Are YOU Willing To Risk YOUR Life For Your Vision?

By putting their names on the Declaration, the 54 men might well have been signing their own death warrants. Had the Revolution failed, they would have been high on the list of traitors to the Crown, certain to be imprisoned or more likely executed. Their commitment to a higher ideal despite their differences and the danger of their situation prompted John Hancock to say, "There must be no pulling different ways: we must all hang together." Benjamin Franklin added, "We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately."

I share these words with you because real commitment to a vision is that serious. It could cost you your life. Not the physicality of your life (as it could have for these men). But instead, the essence of your life - what you know it as today.

Living your dream takes risk . . . a risk that very few people are willing to take. You must be willing to do what it takes and be willing to give up who you are today for who you want to become.

These men signed a document with each other to show their commitment to their vision. They were willing to give up everything they had to create what they believed could be possible.

The amazing thing is that when you commit and take action, you can do anything . . . even give birth to a new Nation.

When I work with a new client. The first thing I have them do is to figure out what they want to create . . . and then I ask them if they are willing to commit to it.

I ask them if they are willing to give up their life as it is now (without their dream) so they can have the one that is their dream.

I ask them if they are willing to commit to their Vision.

As you go about your day today . . . think about that. Think about what this day means. It's not just the birthday of our nation. It's the day people committed to what I consider to be the most powerful vision ever conceived by man - the VISION of Independence and Freedom - the VISION of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.


Powerful Quotes

Below are a few select quotes from our Founding Fathers. Sure, the words are over 200 years old. But don't kid yourself, the meaning is just as strong and powerful today as it was the moment they were uttered.

And to be honest with you, I think we could all benefit from reading the words of our Founding Fathers on occasion.

“Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”
Thomas Jefferson

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else”
Ben Franklin

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

John Quincy Adams

“The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions.”
John Hancock

Life Is NOT Easy - Stop Thinking It Should Be

I don't care who you are or what your personal circumstances are - life is not easy. In fact, it's downright hard. If it wasn't, then we would all be bored out of our minds. It is the human condition to create strife (whether by choice or circumstance) and to challenge ourselves to overcome it. It is the struggle of life or as Buddhists put it, "It is suffering".

From old to young, short to tall, rich, poor, Black, White, Latino, Native American, Catholic, Muslin, Jew, French, Japanese, or American, it doesn't matter, we live the circumstances we have been given. But, we choose the life we will have tomorrow.

This is the principle that we will be held accountable to our choices. Even though we may not have intentionally chosen the results, we did make the choices that led to those results.

The sooner we accept this fact, the quicker we can begin to change our current condition.

The Reality Behind The Power Of Choice

Let's face it. It's easy to feel sorry for yourself or anyone else because either you or they are repressed, deprived, starving or in other atrocious conditions. But, the truth is, every day, we all make choices to either perpetuate our current conditions or to change them. The fact that you aren't aware of this fact, doesn't make it less true - it only makes you ignorant.

I know this sounds harsh. But if you don't believe that you have a choice in your response to the conditions in your life, then you really have no hope to change your life - and you are forced to rely only on blind faith - and "hope" that someone or something will create happiness and success for you.

I'm not buying it. The way I see it, without accepting the idea that life is about liberty, freedom, and choices that you make in response to your circumstances every day, your existence becomes what others (friends, family, your Government, or your God) choose for you. And you are just living out what good (or bad) fortune life, God, or others bestow upon you.

Don't Give Up The Ability To Choose Your Own Life

Rather than looking at your condition as something out of your control, change it. Make a different choice that is different than the one you chose yesterday. Look not only at your current situation, but also the one you want to create and make you decisions based more on what you want tomorrow, the next day, or ten years from now, than what you want. . . right now.

I believe we make our life what it is - choose who we are and what we have - by how we respond to our circumstances. I don't care who you are, someone on this earth has now or has had in the past worse than you - and overcame it to make their life GREAT. The only real difference between the person living in strife and the person living in happiness is the choices they have made.

Stop blaming and make a change.

Most Don't Want To Believe This To Be True

The reason this is such an unpopular opinion is because so many, who don't have the life they want, don't want to admit that they don't have what they want, because they choose not to. They don't want to face the fact that their life could have been different (or even could be different), if only they had made different chooses in the past or even right now. They don't want to acknowledge that they may have been able to create the life they wanted, had they only realized the power was within them.

Those are hard things to face - but they are the truth.

It's Not Just A Matter Of Perspective

Sure, I've been dealt a pretty easy hand - a loving family that has supported me, a good education that has given me opportunities that I never would have thought possible, and genetics that have enabled me to be "lazy" with my habits and still maintain a relatively healthy body. My circumstances have been easier than most. So maybe it's easier for me to say these things.

However, that doesn't mean that I have been given everything I want - nor everything I need to make me happy.

Circumstance and fortune are wonderful things if they line up in your favor, But it is still your responsibility to choose the right path - often the hard path to get what you want.

An Easy Life Doesn't Guarantee Happiness or Success

Frankly, a life without strife and hardship to overcome, although easy, is a double edge sword - because nothing great lasts forever and past happiness and success doesn't guarantee more of the same in the future.

Additionally, the one thing in life that you can count on is change. Unlike those who battle daily - overcoming their struggles - those who have been given everything, or had it "easy" as a child or even as an adult, often hit a wall, when they face real life struggles - circumstances which they did not foresee that are devastating to their current condition.

The rich turn to drugs and alcohol at alarming rates. Divorce rates are higher in the more advanced "Western" cultures than in less sophisticated third world countries. And the suicide rates of "well to-do Executives" are as high if not higher than those of inner city homeless people.

If happiness and success were dependent solely on circumstance, none of these things would be true.

Look at your own life, did you learn and grow more from the things that came easy to you, or those that you earned. Do you respect yourself more or feel more pride in your efforts if what you achieve comes to you easily or as a result of considerable effort.

Bottom line is that your life isn't defined by your circumstances, but instead by your choices.. Life is a balance of opportunity and misfortune. And happiness and success exist in our lives based on the choices we make given the circumstances we face each and every day to create the world we want to live in. But don't kid yourself, just because you have the choice, doesn't make the choice easy. . . it only means that it's your to make.

Your Life Is Defined By The Choices You Make Every Day

A death or severe illness in your family.

Getting let go from your job.

Your spouse cheating on you.

A devastating natural disaster hits - destroying your world.

Physical abuse from a loved one (or even a perfect stranger).

What do all these things have in common? They are devastating events that will shake the foundation of your life, often changing who you are - permanently.

Let's face it - bad things happen to every one. Whether it is one of these events or something else. And unfortunately, they usually come at the most inopportune time (or so it feels). But can you ever think of a "good" time to have your day / your life interrupted by bad news?

Truth is though, it's not the bad news that knocks you off kilter - it's how you respond that sends you for the loop - changes who you will become. But it doesn't have to be that way - you can either choose to allow this event to define who and what you are, or you can make it just another event in the course of who you are going to be.

It's said that our only real freedom exists in the moments between the stimulus and response. I believe that. Simply stated, it means that life is DEFINED by the choices we make with our lives - with our actions and our thoughts. And those aren't the always the big choices, but also the small ones that occur each and every day - between the instant that an event occurs (good or bad) and the time you respond.

No one can define that choice for us - except us!

There was a movie that Tom Cruise was in a few years back that typified this idea - the idea that life is a choice (that we choose our own destiny). That movie was Minority Report. The movie's underlying theme was Freedom to choose your own destiny - and whether or not it really existed.

In Minority Report (set in the future), the Police Force had a new tool at their disposal. They had "Precogs" that could predict violent crimes before they actually occurred. With this information, they were able to "see" when and where a murder was going to take place and act on the intelligence to stop the crime. They would arrive on the scene, just prior to the act of violence, and arrest the individual before the act actually took place.

The interesting part of the plot was the early supposition that the Hero, Chief John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, had about "choice". He believed, as most did in the movie, that people had no choice / will in their lives - that they acted as they did, because it was fated. But as the movie progressed, roles were reversed and the hero was placed in the position to choose his own destiny. He had to make a choice to either follow what the future predicted for him, or choose his own destiny.

Too often we fail to recognize this God-given freedom that is CHOICE. It's there every day, whether we realize it or not. Every thing you did and will do today is your choice - don't forget that. Yeah, bad things happen (you can count on that), but how you respond is ALWAYS your choice.

There are two simple things that you can do to keep you moving forward and keep you on track in spite of the events that occur around you:

1. Take your time in responding - especially when you see the criticality of the choice. Give yourself time - very few decisions need to be made right here and now. You always have time to think.
2. Review you Vision regularly - to keep your choices consistent and guiding you to the end you wish to create, review that end (your Personal Vision) at least daily if not more often. Treat it like your personal constitution, making sure that all the decisions (or at least most of them) are leading you to that place you wish to be - when it's all said and done.

Choose wisely!

Why Is Everyone So Happy Executive Pay Is Capped?

Everywhere I turn, I hear people saying how happy they are that "Obama" is capping pay for Executives whose businesses have taken bailout money.

I've got some bad news (good news I guess, if you are a Socialist). Capitalism in the USA is nearly dead!

Now, before you start freaking out, thinking that I believe these idiots deserve the money, settle down. I think these guys should be FIRED along with the Board of Directors. And I think they should never be able to get another job again (except maybe in the mail room). But, in no way shape or form, do I think it's the Federal Government's job to decide that for these companies or any other company in America. Last time I checked there wasn't an enumerated clause spelled out in the Constitution granting any Branch of our Government the right to cap anyone's salary or tell anyone or any entity how to spend their money. But I think we've thrown that document out the window and we're just playing it by ear now.

The truth is our Government has no right to tell a public corporation (and yes they are still public corporations - at least their stock holders think so) how to spend it's money. Any more than the Government has the right to tell you how to spend yours. Oh by the way, they are trying to do that as well.

Democracy depends on capitalism and vice versa. One can not survive without the other. Many people argue me on that point. Except what most people don't realize is that capitalism is nothing more than market democracy - where instead of casting votes, you spend money.

Every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to live in.

If you don't like what Citigroup or Bank of America is doing. Don't vote for them - STOP giving them any of YOUR money! If you are really unhappy - do some community organizing work and organize a boycott.

It is your right in a free country!

It is your duty as an American Citizen - as much as voting on Election Day!

The ironic thing is that the American public have been exercising this "right" for the couple decades by buying cars built by automakers not home based in the US. They didn't like the product that GM, Chrysler, and Ford have been making and they have been voting. But a couple weeks ago, your Government decided you didn't know what you were doing with you votes and they needed to veto your decision.

Where does it stop? From where I'm sitting (in the cheap seats), I don't think it's going to - any time soon.

But that doesn't mean we should stop voting every day for the world we want as both a consumer and a small business owner. Become an educated consumer - learn about the business that you are voting for (purchasing from). Pick ones that perpetuate your ideals and the beliefs you hold dear. Give them testimonials and get your friends and family to do the same.

Support Entrepreneurs that you know are fighting a good fight. They are the ones that are taking risks and doing their best to keep the spirit of Capitalism alive. And remember, without Capitalism, we will end up losing our Democracy.

Who do they think they are? And who is John Galt?

The Federal Government has stepped over the line today - defining what privately held companies can and can't do with their money. This seems to becoming more and more common, with each passing day. I don't care if the government has "bailed them out" of trouble - they have no right to tell anyone how to run their business and / or how to spend their money.

Over the past 24 hours, the US Treasury Department has actively called Citibank, still a privately held corporation (as of today), and told them that it was "unacceptable" for them to accept delivery of a Executive Jet worth $45 Million dollars. Who are they to decide what is acceptable and what isn't? Sure they can tell them that they won't give them any more bailout money - but to be honest, even that is unacceptable, when they wouldn't even allow mortgage bankers that type of authority over who they lent money to over the last decade.

Now, don't get me wrong. . . I don't believe that buying a $45 Million corporate jet is a smart decision on Citibank's part, but in the grand scheme of things, it is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to bad decisions in a company that in all rights should be bankrupt right now.

But, it appears that we have now turned the corner where businesses don't have the right to make decisions on how they wish to operate. And freedom in our country is over.

Its a free-market system. That means we can make the decisions we want and the market will either reward or punish us - based on whether or not they approve of the decision. If Citibank chooses to make stupid decisions on their expenses, then let it be known. And then let the market bear it out.

And let me tell you this! If I were an employee of that company, I would start looking for another job right away - or start doing something from the inside to change the course of the business. Sitting back and washing your hands of the matter - no matter if you are the CEO or the garage attendant - is unacceptable. Because the market will hold you accountable and you will either reap the rewards by continuing to be in employment or you won't!

Our elected officials were not put into power to decide what decisions should be made by you and me and how we should or shouldn't run our businesses. That is not the intent of our Founding Fathers no matter how you interpret our Constitution.

I write this Blog to help small business owners. And there is nothing more frustrating than this turn of events. I tell my clients everyday that they are free to make decisions - any way they want on how to run their company. But those choices have repercussions that they will have to live with.

So, if are a small business owner or even large business owner (including any one who owns stock in a company) and you want to keep your freedom to make your own choices on how to run your business - stand up and be heard.

Tell the Federal Government that they have crossed the line.

They were elected to uphold the Constitution of the United States and enforce the laws of the Country. THAT'S IT! Nothing more. The rest is power they are absconding from you and I - the power that each of us has to stand up and be heard - through our actions, our votes, and through the way we spend our money.

"In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours." John Galt