How old is to old?

I had a birthday yesterday. I am proud to say that I am 46 years old. What does that mean? It means whatever I want it to mean. Let me explain.

First some things to think about:

My high school basketball coach used to tell us that if we wanted to win, we had to start strong in the first half and early in the second half. 46 is not as old as it just to be :) At the same time, if I live to 92, I am right now at half time. And according to my coach, I need to have a strong third quarter to win.

Have you ever heard anyone talking about how long it will take them to do something? Sometimes, they say -- "do you know how old I will be when I get done?" Of course the correct response is, how old will you be if you don't do it? Take Nola Ochs.

Nola Ochs is 98 years old and she just got her Masters Degree. No surprise for her, she got her college degree at the age at 95. Wonder what she will do at 101.

So where are you in the game of life. 1st quarter, 2nd half, overtime? Here are the facts:

1. We are blessed to have life, it s a gift.  As the old saying goes, what we do during that life is gift back to God. How is your gift coming along. Are you living your life in a way that shows your appreciation for the chance in this wonderful opportunity.

2. Regardless of the economy or political unrest, no other generation has ever had the opportunity that we have today. We have information at our finger tips, anyone, who puts their mind to it, can become an expert in their chosen field. How are you doing at taking advantage of those opportunities?

3.  Time happens.  We can't stop it, control it, or get more of it.  We can look back at the key points in our lives, high school, college, when our kids where younger, etc, and say "I wished I would have done things differently."  But until we change what we do every day, our "wishes" are never going to happen.

Regardless of your age or stage of life.  Take it seriously.  Take advantage of the opportunities, look for the things to be thankful for and stop focusing on what you perceive as negative.  In ten years, those of us who are lucky enough to be living, will be ten years older.  What really matters is what you do everyday during that decade.  Go make it happen.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at my Branson Business Blog  then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Where is your mind?

The bowl season is winding down and will finish Thursday when Alabama and Texas play for the championship. I want us to turn our attention to The Liberty Bowl. Arkansas survived several game winning opportunities from East Carolina to win the game. As we embark on 2010, we can all learn from the game.

East Carolina's kicker, Ben Hartman, missed field goals in the final few minutes of the game and in overtime to leave the door open for Arkansas. You could read his mindset and know that he was not ready to make those kicks. The question is are you ready to make your kicks in 2010.

The definition of luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet. If you are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities in the upcoming year, you will automatically see more opportunities. One of the hottest books and videos out recently was The Secret. Great book -- I saw the video, enjoyed and subscribe to it's message. However, one of the contributors to that book is Jack Canfield and I heard him on an interview say, "Eventually, you got to get off your butt and go do what you want to do as you are expecting good things to happen." His message is simple, just sitting and expecting good things to happen, will not make them happen.

Here are some suggestions for 2010.

1. Give yourself credit for what you do. If eating is a problem for you and you eat half a piece of cake instead of a whole piece, give yourself credit and build from there.

2. Be willing to miss the mark (fail) The most successful people in history (Edison, Trump, Jordan) They all failed - but then learned from those failures and became extremely successful.

3. Have goals. If you are missing excitement in your life, create goals and then work hard to hit them.

4. Create a stop list. You have habits that are stopping you from your success. Killing those habits and replacing them with more positive habits, will help you in 2010.

5. Worry about what you can control. You can not control a lot of things. Every moment you spend worrying about those things, you are robbing yourself from concentrating on the things you can control.

Sometime in 2010, you will be asked to make the kick. Be prepared, look forward to the opportunity, then make it.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Grit, Dedication, and doing it yourself.

A story about grit, dedication, and doing it yourself.

A young married couple had a dream to build a house. Like most young couples (and some older couples) they really did not how to go about it. So, they made an appointment with a banker. The banker told them no. The young man, asked what they had to do to get a loan.

The banker gave them simple objectives, Pay X -- Save X, he would give them a loan. They did, he did, and they built that home, sold it, built others, sold them and today through hard work and dedication, they are two of the nicest, most supportive, successful people I know.


Here is why I tell you that story.


1. Don't be afraid to ask questions. When you don't know how to do something, ask. The same guy in the above story always says, "You know what you know, I know what I know" Mechanics works on cars, bankers loan money, managers manage, builders build. Just because they know their job, doesn't mean they know it all.


2. Any goal is going to take work, if it doesn't it's not a goal. When the banker told them what they had to do to get their loan, they went to work. They made adjustments, they worked longer hours, together - they did what they had to do. Yes, it's important to read, dream, visualize, but you have to work.


3. They always remember how they felt and what they went through and they are always supportive of others who are willing to work hard and reach for their own goals.


Now, take those three steps and make it happen. Regardless of what you want to do, those three simple steps will help you achieve your dream. Want to write a best seller, get in shape, run a marathon, have your own radio show, it really does not matter, those steps will lead to success.


Get direction...find someone who knows and let them point you down the right road.

Start walking...it will take work, it will take sacrifice, it will take focus, but you can get there.

Help someone else. As you learn, you can help other people -- give them advice, give them support - encourage them. Now, get to work. Stay Tuned.


If you are reading this blog on email, be sure and click on the link below to visit my blog page and see interesting facts such as: Daily Bible Verses, Fitness Tips, Financial Tips and Amazing Fact of The Day. Remember, this is the best day God is going to give you today, you might as well make it a great one!

Don't let yesterday keep you down.

My "quick" research discovered that Harold Bell Wright's father was a drunk who moved his family from place to place. Yet, Harold Bell Wright grew up to be very successful.

I have a friend who really never knew his father. However; he is one of best dads that I have ever been around.

Michael Jordan was cut from his Junior High basketball team, he became one of the greatest to ever play in The NBA.

Three great examples of overcoming your past and becoming a success. What about you? Are you holding onto the past and letting it keep you from a better tomorrow?


All of us can point to something that can keep us from achieving. If we keep holding onto what is holding us down, we can never grab something that will lift us up. Whether it's medical, a family situation, a bad boss, whatever, you owe it to yourself, to your family and to God to let it go.


Every day is a gift, you are never too old or young to let go of the past and reach to accept that gift of a better today that overcomes a bad yesterday. Give it a try. Stay Tuned.


If you are reading this blog on email, be sure and click on the link below to visit my blog page and see interesting facts such as: Daily Bible Verses, Fitness Tips, Financial Tips and Amazing Fact of The Day. Remember, this is the best day God is going to give you today, you might as well make it a great one!

Success

Success means different things to different people. To me, it starts with a great relationship with your spouse, the love of your kids, and true friends you enjoy to be around.

With that in mind, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a time of true fellowship with your family and friends. Merry Christmas -- remember the real reason for the season/

BBB will be back on Monday, December 29th - 2008 Merry Christmas. Stay Tuned!

Remember, you can click on the animator and sign up to receive these messages on your email. If you know someone who could benefit from this blog, please encourage them to log on to http://www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com/