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The Results of Thinking Big

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In our previous Wisdom Note, we explored The Science of Thinking Big. In today’s note, we will expand on the topic of thinking big.

As we consider the concept of thinking big, we have to understand that there is effort exerted in thinking big or small. Take advantage of economies of scale. In many cases, thinking big and taking action on large tasks takes no more time and effort than working on small tasks. But, the results are much bigger and better, and the achievement is greater. I have seen people that have worked harder thinking about how to get out of doing something than if they would just think big and do the work.

 It can be much easier to succeed by thinking big, rather than thinking small. So many individuals are thwarted in life because their thinking is so confined and small. I realize that not everyone has the opportunity to travel and stretch themselves and their world by experiencing other peoples and cultures. With today’s technology, though, there is no reason that you cannot expand your horizons and thinking through virtual travel and experiences. It is literally at our fingertips today.

How to Think and Achieve Big

1. Be positive and fearless.

Negative or fearful thoughts produce small thinking. Think positively. Eliminate the word “impossible.” Successful big thinkers come up with reasons why they “can.” Others find reasons why they “can’t.” “Success comes in cans, not in cannots.”

Whichever way you think, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Big thinkers see problems as a challenge, and any challenge as an opportunity. Their big thinking creates unlimited possibilities, alternatives, and solutions. Turn your attention to being brave, bold and optimistic. I realize that Mark 10:27 is specifically dealing with the salvation experience, but the truth is still applicable if we are pursuing a right course of action for our lives. “Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.'”

2. Visualize without restraint.

It is not a lack of resources that holds people back but a lack of resourcefulness. A big thinker visualizes what is possible in the future, rather than being stuck in the present or mired in the past. Look at things not as they are now, but as they can be – without constraints. This mental rehearsal gives you a compelling taste of what your vision will be like in reality, and the impetus to make it happen. Come up with creative solutions to realize your goals.

3. Ask BIG questions.

Practice asking yourself and others some really big and challenging questions, such as:

  • If there was one thing you could change about your world, what would it be?
  • If you had an unlimited supply of money, what would you do?
  • If you had all the time in the world, what would you do?
  • Who in your world would benefit the most from what you know?

Ask for feedback on your ideas from family, friends and associates, but realize they may not have the same vision and big thinking that you do. Locate someone that can mentor you and would be honest with you and have your best interest at heart. Feedback from other people discussing such big questions is invaluable.

4. Be creative and dream big.

The size of your belief determines the size of your success. The key to success is imagination. Allow yourself to dream, take note of your greatest idea, and then concentrate on that and don’t give up until your vision is a reality. Create a vision that is so inspirational that it ignites the fire within you and gets you excited to work towards it.  “Life is too short for small dreams.”

5. Set short and long term goals and stick to them.

Set realistic goals and plans, both short and long term. Keep your focus laser-like as you aim towards achieving it. Turn your attention to what you want, and make it happen. What you focus on, and what you take action on, you will achieve. Successful people are those who are doing everything they can to achieve their goals. “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus,” Alexander Graham Bell.

6. Inspire those around you.

 The ability to leverage and inspire others is key. Big ideas motivate and inspire those around you, and in this highly connected world, it has never been easier to attract and build a following around a big idea. Leverage those around you to give yourself the best chance of making your ideas a reality.

 7. Take action.

 Goals are dreams that are captured, pinned down, and action-planned. Followed through by action; it ensures success. Take steps towards your big goal on a daily basis. “In life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action,” Tony Robbins.

8. Above all, believe in yourself.

Belief is the most important part of achieving big. If you believe it can happen, it can happen. Magnify your thinking power. Be confident. Know that you can do it, and you will be unstoppable!

Never underestimate the power of thinking big. Thinking big widens your horizons, taking you out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. Expand your mind, your thinking, and your horizons. The higher you aim, the higher you will go. Big thinking gets you big results!

If you’re going to be thinking, you may as well think big.” 

The Science of Thinking Big

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Switching Your Thinking

At the end of each week and the start of a new one, I like to reflect on what I was able to accomplish and look forward in anticipation of what I can accomplish in the next week. I ask myself, “What actions can I take to impact my world for good this coming week?” Many times our trek of life is to just continue on what we are doing, to take one step after another, and to be faithful and consistent in doing what is right, just, and fair in every interaction or transaction that we have. Small incremental actions consistently practiced each day will have an enormous impact over time.

Within our Wisdom Notes today visualize with me this scenario: We are starting to hike on a  trail and we see the huge mountains before us. As we view these mountains we can look at them in one of two ways. We can say:

These mountains are so huge that I will never be able to scale them

or

We can look at the challenge before us with excitement and enthusiasm and think, “What a great day it is to trek to the summit and see the beautiful view that waits for me there!”

Today’s Wisdom Note is about the science of thinking big versus thinking small. I call it a science because it has been proven empirically that what we think about a situation, or indeed life, largely determines how it will turn out. Now, if you find yourself in a valley of despair at the moment and desire to scale to the mountain peaks, it may take some time. As with everything in life, we need to take it one step at a time. Given enough time, being persistent and consistent, we can even move mountains. An old Chinese Proverb puts it this way, “The man who moved a mountain was the one who began carrying away small stones.” So, regardless of where you are on your trek, start carrying away small stones, and soon the mountains will be moved.

As a person of faith, I recognize there is also clear evidence from Scripture that our thinking or faith has a major impact on the outcomes in our lives. I always want to be very careful that I do not take verses of Scripture out of context in order to fit my point, but there are many instances within Scripture where Christ taught that our thinking, or faith, was a contributing factor in the outcome of healings and other miracles.

Now, I do not profess to fully understand how our thinking and/or faith intertwine with the sovereign will of God. I realize that people with great faith still become ill or have other problems in life, seemingly outside of their control. Things break down and fall apart, whether it is a car, washing machine, or even our bodies. This is due to the fact that we are part of a fallen world, and that there are certain “laws of nature” that God allows to play out in our lives. Obviously, the better we take care of any of these, the better chance that they will not break down as quickly.

Even though I do not fully understand the mind of God in many matters, I do understand there is a direct correlation between our thinking and beliefs (or faith) and the results. One example of this is when Christ’s disciples were unable to heal a demon-possessed boy in Matthew 17:19-20, “Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, ‘Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?’ ‘You don’t have enough faith,’ Jesus told them. ‘I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.’”

This is a powerful statement about the impact of how our thinking/faith impacts the results that we see in life. Now, I have never heard of anyone literally being able to move a physical mountain. But, there are many situations where people have overcome mountainous obstacles and have gone on to greatness because in their thinking they believed that it was possible.

Our thinking does impact the outcomes in our lives. Our attitudes toward life are very important because our “Attitudes are patterns of thinking formed over a long period of time.” 

The way to switch from small thinking to big thinking is to control what goes into your mind. “You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” 

What you allow to permeate your mind will be what and how you think. You either need to control your thinking, or your thinking will control you. What your mind dwells on, your body acts on. You will become what your think about. “How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking.”

You must constantly ask yourself these questions:

  • Who am I around?
  • What are they doing to me?
  • What do they have me reading or watching?
  • What do they have me saying?
  • Where do they have me going?
  • What do they have me thinking?
  • And most importantly, what do they have me becoming?

Then ask yourself the big question, “Is that okay?” Your life does not get better by chance. It gets better by change.

“Your thinking today determines your performance today.”

Guard your thoughts as if they were precious gold and jewels for they are much more valuable than any wealth. Your thoughts are your true wealth.

Proverbs 4:23 encourages, “Guard your heart (mind) above all else for it determines the course of your life.”

As your guide, friend, mentor, and fellow sojourner, let me know how I can help you become a better leader and mentor to your tribe.

How to Become a Mentor

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Attaining Mentor Status

Within our Wisdom Note, we want to consider the three character traits required to create a living legacy. In order to create a legacy, we must be able to lead or mentor others. In order to lead and mentor others, we need to traverse certain trails, or you might say, put into practice certain habits that will allow us to attain the status of a leader and mentor. I will be so brash today as to say that we cannot positively lead or mentor others unless we hike these three trails on a regular basis.

The model for our Wisdom Note today show­s us the three trails that we will travel and are learned from a Hebrew priest Ezra who was taken into exile in Babylon by King Artaxerxes­. Ezra was allowed to return to Jerusalem to assess the city’s condition. In Chapter 7 verses 8 through 10, “Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in August of that year. He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the New Year, and he arrived in Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.”

Verse 10 gives us the pattern to follow in order to become leaders and mentors.

1. Learn it.

Our first trail that we will explore is the “Learn It” trail. Before you can ever hope to lead or mentor others you must first learn the practical lessons of life and grow in wisdom yourself. You need to foster the spirit of continual learning within yourself. With the resources that are available using today’s technology, there is no excuse for remaining unlearned or ignorant in any area of life. In fact, as rapidly as the world is changing, if you are not continually learning, then you will quickly lose your skills and, therefore, your value in many areas of life.

“The most important skill to acquire is learning how to learn.”

Be a lifelong student. Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. “The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young,” Henry Ford.

The more you learn, the more you earn, and the more self-confidence you will have. Learning does take self-discipline­. In fact Proverbs 12:1 says, “To learn, you must love discipline­; it is stupid to hate correction­.” And Proverbs 18:15 puts it this way, “Intellige­nt people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.­” As we look back at Ezra 7:10, we see that “Ezra had determined to study.”

2. Live it.

The second trail that we explore is the “Live It” trail. You need to apply what you have learned to your life and live it each day. It needs to become part of the very fabric of your life. What actually generates tangible results in your life is to regularly and consistently apply what you have learned. The whole point of absorbing new information is so that you can apply it in everyday life.

Leadership or mentorship is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. You have to live what you have learned each day. Yes, you need to learn from others who are wise, but you will also need to display wisdom. Practicing what you have learned is not a one-time occurrence­, but it becomes a habit in your life. It becomes who you are. This results in a life of integrity.

“Learning the golden rule is of no value until you practice it.”

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian­s stated it in this manner in Chapter 4 verse 9, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everyth­ing you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

We see that “Ezra put into practice what he studied: and obey the Law of the Lord.”

3. Loan it.

The third trail to explore is the “Loan It” trail. Once you have taken the time to learn how to be a good leader and mentor and have shown with your life that you practice what you have learned, it is a crime to your world if you do not loan that wisdom to others by leading and mentoring them.

It is your obligation and responsibi­lity to help others. I call this loaning to others because you always retain what you have learned and practiced, even when you share it with others. It is the multiplier effect. It is an abundance mentality. The more you learn and share with others, the more it multiplies.

Whatever your field of endeavor, mentoring is an important part of what you do. In fact, I would say it is a requirement.

A large part of mentoring requires that you awaken in others their sleeping talents and abilities. It is difficult to actually teach others; it is more about giving to them the ability to think and learn on their own. If you teach people how to think, you will prepare them to deal with life with greater capability than teaching them what to think.

As mentioned in Proverbs 1:2-4, as a leader and mentor our primary objective should be to, “teach people wisdom and discipline­, to help them understand the insights of the wise…to teach people to live discipline­d and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair…this will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernmen­t to the young.”

Now, this is true mentoring. “As a mentor, real satisfacti­on comes when you inspire others to be the best that they can be.” Ezra did the same “to teach those decrees and regulation­s to the people of Israel.”

As your guide, friend, mentor, and fellow sojourner, let me know how I can help you become a better leader and mentor to your tribe.

Stepping Off the Cliff

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Life Changes and Cliff Hangers

Within our Wisdom Notes, we want to explore how to handle any major change in our lives. With the diagnosis of leukemia in our 2 1/2 year-old granddaughter Hazel six weeks ago, we who are close to her and her situation certainly feel that we are stepping off the cliff. Today as we consider the topic of stepping or maybe even slipping off a cliff, we need to consider how we are going to handle it in advance.

Major changes in life, whether by choice or by circumstance, can be intimidating, even very scary. But life is about having the faith to move forward, even when the path ahead is not clear or solid. To grow in wisdom, we need to gain the confidence to continue as we take one more step, even when the trail before us is shrouded in fog, and we cannot see our way. During those times, it is easy to lose our footing and not know how to recover.

Visualize we are hiking up a long, winding trail on a beautiful mountainside. The flowers are wafting their summer scents through the warm air. The hummingbirds are darting to and fro, seemingly effortless in their flight. The path is not smooth, but the rocks do not hinder our progress. Occasionally, a tree limb or root causes a short detour. We navigate around these minor obstructions and get back onto the path, winding its way to the peak.

As you round a sharp corner in front of you, the trail suddenly narrows. As you place one sure foot in front of the other, there is a drop off that appears before you. There is sheer rock below you for hundreds of feet. It startles you as a few loose pebbles find thier way down into the apparently bottomless span before you. Then one of your feet slips, and you start to tumble.

Scary situation, isn’t it? It makes my heart pound just to ponder it!

Life’s trek can be similar to this. Most days we can easily navigate across small detours, and it is easy enough to get back on the path. In some seasons, though…as we traverse the trail before us on this trek we call “life,” dark shadows fall across our way. Some days we face torrential rainstorms that prevent any evident progress. Yet we must press on and on, ever upward. But what about those cliffs of life? What happens when we lose our footing or we step off the cliff?

Stepping off of a cliff is analogous to any major life change. How is the best way to deal with those changes so that you land on your feet and can walk away with little collateral damage?

1. Accept the Change

The most surefire way to make a big change more difficult for yourself is to fight it. Although having a hard time letting go is a natural reaction, a desire to live in the past will only cause more pain and prolong the adjustment period. Instead of dwelling on what you’re leaving behind on the solid path, such as a home, a job, close family, or security — focus on getting through the change right now and create a positive future. In order to do that successfully, you must first accept the reality that your life will no longer be the same. “The only constant in life is change. In order to succeed, you must embrace this fact.”

2. Find Time for Reflection

Whether it’s journaling, meditation, prayer, Bible study, taking long walks on your own, or talking to a trusted friend, periods of change are when it’s most important to stop and assess how you’re feeling about everything. Self-reflection can help you identify your main sources of challenge and worry, and to see other sides of the situation. Taking time for reflection will also help you to act mindfully and with intention as you take your next steps. Even Christ got away from the crowds and spent time reflecting. We see this in Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”

3. Take It One Day At A Time

When you start feeling overwhelmed by all the changes that are taking place, remember to take things one step and one day at a time. Set small, attainable goals for the future, and try not to get wrapped up in speculations or anxieties about where your future is headed. Learning to live in the now — not in your nostalgia for the past or worry about the future — will make any challenges seem more manageable. If it helps, create a timeline and write down your goals and plans, both long-term and short-term. None of us knows what tomorrow holds, so focus mostly on today. Abraham Lincoln told us,  “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”

4. Find a Mentor

Talking to an older friend or relative who has successfully stepped on the cliff and lived to tell about it can make a huge difference in helping you feel equipped to handle the change. Take the time to meet for coffee, lunch, or a long-distance remote time to hear their story and ask for advice on conquering your own big change. The wisdom that can be found in others is worth any price. Proverbs 1:23 encourages, “Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.”

5. Learn To Be An Optimist

Overcoming negative thought patterns and cultivating a positive outlook will shift your mindset so that you learn to see opportunities for growth where previously there were only roadblocks. The sun is always shining above the clouds of life. Every big change has something beneficial to bring to your life. ” Before you change your thinking, you have to change what goes into your mind,” Zig Ziglar.

When you do slip and stumble, and you will, if you are a Christ follower, you will be able to persevere through God’s strength and find solid ground with a new song in our hearts as is reflected in Psalms 40:1-3,

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.”

Let’s move forward on our trek, realizing that when you do step off the cliff, you will be able to land on your feet. No change will be so large that you cannot handle it. As your guide, friend, mentor, and fellow sojourner, let me know how I can help when you find yourself stepping off a cliff.

The Secret Sauce of Success – Part 2

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The Additional Ingredients for Success

As I mentioned in our previous Wisdom Note, I believe that everyone desires to be successful in life, but what success means to you may be completely different than what it means to me. Regardless of what you view as success, there is a “recipe” that contains 20 special ingredients that will help you to be successful in any area of your life. If you missed the previous Wisdom Note with the first 10 ingredients, be sure to read it as well. This week I will provide you with the final 10 ingredients that you will need in your life to be successful. 

  • 11.) You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option. – To be successful, you cannot fall prey to making excuses as is so readily done today.  Take responsibility for your actions, and do everything with excellence.  As I have worked with team members within our businesses throughout the years, and with my own children, I have tried to emphasize that in everything I expected results, not excuses.  “Even when you fail, don’t become a victim. Be a victor.”  The only way to learn how to ride a horse is to get back on every time you fall off. “It’s easier to go ahead and succeed than it is to spend all the time and energy it takes making excuses,” Jim Rohn. Success = No Excuses.
  • 12.) You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.” – To be successful, it is not always wise to just accept what you have been told, even if it is supposedly a fact. Discover the results for yourself. Forge a new path on your trek of life. “Discoveries are often made by not following instructions; by going off the main road; by trying the untried,” Frank Tyger.
  • 13.) You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot. – There is nothing wrong with making honest mistakes, even if it casts you in a negative light. A life of making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. Although none of us want to look like an idiot, we need to put away our pride and the façade that we try to portray to makes us look better. We should not be afraid of making mistakes, but be afraid if we are not learning from those mistakes. “Through mistakes and learning from them, we gain experience and wisdom.” Face it. You are going to make mistakes in life. It’s what you do after the mistakes that really counts. So, get over yourself and pursue success. In his letter to the dispersed Jews, Christ’s half-brother James put it this way in Chapter 3 verse 2,“Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”
  • 14.) You have to try and fail and try again. – The only lasting failure that we will have in life is if we fail to try. You will not become a permanent failure unless you are satisfied with being one. “Mistakes are the stepping stones on our trail of life.” Celebrate when you fail, for then you will know one more trail that did not lead you to your destination. You will only be poor if you allow yesterday’s failures to bankrupt tomorrow’s efforts. One of my virtual mentors, Zig Ziglar said it well, “Failure is an event, not a person. Yesterday ended last night and today is a brand new day.”
  • 15.) You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath. – No runner quits when they are out of breath, for they realize that if they run, maybe even faster, it will not be too long before they get their second wind. It is a physical and psychological fact. It is the pain of losing that first wind that needs to drive you onto success. Run for the prize.
  • 16.) You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you. – Some people are just cruel and unkind. That is a fact in life. We should never treat them in the same manner. Yes, sometimes those people will cause us to be angry, which is understandable, but that never gives us the right to be cruel. We will never be successful long term if we are cruel to others. When Christ taught us the Golden Rule he put it this way,“Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!” “Be kind. You never know what battle others are fighting.”
  • 17.) You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled. – To obtain a level of success you must not only meet deadlines, you must exceed expectations of those you are serving. Don’t be content with doing only what is expected. Do more and do it with excellence. It’s the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.
  • 18.) You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong. – Personal responsibility is so important for success. Be willing to accept the results of your actions, good or bad. Don’t blame others if you fail. Be fully accountable for your own life. If others are to blame then you have given them control. Success is putting aside our pride, accepting responsibility, and then making it right.
  • 19.) You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you. – As we have talked before about the obstacles that appear on the trails of life, we need to keep moving forward. Find a way over, under, around, or through every obstacle that you encounter. That is the stuff life is made of. “If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals.
  • 20.) The secret sauce to winning is all the other 19 points blended with sweat equity. – Our last ingredient in our Secret Sauce of Success is the blending of the previous 19 ingredients into the sweat equity that allows us to accomplish our success.
Success never comes easy. It will cause you to sweat. Many times it is actually blood, sweat, and tears before success. I know that has been true in my life. Be willing to mix these 20 crucial ingredients together, and you will possess the Secret Sauce of Success.