In the last post I covered success category #1, Self….and for a quick reference, here is a link to the 5 categories of success post. Today, I’d like to share a bit about the second category, Family. I am sure you have all heard the common phrase: No other success can compensate for failure in the home. Family is the very first organization a child is exposed to. It is the first source of education, principle and love. If correct principles are taught in the home, those principles will be carried out and practiced throughout relationships, business decisions and the life of that child. If those principles are not taught by parents, no other success experienced outside of that can compensate for it.

Family Success – The Second Category of Success

My greatest source of happiness, sense of belonging, fulfillment and sense of accomplishment stems from my family….my wife, my children, my parents and siblings. It’s my support structure. No where else on the planet can you duplicate the result, environment and feeling of having a successful family. As parents, we have a sacred duty to make sure correct principles are taught to our children. Many of the problems in the world stem from the deterioration of the family unit and lack of proper, initial education. It’s a proven fact that those who are raised in a family that teaches correct principles, are more likely to succeed.

Why do you think that so many people search for a feeling of belonging, or a community they can feel welcome in. It’s in our instinct. We want to be loved, included and supported.

Family is always first. Everything else comes second. If I am successful at home, my life flows well. If I am not, I stress.

Now this isn’t to say that someone cannot be a success if they have failed in the home. That’s not my point at all. Many successful people have come from or have created broken homes and relationships. An example is Abraham Lincoln. Given the circumstances in his time, he had a broken home and neglected his children, yet, he was extremely successful. But, all of the success he achieved for himself and this country will never compensate for the emptiness he causes in the lives of his family. And maybe that was a sacrifice he had to make……a divided home or a divided country. Which obligation is greater? Maybe he didn’t have to choose?

So my advice to you is to choose a career that brings you closer to your family, instead of tearing you apart. If you are faced with a decision to work more hours so that you can pay for that bigger boat or spend time with your kids, spend time with your kids. Teach them what their Mom and Dad value in life. Teach them correct principles of integrity, honesty, love, compassion, boldness, ethics and faith. They don’t learn these types of things in school. It’s up to the family to build that solid foundation correctly, before they send them out into the world. If we can do that as a country, as a world, this planet will become a better place to live.

Success isn’t a status, it’s a series of events, one right after the other, that go right. The success series for a child starts at home, within their family. It’s where the ball starts rolling, or doesn’t roll at all. Let’s make sure it starts!

Before the holiday season crept up on me I wrote a post called “The 5 Categories of Success,” in which I promised to expound a bit more on each separate category. So, as “Self” is the first category, I would not be in integrity if I were to break that promise to you and to myself. But isn’t that truly where it starts? Trusting yourself and knowing that if you make a commitment, you will keep it. It’s so much easier to do, but is the most damaging in effect, when we break self promises.

Now before I get off on a tangent, allow me to break self success into a few subcategories for ease of reading. Now I don’t pretend to know everything there is about everything and am not a self proclaimed Guru. I just know that I have learned some things in my life that can assist anyone who is willing to integrate them into their own.

Self – The First Category of Success

• Integrity – I can’t tell you how much your level of achievement in this life is based on how well you stick to your core values. If you have no core values then you may be in a bit of trouble in the near or distant future. Being a religious guy, you have to wonder why the scriptures speak of how difficult it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. It’s because people have a tendency to lose themselves in the pursuit of money. If you achieve all the success in the world but lose your integrity , you have gained nothing. Integrity consists of honesty, dependability, respect, virtue, truth, sound, grounded, bold and stalwart. A couple of phrases that comes to mind are “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and “Do the right thing, even and especially when no one is watching!” The person you truly are is revealed by the things you do when no one else is around. Part of integrity is the ability to keep promises, especially to yourself.
• Physical Health – Take pride in everything of who you are. This includes your physical appearance and your body’s health. I don’t know how many of you have ever heard of this saying, “Your body is a temple?” It has been in my life since I had my first memory. Meaning, don’t desecrate it. Take care of it. Keep it clean and fine tuned. Exercise regularly and eat healthy. Think of your body as the outward expression of who you are inside. Maybe this is the wrong way to put it, but if you are fat, lazy and hairy on the inside, you’ll be fat, lazy and hairy on the outside. If the real you can’t find it’s way to the outside because of poor physical health and fitness, you may never reach your full potential. And I know, we can play the blame game. It’s a thyroid problem or genetic. All I have to say about that is don’t settle for that! Treat your body as a fine tuned earthly machine that is being operated by a more powerful and intelligent soul….because we all are heavenly beings having a human, earthly experience.
• Self Education – I once heard a quote from the late Jim Rohn that said, “Formal education will make you a living, self-education will make you a fortune. …. Don’t let school interfere with your education.” Go to college, read books and gain knowledge and wisdom from anywhere you can. Not just any knowledge, but knowledge that is praiseworthy and of good report….the kind of knowledge that compels to action by simply occupying space in your head.

These are just a few, but I think you get the point. For those of you who know what the Be-Do-Have principle is, “becoming” is the first step to any level of success. You must first be, then do, then get. It doesn’t work in any other order. Never forget that.

Success is truly an individual matter. After mastermind groups, seminars, books, lectures, college and business, it all comes down to you. Do you want it bad enough to become the person you want to become? You are the one. No one will do it for you. It’s an individual matter. It all starts with you and ends with you, but never really is about you. It’s about helping others, and finding yourself along the way!

Before taking a look at my past, I had always assumed that I was one of the best employees that ever walked the face of the earth. I have held job positions that I absolutely excelled in. There wasn’t anything out there that I couldn’t do, or learn how to do, at a quicker rate than most of my co-workers. My employers always praised my work and how well I was doing. All was good.

Everything I just mentioned above is completely accurate and true. I was the best employee a wage could buy…..at least for a while. Then, I started to think of how all of my jobs ended. I was fired from a restaurant job during college because, in their words, “I didn’t have what it takes to work with food!” Translation…..I liked to eat it more than sell it! I worked construction and couldn’t handle getting told what to do all the time, “get that hammer, get me a 10′ 2×6, etc.” I learned what I needed there and actually went on to build two homes on my own for a few hundred thousand in profit. Working in the glass industry, I excelled to a certain point, and wanted to continue learning and growing but was kept within my job description and held back from higher earnings. So I quit and started my own glass company for a period of time.

I started to see that even though I was able to do well, I wasn’t able to keep doing the same things over and over again. I always wanted more.

So here are five simple signs that you might be fit for entrepreneurship:

1. If someone told you to stare at a screen all day long for a set amount of money, and you couldn’t do it without wanting more responsibility or without feeling like you were wasting away your life.
2. You’ve never really been a great employee, although you accomplish great things when you are and may jump from job to job frequently.
3. The thought of having someone dictate your time during the day sickens you.
4. You have so many ideas flowing through your head that you find yourself writing them down in a journal or notebook to keep track of them all.
5. Instead of being content with where you are, you are constantly engaged in thought about where you want to be financially, in the near and distant future.

Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. Some people like the so called “comfort” of a steady bi-weekly paycheck or 40 hour work week. Some enjoy the fact that they can check out at 5pm and not have to think about their job until 8 am the next day.

I once read a quote that I’ll end this post with, and it went something like this: As entrepreneurs, we do the things now, that most people won’t…..so that we can later, live a life that most people can’t!

I’d like to take time tonight, actually it’s 1:05 am here in beautiful Payson Arizona, to wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. I assume you all are as excited as I am for all the success and prosperity coming your way this year and have already set a plan of action in place to make it happen!

Tonight couldn’t have been better. Knowing that a good portion of the world was out at a party or event, Amy and I spent the evening with those we care for most….our family. We invited Amy’s parents over for games and fun. Our three girls actually managed to stay awake through midnight…..and I’m thinking it might have been all the sugar we allowed them to scarf down all evening! Either that or the opportunity to blow a New Years horn at midnight….. just too much excitement for them to miss out on! Regardless, kicking off 2010 was perfect!

So what do we call it? Twenty ten or two thousand and ten. I’m definitely torn, but whatever it is, I am gearing up for one of the best years ever!

Life is truly good my friends. We are all very blessed….and I look forward to assisting you all as much as I possibly can in reaching your goals of success this year!

Happy New Year from David and Amy Allred at CreateFinancialWealth.com!