THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING
In honor of Thanksgiving here in the United States, I wanted to write something special about the entrepreneurial spirit of Thanksgiving. First off, I would like to say a special thank you to all of the entrepreneurs that paved the way for us to live in such a wonderful world. These special people had the dreams to invent, discover and explore all the wonders we experience every day. Never take for granted and fully appreciate all of the work those people have done over the years and the future visionaries that will shape the way of the future.
The Thanksgiving holiday is based on the attitude of gratitude, but we should implement this attitude into our daily action habits not just once a year. When we truly possess the attitude of gratitude, our results in life will change dramatically. In business, people will listen with an open mind, because they feel a sense of respect and that you value your relationship with them. The attitude of gratitude is that little bit of extra that will move you from mediocrity to excellence.
How do you start? It’s easy. Two simple words – Thank You! You will be amazed at the response that you will start getting from people in your life and your business by simply saying thank you or sending a thank you card to recognize them for something that they did for you. I’m not talking about an impersonal email card that they will never open or goes to their spam file. Invest the time to write an actual message of gratitude and mail it to them. This simple way of showing gratitude has gotten lost in our high tech society, but you have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd and appreciate others in your life by going the extra mile.
I challenge you to develop the attitude of gratitude today. I guarantee that you will reap a bountiful Thanksgiving harvest from the small seeds of greatness that you plant through your gratitude.
How to Make Successful New Year’s Resolutions
As 2011 rolls around and we prepare for a new year, the habit of making New Year’s resolutions comes to the forefront. This past week, I asked my students to list what they believe to be the top three New Year resolutions for society in general. To no surprise, the top three were lose weight, get out of debt and work out more. While the intentions behind the resolutions are good, the likelihood that the resolutions will be achieved is not so great.
According to general statistics, approximately 45% of adult Americans make New Year resolutions every year. Unfortunately, about 97% of the resolutions are never completely fulfilled. Why? Most resolutions are unrealistic and there is no action behind the resolution. Someone can say that they want to get out of debt all day long, but if they continue to go on shopping sprees, then it is not going to happen. Similarly, a person can say that they are going to lose weight, but if they don’t exercise and continue to eat junk, then no change will occur.
The base word of resolution is resolute, which means firmly resolved. So basically when you set New Year’s resolutions, you are saying that losing weight, getting out of debt, etc. will be firmly resolved within the next twelve months. You aren’t saying how it will be fully resolved or what commitment you will make to fully resolve the issue. It’s like a building with no foundation. It will eventually crumble, because there’s nothing holding it up. There’s no commitment or action behind the resolution. Furthermore, most of the things that you are saying will be fully resolved took you longer than twelve months to create so why limit yourself to fully resolving those things in a twelve month window.
Instead of making resolutions that you will likely not achieve, set goals with a detailed list of action steps that will assist you in successfully achieving those goals. Here are some examples for you:
Goal: Lose weight and exercise more
Action Steps: Join gym, exercise 3x per week, eat more fruits/veggies, throw out all junk food in the house
Goal: Spend more time with family
Action Steps: Make a date with your family every week and do something special. (special does not mean costly)
Goal: Increase personal development time
Action Steps: Schedule at least fifteen minutes per day for reading an inspirational book, listening to motivational CDs, etc. Increase the amount of time after committing to the fifteen minutes per day and making it one of your daily habits.
Now, doesn’t that make more sense than simply making a New Year’s resolution and never achieving it? Someone once said, “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” Your goals and dreams are worth more than that, right? Stop treating them like a trend that is in one day and out the next. Make a commitment to yourself and take the daily action needed to achieve your goals and dreams. Now, that’s a real reason to put on the party hats, blow the whistles and scream Happy New Year!
What Are You Fighting For?
The movie Cinderella Man is about a legendary boxer named Jim Braddock. One of the biggest scenes in the movie is when Jim is asked, “What are you fighting for?” He replies, “I fight for milk.” Why? Because the Jim was trying to provide for his family during the Great Depression, and he used the money that he earned fighting to buy milk for his children. Jim wasn’t focus on being a hero to the crowd or the fame that he could possibly earn. His only focus was to secure a fight that would enable him to provide for his family. That was his Why!
Now, let me ask you…What are you fighting for? Is it your family, your business or simply to personally development yourself to prosper in every area of your life? No matter what your Why in life is, you must FIGHT against the negativity that tries to prevent you from succeeding. You must also equip yourself like a great warrior that overpowers the enemy. How? Simply, immerse yourself with positive, personal development that will radically change your life forever!
Here’s a few techniques that will prepare you for the fight of your life…
Read inspirational books. Throw away the gossip magazines that have absolutely no positive effect on your life. Listen to motivational success CDs that ignite the fire in your heart to achieve your dreams. Turn off the television! No longer allow that garbage to infiltrate your mind and spirit. Instead watch DVDs about people and things that encourage you to be relentless in the pursuit of your Why in life.
Attend events. This is probably one of the most important steps that you can take to prepare you to stand strong against the enemy that is trying to steal your dreams. I’m talking about positive, motivational events not gossip sessions! You want to surround yourself with people that have similar dreams and are willing to fight for them. That’s why I created the Lifestyle Freedom Club for Champions just like you!
Invest in yourself. No, don’t go out and spend thousands of dollars on a brand new sports car or other unnecessary items. That’s a waste not an investment. You must invest not only your finances, but your time and energy in yourself in order to achieve your dreams. Take a good look at where you are wasting your resources. Now, I know some of you reading this are saying, “John, I am scheduled every minute of my day. I don’t waste time!” Here’s a revelation for you…being busy doesn’t mean that you are productive. If you are going to be prepared to give the enemy the fight of his life to protect your dreams, then you better believe enough in yourself to invest not waste your precious resources.
Give! That’s right…it’s that easy. Give to others. Whether you like it or not, you will reap what you sow. If you want to reap a bountiful harvest, then you better sow seeds of greatness in the lives of others. Giving doesn’t have to be about just writing a check to a charity. Sometimes it means so much more to just give your time to someone in need or speak words of encouragement over the life of a person that has been beat up by the world. When you develop the habit of giving, you will notice that your strength and belief in yourself will skyrocket. There’s simply nothing that can stand in your way!
I’ve given you some strategies to prepare for battle. So, let me ask you again…What are you fighting for? If you give up, then what you’re truly fighting for in life must not be that important. Just remember that every single time that you want to quit! Now, put on those boxing gloves and prepare to fight for yourself and your dreams. Go get’em Champion!
Motivating Champions Worldwide…
John Di Lemme
What Are You Fighting For?
The movie Cinderella Man is about a legendary boxer named Jim Braddock. One of the biggest scenes in the movie is when Jim is asked, “What are you fighting for?” He replies, “I fight for milk.” Why? Because the Jim was trying to provide for his family during the Great Depression, and he used the money that he earned fighting to buy milk for his children. Jim wasn’t focus on being a hero to the crowd or the fame that he could possibly earn. His only focus was to secure a fight that would enable him to provide for his family. That was his Why!
Now, let me ask you…What are you fighting for? Is it your family, your business or simply to personally development yourself to prosper in every area of your life? No matter what your Why in life is, you must FIGHT against the negativity that tries to prevent you from succeeding. You must also equip yourself like a great warrior that overpowers the enemy. How? Simply, immerse yourself with positive, personal development that will radically change your life forever!
Here’s a few techniques that will prepare you for the fight of your life…
Read inspirational books. Throw away the gossip magazines that have absolutely no positive effect on your life. Listen to motivational success CDs that ignite the fire in your heart to achieve your dreams. Turn off the television! No longer allow that garbage to infiltrate your mind and spirit. Instead watch DVDs about people and things that encourage you to be relentless in the pursuit of your Why in life.
Attend events. This is probably one of the most important steps that you can take to prepare you to stand strong against the enemy that is trying to steal your dreams. I’m talking about positive, motivational events not gossip sessions! You want to surround yourself with people that have similar dreams and are willing to fight for them. That’s why I created the Lifestyle Freedom Club for Champions just like you!
Invest in yourself. No, don’t go out and spend thousands of dollars on a brand new sports car or other unnecessary items. That’s a waste not an investment. You must invest not only your finances, but your time and energy in yourself in order to achieve your dreams. Take a good look at where you are wasting your resources. Now, I know some of you reading this are saying, “John, I am scheduled every minute of my day. I don’t waste time!” Here’s a revelation for you…being busy doesn’t mean that you are productive. If you are going to be prepared to give the enemy the fight of his life to protect your dreams, then you better believe enough in yourself to invest not waste your precious resources.
Give! That’s right…it’s that easy. Give to others. Whether you like it or not, you will reap what you sow. If you want to reap a bountiful harvest, then you better sow seeds of greatness in the lives of others. Giving doesn’t have to be about just writing a check to a charity. Sometimes it means so much more to just give your time to someone in need or speak words of encouragement over the life of a person that has been beat up by the world. When you develop the habit of giving, you will notice that your strength and belief in yourself will skyrocket. There’s simply nothing that can stand in your way!
I’ve given you some strategies to prepare for battle. So, let me ask you again…What are you fighting for? If you give up, then what you’re truly fighting for in life must not be that important. Just remember that every single time that you want to quit! Now, put on those boxing gloves and prepare to fight for yourself and your dreams. Go get’em Champion!
