Do you know what General Electric, Hewlett Packard, IBM and Microsoft all have in common? They all began during an economic downturn or depression. News reports of doom and gloom could have easily deterred these companies from starting up but instead, they chose to creat their own economy, instead of letting the economy control them. They chose to create an economy in which they would succeed. In challenging times, if we are not careful, we develop a survival mentality. A survival mentality is not a mentality of creativity, however, and certainly not one of positivity. Avoid survival mode and you will avoid hunkering down with everyone else going nowhere fast.
Joel Osteen in his book It's Your Time, wrote that when we fall prey to a survival mentality "we stop releasing our faith. We stop believing we can rise any higher. We just try to maintain the status quo, to keep our heads above water, to break even." And then I love what he writes next, "But we're not supposed to break even. We're supposed to break through."
I'll say it again, we're not supposed to break even, we're supposed to break through! We have to start thriving and stop surviving. Isn't it much better to conquer something and have victory over it than it is to simply have survived it? I understand that not all situations are alike and certainly some are much harder than others but even in the worst of circumstances there are survivors and then there are conquerors.
When others are pulling back, worried and afraid, complaining about the situations at hand, push forward in faith. Don't just believe for the best, expect it. That's what it means to have a thriving mentality. It doesn't matter how high gas gets, how low the stock market plummets or how many employees get laid off, you have the ultimate say in your own future. So act like you're blessed, talk like you're blessed, think like you're blessed, dress like you're blessed, walk like you're blessed, and treat others like you are blessed. And don't dwell on your problems because if you have a poor mouth, you will have a poor life.
This is your year to thrive!
Happy New Year’s Eve, Everyone!
You have all played such an important roll in making 2010 the best year yet for Live the Dream and we are chomping at the bit to bring you bigger and better clothing, blogs and video profiles in 2011. A special thank you to all the ladies who have participated in our women’s line survey, I am so excited to begin taking your feedback to the next level! An even more special thank you for you all to come so please get those surveys back in!
Embarking on a new year inevitably brings along resolutions. If you’re like me, “resolution” is a word I don’t use, because whatever I “resolve” to do never lasts. I prefer to start each year with a new game plan, a new calendar and big visions along with a few good reads to keep me on track. (I tend to listen better to a book than my husband, a friend or family member. I think it’s because it makes me feel like the ideas are my own discovery and not someone else’s being put on me. Can anyone relate?)
In light of this, I have selected 3 of my top favorite books for kick starting the New Year with a big, huge bang! In the following week I would encourage you to take the time, whether is a few hours, a few days or an entire week, and simply review your 2010. What did you do, what did you learn and who did you spend time with? These are just a handful of questions you may want to consider asking yourself. I learned this practice from one of the greatest educators on leadership, Mr. John C. Maxwell, who, as each year comes to fulfillment sits down and re-caps his daily calendars from that year. In doing so he is able to see where he spent his time, with who, and how, and make improvements on the following year to advance his visions and dreams to the next level.
If you have not kept a calendar in the past, this would be a perfect time to begin. I would recommend a book by an author named Glenn Bland called Success: The Glenn Bland Method - How to Set Goals and Make Plans that Really Work, when beginning to plan out your 2011. In it, Bland gives brilliant, simplified ways to manage your calendar for the most effective results. I literally could not put the book down, for it covers every topic from your purpose and dreams to financial planning. Everyone I came in contact with during the course of picking up that book until now, has probably heard me praise it at some point.
Another book I would recommend as you start your new year, is one by Joel Osteen titled: It’s Your Time. Faith aside, this book will rock you. The truths covered about belief vs. fear, who you associate with and how you spend your time, all intertwine with the fact that you, your words and your belief, determine where you are at in life and where you will go. I don’t know about you but I would like to kick fear in the face and run full force in 2011. A great and extremely motivating read.
Last but not least, my very favorite, the Dream Giver, by Bruce Wilkinson, is not only a delightfully inspirational afternoon read, but a huge reminder that we all have a purpose to fulfill. Every single one of us has dream that was put in our hearts at birth and if we do not see it to completion then there are many people who will never benefit from the blessings you were meant to not only receive, but to bring. If you don’t fulfill your dream, something very big will not happen.
Let’s make 2011 a year of achievement, of happiness in spite of the worldly crisis around us and let’s be responsible for bringing a contagious joy into the lives of those we meet. Step into the New Year with not only a wish for prosperity, for a better life, for better finances, for a better marriage, a better job, but actually EXPECT it! When you expect something, your mind will find ways to make it happen, and just like a virus, your expectancy will spread, and others will see your faith and determination too.
Happy New Year to All! You’re a blessing to us in ways you will never know.
Much love and happiness in the coming new year!
-Chelsea & Blake
I was able to catch up with an old friend a few days ago and was excited to hear she is pursuing her dream. I was inspired by her purpose and wanted to post todays blog featuring her. We support her mission and know her heart, she is a good friend of ours and we're excited to share her mission with you.
Chelsea and I love seeing people passionately pursuing their dreams because it means they are truly experiencing life the way it should be. Our hope is that you read Hilary's words today and you are inspired by her simple yet effective mission to help others. She is taking the steps of becoming a great leader and looking forward to seeing her fulfill the goal she has set out and resetting another goal to succeed at an even higher level in the future.
Hilary's long-term goal is to improve the human condition through doing what she loves most, working with kids. Hilary states, "the effects of poverty on children are so painful, and i'm hoping to learn more about how to address not only their basic needs, give them an opportunity for education, but i'm excited about finding ways to be creative and let them speak to the rest of the world. I think that's huge. bridging the gap between them and us. Kids in poverty need advocates, and that's exactly who i'm made to be."
I asked Hilary what pursing a dream meant to her and she continued to explain, "as far as dreams are concerned, i think i'm lucky to have learned already that you can't live without them. Developing my dream over the past several years has kept me healthy, happy, and has resulted in me flying by the seat of my pants. I wouldn't have it any other way! Being exposed to other dreamers, like the crew who started invisible children, have played a huge part in showing me what it is to dream. To take risks, to see what there is to see, to be willing to learn and change, to help people all the while, that's how i dream."
Hilary is working with a well established non-profit that helps create sustainable development in countries like Bolivia. She heard of the organization quite a few times in college and she really believes and trusts in their philosophy. Hilary's program will cost about $6500 and she is about halfway there. We encourage our friends and readers that if they feel led to give just $5 or more then they can do so here.
LIVE THE DREAM! ~ Blake & Chelsea
You can find Hilary on Facebook here.
Our future is defined not by the people we follow but by the principles we follow. The quality of our future is also defined by the principles displayed by those with whom we strive to earn respect from. Thus, I seek people who live the principles that I embrace, then I will follow their life's action towards those beliefs. As the wise and wealthy Andrew Carnegie explains, "As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do." Our greatest asset in life is time, to get the most out of life spend time with people who have positive goals and their actions line up with their words. Men of principle are men who lead victorious, purpose driven lives. This is why the greatest leaders have so many life-long followers.
Living a victorious life is the byproduct of living a life of positive growth. There is no such thing as stagnation in nature. If you are not growing, you are dying. As Carnegie continues to explain, "Compromise is usually a sign of weakness, or an admission of defeat. Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised." The good news is that defeat is only a state of mind, nothing more. Our brains are 100% programable and to grow we must always upgrade our thinking. It is easier to go from average to good than from good to great, which is why those who have already had success must constantly renew their mind or they too will slip into defeat.
Today's Quick Tips for Success:
1. Seek out what you want in life.
2. Find people who have results in the area you want to succeed.
3. Make sure their actions and words are the same.
4. Do not follow the person, rather follow the principles they exemplify.
5. Spend as much time with positive people that have goals and a purpose as you can.
6. Discover yourself through the journey of succeeding in your goals!
Yesterday I lost a best friend, my dog Sadie. For the past 12 1/2 years she was a big part of creating so many special memories around our home. When I would come visit home she would come in and wake me up every morning. During the holidays she would unwrap her own presents without eating the wrapping paper, and she would play hide and go seek around the house with me. When my parents were out and it was just me and her I'd always sneak her a few extra treats. When it was time for me to leave she would always sit at the driveway and wave goodbye with her smile and wagging tail. Even as she aged her hair was always as soft as puppy hair, I'll miss that feeling when I pet her. I'll miss how she would not bark at anything but would lick everything around the house. I think the old people at the nursing home will miss that about her from when she would visit them. After I would leave town my parents would tell me that she would frequently go to my room to look for me and I wasn't there.
I loved that dog and that dog loved me. I'll miss her but I do not have an ounce of regret with the time that I spent with her. Over the past year her health had declined to the point that yesterday she could no longer go to the bathroom without falling over. My mother called my dad at his office and told him she set a 3:30 appointment to take her to the vet and put her down. I don't hear my dad cry very often but he was sobbing when he called and I immediately knew what was happening. It's weird to think that you can set up an appointment to put asleep a friend that was close to so many people in our family for 12 1/2 years. I have a feeling Sadie knew why she was going to the vet this time and deep down inside I know she was happy for many reasons. She didn't fight it, and she was wagging her tail in pain until it was time to go to rest.
Here is the moral of my story, the most valuable asset we have in life is not our possessions, it's not a bank account, our stock portfolio, or how many promotions we get at work. The absolute most valuable asset we have in life is time. It is the only thing we do not get back and we only have 2 guarantees in life, that we are born and we will die. The memories and the moments we have between is the most valuable asset you have. Days turn into weeks that turn into months that turn into years, decades and that is it. You can either ask were time has gone or tell it where to go. Some people say life is tough but it's not, you're tough and at some point you're going to need to decide to believe that or not and tell life that it is going to have to corporate with you and not the other way around. People so often live a life of defeat not knowing that defeat is only a state of mind, nothing more.
A famous golfer once said that the toughest course he has ever played was the 6 inches between his years. Your mind is so valuable and it's influenced by your environment. Get around positive people, stop watching trash on TV, reading pointless content, and lead every area of your life with purpose. Figure out a way to spend as much quality time with the people closest to you in your life and start claiming victory every day. As coach Vince Lombardi says, "make every day your masterpiece." Instead of time-management, start seeing it as priority-management. We all given 24 hours in a day. Make your purpose your priority.
What is your plan?
What needs to change in your life? (If nothing changes, nothing changes)
Stay tuned to our blog tomorrow for more encouraging and life-changing entries.
MAKE IT a great day.
Live the Dream,
Blake
P.S. It's a bitter sweet story but the best part about it is that missing her has motivated me on a deeper emotional need to see my time as an even bigger asset. With every adversity comes with it an equal or greater benefit.
The ending of Sadie's life has inspired me to move forward towards my goals quicker and with more passion than ever before.
This goes out to all the winners out there, who know that it isn't about luck, finesse or sometimes even destiny. It's about passion, purpose, and listening to that voice inside your head to do what is right. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Let the world be your witness. Go and live your dream.
This is our good friend Mark Nathan wearing our very own Eagle Tee and a video from his awesome Channel on YouTube called Live Young and Free. Check them out! This is the thought process that we all love at Live The Dream LLC.
Amazing video. Failure IS the key to success.
Live The Dream
Coach Vince Lombardi used to tell his players that there were only three things important in ones's life: "Your God, your family, and the Green Bay Packers." You may laugh but Lombardi was on to something. You see, in order for someone to truly be successful, they must have three key ingredients: direction, balance and belief. Look again at his statement, they're all there.
A brief definition of these ingredients stand below to keep us all in agreement on what they consist of and jog the memory a bit. Here's the thing, we are all familiar with these terms but if you were asked to state what they meant to you, could you do it? You need to be able to define your meanings of direction, balance and belief if you are ever going to be able to abide by them. Ambiguous meanings get us no where in life while firm understanding yields accomplishment of dreams and desires attained.
1. Direction. When you set your sights on the things that you deem worthwhile in life and then establish a plan to continuously work toward their fulfillment and accomplishment.
2. Balance. Being able to keep the proper perspective about every area of your life. Staying in tune and in harmony with your direction as well as nature's laws.
3. Belief. The psychological state in which you hold a premise or proposition to be true. No man will ever become successful who does not possess belief. The greater his belief, the greater his degree of success.
If you understand these. You can do anything. "Great people lead balanced lives, which are made meaningful by belief." -Glenn Bland, author of Success - The Glenn Bland Method.
Rarely do I just share something directly from a book but this was so effective that I knew right away that I had to submit this as our blog entry. This poem and short paragraph at the end will inspire and help you get in the thought process of productivity, and organization.
There may be nothing wrong with you,
The way you live, the work you do,
But I can very plainly see
Exactly what is wrong with me.
It isn't that I'm indolent
Or dodging duty by intent;
I work as hard as anyone,
And yet I get so little done,
The morning goes, the noon is here,
Before I know, the night is near,
And all around me, I regret
Are things I haven't finished yet.
If I could just get organized!
I oftentimes have realized
Not all that matters is the man;
The man must also have a plan
With you, there may be nothing wrong,
But here's my trouble right along;
I do the things that don't amount
To very much, of no account,
That really seem important though
And let a lot of matters go.
I nibble this, I nibble that,
But never finish what I'm at.
I work as hard as anyone,
And yet, I get so little done,
I'd do so much you'd be surprised,
If I could just get organized!
By: Douglas Malloch
One of the greatest satisfactions in life comes from getting things done and knowing you have done them to the best of your ability. If you are having trouble getting yourself organized, if you want to increase your ability to think, and do things in the order of their importance, remember there is only one way: Take more time to think and do things in the order of their importance. Set aside one day as self-organization day, or a definite period each week. The whole secret of freedom from anxiety over not having enough time lies not in working more hours, but in the proper planning of hours.
This poem and paragraph were taken from [How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling] by Frank Bettger.
Live The Dream!
Blake Kuhn
I submit that money is not the root of all evil, it is the love of money that will cause that evil. Watch this incredible video which defines not the root of evil, but the root of money. Enjoy, and Live the Dream!
I discovered this video here.
