Creating A Vision For Your Life

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t imagine? Seriously, complicated or simple our lives can be influenced by what we imagine. Strategically we call this vision. Our vision, passion and purpose are of utmost importance. Most people’s biggest deathbed regrets could have been avoided if they’d thought about vision, passion and purpose.

But what if you are doing your best? Isn’t that good enough? NO! This isn’t about effort or intentions, it’s about your vision, purpose and passions coming together to guide your efforts.    

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Everyone ends up somewhere. Few people end up somewhere on purpose. Many people spend their days and even lead organizations with only a sense of plodding along and not working with vision, passion and purpose.   Are you ready for a change?

God through King Solomon, the wisest and richest man who ever lived provides us with truth.                              

Where there is no vision the people perish

Proverbs 29:18 KJV

How To Make A Difference

It’s time to get personal and share with you some of my journey to redirecting my own story. Wondering about how to make a difference? Want to redirect your journey?

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In Finding Your Purpose, by Regi Campbell, an eBook on his blog Radical Mentoring there is a simple analogy; “if your life is a dollar bill, what are you spending it on?’ The average person meets over 10,000 people during their lifetime. That’s 10,000 opportunities! It’s often small things that are done that accumulate to a big difference. Don’t overlook the little things!

 

Young or old, we all wonder if our life is going to make a difference? We all want to find purpose in life and make our lives count for something. But how do we find out where to invest our time and our money? It’s not enough for us to do our best. We need to figure out God’s plan for our lives and THEN do our best. But where do you turn to for insight?

 

God through the apostle Paul provides illumination

 

We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

Ephesians 2:10

 

Two Questions To Help Make A Difference

Did you know as Canadians we spend 99.6% of our income on ourselves? The average donation in 2010 was $260 on the average family income of $69,860. Worse only 23% of Canadians claim a charitable donation. That means 77% claim zero. Until 11 years ago I was one of them. I’d give a $20 at church here or there. Even a $100 thinking I was generous. But until you look at your tax return you have no objective means of analyzing generosity. It’s like learning how to be rich. Learning how to be generous takes thought.

 

This is thin ice I’m stepping on; after all as Canadians we pride ourselves in helping around the world. But I really want you to wrestle with this for yourself. Don’t think about an image that we project and protect. Think about reality!

 

How are you going to make a difference.?

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The Bible speaks about training in this area of our lives as the apostle Paul wrote to his apprentice Timothy:

 

It is required of a steward (property and money manager) that he be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:2

 

“Faithful” – What does that mean?

Marriage Help Love and Respect

If you’re new to Resource Freak, this post may seem like an odd one – why talk about marriage when our focus is Leadership, Business and Personal Development. Where does marriage fit? Since 4 in 10 marriages end in divorce, this is big problem that has far reaching impact on our communities and businesses. If you’re not married – were married – thinking about being married – keep reading. This insight will give you understanding based on over three decades of counseling and scientific biblical research. Changed thinking – changes lives and this resource changes people. Remember, leaders help others by sharing resources like this one!

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Anxiety and conflict in relationships grows from unmet expectations. When we think of marriage we all have expectations. The problem is we unload them on our spouse. This robs our marriages of love and respect.  So what do you do with your unmet expectations? You can’t ignore them. God gave you these ideal desires for your marriage. Do you or someone you know argue a lot in their relationship? 

How To Find Meaning And Purpose In Life

Wondering and wandering, I’ve done both. Why am I here? What am I here for? Where am I going? Often feeling spiritually empty, I questioned my meaning and purpose in life.

Nobel laureate economist Robert William Fogel says, “Spiritual inequality is now as great a problem as material inequality, perhaps even greater.”

Spiritual emptiness is a universal chronic disease. King Solomon, the wisest and richest man who ever lived, warned us over 3,000 years ago in the book of Ecclesiastes about the futility of life “under the sun”. However, he also told us that God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart and our existence is beyond living “under the sun”.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

 

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Then in concluding the whole matter of life, Solomon said,

 

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

Ecclesiastes 12:13

 

You can listen to a full message on meaning and purpose by Andy Stanley called Under The Sun.

Three Easy Steps to Better Health

Can you name something you need in yoga, on a financial statement and for your tires? If you guessed balance – you’re right! Balanced health is possible! In the past I have made choices that were out of balance, especially in the area of sleep. I followed unhealthy role models who took pride in how little sleep was needed and I thought I’d catch up on my sleep – in the grave!

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Ever feel like you’re just reacting in terms of your health? It shouldn’t be this way. We’ve all tried to do better but where do you turn to for information and motivation?

Secrets Of Becoming A Millionaire

If you’ve got it flaunt it! That’s the mantra that surrounds much of western society. Whether it is appearance, ability or assets – many people live to flaunt it! Especially when it comes to assets; many people spend more than they should and it costs them. They really don’t have the wealth they need or should have for the long term. So what’s the secret to having wealth?  Most people want the short, easy answer. They don’t want to read a book, attend a class, or take the time to learn the power of good habits.

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I hope that’s not you! Invest in learning. There is a secret to getting rich. It’s very simple. It’s so simple almost no one does it. It’s also kind of obvious. Chances are you’ve heard the answer before.

How To Make Better Decisions By Asking The Best Question Ever

Regrets, we all have them.  Can you think of someone you wish you hadn’t met? An emotion you wish you’d have controlled? A job you would rather not have taken? A piece of cake, you should have left on the buffet table? Really, regrets are all around us. Some with bigger consequences than others.

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Just so you don’t feel alone in any of your regrets, here are some statistics.

Personal fitness: 36% are obese, 33% overweight

Personal finance: 76% are living paycheck to paycheck

Personal relationships: 50% of all marriages end in divorce

The trouble is we only know how big some decisions are in the rearview mirror. In the moment we lack experience, focus, or discernment to really understand the consequences of our decisions. This lack of understanding leads to regrets.

Surprising Truth About How to Motivate People

Habits, discipline and results all begin with motivation. It’s widely accepted as the key ingredient for both positive and negative outcomes. Think about an elite athlete or a terrorist, they each have motivation. One for good the other for evil!  How to motivate people is often the deciding factor for your success. As a parent, teacher, manager or politician you need to know how to motivate others, otherwise you’ll never experience success.  Theories on human behavior and what motivation really is and how it works are unfolding based on new research and science.

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Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink answers the motivation question!

“When it comes to motivation, there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system–which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators–doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way. This new approach has three essential elements:

How To Succeed In Business

Success in business is not vague or abstract. It is measurable and absolute. What’s the process then?  I’ve experienced and seen three things hold people back from starting and succeeding in business; fear, money, and lack of knowledge. We have discovered how to overcome fear and lack of money. Let’s move forward and understand the knowledge component of how to succeed in business.

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Of the three obstacles, lack of knowledge is the hardest. In my own experience and in the process of coaching others, I am certain that stumbling into creative non-traditional or innovative skills is impossible. In my specialty of homebuilding, it was essential for me to gain mastery of dealing in real estate, evaluating business opportunities, managing employees and investing. So, how do you gain knowledge?