Leave Your Old Luggage Behind

“… one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before. I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

We’re into the second week of the New Year. How are your goals coming along? Does this year look any different than last year so far? Regardless of whether you have seen a big change or not, don’t get discouraged. Just because the calendar changed to a new year doesn’t mean your life has changed yet. True transformation takes time.

One thing I’ve had to challenge myself to do is not fall back into last year’s habits that were unproductive and unprofitable. Just like old luggage, things that are comfortable and familiar are often hard to let go of. But just like a piece of luggage with a hole in it, if you try to carry new ideas, opportunities, and resources using your old way of doing things into this new year, you will eventually lose them. And then you’ll end up repeating the same unfulfilling year just with a different number at the end of the date.

Getting to your next level in business or life is not an overnight process. Radical results may not come immediately, but if you keep doing the right things, the right things will happen for you. A fresh commitment to consistency will crush complacency and catapult you to success.

Happy New You!
Paul Wilson, Jr.

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Fulfill your purpose in 3D!

Are you aware that up to 97% of Christians surveyed disclose that they don’t hear sermons or messages that specifically connect their work life to their spiritual life? Are you one of them? If so, Dream B.I.G. in 3D will be the missing link for you to activate your gifts, find your niche, and fulfill God’s calling for you in the workplace.

This highly regarded book is a powerful tool to help you align your purpose, passions and professional skills. Learn more at www.DreamBIGin3D.com.

It’s Your Time to T.H.R.I.V.E.!

The right perspective is a powerful antidote to a pessimistic attitude. If you have ever experienced a situation that seems almost impossible to overcome, though, you know how challenging it is sometimes to be optimistic.

Brotha Online Magazine Aug 2010

Many small business owners have experienced famine-like conditions over the past few years. However, they don’t realize that it’s possible to thrive in the midst of a famine. In the latest edition of Brotha Online Magazine, my article “It’s Your Time to T.H.R.I.V.E.!” discusses how to flourish and expand during an  economic famine. Here’s an excerpt…

“While our country has not experienced a literal famine, many businesses have experienced one financially. In the last few years opportunities and resources seem to have dried up like a cracked, sun-baked African plain in the summertime. The unemployment rate is the highest than it’s been in almost twenty years. And although more businesses are being launched than ever before, thousands of large and small businesses have had to lay off workers and even close their doors due to lack of customers and revenues.

There’s a powerful story in the Bible of a very wealthy businessman who faced these similarly harsh economic and agricultural conditions – but he still thrived in the midst of them. His name was Isaac. His story in Genesis 26 contains six powerful transferable principles that we can follow today that will help us to thrive personally and professionally, even in the midst of this economic famine.”

To read the full article, just go to www.brothaonline.com/kingbiz_as2010.html

You don’t have to settle for your current circumstances. It’s your time to thrive!

Lead B.I.G.!
Paul Wilson, Jr.

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Your true life does not have to be only a dream, it can be a dream manifested in 3D!  Learn how to Discover, Define, and Drive your desires by unleashing the God given muse to help you envision yourself in a B.I.G. way. God designed you for greatness so stop dreaming small. Uncover your legacy. Now is the season for a Bold Innovative God-Inspired Life! You owe it to yourself to see just how far your true dream in life can take you.

If you are looking for purpose in your life and life in your purpose, this is the perfect book for you. Get your copy today at www.DreamBIGin3D.com.

Time to P.L.A.Y.!

When you approach life as an adventure, you can revel in all that life has to offer. An adventurous attitude allows you to view every situation in your life as a learning opportunity for personal empowerment.

One key aspect of living adventurously is learning how to P.L.A.Y.:

Positive perspective – You don’t get to choose your problems, but you do get to choose your perspective. When you shift your focus from the inconvenience of your challenges to what you can gain from your challenges, you grow from victim to victor.

Laugh out loud – Laughing is good for you in many ways. Several research studies have revealed the physiological and psychological benefits of laughter. So quit being so stuffy. Learn how to laugh at yourself. Learn how to laugh for no reason at all.

Appreciate each day – You don’t get to live your days over. Maximize your time and opportunities in the moment. Don’t assume you’ll get another chance to do what you could have done today, but chose not to. Do all you can with the time you’ve been given.

Youthful exuberance – Youthfulness is a mindset more than an age. If you can’t remember what it was like to have fun as a kid, you need to go find some. Hang around them for a while to refresh your memory on what it’s like to possess playful innocence without inhibitions.

You will get out of life what you invest into it. If you’re ready to live your adventure then it’s time for you to P.L.A.Y.!

Dream B.I.G.,
Paul Wilson, Jr.

B.I.G. Dreams are coming to a mind near you very soon! www.DreamBIGin3D.com

Practicing Disciplined Optimism

A few weeks ago, Clate Mask, CEO of Infusionsoft, wrote an article for the Small Business Trends blog, entitled “Finding ‘The Zone’ in a Tough Economy“. He talked about as an entrepreneur how he stays focused, especially when times get challenging. He calls his mental focus process “Disciplined Optimism”. Here’s an excerpt of this article:

Disciplined Optimism is a combination of positive attitude, tenacity and hard work. It requires the business owner to:

• Constantly think positively (read Peale’s Power of Positive Thinking)
• Tenaciously pursue the success you have envisioned; and
• Work hard to remove obstacles, always believing you will achieve that success (google “Jim Collins Stockdale Paradox” for more on this)

As everyone is excited and hopeful for great things to happen in this new year, it is imperative that we exercise the practicality of Disciplined Optimism and not just mentally assent to positive thinking. This is crucial, because I have heard it said that excitement gets you started, but discipline keeps you going.

As many prognosticators are commenting that our present economic situation will get worse before it gets better, the practice of Disciplined Optimism will be vital to your short and long-term success. The more difficult our circumstances as entrepreneurs become, the more resolve we need to have to keep driving forward. Not ignoring the external environment, but responding to it and thriving in spite of it.

Because it’s a new year or a new presidential administration (or a new anything else), don’t expect that everything will automatically get better. Plan your work and work your plan. Expect the best and plan for the worst. It is possible for you to rise above what everyone else is sinking in.

Go create a success story that defies the prognosticators and doomsayers. You be the one with the blockbuster business that flourishes against all odds. I will be right there with you. Best wishes for a prosperous 2009!

Empowering Champions,
Paul Wilson, Jr.

Related Posts:
1) “Win Like Tiger“
2) “Get the Kink Out of Your Think”

Win Like Tiger

Conquer the sport of business!

I’m a huge sports fan, so I spend a lot of time reading about about sports teams and athletes. I love to read articles and stories about championship teams and players and what helped them to become the best. Much can be gleaned from sports franchises and athletes that relates to winning in business.

Of all the sports that are played in the world, golf is probably the one that is most similar to entrepreneurship (especially businesses that only have a few employees). I say that because every weekend golfers have to compete against dozens of other golfers who are the best at what they do. And unlike sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, in golf there is not a team of people that you can rely on to win the game while you’re playing. Even though golfers have coaches, advisors, and assistants, they can’t come with them on the course.

When most people think of championship-caliber golfers, the person that usually comes to mind first is arguably the best golfer to ever play the game, Tiger Woods. As we have already seen this year with him winning his first four tournaments, he seems to be constantly getting better (if that’s even possible for him). In a story about Tiger written last week, Steve DiMeglio of USAToday.com wrote:

“So how has Woods continued to elevate his game, even after reaching the No. 1 ranking? Fellow athletes, sports analysts, business leaders and others say he’s done so by meshing his considerable physical talent with a combination of focus, commitment, strategy and nerve that is unlike anything they’ve ever seen.”

In that same story, the author outlined five key factors that keeps Tiger at the top of his game and consistently in front of his competitors. There are some definite applications to you as an entrepreneur. Here’s their list:

1. The mind game: Never stop learning and don’t let anyone out-think you.
2. Finding motivation: Cultivate an internally-motivated, passionate, relentless, “refuse-to-lose” attitude.
3. Fit and rested: Take care of your body, because your health is the most important thing that you have.
4. Confidence to change: Don’t be afraid to mess with success, especially when you know you can get better.
5. A unique talent: Determine the special qualities that you have/need to be the best.

I believe that you if you diligently and consistently apply these principles, just like Tiger you can also get to the top of your profession or industry.

Empowering Champions,
Paul Wilson, Jr.

Resources:

“Five Keys to a Game that Remains on the Upswing” by Steve DiMeglio at USAToday.com
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2008-03-20-Tiger_N.htm

“The Habit of Winning” by Me

Get the Kink Out of Your Think!

Your thoughts drive your beliefs, which drive your choices, which form your lifestyle, which determines your destiny.

There is a scripture in the Bible that reads, “A double minded person is unstable in all their ways” (James 1:6, paraphrased). A practical understanding of this scripture would be a person driving a car who is looking out the back window while driving the car forward. Unless he turns around and commits all of his attention to the same direction the car is going, he is going to crash.

Many people live their lives or run their businesses this way. Rather than focusing their mental energy and attention in positive areas, they spend too much time battling conflicting thoughts and perspectives. This type of battle usually results in confusion, frustration, and fatigue. They exist in a constant state of mental and emotional conflict.

What you focus on the most is what you will become. Contrary to what many people will admit, we all talk to ourselves. That’s not the issue, though. The issue is what we are saying when we talk to ourselves. If we spend all our time reinforcing the negative thoughts that come to us, then most of the outcomes of our lives – which are really the sum of the decisions that we make – will be negative. However, if we spend more time dismissing those negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones, then the outcome of our lives will be much more favorable.

You are what you eat. This is not just a principle of your physical health. It’s also a principle of your mental health. You simply can’t eat a mental junk food diet and stay mentally healthy. If you consistently feed your mind with media or conversations that are full of negative and destructive words, actions, and images, then you will spend a lot of your time dealing with negativity in your mind. Conversely, if you spend more of your time filling your mind with positive or constructive words, actions, and images, it will be much easier for you to engage positive thoughts to counterattack the negative thoughts when they come. The result is that over time, your actions will prove to be more constructive rather than destructive for yourself and others.

Know thyself, feed thyself. Many people say their media intake doesn’t affect their behavior, yet over time their actions become a representation of what they have been eating. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Similar to a world-class athlete who disciplines her body to beat her competition, you must condition your mind to beat your competition in business and in life. You will not be able eat what everyone else is eating and stay ahead of them at the same time. If you want to move beyond your competition, you have to do things differently.

Some key benefits of feeding your mind a healthy diet include:

1. Convictions - These are the collection of your non-negotiable core values and beliefs, which over time are influenced by your thoughts. A steady, healthy mental diet will allow you to develop personal integrity and a firm foundation of values on which to build your life.
2. Clarity – Conflicting thoughts create confusion. Clarity comes when you are able to streamline your thoughts by deflecting negative thoughts with positive ones. You will then be able to find a clear direction when making key decisions.
3. Confidence – It is difficult to be confident in challenging situations when you have unstable values and/or internal conflicts that cloud your direction. Being able to solidify your convictions and find your true direction allows you to develop boldness and a relentless “I will not lose” attitude in the face of adversity.

To get the kink out of your think, change your intake. Be very selective with what you watch, what you listen to, who you listen to, and what you read. Eat only those things that will build and edify your character and propel your life in a positive direction. You will gain the courage you need to make positively powerful decisions that benefit you and those connected to you.

Empowering Champions,

Paul Wilson, Jr.