Goals, You gotta have em! No matter what the risk!

What’s life without Risk?  No goals no problem?

Each day I get up just as you do and think about the steps that I need to take to complete the tasks I have set before me.  I mentally prepare myself for the day, brush my teeth,  shower, deodorant, clothes on… You know the routine.  But have you ever felt like nothing changes each day?  Like you are re-living the same re-occurring day, each day you wake?  Maybe you can tell that it’s a new day but you can also tell that nothing is different.  You still have the same financial debt (or worse).  You still have the same problems, frustrations, concerns.  Well its time to take action!  Its time to set some goals and take some risks!

Life with goals is can be a risk.

Goals are your key to success!

If you are tired of waking up to the same problems each morning and going to sleep worrying about the same things MAKE A CHANGE!  It’s time that we all start a revolution in our hearts and minds to become better, to do better, to live better.  I challenge you to start setting up some goals in your life, and to stop being afraid to take risks!  Each morning when you go through your routine make “taking one step towards your goal” part of it!  Set yourself up for success by starting to take action when you wake up!

“Life without goals is a risk I wouldn’t want to take…” – Steve Braden

If you don’t set goals in your life how do you plan to move forward?  A life without goals would be like taking a road trip without a map or any sort of planned destination.  That is a big riskto me.  Sure some may get lucky but some are going to get lost,  some may drive off a cliff, some may run out of gas.  I think that’s the worst feeling.  “when you run out of gas” When life never stops for you and keeps throwing different things at you.  You ask “when’s it gonna stop?”.  You start feeling like your life engine is running out of gas…
There is a solution!!!  You can make changes to you life right now no matter what!

Step #1 Dream BIG.  (Goals vs Risk)

Warning: DONT STOP HERE!  This step is easy, and its easy to just dream without action!  Don’t be lazy!  Put action behind your dreams!  Dream about your future.  Where do you want to live?  Is it in a cabin in the woods on a lake or next to the powdered snow with skiing right outside your front door?  Or a beautiful beach with blue waters and amazing sun to tan those blues away?  Maybe its on a farm with no worries enjoying the simple things of life.  What do you want to be doing with your life?  Is it traveling cross country in your own motor home seeing the places you have read about but have never seen in person?  Maybe its traveling the globe enjoying wine in Paris and climbing pyramids in Egypt?  Maybe it’s being in a position that enables you to help others in life changing ways due to more freedom of your own.  It does not matter what your flavor is.  Just DREAM BIG!  Why is the dream so important?  Because we need to remind ourselves of why we are taking these steps each day!  Goals get us there.  Risk is just part of the journey.

Step #2 Access the Situation (Goals vs Risk)

Warning: DONT STOP HERE!  This one can be a tough one.  You need to access your situation.  Maybe you know you need some financial goals.  Well let me tell you, you’re not gonna move forward financially until you know where you are starting.  Take a look at your bills, your debt, your payments, your monthly income.  What is there?  How big is the debt?   How much debt?  How many credit cards?  How big of a balance do you have on your credit cards?  Begin to ask the tough questions.  Begin to give the tough answers.  But never ever quit!!  You gotta start somewhere!  Do Not Give Up!  Answering these types of questions is no risk at all… lieing to yourself is a risk not worth taking.

Step #3 Begin to set Goals (Goals vs Risk)

Warning: DONT STOP HERE!  It’s time to step it up now.  You have enjoyed the dream and hopefully are still dreaming!  You have done the hard part of looking at your situation and answering the tough questions of why you are where you are.  Now its time to start making your plan.  Setting your goals!  Risk is part of life.  Dont be afraid to step out of the comfort zone a little bit.

“If you always do what you always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”

Your goals should be broken down into several categories:

Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, and 5 Years

5 Years: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?  (it better be somewhere that makes you happy!)  What risks are worth taking to get you where you want to be? – Goals vs Risk

1 Year: What do you want to have accomplished that can help you get 1 year closer to your 5 year goal?  Have you experienced any risk that you should have taken to get you closer to your goals? – Goals vs Risk

Monthly:  What has been done this month that undoubtedly has made changes and moved you closer to your goals?  Dont be afraid to take risk! – Goals vs Risk

Weekly:  Whats things have been done this week to help you in your transition?  Has risk been something holding you back? – Goals vs Risk

Daily: What can you do today right here right now that will help you take that step closer to your goals and dreams?  Do not be afraid of risk! – Goals vs Risk

Step #4: Take action! (Goals vs Risk)

Warning: ONCE YOU HAVE STARTED DONT STOP!  Look at your goals and use them as your road map.  Your guideline for the future.  Take that step closer and make it happen!  No matter what the price right here, right now, looking back you will be happy you made the sacrifice!  What it costs now will look and feel insignificant in the future.  Don’t be afraid to take the necessary risks needed to accomplish your goals and dreams.

Step #5: Re-access (Goals vs Risk)

Warning: NEVER GIVE UP!  Consistently look at where you are and where you were.  Are things changing?  Are you closer to your goals?  Have you taken any risks? If things are moving forward great!  Could they move forward faster if you were to make some more changes?  Don’t be afraid to make changes to you plan.  When on a trip and we find a shortcut or better route we take it!  If things aren’t going well and nothing seems to be changing maybe you need to go back to Step #2 and make sure you were completely honest when asking yourself the hard questions about your situation.  If you have been honest maybe its time to talk to someone about whats going on.  Make some hard decisions and move forward.

To find out more about my steps towards success and how my wife and I were able to pay off over $30,000 in debt in under a year, quit our jobs and now own a successful business make sure to follow our blog!

SteveBraden

Who am I?: About.Me/SteveBraden

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Decisions, decisions…

The other day I was talking to a friend about making some important decisions in their life. It got me to thinking about some of the vital steps one must take when making large decisions in their life. I battled whether to put this in my blog about living a Christian life or my investment blog. Ultimately I decided my investment blog was the correct place to put this. As investors, big or small I think we all need to take some time to weigh our decisions to make sure we know not only the benefits but also the risks of our actions. This is just the beginning phase of this blog and I would welcome any input on this matter. I have learned more about this process from my mistakes than my triumphs. So feel free to comment below or contact me with your input.

When making large decisions I think that there have to be some smaller decisions and steps made to give you the answers to what you are looking for.

Why are you needing to make this big decision?

Luke 14 speaks about first weighing the costs in any decision we are going to make. It says that a builder will not build a tower without first counting the costs. Because if he starts and cannot finish everyone will ridicule him. When making a big decision we have to weigh the pros and cons. If you do this what good will happen? What bad will happen? Which list is longer when finished? And are the good or bad outcomes heavier on one side or the other.

Like if you eat an ice cream cone:
Good: it’s hot out, it will make me happy, i love ice cream.
Bad: I’m on a diet, it may cause me to have a diabetic seizure.

Probably shouldn’t eat an ice cream cone..

Now this is a little light hearted but we have to realize that our decisions can affect a lot of people around us. If it’s quitting a job, firing an employee, or even moving to another state our decisions will affect not only the ones we care about but others we may not anticipate.

When we make a decision in life we must ask who will it affect?
Who do we care that it affects?
Can we deal with the effect it will have on those we care about?

I recently moved to another state. BIG DECISION. While being so frustrated with our current position and needing to see change life and surroundings. I did not weigh how much my decision would affect those who depended on me. This over site made me appear selfish and not caring. People took it very personally. Let me just say, I witnessed people take it so personal that they sacrificed their own character to retaliate against me for leaving them in the position they were in. One business partner who I had always thought had such high integrity actually do an email blast campaign against me filled with lies in an attempt to cause other partners to no longer work with me. He felt he needed to punish me. I had another of my partners who I expected to be happy for us moving due to the fact we would be in a safer area begin to take it very personally that we left. They came up to work on some of their business that I was no longer going to be overseeing for them and completely avoided me. I think it will take some time for them to release the grudges they have against me. All because I made a decision without weighing the ramifications of my actions. They felt I had abandoned them.

If I look back would I have still done what I did? Yes but I could have handled the situation differently. I could have talked more openly with my partners. Heard their worries and worked to maybe make the transition go more smoothly. All things that are seen in hind-sight.

Now I must stop and say one thing.. Just because your decisions will affect people this does not mean that you cannot be afraid to make them! If I knew my partner was going to act like a baby instead of a marine and smear me on an email campaign. I still would have made the decision. Some people will never be happy unless your decision benefits them. You have to be able to ask if yourself when making a decision, Does the benefits for you and the ones you are here to protect, out weigh the effects it will have on others?

Do not blindly follow your heart.

This is an excuse of the world! The bible tells us our heart is deceitful above all things. Jeremiah 17;9. This does not mean that it’s always wrong. It just means that our heart always has the emotion factor. Emotion clouds up everything.

The statement I made earlier can be read in a selfish manner: “Does the benefits for you and the ones you are here to protect, out weigh the effects it will have on others?” It is intended to be. Now listen I am a WIN-WIN guy. All my deals I put together I make sure that all my partners, clients, & vendors involved benefit in the deal. But we are talking about decisions here. Life changing decisions. You can’t make everyone happy! It’s impossible! Some people are just going to have to get over it or stay angry. Do not let your heart get in the way giving you emotions that may cloud your judgement. Just because someone may be hurt by your decision does not mean that it’s the wrong decision. How you deal with that person after your decision is made may need to be thought out but the emotion involved cannot be the deciding factor in your decision. Excitement of possible outcomes can cause you to move before you know everything you should about what you are doing.

During the move I began to think of the outcomes of business and became very excited about the things that were going to happen in the new life. Let me say when all was finally settled reality came to the surface. Those things I anticipated to be easy we’re easier said than done. Things that shouldn’t have taken no time at all took more time than they should, and things that were once cheap became very expensive! All things that in my excitement I overlooked because my emotions had me and were telling me that “this is going to be easy”

Step back and look at the big picture.

Before you make a big decision think on it for a few days. Step back from it, pray, ask someone who may have been down that road (if we walk with the wise we will grow wise Proverbs 13;20). Then make a balanced decision. This is so true in the act of making a bid decision. Again there are a lot of small things to consider when making a big decision.

I remember in high school I had the best art teacher you could ask for. I took her class as an elective all four years because I loved her quirky outlook and sweet demeanor. When we would be painting on canvas or paper she would walk up to students and put her hand on her chin as if to look like she was focusing really hard. She would then pick up the painting and take it to the other side of the room. “See doesn’t it just look so much better from a distance?” Sometimes we would joke and say it looked better when we closed out eyes! The point she was trying to make though is that when we were close up to our paintings we would become so focused on the small strokes that we could become frustrated or spend too much time or in some cases not enough time on certain places on the canvas. The change of perspective allowing us to see the whole picture gave us the ability to see where our next step should be. If we did not know her years of teaching would kick in and she could direct us.

Don’t be afraid to make the decision.

Do not let fear control you. Danger is very real but fear is just an emotion. God has not given you a spirit of fear but of POWER (to take control of your life) LOVE (that will keep your family’s well being in perspective) & a SOUND MIND (to walk in the path you feel is best for you, your family, and the calling God has on your life)

Sometimes we can go through all these steps and when it comes right down to it we just can’t take that step. Don’t let fear waste your time! Take a deep breath and step out!

Have you ever seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? Indi is just about to reach his final destination passed all sorts of booby traps and now is faces with a chasm to wide to jump. His eyes tell him it’s impossible but his studies on the artifact say that he should be able to just take the step and he will make it. Finally after a few words and personal encouragement he steps out onto a seemingly invisible bridge that was camouflaged by the other rocks in the background of his view.

What was India supposed to do? Should he have just abandoned everything he had went through? All the actions to get there the preparation for his journey? No he took the step!

Sometimes making the decision is a lot easier than MAKING THE DECISION. Our lack of action can cause the decision to be made for us. You have to take the steps you planned otherwise you will be making the wrong decision.

Big decisions in life should never be taken lightly. If we do not weigh the outcomes and take them seriously we do ourselves and the ones around us a disservice. If you neglect to make the big decisions in your life that you are faced with (and we all have them) you may find yourself in the future, frustrated that you are in the position you are in, wishing you had made changes or took a stand when you had the chance

For more information on decision making and goal setting check out my blog post:
I will find my Life Oasis! | diaryofafinancialmadman https://diaryofafinancialmadman.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/i-will-find-my-life-oasis/

Wage Earning vs Wealth Building

Wage Earning vs Wealth Building.

I like this thought: “Does someone with a lot of money have any more hours in the day than someone without money?”

Planning not to plan, is no plan at all.

The other day I put on my sneakers as I was in a hurry, ran to the car with my wife because we  were on our way to see some of our friends daughter in a play, and we were LATE!  I was in such a hurry that I didn’t realize that I had something in my shoe.  Well… I didn’t realize it until after the third step.  But I was in far too much of a hurry to stop and figure it out.  I persevered through and made it to the car, where I found that I could not reach my foot due to this obstacle called a steering wheel.. I chose to deal with it until we parked where we then ran into our friend we were meeting, (the mom of the young lady we were about to see make her debut).  She ran past us rushing us in saying “oh my god, its gonna start without us!”  I decided that I would just have to carry my burden a little longer!  We ran inside every step becoming more and more of a nuisance.  (See it wasn’t a sharp digging pain it was more of an uncomfortable dull annoyance that always reminded me of its presence every single step that I took.)

The place was PACKED!

I could barely move, let alone bend down, untie my shoe, take it off, shake it around to find the culprit, then put on my shoe and re-tie it (after throwing the culprit in a mean way as to make it feel a little pain for what it put me through)… then re-tie my other shoe… I am a man of symmetry after all.

I had to proceed past the ticket counters, through the crowd, find our seats, and wait for a void in the passing mobs of excited parents, relative, and friends of the would be stars of the nights performance just to get this consistent nagging scoundrel out of my shoe!!  What was it?… What could be causing me so much frustration?… It was a penny!

This experience lead me to begin thinking about how we can allow ourselves to carry around burdens with us while we just endure the pain.  We give ourselves the opportunity to be distracted from its presence by obligations, plans, excitement or whatever else can draw our attention from the matter at hand.  Especially when its MONEY!  No one likes to talk about money especially when you don’t have enough! Financially speaking, it can be easy to look the other way, while carrying around the burden of bills, tuition, payments, loans, etc. without ever taking the time to do more than just the minimum expected.  I can remember at one time my wife and I had racked up several thousands of dollars of credit card debt.  Each one of the minimum payments were easily controlled but we then lost our jobs.  All of the sudden those minimum payments might as well have been mountains to climb… ALL STACKED ON TOP OF THE OTHER!  The nagging dull pain we carried around became a full blown emergency!  “its a gusher captain!” It took a lot of strategy to over come those huge mountains. (we’ll talk about that story some other time)

But my point is.  Life can change on an instant.  Planning not to plan is no plan at all. If you have small financial burdens now what sort of escape plans do you have from them if some catastrophe in your life happens?  Can you keep your ship floating if you were to lose your job?

If the paycheck you chase after every week is no longer there what plan do you have?

Investments are not paychecks you chase after.  Once you own them they pay you without any chasing at all.

Who am I?: About.Me/SteveBraden

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Learn more at: http://www.OasisPropertyHomes.com

14 year old girl buys an investment home!

So what was your excuse for not being able to invest? Check this 14 year old girls story of how she just bout a house!

Homes in the Fox Valley

This is a long way from Elgin, IL.  But an amazing article from NPR here: 14 yr old girl in Florida buys a house.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/03/09/148218539/this-14-year-old-girl-just-bought-a-house-in-florida?ft=1&f=100

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Is your wallet starving from emptiness?

I talked with a gentleman the other day that was telling me how hard he had it financially.  I listened to him as he told me that he was working 2 jobs to support his family and was trying to find a third just to make ends meet!!  I asked him what jobs he had and 2 of them were full of manual labor and one was a delivery job.  I asked if he was happy.  He said with a smile on his face “Its just the way its gotta be, and I ain’t afraid of work”.

Now let me first say that I respect this person or anyone like him for giving their best shot at survival, or what they may call “living”.  But I just don’t think that’s the way its got to be.

I had a friend of mine call me the other day talking about how hard his job was and how he wished he could just enjoy this beautiful weather we are having in the area.  He said “man could you imagine being retired at 40”.  He told me how he wished he could spend more time with his kids but him and his wife were working so hard to make ends meet.  They both had full time jobs and didn’t know what more they could do.

See I think we all have the dream to be free from the day to day working for “the man”.  We want to be able to live on our terms.  Go outside and play football with friends, go on a road trip when we want to.  Get on the ole motorcycle and let the wind blow through your hair… that is if you have hair at 40!

But this is what I see so many people doing:  As soon as they get a little extra money they purchase the next thing on their list of things they want.  Its purchased, sometimes before the cash is even there to buy it.

Now let me stop right here before your blood starts boiling or you start feeling that I am raining on your parade.  I’m all for buying the good stuff!  I love trips, cars, TV’s, PS3’s, Big Sound Systems, Tools, DooDads, Trinkets, Thing-a-ma-bobs, Whosey-Whats-Its, and all the other things you can ever imagine.

BUTTTTTT….  There is a time and a place!  There is a balance that has to be achieved.

What would happen if you started getting a little extra money and you started investing it into something?  And no, investing is NOT buying a hot rod because it will “Hold its value”…. That is not even close to investing!

What is investing?….  Investing is purchasing assets that will put money into your wallet each month instead of take it out.  Things that feed you not things that require you to feed it.

If you began to invest and it started putting money back into your wallet whats to say that money has to stop flowing…. why can’t it get bigger?  What if that investment turned into multiple investments?… Couldn’t that get you closer to your freedom?

To purchase a doodad helps your forget all the stuff while setting on the couch after a hard days work.

To invest in an asset allows you to enjoy all the stuff after an easy days play.

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Learn more at: http://www.OasisPropertyHomes.com

I just cant do it anymore.

Have you ever seen a wreck on the highway?  None of us ever think: “Oh DON’T look at that!” We all try to take in as much as we can about the wreck.  Thinking to ourselves “glad that wasn’t me” or “sucks to be them”.  Even the title of this blog may have just enticed some to read on.  We are attracted to see what happens when others may fail.  Sometimes merely because of love or caring for that person or just because we want to see what happens next.  But we never like to be in that place of failure or “the wreck” ourselves.  In fact that fear  keeps us from living outside the box and pursuing our dreams and goals.  It’s easier to be part of the normal day to day life.  When we “go with the flow” we never have to use any of our own energy to swim against the current.  The herd is easy to follow.

Henry Ford says: “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it…”  when life pushes at us and we are afraid that we cannot stand up sometimes we just gotta spread our wings.

…. Now I know that the statement I just made sounded so “self-help-seminarish” but the past 5 years of my life I can look back and see the problems my wife and I have went through personally, through our business, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually and it seemed that each problem helped us grow a little more, learn a little more, be a little more.  Each problem seemed to be like steps we made that took us up higher and higher.  Its said that God will not give us more than we can handle.  That tells me that He’s out there watching, encouraging, ready any time you need to be reminded that you are not alone.  Don’t be afraid to break free from the herd, to live life according to your plans and dreams.  Being a farm boy I know that the herd normally gets ground up, chewed up, and flushed.

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Learn more: http://www.oasispropertyhomes.com

Problems… Why deal with them?

So many times in our life we allow our surroundings to set our mood. Why is that? When it rains we seem to be a little sleepy and maybe a little grumpy. When the sun is shinning we are happy and out going. Our attitudes reflect our life situations like a mood ring reflects the ambient temperature. When I worked in theater I would enter a building that had black walls, a black ceiling, dark carpet, dark chairs… Everything about it was dark. If it was snowing outside or sunny and warm it didn’t matter, because of the fact inside the theater it was always the same. People would come to the show and it didn’t matter what was going on in their life. They could be happy and everything going right or they could be upset and everything be going wrong. But once the lights went down and the music started they began to forget about their troubles and started to enjoy the show. Why? Because the mood was set for them, they were shown a different world away from their fears, something that captivated them if only for a little while. They saw and felt the mood that the theater wanted them to see and feel. Every thing was planned from the lights and sound to the songs that were sung to even the very smell of popcorn and roasted peanuts at the concession stands. It was a place people could use for an escape from real life. Isn’t that what a vacation is for most people, a break from real life? How many times do we set at work and think about how nice it would be to go on vacation… vacation from our troubles, work, life…

Well I offer a different way of thinking. What happens when the vacation is over? Aren’t those problems still there? Won’t they still be waiting on you when you get back and maybe even bigger and more pressing? Now don’t get me wrong I don’t think vacations are bad, in fact the vacation isn’t the issue at all. What we are really talking about is the false sense of relief we get when running from the issues and problems in our life. Instead of running and trying to escape our worries and fears no matter how big or small they are. Why don’t we just stand and confront them? Should we just try to avoid things our whole life because they are hard to deal with? Or should we confront them face-to-face and take care of them before they become too big to handle? I think too many times in our life we try to “escape” from our troubles instead of looking at them and doing what needs to be done.

If you are in school and you have a paper to write on Friday that is due Monday. What happens if you wait until Sunday to do it? Even though you “escaped” from the worry on Saturday does that mean it’s gone? Not at all. You still have to do it. But what if you face the fact that it has to be done, and you decide to do it Friday night instead of waiting until the last minute on Saturday? Well the rest of the weekend is yours to do what you want. Then you truly have escaped from the worry because you have conquered what needed to be done.

Our feelings about something, someone, or some situation should not control the actions and steps we take through life. Sure we should always consider how we feel in a situation but if it keeps you from doing what you know is right why let it hold you back? No matter if its financial, personal, business, or something else. PROBLEMS DON’T GET BETTER WITH AGE.

I offer this one suggestion. We all have dreams in our life that we hope to one day accomplish…. Don’t spend your whole life running from your problems when you could easily spend it chasing after your dreams.

I will find my Life Oasis!

So What is a Life Oasis Anyway?

oasis
n 1: a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
2: a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary [syn: haven]

Oasis..O"as*is.. ([=o]"[.a]*s[i^]s or [-o]*[=a]"s[i^]s; 277), n.;
pl. Oases(-s[=e]z). [L., fr. Gr. 'o`asis; cf. Copt. ouahe.]
A fertile or green spot in a waste or desert, esp. in a sandy desert.

In this short time I have been here on this planet I have noticed one thing. There is a thought that unifies us all with a common bond. All mankind has given this thought place in his/her mind once at the very least during there lifespan. The thought of “What am I doing here, there must be something more to this life”. Some people brush this off as “the grass is always greener” syndrome, and yet others view this thought as a desire to achieve more, to be more, to do more.

If you were to take 100 people from all over the world from all races, nationalities, and genders that were linked only by there age of 20 and ask them the same question: “Where in your life do you want to be in 20 years?” You would receive a large array of answers probably ranging from being doctors to lawyers and maybe even a stuntman or rock star. Even though there would never be two answers exactly the same, every answer given would have the same resounding thought pulsating from these individuals’ statements. That thought is “I want to be successful!” Not just a successful doctor or lawyer but a successful person in life.

If you were to revisit those 100 people from every race nationality and gender 20 years later, you would find that not all would have accomplished those things they set out to do. In fact some may not even remember you asking the question.

So why is it that some of us in this world become successful and some don’t? I think to answer that question we first have to define the word successful.

Successful
..Suc*cess"ful.., a.
Resulting in success; assuring, or promotive of, success;
accomplishing what was proposed; having the desired effect;
hence, prosperous; fortunate; happy; as, a successful use of
medicine; a successful experiment; a successful enterprise.

Syn: Happy; prosperous; fortunate; auspicious. 

Success is more than just making a good grade on a test or making a lot of money. See anyone can ace a test it’s just a matter of setting by someone you know has studied and looking off of their paper without getting caught. Or how about making money? Although it may be a little harder anyone has the chance to make a whole lot of money real fast. It’s called the lottery!

Now I have never won the lottery or will ever admit to cheating on a test but even though the outcome is still a good grade or a lot of money it is not success. Success is something more. If you ask a lottery winner to create cashflow or build an investment portfolio that has a large percentage of R.O.I. (Return On Investment) they probably couldn’t even tell you what that meant let alone begin to build it.

Or how about asking someone who just cheated on a test to tell their reason for picking (B) on number four. We all know that they have no idea why they picked (B) they probably don’t even know what test question number four was about.

Now lets turn the tables. Let’s go ask a successful investor to build a large return portfolio. Or lets ask a student who has studied several hours for a test why they picked (B) for question number four. The replies are going to be much different from these people than from the prior individuals. Why is that? Well I believe it is because they have paid the price. The student spent a long period of time studying for that test so they are more than willing to tell you their thoughts on question four. The investor has spent most of his life building wealth so why buy a lottery ticket when his knowledge has created more wealth than a hundred lottery tickets could offer.

Success is more than just accomplishing some given task. Success is about achieving the goals YOU have set before yourself. About doing what YOU have set out to do. Don’t get me wrong helping people is great and I believe in “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you”. But I also believe that in our life we have to realize what we want to become, as individuals, and take steps in furthering our progress towards our personal goals.

So what is a Life Oasis? Imagine if you will, we’re all born to this earth given the want to live and the desire to become something… to become someone. Now imagine that this world was a dessert and we were all walking around roaming through life. I believe that there are going to be some people who roam from sand dune to sand dune back and forth because that is what they believe they are supposed to do. I also believe there are people who will roam from sand dune to sand dune because their friend over there is doing it to. But then I also believe there are those people, who are in search of something more, something different than your normal sand dune. Those people may be laughed at or people may think they are crazy saying “You’re never going to find what you’re looking for there is no such thing as an oasis”. But those people keep looking and you know what?….. They find it They find their Life Oasis.

In the world today I believe there are several people through history who have found their Life Oasis. For example Mother Teresa, Robert T. Kiyosaki, and maybe even Bono. Our Life Oasis isn’t about being found successful in other people’s eyes although these people would no doubt be considered successful. I think it is more about reaching your own personal goals and always setting new ones so you never stay in the same place. Not everyone will find their own Life Oasis. Actually there are probably more who will never find it. Though that is because they stopped looking for it.  Or never started in the first place. Never worry about what Johnny is doing over there on his little sand dune. Focus on your life, your goals and doing what you feel is right for you not what is popular at that moment.

Life Oasis is not about being a millionaire or a rock star. Your Life Oasis is your success, happiness, and joy through all you do. It’s your little patch of green in the midst of everyone dessert. Finding it takes work but I hear living there is great!

Go ahead… Give up!

Have you ever felt it was just not worth it to keep trying to accomplish something you have been working on?  We tell our kids everyday to ‘never say the word CAN’T” “don’t give up” “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”.  While at our jobs we push to climb the ladder of success, impress our boss.  But what happens when something doesn’t work out?  Do we quit?  Some would answer with a resounding “NO!”  Is giving up one of your options?

Imagine if you will.  Your favorite sports team (or if you’re not into sports, your sports addicted friends favorite sports team).  Imagine they just decided at the beginning of the season that it was going to be too hard to win the whole thing this year so they were not going to play at all.  Imagine if they just told everyone that “it wasn’t worth it to even try”…  How upset would everyone be?!  I mean come on!!  They don’t even want to try?!!

I see this all to often in peoples lives with their pursuit to happiness.  They feel that its just not possible to have what they want in life.  Now I’m not talking about yachts, private islands, new cars, or country club memberships.  Those are all good things but happiness is so much more than items.  But I see people settling for what life gives them not what they can get from life.  All because they settle.

Every sports fan out there will agree that just because things don’t look promising, that doesn’t mean you don’t try.  “There’s always next year”  When you want to give up remember this: Your fans would never want you to give up a whole season just because it’s not gonna be easy.  They want to cheer you on until the last second of the game.

I am into seeing what I can get out of life.  Pushing the limits.  Creating the moment and drive no matter what the situation.  Just because the road gets bumpy doesn’t mean you cant still drive on it!

When life gives you lemons….. make life give you the steak too.