New Plan

If you are working your way towards a goal and the plan fell apart, change but the plan, keep the goal.

Not too old to dream and achieve

As I inch my way to the middle 50's, I wonder if there is something else out there. I have had dreams that did not pan out and left me exhausted and depressed. It seems like lately the hamster went back on the wheel and I have been thinking to dream again, set goals and work towards those goals. Being 52 years is a lot different than being 22 or even 32. When older, one has to reach to get that energy that is not there like it was 20 years ago. You get more comfortable and have less desire and motivation to seek and make a grab for that brass ring.
Over the course of my lifetime, I had many plans, ideas and dreams that never went through, for one reason or another. I'm sure I could write a book on these alone. I have several things I want to do before the Lord calls me home. I can't let my age slow me down or stop me. Here are a few examples of the people that have inspired me to keep going; Harland Sanders was broke at 65 before he started Kentucky Fried Chicken; Duncan Hines was 55 when he wrote his first food guide and was 73 when his name was licensed to appear on cake box mixes; Ray Kroc was over 50 when he bought his first McDonald's; Sam Walton was 44 when he opened his first Walmart; and Joseph Campbell was 52 when he founded Campbell. Being at the tail end of the baby boomer generation, this gives me hope, and I hope it does you too.

The System

I'm currently reading a book called Work the System. The author talks about how life is one big game of Whack a Mole. Well, instead of trying to kill them above the surface, we need to dig down and kill them before they show their fury little heads. The moles are the fires we put out in life and seem to never cease. Our job should not be constantly putting out the fires but we should go into fire prevention. Make our system fireproof. I encourage my readers to check this book out. I do have a link to the web page where you can read more about the author, Sam Carpenter. #workthesystem #samcarpenter

Why settle for less?

Why Settle for Less?

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 3:17

John Flanagan, Jr., was flying a routine Air Force mission during the Vietnam War, seeking to confirm a radio report of 300 enemy Vietcong troops spotted in a nearby area. Flying low above the coordinates of the site zone, he could see nothing that aroused his suspicions or indicated the presence of enemy forces.

But just before he pulled up and headed back for base, the memory of his high-school English teacher flashed through his mind. Father John Mulroy was one of those instructors who never allowed halfhearted work to be passed off as acceptable. His students—like John Flanagan—either gave it their very best or got the consequences for just getting by.

So with a new resolve to swing around and look more closely this time, he spotted a gathering of Vietcong. Not only that, he noticed a squad of American gunships zooming into position to blow them away.

But something didn't look right. Sinking lower, skimming just above the treetops, Flanagan buzzed his plane right into harm's way and recognized that the troops on the ground were not Vietcong but South Vietnamese forces—friendlies! By blocking the ensuing battle at the risk of his own life, he stopped a dose of bad reconnaissance from leading to regrettable bloodshed.

The disaster John Flanagan courageously helped avoid by going the extra mile that day earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross and the admiration of his fellow airmen. But many of the accolades could have legitimately gone to a tough-minded teacher who wouldn't let his students settle for second best.

Are you challenging one another and your children to be the very best you can be?

The most expensive land

Recently, there was an article that told how the wealthiest places on earth are not the oil fields of the Middle East nor the diamond mines of South Africa. The wealthiest places are the cemeteries. Buried in the ground are businesses that were never formed, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, potential that was never realized, and dreams that never came to pass.

Do you have regrets?

A university did a study with members of the senior community and asked what they regretted most. The majority said more risks and missed opportunities.
I have missed a lot of opportunities and risks in my life. I regret not going to Rome while in Italy, having a closer walk with Jesus, treating my friends and family better, retiring from the Marines, being a better dad and husband, not starting my business sooner when the passion burned in my heart thirty years ago, wanting to step out of the box when I was "too comfortable" and the list goes on.
What will be your biggest regrets?

At work

"The work place is one of the most common areas where "over the cubicle" conversations happen. Avoid floating stories or anecdotes about your new business to see how people will react. Don't give verbal presentations about the business standing around the water cooler or at the lunch table. Avoid drawing your compensation plan out on a napkin for co-workers at break time. Remember that every prospect needs to see a full presentation from start to finish so that they can have all the information and make an informed decision." -MJ Durkin