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I remember early on in my entrepreneurial journey, I was told by a mentor of mine that I needed to dream more.  He told me the kinds of things I needed to keep in the forefront of my head, but it just didn’t work for me.  You see, his dreams weren’t mine, and vice versa.

Over the course of my journey, keeping that dream alive was one of the most difficult things I had to do.  You see, I kept thinking that my dream had to be about material things, and I’ve just never been driven that way.  Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong if that’s YOUR dream, it just wasn’t mine.  Most of you know I’m a huge fan of John C. Maxwell.  I have been working through a book of his that is a Daily Reader with little “nuggets” each day that are totally inspirational.  The other day, I read his daily “scripture” and it really cleared up some of my own misconceptions about having a dream, it was titled “The Power Of A Dream”.

He makes some excellent points about how as success oriented people we need to have a dream that is in our heart, no matter what it is.  He says, “I’m not talking about wanting to win the lottery.  That kind of idea comes from a desire to escape our present circumstances, not to pursue a heartfelt dream.  I’m talking about a vision deep inside that speaks to the very soul.  It’s the thing we were born to do, it draws on our talents and gifts.”

So often as busy entrepreneurs, we get caught up in our daily activities and we forget the very reasons we are pursuing and pushing in our business lives.  We forget that when we started our journey, we had a dream and a vision.  In the book The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, he recommends that we revisit those reasons daily.  As part of our morning “calibration” meeting with ourselves.  Deep inside of you there is a reason you wake up each morning and do what you do, I challenge you to write those reasons down and review them each and every day.  No matter the reason, it’s what matters to you!

I have said before that one of the greatest maxims of leadership is the desire to help others.  To go from success to significance.  I don’t believe that this goal is altruistic or mere “fluff”.  As business owners, it is incumbent upon us to provide value to those we serve, and with that comes our own success.

So dig deep inside of you and find out the thing that burns in your heart.  I know for me it is that deep desire to help others, maybe for you it is to be free from a job that you hate.  Whatever it is, write it down and revisit it daily.  Here’s what Mr. Maxwell says about your dream.

A Dream Does Many Things For Us:

• A dream gives us direction.
• A dream increases our potential.
• A dream helps us prioritize.
• A dream adds value to our work.
• A dream predicts our future.

To The Success You Deserve!

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I keep getting this overwhelming feeling lately that the average person thinks that Capitalism is some sort of a dirty word.  That any person who makes money from a source other than an employer or the government is somehow contributing to the downfall of the world.

What happened?

It used to be a source of pride for people to say that they were Capitalists.  Remember the Cold War when we prided ourselves on our freedoms and we derided the Soviet Union for their communist and socialist ways?

Maybe it was Enron.  Or the oil companies making billions while rising gas prices caused families to go almost bankrupt.  Or maybe it was corporate and executive greed.  All of those things would cause any average Capitalist to rethink their opinion a bit, for sure!

But maybe…just maybe, there is an alternative.  An alternative we see sprouting up all over that can make it ok to be a Capitalist again.  How about Compassionate Capitalism, or Capitalism With A Cause.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett just gave away BILLIONS to their foundations to support causes all over the world.  We look at companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Kashi, and Starbucks as “Socially Responsible Companies”.

I think we can all agree that the communist and socialist models don’t work.  Take the motivation, innovation and drive away from the people and you have a government trying to support people instead of people supporting people.  Eventually, you have an economy like much of Europe right now.  Bankrupt!

Take a look at this short video clip on a company that is making some real noise, Tom’s Shoes.





The quote that in my mind really hits home from this video is near the end.  The fabric maker says, “This is a good CAUSE because it is not only a business, but we are helping people.

Maybe that’s what we need to focus on.  Is Capitalism so bad if at the root of our mission we are helping people?  Maybe it’s not about our product or our company.  Maybe it’s all about our FOCUS.  I remember that near the end of my retirement from the Air Force, they came out with new core values.

• Integrity First
• Service Before Self
• Excellence In All That We Do

Maybe, just maybe if we focused on those 3 things, Capitalism wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

If the plan you are on now just isn’t working, don’t shy away from entrepreneurship just because you think owning a company is a “dirty venture”.  As long as you have the right perspective, you may find it possible to help people while growing yourself.

To The Success You Deserve!

Want To Get Updates Like These Each Day? Put Your Name & Email Address In The Top Right Box Of My Site.

Most people think they want to be wealthy or a millionaire, but watch today’s blog to learn the real story.

I promised you that I would provide free or very low content to help you this year.  I strongly encourage you to check out Tim’s blog.

You can also check out Tim’s book on Amazon.  It is like $10 for the book and $13 for the audio book, which is on iTunes.  And no all you pessimists, I’m not getting a kickback for recommending it!

Talk to you tomorrow!

To The Success You Deserve!

Want To Get Updates Like These Each Day? Put Your Name & Email Address In The Top Right Box Of My Site.