Think back on your life to a period of time when you decided to wait for something. It may have been a business or a diet you were thinking about starting or maybe even a person you were thinking about asking out on a date. Whatever it might have been, why did you choose to wait? What was the main reason?

There are obviously different reasons for people wanting to wait ranging from fear of an unwanted result to self doubt. Basically, it all leads back to the one word which is an enemy to success, “Fear!” Fear of change, fear of success (It does exist) and fear of failure are the three major fears. Most people won’t even realize they have a fear of success or a fear of change. The big one is fear of failure.

Lesson: What do successful people do when faced with a BIG decision to make? They always choose to act. What do unsuccessful people do when faced with a BIG decision? They think about it, they decide halfheartedly, they make an excuse, they wait! Where does waiting get you in the overall picture of success? Allow me to show you….

The 7 Effects of Waiting

1. You may never stop waiting. If we measure success as if it were a journey, which it is, then someone who is waiting would still be considered “behind” the starting line. That would be the person who isn’t even on the journey to success. Now, I always thought that in order to win the race, you actually have to be on the track. Am I confused?
2. Your Confidence will fade. I learned a new word today, “Obnubilate”, which means to cloud or obscure. The longer you wait, the more clouded your vision gets. If it is a business you are waiting to start, due to indecision, your passion for wanting to start a business will begin to fade almost immediately.
3. Fear will increase. You’ve probably heard of the term, “Cold Feet!” Well, the longer you wait, the colder your feet will get. Why do you think salesman are so persistent? Those who are left to sit on a decision will probably remain sitting on that decision. If they’re sitting on it, obviously it’s not in front of their face and not a priority.
4. Expecting something for nothing will land you right where you are at. A wise man once said, “A bird waiting with mouth open wide for a worm to fall out of the sky might be waiting for a very long time!” Waiting only produces waiting, nothing more. If you expect your dream lifestyle to drop into your lap by waiting to make a decision to create your dream lifestyle, pull up your recliner, get out your TV remote and enjoy those soap operas as you are currently living the lifestyle of your choice, not your dreams. Your friend Wait has chosen this lifestyle for you.
5. If neglected and ignored, goals will fade and go away. If you have children or have ever been a child, you can relate to this example. What will your child think of you and of their importance in your life if when they ask you a question about something important to them and you keep telling them to “wait” because you are glued to American Idol or your computer game. If it is just once and for a brief moment, they will understand. But what happens if that “wait just a second honey” turns into an hour, or maybe happens all the time? What happens to your children? They will fade away, they won’t ask you very many questions anymore and may not even enjoy being around you because you have put them off! Why are your goals and aspirations any different than children? The more you wait, goals will disappear and become a fuzz of a memory because doing whatever you are doing and waiting is obviously more important. They will fade away!
6. The Opportunity may pass you by! I am looking for action takers. I look for people who can make decisions right out of the gate to get started. I don’t sit around waiting for someone that contacted me 6 months to maybe finally make a decision. I move on as does opportunity.
7. Waiting can become a habit. If someone takes 6 months to make a decision to get started in a business, how long will they wait before they choose to place their first ad or make their first call. It’s a ripple effect!

The time to act has and will always be NOW! It has never, ever been later, tomorrow, next week, or next month. How does waiting ever serve you? The only thing waiting ever does, is destroy your confidence. It is the tool of the unsuccessful and the excuse maker. Allow others to wait, but not you. Be a person of action. When faced with a decision to act or to wait, always choose to act.

For the next 30 days I am going to take a challenge to arise before the sun does. Why am I doing this? Well, there are multiple reasons.

First, I am a father of three girls all under the age of 8 and for the most part, the only “Me” time I get is early in the morning. I use this time to educate myself. I once read a quote by Mark Twain, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” If I am not learning, I am wasting my life away doing nothing. What good am I and what difference can I make in the world if I am not making a difference in my life. Educate yourself! Learn as much as you can. As you do, apply it and use it to serve and inspire others.

Second, there is a power spoken of in ancient scripture about arising early. I certainly don’t write all these blog posts just to write them. I do it to teach people what I have learned. Scriptures were written to teach wisdom. Amazingly enough, the principles taught thousands of years ago still work today, and may even be working better today than then. Just as I write, they have written, with the intent for others to read. Scripture reads, “Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.”

Third, I take a moment every morning to express my gratitude for all that I have and know. This is actually the first thing I do every morning. Unless I am grateful for what I currently have, I will never be blessed with more. As I take the time to think of all the abundance in my life, more abundance is added to it throughout the day.

Fourth, I set goals in the morning and come up with some of my best ideas. My mind is rested and fresh. Ideas just pour in like rain in the morning time. It is a self mastery period for me. Visualizing, goal setting, thinking of ways to improve, saying affirmations and setting courses of action for the day are a few of the things I do. For all you fisherman, remember, the big fish are always caught in the morning!

During this challenge I will think of 5 new ideas that will move me toward my goals, every morning. At the end of 30 days, I will have a ton of new ideas to work with, of which, many will already be put into action. I will have my journal on hand to keep record of these ideas as they come to me. I challenge each of you to do the same.

Think about the power that comes with arising early on your own terms. What I mean by, “your own terms,” is doing it not because you have to, but because you choose to. If you are employed and are compelled to get up before the sun does, wake up a little earlier on your own terms. Claim victory on your day instead of giving credit to someone else or doing it because you have to. It will change your outlook. I promise.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I love getting up early. I love it even more than sleeping in, but it can be hard, if you’re not in the habit of doing it. Once that habit is created, it is as easy as brushing your teeth every morning. So starting tomorrow, June the 6th 2009, I’ll beat the sun up.

If you’d like to take this challenge along with me, congratulations! Let me know your thoughts and experiences! See you in the morning!

Have I ever told you all how much I love what I do? Well, I do and here’s one of the many reasons why. Today, as Amy and I were driving our girls to swimming lessons, I told Amy of something I overheard my oldest daughter say. This last weekend, we had a huge family fishing trip. My brother and sister came up with their families and we had an absolute blast and caught a ton of fish. Well, as they were all leaving my home, my oldest daughter decided to tell everyone that we were moving to California.

I had no idea she was doing this. My sister was the first one to come up and ask if we were really moving to California. I said, “no,” and asked her why. She then told me that my oldest daughter had been spreading the news. So, on the way to swim lessons I told Amy what had happened and my oldest daughter overheard our conversation and decided to explain herself. She told me that we were moving to California. I said, “Well, maybe we could just go stay in California for a week. How’s that?” She said, “Nope! I have been meditating about it and we are going to move to California!”

Wow! I was entirely impressed with her. She is deciding her future by preplanning it in her mind. Now, I know that all kids dream about things. That’s just something kids do and they believe they can be and do anything. Well, that’s true! But she was actually visualizing what she wanted to happen and is completely convinced that it will.

It is cool to see the principles Amy and I use on a daily basis being picked up by our children. Visualization is something I do every morning, day and night. It is my planning time. It’s the only way that I or anyone else can see the future and my kids are learning this stuff. Sure, we attempt to teach them to the best of our abilities, but it is great to see them putting it to use.

Being involved in the Personal Development industry has been a blessing to Amy and I and to our entire family. It has influenced our children, our parents and siblings. If you think that improving yourself will only improve you….Think again! It will effect everyone around you, and by effecting them, it will effect many others in a positive way as well. So when they say, “Improve yourself, improve your world,” it’s true beyond comprehension.

Simply by improving myself, my bank account grows, my business flourishes and my family is strengthened. If you want to know the secret to my success, that’s it. Personal Development!

So the best way to make a difference, in not just your little world, but the entire globe, is by improving yourself. The rest will fall into place!

The other day I sat down to watch “Surf’s Up” with my kids and wanted to share a few clips of the movie with you that inspired me. Once again, if you really pay attention to the movies you watch, especially the animated movies, you’ll learn a principle or two that will inspire you.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssxcakbbU7c[/youtube]

What would happen to your results if everyday you told yourself that you are “The Best?”  I am the best! Say it once or twice right now as you are reading this post. I am the best! Doesn’t it make you feel more powerful already? It does for me. It gives me a little bit of a boost to make things happen.

“…never give up. Find a way ’cause that’s what winners do!” Winners don’t run into a snag, throw their hands up in the air and call it quits. Winners find a way to make it work regardless. Injury, failure, disappointment, criticism and anything else that can come up is just a speed bump on the highway of success. The road never ends and the winner never stops!

We all have the opportunity to choose between two things in life….to become less or to become more! We can choose to learn less, be less happy, become less at work or less at home. We can choose to become less of a father or mother, less caring or less of a leader. We can choose to do less in our business…..and where would that land us?

We can also choose to become more. As I was teaching a lesson the other day in Sunday School, I had a comment from a young man who was struggling with getting his life on track. He was very open with this struggle. To him, it seemed extremely difficult to make a significant difference in his life. In reply, I told him that change doesn’t happen all at once. It won’t happen at the wave of a magic wand. By doing small, daily, consistent actions which move you toward your goal, change will occur. Your life will improve.

Sometimes being more can seem like a pretty taxing task. I think as human beings we tend to look at this task in fast forward. We tend to just look at the end and all that it will take to get there instead of  just looking at the very first step, putting one foot in front of the other. Instead of becoming more all at once, just try one day at a time. Become more today than you were yesterday or more tomorrow than you are being today. It becomes easier.

We’ve all heard of the saying, “God accepts you as you are, but loves you too much to leave you that way.” Who we all are is beautiful, but we can become more. We have more potential than we can even comprehend. To stay the same would be a waste of life. To grow, expound, progress, learn, create, win, and succeed is to fulfill the true measure of our creation. To see every day as a new opportunity instead of just “another day” is choosing to become more.

View your life as a work in progress instead of a dead end task. Love yourself. Treat yourself in the best possible ways. Reward yourself for successes and constantly build. Be healthy, learn more, think more and dream more. Do these things and you will become more than you could possible imagine.

As a result of becoming more, you will also have more!

“Results are the best measurement of human progress.” -Jim Rohn

I have to apologize to my readers this week. I have literally had no time to blog and my excuse, I have been playing too much! Out of the last 5 work days, I have put in a total of 10-15 hours of work. The rest of the time, I have been out with my family. It feels like I have been having a Memorial Day Weekend for the entire last week.

The crazy thing is, 3 hours a day is what I usually work. Blogging is extra and a way for me to share my knowledge of Entrepreneurship and Personal Development with those who are looking to learn and improve. As we all know, the teacher ALWAYS learns more than the student. If you have never had a blog before, try it for a month. Start a blog about your desired topic and just throw your thoughts onto it. You will be surprised at how much you grow!

The point I would like to make is to PLAY MORE! What I mean by that is just get out with your kids and throw the Frisbee or play catch. Ride your bikes around the block or down the street. Help your daughter set up her Barbie house. Have a pillow fight, play with your dog, go on a hike, take your family fishing or just play the Wii. These are a few of the things we did this week and have had a blast the entire time. Our next activity is to buy a canoe and explore all the lakes we have in the Payson area, which, will take some time. There are a ton. This summer we have a 3 week trip planned for Hawaii, a weekend in Colorado, and a trip to Disney Land.

Most of the things we do are done in the middle of the week while mostly everyone else is at work. I love what I do. I teach people how to live my life, how to have more than enough time to play and how to teach others how to do the same thing. If you ever come across something that says home based business opportunities are not for real, understand that you are reading something that a faithful lifetime employee probably wrote or someone that quit before they reached their dream lifestyle.

Find the time to PLAY MORE! Whether you are a business owner or an employee, you will be happier, more successful and will live longer if you have more fun.

If you’d like to make money while you play, like me, fill out the form after this post and contact me right away. It’s all about lifestyle!