The battle these days seems to be between my ears. We all have a villain and hero within. As Darren Hardy said, I need to strengthen the hero and weaken the villain. It’s hard to be both the hero and villain.

I heard some great advice today, “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” One caveat, this does not apply to my kids!

I have been listening to one of my mentors, Darren Hardy, and he shared 4 keys to living to 100.

1. Movement- Need to keep those body parts moving daily.
2. Purpose- Need a purpose that keeps you looking forward.
3. Downshift- Need time to decompress during each day. Naps are great!
4. Eat until 80% full. Challenge is we are not wired for restraint, stomach will stretch and there is a delayed signal for fullness. To kill hunger pain- 1) eat slowly, 2) focus on food,no phone, 3) Smaller plates and taller glasses and 4) Stop before full.

I started watching Earle Nightengale’s Direct Line on You Tube. His advice for salespeople overcoming an objection-“I know how you feel, others have felt the same way, until they found that…”

There are many times I get caught up in trying to make everything perfect. Trying to spackle all the holes so to speak. I now know everyone has cracks and that is how the light gets in.

Reading a lot about money lately and trying to unlock the tight grip I seem to have on it at times. Reading through the bible, I received some wisdom. Such as, it easier for a camel to get through an eye of an needle than it is for a rich man to follow God. And of course, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Money is a tough challenge for me with my changing income, but God has always provided.

If you want to be successful, you have to avoid following the crowd and do things the crowd what not think of doing. Another way to look at it is to become successful at the things others do not like doing. I have built a successful business on helping my clients prospect. It is the most important and most neglected part of the sales process.

One of the most difficult things about being a parent is letting your kids make mistakes. I often can see the mistakes my kids are making in advance and it kills me not to stop them. This is especially true when it comes to money management. I know I must step away, but it does not make the process any easier. However, I will be there for them when they need to come home. Just like the Prodigal son.  Always forgiving and compassionate.

My son is just starting his summer job selling pest control services. He needs to  reach small reachable goals early and build on that. Early success will breed confidence. In addition, seeing yourself making a sale in your mind is important. Your mind does not know the difference and this will translate into significant outcomes. I hope he reads this piece of advice.

I heard a great quote which plays into my beliefs- “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” I would also add that we need to Dare to Differ with the status quo in order to make a difference in the world!