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7 Activities to Integrate Into Your Life

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Within our Wisdom Note today, let us consider the various activities that make up each day, if you are like me, you feel that there is just no way to add anything else to an already overflowing schedule. My question to you is “Are the activities you are involved in for this season of life congruent with your life purpose and objectives? Are these activities moving you closer to or farther away from your destination in life?” These are hard choices that you will have to make, and you will need to learn how to say no to the good activities so you can say yes to the best activities.

There are some universal activities or habits, though, that all of us should integrate into our lives to ensure that we are moving toward a life that is both rich and satisfying.

Consider replacing some of your less productive activities/habits with ones that have better benefits. This will allow you to create and live your legacy each day. Here are the activities/habits that I recommend.

1. Exercise

Working out is good for the body, mind, and soul. According to various studies, people who exercise 30 minutes a day, five times a week, enjoy better overall brain health, including uplifted mood, reduced stress, increased creativity, and clearer thinking. Exercise is one of the best activities you can be involved in to stay alert and alive. For me, the best time to exercise is early morning. I set aside about 75 minutes each morning for this activity. I do include listening to devotional materials, podcasts, and audiobooks into exercising to maximize the use of my time.

2. Hobbies

Have you ever noticed that some of the most productive and successful people also lead rather interesting lifestyles in addition to their careers? That comes largely from the personal pastimes they choose to enjoy. Hobbies are a good outlet for stress and an excellent source of creativity. Although I really do love work, I also enjoy renovating The Big House and taking care of the grounds. These are times of relaxing and thinking for me.

3. Learning

Success in all areas of life means fostering a love of learning. If you want to inspire a love of learning inside yourself, learn something new. With access to virtually unlimited resources through the internet, you are able to learn anything that you choose. Most people learn something that will be useful to them in their careers, but don’t limit yourself…a universe of learning is available at your fingertips. One study shows that a strong atmosphere of learning new things can help increase personal and business productivity by 37 percent. With online tutorials, web-based informational courses, and apps that offer assistance with just a few taps, you don’t have an excuse not to learn something new.

4. Meditation

Even if you do not consider yourself a person of faith, there are many ways to practice meditation. For me, meditation is praying and reading of Scripture, but for you, it may be something else. These practices can be incorporated into yoga, martial arts, and other practices for calming the mind. Meditation can help increase relaxation, improve productivity, facilitate creativity, and maintain your general overall well-being. It could simply mean sitting in stillness for 20 minutes twice a day, or leaning back in your chair, staring up at the ceiling, and forgetting the world for 10 minutes.

5. Service

If you’re losing sight of perspective and what matters to you most, take an opportunity to serve others, especially the less fortunate. Giving back to your community helps you think about things besides a pursuit of success. This will enable you to evaluate life from a different perspective. It is one of the best ways to put your life into perspective and reduce the stress that comes from constantly focusing on your own problems. It is even proven to be one of the most effective ways to overcome depression.

6. Reading

This is somewhat tied to point three on learning, but it can also be a way of relaxing and meditating. The best way to stay up to date with activities and information is to read. Whether you’re keeping up on the latest news, studying a business-oriented self-help book, or reading the biography of a successful person you admire, reading can help boost your creativity, improve your thought processes at work or home, and enable you to de-stress after a long day.

7. Family

Take a break every now and then to devote your entire attention to those you love most. For just a few hours a week, stop thinking about the things that happen at work or other activities, and enjoy what’s going on at home and with your family. Healthy, happy, and successful people understand that taking a break with their loved ones keeps them sane as they hike up the mountain of life toward their life purposes and objectives. Your family should be the most important aspect of life’s trek because they are the ones that you will ultimately have the most impact on.

Many of us, including myself, don’t take enough time to enjoy what God has so richly blessed us with. I am reminded of this in these verses:

2 Timothy 2:6 – And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 – And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Within our Wisdom Note today, we located the 7-mile markers or activities that we should all incorporate into our lives. Next we will hike the trail that will teach us the 9 life lessons we can learn from the mountains. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and make it a habit to listen to our five days a week podcast.

Life Is Like Money

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On our trek today, we will hike on the Money Trail as we explore that the value of life is not diminished regardless of its condition.

Do you wonder what life is like money relates to? It is not about having a significant amount of money, and it isn’t about having a great big bank account so you can do whatever you want.

Value Beyond Crumpled And Wrinkled

Instead, life is like money because, barring destroying it with fire, it always has value, no matter how crumpled it is, how used it is, or if it is stained with coffee or magic marker or crayons used by a child thinking it is something to draw on.

Life is something like money in that you still have value no matter how many times you have been downtrodden or how often you have failed in your attempts to excel at a certain sport or how many times you have failed to succeed in starting a successful business.

Who You Are Matters More

The bright spot here is that your value does not come from what you have or what you own or how many homes you have around the world or any of these materialistic things. Your value is who you are not what you have.

Value Behind Bars

Even if someone is in prison for committing crimes against humanity, it does not lessen his or her value at all. To me, it doesn’t matter what criminal activity brings a person to prison. Instead, it is more about the value of the person within.

For a lot of prisoners, even when they are released, they wear the stigma of being a convict for the rest of their lives because they saw no value in themselves.

Failure Does Not Diminish Value

Many people who have failed often devalue themselves thinking that their failure demonstrated that they should never think of having more than they have had in the past.

Unfortunately, these types of people do not learn the most valuable lesson there is and that is failures are your best teacher.

The point is to learn from mistakes, take out what was done right, and then incorporate that planning and thinking into the next business or life event. I remember the story of a guy who started a small pre-cooked meal business hoping to move away from his current job that he loathed.

When this business did not produce the results he wanted, he just plain and simply gave up trying or even thinking of another business he could start that would move him to where he wanted to be. Would you say that this person devalued their ability to succeed?

Real Value Established Through Living to the Fullest

The value is in the person; the value is in the quest to move beyond that which comes easy; the value is who you are through hard times, and the value is also who you become when you surpass your own expectations. Do you want to be more like money?

Even if you are still unconvinced of your value after this, realize that in God’s sight you are more valuable than any other part of creation. Luke 12:6-7 tells us, “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

And Luke 12:23-25 tells us, “For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” 

Today we looked at how life is like money and when we realize that our lives are valuable regardless of who we are or what we have accomplished, we will become valuable. God always sees us as valuable. The lessons that we can learn from each other are also valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day on our Wisdom-Trek Podcast.

9 Principles to Create Your Living Legacy

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As we focus on our Wisdom Note today, we must realize that each day on our trek of life can be challenging and full of unexpected detours and obstacles. While some days will be sunny and bright and give us the feeling that we can literally conquer mountains, there will be other days that are cloudy when the cold wind and rain blow against us to the point that it is difficult to move forward.

If we anticipate and prepare for both the sunny and rainy days, regardless of what we are facing on a particular day, we will keep in mind our ultimate destination and keep moving forward. This week’s trail is an extension of what we discovered last week, but from a slightly different perspective. We will put our power of observation to the test once again and look for the 9 signposts that will help us to be creating and living our legacy each day.

As your guide and mentor in our weekly Wisdom Notes, I am a bit of a philosopher and also love principles. Yes, actions are great, and I talk about them regularly. But, the important stuff is what lies underneath, which are our principles or precepts – the very foundation from which our actions grow.

These are the principles we must commit to in order to create and live the legacy we desire.

1. Life is best lived in service to others.

This doesn’t mean that we do not strive for the best for ourselves. It does mean that in all things we serve other people, including our family, co-workers, and friends. We should practice what has been called “Servant-Leadership” as described in Matthew 20:25-28, “But Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.'”

2. Consider others’ interests as important as your own.

Much of the world suffers simply because people consider only their own interests. People are looking out for number one, but the way to leave a legacy is to also look out for others.

3. Love your neighbor even if you don’t like him.

It is interesting that Jesus told us to love others. But he never tells us to like them. Liking people has to do with emotions. Loving people has to do with actions. And what you will find is that when you love them and do good by them, you will more often than not begin to like them.

4. Maintain integrity at all costs.

There are very few things you take to the grave with you. The number one thing is your reputation and good name. When people remember you, you want them to think, “He/she was the most honest person I knew. What integrity!” There are always going to be temptations to cut corners and break your integrity. Do not do it. Do what is right all of the time, no matter what the cost. Remember Proverbs 10:9, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.”

5. You must risk in order to gain.

In just about every area of life, you must risk in order to gain the reward. In love, you must risk rejection in order to ask that person out for the first time. In investing you must place your capital at risk in the market in order to receive the prize of a growing bank account. When we risk, we gain. And when we gain, we have more to leave for others.

6. You reap what you sow.

In fact, you always reap more than you sow—you plant a seed and reap a bushel. What you give you get. What you put into the ground then grows out of the ground. If you give love, you will receive love. If you give time, you will gain time. It is one of the truest laws of the universe. Decide what you want out of life and then begin to sow it. Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.”

7. Hard work is never a waste.

No one will say, “It is too bad he was such a good, hard worker.” But if you aren’t they will surely say, “It’s too bad he was so lazy. He could have been so much more!” Be an example of hard work each day, and you will live a grand legacy. Give it your all on your trip around the earth. You will do a lot of good and be creating a terrific legacy.

8. Don’t give up when you fail.

Imagine what legacies would have never existed if someone had given up. How many thriving businesses would have been shut down if they quit at their first failure? Everyone fails. It is a fact of life. But those who succeed are those who do not give up when they fail. They keep going and build a successful life—create and live a legacy.

9. Don’t ever stop in your pursuit of living a legacy.

Many people have accomplished tremendous things later on in life. There is never a time to stop in your pursuit of creating and living a legacy. Sometimes older people will say, “I am 65. I’ll never change.” That won’t build a great life! No. There is always time to do more and achieve more, to help more and serve more, and to teach more and to learn more. Keep going and growing that legacy!

These are core principles to live by if you want to become the kind of person who creates and leaves a lasting legacy. Your legacy is what you live each day and then remains on earth even after you’ve passed away through the lives of generations to come. Learn more on how to understand, choose, focus, and live yours.

8 Signs of Healthy Relationships

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We have a long trail ahead of us today, so strap on your hiking boots tight because we are going to have to move quickly to finish the trail on time as we learn from each other on our trail of relationships. As we hike on this trail, we need to keep alert and use our power of observation to locate the 8 signs that will teach us to create and maintain healthy relationships with everyone that we meet on this trek of life.

Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships. The depth of meaning, understanding, and appreciation that these kinds of relationships bring is almost unfathomable. And, of course, as many people find out, nothing can bring so much pain as a broken relationship with someone dear to you.

Yes, relationships make the world go ’round for better or for worse. But the exciting thing is that we can do much to increase our chances of having terrific relationships — relationships that are fulfilling and exciting, rich with meaning, joy, and love. There are basics that govern most human relationships and are the very basics I want to cover. So, here is my list of the eight signs that I believe comprise the basics of healthy relationships.

1. Love

Now, this all depends on your definition of love. Most people think that love is a feeling, but I would strongly debate that point. Actually, the concept of “like” is really about feelings. When you say you like someone, you are talking about how you feel about them. But when you say that you love someone, you are not necessarily talking about how you feel about them.

Love is much deeper than a feeling. Love is a commitment we make to people to always treat that person right and honorably. Yes, for those we become especially close to, we will have feelings of love, but I believe it is time for us to re-examine what we mean by love. We must expand our definition of what love means by including the commitment aspect of love.

For healthy relationships, we must love everyone. We may not like them based on how we feel about them, but we should love them based on our definition of love above, which in turn, determines how we should act toward them. That is, we should treat them right and honorably. This is the basis of all healthy relationships.

I believe the best description of what love really is can be found in the 1st letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth in Chapter 13 verse 4 through 7, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

2. Servant Heart

My mentor Zig Ziglar says frequently that “You can have everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want out of life.” The concept he is talking about is having a heart and life that is focused on serving other people. Philippians 2:3-5 supports this also, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” This is also fundamental to healthy relationships.

3. Honest Communication

Look at any good relationship, and you will find open and honest communication. Communication is important because it is the vehicle that allows us to verbalize what is inside us and enables us to connect with another person. Isn’t communication amazing? One person is feeling one thing, and through communication, another person can find that out and feel it too. Amazing.

This is a vital goal in good relationships — to communicate, to tell each other what we are thinking and what we are feeling. It enables us to make a connection. Sometimes we are the one speaking and other times we are listening. Either way, the central tenet is communication for the sake of building the relationship and making it stronger. And here’s what’s exciting…If we just communicate, we can get by. But if we communicate skillfully, we can work miracles!

4. Friendliness

Put simply, relationships just work better when we are friendly with others. Being friendly can cushion the bumpy ride we sometimes experience in our relationships. Cheerfulness goes a long way toward building lasting relationships. I mean, nobody wants to be around a grump, do they? The fact is that the friendlier you are the more you are going to have people who want to pursue longer-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with you. So cheer up, put on a smile, have kind words to say to others, treat people with a great deal of friendliness, and you will see your relationships improve.

5. Patience

People being people, we have an awful lot of time for practice in the area of patience. People are not perfect and will constantly fail us. Conversely, we will also fail other people. So, while we try to have more patience for others, we need their patience as well.

So often, I think relationships break down because people give up and lose patience. I am talking about all kinds of relationships – friendships, marriages, business partnerships, etc. Recent research has shown that those marriages that go through major turmoil and make it through are very strong after doing so. Patience wins out.

Those who give up on relationships too early or because the other person isn’t perfect, often forget that their next friend, spouse, or business partner will not be perfect either! So, we would do well to cultivate this skill and learn to have more patience.

6. Loyalty

Loyalty is a commitment to another person. Sadly, loyalty is often a missing element in many relationships today. We have forgotten what it means to be loyal. Our consumer mentality has affected this to some degree. People are no longer loyal to a product. And unfortunately, many companies are not loyal to their clients or patrons. Regrettably, this has spilled over into our relationships. It is one thing to switch brands of dishwashing detergent. It is another thing altogether to switch friends.

Sometimes we just need to commit to being loyal and let the relationship move forward. We need a higher level of stick-to-it-iveness! This kind of loyalty will take our relationships to a much deeper level. What a powerful and secure feeling of knowing that you have a relationship with someone who is loyal to you and you to them — that neither of you is going anywhere even when things get tough. Wow, how powerful!

7. A Common Purpose

One of the basics of healthy relationships is to have a common purpose, and oftentimes, this is a component that is initially overlooked. But, for a long-term, long-lasting relationship, it is vital.

Think about how many friends you have met through the years while working on a common purpose. Maybe it was someone you met while participating in sports, working on a political campaign, attending church, working at your office, or doing anything that brought you together to work on a common purpose. You had that strong common bond of purpose that brought you together and held you together.

Working together, building together, failing and succeeding together — all while pursuing a common purpose — is what relationships are made of. Find people with whom you have common purposes and sow the seeds of great relationships, and then reap the long-lasting benefits.

8. Fun

All good relationships have some element of fun. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean loud, raucous fun, though that is appropriate for some relationships. But, even in business relationships, there should be some fun. It should be fun to do business with those who you are going to have a long-term business relationship with. Fun brings enjoyment to the relationship and that is important.

I think that this key element can be easily forgotten or neglected in our family and spousal relationships. The fun things we did initially in a new relationship after a while can be taken for granted or simply fall by the wayside, and we stop creating the fun and joy. So, remember to consciously craft fun situations and moments, for these are the glue that holds our memories together and makes our lives sweet.

There are so many key ingredients to making and maintaining great, long-lasting relationships. Each of the eight components we discussed brings unique dynamics and rewards to our relationships. Let’s begin to focus on improving our relationships in these areas and see what miracles occur!

9 Nuggets More Valuable Than Money

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In this note, we will explore 9 things or attributes that are far more valuable than any amount of money.

When starting a business or any worthwhile pursuit in life, whether it is full-time or part-time, we all know the value of having adequate capital or money…But you have probably heard of people who started a business or organization with little or no money and then went on to great success and fortune. “How?” you may ask.
Well, I believe there are actually some things that are more valuable than money that can lead to your entrepreneurial success. Let me give you the list.

1. Time

Time is more valuable than money. The time you set aside should not be wasted and not be given away. The time you set aside to invest in a business that brings value to the marketplace with the hope of making a profit can be considered money time.

How valuable is time? Time properly invested is worth a fortune. Time wasted can be devastating. Time invested can perform miracles, so do not spend time as you would spending money. Invest your time so that it provides wealth for the future.

2. Desperation

When you have very little money you work from the perspective of desperation. Not in a stupid manner, but in a manner that is wise. You make sure that every dollar invested produces a good return because you have no choice. It is amazing how enterprising you can become when it is do or die financially. Desperation can be a powerful incentive. At this point, you say, “I must make this work.”

3. Determination

Determination is the outgrowth of desperation. If you know you have no choice then you must become very determined. Just like a snowball gathers more snow as it rolls down the hill, so determination allows you to continue to grow when there are no other choices. You can say to yourself “If it works once, it will work again.”

4. Courage

Courage is more valuable than money. If you only have a few dollars and a lot of courage, I’m telling you, you have a good future ahead of you. Have courage in spite of the circumstances. Humans can do the most incredible things no matter what happens. Haven’t we heard the stories? From the stories of Victor Frankl or Corrie Ten Boom from the Nazi concentration camps to the heroic stories from 9/11, these are unbelievable stories of being in the depths of hell and finally making it out. You can’t sell humans short. Courage in spite of, not because of, but in spite of the circumstances is what we all need. When starting a business with no money, you also need the courage to continue on when the times are most bleak. Perform heroic acts of personal sacrifice today so that you will have a chance of a better tomorrow even when there are no guarantees.

5. Ambition

Ambition is more valuable than money. Ambition, when linked to courage, determination, and desperation, allows you to invest the time necessary in the proper activities that will produce a return.

6. Faith

Once you put into motion the first five precepts then we start to gain the faith needed to survive. At first, our faith will be weak and shaky, but the more that we move forward with confidence the more faith that we will gain. As it says in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.”

It is with faith that you start to believe in yourself. You realize that maybe you can make this happen. Your self-esteem starts to soar. These are investments that are unmatched. Money can’t touch it. What if you had a million dollars and no faith? You’d be poor. You wouldn’t be rich.

7. Ingenuity

Ingenuity is putting your brains to work. Until you are really challenged, you’ve put about 10% of your brainpower to work. What if you engaged the other 90%? You can’t believe what can happen. Humans can come up with the most intriguing things to do. Ingenuity. What’s ingenuity worth? A fortune. It is more valuable than money. All you need is a few dollars and plenty of ingenuity. Figuring out a way to make it work and not stopping.

8. Passion

What is a substitute for passion? It’s not money. Money can’t buy passion. Passion is more valuable than a million dollars. If you have a million dollars without passion, you have no life. You are ineffective. Passion is like the unseen magic that moves people to commit, to make decisions, to act, and to respond.

9. Personality

You may have to spruce up and sharpen up your own personality. You have plenty of personality. Just get it developed to where it is effective every day, it’s effective no matter who you talk to whether it is a child, a business person, a rich person, or a poor person. You need a unique personality that is at home anywhere.

One of my mentors taught me you have to learn to be just as comfortable with yourself, whether it is in a little run down home with an old friend or as a guest of someone of great prominence that you are in awe of. Move with ease whether it is with the rich or with the poor. And it makes no difference to you who is rich or who is poor. You know you have the chance to have a unique relationship with whomever. That kind of personality is comfortable. That kind of personality does not get bent out of shape. Don’t judge others by their status in life.

And lastly, let’s not forget attractiveness and humbleness. Being an attractive person with a good dose of humility is the key to creating a winning scenario in business and in life.

This entire list is more valuable than money. With one dollar and the list, I just gave you, the world is yours. It belongs to you, whatever piece of it you desire and whatever development you wish for your life. I’ve given you the secret assets. These kind of assets are more valuable than money and can secure your future and fortune. And best of all, they are all free. Remember that you do not lack the resources for success, it is up to you to utilize them.

Even when the times are difficult and you would are tempted to give up, let’s remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Galatia 6:9-10, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”