When Is Passion Dangerous? When You Don’t Control It!

“A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.“ ~ Proverbs 25:28

Pursue your passions! This is a statement that you will hear from nearly all motivators, pastors, parents, teachers, advisers, mentors, and others preach to people almost daily, as if that’s the magic formula to lifelong happiness and success. Unfortunately, they don’t always tell you that “pursue your passions” is only part of the equation. As important as it is to pursue your passions, it’s equally important to make sure you steer your passions in the right direction.

If passion can be equated to a wild horse, purpose is the reins. Knowing your purpose provides direction and restraint for your passions. Purpose helps to control and contain your vigor and energy. Purpose channels your passions toward meaningful and fruitful ends. Purpose is the discipline that guides your zeal to produce profitable endeavors. Purpose ensures that you have the opportunity to maximize the potential of what your passions can accomplish.

Whether in business, relationships, or life in general, people run into all kinds of trouble when they don’t know how or aren’t able to channel their passions in a positive and profitable direction. These people are like swamps. One big difference between a river and a swamp is that the river has boundaries, which keeps the water flowing as a powerful force. The swamp’s lack of boundaries allows its water to overflow its banks, become stagnant, and emit a foul stench. People love rivers, but very few actually enjoy being near a swamp.

In the last few years, it’s easy to see that we have had many “swamp creatures” appear in boardrooms, pulpits, the public square, and society overall. They allowed their passions to run rampant, ruining their reputations and causing major collateral damage.

When it comes to your passions, don’t be like a swamp. Instead be like a river that’s purposeful, powerful, and profitable!

How do you channel your passions in the most profitable direction?

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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.

3 Keys to Getting What You Want

“Ask! Seek! Knock!”

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

Many people believe that you can have ANYTHING that you ask, seek, and knock for. However, there’s a few considerations that play into this equation, such as are you focused on the right target; is it the right timing; and how tenacious is your pursuit? If you can’t address these questions adequately, you may not get quite what you were expecting. I explain more in the video…

Sweet dreams,
Paul Wilson, Jr.

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Dare to dream again in 2010!

Register for the Dream B.I.G in 3D Live Experience! on April 17, 2010… For more details please visit www.PaulWilsonJr.com

Sandcastles of Success

I was recently searching Google and came across incredible images of sandcastle sculptures. I was amazed at these extraordinary works of art that people were able to literally carve out of dirt. You could definitely see they took a lot of care, concern, skills, time, energy, and effort to create something so amazing.

After admiring the sand masterpieces I began to think about how stable they were. How long could they stay there looking pristine and perfect? Because they were built on beaches by the ocean, if a big wave came all of these stunning structures would be wiped out… and all that work, time, energy, creativity, etc. would be washed away. The only things left would be a crumbled mess and nice memories of what used to be.

“…And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ~ Matthew 7:26-27

It’s sad that many people build their lives like sandcastles. They look great on the outside. They invest a lot of money, time, blood, sweat, and tears to get a good job, big house, fame, fortune, and friends. Unfortunately they lack a genuine connection with God, have poor character, engage in poisonous relationships, and possess many other deficiencies that are hidden by their public image. They create a lifestyle that others want, but reject the character needed to sustain it.

Their success is constructed like a sandcastle. All it takes is one major life event and everything they have built up is gone in the blink of an eye. I believe the saying that “adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” If they haven’t built their life on things that are deep-rooted, sustainable or long-lasting, what is left after they lose their fame, fortune, and so-called friends?

You can’t prevent the waves of life from coming, but you can prepare and protect yourself from them. Build your life on things that are sure and secure: a dynamic relationship with God, moral values, unquestionable character, integrity, genuine relationships, etc.

Many people will make a big splash in life, but aren’t around for the long-term. That doesn’t have to be you. You can be built to last.

Sweet dreams,
Paul Wilson, Jr.

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Dare to dream again in 2010!… www.DreamBIGin3D.com

3C’s are Key Ingredients for Your Dreams

Delicious deserts are a common sight around many homes this time of year. It’s just something about the Christmas season that causes people to want sweets. But not just any sweets. They want the special recipes that have been around for years, that help recall wonderful holiday memories. Even though those recipes may be generations old, the key to repeated confectionary success is using the same ingredients and baking process that have always worked.

It’s somewhat easy to find the right ingredients for a recipe to make a delectable delight. It’s not quite as simple to identify the key ingredients to realize your dreams. Clarity, conviction, and confidence are three of those key ingredients.

How do these ingredients work together? Clarity of purpose helps provide conviction that your dream should be done and confidence that it will get done. Without conviction and confidence there’s no real commitment to see it through to completion. Here’s a few other thoughts…

• Clarity – Conflicting thoughts and perspectives 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.
• Conviction – Core values and beliefs become a decision making filter for your commitments. Solidifying your convictions positions you to stand firm when your challenges threaten to overwhelm your dreams.
• Confidence – Bold, relentless “I will not lose” attitude in the face of adversity. Your confidence grows when you know you’re doing the right things for the right reasons.

Clarity, conviction, and confidence also allow you to be calm, cool, and collective as you pursue your dreams.

Your dreams are waiting to be realized. Just make sure you use God’s recipe to pursue your dreams, so you will have the right ingredients to produce a delicious outcome for your life.

Dream B.I.G.,

Paul Wilson, Jr.

Help someone dream B.I.G. for Christmas!… www.DreamBIGin3D.com

Putting Humpty Dumpty’s Brand Back Together Again

“Humpty Dumpty sat on wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty back together again.“

We’re all familiar with this very old nursery rhyme. However, a modern day translation would probably sound something like this…

“Professional athlete/politician/preacher/(fill in the blank) stood on top of the tall pedestal society put them on. That person fell off their pedestal, because they had a moral failure/made a mistake/let his family down, etc. All the publicists, brand coaches, agents, marketing gurus, and social media experts couldn’t put that person’s brand back to together again.“

A person’s brand, i.e. reputation, is about as fragile as an egg shell. It takes a lot of time to nurture and develop that brand into something recognizable, valuable, and marketable. However, it’s not indestructible. If that person has a momentary (or on-going) character crisis, very quickly that brand can be shattered into a bunch of fragments, just like Humpty’s shell.

Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.“ Once your brand has been shattered, it’s extremely hard to repair. Some would argue that after a major transgression one’s reputation can never be fully restored to where it once was.

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. The best brand repair strategy is prevention through character development. If you don’t have the character to handle being on the pedestal, be careful how high you want to go, because if you fall it will be extremely difficult to put back together all of your pieces.

Dream B.I.G.,

Paul Wilson, Jr.

Transform your dream from an idea into a purposeful, passionate, & prosperous life!… www.DreamBIGin3D.com

Too Much of a Good Thing

Rain is usually considered a good thing, especially if you have been in a long drought. However, over the past week in Atlanta we have received a ridiculous amount rain, which apparently is much more than this city’s infrastructure can handle at one time. We have experienced major flooding all over the city due to water overrunning the banks of creeks and rivers. The entire city is in disarray. The governor has declared a state of emergency. This rain, while needed and desired, has become too much of a good thing.

This situation makes me think of how sometimes too many “good” things in a short span of time can ruin a person’s life. This happens when an abundance of good things exceeds your capacity to handle them, just like the water has been exceeding the capacity of our city’s creek and river banks. Good things that overflow your capability to handle them can eventually present overwhelming circumstances in your life. Many people are destroyed by their own success, because their character wasn’t ready to support it.

I’ve heard it said that values are like the banks of a river, helping you to keep your life flowing in a positively powerful direction. However, when you don’t have values, your life spills all over the place, negatively impacting you and those connected to you.

You don’t have to wait to declare a state of emergency to fix something later that can be repaired now. The most appropriate time to strengthen your foundation is prior to building your dream. The best time to develop your character is before the success comes. The optimal time to solidify your integrity is while preparing for your big break.

Don’t just assume that you can handle the success that you want and expect. Remember, pride comes before the fall.

Dream B.I.G.,

Paul Wilson, Jr.

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

You’re a Masterpiece in the Making!

As challenging as your life may be understand that God’s eternal purposes are still at work in your life. His plans are to process, prepare, and prosper you. Stay encouraged… you’re definitely a masterpiece in the making!

more about “Gods Chisel – tangle.com“, posted with vodpod

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

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

Stop Flirting with Your Dreams!

One of my favorite sports in high school was flirting. Yes, you read correctly – flirting. I say this, because it was all a big game that everybody played. Fortunately, it was fun, mostly harmless, puppy love child’s play.

While that kind of behavior was ok back then, once I got older I realized it was time to put away childish things. What was innocent flirting in high school took on a whole different tone and meaning once I became an adult. Flirting now had greater expectations and consequences attached to it. I had to be much more careful and flirt “at my own risk.”

How does this relate to your dreams? Some people are content to only flirt with their dreams because they are unwilling to make the  physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual investments that are necessary to pursue and accomplish big dreams.

What does flirting with a dream look like?

• Talk about dreams and aspirations randomly but not all the time
• All talk but no action or follow through
• Action is inconsistent or half-hearted
• Start down a path, but when things become harder than expected they turn their attention to something else
• Always looking for the easy way out
• Easily distracted and always chasing the next big thing
• Not willing to take risks
• Only do the easy stuff related to accomplishing their dreams (which is very little)
• Not willing to sacrifice anything significant to see their dreams come true
• Actions don’t always line up with words, i.e. they make false promises to self and others
• Don’t take dreams seriously; life’s just a big game
• Little sense of commitment or accountability
• Always making excuses or blaming others when things don’t work out

Does any of this sound familiar to you as it relates to flirt-only, surface-level relationships? How about as it relates to pursuing and accomplishing one’s dreams? This type of behavior is similar to relationships when people flirt with one another for long periods of time without eventually making a commitment, because they are unwilling to devote themselves to a meaningful, significant, and accountable partnership.

Some of the reasons why people do this in relationships are the same as why they do it with their dreams:

• Significant relationships require transparency, vulnerability, and interdependency.
• Some think it’s safer not to take any risks.
• Some flirt with several options because they just want to test things out.
• Serious relationships require all of your body, mind, will, and emotions.

‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

This well-known quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson applies to relationships and dreams. ”Perpetual Flirters” don’t realize they will never be able to experience the joy and depth of love if they never take a risk of being with someone that could cause them a depth of pain. Likewise, you will never be able to experience the depth of joy and fulfillment from accomplishing your dreams if you never embrace the risk of experiencing deep disappointment and discouragement that may happen if you don’t accomplish your dreams.

Stop flirting with your dreams! Take the plunge. Jump in head over heels. Pursue it with all your heart and don’t hold anything back. Commit to staying the course, especially when it gets hard – because it inevitably will. It will be well worth the risk no matter what happens!

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

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

www.DreamBIGin3D.com

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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.

Embrace the F.I.R.E.!

Fierce Intensity Resulting in Excellence

“Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns.” 1 Peter 1:7 (CEV)

Fire is one of those elements that causes fear and fascination all at the same time. It’s something that’s mesmerizing to watch, but not something that you want to get too close to. It’s something, that when contained in a fireplace, is used to provide warmth. However, if it gets outside of its stone or brick confinement, it can destroy the house in which its container resides.

Fire burns. Fire causes extreme pain. But fire is also extremely valuable. It works as a purifying agent that extracts contaminants from gold in the refining process. The more pure the gold, the more value that is has.

In our economy the value of an item increases based on its increase in demand relative to the available supply. The price skyrockets for precious metals like gold if there is a belief in the marketplace that they are scarce. This is especially true for gold. Since April 2001 the gold price has more than tripled in value against the US dollar, due to the increase demand (Source: Wikipedia).

Fire is not just good for gold. It’s good for you too. God doesn’t use fiercely intense situations – relational, familial, financial, health, character, career, and others – to harm you. Instead His intentions are that the outcome of those situations would result in the excellence of your character. He uses F.I.R.E. to purify your character, so that He can trust you with greater opportunities for influence.

How does this work? For those who successfully endure the fires of life, your demand increases exponentially. The reason is most people are not willing to intentionally put themselves in difficult, intense situations to grow and mature. They don’t understand that those situations are meant to prepare, perfect, and position them for greater opportunities and responsibilities.

Once you come through the F.I.R.E., you have invaluable experiences, qualified character traits, and proven talents that people are willing to pay for. All of a sudden you become a rare commodity whose value increases exponentially!

If you want to be the best you have to be willing to endure more than the rest. So, don’t fight the F.I.R.E. Embrace it!

Dream B.I.G.,

Paul Wilson, Jr.

Connect with me on twitter.com/pwilsonjr

Are you a B.I.G. Dreamer?

Dare to be Uncommon!

In celebration of my three year entrepreneurship anniversary yesterday, I created an acronym that describes my experiences in terms of what it takes to be an “uncommon” person, one who is willing to do whatever it takes to see his/her dream accomplished:

Unique blend of humility and ambition, i.e. the drive to excel without running over people.

Non-conforming to the boxes that society tries to put them in.

Courageous commitment that embraces sacrifice and supercedes convenience.

Optimistic expectations in the face of unrelenting challenges, i.e. passionate perseverance.

Maximum utilization of creativity, talents, skills, and resources.

Maximizing opportunities in the moment versus procrastinating.

Overcoming fear in order to accomplish great feats.

Never quit! Never stop believing! Never stop dreaming!

An uncommon attitude yields uncommon results. Dare to be UNCOMMON!

Dream B.I.G.,

Paul Wilson, Jr.

Connect with me on twitter.com/pwilsonjr

Are you a B.I.G. Dreamer?