Every effect has a cause and every cause has effects (Principle no. 17).  You are a co-creator of your future.  Every decision, commitment and action you take will bring about certain results.  If you don't like the results that are being shown in your life....your only choice is to change the cause (your actions).  

I am constantly amazed at the foolishness of the beliefs that our society holds.  They can't figure out why they are overweight.  They can't determine what brought about the relationship breakup.  They don't understand how their bank account can empty so quickly.  And they continue to look to outside resources to deal with their dilemmas.  Overweight? Take a pill.  Bad relationship? Talk to Dr._____.  Anxiety due to having no funds? Take a pill.  ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?  The solution to any problem is never on the outside.  ALL solutions to ALL problems reside withIN.  The accumulation of constant, consistent actions lead to the results that you have.  Want different results?--LOOK INWARD and make different choices.

I work in the health field and people are always in shock when I explain that it will take time to restore their health.  After all, it took 25 years of poor eating, lack of movement and stress that has put them in the position they are in....it WILL take time and energy to restore and reclaim their life.  But we live in what I call the 'Microwave Age'--meaning we want it now, we don't want to have to do anything to make it happen AND we want to have a loud buzzer go off when it's complete. COME ON!! 

All great journeys....whether we are talking about health or success take a plan, time, repetition and commitment.  Leave either of those four out of the equation and you are setting yourself up for failure.

Today...take a truthful look in the mirror (no B.S. here)  BE 100% honest with yourself and find out what can you do different (cause) to create a different result (effect).   You have one life and it is yours to live.  You may as well create the effect that you want by causing it to happen consciously.

Playwright David Mamet wrote:
'On June 5th, 1944 thousands of American paratroopers
jumped into Normandy. Four men refused to jump. Can you imagine, can anyone
imagine the rest of these men's lives? What prodigies of self-excuse, rationale,
or repression they must have had to employ? Their lives, in effect, ended the
moment they refused to leave the plane. As would the lives of the Jews, had they
refused to go into the sea. As will yours and mine, and as they do in part, we
each refuse the opportunity to change---we stagnate and perform ever greater
prodigies of repression hypocrisy, to explain to ourselves why we don't immerse
ourselves in the mysteries of life. We all die in the end, but there's no reason
to die in the middle."

DO SOMETHING BIG TODAY. Think Big! Act Big and BE
BIG!! WHO will have the BIGGEST WIN today? Create life, Empower Life....Open up
people's minds of what IS possible!!!

Basketball. Football. Wrestling. Track. Even Chess.  All rely on a clock.  Basketball goes so far even to allow only 45 seconds for a team score (aka the shotclock).  This march of time is prominetly displayed above the backboard for both teams to know how much time is left for them to have the ball and attempt to shoot a basket.  When the time hits 0.00 a loud buzzer goes off and hands the ball over to the other team.

In our lives, unfortunately....there is no loud buzzer when our game of life is over. We don't get to turn the ball over and go on and try again.  No, when the clock hits 0.00 on our life, it's over..period.  So you MUST value each 'posession'.  Each 'play' must be executed with great attention to detail.  You must have a plan of attack.  You only have 86,400 second in a day....use them all to pursue your greatest life. 

Everyone has the potential to live way beyond average..As Robert Kriegael and Louis Patler write in If it Ain't Broke...Break It!, "We don't have a clue as to what people's limits are. All the tests, stopwatches, and finish lines in the world can't measure human potential. When someone is pursuing their dream, they'll go far beyond what seems to be their limitations. The potential that exists within us is limitless and largely untapped....when you think of limits, you create them."

What you think about...you bring about.  Think healthy--you BE-come healthy. Think success--you BE-come successful.  Think poverty--and you BE-come poor.  You have no idea what your potential is.  The only thing that can hold you back...is YOU.  It's not your collegue, spouse, co-worker, assistant, kids, community....it's YOU!  The good news is that with this knowledge comes responsibility.  YOU have a responsibility to the world, your loved one's but more to yourself to unveil your greatest gift to the world.  Unfortunately many people think that success/health comes merely by 'thinking' it so......they do affirmations, chant mantras, purchase books, go to seminars etc. which are all highly effective...TO A POINT!  What is really going to make a change in your life is ACTION!  You can talk all you want about wanting to become healthier, more successful,  more money at the end of the month vs more month at the end of your money but if you don't DO something about it...nothing is going to change. 

Develop a habit of setting 3-5 action steps that you will take every day to push you toward your goal. With consistent, conscious efforts comes health, success, abundance and happiness.  Get busy & GET INSPIRED!

 “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people  will
come for miles to watch you burn.”
-John Wesley

A spark.  A Thought.  A Choice. A Decision.  They all seem so simple and yet at the same time, if not used....meaningless. Yet, if embraced and acted upon,all of them can light up your life.  You see, many people have an idea...and while it may seem as simple and small as the little spark of a match....it too has the power to literally illuminate the world.  Think about it, do you think the Wright Brothers had any idea of the maginitude in altering the world by 'discovering' flight?  Or how many jobs would came about from Henry Ford's idea of the assembly line on automobiles.  From that 'simple' concept came roads, department of transportations, road signs etc.  All HUGE concepts began as a little thought; a spark.

What is your 'spark?  Do not hesitate with it or be put off from doing it by other people.  YOU were put here to do something great.  It's time to turn your spark into a flame and let that fire begin to brighten your life.  

Emerson once said ‘See how the mass of men worry themselves into nameless graves, while here and there a great unselfish soul forgets himself into immortality.’ (read that one again….slowly)  Many of us get so confused with what WE want, we worry so much about what it is that we think WE need.  Some of us even go so far as to get caught up in our past successes and/or failures that we forget that we really aren't in this world for 'US'....we are here to make a difference to those around us.

I once heard author/inspirational speaker-Lisa Nichols (The Secret) say "Your life wasn't given to you to give to you.....but to give others theirs."  (You might want to write that one down) We sometimes get caught up in the day-to-day grind of going to work, coming home, going to bed and repeating this over and over for years.  Newsflash:  You weren't put here for work.  You were put here to make a difference in the world and in the lives of those who surround you.  Until you realize that, life will not have meaning.  Life will not be inspiring and you won't be able to figure out why things never go your direction. To reiterate what Emerson so eloquently stated…..in order to be truly great, to unleash the warrior within----we must simply get out of our own way.
Get out of your way......Lives are at stake---yours included!
GET INSPIRED!

How do you count to a billion? One number at a time. 
How do to you run a mile? One step at a time.
How do you strengthen a relationship? One day at a time.

It seems so simple when these types of questions are asked.  Yet when we ask ourselves such simple questions such as: How do I get healthy? How do I create a successful business? How do I have an amazing family relationship.  Sometimes the common responses I hear are things crazy like.....take a new weight pill, buy a new diet book, purchase a new exercise machine. CRAZY!  Living in the society that we do...what I refer to as the "Microwave Peeps"--meaning we want it done as soon as possible, we don't want to be around when the work is being done and we want to get a *ding* when it's complete.  WAKE UP PEOPLE. 

It doesn't matter if you are talking about health, success, prosperity, relationships or financial abundance...it all comes about by taking ONE STEP AT A TIME.  Chunking down your goals to: What simple step can I do TODAY that will push me toward my ultimate goal?  Wake up each morning before you crawl out of bed and answer that simple yet profound question every day for the rest of your life and I am sure you will have anything and everything you desire. 

So to answer the question....How do you eat an elephant?  You eat it one bite at a time!

The final area of the 3E's involves:
3. Empowerment.  Many people I see in the world are walking mummies.  They have no passion, no enthusiasm and absolutely no drive for anything.  They are waiting to be empowered.  I encourage you to find amazing things about people--and tell them.  It's as simple as that.  Don't you love it when someone says something nice about you?  Why wouldn't othe rpeople.  Choose to find the good in everyone--and let them know you see it.  Here's the interesting part---many people either 1. don't know they are good at something or 2. have never been told they are good at something so they don't even know it is their 'gift'.  The more you can find ways to empower others, the more other people will begin noticing how great you are.  Whatever goes around....comes around.

Begin implementing these seemingly simple 3-E's into your life and watch the power that come forth.

The second 'E' that I feel can substatially differentiate you from the norm is:
2.  Exceed Expectations:  Many times at work, at home or when we're just out and about we do the norm.  If something calls for 70% effort, we give 70% effort....just to get by.  As a member of the Inspired Nation, we're looking for more and in order to do that, you must BE more and DO more than what is expected.  If someone expects a phone call, deliver a letter an email and a phone call.  If someone expects something to be done next week---have it ready for them by the end of this week.  Do more than what people expect.  I'll never forget when I went out to eat at a restaurant for my birthday as a kid and the location that we ate at did the typical---all the employees gathered around the table and sang 'Happy Birthday' with the cusomary slice of brownie with whipped cream and candle.  They could have stopped there and I would have been satisified--but they didn't.  Not only did they sing, bring the brownie and candle...but they also brought me a birthday hat, I got to pick something from the 'magic gift box', someone from their team took a picture of our entire party and had the picture placed in a logo'd frame before we left.  And then as we left I was given a t-shirt that said "I just had a rockin' birthday at ______"  It was awesome!  As a kid, I was blown away!  Do you think we went back to that restaurant?  You bet we did.... ALOT!  Where can you do this in your daily life?  Show up with flowers for a rockstar team member. Take someone out for lunch for no good reason.  Purchase the person behind you in line at that coffee shops order.  Find ways to exceed expectations and watch how much fun life can become.
(Final segment coming tomorrow of the 3E's)