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Have recently moved to my new self hosted blog yourlifeproject.net

Join the fun at Your Life Project and come along for the next part of this adventure called life. Can’t wait to see you on the other side.

-Bradley

Do you really want to know the truth?

Do you really want to know the truth?

Most people don’t because it shows us a future that is different than the one we want. So we practice denial and wishful thinking instead.

If we accept the truth then we have to own the results of it.

The question “what did you do with what you were given?” Inspires some but scares others stiff. Ownership is hard, denial is easier, I get it.

But the truth is that no amount of denial or procrastination will let you avoid the question that we will all eventually be asked “what did you do with what you were given?”

1 Reason We need more Halloweens

Today Americans in every community embrace being weird. Being creative. Being different. They take off the mask they hide behind almost every other day of the year that says they need to fit in and be normal and they are encouraged to create something.
Halloween is a day where we forget the map, throw out the rules and with a clean slate, we create. Nothing is out of bounds. There is no right or wrong. And there is a deadline so you can’t procrastinate. Show up in your costume tomorrow when everyone is back to “normal” and you will be laughed at. Today though you will be embraced for your genius.

We need more Halloweens to help people realize that they have a gift. If there is only one you can pass it off as being lucky but when given the opportunity to share your creativity with everyone, without fear of being kicked out of the group, multiple times it creates this thing in us called belief and courage.  And we all need a little more of that.

What do you do when you are scared to…

chase your dream?

When you know what you want to do and

what you should do but that devil known as fear shows up?

I have this dream of writing and speaking and helping as many people as I can design a better future

but…(even as I write this fear pops up and says “who do you think you are?” “you cant talk about that everyone will think you are nuts” and about a thousand other vile things.) That is why I have to. When you have a dream it seems like the first and last thing you want to tell everyone about. If you share it then you have to own it. If fear can keep you from stepping up or standing out then it will never have to face the unknown. It can keep you right where you are.

So how do you get through the resistance? You press in. When you feel the resistance say turn and run, press in. Don’t avoid fear use it more like a compass to point you in the direction you should go. Dreams are emotional and there is a lot of emotional labor that will go into you realizing your dream. Emotional labor is uncomfortable and vulnerable and is the kind of thing Fear Hates. So the trick is to do the uncomfortable long enough and with enough passion for it to become a little more comfortable. Enviroment is everything so if you aren’t getting the results that you want look at who you are hanging around. Is the communities that you are a part of pushing you to become more? do more? dream more? If not then find some people that are going for it and you will find that soon you are doing the same.

HOW TO GET READY FOR OBAMACARE

HOW TO GET READY FOR OBAMACARE.

HOW TO GET READY FOR OBAMACARE

As OBAMACARE approaches Americans are scrambling for answers. With health care cost inevitably on the rise many businesses are having to make some tuff decisions. Although many large companies are taking a huge hit, like Delta Air Lines who in June wrote a letter to the Obama administration complaining that it’s healthcare cost would rise to nearly $100 million in 2014, they will continue providing health insurance for their employees.   The same can’t be said for everyone though. Many small businesses who understand something our government  evidently doesn’t, that to remain in business you must make a profit, can not afford to take the financial blow that Obamacare brings. As a result we will be seeing many business cutting employees down to 28 hr weeks.   There are many people scratching their heads trying to figure out what steps to take next to keep the bills paid and food on the table. THE WORLD AND ECONOMY IS CHANGING QUICKLY.  To keep up you will have to adapt. Small businesses are great at solving problems and this problem will be solved as well.   THE SOLUTION- for many small businesses is to cut back as many hours as they have too, then contract everything out that they can. For example if I have a project that requires a web developer and an internet marketer instead of getting my employees to handle everything like normal I just hop online and go to one of the trusted freelance websites and hire two people to complete the project for a slightly higher rate than what my employees hourly rates would have been.   That’s good news and bad news at the same time. Freelancers are going to get a hefty pay increase because of increased demand. And employees will have to learn to be more efficient and effective as their bosses get used to hiring projects out.  But Business must go on.   So here is a call to all employees, don’t get mad at things you can’t control but learn to control what you can. You were hired to do a job and do it well. You have talents and skills. Use them. Don’t blame the obamacare or the economy. (You can blame obamacare if you really want to, just don’t let it stop you from taking personal responsibility for your own income.) Here is a good one, don’t blame the entrepreneurs just become one.   If you are trying to figure out what to do here is your answer!!!  Find a problem and solve it.  That’s how your company was started and that is how you can start your own.  Knowing now that your next 6 months is going to change drastically go ahead and begin learning everything you need to know to run a successful freelance business. Or a successful business in general.   Obamacare may be a great blessing to our country, when great problems arise great solutions are born. I personally believe that the entrepreneur spirit working in each and every one of is what America needs to not only survive this time but to take our country to a new level of greatness.     If you know anyone who needs to read this, who needs to prepare for the next shift in our economy then please pass it along.   I would love to hear your feedback and what you believe is the best solutions for those who will be taking the direct hit from obamacare.

Mind control Use it to win in business and relationships

1st rule to winning, don’t beat yourself. How often are we our own worst enemies? I believe the answer to that will surprise you. Today I want to share a few tips on Mind Control… Not the spooky stuff but how to begin controlling your own mind.

Now I don’t believe any of us are our own worst enemy on purpose,  so how do we sabotage  our own work without knowing it?

 

First do this experiment with me

When I say a word what is the first word that comes to mind,

Peanut butter reminds us of________

Jelly

The word dog reminds us of________

Cat

The word red reminds us of________

Rose, car or dress.

Monday morning reminds us of______

Work

Friday reminds us of_______

The weekend

 

These are all triggers and they can either help us or hurt us. If I think of work and the first thought that comes to mind is “I hate that place.” The likelihood of you ever doing exceptional work and getting a promotion or raise drops significantly. Same thing when you think of your boss. (Ouch)

Now I want to take it a step further. What is your first thought when you think of your spouse? “Irritating? I wish they would do this or that? Why do they never do what I want? Etc”

 

Our thoughts shape our attitude. What you think about your neighbor is your attitude towards them. What you think about your spouse is your attitude towards them. Our attitude helps us determine what actions to take, how often we take action and if we are positive or negative about it. And action is the ingredient that determines how our life turns out.

 

Jon Acuff in his book start talks about the voices in our head that whisper lies to us. When we want to do something that matters the voices get loud and tell us we can’t or we aren’t good enough or we don’t have the right background or skill and the list goes on and on. And if we listen to those voices we will never change or do the great work we are capable of. So to silence the voices he says write them down. The big voice seems really small when you put it on paper. But don’t just write it down refute it with the truth.

It looks like this.

 

Spouse (triggers) Uhg I don’t think they will ever change…

That’s a lie. Write it down. Then refute it with truth. All things are possible for those who believe. I sure do love her. He is going to be the man I know he can be. She is a great mother and loves us. Etc.

 

Work (triggers) I don’t think I will ever be successful… Lie

I can learn new skills. I am smart and creative. I can do great work. I just have to find a way and take massive action. The only difference between me and those who are successful is they took Action.

 

Changing your life, circumstances and the results you have been getting seems like magic but it is actually just controlling what you allow yourself to think and dwell on. Anyone can completely change their life because anyone can change their actions by changing their attitude. And anyone can change their attitude by changing their thinking.

What do you think about your job or neighbor or circumstances today? What are your triggers? Your lies? What do you need to start speaking life into today?

 

Do it and every area of your life can start changing today.

 

 

If this has helped you please pass it along.

Are you fighting in the Arena…

Today I want to share a little gift with you. I read recently an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship In A Republic” speech, delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on April 23, 1910.
Enjoy!

The Man (or Woman) In The Arena…

It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly; who errs,
who comes short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;
who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt

It is the people who are willing to step into the arena and go for what they believe in who change the world. We need more of these people who see trying and failing as a small price to pay for the chance of success. More people who see greater risk in not taking action on their dreams. It’s better to live trying and failing then to die never having know that you have wings.

 

Choice or Chance? Take control of your future.

Is your life where you thought it would be? Is it where you want it to be? Do you love what you do? Are you heading in the direction of the future you want?

Choice, not chance, is what determines your destiny. What you do is ultimately up to you.

We make choices everyday. Choices to stay in our comfort zone. Choices to fit in. Choices to do something we care about. Choices to start moving in a better direction.

Your current circumstances are a result of the past choices you have made. If you want better circumstances start making better choices.

I chose to play it safe and take the job with the big company with good benefits and the most security. I slowly realized what we trade for security is our freedom. I realized that I was trading the freedom to make more money for the security of the same check every week. I traded time freedom for benefits.
I eventually reached a level of disgust with my current circumstances when my secure job decided to drop my pay. That’s when I decided to take my freedom back into my own hands.

I don’t know if we will ever fully understand the power that making a choice has. But that day I made a choice that my wife deserves more and that my kids deserve more and that I would do whatever it took to give it to them period. Now 2 years later I write this just a few short months away from passing our goal of doubling my income and taking the step to becoming a work from home dad.

It’s the small choices that we make everyday that lead to a better future. And it’s a lot easier to consistently make the right choice when you have a goal in front of you. Make the choice to run a 5k to help raise money for a cancer patient and suddenly the choice to drink water instead of coke is really easy.

Will you remain the same or will you take a stand and create something that makes the world awesome? The choice is up to you. We made the choice.

I want my story to be one of…

When I look back on my life I want to see a progression of excitement and adventure.
I don’t want normal. Normal is easy. Normal is boring Anybody can do it.
I want our story to be more to be one of overcoming obstacles, doing the impossible and persevering without exception.
When I look back on my story I want to see a picture of Jesus reaching out and touching thousands of lives. I want my life to be seen as an example of what’s possible when someone gives the paintbrush to God and says I trust you to paint my best story.

WHY?
Because I’m not going to tell my kids what’s possible. I’m going to show them!

Show them how to love, how to live, how to dance, how to enjoy the little things, how to lend a hand, how to work hard, how to care, how to dream, believe, how to be vulnerable, how to be strong, how to touch the lives around them, how to make a difference, how to go when others stop, how to change the world, how to lead and follow, how to love God, how to lay down their life, how to live for the bigger story.

We all tell a story. What will your story be?

It all starts with the man in the mirror.