Find It and KEEP It!

"Find & Keep/Protect Our JOY & PURPOSE For Our Lives"

(Share & Teach Family and Others!) - PART 3    

 Imagine, if you will, Grandma having a group of her grandkids over for a visit for an afternoon when she discovers that she has lost her wedding ring. It is very special to her and she gathers her grandkids together to ask them to help her find the important ring. She even tells them that, whoever FINDS the ring will be rewarded with a special "something" from Grandma! That's all the grandkids need in order to get busy trying to find Grandma's ring. After a few minutes one of them comes running back into the house and excitedly proclaims, "Grandma! I found your ring!"  With tears in her eyes she hugs her grandchild and thanks them for finding her ring. She then says, "Now, give it to Grandma" to which the child replies, "Well, I don't have it with me...all you said I had to do was FIND it!"

As silly as that little story may seem, we can do the same thing in our lives in many different areas. The main thing I want to ensure is that we don't do that once we find our joy and purpose for our life. 

Yes, it IS important to FIND the joy and purpose for our life but, friend, there's more to it than that! Not only do we need to FIND it but we also need to do all that we can to KEEP it!

Just like Grandma's ring, the way to prevent losing our joy and purpose is to KEEP IT CLOSE at all times. And, the way that we keep it close is to "activate" and "incorporate" it into our DAILY activities.

In other words, we need to make sure that we involve ourselves in whatever it is that brings us joy and that we put it into practice as our purpose.

I guess to clarify it even further, just don't FIND IT and LEAVE it. It is important to keep it and to keep it "fresh" (if you will) by USING it each and every day. Not only will your joy and purpose be "fresh" but it will also GROW stronger due to your use. 

The more you "use" it or put it into practice as a part of your daily activities, the "wider" that circle of influence expands over the passage of time. 

Remember, it's the "ripple effect"!

In the next article we will continue this discussion and focus in on why it is so important to not only KEEP your joy and purpose but to also PROTECT it! Be sure to join me for that one, o.k.?

Again, as a reminder, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

Finding Your PURPOSE

"Find & Keep/Protect Our JOY & PURPOSE For Our Lives"

(Share & Teach Family and Others!) - PART 2 

 Back in August of 2010, my wife suffered a heart attack and had to be "shocked" back to life on two different occasions. This was not a normal event - my wife was not overweight and did not suffer from any type of high cholesterol or anything like that. It was literally a 1 in 1 million incident that happened. And, she survived and is doing well. 

However, after returning home from the hospital and still being in a very emotional state (which is normal following an event such as this) she would discuss with me how she felt that God had kept her here for a reason. The struggle she was having was that she could not figure out what the reason - or the PURPOSE - was for her life now. Through our discussions I found that she was searching for some BIG and tremendous "something" that she needed to do.

I shared with her that, perhaps, the "reason" that God kept her here was that I and the rest of her family NEEDED her to be here! I suggested that, perhaps, her "purpose" was to still be there for us because she was so important to "our world". 

You see, friend, I believe that THIS is the key to our search for our "purpose" for our lives. That key is the impact or importance that we have upon "our world". 

Think about it.

Yes, many desire to be known by people all over the world and, quite honestly, they are not truly "known" by those closest to them, including their own children. I'm not saying that this is always the case but we have seen it far too often in our world. And, YES, we NEED people to step out and lead and challenge and encourage us but, perhaps, at the same time, the TIMING needs to be adjusted.

Just a thought.

But, again, here's what I believe is the key for all of us as we contemplate our "purpose" in and for our lives...what is your impact and importance upon YOUR world?

Join me for a moment as we peel back the layers that make up "our world" beginning with those closest to us. Perhaps visualize this like the ripples on the water after tossing a pebble into the pond or creek.

First of all, it begins with your immediate family. This could be your spouse and your kids or, it may be your brothers, sisters and your parents. Sometimes these are some of the most difficult relationships we have simply because we ARE so close to them and, often, because we spend so much time with them. But they are important and you DO have an impact upon them. If you DO have children at home, please do NOT overlook the importance that you have in and for their lives. This gets especially difficult (at times) when they go through their teen years! But it still holds true.

Then continue on to the level that includes your closest friends. Then your other friends that maybe don't fit into that "closest" category but they are still good friends. Then continue on out to your co-workers, neighbors and all of the other acquaintances that you have in your life. That "circle of friends" expands rather quickly, doesn't it?

Now then, with each of these level of relationships, think about how YOUR impact upon them may influence THEIR relationships on each of those different levels in their lives! WOW!

Think for a moment about how the way you treat those around you - good or bad - can be passed on and on and on through these relationships. That, my friend, is quite powerful to think about and, hopefully, as you think about it, it will also challenge you to be a positive influence along the way. 

And, from experience, I can tell you that you may never know how powerful that influence has been in someones life. Or, you may find out years later about the power and level of that influence.

In my opinion, here's the answer to the question, "What is my PURPOSE in and for my life?" To be the best YOU that you can be in and for "your world". 

That, my friend, is more powerful than you may ever know.

Again, as a reminder, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

Planting Seed for Your Future

So, just like the instructions from the last article, if you haven't read the past two articles, take time now to do that before reading on.

Yup. I'm waiting.

 

Hey now, we talked about a LOT of "hard" work in making sure that "seed" produced what it was supposed to produce AND that we understood the fact that the work was not done just because that flower (or whatever it was you planted) bloomed and looked like advertised on the packaging.

 

The flowers that you see in the picture above are Iris'. I don't have pictures of Daffodils, but they do the same thing as I'm going to discuss about the Iris'.

 

They are called "perennials" which means that they will come back year after year once it has bloomed. In other words, unlike "annuals" which have to be planted every year, you plant these ONCE and they return without the extra work.

 

Pretty cool, right?

 

But wait, there's more!

 

I don't know that this is true for all perennials, but with the two that I referred to it is for sure. Not only do they come back year after year BUT they "spread" in such a way that you will have MORE than the one you originally planted.

 

That's right, other "shoots" or "sprouts" will come up from their root system and you will end up with more flowers than you know what to do with in just a few short years.

 

Listen to the podcast for more thoughts on this but, friend, I want you to think about this and make the application.

 

It doesn't have to be talking about a business or anything like that. This is true even of "raising" a child (as we say in the South) or the impact that you have on those around you.

 

Again, listen to the podcast for more details on these thoughts.

 

It's called the "ripple effect" like we talked about just a few posts ago.

 

In many areas it's also called, "residual income". It's the income you receive in the future (from growth) all based on the work that you do upfront, today.

 

With people, the ripple effect, I'd like to also just refer to it as "residual blessings".

 

And that, my friend, is about as cool as cool can get!

 

But you MUST do the work first. Never forget that and NEVER, EVER give up on the process!

 

And, as always, be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

Future You University   "Like" FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

                                         Start your home based business HERE





Future You University   "Like" FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

                                         Start your home based business HERE

You Are Able to TOUCH and CHANGE Lives

Today is "Wide-Open Wednesday"...what will YOU do with today's wide-open opportunity?

So far this week we have discussed two of my "7 Life-Changing, Life-Directing, Powerful Daily Affirmations" and, as you might guess, I will be continuing on with the third of these seven in today's article. For those that have yet to listen to the podcast that goes along with all of this, I'll go ahead and share with you the total list of all seven before I continue today's thought. Here we go:

1: I am somebody SPECIAL!

2: I AM ABLE to accomplish GREAT things!

3: I AM ABLE to TOUCH and CHANGE many lives for the better!

4: I will not allow ANYONE to determine the size of my dreams1 THEY ARE MINE!

5: I AM A GIVER - not a taker!

6: I WILL take steps on this journey TODAY!

7: I CAN! I WILL! I MUST!

Again, if you have not listened to or read the previous topics (the first two affirmations) before now, take a few moments and do that. Why is this important? Because the very first affirmation is the BUILDING BLOCK and FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE upon which the remaining six affirmations are built.

Because of WHO you are (one created in the image of God) you are, indeed somebody special! And, based on this fact you ARE able to accomplish "great" things and, among those great things is your ability to TOUCH and CHANGE the lives of those around you that you come into contact with each and every day.

Take a moment and just think about all of the people that you have had more than just a "passing connection" with over the past five years. I'm not talking about those people that you came into contact just once (those would be the "passing connection" people I mentioned - although you DID have an impact on them as well!) but those that you come into contact maybe even two or three times in a week.

The waiter/waitress at your favorite restaurant, the garage attendant at your parking garage, your doorman, your co-workers, your friends at church, your spouse's family, your family, your children, friends of your children and on and on we could go. Think about that just for a moment and try to come up with an estimate of how many different people you've had contact with, like these, over the past five years.

My guess is that you will likely come up with a larger number than you would have thought in the beginning. Now, double that number and then triple it. Why do that? Because, whether we realize it or not, the impact we make on other people is transferred to  people that THEY come into contact with in THEIR daily lives!

WOW! When you think of it this way you do, indeed, have impact on far more lives that we can even begin to imagine! Here's the kicker - that impact can be either NEGATIVE or POSITIVE!

What impact would you say that you "generally" have on those around you? Oh, I know we all have days when we are a bit short with people and maybe aren't as positive as we normally are. That happens. But friend, what IS your "norm"?

Listen, when you even just consider the impact you make upon hundreds - if not thousands - of lives just from the impact upon your children, it can be almost overwhelming. Your children and all of those that they connect with throughout their school years and even through college as well as the co-workers that they will have in their career. Combine that with their friends and then their own children (your grandchildren) and on and on it goes.

WHAT IMPACT ARE YOU MAKING TODAY?

You see friend, it is not about HUGE and MIGHTY things when we discuss this. Sure, it CAN be and you MAY touch many lives in ways that not many can or do but - DON'T MISS THIS POINT - your ability to touch and change many lives for the better begins right now and right where you are. TODAY.

We must stop waiting for some great opportunity before we touch lives and realize that this opportunity is here before us this very day. NOW.

So, touch and change the lives of those that you come into contact with today and every day and just imagine how far-reaching that impact will be and then smile as you go about your day.

And, as you do so...

"Be sure to make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Your Fingerprint I.D.

Your Fingerprint I.D.

We have already discussed in yesterday's entry how each one of us has a unique fingerprint - no two are exactly alike. Not even identical twins.

We also discussed how each one of us are unique individuals based on our personality and our mindset. And, that being so, we all leave our own "fingerprint" on the world around us as we go through our day.

So, the question is this: What does your "fingerprint" (your "life's fingerprint") say about YOU?

We all have the power to control and direct that impact, that imprint that we leave behind! Isn't that a powerful thought to consider? Although you cannot change your physical fingerprint, you CAN change your "life's fingerprint" - it's up to you!

(Aren't you continually amazed at how many things come down to this?)

We also discussed the fact that, no matter who you are and no matter how insignificant you may think you are, we ALL leave an imprint on our world. All of us.

Yes, it may be a POSITIVE imprint and it may also be a NEGATIVE imprint. Again, the choice is ours. If you don't like the imprint that you are leaving behind - CHANGE IT!

When we consider the "ripple effect" of our lives, there could very well be generations of the future that are touched by what you do today!

So, yes, what you do today DOES matter!

What will be written about you in the book about your life? What will be written about you in the book of those that made a great impact on their world? Will you have a sentence mentioning you? Will there be a whole paragraph? A whole page? Will there be an entire chapter dedicated to the impact you've made through your life? Perhaps even your very own book. Or...will there be any mention at all?

It's up to you and I want to encourage you to make an effort to be sure that the impact you leave is one that is positive, encouraging and helpful.

We need more of those fingerprints in our world, wouldn't you agree?

And, as you go along leaving your "life's fingerprint" behind...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

I AM ABLE to Touch and Change Many Lives for the Better!

#3: "I AM ABLE to Touch and Change Many Lives for the Better!"

(Right off let me apologize for the way the format on this blog comes out so much of the time. I do it exactly the same way each day and, at times, there ARE separations between paragraphs as I have planned to have and, on other days, no separations at all. So, I apologize - I can't seem to figure out any way around this no matter how many times I try to edit it, etc.)

I hope you are enjoying the podcasts and blog entries on my daily affirmations. I also hope that you are using them, initially, to get yourself in the habit of affirming these truths in your own life. There is just something powerful about verbalizing these things and, again, according to what we read in Napoleon Hill's classic, "Think & Grow Rich" (available on my website for only the S/H charge) this is how our subconscious mind begins to accept these affirmations as TRUTH. Then, our subconscious mind feeds it back to us as truth even at those times when we may not necessarily feel that way. ISN'T THAT POWERFUL?

Why not try these for at least a week and then, if you find that some don't "fit" you, start adapting and "tweaking" them a little bit so that they DO fit you and your plans, goals and dreams.

If you notice, the second affirmation as well as today's affirmation both start out with the three words, "I AM ABLE..."

This is very important and is not by mistake!

So many times we have been told, "You can't" about things we may have as our goals and dreams by many people over the years. After a while, we begin to believe those voices and decide - before we even try - that we CAN'T do something.

Again, all of this ties in with the first affirmation, "I am somebody special!" THIS is what makes all of this special - YOU and the special person that YOU ARE! Because of the wonder of your being - you CAN accomplish great things and you CAN (and will) touch and change many lives during your life!

What does this mean?

Well, for some, it means touching lives on a grand scale! There are some of you that have such dreams and goals for your life and you need to understand - regardless of how large the dream - you ARE able to accomplish them and you ARE able to touch and change many lives for the better!

However, for the majority of us, our dreams and goals may not be as "grand" BUT this does not diminish the fact that we CAN touch and change many lives anyway. It will simply be done in a DIFFERENT way.

In today's podcast I talk about the ripples on a pond. We all know the concept, right? Do not lose the significance of this concept in your own life. You have the ability to touch many lives right from where you are!

Let's start with the basics. Your family. For example, how many lives will you touch through the lives of your children? You have no idea and, my guess is, if you had a way of truly knowing the number of people impacted in this way, you would be totally amazed! You love your child and treat them in a positive and loving way. You teach them how to be considerate of others and how to be kind in their dealings with others. Your child does this with their classmates at school and makes an impact on - let's say just for numbers sake - ten others. Those ten are impacted in such a way that they naturally treat others the same way. Let's say those ten impact ten others in the same way - we are already up to one hundred people. Get the picture?

On today's podcast I used a quote that my friend, Jim Ferguson sent to me in an e-mail. Here's what it said:

"Resolve to make at least one person happy every day,
then in ten years you will have made approximately
three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy,
or brightened up the equivalent of a small town
by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment."
-- Sydney Smith

I mentioned that I don't truly believe we have it within our power to MAKE someone else happy, BUT we do have the ability to bring some happiness into the lives of others! Even just doing something that will bring a smile to the face of another will have a HUGE impact on many.

I would also suggest that the number given above - 3,650 - is not a true number of those that will be impacted. That number represents the impact ONLY IF the one impacted does not then, in turn, impact another. See what I mean? If each one of the people represented by this number were to impact only ONE other person each, then this number is DOUBLED to 7,300 only IF that "second layer" of impacted people do not continue the "ripple".

Think about that. One person per day, every day. Yes, this is ANOTHER way that you ARE ABLE to touch and change many lives for the better.

Look around you. It can - and SHOULD - begin today if it hasn't already.

Oh, and too, if you haven't ever watched the movie, "Pay It Forward" you need to be sure to see it. If you have, then you know what I'm talking about when I say to you...."Pay it Forward"!

Regardless of what our plans and goals are - we ALL have this great ability within us! It simply requires each of us to look outside of ourselves and see the opportunities that surround us each and every day.

Thank you for allowing me to touch your life today. Now, pass it on!

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike