When you start creating something great - a life, a strategy, a business – you plot your path.

You need a place to get to – and to get THERE, you’ve got to leave the place you’re at now.

It’s hard to soar with the eagles when you’re surrounded by a bunch of turkeys. 
     – I have no idea where this came from

Don’t be afraid of your life and your path.  You never know what you’re going to find along the way, and there’s no way of knowing what (or whom) will be with you when you get to your destination.  This can be far-reaching.  The fear of loss can be a powerful motivating factor, and a powerfully de-motivating one, as well.

• Will working to become successful cause me to lose friends?
• Will I have time for my family?
• Won’t I lose time that I spend on my hobbies?

All of these represent fear of the unknown.  Do a “Find and Replace” in your thought processes, and instead focus on:

• You will gain MORE friends as you participate in the activities that contribute to your success
• Your family time will be HIGHER QUALITY.  The discussions you are able to share with your family – comparing notes with your spouse, passing education on to your children, and discussing economic and political issues with your siblings and parents all contribute GREAT things to your family life.
• Your new hobbies – Saving money, buying businesses, investing in real estate, developing intellectual property, working with people and providing value – will cost you no less time and they are contributing to something that lasts beyond your lifetime. 

One of the first hurdles we may be faced with is leaving the negative influences that keep us where we are now.  We can’t change our lives without changing ourselves. 

We are a composite of:

• What we do
• What we say
• What we think
• Our history

Of those, only our history can not be changed by us.  History, however is changed by the other three.  Where we are today depends somewhat on where we were yesterday.  But with actions, intentions, and thought we are able to plot a course and change directions, and taking action today will give you some of that “history” beginning as early as tomorrow!

Everything you have done in your life so far has brought you to where you are now.  All of the negative influences, all of the positives.  All of your thoughts, and actions – and here you are. 

On negative influences: 

• They are around you now
• They take your time, your thoughts, and subvert your motives
• They tell you “nobody in this town does international business”
• They keep you out drinking and smoking, endorsing poor health and bad choices

They believe you will never make it – because nobody has ever shown them it’s possible to do so, and if you try to believe something different – they will almost fight to defend their position.

Success and happiness can be so frightening to people, because if they were to find out that it’s possible to have these things by changing their mind, and the only difference between their happiness and despair, or their measure of success in life, is INTERNAL rather than EXTERNAL – well, it would mean they have wasted their time and energy, and that they have chosen for themselves to be unsuccessful and unhappy.  This is  a paradigm they can NOT accept.  -Michael Simmons

For those people that are stuck in life, all you can do is encourage them.  If they want to come with you, they will.  Many will not.  There does not have to be a “good bye party”, it just happens naturally.  As you fill your life with positive influences, the negative are pushed out. 

• Fill your head with your positive thoughts, and your negative thoughts suffocate.
• Fill your life with positive people, and the negative people will find other negative people to be around
• Fill your time taking positive actions, and the idle and the passive time goes away
• Fill your history with positive steps towards your goals, and you negative history becomes more distant

If you still have a lingering doubt that you’ll be giving up more than you get – all I can say is “lead by example”.  Bring along who you can – and those that don’t want to come to a better place or take more positive actions to better themselves and their community, may be inspired later as they see you actually achieving the things they thought were impossible.

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