Seeing With NEW Eyes - The TRANSFORMATION (Part 5)

As always, if you haven't read the articles before this one in this series - DO THAT FIRST, BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER IN THIS ONE.

Go ahead. I'll wait. 

Now then, let's continue!

I do not believe in coincidences. I used to, but not any more. When you ask for guidance, do you ignore or simply "miss" that guidance when it comes your way? Do you "miss it" because you are busy focusing on something else OR, perhaps, do you discount where that guidance is coming from? (Wow, there's a whole article in that last question all by itself!).

If you've been following along (or if you just got caught up) you have read several things that I've been sharing that, for others, they may label as "coincidence" but, like I said, not me. Here's another example from the past that I've shared before but, if you are "new" to Future You University, then this will bring the point home even more.

About 10 years ago I was out on an afternoon ride on my motorcycle and covered somewhere around 80 miles or so over a couple to three house time span. During that time I passed by 3 different signs in front of churches that were of 3 different "denominations" which, to me, indicated that this was not a connected effort among a certain group to have the same message on their signs on the same day. These 3 different signs all did have the same message on them: "Trust in Yourself". Coincidence? I don't think so and, as a matter of fact, after seeing it on the 2nd sign I began to feel that this was something I needed to see that day and the 3rd time confirmed that belief!

When we dismiss such things I believe we also dismiss something that may be coming from God Himself and, I don't know about you, but I sure don't to be dismissive of God! Again, you can choose to agree with me or not - that's totally up to you but I am sharing with you my thoughts and beliefs, right?

So, even though the past few months have been SLAMMED FULL of such things, I've had them in my life before. However, as my wife and I have discussed, it is like we have stepped into a new "room" or "realm" in our walk with God and He is keeping our mind "spinning" with these things. 

Again, go back and read (and listen to the podcasts) to what has come before this article/podcast so that you can follow the time line that I discuss. In this article (and on the podcast).  

I now jump ahead to August of 2021.

During this time we started hearing and seeing a "focus" on FEAR and the power that we have IN CHRIST to overcome and DEFEAT any and all FEAR! (Now listen, I give all glory to God in all of this and if that is something that would cause you to step away then, I'm sorry you feel that way but I am going to be bolder in proclaiming what I believe what He is doing in and through my life).

Around this time we (my wife and I) knew that it was finally time - once and for all - to totally leave behind our own selfish desires and allow God to take us and use us for HIS GLORY however He wanted to lead us and use us.  For us, part of what that means at least in OUR minds is for us to be used by Him in helping others financially in MIGHTY ways like never before. Beyond our wildest dreams and/or imagination.

EVERYTHING is pointing to GOOD and the TRANSFORMATION is getting stronger and stronger and I am feeling more at peace that I think I have in my whole life (all of this while I am not working and have $0 income, though I had some in savings). I add that simply to show the power of what we are seeing and hearing about FEAR and what was still coming with that message in "coincidental ways".

On Sunday, Aug. 8th, during a sermon, I wrote down something that the preacher pointed out that is found in Psalm 34:4 - "I prayed to the Lord and He freed me from all my fears..."  One night during the following week I came across Travis Peters through a social media ad. You know how these social media platforms work, right? If you click on an ad for something then, all of a sudden, your newsfeed is flooded with similar ads, right? I had clicked on someone suggesting that they were a "Christian entrepreneur" and then my page was flooded with such ads. I came across one and thought, "O.k...let's see what THIS guy is peddling! I wasn't expecting much and then, WOW! During one of his videos he talked about the absolute NECESSITY for us to overcome...guess what...FEAR! ("Here's your sign!")

Keep following me here...Because I had signed up for some information from Travis Peters, I receive an email (auto generated) from him. Again, this was not something he specifically sent to me...it was something that he has had in place for a while that was scheduled to "go out" at a certain time after filling out that information on his page. Now, look at the TIMING of this!

In that e-mail, it listed several things that he covered in another "next-level" course that he offers and, guess what? IT ALMOST EXACTLY LINED UP WITH P141 and OOLA (I've shown these 3 programs side by side so that you can see what I'm talking about). I showed that to my wife and said to her: "It would be absolutely FOOLISH to ignore this!"  (Here's your sign!)

 

The day after this, I noticed a lady in my Oola group post something that indicated she had a podcast. I touched base with her, got the link and listened to her first podcast that was about....guess what?...FEAR!

Let me ask you this question again: If you ASK or you SEEK guidance and wisdom from God...what are you looking for? ARE YOU EVEN LOOKING or do you have your head down to where you are missing opportunity day after day after day?

Along those lines, here is something else that I don't believe was just a "coincidence" or just something that I happened to come up with...

 

But notice, friend...first and foremost, you have to LOOK UP before anything else. Think about that and keep your eyes open!

Until next time, remember, YOU'RE HERE FOR A REASON and, whatever you do, always 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

YouTube    Project141  Oola Program

As You Get Older

I don't remember how long ago I wrote the following words for today's blog article...I wish I had included the date at the bottom of the writing. But, I did not.

I would GUESS that it was five or six years ago which would put it around 2013 or 2014 and, I may be off on that as well.

In my own life, much has changed over those past five or six years and, if I live long enough to experience another five or six years, much more will change as well.

I hope you enjoy reading this but, more importantly, I pray that you will TAKE NOTICE of what is said and allow it to make an impact on your life now and "as you get older".

(You may need to click on the image to enlarge it if you can't read it as is)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please share them with me on my Facebook page (link found below). 

And, as you go through each passing day, always 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

YouTube

Choose Wisely

If you haven't done so yet, go back and read the last blog article. It "sets up" the thoughts behind today's podcast (as well as the next one to come). Also, be sure to listen to the PODCAST that goes along with this topic by CLICKING HERE for the iTunes page or by CLICKING HERE for the RSS feed. 

When it comes to making a DECISION about the DIRECTION of our life, we must CHOOSE WISELY, wouldn't you agree? 

Think about it, we're talking about the DIRECTION FOR YOUR LIFE - FOR LIFE! Yes, you can still correct that direction at a later time if you need to but, here's the thing to remember even with that: You will be further away from where you want to be and it will be more difficult and time consuming to get where you want to be and where you planned to be to start with!

There is a saying that carpenters use when cutting boards... "Measure twice, cut once." The idea behind that is to CHOOSE WISELY but do so BEFORE you make that cut! If you don't, you will have to do it again. If you cut it too long, you will waste time having to cut it again. But, if you cut it too short, you will not only waste time but you will also waste material because you will have to use another board to try to get it right. 

The same quote could be applied to our lives and the decisions that we must make... "Think about it more than once before you act!" There is wisdom in the idea of needing to "sleep on it" before making a decision. 

There are so many important decisions that we need to make over the course of our lives. Hey, there are many important decisions that we need to make even over the course of a year, month, week and even - at times - a day! 

What career path will you choose? If you decide that you need to CHANGE the path that you are on for your career, what path will you decide to take next?  Is it really the career path that needs to be changed or is it something within you that needs to be changed?  Are you going to get married? Who will you marry? Believe me, this is a HUGE decision that will be made and it will have an impact on you and your life for years to come as well as an impact on another generation if you have children. 

Listen, even though these choices can be changed later, THERE WILL STILL BE AN IMPACT THAT WAS MADE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE on your live and/or the lives of others.

So, yeah, do you get now how important it is to CHOOSE WISELY? 

Take a moment and just jot down all of the decisions that you have to make over the course of a single day. From the time that you get up (that, by the way, is a decision that you had to make) to the time that you go to bed (yes, another choice!). No matter how small you may think that decision is, if you had a choice, write it down. When you have done so, take a minute or two and look over each of those choices and see if even these "insignificant" choices and the decisions that you made with them could have a much bigger impact on your day if you had chosen differently (good and/or bad).

WHAT YOU DO, MATTERS!  

Hey listen, your decision to take the time to read this blog article was a good choice. No, not just because I'm the one that wrote it, but because you made a decision to spend some time "feeding your brain and your mindset" some good, positive information that will help you in this process.

Choosing TO do something like this and choosing NOT to do something like this WILL have an impact on your day and, in the long run, continuing with that choice on a daily basis will have a further-reaching impact on your life (and the lives of those around you).

In the next blog article I will discuss the need to do this on a DAILY basis - don't miss it! 

Until then, 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

Your FEET Will Follow...

That is some kind of UGLY picture there, isn't it? :)

Sorry. I apologize for that. Once you catch your breath, just use  your hand to cover the picture and continue reading.

I was watching a video clip of Dani Johnson (DaniJohnson.com) the other day and she mentioned a phrase that she had heard some time in the past. "Your feet will follow your mouth" was the phrase and it has stuck with her for years.

And, it's TRUE!

You speak the direction of your life and your daily actions. You may or may not quite understand that, friend, but just know that your words ARE that powerful.

WHAT you speak and HOW you speak determines your direction. Are you kind? Considerate? Encouraging? Affirming?

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Put your money where your mouth is."?

There is more truth behind that phrase than you may realize!

What - and how - you speak may very well bring extra MONEY into your life and, just as easily, it may actually take money AWAY from your life!

I'm not talking about being a "suck-up" or "brown-noser".

I'm talking about being genuine (you can't fake that stuff for long!) and actually caring about people. The REAL you cannot help but come out for others to witness...good OR bad.

Your words - and use of them - may lead you to promotions and/or new job opportunities. They may also keep you from these things and cost you money that you didn't even know about.

Isn't there enough strife in the world? Isn't there enough strife just around YOU and YOUR world? The same is true about stress, unkind words, and all other kinds of negativity.

Don't make this a seasonal thing, make it a way of life...YOUR life.

Because, after all, your feet will follow your mouth!

Until next time, 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   4 "no cost or low cost" start ups!
 

Decisions - Part 5: "Yeah, Adults, Too!"

"Yeah, Adults, Too!"

Hopefully, as adults, we are wiser than when we were younger! I'm not sure who wrote the song but I know I've heard it sung by Rod Stewart with the words, "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger!" Nice thought, right?

But, the fact is - it doesn't work that way....it works just the opposite. We know more now than we did earlier but the key question is this: Has it made a difference in our ability to make wise choices?

For some, yes and for others, apparently not!

Now, again, let me clarify something - even the "smartest" and "most prepared" people in the world still sometimes make wrong choices. As adults, we are not immune to such things.

But, we should be able to LIMIT these poor choices a lot better than we did before simply because of our experiences in living life.

Stupid decisions come in all forms, don't they? They don't always have to be centered around marital infidelity as was mentioned in the last example given in our first episode in this series. Don't you know - hopefully - that the pro golfer who's career is basically ruined for the moment and who's family life is apparently is in shambles really regrets his unwise choices?

The reason I say, "hopefully" is that - and we've all seen this from time to time - sometimes people still refuse to admit that they made a mistake! People with this mindset are doomed to repeat stupid mistakes over and over again.

Be sure to come back tomorrow as we talk about the one "key principle" that must be followed in order for us to recover and still be productive following these HUGE mistakes.

Now then, if we, as adults, SHOULD make better decisions now, due to our experiences, WHY DON'T WE?

I know that some people may think that I "over-generalize" on some of this and, if I do, it is not intentional. I know that not ALL young people are alike or act the same. There are MANY young people that DO think things through ahead of time and that DO consider the consequences and make wise choices.

However, for the most part - in general - young people DON'T think about consequences OR, if they do, they think that they will be the exception. Why? Some of it is simply the bravado of youth and some of it is the basic feeling of invincibility that young people feel. I remember not even thinking about the possibility that I could be killed or terribly injured OR kill or injure someone else when I drove WAY beyond my experience level. In other words, I drove like an idiot!

Some of this is what we LOVE about youth - RISK TAKING!

However, all of us - young or old - must remember that, "With every night comes a morning after!".

As we get older and take on more responsibility (family, for example) we tend to "tone down" some of these youthful exuberance and think a little more about consequences. Yes, I know sometimes this leads to us being SO CAREFUL that we fail to live life, but that is another topic for another time.

Our experience can also be our downfall at times. Let me explain what I mean.

As adults, sometimes we begin to feel wise beyond our years (kind of like me driving when I was a teenager!). As adults, we feel that, through observation and experience we have it all figured out and, due to that experience - and so called "wisdom" - we can avoid the possible consequences. We've figured it all out! It won't happen to us!

Wow, sounds a whole like how young people think, if you ask me! The difference is this - when you are young, you THINK you know, but you don't due to your inexperience that comes from being young! However, as an adult, you SHOULD know and you SHOULD know better! But, for whatever reason, when temptation comes our way - in WHATEVER form - we convince ourselves that we are invincible - not due to our youth, but due to our self-perceived "wisdom".

To me, this is much sadder than seeing a young person (teen or young adult) make some of these mistakes. Why? Because as a teen or young adult, it's part of the process and HOPEFULLY you wise up before you make the HUGE blunders!

But, for an adult - YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER! You've seen countless lives ruined by making the same STUPID decisions...."but it won't happen to me!"

This applies to our relationships with our spouses and families but it also applies to ANY unwise choice that we are considering. Perhaps it has something to do with your work in some way that you have decided to cheat the company or take some sort of shortcut to bring you some financial reward.

THINK! THINK! THINK!

Remember the first basic principle that we talked about early on? First and foremost we must consider what we want our life to look like! Where do we want to go with our lives and what will that look like?

ADULT, WAKE UP! Regardless of your age, this is a process that we must STILL continue! We must STILL ask ourselves - especially when considering something that is unwise - what do want our life to look like on the other side of this? IF I choose to go through this, what might happen?

Instead of thinking, "It won't happen to me!" why not think, "What if I DO get caught and/or what if this backfires - what will happen then?"

I have talked with many an adult that felt absolutely foolish after having these unwise decisions backfire on them. And, yes, many times these are the words that come out of their mouths: "I can't believe I did that! What was I thinking? I just didn't think it would go this far and I just didn't think it would turn out this way."

But, guess what? It did. It does. YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE!

Honestly ask yourself this question....if you KNEW that after following through with this "thing" (whatever it is) that you know deep down is not wise, you would loose everything that you have - your family (ALL of your family), your job, your house and your dignity - would you still go through with it?

No, don't say, "But it won't!" - ask yourself what if you DO! No doubts - 100% sure that you will end up on the other side with nothing....would you still go through with it?

Here's the scary thought...many adults get up in the bravado of "experience" (as opposed to the bravado of youth) and still try to say that they WILL go through with it because they know nothing bad will happen. It won't happen to them.

Sad.

But it doesn't have to be IF we wake up and THINK long before we get to that situation -- this, again, is the FOUNDATIONAL principle we talked about first and foremost. It also goes along with what we discussed about making your decision EARLY instead of waiting until you are in the "heat of battle" or in the clutches of the temptation - whether sex, prestige, power or all three.

We, as adults, must also consider the point of, "Who are you listening to?". Seriously, pay close attention to this one as well!

I have been saying all along that everything that we have talked about in this series applied to adults just as much as it did to teens or young adults.

However, I felt the need to address this specifically BECAUSE ADULTS SOMETIMES FEEL THAT THEY ARE IMMUNE to the mistakes that they would make earlier on in their lives.

That, in itself, shows poor judgment, wouldn't you agree?

Again, be sure to join me tomorrow as I bring this discussion to a conclusion and talk about how ANYONE can recover from even the worst of decisions and live a productive life IF they follow this one key principle.

Until then...

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

Mike