This short 4 word statement is one of the main culprits of killing dreams (yeah, its not your spouse as you may have thought) .

You see, there are usually a couple universal excuses that people use to get themselves out of committing to their goals in life.  They include the lack of money, not having a good support group, they’ve previously failed in other ventures, and they don’t have time.

Of all the excuses, the lack of time has got to be the worst one. You see, anyone who has achieved amazing things in life have something in common with those who don’t; the same 24 hour days and the identical 7 days a week. Yes, we all have the same exact time to do what we want in life.

So, wth that reality in our face, its time to talk about the real issue behind not having enough time. Its not a matter of time, its a matter of priority.

No one can ever manage time but everyone can control their priorities. This is what’s imporant, isn’t it. If you are married, time doesn’t stop when you are with your spouse,you simply decide to make them a priority over other things. I know I do.

When you have children, things don’t automatically remove themselves from your life. You simply make your children a priority over other things that aren’t important anymore. So you see, its not a matter of how much time you have but what you do with your time that matter.

How can you better manage your priorities you may ask. Its quite simple. Here are three quick steps to get started.

1. Identify your real priorities - most people live on default simply living every day as it comes. However, highly successful people live life on purpose and only do what’s most important.  Decide what’s most important to you so you can come up with a game plan.

2. Set SPECIFIC time apart for your priorities- if family is a priority, “burn it” in your calendar, meaning make a standing appointment to accomplish that. If businessis important, block out some time to be productive in business. You now have your priorities worked out so now make time for it. 

3. Do a weekly review every week- this should only take about 15 minutes in the weekend but its important to reflect how you did making time for your priorities. This time of reflection is perhaps the most important part since you’ll be able to see if you’ve committed to what’s important, and if not, adjust for the following week.

So what do you think? Is this doable. Believe me when I tell you that this has the potential to change your life and the lives of those around you. Each of your areas of priority wil be much better for it!

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In fact, if people caught on to this idea, their lives would absolutely change for the better. You may be wondering what it was right? Just take a few seconds and reflect on this:

“It is what it is. What are you going to do about it?”

You see, most people fall short of their goals, successes, and dreams because of excuses. Things like, “I have a full time job, how can I start a business?” or “I don’t have the money right now” or “I don’t have the time to get it done.”

However, if you go past the excuse and ask yourself, “Ok, I don’t have the money right now, but what am I going to do about it?”, you’re giving your mind a chance to work it out and give you some options.

Simply stopping your powerful and resourceful mind with a statement like you don’t have enough time just doesn’t empower you. You’ve already closed the case and accepted defeat.

So, with this in mind, how can you change negative statements (excuses) to insightful questions that would lead you to success and the life you want to have?

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He did a tremendous job and worked hard to get it right. Believe me when I tell you he had a lot of pressure on him for an 8 year old. However, despite making the performance in front of an audience of about 3,000 people, his hard work definitely paid off and the message it sent people home with was clear.

So what was the message I’m talking about? It’s the very nature of Christmas and everything it stands for.

Christmas is, was, and will continue being a time to reflect on giving to others and putting things in the proper perspective. For me and my family, Christmas represents The Most Important Gift Ever, the gift of a loving God giving me a relationship with his son Jesus.

For others, its about giving more of themselves to their loved ones. I challenge you this Christmas and holiday season to put your needs and desires aside and focus on what really matters. Focus on the gift of giving to others even though there are perhaps many wants that you have. Let’s put others first during this time and make a new lifestyle of serving others before worrying about ourselves.

Believe me when I tell you that you’ll be well taken care of if you make sure to do it for someone else.

And in the spirit of giving, let me give you something of great value to me. Here’s my son’s presentation for you to enjoy. It’s only 2 minutes, but pay close attention to the words that are spoken. Though he didn’t have much, he focused on the abundance that he did have.

Enjoy!

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As they prepared their lunch, they noticed that they forgot the salt at home. As they were discussing the options, finally one of the turtles decided to make the trip all the way home to get the salt so they could enjoy their fulfilling meal.

20 minutes past by and nothing. No sign of the turtle. Then came the 30 minute mark, then 40, and finally an hour went by and still no sign of the turtle. Finally, the turtle who stood back decided to eat his portion so he could get back to work.

As soon as he took the first bite, from behind a bush, the other turtle appeared and said “Aha, I got you. I knew you would eat without me, so I stood here waiting to catch you!”

So there you have it. A beautiful story of friendship and… FEAR!!!

You guessed it, the most offensive 4 letter word is FEAR. (What did you think it would be?)

In the story, the second turtle decided to hide in fear that the first would eat the lunch all by himself. The ironic part was the the first turtle did end up eating by himself because the second turtle was paralyzed by fear and decided not to go at all.

He never came back with the salt because he really never left. He was stuck wondering the worst thing that could happen if he actually left.

And now I ask you, what has fear done to paralyze you in your business and your life? Does it seem like bad things keep happening in your life over and over again because you’re too afraid to change your circumstances?

If so, don’t worry, you’re not alone. We all go through it from time to time, but that’s exactly how we must handle it every time, by going THROUGH IT, not staying IN IT!

Take some time today to dig deep inside and break out of the fear that has kept you from being who you’ve dreamed of becoming. I believe in you and so do more people than you probably realize.

Are you going for the salt in order to enjoy the pleasure it brings or will you stay hiding in a bush out of fear? The choice is yours!

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They were studying the economy in several countries, specifically Peru.  Though much of Peru was rural, they said over 80% of the country’s economic development was attributed to local, unlicensed and unregistered businesses rather than big business.

Can you believe that? Most of the money exchanging hands comes through local businesses like independent cab drivers, street vendors, craft makers, and other family businesses rather than large corporations.

However, as interesting as that was, what was even more amazing was the people’s dedication to their businesses.

Some were craftsmen (and women) that had a passion to do their artwork and they’d find ways to make money through their crafts. Other would open small grocery stores from their homes to give the community their daily neccesities.

Many admitted their lack of schooling and formal education, yet their entrepreneurial spirit allowed them to overcome many challenges in order to make a living for themselves and their families. They used all the resources (though not many) they had available to make their business succeed.

They followed through on their dreams despite all the challenges they faced living in third world countries.

Are You As Willing To Cross Those Obstacles To Achieve Your Own Business Success?

After watching the show, I was highly excited and disappointed. I was highly excited because I recognized the power of a burning desire for success at all costs.

This was the same power that fueled the Peruvian locals to achieve things they wouldn’t have done otherwise. They knew their WHY (the reason they absolutely had to succeed) and recognized that their business was the only thing that would pave the way for their children to enjoy a better life.

However, along with that feeling of excitement, I was also disappointed and saddened because of so many business owners who are ready to throw in the towel because of the “recession.”

After seeing that show, I said “screw the recession“!

If indigenous people from Peru were able to create a successful business having nothing but time and a dream for a better life, so can anyone else!

So, I ask you this very moment, what’s holding you back? What have you allowed to get in your way of creating the life and business of your dreams? Sure there are hurdles, but the odds are stacked on your side.

It’s my opinion that you already have everything it takes to get started with your own business.

Ask yourself this; “Who do you know who knows who you need to know?” Sounds funny but someone you know already has all the contacts your need to start making money in your own business.

Next, “What do you know that other people want to know?” People are always looking for information. If this weren’t so, Google would be absolutely meaningless. Moreover, people are willing to pay handsomely for information that’s important to them.  You may already be overlooking some of this valuable knowledge that you have.

The point of this story is for you to let go of whatever is holding you back. There’s resources available, people you know, and knowledge that you already have that others want.

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There are tons of methods that you can use to either create buzz for your business, become an expert with the content you create, or develop a huge fan base through social networking and bookmarking sites.

To get you started, here are 3 quick strategies that you can use today to start creating an internet footprint for your business.

Strategy 1 – Get Started With Social Networking Sites (they’re free) – let’s face it, sites like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are all the rage right now and its not dying out at all. In fact, they are growing by the millions by the month.

So with that said, doesn’t it make sense to begin learning about them and getting engaged with them? The best part, other than being absolutely free, is that you will find thousands of people who are interested in the same things that you’re interested in and are looking to meet interesting people like you.

Once you move into social networking sites, you’ll start seeing people getting engaged with you wanting to know more about what you do.

Strategy 2 – Start Your Own Blog – a blog is basically a virtual diary of your thoughts and ideas or basically anything that you’re passionate about. And its easier than ever to get your own from sites like Wordpress, Blogger, or LiveJournal.

The great thing about blogs is that they’re easy to create and maintain and take virtually no effort at all to updated with the latest news about you or your business.

In addition to sharing pieces of your mind on your blog, readers can comment on your thoughts and you can engage in dialog with them like never before!

Strategy 3 – Begin Visiting Other People’s Blogs In Your Industry – here’s the deal, like you, other people in your industry are looking to get more traffic to their sites, get new subscribers and readers, and grow their business.

They too want to have conversations on their own blogs and are looking to connect with people like you in the hopes that you can help each other’s business. Once you start frequenting their blogs, you can get an idea of how to use yours and what kind of content to put out there.

Finally, you can start commenting on their blogs with valuable insights on what they wrote and sooner or later they’ll reach out to you themselves if you’re consistent.

So there you have it, 3 quick and easy ways to start using the internet in your business as soon as today!

Be sure to add your comments and let me know what you think about these strategies or what would keep you from getting started today. I’ll be sure to walk you through it!

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Let’s think about the benefits:

1. You can either generate a source of income if you’re currently unemployed, another source of income to supplement what you have coming in now or replace your current income altogether.

2. You give others an opportunity to see your success and want to do it themselves.

3. You begin living the dream that you’ve had in your heart and mind for all those years.

The truth is, your business will take time and effort, and above all, a lot of work. However, if you start with the little you can now, you’ll be closer each and every day to the work you love.

Be sure to leave a comment here and tell me what you can start doing today to begin working on your new business?

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