A good friend recently asked to me speak at his business training event in Atlanta. The audience was business owners and real estate investors. The group was diverse but the common thread was that each business person had a desire to inject some growth into their business. And with growth they most likely wanted more profit. There are times when people get more than they bargained for. 

I always enjoy sharing with a group or audience. While I primarily consider myself a coach, I am also passionate about teaching, training and preaching. 

My process for preparing to speak or train is never the same. There are times where the topic is obvious and notes just begin to flow. There are other times when I can reach into my archives and pull something out to rework or combine with other items.

And then there are the incredibly beautiful situations where new ideas and creative topics are divinely inspired.  They just drop into my mind or spirit and all the points and words just flow.

This was one of those times.

I rarely wake up in the middle of the night. There have been times in my entrepreneurial journey where I have slept like a baby - waking up every two hours crying. But I have matured and can now sleep well most nights.

But shortly after my friend asked me to speak at his event, I awoke at 2 am one night and the entire 5 point talk flooded into my mind. Always a good idea to keep pen and paper by the bed.

As the event approached, I realized that I must share this information in articles and possibly a book. It looks different on paper and I am unable to share some of the stories and examples that emphasized the points, but the basics are still powerful.

Now that you have the background.....

Here are 5 foundational success principles that are absolutely without a doubt required to create AND maintain success. Bold statement I know. But as you read each one think about people you know or situations where you have achieved a high level of success and you will be nodding in agreement as you read the paragraphs below. Or, you may disagree and if so you can prove me wrong in the comments below.

Effort - Nothing happens without some effort being exerted. Some may have titled this work, but our society often confuses work with a job or just being busy. When combined with the other items in this article, focused and inspired effort can lead to productivity beyond anything that we can imagine. But when we are busy and "just putting our nose to the grindstone", we may see limited results that appear to be success that will be short lived or worse have negative consequences. My experience and observations have convinced me that the other 4 items in this article combined with steady and consistent impassioned effort will outproduce hair-on-fire mach-speed busyness every time. 

Expectation - Faith or fear? How do most people live? They live in fear with an expectation that something bad is going to happen. If your thoughts go unchecked and untrained the chances are very high that you will cultivate a negative outlook that attracts negative circumstances. Stop doing that! Start using your faith muscles and expect that great things will happen in every situation in your life. Positive expectation combined with inspired effort beats fear-based, calendar packed activity every single time.

Rest - Just like the word "work" can be confusing at times in our modern society, rest can also be used to describe laziness or sleep. That is not what I am referring to. Even though I do believe that physical rest and naps are not the enemy of success, I am talking about a mental and spiritual peace that everything is going to be OK. No worries, positive expectations and exerting effort knowing that you are focusing on those things that will be rewarded. If you have positive expectations and faith in your decisions, then measured effort will be peaceful and allow you to operate from a position of rest instead of being restless.

Micro Decisions - Life includes many small decisions that may seem insignificant. Things like what you eat for lunch, watching a 30 minute show on TV every week, and what you do with your spare time on a Saturday afternoon. But if micro or mini decisions begin to become habits, or if those decisions are haphazard and lack focus, they can be detrimental. For example,  eating an unhealthy fast food lunch once a month may not have a significant impact on one's health. But eating processed, junky fast food every day will most likely have a negative effect on a person's health and even life expectancy. Watching one TV show may not impact thought process. But watching 20 hours of mindless entertainment every week can deaden braincells and may even have other mental and physical side effects. On the flip side, a mini decision to read a book or attend a seminar or say hello to a stranger may be a small step that has larger implications over time.

Macro Decisions - If you guessed that these should be the big, life altering decisions that we make in life...or at times we are forced to make, then you would be correct. Most people will only have a few of these over the course of their life. For me I can only think of a few. The decision to marry my wife. A life altering spiritual decision. Starting a business a few years after being married and making the decision to start a new company 15 years ago. There are times that we make these big, macro decisions and we understand their significance. But then we may only realize the importance days, months or years later. One of life's great challenges is knowing when and how to quickly make decisions about the little, micro stuff and when to pause and ponder the big, macro stuff.

Now, there are a few additional points that must be made. 

First, the items above are not steps or standalone principals. There is no defined order because they are interconnected and woven together. Plus one or more without all combined could be ineffective.

Second, these principals do not follow a linear and clean timeline.  And there is not a definitive formula. They are more like a bubbling witches brew that requires all the ingredients to be effective. There are times when one ingredient will be required more than the others. And some people may require a heavier brew to be effective. Mix them all together and drink down the potion until you see the results your desire.

Finally, don't stress over the 5 points. Just get started if you feel as if you are off track. Make some positive micro decisions, have faith in yourself and what you are doing, expect great results and be prepared for those big, life altering, macro decisions.

You are not as busy as you think you are. So stop bragging/whining/telling everyone that you are busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking convention. Pardon the Southern USA humor.

I can hear the whine in your voice now. "But you don’t understand, I am so busy doing (insert multiple items here), that I do not have time to (insert the thing you know you should be doing here).”

I know all the excuses because I have made them myself at times. And I have heard the same excuses from coaching and business clients for over 25 years. I even taught time management in corporate America back in the mid 90’s when time management was still popular and the same excuses existed then.

Time Is The Great Equalizer

Everyone starts each day with exactly 24 hours or 1,440 minutes. But everyone you know, including yourself, claims and brags that they are busier and have more to do than everyone else. As if they are the only person in the world that is married, with children, with a job or a business, with household duties, with family, with hobbies, with goals and dreams and not enough minutes in the day to get it all done.

Stop lying to yourself. You do exactly what you want to do every day. And everyone around you does the same thing. People fill their hours with stuff. Some of the stuff is productive. Some of the stuff is not productive. But everyone has 24 hours of stuff during their day.

We can make the case that our so-called busyness has forced us to be less productive, less effective and worst of all, less happy. 

Everyone Has More Available Time In Their Life

The limiting belief that a person cannot achieve success or move forward in life or business due to lack of time is typically the number one issue that must be addressed with our coaching clients.

Implement these 7 steps to reset your time challenges and possibly reclaim your life: 

1. Stop telling everyone how busy you are - Even if you are the rare winner of the “busiest person in the world” contest, there is no reason to tell everyone. You probably are not as busy as you think and other people really do not want to hear how busy you think you are. And you are probably using up your valuable time trying to convince people how important you are because your time is so limited and critical.
  
2. Be honest with yourself - Analyze where you spend your time. I can almost guarantee that you have a minimum of 10 hours per week spent doing non-essential items. And if you still disagree, I challenge you to do an incremental time study. Can you tell that I studied Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech? Every client I have coached is shocked with where their time is actually spent after reviewing the results of a simple time analysis.

3. Relax and enjoy the non-essential time - I am not against down time and do-nothing time. I just get a bit irritated when people talk about being busy or use time as an excuse to fail but still spend time in front of the television every night. Or surf the internet for endless hours at a time. There is not a person that exists that is 100% productive at all times. Thinking about your business issues does not count as productive time when you are out on a date with your wife. Or playing with your children. Relax and enjoy every moment of your day.

4. Control your time - This is a challenge for many people. They allow someone else to control their time. And because they have relinquished control to someone else, they feel trapped and out of control 24/7.  If you do not control your time, someone else will. And that includes spouses, children, family, friends, employees and bosses.

5. Learn to say NO - Demands and opportunities come at us all the time. It is easy to say yes to every invite and request. It can be difficult to say no to spouses, children, family and friends. And it may be even more challenging to say no in your business environment. But if you never show respect for the limits of time, then other people (including your spouse and family) will never respect your time and schedule.

6. Remove scheduled items - My guess is that like most people you have multiple items on your daily, weekly and monthly calendar that are discretionary. Don’t get mad at me for pointing that out. And if you have convinced yourself that it is non-negotiable I am OK with that. But as I said earlier, do not complain about being busy and never having enough time. A few examples: multiple daily and weekly children’s activities, adult male sports like softball and basketball leagues, female romance novels, and civic and church activities.
 
7. Eliminate distractions - As someone that has recently embraced a minimalist mindset, I am amazed at how much life slows down when you have less stuff to maintain and watch over. I have not performed scientific studies, but my guesstimate is that I have recaptured almost 4 weeks per year. That means we have gained almost 1 month per year. I have no doubt that everyone has something that they can eliminate from their life.

You are designed for success and you have all the tools and the talent that you need to achieve your goals. You also have plenty of time to be super successful. Don't run out of time. Use all that you have.

Relax, enjoy, achieve, repeat.

Is Anyone Really Qualified?

[Definition] Qualified: officially recognized as being trained to perform a particular job.

In a world where we have an abundance of information, training, education and resources it seems as if it would be an easy task to quickly become qualified and prepared for jobs, work, business or even life events.

Some people may have a high level of confidence that they are always prepared and ready for whatever life may bring their way.

Unfortunately, if we are honest with ourselves it is a rare time when we have the belief and confidence that we are totally prepared for new adventures that will test and stretch us. And there are times in life where we just question whether or not we are qualified for the next step in our journey.

Everyone has a situation, work event or a life event that seems to remind us that it is impossible to train and be qualified for everything that life has to offer.

• You have just been promoted
  
• You have a great idea and you are excited about starting a new business
• You have your degree and you have just been hired by a large corporation
  
• You just landed your biggest client to date. They will be paying you more money this year than you made in the last 4 years combined.
  
• You have owned a construction business all your life, but the business no longer exists and you have just accepted an entry level position at Home Depot
  
• You are a college dropout but you now run a multi billion dollar corporation
  
• You have just been asked to serve as a board member for your church
  
• You have been asked to speak at the funeral of a friend or business associate
  
• You just got engaged
  
• You or your wife are expecting your first child
  
• You are on a plane traveling home 72 hours after meeting your adopted child for the first time
  
• You have been approved for the loan and you now own a home
  
• You have just been accepted into Bible College...at the age of 51
  

We use the word "qualified" as if it is definitive and final. But are any of us really qualified? The more important question may be "does it matter if someone is qualified?"

Of course we want our doctor to have a medical degree. It is important for the nurse to have certifications. The engineer should be licensed. 

But even in those industries that require certification and degrees, more is required to succeed than what can be taught in a school or approved by a certification board.

There is usually something deep inside that is pulled out of a willing individual that propels them to perform above any of their training or qualifications or background. Or more likely there is a  a guiding hand or presence from above.

I was inspired to write this article after reading one of my morning devotions from Joseph Prince, a minister based in Singapore. In that devotion, Prince discussed 4 women in the Old Testament and how they would never have been considered qualified for their unique positions in history. 

Whether or not you believe that Jesus was a Savior and the Messiah, you cannot deny his significance in history. These 4 women are listed in the most read book in the world - the Bible -  and they are in the genealogy of Jesus.

They are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba, women who had morally questionable backgrounds and were unqualified by most people's standards.

Below are a few excerpts from Prince's devotion:

"Tamar resorted to deception and prostitution to produce children through her father-in-law. Yet, it was from her line, the tribe of Judah, that the Messiah came. (Genesis 38) Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute in Jericho, who became a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Joshua 2:1–21) She also became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. (Ruth 4:13)

Ruth was morally upright. But as a Moabitess, she was a Gentile and therefore considered unclean. Yet, she became the grandmother of David (Ruth 4:13–17), whom the Jews regard as their greatest king. Bathsheba committed adultery with David. (2 Samuel 11:4) Later, she gave birth to King Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24), from whose royal line Jesus descended."

There are many lessons that we can gather from these examples. 

Even if it appears that you are unqualified, you were created to have an impact on the world around you.
 
Don't look at a situation short-term. You may have a significant place in history that will not be known for years...maybe even many years from now.
 
It may seem that you have really messed up, but you can be redeemed and things can work out better than you ever imagined.
 
Your assignment and being equipped for your assignment is more important than your qualifications.

We should position ourselves to be equipped instead of laboring to be qualified.

[Definition] Equipped: supply with the necessary items for a particular purpose or prepare (someone) mentally for a particular situation or task.

It could be that even when we feel unqualified, we are actually supernaturally equipped to perform the task or assignment that we has been given to us.

Let's just choose to relax and seek our divine assignment. And then we can expect to receive the equipping to complete the job.

In my previous post - Home Is Where You Make It - Part 1, I explained how my wife and I have been traveling the world as homeless nomads for the past 2 years.

You can read this post as a stand-alone article, but it will make much more sense if you read Part 1 first.

It has felt as if we have been swimming upstream against the currents of our modern society. Our society and especially our economy encourages people to accumulate and accumulate and accumulate until we are forced to pack our garages, get storage units or even buy bigger homes just to make sure we can keep all our stuff.

We just made the choice to attempt to live a lifestyle where we only acquire things that are essential. It really is amazing to think about how little you need when you evaluate everything you purchase and keep as essential vs non-essential.

As promised in Part 1, I wanted to share my observations and valuable lessons that I have learned as we have traveled this very odd but cool journey:

People Are Fascinated By Our Lifestyle

But people really do not understand how or why we live the life we live.

Everyone that we talk to says that they would love to do what we do. Travel and live free and see the world and just go wherever we feel led to go. Then they pause and think for a few seconds and then the reasons "why not" begin to flow into their brain and out of their mouth. 

They say something like, "I can never do what you are doing because..."

My kids have to be in this particular school system
I have a great job and I can't leave it
Our business keeps me trapped in this location
I have to work here for another 10 years before I retire 
I only have 12 more years before I pay off my mortgage and then this beautiful 1800 square foot ranch in suburban Muskogee OK will be mine
We could never leave here because BLANK lives here (in the BLANK insert Mama, Daddy, Great Grandma, our 29 year old son Junior, our grandkids, etc...)
Our children need us
I will stay here until I die

I do not mean to belittle any of those responses, but a few years ago I was begging the Lord to use me in a big way and he told me that he could not send me anywhere because I was too attached to my location and my stuff. That was when we began the process of eliminating those things that keep us tied down. It took almost 3 years, but when we had removed all of our encumbrances of location and things, He started showing us how exciting life could be. And, that was only the beginning. 

Life Is Simpler

For all the advancements we have in our modern lives, we have also created complications. 

I appreciate tools that make my life easier, but the more electronic devices we have, the more they have to be charged, synced protected, and updated. The more things we have, the more they have to be stored, insured, paid for, cleaned, and protected. The less you have, the simpler life is. 

Stop Being Controlled By Money

Many people are controlled and consumed by money whether they have millions in the bank or 2 nickels in their pocket.

It seems as if I have been chasing money most of my life. There are times that I caught a bunch of it. There have also been times that it seemed to allude and run away from me the more I chased. 

It is very difficult to describe the mental changes that have occurred over the past few years. It may be that I have just matured. It may be that I reached a low point when some businesses failed. Or, it may be that I finally stopped putting money on a pedestal. 

We all have idols in our lives. I think that the process of earning (sometimes chasing) financial success was an idol for me. I also think that it is an idol for many people in our current society. It is so liberating to just relax, not be anxious and enjoy life. To be able to have control over money instead of letting it have control over me and my thought processes. Now money and business and blessings seem to just find me.  

Do Not Let Things Own You

Things are related to money. 

They can take on a life of their own when we begin to fear that we may not have as many things as we should. Possibly because of our self image or possibly because of ego. Or, when we hold on to things because we think they have value that is either real or perceived. Or worse, we put some sentimental value on a item because it was Grandma's or Junior's or it reminds us of our high school days. So we store it and keep it or we put it on a shelf to collect dust. And many times, the longer we keep it the harder it is to let it go. 

People have value. Experiences have value.

Things only have value when people give them value. In our modern world many people put more value on their stuff than they put on other people.  

Experiences & Relationships Really Are More Important Than Things & Money

Glori and I were in a car in the middle of the south island of New Zealand. We were driving for almost an hour down a gravel road toward a valley that was 2 miles wide and 10 miles long but completely surrounded by snow capped mountains. With a beautiful flowing river running through the middle. 

It was Mt Sunday which was the location where Peter Jackson filmed the scenes for Rohan in his Lord of the Rings movies.

A longtime friend from high school and his wife were in the car with us. The drive was stunning. The views from the valley were breathtaking. Take your breath away "How Great Thou Art" beautiful. We spent almost 3 hours in the valley and never saw another car or another person. Complete solitude. Not an easy place to get to. No ticket booth. No gift shop. No long lines. No parking lot. No amusement park. Just me and my wife with some friends in a secluded spot on the planet. Very few people ever visit this place. Money was not involved. Things were not even a consideration.

It was 100% experience and sharing that experience.

I am confident that we would have never been to Mt Sunday or even New Zealand nor would our friends have travelled across the world to visit us if we had not started on this journey a few years ago. 

It was a priceless. 

Experiences and sharing experiences with people you love and care for have a much higher value than money and things. It is critical that we limit the control that material items have on our lives so that we can appreciate what we have experienced and the people we have in our lives.

The Spiritual Journey Is The Most Important Thing 

Material things seem to clutter our minds and keep us from gaining a better understanding of the bigger picture of life.

Life is so much better when your primary focus is nurturing and growing your relationship with the Lord instead of being anxious about buying things you cannot afford to impress people you do not even like. Or acquiring things that become a burden to you and your family instead of a blessing. 

Worry and anxiety will eat a person alive physically, mentally and spiritually. It seems that money and thinking about money that you do or do not have is the root of much of the anxiety that people experience in the world.  

In Luke 6:25-34 Jesus talks about worry and anxiety while teaching on the side of a mountain. He basically says do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will wear or even about tomorrow. When we are able to relax our mind and stop worrying about things and accumulation, we can focus on the kingdom that Jesus teaches about in this sermon.

Total Contentment & Happiness Is Possible

It is very difficult to be content...and therefore happy...when you are in constant pursuit of something that really is impossible to obtain. 

The way the economic system continues to flourish is that new and more improved and better things are created and offered so that we constantly feel the need to upgrade. That is not a bad thing in and of itself. But, it is bad when the upgraded model or the "new and improved" begins to consume us to the point that we are constantly yearning for something better. Never being content with where we are.  When a person steps off that vicious treadmill it slows life down and one begins to realize that the upgrade or the newest version may not make life better. 

True happiness and contentment begins to be attained when we are comfortable with who we are, who we are with, where we are, what we have and who's we are. Not needing external accumulation to briefly satisfy us so that we can get a temporal burst of satisfaction is a nice place to be. "Home" (and happiness) really is where you make it.

The Essentialist Lifestyle Is Not for Everyone 

As a disclaimer I should say that I am in no way saying that everyone should live the way I live. 

You should seek your own course and path in everything you do. 

I do know that there are millions of miserable people trudging through life on this earth, and many of them have a nice, big comfortable home with 5 flatscreen TV's and 3 nice cars in the garage. And most have become slaves to those things. Or they have become slaves to jobs and debt so that can pay for those things. It is time for them to break that cycle, if they so desire. 

My purpose of writing this article is not to say my way of living is better than your way of living or any other way of living for that matter. My purpose is to encourage people to seek a life of purpose that is not controlled by material things.

Home is not a place or a structure or even a place with a bed. It is a mindset that should allow you to be peaceful and at rest.

I am not sure that I have reached that place of total peace. I am confident that I am much closer than I have ever been, and I expect this journey to continue adding more and more peace to my life.

While it is difficult to capture our journey in a succinct way, there is one word that jumps into my mind every time I get a question or I give thanks for where we are in life. That one word is simply "freedom."

I am not sure if quoting a line from the movie "Joe Dirt" is appropriate for the beginning of a serious article that is meant to cause reflection and inspiration. But the damage is done, so I will explain and continue.

In the crude, repulsive and extremely funny movie "Joe Dirt", the main character spends most of the movie searching for his parents and his "home." In an odd scene with an almost unintelligible Cajun he seems to finally get the message that "home is where you make it."

My wife and I have been homeless for over 2 years. No home, no apartment and definitely nothing permanent. And, it has been the greatest 2 years of our lives.

Now that I have your attention, let me explain.

We sold and gave almost everything we own away 3 years ago and have been traveling as nomads for over 2 years. 

I thought it would be easy. I have always enjoyed getting rid of things. I love order and truly enjoy creating order out of chaos. But when you have lived in a 6000 square foot house for more than 10 years and during that time you have raised children from the preteen to college years, you have more and more things that creep into the home and start filling up every crack and crevice. 

I never realized how challenging it would be to purge not just the "things" but the accumulation mindset that most people in our modern culture (including myself) possess. The desire is to only focus on those things that are truly significant - spiritual growth, relationships, experiences and essential items that will enhance my spiritual growth, relationships and experiences.

Some may think that I sound like some monk that wants to sit on a mountaintop and "find the true meaning of life." Maybe that is what I am doing. I will say that life is so much better than it used to be. And I have always thought life was pretty awesome.

Many people use the term minimalism to describe how we are living. Joshua Becker at Becoming Minimalist writes some fantastic articles on the topic and I love reading everything that he posts. Our daughter claims that we are more essentialist than minimalist. That is probably splitting hairs but we do seem to seek out only things that are essential in our lives. Some minimalists may just want less for the sake of having less stuff. We only acquire things that will bless our lives. Not things that create a burden.

We do get some odd looks and some questions. But, I have really enjoyed living differently than the masses. It is very difficult to capture in words how great life is when you have no material items that have any control over you. 

I thought it would be beneficial for me to do my best to share my observations about this unique life we are living. Before I do that I thought that I would address the most common questions we get from both friends and strangers:

What is like not having a home? 

It is different but I love it. No grass to cut. No maintenance issues to deal with. And best of all...no electricity payment, no gas payment, no water bill, no internet or cable bill. Even better than best of all, no mortgage payment! 

Sleeping in different beds and using different pillows can be difficult to get used to, but it is also nice to be able to "try out" different kitchens, homes, beds, and furniture so that you really know what you like and dislike. It is a huge benefit to feel free to travel anywhere you heart desires without being anxious about recurring maintenance and household bills piling up back at "home."

When/where do you expect to settle down?

I am not one to use the words always or never very often. Once you have felt the freedom of not being attached to a place or location or geography or a structure, it is difficult to imagine going back to that life again. I do think that some people can allow themselves to feel locked-in to geographic locations and areas because of jobs, schools, family, relatives, friends, a house, mindset or many other reasons. With modern technology being what it is, many people can work, educate themselves and their children, and communicate almost anywhere via the internet and other tools. 

I believe that instead of using words like "home", and "settled down" and locking ourselves into a place, we should seek our assignments and callings in life that lead us to a greater purpose. If that means staying in one place for a season or period of time, great. If it means staying mobile so that you can move and go in a moments notice, perfect. The key is to be able to listen and hear your inner voice or the voice of a higher authority that gives instructions and not let things and an image of what "home" is keep you from your true purpose. And, that purpose may require one to venture beyond a 25 mile radius of their current location.  

Many people may be missing bigger blessings because they have "settled down" and said that they will always remain geographically planted. I am strong believer in a large tapestry that is being woven by a loving Heavenly Father and I think that if I say I am always going to live in Georgia or I am never going to leave Colorado then He may not be able to send me where He needs me to go. I desire to be available and obedient.

Do you travel in a camper or RV? 

Everyone seems to ask this question. As if we took all the items that we had in our home, crammed them in an RV and then started traveling. I have nothing against RV's or campers or houses on wheels, but they require as much if not more energy than a house. 

The answer to the question is no...we do not travel in a camper or RV. When traveling in North America we drive our trusty 2002 Honda Van with over 330K miles. When we travel overseas, we fly. I do not want to own another home anytime soon and I definitely do not want to own a home on wheels. 

NOTE: I have had the experience of owning many homes. We negotiated and completed over 500 real estate transactions between 2001 and 2009.  There were times that our company owned over 100 single family homes. Plus we coached, trained and mentored over 3,000 real estate investors nationwide during that time. So I do understand real estate and how to buy and what the value can be. I also may know enough...possibly too much...about real estate that I do not put a personal home high on the investment pedestal. It's just concrete and lumber built on dirt.

So you really do not own anything? 

Very little. We own a storage unit near some relatives that is the size of a single car garage. It is about half full (or half empty depending on where your beliefs are on that issue) but we leave things there that we may not want to carry with us as we travel. If I had a few spare days I could probably eliminate half of the items in storage primarily because I have not needed any of it the last 2 years. 

My entire wardrobe could fit in a small rubbermaid box. My wife has a slightly larger wardrobe (not by much) but everything she owns fits well, coordinates and looks great on her so she enjoys getting dressed. That's good for both of us and I am sure most husbands would agree with me.

We did put some furniture in a relatives home. I guess we could technically get that back at some point, but I doubt it will ever be moved. 

Last year we spent 7 months in Australia and New Zealand and when we traveled home (in an airplane, not the Honda Van) we had one rolling duffel bag as luggage and we each carried our backpack briefcases with our computers and electronics. We are currently on a 7 week visit to South Florida and we could have almost fit everything we are traveling with in 2 carry on bags.

Is your wife OK with this lifestyle? 

Yes. There have been times when one of us may have been farther along in the process than the other one. But for the most part we have been in agreement and have been having a blast. 

There have been some challenges. For instance, Glori is a great cook that writes cookbooks and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. At one point years ago she had almost every cooking gadget a cook could have. She even insisted that we carry 3 big boxes of her "favorite" gadgets and kitchen tools with us 2 years ago when we embarked on our journey. But she has gradually realized that she can make great meals in almost any kitchen. And if something is missing, a store is just around the corner that is stocked floor to ceiling with more items than one can ever imagine. 

Plus, as an extra bonus we seem to be embracing a "less is best" mindset when it comes to eating. Smaller portions, better quality, and less gluttony leads to a healthier life. 

Is it fun being on vacation all the time? 

I would not know because we are not on vacation. We are living our lives as we travel and stay in really cool places - New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Breckenridge CO, Austin TX, Ft Lauderdale FL, Lake Tahoe NV, Los Angeles CA and many other places. We are running our businesses, coaching and consulting, writing and creating all along the way. 

Vacation is what people do when they have to cram all their fun into 1 to 2 weeks of the year. And vacations can be very expensive (see the next question). We just live our lives wherever we happen to be at the time and of course we do attempt to enjoy all that the locations we stay in have to offer.

Are you rich? Is that how you can travel all the time? 

The answer to that question is no. I am not against being blessed financially. I have owned businesses in the past that have provided very bountiful financial resources to our family. But we have also learned how to live with much less after seeing how quickly large real estate based businesses could disintegrate a few years ago. 

There are times during the last few years when we have had very limited financial resources...less than $100 in our bank account. However, it seems that was part of our journey to get to the point where money became less significant. It seems that when we stopped attempting to chase money, it began to chase us. 

We now have thriving businesses but still have no reason to acquire and accumulate more stuff. That feels really good. We are still not rich, but definitely richly blessed. I could also spend an entire article explaining how we live in nice homes while we travel without paying a single dime for rent or utilities. But that will have to wait for a later time.

To be continued....

In Home Is Where You Make It - Part 2, I will share my observations about how the essential lifestyle that we are living is different from the accumulation lifestyle that most people live in today's society. 

Vision is a funny thing.

Not the big picture, corporate speak, plaque on the wall type vision.

Many people claim to be visionaries and have the ability to see things in unique ways and think big.

I am literally talking about the ability to see. But unfortunately many people are unable to see clearly. Their vision is cloudy, fuzzy or totally blinded.

Our eyes are a great tool to see what is in front of us and at times around us. But our eyes can play tricks on us. And eyesight is only a small part of vision. 

The world around us has been full of deception since Adam and Eve succumbed to the original "false advertising campaign."   

Amateur magicians have the ability to use deception and slight of hand to fool spectators into thinking they can really make a quarter appear from behind a suspects ear. 

Have you ever seen behind the scenes footage from movies or TV shows? Boring, boring, boring. Movie magic takes the unspectacular and mundane and with CG, editing, music and many other tricks of the trade they turn boring stuff into spectacles that thrill the masses for hours and hours. 

Some people even think the news media uses tricks, editing and manipulation to help people "see" certain points of view.

And these are just the obvious things that can impact vision and how we visualize things in our world.

Consider the impact of the way we were raised, prejudices and preferences, religious and spiritual beliefs, where we were born, our financial status, who we associate with, our education, and any other overt or covert brainwashing we have been subjected to. 

How can we increase our odds of having clear vision and being able to see what is around us without a skewed or blinded viewpoint?

It would be easy to say "question everything." But having an inquisitive mindset seems to be the basis for clear sight. It keeps one from getting lazy and comfortable. 

Look. Imagine. Pull the curtain back. Ask questions. Be careful not to assume or judge. Pray for clarity. Be open minded. Be observant. Don't be repetitive. Travel. Explore. Be an adventurer. Meet new people. Experience other cultures.

My desire is to be able to see all that is around me. 

Imagine what the world would be like if more people had pure, unfiltered vision?

Photo Credit: JK Winders Photography

WARNING: This article contains sarcasm and is laced with tongue-in-cheek writing. Read at your own risk. 

When I was much younger and obviously naive, I made the incorrect assumption that everyone in the world had a strong desire to succeed and achieve great things in their limited time on this earth.

After many years of coaching and consulting plus doing massive amount of research about people, human nature and the way our brains work, I am now more convinced than ever that a majority of people really have a stronger desire to fail in life rather than to succeed.

With my hands thrown up in the air and a heavy sigh coming out of my mouth, I write this article for those people that are tired of hearing about success principles and just want a few super quick and easy tips on failure.

This article is for the anti-success crowd.

Unfortunately, you may or may not know if you belong in that group.

Years of experience has convinced me that a person can follow these 5 simple steps and fail miserably at anything and everything they attempt to accomplish.

For those that are whining that 5 steps are too many, you can probably cut corners and just implement a few of the steps that follow and reach the level of semi-failure. Which is still a failure. Maybe just a failure with a slacker attitude.

Without any further delay and because I know that most failure minded people aren’t really into “reading”, here are the quick and easy steps to becoming a pro at accomplishing nothing in life:

1. Be a Jerk - Dale Carnegie wrote a fantastic book called How To Win Friends and Influence People. You should NOT read that book. If it existed, you should read How To Repel People and Piss Off Everyone Around You. Be loud. Be obnoxious. Think only of yourself. Never be interested in what other people want or desire. Combine this with #2 and #3 below and you will reach levels of failure reserved for some of the biggest losers and jerks in history.

2. Be a “Know It All” - claiming that one knows everything and shutting down all ability and desire to learn new things is one of the keys to complete failure. In fact, this may be the shortcut that ambitious failures really crave. This is closely related to #1 except that some “know it alls” keep to themselves and never share with others how they are experts in everything. Jerks have a strong desire to tell the world that they have obtained incredible amounts of knowledge and they will not rest until everyone knows how smart they are. 

3. Stop Listening - also related to #1 and #2, but with a slight twist. You should never pay attention to what anyone else says. Ignore other points of view. Be closed minded. When other people are talking, the best strategy is too ignore what they are saying until it is your turn to talk again. Or…even better, just interrupt anytime someone tries to tell you something or provide you with valuable feedback or information. You can hasten your path to failure by loudly interrupting (see #1) and telling the other person that you know all the answers (see #2).

4. Never Focus - if you have made it this far in the article and you really want to fail like a pro, you should immediately stop reading and go search for cat videos on YouTube. I will make it easy on you, CLICK HERE NOW. And if you ever find your self working diligently toward anything that may be worthwhile and important, CLICK HERE or HERE.

5. Quit  - if you have attempted every other failure strategy but you continue to see success creep into areas of your life, then the best technique to implement is the strategy of doing nothing. Just quit. Give up. Combine quitting with a “what’s the point of exerting any effort anyway” attitude and you will fail at mach speed.

BONUS TIP - after you have quit pursuing any worthwhile endeavor and you have embraced a life of failure, you can really reach the upper echelons of the anti-success lifestyle by continuously blaming other people for your position in life.

"Icing On The Cake" BONUS TIP -  you will also get bonus failure points if every word out of your mouth is laced with self pity and a whiny tone about how unfair life is.

We live in a hyper connected world. Some may even say that people are over connected.

We have mini computers in our pockets and on our wrists. Some people have cameras attached to their glasses or their hats. Our locations, health and even moods can be gauged in real time with technology. Social media allows us to know everything that 100’s of people are doing and thinking while at the same time sharing our status with the world.

Many are resorting to technology and social media sabbaticals just so they can have a time of quiet…a rare commodity in our noisy world.

As a business owner, entrepreneur or just an individual wanting to keep up and succeed in today’s world, our technology and advancements in technology can make our lives better in so many ways. But gadgets, no privacy and too much information can also overwhelm us with choices and make it difficult to focus on the most important and potentially the most profitable actions.

While our advancements have allowed us to increase productivity and get more done with less in many situations, the great equalizer is still the 24 hour day that limits every person on earth.

The successful person must constantly evaluate their connections to insure that they are maximizing the limited time and energy that constrains each one of us.

Your time and your focus feeds your energy. And therefore your success is directly related to those items that you connect with.

Focus on these 5 connections to avoid distractions, stay focused and maintain your energy and power:

Connect To People

There are people that build you up. And there are people that tear you down. Successful people can spot the difference and they control who they give access. This does not imply that you are mean to people or ignore situations when friends or family are in need. But it does mean that you should evaluate your associations and proactively connect to those that enhance your life. Connect to people that celebrate you, not just tolerate you. Get a mentor or a coach.

Connect To Places

Geography is important. I never considered this to be a big deal until I shook up my comfort zone by becoming a permanent traveler. There are places and climates that make you feel more alive and energetic. And there are locations that can zap you of your energy. Some people love the vibe of working in a cool coffee shop. Other people can create and work in a quiet, darkened room. Find your “happy” place and go there when it is time to get the job done. Or to relax and recharge.

Connect to Things

This may sound odd coming from someone that is a self proclaimed minimalist, but there are things that may add to and enhance our lives. High tech gadgets can be huge time wasters that only feed our egos. But they can also save time and make our lives easier. I love having access to tremendous amount of data and information with my iPad and iPhone. But I also get great joy from an old school paper journal or a hard back book. And we all have our favorite sweater, cool shirt or jeans that add that extra swagger to our steps when we put them on.

Connect to Information

Information is a double edged sword in today’s society. We have access to massive amounts of data, entertainment, news and sports. Years ago, your favorite team may be on television on rare occasions. Today you can most likely watch every game with every team in all sports from every corner of the world at any given time. Plus great shows like Honey Boo Boo, Duck Dynasty and The Batchelor. And while more and more information and entertainment is great, what are you doing to increase your wisdom? Recognize the information that feeds your mind and spirit and makes you a better person. That may mean turning some channels and devices off while actively searching for seminars, training, books and articles that make you a wiser person.

Connect To Something Bigger Than You

For many years I thought the world revolved around me. I worked hard and achieved some levels of success. As I mature, I realize that there is a bigger plan out there and I play a role in that plan. You may be in a season where you are assigned to work in a company that just makes widgets. But you may be called to start a company that creates a food source that eliminates hunger in third world countries. If you are self absorbed and only thinking of yourself, you may miss that unique opportunity. Always be open to connecting to a cause, mission or vision that is beyond anything you could ever imagine on your own.

“I am the greatest, I said that before I even knew I was.” Muhammad Ali

Be honest with yourself right now and count how many times you have ever said those words about yourself. My guess is that most people can count the times they have professed their greatness on one hand. Actually the answer is most likely zero for almost everyone.

Why is that?

Are you less than great? Are you proud to be mediocre? Or average? Or worse?

Or it could be that we are taught at a young age that even if you are great (and I think that everyone has greatness inside them) you should not tell other people because they will think you are arrogant. Or full of yourself. Or you may make people uncomfortable.

I may be in the minority, but I think the world would be a better place if people would verbalize their skills, talents and greatness…even before they know they possess them. It seemed to work well for Muhammad Ali.

The brain operates like a computer. It will be programmed whether you want it to be or not. And most programming your brain receives will be negative programming training your brain to create failure. 

So we should make the decision to program our brains for success and greatness.

Still have doubts? Say these words out loud - "I am the greatest”. You can whisper the words if other people are around.

Now pause to think about how that made you feel. More energy? A little uncomfortable? Good. Being uncomfortable is often the first step to making meaningful changes on one’s life. And everyone can use a little more change and a bunch of energy in their life.

You are great. You were born to be successful and do great things. You have the combined talents and skills that are unmatched by anyone else in the world.

Meditate on what makes you great.

Don’t let fear and doubt and what other people might think creep in.
 
Now start telling yourself and anyone else that will listen how great you are.
 

Additional reading:
Proverbs 18:19

Tim Winders has over 25 years experience as a business owner, entrepreneur, coach and consultant. He specializes in helping businesses, organizations and individuals grow and expand. If it is time for you or your business to get unstuck and experience increase, CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE Growth Assessment and Strategy Call with Tim.

How long have you been sitting in the same place? Not just physically. But mentally, spiritually, financially and geographically.

It is easy to go though life without ever changing or making major adjustments. The “path of least resistance” is the way most people live their lives without even thinking about it.

Life and circumstances around you will change whether you want them to or not. The difference is whether or not the individual is initiating the change or if the change is being forced on them. It can be very stressful for the person that allows external change to be forced upon their life. But it can be exhilarating and exciting for the individual that is pushing for growth in their life and controlling that process.

It is very rare that someone would admit that it has been years since they have read a book or learned a new skill. But one can just look around and it becomes obvious that most people never learn and grow beyond where they are in their mid 20’s. Don’t be that person.

Most people claim to love adventure and travel and they want to see the world. But years go by and they may never leave the comfort of their own home.  It is too simple to say that people that travel are adventurous and those that do not travel are boring and stuck in a rut.

This article is not written to encourage everyone to parachute out of an airplane, learn Chinese or even road trip and hike across the country. I just happen to believe that everyone should embrace change in at least one area of their life. Even if you are content and successful and growing in the areas you desire growth. Find something new to shake up your world and experience new things.

Do something fun. Do something new. Do something crazy.

Living organisms can never remain static. Plants are either growing or dying. Animals are the same way. And humans are no different. We can attempt to keep everything the same in our lives but we are always in the process of living and growing or shrinking and dying.

The task of embracing change may sound daunting. but it can be a simple as doing one of the following:

Drive a different route to/from work
Meet someone new
Reconnect with an old friend or acquaintance
Schedule a trip
Clean out your closet 
Change your morning/evening/daily routine
Eat some new types of food
Sign up for a training class
Visit a new church even if you attend one on a regular basis
Volunteer in your community

Just a small, incremental change can build momentum so that you can begin making larger, positive changes in relationships, business and other areas of your personal growth.

Don’t get stuck in one place and a year from now be the same person that you are today. Do something different… do anything different. And start today.

Photo Credit - La Dulce Vita