is supportive, not directive. It make take some reflection, reorientation, and equilibrium restoration, but you CAN survive a change of activity.

S = Two things: (A) Stuff Happens and  (B) Success is redefined. You can't help stuff happening. It does. It is neutral. Any event or circumstance can cause any number of reactions or, more pro-actively on our part, prompt any number of responses. You choose. In the process, you redefine the measuring  instruments for evaluating your success. this happens predictably as you pass through the stages of life, business, and ministry. We underestimate the affects of aging on our sense of self, purpose, and achievement. We  negate the power of contingencies to make us stop and think. Suddenly we see things from a different perspective and part of that rethinking is the way we view and measure success.

M = Management Restored - One given in any sort of spasmodic crisis is the need to return to some sort of stability and to restore personal and corporate management of our day to day activities. Neither revival nor recession can be sustained indefinitely. They have their purposes, but no purpose to leave us in a perpetual state of chaos. Let them do their work and as they do, let us dream new dreams, renew old dreams, and build new strategies. As we do, let us put our lives and businesses in order again and re-initiate the discipline of sound management.

Some things never change. Put change at the top of that list. Life is a dynamic force, centered in enduring principles and flexible enough to change colors and contexts regularly without altering it essential nature in the least. God is truth and through truth, God governs the universe. Everything else is subject to flux and spasm.

Enjoy the ride.

The Missing Link

I received a note about a business opportunity I reviewed yesterday from a reader who was having difficulty finding the link. Here is is just in case:

Spelled out it is: http://www.mypowermall.com/Biz/Home/76420

You may prefer the hyperlink: MyPowerMall

I hope that solves the problem.

- Tom

New Opportunity

"My Power Mall" is a new business and/or saving opportunity that is just in time for Christmas - You can get it set up by Monday which is expected to be the biggest day ever for online Christmas shopping.

Visit the MyPowerMall business site.

You can also set up a personal shopping site for saving money if that is your primary interest.

What I like about this business opportunity is can be summarized in the following statements:

• It is FREE. 97 % of the people who try to build home businesses just don't make money - but they do SPEND a lot of money, not with My Power Mall.
• It is SIMPLE - There is really a very low learning curve and all the training is also free.
• There are no GAMES, no minimum purchases, no tricky fine print, no investment. Even most of the tools you will need are free.
• It is credible.
• It is built upon the strength of online and brick-and-mortar stores where people are already shopping.
• It is neither an MLM nor affiliate marketing, but it is does reward recruitment and referrals.
• Mostly, it does not rely on my expertise nor yours to tell its story. There are easy to understand videos on the site to which I have referred you.
• I am available to help you build this - but you probably won't need me.

Get involved now while the Christmas season is hot and getting hotter. I think you can be successful with this.

The Postive Power of HUNGER

I was a little taken back as I sat in the training session for aspiring vacuum cleaner salesmen and heard the trainer say, "I hope you are all in serious debt or financial trouble. If you are, you will be successful."

I didn't like what he said at the time, but I came to understand that he was right.

The wise teacher of the proverbs tells us, "“A worker's appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on” (Proverbs 16:26 NASB). This can be known through careful observation and is as true today as it was in Solomon's time.

You have to be hungry. At the very least, you must possess an appetite for more. If you are satisfied, you will stay where you are. If you are complacent, you will not exert extraordinary effort in any direction. If you are resigned to your circumstance or to the world as it is, you will not do much to change either.

Even Jesus said that those were blessed who hungered and thirsted for things to be right (ie... righteousness).

What does the hunger that works for us and drives us on look like? Let us break it down.

H - HATE. Hunger involves hate, not in the sense of vitriolic preoccupation with a destructive emotion toward other people. but the broader definition of detesting something to the point of turning away from it. You must be willing to make a clean break with your addiction to an undesirable condition in order to embrace something better. Some people are addicted to their self identities as poor failures and hopeless "losers." It takes something as dramatic as hating those designations to break free of them. Like Scarlet O'Hara you declare that you will never be hungry again. - except for the next goal.

U - URGE - We have used this word before to point to something inside that goes beyond rejecting the old to the idea of being drawn toward something in a powerful and compelling way. When you are deeply hungry for food, that hunger urges you on. You move in the direction of your goal. It drags you out of bed and out of the house. The urge is powerful and is empowered by the faith and hope that what you long for is possible with God's help and with your commitment.

N - NOTICE - When you are hungry for your goal, you start noticing things around you that you have previously ignored, things that remind you where you are going, examples of what you desire.You notice other people on the same path. You notice books, articles, and information designed to equip you in the fulfillment of your dreams. You notice open doors and opportunities. You notice people in a new way.

G - GRASP - Having identified a goal for which you hunger, you are always grasping in that direction. You hold what is in your grasp and reach for what is beyond it. You also grasp concepts you never would have paid any attention to before because understanding them is a means to your desired end. You make grasping a tool in your belt for reaching that to which you aspire.

E- EXHAUSTION - you stop at nothing less than the exhaustion of every effort in the service of your goal. if you haven't tried everything, you are not done. If you have not tried some things several times and several ways, you are not finished. If you have any energy left, you use it. of course you pace yourself, get adequate rest, and care for your body and soul in the process, but you DO NOT QUIT until all options are exhausted and even when they seem to be, you look for more.

R - RESILIENCE - When you fall, get up. When you fail, try again. When you falter in your faith, renew it and never let entertain discouragement for any longer than it takes to be encouraged by positive people, scripture, prayer, and your own commitment to keep on keeping on. Successful people are resilient in their hunger. They are often the folks that stayed in the game just a little bit longer than everyone else, tried a few more tricks, and refused to quit. They are knocked down, insulted, wounded, and wearied, but they have elastic in the back ends of their trousers so that that they bounce when knocked on their posteriors. Be that kind of person and your hungry appetite will drive you to success.

To your success!

Love the Process

Do you love the results of wisdom, but hate the process?

Wisdom is key to success in any endeavor. Without it, we falter at some point. For that reason, we all want it - and we want it right now. We want to be wise and successful. We want it immediately.

We all want good results, but it is the few who are willing to embrace the means by which good things come who actually receive the benefits.

Proverbs 12:1 says in the KJV, "Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish."

In the NIV, the word "instruction" is rendered, "discipline." The word for "brutish" is "stupid."

The meaning is the same. If you love the results, you will learn to love the process. It is "stupid" to expect  to grow without discipline and instruction.

It takes a degree of humility to submit to mentors, teachers, and coaches. It takes a truckload of open-mindedness to ask questions when we think we know the answers. It takes great wisdom to listen with the admission that we don't know everything.

Those who are willing to make such an admission are those who acquire greater wisdom and more useful knowledge.

Learn to love the process even if it stretches you beyond your ordinary comfort zone. Don't just endure it; enjoy it. Make it an adventure.

There are some other proverbs in chapter 12  that help me understand the reluctance of people to learn while they profess the desire to know.

Verse 12 says, "The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit."

"Net" means "plunder." Plunder is something you take from someone else after they have done the hard work and gained it through effort and application of truth. Plunderers gather up the fruits of war that others have earned.

We tend to plunder the surface fruits of other people's discipline, but real fruit comes when the search for truth goes deep in our lives.

That is why it is the "root of righteousness" that bears fruit.

Plunder will last until the first scorching heat or freezing rain, but that which is rooted in sound discipline and the natural processes of growth will last and continue to bear fruit.

So do your own work with the people that have come into your life to guide you. Study, read, listen, ask questions, observe the masters, allow them to observe you, and accept correction.

Verse 15  says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."

You can be right in your own eyes and still not prosper because your eyes have blind spots. Hating the process of discipline often manifests itself in an unwillingness to submit our ideas to the scrutiny of others and listen to their counsel.

The fool is not lacking in confidence, but it is false confidence based upon false assumptions that he is always right.

Verse 24 - "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute."

Verse 27 - "The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious."

The lazy man may actually gain something and not be willing to do the follow-through to apply what he has gained.

Maybe you have been to a workshop and have taken meticulous notes - even made to-do lists to implement the moment you got back home or to work. Then, you put the notebook in a drawer and forgot about it.

You have not roasted your game. It just rots.

Our problem is that we have been conditioned toward laziness and we reject the process of discipline and learning because it looks too much like work. Follow-through is even harder.

IT IS WORK!

It is hard work, but it is work that produces positive results and continues to do so. Wisdom perpetuates itself because it never stops loving the process and never stops desiring more and investing in growth.

What is the PROCESS?

P - Perpetual learning. You are a student of life for the rest of your life.You will never come to the place where you are not a student no matter how many people call you, "teacher."

R - Receptivity . You can't pour water into a container with the lid on. Take the lid off of your attitude and drink in what is being offered. Keep your knowledge to yourself from time to time so that you can gain the knowledge of others. Proverbs 12:23 says that a prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself all the while a fool is blurting out folly. There will be plenty of time to tell what you know and impress the socks off of people. Don't waste the time for learning by spouting what you already know.

O - Observation. Part of the process of learning is observing the world and people around you. Be a student of people and their behaviors. Imitate successful people. hang around so that you can observe. Sometimes it is just being there. Proverbs 13:20 (NIV) says, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

C - Counsel. Wise people who are getting wiser are always seeking advice and counsel. The are checking our their own impressions and not relying on what they already know. They seek counsel from the old and the young, from teachers and students, and from God.  Has it ever occurred to you why lawyers don't represent themselves in  court (or doctors don't operate on themselves?). There is a saying among those in the law profession that goes like this: A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for an attorney."

E -  Eagerness. Loving discipline implies an eagerness for it. It suggests that the individual seeks out mentors and teachers, opportunities to learn, workshops, audio lectures, books, journals, Internet sites, and companions who can help him learn and grow. The eager learner embraces correction and accountability and wants to know when he is on the wrong track.

S - Simplicity. While the process may seem complex, it is in the sense that it organizes itself as it is lived out in life. Discipline applied from the outside is not complicated. We are given instructions and assignments and we do them. We sign up for an entry level course and are given a text book. We look at the book and think it is to simplistic for us. So we go out and gather material that is out of sequence rather than submitting to the simple discipline of the course. The result it confusion. Don't despise the simplicity that is presented to you in order to consider yourself deep or advanced. Every new discipline starts out at the beginning for us. Don't skip first base.

S- Stages. All learning takes place in stages and some of us like to skip them. Don't. Take your steps one at a time. Occasionally, you may be able to skip one, but more often that not, you will discover later on that you missed an important building block and you will have to go back to that stage to get it.

Love the process and the process will bring you the results you desire.

The Dream Factory

“... a sense of destiny that surpasses personal interest.” - Brian Winfield

Brian Winfield is "the man!"

Another MySpace friend from whom I can gain insight, Brian is an entrepreneur, network marketer, and the man from whom I heard these words:

"... a sense of destiny that surpasses personal interest.”

Without that, life becomes a continuum going nowhere, a circle leading inward, or a spiral descending into meaningless oblivion.

Thanks Brian!

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory - in case you forgot where you were. That would be fine, but don't forget where you are going!                                           

To Do Lists -A New Book by Sasha Cagen

I have been a long time advocate and practitioner of to-do lists. Never would I have imagined that someone would actually take the time to collect, catalog, and reflect upon the to-do lists of other people. Sasha Cagen has made the effort and accomplished this feat in To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us.

When I make a to-do list, I am setting priorities, reserving (dedicating) time, committing myself to objectives, and more importantly, praying about my day because "many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21 - NIV).

To-do lists are almost always overly ambitious and yet, I often inflate the importance and difficulty of some of the things that i put on my list. As a procrastinator, I find some items keep showing up again and again when a little five minute effort could eliminate them forever.

How I develop my lists, as Sasha Cagen suggests, reveals much about what I value, how I think, and how effective I am at accomplishing my goals.

The wise teacher of Proverbs (21:5 - NIV) said that "The plans of the diligent lead to profit  as surely as haste leads to poverty."

So this is very a very important as well as entertaining territory.

I approve of Sasha's work and recommend her blog.

You can order her book here and you can watch her talk about it in the video that follows.

Sasha Cagen: To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us

Thanks to my MySpace friend, Mind's Eye for calling my attention to this treasure and potential classic.

How to Ride a Horse - A REAL Horse - Plus a Bonus

OK - ccunning@everything2.com has actually written a wonderful article on how to ride an actual horse. I felt obligated to point to it since some folks are using Google to retrieve that information and coming up with my business and theological advice. Here is is:

How to Ride a Horse

And while I am here, let me learn a few things from this author and skill.

The authors says, "you never know when you might find a time when you are for one reason or another on the back of a horse."

That is so right. no matter what our intentions might be starting out, we might find ourselves in a place or on a mode of transportation that cannot be accounted for by our own manipulative efforts.

So, according to ccunning, we need to take seven things into account: proper attire, proper position, basic control, actually riding, stopping, and getting off.

I don't know what attire you might need in your business, ministry, or other project, but you need to know. Then you need to secure it and wear it. that includes actual clothing and accessories and the ethereal clothing of proper attitude, demeanor, and vocabulary. Read what needs to be read. Listen to what is being taught. Wrap yourself in the attire of good preparation.

Always be preparing for whatever is next. Job 29:14 says, "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban."

Whatever it takes, put it on.

Getting on the right way is vital because first impressions with horses and people tend to last. Horses will buck us and so will people. The advice to try not to kick the horse is quite transferable. Good starts are more valuable than many, many restarts.

It is vital for the horse rider to acquire the proper position of the horse and it is equally vital for the business rider to position himself/herself as well within the organization, with colleagues, and with his or her support system. With horses, there are varying positions based upon riding style and the shape of the saddle. However, all require making necessary adjustments to equipment and with regard to our own bodies. So it is in business and projects. Adjustments are always necessary.

Basic control is an area of horse pedagogy that is affluent with rules. Most of these revolve around the issues of respect and communication. The rider must respect the horse not just as a vehicle, but as a living sentient being with feelings and inclinations.  The rider must also establish effective give and take communication  avenues and skills. How is that different than working with people in an organization. Power "trips" don't work very well with horses or with people.

There are three general movements in actually riding the horse: walk, trot, and canter.

Walks are east for riders. With the proper posture and, at times, help, anyone can ride a walking horse. It is a good place to start and a wonderful place to spend most of our times.

Trots are more difficult. A trotting horse is impressive to watch with its two foot rough gait, but it is tough to ride. It is good for a show, but not the most comfortable for sustained activity.

Make of these what you like. Most of our business life is spent walking, being "found faithful," and moving forward a little bit at a time. Slow progress is the surest and often, the most satisfying, but there will be times of canter as well, interspersed by showy moments of trotting on stage to receive recognition and give thanks.

The canter is a time of increased speed The gait is rhythmic and the speed can be frightening and intimidating. It is a time of faith in the horse and in the process. Experienced rides and coaches teach us techniques for just riding with it and letting the horse carry us.

There will be all of these moments in your ventures and you need to learn how to ride them.

There will be times when you stop and you need to do these well and with class. The getting off is, according to the author, pretty much just the opposite of getting on. It just needs to be done well and with respect for the horse.

Whatever horse (business, project, ministry) you choose, you need to learn and practice the skills specific to the horse and the riding style. You can do it.

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory,
Revised article on Optimism,
First in the series on How to Ride a Horse

About That Horse

So, you are trying to narrow your options with regard to a business opportunity, ministry emphasis, or project and you are exploring various vehicles (horses) that will enable you to accomplish your goals.

Sometimes I ride a horse with a limp and still get to where I am going.

For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I announced an acronym for the word "optimist" and just discovered, a few minutes ago, that I had spelled "optimive" instead. Now, as far as I know, there is no such word, but I still got the point across ... unless no one was paying attention.

There is no perfect anything in this world or this life. Only God is perfect.

I chose the better of two options to fix the error. One was to invent a new word, which i seriously considered. The other was to change the words in the acronym to comply with the time-honored spelling and yet maintain the meaning of the lesson. I chose the latter.

So, we are not looking for a perfect program or a flawless horse to ride. We are just looking for the one that is right for us at this time. I think I can spell H-O-R-S-E, but check me and let me know if I mess up.

My friends on CompuServe have known for years that when it comes to speelink und tuping i sumtimes meke errers.

H - I have lots of H words that fit. You want a Healthy horse (company, program) which you will know by examining its History and by the Helpfulness of the people answering your questions. All of those "h"s will help you discover the HEART of the organization. You want to affiliate with a group whose heart is good and one that you can put your heart and soul into. Listen to your heart and examine the heart of the company for compatibility.

O - OPPORTUNE moment. Is this the right time in your life for this affiliation and the right time in history for success with this organization. What does the market tell you? What are the futurists saying? look carefully for timing issues.

R - RIDE-ABILITY - Can this horse be ridden?  That depends on the strength of the horse and the skill of the rider. If the rider has no skill, are there good trainers available? Is this something you can do or be helped to do? What strengths lie in you that can be developed to do this sort of business or ministry? You are much more than you have already become, but you must play to your basic strengths which will often be somewhat communicative with your interests, passions, and desires.

S - STABILITY - Is this company currently financially stable? What is the state of its finances, indebtedness, and financial accountability? Are there mountains of lawsuits piled up against it? Is it complying with the law? Are its leaders people of integrity? Are its corporate values clear and congruent with its behavior and your own values? Is it producing some real verifiable success stories? Are a significant (not necessarily the majority) number of recruits sticking with the program and consistently building growth?

E - I want to do two here: EXPERIENCE and EXPENSE - First, is there are coming together of your own experiences, the experience of people in the mentoring support team, and the upper level leadership of the organization so that there is a foundation upon which you can build. One can make up for the other, but not all can be weak and there needs to be some significant experience at the top. Second, what does it cost to get in and really get going? Ask about hidden costs, ongoing investments, and the cost of tools and training as well as the costs for initial sign-up and monthly product purchases. Have all this information ahead of time. Credible sponsors will tell you. There is no success without some investment. Don't shy away from that, but count the cost and consider if this is an expense you can afford by stretching yourself, making some sacrifices, and being very careful. Do not become immersed in unsecured debt (with a few exceptions) to get started and do not choke out your success because you have not planned to make the necessary investments.

These are things you consider up front.

If you and the horse both qualify, saddle up and get started.

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory,
Revised article on Optimism,
First in the series on How to Ride a Horse

Learn from Robert Kiyosaki and Change Your Friends

The people we associate with and learn from are a major factors in our financial and business success. Robert Kiyosaki chose to learn from his Rich Dad and many of us have chosen to learn from Robert and his friends.

Now Kiyosaki has started a discussion forum where people can receive much better advice than I can give. I choose to do some of my learning there.

Why should we change our friends?

Because they change us.

We become more like them as the years go by. We adopt their values and habits and adapt to their low expectations. We make their limitations our own and begin to think like they think because conversations seep back into our consciousness and unconsciousness as  well.

We continue to love our old friends and pray for them, but we can no longer make them our peers because we are changing, growing, and breaking free of the prisons in which they have entrapped their own goals and dreams.

We can be their mentors, but we cannot be their students any longer. We cannot help bring them up if we are letting them drag us down.

We can see them, enjoy their company from time to time, and lend them a hand when they need us. We just need to spend the bulk of our discretionary time with people who challenge, encourage, uplift us, and expand our thinking.

That is why one of the factors in how to ride a horse is to find one that can carry you, won't kick you off, and will not take you places you don't want to go.

This new forum is a great opportunity to make some new friends who will lift us, people who are seeking the same things from life - to be more than they already are.

 

How to Ride a Horse

I just found a great article on the net, simple, readable, and accurate on how to ride a horse. I will be citing it and building a post on its concepts in a day or two.

Why would I search for such a thing?

I was just going over some of my business affiliations in my databases yesterday and it occurred to me that I had way too many. I need to narrow the field and concentrate on a few things during the limited amount of time I allow myself away from ministry, family, and writing to dabble in business.

You can't ride too many horses in a day.

The last real horse I tried to get on buckled under my weight. I knew then that it really mattered which horse I chose to ride.

A good horse can take you to success, but you must pick the right horse for you and ride it well. There are some excellent horses (business opportunities) out there for average people, but not all of them are right for you. I enjoy evaluating many of them, but I can only do a few of them well.

What is yours? In order to answer that question, you need to develop an understanding of your own passions, strengths, and interests as well as the resources you bring to the table.

If there is any interest in this subject, I will keep writing about it for the next few days.

Know this: There is a horse out there with your name on it and you can learn to ride it well. You may need to look around the stable a bit, but you will find the right opportunity. You can do it.

Proverb for today:

"... pay attention and gain understanding." (Proverbs 4:1b)

Making WAVES

"Don't make waves."

You have heard that advice. You have heeded it. perhaps you have given it. Perhaps it is the top of your list of survival techniques. There is only one problem with it.

It is bad advice.

With currents come waves ... or perhaps currents are made of waves. Either way, they are necessary for change and change is necessary for growth.

No. Not all change is good, but no change is almost always bad.

We need waves to move us around, shift the sand under our feet, and to make life interesting.

Waves are indicators of influence and influence is at the heart of leadership.

The world is changing with or without our consent. Our resistance is futile and naive. We can only go against the flow of negativity by creating currents of positivity. We can only resist evil influences by making waves of our own. Holding our ground is impossible in a liquid environment. We just can't be lazy and expect to have a positive influence in the world.

Jesus described life in the Spirit as like having living water flow from us - fresh, moving, and refreshing.

Living water never accumulates in stagnant pools.

You must change if you are going to be an agent of change.

The first  six verses of Proverbs 1 are populated with gerunds: attaining, understanding acquiring, doing, giving, learning, and discerning.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of kn0wledge ..." (v7)

That which begins, continues. It flows. It makes waves. Knowledge is dynamic. It shakes things up, loosens faulty foundations, and stirs the pot of human experience. It also provides an exciting ride for those who are willing to go wherever it leads.

Here is your acronym for making waves that create new currents of thinking and bring positive change to the world through your business or ministry:

W = We. Make "we waves" because "me waves" are only about my interests, desires, and opinions. A "we-focus" acknowledges that everything a person thinks, does, and contributes affects other people. It embraces a team approach to life and business. It considers the needs and dreams of others and appeals to them in order to build a strong wave of agreement and energy. Selfish motives only create ripples; waves swell when we are "in it" together. Build a team and speak to the masses.

A = Affect. There are numerous definitions of this word, but I choose the one that means having an emotional impact. Humans are logical beings, but not entirely. We are not a race of Vulcans. We are emotional. We lead with our hearts and follow our hearts. If you are going to make positive waves in the ocean of humanity, you must speak from your heart to the hearts of people.

V = Values. People value what they value. We have social values that we share and personal values that tend to vary, but we all value something. Many of our core values are commendable. It is in the area of our attitudes where we falter. It is when we forget, neglect, or disconnect from our core values that our behaviors become unpredictable, destructive, and unproductive. The person  or movement that makes big waves will appeal to the core values of the masses and of individuals. You will create positive change through a positive influence when you make the connection between what people believe and cherish and what you are saying.

E = Exercise. We say it many ways, but it requires an exercise of will and energy to create waves of change and influence the thinking and behaviors of people. You must actually do something. Get out of bed, out of your chair, out of your house, and out of your comfort zone(s) and exercise your influence. Talk to people, write, speak in public, do visible deeds, invest your resources, and act in faith. Do something! Take risks. Go out on a limb. Struggle. Exercise. Your level of activity will reflect your commitment and determine your success - but make sure you are acting strategically, intelligently, and with focus.

S - Stick-to-it-iveness. It is not a real word but it is a very real concept denoting perseverance, determination, and commitment. Making waves that produce positive change in the climate of business, ministry, and the culture may not be an overnight phenomenon. It most likely will not be. In fact, the price of change and influence is often frustration, weariness, resistance, opposition, criticism, and long hours of hard unrewarding work. It is the cumulative efforts of you, your team, and the unseen work of the Spirit who motivates and empowers you that produces results over time. Your job is to stick with it and not give up.

Making waves makes people uncomfortable and makes you the object of potential ridicule, but it is the price of change and it is a major factor in  the road to success in leadership and progress. Waves move things around and refresh the environment. Sometimes we catch a wave and sometimes we make a wave.

If someone says to you, "Don't make waves," smile and keep on making them.

Optimism

Are you optimistic?

The Online Etymology Dictionary is my friend, confirming my quasi-informed suspicions about words and their origins such as "optimism."

When I say I am optimistic, I want to know that what I think I mean is what I am really saying. Here is their take on the word:

"1782, from Fr. optimisme (1737), from Mod.L. optimum, used by Leibnitz (in Théodicée, 1710) to mean "the greatest good," from L. optimus "the best" (see optimum). The doctrine holds that the actual world is the "best of all possible worlds," in which the creator accomplishes the most good at the cost of the least evil."  See the full article here

The greatest good, the least evil, the best of all possible worlds. These are lenses through which I choose to view life and goals which i have in every challenge, circumstance, and problem.

I am an optimist. A pessimist, by definition (pessimus = worst in Latin) looks for the worst. That being said, I think that there is another self-description that becomes an enemy of the optimum or best in our lives. It is being a minimalist.

I am not making a value judgment about art or design here. There is a value to minimalism, especially with regards to consumption and excess. I am talking about the potential of every situation. I am referring to the outlook of a person on life and growth especially with regard to the call to overcome our obstacles and to become all that we can be in life.

Two people can exist in the same milieu of circumstances, suffer the same limitations, face the same challenges, and be buffeted with equal opposition and one will succeed while the other fails. There may be any number of factors involved in these outcomes, but one thing we know given the scenario is that they are internal and volitional. In other words, they involve the choices that each person makes.

Of course there is no way to duplicate identical circumstances, but we can approximate them. Each of us is imbued with our own distinct mixes of gifts, strengths, weaknesses, genetic predispositions, family backgrounds, and belief systems, but even with those, we all have choices.

I think that one of the great deciding factors in our lives is in our choices to believe the best, the worst, or the least about where we are and where we are going. Brain science, behavioral research, and the worlds of business and performance motivation fall into line with anecdotal illustrations of the power of belief and attitude to determine what will be made of the "givens" in our lives.

These fall into alliance with the scriptures as recorded in such passages as Proverbs 23:7, " For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ..."

Optimism is not fantasizing about a desired future. It is believing in its possibility and rallying our thoughts, prayers, and actions toward the realization of that future. It is acting on what we believe in and pray for. Proverbs 28:19 (NLB) distinguishes between wishful thinking and positive thinking resulting in positive actions:

"A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty."

In order to work the field, the farmer must believe that the process can and, most likely will, bring results. In order to have any validity to his beliefs, he must do the work. The two go hand in hand and both exist with the realm of the knowledge of God's sovereignty and love.

For those who like acronyms on which to hang their rhetorical hats, here is one for the optimist:

O - Over the top thinking as opposed to under the circumstances thinking.
P - Positive about the possibilities of proactive beliefs and action.
T - Truth - The optimist is not hiding his head in the sand, but standing in the sand and seeing beyond.
I -  Inspired and inspiring to others.
M - Makes the best of things rather than surrendering to the worst or the minimum.
I - Initiative-taking rather than waiting for things to work out.
S - Sacred values are important to the optimist who stakes everything on them.
T - Time expended and energy invested are what it costs and what is multiplied in a true optimist.

It is your choice. I get a little shaky sometimes,  I must confess, but in the  end, I always choose optimism because anything less is simply unacceptable.

A Dose of Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn says that some things are out of our reach until we develop ourselves. He says we have to stand on the books we read.

Here is another quote from Jim: "Success is something you attract by the person you become."

One more from Jim today: "Profits are better than wages. You earn a living from wages; you make a fortune with profits."

Proverbs 21:5 says, " The plans of the diligent lead to profit  as surely as haste leads to poverty."

Winning in a Time of Foreclosures

Foreclosure filings nearly double

LOS ANGELES (AP) Foreclosure filings across the U.S. nearly doubled last month compared with September 2006, as financially strapped homeowners already behind on mortgage payments defaulted on their loans or came closer to losing their homes to foreclosure, a real estate information company said Thursday.

read more | digg story

Proverbs 22:26
"Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge  or puts up security for debts."

There are legitimate reasons for borrowing and lending, but the biblical bias is always cautionary.

Matthew 18:25
Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

We do not live is such draconian times, unless one considers the threat of homelessness and bankruptcy as a form of slavery imposed upon our children. Certainly there is nothing new about the dangers of out of control, unsecured debt.

Paul's insight goes deeper than that of economics:

Romans 13:8
[ Love, for the Day is Near  ]  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

The remaining reality is that there is some real suffering rising to the surface in the tide of our current human experience and the remedies are illusive.

You and I know that there is no significant bail-out coming from the outside and that we must each take control of our financial well being. There are only these possible solutions and like most things in life, it take a balance of all of them working in concert to effect change:

1. Spend less and borrow little. - There is never a bad time to be more careful about spending, especially on non-essentials in relation to credit. America's credit card debt is out of control. Spend what you can pay for on what you need. Ben Franklin was write in Poor Richard's Almanac when he observed that a penny saved is a penny earned. There is a biblical word for over-consumption and it is "gluttony." Through it, much debt is incurred because we believe we really must "have it now," and the credit card companies tell us we can and should:

Proverbs 23:2
... and put a knife to your throat  if you are given to gluttony.
Proverbs 23:21
... for drunkards and gluttons become poor,  and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

2. Save and invest wisely. Whatever you can save, save. When you have an opportunity to invest, do so with a eye toward the potential return. What investments will produce income? Study, learn, and do. The wise and virtuous woman in Proverbs was an investor:

Proverbs 31:16
She considers a field and buys it;  out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

3. Make more. One area where it is wise to spend is on your own development - especially, from a financial point of view, your financial, business, and professional education. There are many ways to make more money. One is to work harder and that can be good. Another is to work longer and that might be necessary. A third is the one you need to move toward and that is to work smarter by leveraging your time, energy, and knowledge. That is the core genius of network marketing and other concepts in marketing. The Proverbs elevates the value of work:

Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings a profit,  but mere talk leads only to poverty.

For a list of business opportunities I recomend, check my links here at The Dream Factory.

Of course, you may have already found your vehicle and, if you have, it would be my honor to encourage you along.

These are financially critical times, but you can succeed with informed output of energy and commitment. Dream great dreams and move forward. Keep a positive outlook. Keep your hand and hearty open to others, and be confident enough in the future to be generous in your giving. Consider it an act of faith and move forward:

Proverbs 11:25
A generous man will prosper;  he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

As John Wesley said:

Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly saved all you can, Then give all you can.

You are on the winning team.

You Can Do It ... Again

It may have been a while since I or anyone else has told you, but you really can do it.

You have all the potential in the world.

You have a God who loves you and a dream that He has planted in your heart.

You have a God who not only loves you, but is bigger than your challenges and more than ready to help you meet them.

You have determination in your soul.

You have creativity oozing from your pores.

You have the good sense and courage to be networking at this very minute.

You have the desire to succeed, exemplified by the fact that you chose to read this blog.

You most likely have a  vehicle and a plan. If not, there are many out there that are well formulated, supported by a strong system, and promoted and managed by people of integrity.

You know what you need to do next or at least, who to ask for direction and counsel. You just need the courage to do it.

You actually have that. You may not know it, but I am telling you now, because I believe in you... and God believes in you, which is far more important.

You can do it ... and you will ... if you make the choice right now.

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

Promotion

Lately, I have posted some messages that might be largely considered promotional in nature - meaning, "to move something forward."

The specific etymology is:

promotion

1429, "advancement," from O.Fr. promotion (14c.), from L. promotionem, noun of action from promovere (see promote). Meaning "advertising, publicity" first recorded 1925. Promotional "relating to advertising" first recorded 1922. (Etymology Online)

Motives (also from motieonem and movere) are always mixed. From that reality, they derive their power and complexity. From that equilibrium, we derive the genius of win-win scenarios and shared vision. When all who come to the table have the opportunity to win, everyone is PRO-MOTED, moved forward, advanced, and encouraged to the next level of accomplishment.

I encourage you to always be promoting something and/or someone. Always be looking for ways to win by helping others win. always be advancing an idea, a cause, or an event that will advance people.

In that sense, we are all advertisers:

advertise

c.1430, "to take notice of," from M.Fr. advertiss-, prp. stem of a(d)vertir "warn," from L. advertere "turn toward," from ad- "toward" + vertere "to turn" see versus). Original sense remains in advert "to give attention to." Sense of advertise shifted to "give notice to others, warn" (1490) by influence of advertisement, which meant "public notice (of anything, but often of a sale)" by c.1460. The modern, commercial meaning was fully developed by 18c.

We are calling attention to people with the idea of turning them toward an idea, opportunity, or issue they may not have fully considered in the past.

You might balk saying that all this promotion and advertising is too commercial. Consider the roots of commerce:

commerce

1537, from M.Fr. commerce, from L. commercium "trade, trafficking," from com- "together" + merx (gen. mercis) "merchandise" (see market). Commercial is 1687 as an adj.; as a noun meaning "advertising broadcast on radio or TV" it is first recorded 1935.

It means sharing merchandise together. Would that future generations would look back on the early days of the Internet and remark that it helped restore a sense of community and togetherness to business, that it leveled the playing field, and opened doors of opportunity to ordinary people.

With all this togetherness, I am reminded of the remark of a business associate once who said that what he liked best about network marketing was making new friends. "However," he said, "if I never made another new friend, I'd stay with it ... for the money."

Money is great! making money together is greater.

Keep advancing great ideas, great people, and great opportunities! PRO-MOTE!

Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

Don't Forget Saturday!

Just a reminder for all who wish to be informed about this great story and opportunity:

If you missed the article, read it here: 

Justice for All

For more information on Pre-Paid Legal services, click picture or go to my site.

If you are interested in Identity Theft protection, check out the IdentityTheft Shield site.

If you are interested in referring others or developing your own business as a Pre-Paid Legal Independent Associate, go to the Get Paid Daily on the Internet site.

Write It Down

I have boxes of notes. Some are disorganized, mis-categorized, and undated, but they have had and may continue to have a function in my life.

You see, somewhere in the maze of thinking that occupies the landscape of my muddled mind is some machinery that operates only in response to what I commit to paper. If I don't write down a goal, objective, intention, thought, or strategy, it almost doesn't count. Is that just me, or do you have such a mechanism?

I think most of us do and that for many it is in mothballs waiting to be reactivated into the service of our dreams.

You may ask what good are notes that cannot be found?

Good question. When you "make a note of it," something happens in your brain and a corresponding note is made and filed and that machinery goes into operation to bring other mental, physical, and spiritual resources to the aid of your stated intention.

When you make the note, you are sending out a memo to your entire internal "staff" to get busy on today's project. Consciously, you are reminding yourself. Subconsciously, you are activating an army of support and guidance.

If it is the intent of your heart and the direction of your thinking, you are also praying and rallying the forces of Heaven.

Of course, it is always best to have a good filing system, but until that comes into play, keep writing down your thoughts. Keep making "to-do" lists. Write down your dreams, goals, objectives, action plans, deadlines, and strategies. Use symbols, shorthand, words, and misspelled words. Write all over the paper or napkin. Stuff it in your shirt pocket. Look at it if you have a chance. Lose it if you must, but start by writing things down.

I have said it before and will say it many times again: Goals that have not been written are not worth the paper they are written (or not written) on.

It is an exercise with verified results. Practice the discipline of making notes to yourself and see what a difference it makes in what you accomplish.

Here is to your success. - Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

Some Enemies of Success

It has been my practice and spiritual discipline for several years to read a chapter of Proverbs each day that corresponds to the day of the month. That landed me in Proverbs 23 today.

It is also become a discipline to apply some of what I have read to the realm of business and incorporate these truths into my coaching. Let me briefly touch on several today that seem to fall under the category of things that impede our success. What they all seem to have in common is the avoidance of the lure of instant gratification and all of it's manifestations: gluttony, drunkenness, envy, and the like. These are enemies of success.

I am quoting some of these verses today from The Message (See copyright and link information below).

It begins with some extremely practical advice:

When you go out to dinner with an influential person, mind your manners:
Don't gobble your food,
   don't talk with your mouth full.
And don't stuff yourself;
   bridle your appetite. (1-3)

Sometimes, people attend business meals with the idea that it is all about the food and their own gratification. Not so. It is about the meeting and the person of influence you are trying to influence.  Gorge yourself later. It has been said that J.C. Penny would take potential executives to dinner and decide whether or not to hire them by whether or not they salted their food before tasting it.

He needed no impulsive associates.

Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich;
   restrain yourself!
Riches disappear in the blink of an eye;
   wealth sprouts wings
   and flies off into the wild blue yonder. (4-6)

Keep everything in perspective. pace yourself. Don't become so addicted to your moment by moment, immediate success that you lose the long term benefits of those things that endure the test of time.

Don't accept a meal from a tightwad;
   don't expect anything special.
He'll be as stingy with you as he is with himself;
   he'll say, "Eat! Drink!" but won't mean a word of it.
His miserly serving will turn your stomach
   when you realize the meal's a sham. (7-8)

Again, do not let your gluttony interfere with your judgment. Whoever said that there is no free lunch was being overly cynical. However, there are not many. people operate with some degree of self-interest. Honest people in business are open about this and seeking win-win scenarios. I operate on the principle that I want you to get something from our transaction so that we can all be happy when it is done. Again, gluttony and naiveté are enemies of success.

Don't bother talking sense to fools;
   they'll only poke fun at your words. (9)

Have you ever done business with someone who "just didn't get it?" Another enemy of success is the compulsion to teach that person by banging them over the head with truth. Forget it. Move on to your own success. Don't let addiction to being proved right interfere with your success.

Don't stealthily move back the boundary lines
   or cheat orphans out of their property,
For they have a powerful Advocate
   who will go to bat for them. (10-11)

Dishonesty, based on greed and desire for momentary advantage that leads to cheating people is what is railed against here. god will Himself step in to thwart the success of those who build it by cheating the poor. The hand of justice may not strike quickly, but it will eventually set things right.

Don't for a minute envy careless rebels;
   soak yourself in the Fear-of-God—
That's where your future lies.
   Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing. (17-18)

Envy is a major enemy of success. it takes our attention away from what we need to be doing, pollutes our attitudes, and poisons our relationships. Put it away before it gets in your way in a big way.

This includes all sorts of comparisons with other people.

The genius of network marketing is that you succeed by actually cheering for people to succeed.

Oh listen, dear child—become wise;
   point your life in the right direction.
Don't drink too much wine and get drunk;
   don't eat too much food and get fat.
Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row,
   in a stupor and dressed in rags.(19-21)

In contrast with wisdom is the success enemy we call substance abuse. Include in that category all forms of alcohol, illegal drugs, excessive use of legal drugs, and addictive sexual behaviors (which produce drugs through our endocrine system). Add addiction to food, called gluttony which produces lethargy and  so many ailments and you have a cluster of enemies to success. we could go on and on about ways they rob us of vitality, resources, time, energy, motivation, and positivity

These were as much of a problem in Solomon's day as they are today  for those who indulged in them. The problem is that there seems to be a growing trend toward these forms of self-indulgence accompanied by media affirmation that we should do the things that make us feel good and that pleasure is our ultimate god.

Not only is that not spiritually true, but it is practically disastrous.

How do we avoid that enemy? Moderation is the key to avoiding addiction in some behaviors. In others, absolute abstinence may be in order because of the  power of certain substances to establish a quick and certain foothold in a person's life.

Addiction is a major enemy of success and friend of poverty today.

Consider these symptoms:

• Drowsiness
• Sleeping late
• Forgetfulness
• Inattention
• Irritability
• Uncontrolled spending
• Health problems
• Missing appointments
• Incarceration
• Inability to drive safely
• Broken relationships
• Legal entanglements of a civil nature
• Exposure to severe liability
• Loss of drive
• Preoccupation with satisfying momentary urges
• Laziness
• Much, much more ...

All of these are problematic in and of themselves. Together, they decimate your capacity for success.

Get some victory in this area of your life quickly if you wish to succeed. Hint: A vital, growing, committed, and healthy relationship with Jesus Christ and a local church is a beginning context for all sorts of life liberation and personal growth.

Listen with respect to the father who raised you,
   and when your mother grows old, don't neglect her.
Buy truth—don't sell it for love or money;
   buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight.
Parents rejoice when their children turn out well;
   wise children become proud parents.
So make your father happy!
   Make your mother proud!  (22-25)

A know-it-all mentality is an enemy of success. Stop listening to elders and mentors and your will stop growing. Listen. Read. Study. Attend workshops. Read the Bible as if you have never read it before. Spend whatever is necessary, literally (money) to educate yourself. you are your most valuable resources. never stop investing in yourself.

Again:

Dear child, I want your full attention;
   please do what I show you. (26)

Don't just learn truth. practice it. Another enemy of success is gathering knowledge and storing it up for the future. Put new knowledge into practice quickly. Don't hide it in your conference notebook files.

A whore is a bottomless pit;
   a loose woman can get you in deep trouble fast.
She'll take you for all you've got;
   she's worse than a pack of thieves. (27-28)

Sexual indiscretion has been the downfall of many an otherwise successful man or woman. Don 't fall for it. Compare a few minutes of pleasure with a lifetime of success, fulfillment, and significance before wandering down the path of momentary ecstasy.

Who are the people who are always crying the blues?
   Who do you know who reeks of self-pity?
Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all?
   Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot?
It's those who spend the night with a bottle,
   for whom drinking is serious business.
Don't judge wine by its label,
   or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor.
Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with—
   the splitting headache, the queasy stomach.
Do you really prefer seeing double,
   with your speech all slurred,
Reeling and seasick,
   drunk as a sailor?
"They hit me," you'll say, "but it didn't hurt;
   they beat on me, but I didn't feel a thing.
When I'm sober enough to manage it,
   bring me another drink!" (29-35)

In short, all forms of self-indulgence and drive for immediate satisfaction and  instant gratification are the enemies of your success. Conquer them and conquer the world!

All the best for your success - Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002  by Eugene H.  Peterson

Justice for All

These words and ideas are mine and reflect only my opinions, but  they are deep convictions and they have led me to forms some relationships with organizations that address some of the inequities I have observed in society.

Is the American ideal of liberty and justice for all a reality?

It may be more so in the setting of criminal law than practical law. Even in criminal law, the outcomes are often inadequate.

The Justice for All Act of 2004 (The Justice for All Act of 2004 (H.R. 5107, Public Law 108-405) is, like most legislation, a bit deceptive in  its name. It covers an important, but severely limited issue of allowing victims to speak at sentencing hearings for perpetrators of crime against themselves.

In a system where there is little relevance in the trial and punishment to the victim and minimal relationship between the entities and issues involved and the final outcome, this is an important consideration - the right of the victim to address the victimizer and confront that person with the impact of his or her crime.

Of secondary, but great importance, is the impact that such speech makes upon juries and judges in sentencing.

What it fails to address is any notion of restorative justice, reconciliation, or restitution, but merely fits within the status quo of a systems that tends to run on its own steam in its own predetermined direction.

Nor does it address the inequities in the system where the poor are often inadequately represented, where dispute resolution in civil matters is weighed to the advantage of the privileged, where prisons are becoming factories for the training and production of hardened criminals, and where victims get warm and temporary feelings of being "vindicated," but no resolution comes to address restoring what they have lost.

It is a rather unimaginative system where advocates of reform generally look within the system as it is to revise and improve rather than affect radical overhaul in thinking and implementation of justice.

Justice is not retribution, but neither ought it be divorced from the emotional realities that crime actually damages relationships, causes pain, and brings loss to people. That is is true for crime, and equally true for injustices in business and family relationships that fall into the arena of civil law.

Other considerations in the matter of justice for all include assuring the integrity of the  gathering and presentation of truth by enforcing civil rights protections to all citizens equally. It requires giving equal access to all citizens to courts and due process as a way of  redressing civil concerns. It necessitates fairness that balances a sterile dispassionate process with a fair, compassionate, and empathetic cadre of real people dealing with real people.

There are some real heroes in the system and  have recently featured one in a posting,

Criminal justice is meaningless and punishment is a mockery if the state is not compelled to prove its case against its citizens beyond a reasonable doubt with honesty and the purest of motives. It is equally meaningless unless every effort and overture has not been made toward restoration of the victim and, if possible, the broken relationships.

An adversarial system, at its best is designed to insure fairness. In practice, it sometimes circumvents the possibility of reconciliation, full disclosure of truth, public safety interests, and redemption of human potential. The awful truth is that we are all flawed human beings with an imperfect system and inadequate resources.

We just have to do the best we can, but we must keep striving.

A disturbingly and tragically growing minority of the population will come into contact with the criminal justice system as defendants or victims. Each must be afforded their rights and laws must address the process that insure accurate verdicts, appropriate sentences, and proper restitution.

However, a majority of Americans will come into contact with every day law, legal questions, contracts, covenants, and matters where legal advice could give them an advantage and, at least, a fair shake.

At the moment, we have the system we have. It is imperfect, but it is what it is and is among the best in history for large societies. we all partake of it and the question is, how well we can avail ourselves of our rights.

Everyone needs a will.

Everyone will sign legal papers at some point in their lives.

We all make major purchases. We all come into conflict with perplexing legal questions. Most of us marry and have children. We get sued or threatened with suits. We get traffic tickets, have accidents, incur liability, and have job related disputes - often between well meaning and decent parties.

Whenever possible, mediation is the best course. However, knowing the law and receiving good advice can often help people avoid legal entanglements, broken relationships, and financial hardships.

The sad fact is that most people fall into the great middle place between those who are entitled to free representation and those who can afford private counsel.

That was the place that Harland Stonecipher found himself in years ago and became the impetus for his vision to bring "Justice for All" to a reality for ordinary people through Pre-Paid Legal. Though I am an independent associate, my comments here in no way reflect their official position. What will accurately portray Pre-Paid Legal's views and story is a documentary set to air on Court TV on September 29. I urge my friends to watch and  become informed. For more information, anyone can check out my  links back to the company's web sites.

For more information on Pre-Paid Legal services, click picture or go to my site.

If you are interested in Identity Theft protection, check out the IdentityTheft Shield site.

If you are interested in referring others or developing your own business as a Pre-Paid Legal Independent Associate, go to the Get Paid Daily on the Internet site.

For my fellow theologians and Bible scholars who wish to do a quick overview of uses of the word, "justice' in scripture, GO TO THIS LINK.

In fact, the book of Proverbs informs the system some well that these stand on their own without necessity of comment.

 

”I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice …” - Proverbs 8:20

”The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth should not betray justice.” – Proverbs 16:10

”A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.” – Proverbns 17:23

”It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice.” – Proverbs 18:5

”A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.” – Proverbs 19:28 

”When a king sits on his throne to judge, he winnows out all evil with his eyes.” – Proverbs 20:8

“When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” – Proverbs 21:15

“Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.” Proverbs 18:28 

“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,” – Proverbs 22:22

”… do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?” – Proverbs 25:8

“By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.” – Proverbs 29:4

”The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” – Proverbs 29:7 

”If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.” – Proverbs 29:9 

”If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.” – Proverbs 29:14

”Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.” – Proverbs 29:26 

“Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." – Proverbs 31:19 

(Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society)

The point is that it is an American, practical, and spiritual value - justice for ALL.

- Tom Sims The Dream Factory

 

 

Don't Pan the Plan

There is a seemingly disingenuous urge on the part of practitioners of spiritual things to shun strategic planning as something outside the realm of the Spirit. It is as if we do not believe God cannot enter into the process of preparation, but must show up at the last minute in order to get all the glory and save us from any mental or physical effort.

Don't pan the plan.

At some later date, I will do a study of the concept of planning in the book of Proverbs and throughout the scriptures, but for now, i will limit myself to a few verses which live in proximity to each other.

The first reminds us that it is better to plan well and with many advisers than to proceed like a charging bull against all odds to follow our hastily formulated ideas of what needs to be done.

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed." - Proverbs 16:22

It does not mean we follow all the advice we get. It means we seek it, hear it, consider it, and formulate our strategies in view of it.

Of course, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan  that can succeed against the LORD." - Proverbs 21:30

That is an ultimate safeguard, but no one wants to butt up against that wall of last resort. We would prefer to apply Proverbs 16:3 which says, " Commit to the LORD whatever you do,  and your plans will succeed."

So, somewhere between stubborn, willful confidence that excludes all voices but our own on one side and hyper spiritual "go-with-the-flowism"  on the other is the place of good planning.

Good planning happens when we start with commitment to God. If you are not at that place in your spiritual journey, then at least go for truth. We start there and finish there.

It is a deficit of truth in planning that is often responsible for failures. We either did not have enough information or we did not interpret it accurately.

Then, we need good human advisers who are wise, informed, or skilled. These come in many forms:

• Experts in their fields who make up for areas where we are not as well informed.
• Generalists who have the ability to analyze data and strategies across a wide spectrum of disciplines.
• Strategists who understand how processes work and how to map out the progress of a pan from start to finish.
• Consumers who can tell us of their own self interests. They are the sources for much of our demographic information.
• Spiritual mentors who help us seek God and examine our own motives.
• Prayer partners who encourage us, mirror our hearts, and intercede for us.

We don't need to pan the plan; we need to plan the "I can!"

Our problem is not that we over-plan and exclude God; it is that we exclude Him by not planning enough and unconsciously exclude Him that way.

The commitment is the start, finish, and every breath of the planning process.

More Dreamers

Another  example of dreamers and doers has surfaced in Fresno of all places.

Fresno Famous chronicles the success of  Ann McAtee and Ferry Santoso in "Teaze Me, Pleaze Me." They opened Teazer World Te Market in Fresno's Tower District three years ago and are already expanding.

Famous Whitewater wrote the story of their journey.

I love this quote:

" ... people can find 100 reasons why you’ll fail. And that, McAtee doesn’t have time for."

We can always find reasons for failure and thus, for not making any attempts to try. I appreciate the inspiration of this and other reports and the reality that there are two more people out there who are  investing their time in doing whatever it takes.

The road to success is paved with the cobblestones of failure but it is not called the road to failure. Failures are just what we walk over on the path to our own dreamlands.

The next time I am in the Tower, I think I'll have  spot of tea.

- Tom
You Can Do It!
The Dream Factory

The Top 25 Home-Based Business Ideas

Here is a good article for people toying with the idea of developing a home based business from AllBusiness.Com and Yahoo Finance. Look it up as The Top 25 Home-Based Business Ideas first published April 11.

Of those listed, several might be of interest to network marketers or those who market primarily over the Internet.  All of them have some overlap, but I will highlight a few that were mentioned in the article.

# 1. Personal trainer. If you are marketing health and wellness products, energy drinks, or vitamins, one of your best resources is the army of personal trainers who exercise great influence over highly motivated clients several times a week. Recruit these folks as distributors and third party their sales for them. Be sure to find a reputable company for which to distribute quality products.

# 3. Tutoring. There are several tutoring companies that are headquartered online. Using SKYPE you can tutor remotely all over the world.

# 4. Business coaching and # 5 Consulting. Network marketing is an industry that is built on the concept of everyone having a coach/mentor with the "system" as the support and curriculum. In network marketing, your coach comes with the package and this is a tremendous selling point as you recruit people. They will have the opportunity to learn from successful winners in the industry.

10. Desktop publishing. This is one business that can be developed remotely over the Internet. Begin to develop some templates that will enable you to customize clients' work while expediting your own assignment.

# 16. Gift baskets and  # 17. Wedding planner. I am no longer an IBO with Quixtar, but they have a wonderful specialty business that, until recently, was called "The Gift Incentive Program." This is a wonderful, lucrative, and attractive product that includes many specialty items ideal for weddings and gift baskets as well as so many other applications.

# 18. Personal shopper. This is an ideal fit for Quixtar IBOs as well as people who have developed a sophisticated index/catalog of affiliate shops. You can  shop from your own stores for the best bargain and right fit for your clients.

There are other good suggestions in the article as well as some excellent opportunities not mentioned. Read it and learn. Then come back for some other recommendations for profitable, turn-key, home-based businesses with built-in coaching and support.

See also:  Income Opportunities

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

SOAR

A little bird fell to the ground, but it was not harmed. Soon, a larger bird swooped down and picked the little one up, carrying it back to the place where it would try again. After several attempts, the little bird began to fly and then, to soar. You have witnessed a miracle, the kind that happens every day.

The little creature didn't know any better than to keep at it.

Here is an acronym to remind you to SOAR above the circumstances of your life, the babbling murmurs of your critics, and the nagging indictments of your sinister accuser who slivered through the garden and now creeps into your consciousness to keep you earthbound.

• Your circumstances are real, but it is not their purpose or prerogative to determine the course of your life or drive your direction.
• Your critics are real as well, but they don't know what you know and they don't have your heart. They are stuck and would like for you to stay stuck with them.
• Your accuser is Satan and he will do everything he can to demoralize and debilitate you so that you will not achieve your potential or live your God-given call.

You can and must soar above these.

Soar above it all and remember four words today that will launch you from the pad where you have anchored yourself:

S = SUCCESS - Success is movement toward a goal or objective that is worthy of your time, effort, energy, and commitment. It is taking more steps forward than backward. It is seeing the vision and moving resolutely toward it. It is progress. Progress makes us soar. As long as you are moving forward, you will catch a current that moves you more decisively toward success. Psalm 118:25 says, "O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success."  You have a powerful ally in your quest for success.

• Pray for it.
• Believe it is possible.
• Celebrate it in increments, small victories and large.

O = OBJECTIVE - Your objective, goal, or vision is that picture of an outcome that dominates, motivates, and even aggravates. it demands your time and attention and gets you up and going in the morning. Paul talked about forgetting everything else except the goal of the prize set before him. He wrote about having a goal of pleasing God, a goal of love, and a goal that is too big for human effort alone. There is an objective on your heart that will cause you to soar if you allow it to. No plane takes off without a destination in mind. What is yours?

There are seven instances of the word, "goal" in the scripture (New International Version):

1. Luke 13:32 - He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 
2. 2 Corinthians 5:9 - So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 
   
3. Galatians 3:3 - Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 
   
4. Philippians 3:12 - [ Pressing on Toward the Goal ] Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 
5. Philippians 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  
   
6. 1 Timothy 1:5 - The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.  
   
7. 1 Peter 1:9 - for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

• Make it your primary objective to please God. Then seek His vision/dream/goals for your life.
• Keep love at the center of  all your objectives - love for God and love for others.
• Make sure your objectives are always greater than your ability to accomplish them without God. Set yourself up so that you must depend upon the Holy Spirit.

A = ACTION - Actions follow attitudes, but they are ultimately indispensable. You must take action to move yourself toward your objectives. Progress depends. on doing something to move yourself along. You cannot measure a good thought or a positive attitude, but you can tell if one is present by the behaviors that result. Do something measurable today, something that is visible and positive and directly related to what you are trying to accomplish. Actions propel you to flight and in flight, you will soar.

• Create a set of action plans.
• Write them down.
• Read them.
• Divide them into incremental tasks.
• Check them off as you do them.
• Reward yourself for actions with a pat on the back.
• Do something every day to move toward your goals even  if you don't feel like it - at least something!

R = REJOICE - There is a thrill in flying that makes the heart sing. The heart soars before anything else. Anticipate the thrill of success. Live the wonder of soaring before you leave the ground. Rejoice in the prospects that your future holds. Laugh before you hear the joke; smile before anyone else does; sing before the orchestra receives the downbeat; rejoice for the daybreak while it is still dark. Let your rejoicing precede your reality and help shape that reality.

Rejoicing is more than  just a positive attitude. It is a witness of faith in the One who is real even when we cannot see Him working. He is faithful and He is the One for whom we are living, dreaming, and moving toward success. Our soaring is an act of worship toward Him.

Philippians 4:4 says: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Today, you may soar if you believe you can. First, you must be grounded in a purpose that defines your success and move toward it in faith, hope, and commitment.  Second, you must define and dedicate yourself to certain objectives that are part of the BIG DREAM for your life that the "Dream Giver" has planted in your heart. Then you must takes positive, daily actions that are calculated to advance those objectives. Finally, and actually,m first. you must rejoice in the unrealized reality of flight. Shout for joy as if the soaring had already begun and you were flying over all of your trials, critics, and accusers.

You are ready to soar! - Tom Sims

Network Marketing Update

I am here primarily to write and to encourage people in ministry, network marketing, and other entrepreneurial endeavors. If that is all I do, that is fine. A few years back while I was preparing to turn 50, I asked God what my life mission would be. The answer became clear to me that it was to encourage people to become all that they could be by His grace and power. I do that best as a pastor, writer, coach, and speaker.

I am also a network marketer  - for several reasons:

(1) I believe in creating multiple streams of income in this chaotic world.
(2) I have the entrepreneurial "URGE" in business and in ministry.
(3) I believe in the concept of creating residual income.
(4) I believe in time leveraging so that we work smarter as we work harder.
(5) I enjoy people and network marketing is all about people.
(6) Some of the best educational systems for encouraging people, on earth, are in network marketing organizations.
(7) It is a tremendous outlet for sharing my faith in Jesus Christ.
(8) It is one of the few ways i know for ordinary people to get ahead.
(9) It is something I can put in peoples' hands when I am encouraging them and  ministering to them that can help them with their goals, dreams, and personal finances. Much of my pastoral care during 32 years of ministry has touched to the financial struggles of families. Here is a practical way I can help them, plugging them into a support system while I focus on the more important spiritual issues in their lives.
(11) The field is full of positive thinking people who refuse to give up.
(12) The principle of helping others is vital to success in the industry. You focus on the success of others and your own success follows.
(13) There is an emphasis on teamwork.
(14) I need to be in it, at least somewhat, in order to teach about it.
(15) The principles are universal, transferable, and biblical.
(16) Extraordinary time freedom and flexibility.
(17) you are your OWN boss and it is YOUR business.

My business pursuits are decidedly not number one in my life - my relationship with Jesus Christ comes first, then my family, and God's specific calling on my life as a pastor and preacher - but supporting myself and encouraging others in business are a part of the mix.

I recommend that many people find a home-based business in the network marketing industry, be sensible about it, commit themselves to it, and incorporate it into their lives and ministries. I recommend this for families young people, retired people, and folks who need to supplement their income in ministry. I recommend that they find a product and system they can believe in, a team they like and trust, and a company that is credible.

Some will ask you to give yourselves exclusively to one venture. Others will allow for more.

I will encourage you no matter what organization you get involved with. After all, my life work is to encourage. I would also be willing to sponsor/mentor you in one of my affiliations or one with which I am indirectly associated through my company, Workshops to Go and its associates.

If any of my links intrigue you, check them out. These are good opportunities, but you need to find the one that is right for you. I am not adding any new ones at the moment, but I am happy to recommend you and yours if I see something powerful.

Let me say that every one of these companies owes a giant debt of gratitude to the vision of Amway and Quixtar in creating the concept of multi-level marketing and to Dexter Yager for inventing a training system that is second to none. While I am no longer affiliated with them, if you find a team that is right for you and their marketing plan appeals to you, go for it.

I would love to hear from some of my young friends as well  as pastors and my senior friends.

I am your pastor, encourager, coach, and friend,

- Tom Sims (559-647-2203, tomsims1@compuserve.com)

The DREAM FACTORY - PastorTomSims.Com 

Tom's Blogsphere - I have quite a few blogs on any number of subjects, lots of affiliates, and

My primary network marketing commitment is Prepaid Legal. it would be an honor to help you build a Prepaid Legal business. To find out more, visit this site: Getting Paid Daily.

I am now working with some people who are distributing ACT energy drinks as one of my streams of income and helping people set up profitable businesses in that growing industry. Visit this ACT site.

Health and Wellness Business - the Next Trillion Dollar Industry
Drink XanGo™  - Mangosteen Journal - a blog on the benefits of mangosteen for health.
Healthy Foods For You - A blog with news and views of nutrition and the nutritional industry.
Mangosteen Health Benefits and Business Opportunity - This company offers a patented product using the whole fruit puree of the mangosteen fruit, rich in Xanthones. They also have a powerful compensation plan and business model. This is one of the fastest growing companies in the industry.
The Three Hour Diet - An affiliate of mine.
Eniva - VIBE - It costs nothing to join and the products are outstanding. Everyone needs supplements. I was impressed with one of the distributors and what I read about the product and the company.
ACT Energy - a solid and growing business with a healthy energy drink as its core product.
 
PrePaid Legal
Get paid Daily on the Internet - Prepaid Legal is a wonderful opportunity, a solid  and unique product, and an extremely credible company. This is my primary network marketing venture.
Protect Your Identity
Identity Theft Shield
Legal Services for Less than a Cup of Coffee a Day

Other Business Opportunities
Free Ticket to Income for Life - An online business through Global Domains International building on the WS domain explosion.  This may be right for you.

On Fear, Faith, and Failure - RIPE-O with TYPEOS

Feeding and Starving

You have heard that fear is false evidence appearing real.

I thought I'd off a few more and it is an exercise for me because I am thinking them up as I type:

Faith-less Energy Acting Proud
Future Entanglements Affecting (the) Present
Failure Exorcising Actual Possibilities

I could go on all day and get better at this, but that would miss the point: FEAR is useful only in  three areas:

1) To protect us in emergencies when we need flight or fight responses.
2) To create a sense of awe, reverence, and worship in us for God so that we can be delivered from all other fears.
3) To remind us not to be stupid and take unnecessary risks with no hope of reward just to show off or make a silly point - and that is not so much fear as #2.

Fear was never meant to be an operating principle in our life with regard to the circumstances and challenges we encounter on  a daily basis. Nor is it to be a steady and constant nagging in our lives, relationships, and planning.

Faith is the antithesis of fear and the resting place for our emotions and decisions.

Fight faith with fear.

Feed your faith.

Starve your fears.

Whichever one you feed will grow.

The other will diminish.

Your choice. 

Starving Fear

There are some simple strategies for starving fear. I will not try to articulate them all here, but I will offer a few.

1) Choose not to dwell on them, read about them, listen to media that validates them.

2) Do not present them in conversation to someone who will advise you to live by them. You normally know the kind of advice you will get from the various people in your life and you often choose who to ask for advice based upon what you think you will hear. Admit it. Get better advice.

3) Replace fear thoughts with faith thoughts.

4) Do the things necessary to feed faith.

5) Face something you fear. Make a list of things you are afraid to conquer and take one at a time. Do what terrifies you and move the fear notation to the faith-victory column.

6) Pray.

7) Enlist a support partner/cheerleader.

What fear will you start starving today?

Let me know if you want me to pray with/for you about that. I WILL!

Feeding Faith

Feeding faith is a proactive and energy rich pursuit and yet, it is a whole lot easier than starving fear because its rewards are so obvious and immediate.

When I talk about feeding faith, I am also referring to your dreams because they are visualizations of which your faith informs you and which require faith to bring to pass.

This is just a starter for you.

1) Feed your faith with truth. If fear is false evidence appearing real and, if faith is the antithesis of fear, then faith must be truth. Feed faith truth and watch faith grow.

2) Feed faith energy. In the same way that you take vitamins and good energy enriched vegetables into your bodies, take faith pills, charged with positive energy. You do that by acting in faith daily. What comes out of you, comes back to you. It charges you.

3) Feed your faith with contact. Visit your dreams often in your mind and in person. Touch things that remind you of your dreams.

4) Feed your faith with excellent input - good books, including the Bible, positive audio and video, good conversation with positive people, and faith/dream-building functions and workshops.

5) Spend time with your support team if you are involved with network marketing. Call your upline every day.

6) Do something every day that is goal oriented.

7) Get adequate rest, nutrition, exercise, and family time. Do not allow yourself to get depressed by "wearing yourself out to get rich." balance your life, renew your energy, and stay fit for faith.

8) Turn on the lights and open the blinds. Dark rooms are depressing and discouraging.

9) Call someone and encourage them today. If you are a network marketer, call your downline.

10) Pray.

11) Smile and accept inconveniences and adversity with cheer. Find some lemon today that you can turn to lemonade.

12) Write something positive. Perhaps you could write a note to a friend to say, "You can do it!"

I'll quit for now, but know this, I always have more to say ...

What will you do right now to fed faith, not just today TIGHT NOW?

Let me know if you want me to pray with/for you about that. I WILL!

My Friends Advised Me

While we are at the feeding trough, feeding our faith/dreams and starving our fears, I have one itty bitty little concern. It is wrapped up in a recurring phrase I hear after people go away to "think about it," whatever "IT" might be at the moment.

They come back and say, "I talked to my friends and THEY advised me ..."

What follows is usually something negative or fear-feeding, any sort of support for not launching out in faith, dreaming a new dream, or making oneself vulnerable to failure or exposure.

I have no doubt that your friends, perhaps good friends and family have advised you to play it safe. That is there job, as they perceive it, to steal your dreams - AND YOU KNOW IT.

You knew it when you CHOSE THEM to ask for advise.

The question is back on you when presented with an opportunity. All things being equal, are you willing to stretch and expose yourself, risk failure, grow, try something new, and become more than you are in order to embrace a credible, honest, and powerful opportunity? If so, seek advice from winners. If not, seek out people who will feed your fears.

I hate to be blunt, but I will do it anyway < :) >

I believe in you.

What If I Fail?

Here is another question:

"What if I fail?"

What if you do?

It is not a matter if you will fail trying or not; it is more at what, how often, when, and what you you do with the failure.

You will fail by not trying, you just won't know about it or learn from those failures - but you will have the same results otherwise.

But learning is a very big deal and knowing what does not work for you is priceless and these are lessons that are never learned without risky action.

I hope you do fail. As John  Maxwell says, "Fail early, fail often; and fail forward."

Let each failure be a springboard toward future success.

You'll have to swallow pride and love of safety. You'll have to risk looking silly and exposed. You'll ha e to work a little harder than most people, dream bigger dreams, and develop a thicker skin, but you will be a more fulfilled and purposeful person.

People who never fail are simply failures.

People who risk, fail, learn, and grow are never failures. For them, as Maxwell says, failure is simply an event.

If your excuse for not attempting an adventure is that there is no guarantee for success, then understand that is a lousy excuse. it is your prerogative to use it, but don't try to convince me that it is a good one.

Nothing is guaranteed except the Word of God and His eternal grace and presence. Frankly, that is all I need. The rest is a grand adventure.

Are you on it with me?

I would love to share it with you.

What say you?

RIPE-O with TYPOS

I write fast and furious and make a lot of mistakes, but I post them anyway and discover them later.

I have been online actively since 1992 and I have learned that my tuping ees somtims incerrect and that my speeklink cen be atroshious.

I correct mistake as I see them, but I try not to let the fear of them cripple me or keep me from saying what needs to be said, what is bubbling up within me.

THIS IS A METAPHOR for life.

Then Tom, what is the Meta For?

It is for YOU!

Don't be so uptight about making mistakes.

Funny I should say, "upTIGHT" because a few posts ago, I typed, "TIGHT NOW" when I meant to type, "RIGHT NOW."

I could go back and correct it and I am fixing it in my blogs, but I have decided to leave it to illustrate my point.

go ahead and risk making mistakes. Make them blatant so that they can be corrected. I learned this in the study of music in voice lessons and ensemble study. My teachers,  who had both studied with Dr. Williamson at Westminster Choir College said, "If you are going to make a mistake, make a good one so we can fix it."

What are we afraid of?

Not being perfect?

Being corrected?

Looking foolish?

That is an outstanding recipe for a lifetime of big "F" failure rather than for for success built upon little "f" failures.

Do not be afraid of imperfection, criticism, or correction. Starve that fear and move on to faith and dreaming.

Put it out there. Put yourself out there and GROW!!!!!

My stuff is RIPE-O with TYOE-Os.

Come join me.

I am your pastor, encourager, friend, and coach ...

- Tom Sims The DREAM FACTORY - PastorTomSims.Com

Tom's Blogsphere

 

My primary network marketing commitment is Pre Paid Legal. it would be an honor to help you build a Pre Paid Legal business. To find out more, visit this site: Getting Paid Daily

FAIR DEAL

Selling is an honorable profession. Not only is it honorable, it necessary for the well being of economies, peoples, and the needy. Sales facilitates distribution and distribution brings the necessities of life to our doors. If the distribution system were to break down, we would be plunged into a rapidly escalating worldwide crisis of hunger. Our life support systems would come to a halt. Medicines would not be delivered. people would die; others would suffer.

Never apologize for selling. As a direct  or network marketer, you probably have many names for what you do, but the selling part is honorable. You are the life blood of the economy.

You move things.

You are an educator.

You feed, clothe, heal, and provide essential services for the masses.

You encourage people and give them hope.

You build communities.

Solomon develops a contrast between hoarders and sellers. See it in four different translations.

Proverbs 11:26:
----------------------
The King James Version - "He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it."

The Message - "Curses on those who drive a hard bargain!Blessings on all who play fair and square!"

The New Living Translation - "People curse those who hoard their grain,but they bless the one who sells in time of need."

The New International Version - "People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell."
----------------------

Selling is, as The Message translates it, the art of "playing fair and square."

There are times for giving things away, but nothing can be sustained that way. A fair and quality product for a fair price is a win-win scenario that keeps production and distribution alive.

Hoarding is selfish and unproductive.

What do we hoard?

Sometimes we hoard information that would help people make better decisions, buy better products, improve their lives, and create a better income and lifestyle.

D.T. Niles said that evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread. In a way, so is sales. Not to tell is to let the other person starve for lack of information.

Hold your head up high; you are doing important work. Now, go out and DO IT!

Still Not Ready?

Here is an acronym to empower your resolve: The FAIR DEAL

F = Facilitation - If you are dealing fairly with people, you are the facilitator of a process that they really want and need to happen. You are a facilitator, not a manipulator. You are helping them reach THEIR GOALS AND GET WHAT THEY WANT AND NEED. Is this not also true of evangelism?

A = Acquisition   - Things need to move from hand to hand along a pipeline from point of origination to point of use. You help that happen by providing the support, information, guidance, and contacts that make it possible. As sales professional, you are a servant in the arena of acquisition.

I = Integrity - People choose to do business with you because they know you, like you, and trust you. Integrity bolsters this trust. You must always do your best to tell the truth and act in an honest, ethical, and forthright manner in all you do. You will elevated the profession of sales, the ministry of evangelism, or even the pastorate by your integrity. Lack of integrity in any of these areas of endeavor is devastating to the reputation of all. Solomon advocates fair dealing. Proverbs 11:1 says, " The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight."  Integrity always pays in the long run.

Here are some helps for operating with integrity:

• Under sell and over deliver. Make that a habit. Always surprise people by doing more than you promise, faster than you guaranteed, and with a bigger smile than when they signed the contract.
• Admit your lack of knowledge and willingness to try to find answers. Don't make them up.
• Rehearse the truth not a lie. What you say in private will lodge itself in your mind and emerge from your lips.
• Don't try to elevate your product or business opportunity by cutting someone else's down.
• Sell only what you can believe in without doing mental contortions.If you do not believe your own message, find one you believe and deliver it.

R = Relationships - Remember that selling is not a product business; it is a people business. work constantly on your people skills and highly value people. Love them. Try to get them the best deal. Serve them. enjoy them. Never see them merely as a means to an end. People can see through that. Make a friend and earn a long term business relationship. All of this works in ministry as well.

D = Dependability - With all the integrity in the world, if you are flaky and sloppy about your appointments, other people's time, and your commitment to returning calls and correspondence in a timely and courteous many, you will be perceived rightly as undependable. If you have to wear yourself out at anything, make it in the area of promise keeping and respect for the time of the people you serve.

E - Even-handedness - For a deal to be fair, everyone must win. No one goes away thinking he "took" the other. There is a mutual understanding that the seller deserves a fair profit and the buyer deserves a fair price.

A - After-the-sale Attention - If you are going to do repeat business with someone, it will most often be because you stand by your product and remember your clients after the transaction of the deal. They are, after all, now your friends. Remember them. Stay in touch with them. Do little things for them. Most of all, make sure that they are happy with the deal and, if not, try to fix it.

L = Leverage - In network marketing, we talk a lot about time leveraging. Sales is all about leveraging - time, people, knowledge, contacts, associations, affiliations, and our ability to expedite matters. There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of the power of leverage to improve the product that our clients receive and the profitability of our own efforts and that of our teams. Along the way, you will find people who see the power of leveraging and you can invite them to share its benefits by becoming part of your team.

Go out and do it now and know that you are an important part of making the world go around today.

Andy  Andrews Affiliate Link

Tom's Blogsphere

 

My primary network marketing commitment is Pre Paid Legal. it would be an honor to help you build a Pre Paid Legal business. To find out more, visit this site: Getting Paid Daily

 

Sunday Again

I am getting ready to leave for church. Perhaps some of you will join me.

The overlap between principles of missional church planting and entrepreneurial ventures is constantly surprising me.

My message today will touch to some of those keys areas with a focus on missional church planting.

If you are a network marketer, you must employ some of the same skills that I use as a pastor. While you, in that role, are not entrusted specifically with teaching eternal truth and watching over the eternal destiny of souls, you are entrusted with people's lives and dreams.

You are watching over a flock in ways that goes beyond a bottom line and production.

You are engaged in people building. If you build people, you will build your network marketing business.

Pastors could learn a lot from network marketers as well.

As the weeks and months go by, I will be writing on some of these overlaps and hopefully benefiting people in both spheres as well as those, who like me, live in both worlds.

One key to both is placing a high value on people and seeing them not as tools we can use to reach our goals, but as the objects of our service and the focus of our businesses and ministries. It is seeing and loving people as God sees and loves them.

The temptations in both ministry and business delude us into thinking we can use people to achieve our ends. Rather, we are called in both arenas to serve God by equipping people to realize, embrace, and move toward His great dream that He has implanted in their hearts.

My primary calling is to proclaim the Word of God, but more and more I am discovering that He has much to say to those who would people businesses that value human resources and call people to a higher level of living.

I wish you God's best and I will see you in church.

   

   

  You can actually be a partner with Andy
  in telling his stories by establishing an affiliate relationship with
  him:
Andy  Andrews Affiliate Link    Tom's Income Opportunities

 

Business Principles
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Opportunities and Principles

There are so many wonderful opportunities in network and affiliate marketing available today. There are sound business and compensation plans, ethical companies, and excellent products for discerning individuals to sort through and from which for them to choose.

I promote several of them myself and have been involved with many.

With some exceptions, they are credible businesses which a highly motivated person who is willing to learn the necessary skills can use as a platform for building wealth, security, and freedom. However, no one can do them all and jumping from business to business in search of one magic outlet could be a sign that a person is not learning the necessary lessons of success.

With very few exceptions, these businesses are built on common principles that can be applied to any endeavor. They are also predicated upon attitudes that breed success. In addition, in order for that success to be truly rewarding and fulfilling, it must be more than financial and business success. It must touch something deeper inside of us and develops character.

The principles of people-building businesses are sound because they are spiritual, biblical, and intrinsic. They are profoundly meaningful because, at their core, is the spirit of giving. They elevate the centrality of good relationships and they often point to a relationship with God as the central relationship that every human needs and longs for.

My interest lies in teaching and applying these principles that are described as a TUNE we learn to sing:

T - Transferable principles - Most people try 3 multi-level companies before they settle on the one at which they are successful. Are the first two a waste of time? In no way. They are schools of principles where a person can learn while they earn (or not earn). Nothing is wasted for the one who is committed to learning and applying principles. Each business has its own learning curve, but no business completely reinvents the wheel. Thank god for those who have laid the foundation. Now build on it.

U - Universal principles - Network marketing principles are not only transferable, but they are universal in the sense that they are cross-cultural and apply to other disciplines than  network marketing or traditional business. The best lessons of network marketing are about life, relationships, personal development, people skills, becoming a life long learner, ethics, and character. These are universal. They are necessary for 40 hour a week jobs, for ministry, and family life. Even if you never make a dime in your home-based business, take advantage of the training, the books, the audio-visual materials, and the mentoring - for life!

N - Necessary prerequisites - Every network marketing business has its own uniqueness and learning curve. There are prerequisites for each. One is a humble attitude that is teachable and willing to learn. There is a difference between the two. The first is largely passive and the second is proactive and both are necessary. The necessary prerequisites for choosing the right business are both subjective and objective.

1. Can you get enthusiastic about the core product? If you are told that the product isn't important, consider that a credibility red-flag.
2. Do you like the sponsor and his/her sponsor (your support team)? Can you related to each other? Can you learn from someone in that organization? Do they have a good training system?
3. Is the system clear and duplicative? Can you understand it and communicate it to others and train them to communicate it?
4. Does the company have a good track record and credibility? What is its reputation? Check it out. Even if it is new, the founders will have some sort of track record you can check on.
5. Can you "do" the marketing plan? Does it work with your hard-wiring or can you train yourself to make it work for you?
6. Are there models of success that you can look up to?
7. Are your sponsors accessible and ready to help you build your business?
8. How is the online support? Is that important to you?
9. Who are the people to whom your business/product will appeal? Can you relate to them?

E - Enduring truth - These principles will not change even though specific strategies and methodologies will. Learn them by applying them and soar.

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Vanishing Leadership

It is one of the tasks of a great leader to vanish.

There are many leadership skills involving our hands: the hand up, the extended hand, the hands on demonstration,  the hand on the shoulder and the hand off.

That's right, the hand off with its accompanying attitude of "hands off." It is also called, "the hand over."

In business and ministry, we will find ourselves endlessly serving one task, one location, and one small group of people if we are unable, unwilling, or uninspired to duplicate ourselves and vanish into the woodwork.

Vanishing leadership is real leadership. It mentors, prepares, and duplicates itself in others with the specific goal of giving away a role or task and all the credit and accolades that go with it.

Great leaders are always grooming successors.

By the way, into the woodwork does not mean unavailable for counsel, accountability, and encouragement. It just means that the leader is generous and intelligent enough to know that his or her effectiveness is either severely limited or profoundly enhanced by the willingness and ability to duplicate and vanish.

To develop this idea, let us examine the concepts of "Hands On" and "Hands Off" to ascertain when each is most appropriate in leadership.

HANDS ON

We need to keep out hands on a task while we are training new leadership. The extent to which we keep our hands on will be informed by the following factors:

• H - Help is needed in learning skills, concepts, internalizing the mission, and getting the job done at a minimal level.
• A - Assimilation of the philosophy and values of the organization are still in formation.
• N - Negative attitudes, behaviors, and conversational patterns are being "unlearned."
• D - Dependence on the mentor/coach is constant.

• O - Optimum performance comes with close supervision.
• N - Necessity dictates that the tasks be closely monitored for quality assurance.

HANDS OFF

• H - Help is still needed, but it can be offered more often from a distance and  at broader intervals.
• A - Assimilation of philosophy and values is beginning to take hold. The work has moved from head to heart.
• N - Negative factors are less pronounced, easily recognized, and managed.
• D - Delegation  of entire projects is taking place.

• O - Optimum performance is enhanced by trust and disengagement.
• F - Formation of a sense of ownership by the new leaders in the organization, its reputation, its future, and its excellence is becoming evident.
• F - Formal recognition of the new leader's leadership abilities and skills has instilled a sense of confidence and accountability.

Each of these requires further explanation and development, but you can get the point. The transference of leadership may be gradual, but it must also be a constant commitment if an organization, ministry, or business is to grow in number and influence.

Feeding and Starving

Feed your dreams; starve your fears.
Whichever one you feed will grow.

Fears will grow to control you and clip your wings.

Dreams will consume you and cause you to soar.

It is your choice.

You will feed that to which you give the most attention and credit.

If you live by fear, you will live a crippled and limited life. Your best work, your highest aspirations, and your most enchanting creations will go to the grave with you.

If you live as a person of vision, you may not attain all of your goals, but you will attain many and they will live on after you are gone. They will inspire others to dream and create. You will create a ripple that will grow into a mighty tidal wave of dreams and accomplishments.

Feed your dreams and starve your fears. That is my recommendation and below are some ideas for how to feed dreams and starve fears.

FEED Your Dreams

F = Face them. I mean, put a face on them. Find something that represents them that you can gaze upon and be reminded of them.

E = Enliven them. Create activities that remind you of your dreams, move you closer toward them, and let you experience "foretastes" of what it will be like when they come true.

E - Elicit support. Ask people who are positive dreamers to be part of your dream building community. Build them up even as they build you up. Get folks on your team. Someone said that if you ever see a turtle at the top of a telephone pole and he tells you he got there by himself he is either lying or he doesn't understand the nature of things.

D - Determine to pursue them, work for them, and never let them go. Determination will take you from today until tomorrow. It is essential.

STARVE Your Fears

S = Saturate yourself with positive words, thoughts, and deeds. Give negativity no quarter. Make no room for it. Your prior decision to go for the dream has shut out all possibility of fear finding a resting place in your life. You are just too occupied with where you are going.

T - Time them. Go ahead and nod at your fears. Stare them down. Look at them for 30 seconds, a minute, whatever it takes to understand them. When the time is up, say,  "Time's up. That's all I can give you." Then walk away. If there was something valid about the fear, you took time to see it and make provisions. The rest is fruitless.

A - Attack your challenges as one who has the upper hand. Be the aggressor with your fears. Be proactive. Get fear on the run by taking charge of the situations that feed it.

R - Rest in God's promises. He has not given us the spirit of fear. He alone is worthy of our reverence and fear (awe). Reverence Him and let Him take care of all the other fears.

V - Value what is valuable. Your dreams are built upon principles you value. Your fears are largely irrational and based upon a concern that you will be severed from something temporal and fleeting. Focus on what endures and has infinite value. It will starve fear because it will take away all of its "junk food" nourishment.

E = Eliminate that which makes you fearful. I don't know what it is in your life, but there is something that feeds your fears. Identify it and eliminate it.

That is your assignment today!

Living for Others

Proverbs 4:2 - I give you sound learning,
       so do not forsake my teaching.

Consider what is not written here. The book of Proverbs is full of helpful instructions on living a successful life, but someone took the time to write these wise sayings as a father to the son. In giving sound teaching, that person, Solomon, along with others, was giving his life, his wisdom, and his time away to impart the gifts of significance and success to another.

In  so doing, we have, at our disposal and within reach, a storehouse of wisdom that we can never exhaust.

It is the unwritten principle of Proverbs, that as we live for God, we also live for others. The best gift we can give ourselves is to give ourselves away.

Giving Yourself Away

Thanks for being a friend and for building people.

What we invest in the lives of others returns to us in abundance.

We make daily choices to give of ourselves in ways that are uniquely our own or to squander our influence on selfish and fruitless pursuits.

We when give, we receive. It is an divine and eternal principle.

You have chosen to reach out to others and in doing so, you will be blessed.

I am cheering for your success. Let me know if I can help in any way that in uniquely mine to give. I offer coaching, inspiration, business opportunities suited to your own uniqueness, and a listening ear. The ear part is complimentary and the businesses are a partnership.

Whatever you do, it is an honor to network with you. Keep up the good work and visit my blog when you can.

Make a Living or Make a Difference

We choose how we will spend our time. It is a commodity that is not renewable, but with proper stewardship, it can be maximized.

It is ironic, but true, that our decisions about expenditures of time will determine the quality of that time and the effectiveness of our lives. We can give our time in service and reap rich rewards. We can hoard our time and lose it forever.

We can live every moment or bide the hours and days until some moment of good fortune. We can embrace our daily work with joy and a desire to be productive or we can put in our time and just make a living.

We can choose to make a living or make a difference.

When we choose to make a difference, we tiptoe in expectancy, skip with anticipation, and dance with joy through every moment of our days, knowing that we have once chance to pass through that moment and leave the world positively different because of our presence.

If you are "trapped" in a job, liberate yourself by making it your mission of the moment and your launch pad to greater things. Use your time before and after work to create options, but your time at work to bloom where you are planted and make a difference in the world.

You are unique and wonderful. There is only one like you. Only you can accomplish what you have been placed here to do. only you can be what you are called to be.

I am cheering for you. How can I help?

"Who Can I Lift Today?"  - A prayer by Tom Sims
 
Who can I lift today
From dregs or rags or rubble?
"Who will lift me?" replies the bit of me within me
Whose focus, inverted and cross eyed causes me to
Stumble over unexpected opportunities.
"Refocus!" Shouts the me within me that can see,
Refocus and move forward and ask again the first question.
Who can I lift today and in the lifting, lift myself.
Who can I encourage?
Who can I bless?
Who can I walk alongside and with that one,
Share a burden?
Who can I love?
To whom can I give myself?
Who will be my brother or sister,
Or lifelong friend,
Whom I have never met?
Who will you bring along my path today, Oh Lord,
By divine appointment to change my life
As I give give myself away?
 
I stand before you on tiptoe, Oh Lord,
With childlike anticipation and wonder,
Waiting for the moment and the person
That you will bring along my way
To lift today. - Tom Sims

EFFORT

A little effort is like eating a potato chip. Once you start, the next one just seems natural and then the next and the next and the next. The difference is that the potato chip saps you and leads to lethargy and obesity while effort energizes and brings rewards.

You don't fill your plate with a huge helping of effort and force yourself to consume it all in one sitting. You graze on it. you take small bites and baby steps. If a little is all you have to give today, you pat yourself on the back and rest with the fulfilling knowledge that you have done something toward your goals.

But small efforts lead to large surges of energy and productivity.

Yet, they are simply made up of multiple little efforts.

We are not big block people. Most of us can only carry small loads, but we can keep coming back for more,. Soon the work load begins to organize itself and we start to see results. The results, even small results, give us such a lift that we can keep going.

For five years in a row, our church built houses in Mexico one week every summer. When we would arrive on the site, the task would always seem daunting. The first day always involved mixing cement by hand and laying a foundation. It was seemingly endless, tiring, back breaking work, but we could complete it in one day and one wheel barrel at a time.

We went home late on those Mondays and slept well in our tents after a well-earned dinner.

The next morning we would return to the worksite and were immediately invigorated by the sight of a hard, smooth, finished foundation.

Laying the foundation is always the hard part and every bite of effort is worth it. Give the effort, even in small segments, and reap great rewards.

Here is an acronym for effort:

Energy - Effort is spending energy - little or much. You decide, but there is always something to spend.

Faith - The word comes from the Greek, "pistis," from which we get, "pistol." faith launches us in much the same way a pistol launches a bullet.

Fulfillment - Well spent energy has its own sens eof fulfillment built in. the rerward is present in the deed.

Optimize - It pays to be wise and to spend energy and effort where it is most useful. However, we should not use this as an excuse for delay. Efficiency will reveal itself in the course of doing the deeds.

Reward - There will be rewards for effort. Some are immediate and  most are eventual.

Time - The results of effort are cumulative over time and they are like a geometric progression branching out in all directions beyond our control.

Put out some effort today and expect some results.

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The Towel Step

We use the term "throwing in  the towel" to describe quitting in the middle of a project or dream. It is

to admit defeat or failure.  The etymology of the term is based on the literal meaning of throwing a towel into the ring in boxing as a way of admitting that the boxer just can't go on.

I would like to suggest an alternative: Keep your towel. Don't throw it in. Take some steps toward renewal of your depleted energy.

Someone out there is ready to quit. you are drained and empty, discouraged and tired, baten and bloody from the fight.

I know it is true. Prove me wrong and make me a happy man. Otherwise, listen to me: Don't give up.

I believe this: Someone is discouraged beyond their ability to muster enough energy to make even one phone call, write even one card, or even think about their goals.

You want to throw in the towel.

Instead of admitting defeat, make just one phone call - just one, or write a note, just one, or spend one minute, just one dreaming your dream.

When I was in college 33 or 34 years ago, there was a great Palestinian guy on my hall who spoke with enthusiasm and power every time he said anything at all.

One day, toward the end of our Sophomore year, knowing that we would not be dorm-mates again, he presented me with a gift.

"Mr. Sims. You are my friend. I give you this towel. It is from Palestine. Always keep it and remember me."

I have kept it all these years. It is torn and worn and threadbare, but I will not part with it. I will not throw it in. I never pampered it; I used it.  It reminds me of George and of friendship, and of a dream I have to visit the Holy Land.

It is just a towel, but even though I have not seem George again, I do not give up friends and I do not give up dreams.

I feel like it sometimes, but I don't do it. The towel is a reminder to me not to throw it in. Don't throw in your towel. Instead, change your pace, give yourself a break, refresh yourself, renew your energy, and keep on keeping on. There are dreams in your heart and friends cheering for you. Don't give up either one.

Here are some suggestions:

Step Back - Just a little. Slow down, take a break, take a day off, or something to give yourself a rest from your self-imposed pressure. catch up on sleep, family time, a novel, or something you seldom do. Step back, a little.

Step Forward - Make a faith statement because that is all you have right now. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is substantive in relation to hopes and evidential in relation to the invisible realities that are coming to pass and already are. When you step forward you rededicate yourself to your goals and recommit your life to God's guidance and care. You say, "No matter how i feel, i will press on. I will not throw in the towel. I believe it when I cannot touch it. My dream is real."

Step Up - Do something during your down time. Move up and make some progress by reading a book you have not had time to open. Perhaps it is an inspirational biography. Listen to some heart warming music. Have a long cup of bottomless coffee with a friend who lifts you up. Take a walk. you may think you are stepping backwards, but you are actually stepping up. spend some quality time with God in prayer, reflection, and journaling.

Step Down - Ask someone to cover some of your responsibilities that are usually necessary tasks, but that can be down by someone else for a day or two. Lose some control and oversight. Step down temporarily from these. Step down permanently from the position of Lord of your own life and give that place back to the One to whom it rightfully belongs, the one who can handle the responsibility and do the job: Jesus Christ.

Step Around - There are some things you can postpone or even avoid all together. If you will lay aside a few things you often deem "urgent," and just do what is vital to your dream, you will find that they are diminishing in importance as a day or two goes by. As you renew and refresh, step around them and do not be distracted or terrorized by them. Step around them.

Step Toward - Step toward your dream - just a little with a very simple task, call, or activity that will help you accomplish a little bit. Add steps as you feel refreshed and energized, but without pressure or guilt. as you do your business or ministry this way, consider adopting a guilt-free approach every day. Embrace an attitude that prompts you to work a little in your business each day without the compulsion to break everyone's records all at once.

The joy of a home based business is that you can do it in the cracks of your life, as you are doing other things, and in moments you might otherwise be wasting with busy work. You can do it without guilt because you are your own boss. You can do it in such a way as to make it fun, enjoyable, and personally enriching.

Whatever your goals, however, there are alternatives to throwing in the towel. With some pacing and refreshing, you can come back stronger than ever. With God's help, the dreams that he has planted in your heart can stay alive and the people that come alongside you as friends and partners can be a source of energy and inspiration to you.

Don't throw in the towel. Don't give up.

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Social Networks - Are they a FAD?

Social networks are only a fad if you have a very long memory.

In other words, there is nothing new about them. Humans have been networking for business and social interests for centuries,

Now the Internet has become a useful tool for what we have always done and we can have a broader and quicker impact on people.

Sure it is a FAD: Fast Actiion Dialogue.

It is also Frequent Activity Distributor or even a Friendship Acceleration Device.

It holds the potential of being a very positive force if we use it with wisdom, courtesy, and the right timing. It behooves us to learn as much as we can, learn from our successes and failures, and throw out as many test baloons as possible to experiment with new skills and strategies online.

For instnace, the other day, I was invited to join a new networking communtity: Apsense.

Watch the video and see what you thing:

Flash Presentation

If you prefer, you can follow this invitation straight to the site:

Want to build your own social network in less then 10 minutes?
Check Out HERE!

Here are a few other ideas for making a FAD something productive and profitable in business and in the Kingdom.

F - FIND FRIENDS and cultivate those friendships. There actual people online and it is as good a place as any to develop your essential people skills.

A - ADD VALUE - Give something of value to people on your site to make them want to return. Keep it fresh and keep it helpful. When you add value to people and their businesses, they appreciate it and you feel good about yourself.

D - DEVELOP your network and drive traffic from your network to your business and ministry sites. Bed DISTINCT and DIFFERENT and DIFFERENTIATE yourself from the pack while relating to them and communicating common interest.

Flip the Greatness Switch

When you dream great, worthy dreams,
you connect to a place in your heart
where you flip the switch
that turns on an attitude of expectancy
and wonder,
thus activating imagination
and motivation.
When this happens,
you engage yur mind and
your feet
and your hands in the pursuit of your goals.
You rally all of your resources and,
if you will, by faith,
God's.
Greatness is yours for the believing,
receiving,
and acheiving
when dreams partner with
thoughts, deeds, and
prayer.
You are ready for an explosion of
possibilities
and I am
your cheerleader!

William Wallace Speech from Braveheart

They may take our lives,

    But they will never take

        Our FREEDOM!

What is it worth for you?

Are you willing to put forth a bit more effort? A few sleepless nights? Abandonment of your comfort zone? A Risk?

Be challenged.

Earl Nightingale - The Strangest Secret

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. Earl Nightingale 1921-1989 This is the "mother of all" motivational talks.

IVA - A Sweet and Real Lady

Integrity, Vulnerability, and Authenticity  - IVA

Are you real? You know the answer, but the clincher is how people perceive you. Do you come across as real? If not, you are paying a high price because your credibility account is overdrawn in the minds of people over whom you wish to exercise influence. People have built in radar censors for character. Three qualities will not only help you become real in the perception of others, but in reality itself.

Integrity is what you are when no one is looking. It is how your values, attitudes, and behaviors are integrated in your life. It is  an invisble inner quality that always, ultimately, manifests itself outwardly.

Vulnerability is your willingness to let other people examine your life and test the quality of your consistency. It is your willingness to risk rejection and pain because you are confident in the core values of your life.
Authenticity is the result of the first two. it is what makes you unquie and real. It is what verifies your claims and makes you a credible person that anyone would desire to deal with. Write me anytime. I would love to be an encouragement to you.

Keep up the good work and keep the dream alive!

The Power of Stories

Do you like stories?

Do you read them/ Do you tell them?

My friend says that facts tell, but stories sell. The more stories you hear tht illustrate the power of a dynamic truth, the more you will believe in the power of your mission and vision. God's story is an example. Much of the truth of the Bible is conveyed in story form. Incarnational throloguy is about fleshing out truth.

Listen to and read stories - non-fiction and fiction. Collect stories. Learn to tell them. Have enough of them to illustrate your big ideas.

I have been impressed with the stories that successful entrepreneur and best selling author Andy Andrews tells. Pehaps you will be too.

You can actually be a partner with Andy in telling his stories by establishing an affiliate relationship with him:

Andy Andrews Affiliate Link

From Publishers Weekly
Christian author and motivational speaker Andrews effectively combines self-help with fiction to catch readers' interest, sustaining momentum while simultaneously passing on instructions for positive thinking. With his can-do style, Andrews (Storms of Perfection; Tales from Sawyerton Springs) tells the allegorical tragedy of one David Ponder, whose woes begin when he loses his job, his confidence and essentially his drive for living. After a succession of losses, Ponder is rendered unconscious after a car accident, and is magically transported into seven key points in history. At each stopping point, he is met by historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Anne Frank, King Solomon, Harry Truman and Christopher Columbus, each of whom imparts one of the seven key decisions that Andrews asserts are essential for personal success. After his travel through time, Ponder regains consciousness in a hospital and discovers he is holding letters given to him by the various heroes. The letters offer familiar self-help counsel: accept that the buck stops with you, become a wisdom seeker and a person of action, determine to be happy, open the day with a forgiving spirit, and persist despite all odds. Although Andrews writes from a Christian perspective, his overall message (trust that God is sovereign, but do your part in making your future happen) will ring true with a broad spectrum of inspirational readers. Some astute thinkers may be put off by the simplistic story line, but Andrews does an exemplary job at providing positive suggestions for overcoming life's obstacles.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.    

New Social Network for Business in Pre Launch

You're invited to join Tom Sims network of friends.

By joining Apsense, a newly launched business social network, you can connect with business indivduals with common interests, meet new friends or business associates, start your business blog, and even build your own private social network

Please take a few minutes to visit our website, learn more about us and register for a FREE Membership.          

The website address is:

http://www.apsense.com/invite/tomsims

                                                                    

 

How To Make Someone's D-A-Y Part Two - Spell It!

Yesterday I suggested that the very desire to make another person's day is an indicator of character and a predictor of success in that endeavor.

Today, I will start to spell out how to do that by examining the word, "D-A-Y." First let us look at a proverb for today, Proverbs 19:1:

"Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
       than a fool whose lips are perverse. "

To apply that to our theme, we might paraphrase it this way: "While wealth and prosperity can open doors, create opportunities, and enable us to do much good for others, it would be better to do without it if it meant that our words wounded rather than healed,  deflated people rather than inflating them, and discouraged rather than encouraged."

Words are powerful and how we use words will determine much of our success in making someone else's day.

And the god news is that if you make the day of enough people, it will eventually lead you on the path to success.

We don't have to choose between our success and that of others if we are willing to put our primary focus on helping others succeed.

Now, here is the D-A-Y

D = Decision. You make a decision about the kind of day you will have. You make it early; you make it firm. You decide that whatever comes your way, "The is the day that the Lord hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." It is always a decision and if you make it, it will rub off on others. While you make the decision, early in the morning, to have a great day, decide to bring others along as well. Pray for opportunities to encourage, lift, and serve people. They will come!

A = Attitude. It is aways about attitude. Attitude can make or break your day and will affect others. Positive attitudes are contagious, but so are negative attitudes. If you walk around all day with the attitude that is selfish, angry, resentful, and bitter, that will take the wind out of people's sails who are living on the edge. Not everyone has learned the power of a positive decision. They need to see a living example of positivity - YOU! If you carry your decision to have a blessed day with you throughout the day and reflect that in your attitude, those same people will see and catch some of your spirit. Smile at frowns; speak gently to harsh voices; deflect criticism; be kind when you are treated without kindness. Be the master of your moments and your emotions.  Elevated your attitude and you will elevate others.

Y = Yes, Yes living. It is a no-no world. All around us, people are looking for reasons to be critical, to disagree, to complain, to gossip, to make other people feel small. You have chosen to live the opposite way. You are looking for areas of agreement. You are searching for the YES. You are endeavoring to find things you can compliment and affirm, people you can encourage, and lives you can touch with God's love. You are actively giving out smiles. Your goal is to build and what you are building are people.

The only two things that will last forever are the Word of God and the souls of people. One builds the other.

Make a decision to have and promote a great day. Put on the attitude of positive thinking and living, the attitude of love and grace. Put it on the same way you put on a cheerful shirt in the morning. Look for yes every where and build upon each yes you find. Decision - Attitude - Yes = DAY.

Have a great one.