Don’t compromise your integrity by looking for outward approval. To be true to yourself, you should seek the approval of you and your God alone.

For you are exceptional. You are gifted. You are talented. You are unique. You are chosen. You are born for a time such as this.

You have entered planet earth in order to complete mission possible. You have been endowed with a brain that is filled with ideas that are yet to be formulated. You have passion and need to discover how to channel the fire planted within your belly in the direction that your destiny should unfold.

You were born to dream. You were formed to be the visionary who will seek out the purpose for which you were created.

No matter what task you undertake, you have been designed to complete it with a spirit of excellence. To compete against your best efforts to date is your goal.

It doesn’t matter whether others approve or disapprove of who you are or of what you do. Your responsibility is to do your best – to please yourself and to bring a smile on your creator’s face.

So be proud of who you are and what you have achieved.

For no matter what quantity of talent you have been endowed with – use it, develop it, trade with it, expand it all the days of your life – and maintain your integrity by only ever seeking inward and upward approval.

Don’t Compromise Your Integrity is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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There is a law called the law of gravity. But at the same time there is another law called the law of lift.

One law will pull you down, while the other law will help you up.

So many people, when they start the pursuit of a God-given dream, will allow the resistance to that dream’s fulfillment to stifle it, and in so many cases to actually kill it.

But resistance is not the time to quit. Resistance is the time to dig deep with a spirit of persistence, and to tap into the opposing law – the law of lift – that will enable you to soar above all opposition.

You were born with wings, and were created to fly in the direction of your dreams and pursuits.

Don’t allow rejection or failure to stop you in your tracks. Use these experiences as character building exercises. Allow them to enstrengthen you so that your wings become stronger and more pliable.

Keep your eyes on the goal. Search out a better strategy. Discover a more comprehensive plan. Maybe you need to recalibrate your sails. Possibly you need more members to be added to your team.

But whatever you do, never lose sight of your destination – for you were born to rise above the thunderous clouds into the full sunlight – all the way to victory.

This is your birthright. This is your destiny. This is your rightful place.

For you have been born for one thing – and that is to win.

All The Way To Victory is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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‘If you don’t know, ask. You will be a fool for the moment, but a wise man for the rest of your life.’ Seneca (4BC – AD65)

Some while ago I proposed something of significant importance to an individual whom I loved and respected, and yet their initial response was far from positive, based upon some emotional triggers that arose from circumstances that had both been beyond our total control.

The first thing I thought was. ‘Why didn’t they simply ask questions, before making up their mind?’

So often we react without first investigating the fullness of what is being presented to us. And in doing so we could most likely miss out on some of the greatest opportunities in our lifetime.

And that is why, before making decisions that will determine our destiny, it is so important that we become the fool for a brief moment by asking the right questions – and at times obvious questions with possibly obvious answers – but in doing so we are positioning ourselves to receive great wisdom, and the establishment of sure foundations upon which we can build our lives.

I am always reminded of my high-school buddy John Smartt. Smartt with a double t, and he was, even as a teenager, doubly smart.  John questioned everything, and it was his example that challenged me to not simply accept everything that was thrust in my direction, or what was accepted by the status quo, but to rather question everything. This part of questioning, I have since learnt,  is the pathway to wisdom.

I have used this life skill in sales, in study, in research, in analysis, and in rightly dividing what even the so-called experts in their fields are espousing. I have found this one thing, that no matter what title a man or woman commands, they are still human, and they can make mistakes. If I follow their direction without first questioning, then I am the one who will be held responsible for the results. I am, and must be, responsible for my own thoughts and for my own conclusions.

The more we question, and the deeper we dig, through the refined art of questioning, the wiser we will all become.

The Path From Foolishness To Wisdom is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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‘Wise men and women are always learning, always listening to fresh insights.’ Proverbs 18:15

Do you wish to be wise? Well here are some things that you need to do. Firstly, you need to always be willing to learn. Secondly, you need to always listen to fresh insights.

So how do you go about these two important activities?

Let’s have a closer look at both.

1. Wise Men & Women Are Always Learning

I set a goal recently: to live until the age of 104. And a funny thing happened the other day, after I had set that goal, as I was filling my car at a petrol(gas) station. The station just so happened to be right next to a bowling alley, and the sign on the building was requesting new members from the age of 4 to – now wait for it – to the grand old age of 104. I couldn’t believe my eyes and joked with my wife that I should return to sign up when I reach the age of my proposed longevity goal.

But what has that to do with learning? Well, the fact is that no matter what age, if you wish be wise, you need to be forever wearing the hat of a student. There is always something we can learn. Life is our tutor. Those whom we meet day by day are our lecturers. The books we read are our teachers. And with every encounter we must become experts at asking the question: ‘What can I learn from this?’ And in that way we will always live a life of continuous learning, thus positioning ourselves to be endowed with the spirit of wisdom.

2. Wise Men & Women Always Listen To Fresh Insights

There is a common theme that runs through the lives of those whom I would call wise, and that is that they are always seeking to understand. They are always keen to gain some fresh insight in whatever they may be researching into at the time. They dig deep, and they dig thoroughly. They’re always willing to look at things from another angle, or from another point of view.

They also  seek to see the best in others, and are always looking for the why behind the how. They shun gossip, and seek the truth, and they are fresh in their outlook, not stale, from stuck-in-the-mud and opinionated viewpoints.

So you seek to be wise?

Well learn from the wise – for they ‘are always learning, always listening to fresh insights.’

What Wise Men & Women Do is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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I found myself saying this statement to myself the other day, ‘I don’t want to ever forget the pain’.

Why?

I suppose, as I am currently embarking on some of the most successful ventures in my 24 years of knowing that I have been called into business, I want to make sure that I never despise my days of  small beginnings.

I actually went into business ten years before that when I found myself working for an entrepreneur called Sid who owned a company called ‘The Potch Trading Company’. I was only 18 at the time and was very naive. I remember the day he asked me to carry $9,000 cash down the road to the bank. I refused, and would only do it if he drove me to the bank, because I thought it was such a huge sum of money, and I feared that I would be robbed.

Sid saw something in me that sparked the first seed of entrepreneurial potential in me, so much so that I started my own little jewelery business on the side that Christmas and made a lot of money from friends and relatives. But Sid had a few flaws.  He was rude, crude and overweight and indulged in questionable cash only deals and had a taste for pornography. Before the year was up I realised that he wasn’t going to be the best  role model for me, and so my business aspirations faded for a few years when I decided to attend teacher’s college.

After college I found myself in a classroom with lots of children. Funny I hadn’t thought about that fact much before that, and I decided suddenly that babysitting children and trying to teach those who had no real desire to learn – well that was my view of teaching at the time – was not where I wanted to spend my entire working life.

I had previously played in bands and had a passion for music. So that was when I first launched my first official venture with a registered business name – ‘ Outasight Music’.

But once again the twists and turns of life led me in the years to come through a range of activities as youth pastor, early morning newspaper deliverer, company director, pastor, traveling evangelist, multi-level marketer, grocery shelve packer, lead generator and even a cleaner – just to name a few – ever searching for the business that would once and for all fill not only my bank account, and enable me to bless others, but to also fit in line with the passions that God had placed in my heart.

Amidst all those formative years there has been much pain. And it was the pain that continued to drive me forward. For without the pain I would have stayed in the deadly state of mediocrity. Pain helped me to rise above. Pain assisted me to overcome. Pain urged me to try again. Pain kept me up late at night. Pain forced me to work harder than the other guy, to reach for excellence, and to discover the dream with a tenacity and a persistence that just wouldn’t lay down and die.

That is why I don’t want to ever forget the pain, and will continue to position myself in line with the appropriate level of pain that will make me reach higher and further all the days of my life – no matter how successful I become.

So don’t despise pain. Pain can be your friend if you embrace her. Use her masterful charm as the catalyst contained in the mix that makes up the essential formula for all your future successes.

I Don’t Want To Ever Forget The Pain is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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My dad’s my hero. He’s loved me when I wasn’t lovable. He’s encouraged me when I needed encouragement. He’s challenged me. He’s supported me and has provided me with a guiding example. He has made me laugh, and is to this day an awesome story teller.

His greatest attribute is that he’s a doer and not just a talker. While everybody else was having a committee meeting Dad had already done what needed to be done. He’s a man of action, and he loves my mother(see photo).

I have observed him as he led our family through acts of dedicated service for many years. And as I think about who he is, and the wisdom he’s imparted to me – not always by word – but in many ways by deed – here are eight facets of the wise advice that I’ve caught from him. I am my father’s son, and I’m proud to call him dad – and trust that I can be the shining example he has set for me to follow to my own children, and his grandchildren.

1.’Always finish what you start.’

Completion builds character. Seeing a project through from the beginning until the end requires dedication and discipline. It is a habit that will provide you with the capability of being known as a reliable one. So many have run from a job before it has ended, and have suffered as a result. Not necessarily in that job, but by developing bad habits that will catch up to them at a later date. Be reliable, and when you promise to complete, do so, even if it creates for you some discomfort. Time will pass quickly, and you will be the stronger for the experience.

2.’If you do something do it well.’

It’s not the size of the task that you complete that is of major significance. It is the attitude with which you complete it that counts. Give everything you do your fullest attention, and always do it to the best of your ability. If you find that in the midst of the task your abilities are lacking somewhat, then seek ways to learn. Search out a mentor. Read a book. Listen to or watch a recording. Attend a seminar. Do whatever it takes to equip yourself with the skills to perform the best you can possibly perform. And add enthusiasm to each and every performance.

3.’Take good care of your health.’

What use is it to have the finest mind in the whole wide world and yet leave your body to go to rack and ruin? So yes, take care of your mental health by reading the finest of literature and seeking out the best of the best in information. But also spend time each day exercising your body, whether it be to walk, run, swim or ride. Spend time attending to your spiritual health through prayer and meditation. Become financially literate so that you can maintain a healthy financial life, and if you are to have healthy relationships, make certain that you invest love into the lives of your family, friends and associates every day of your life.

4.’Don’t neglect your spiritual life.’

In our rush for success, this is an area of our lives that many neglect. And yet it is at the very centre of our beings. This is not about religion. It is about ensuring that we maintain the compass for our lives and the very essence of our existence. Personally, I have found regular times of prayer and meditation in ‘the greatest book that has ever been written’ has carried me through both the good and the bad times. The end result, to this point, has been a life filled with clarity, love and peace that I share with others.

5.’Keep neat and tidy.’

You can soon tell a disciplined life from an undisciplined life through simply observing their surroundings. Though remember that there are two types of people: those who clean up after the event and those who clean as they go. The results are what count. At the end of the day, after all the activity is over, what remains? Is it order or disorder? Is there peace or is there tension? All these things arise from a mind that is either, or neither, neat or tidy. Aided by a plan, and followed through with regular action, a neat and tidy mind will lead to an ordered life.

6.’Obey directions.’

My daughter once received a bonus just before Christmas from her boss. None of the other juniors, who worked with her, did. Why the difference? Because she did what she was asked to do. At the start of the day they were all instructed to keep an eye out, throughout the gift store, for people who may like to pocket goods for free and then leave. The one who was diligent in following the request of the owner was the one who was ultimately rewarded. Simple, but the one who did this is now running her own businesses and is now the one giving directions.

7.’Help others.’

He or she who helps others helps himself or herself. Give and it will be given back to you. This is a law and should become a daily part of our lives. As a writer of motivational material, I have found that the more I write to encourage others, the more I am encouraged and the more inspiration I receive to write. So don’t be on the lookout to always get. Be on the hunt to give, and in your giving be generous, for a generous heart will always be full and overflowing.

8.’Always use the best tools.’

In order to move a mountain, what would you choose? A shovel or a bulldozer? The effectiveness of the tools will very much determine your answer, won’t they? If you want plenty of exercise and a tan, you’ll choose the shovel. However, if you want a job done swiftly, you’ll choose the dozer. But the fact remains, that the tools you use will determine whether or not you’re on the cutting edge of change. Those who have led every revolution (whether industrial or technological) have been the ones who have used superior tools.

Wise Advice From My Dad is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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There is a place where you and I must reside. It is called the uncommon place. It is at times a lonely place, and is where few choose to reside.

However, there is a call being heralded throughout the world. There is a cry going out to the ends of the earth for those who will take up the challenge to rise up as leaders in their families, their schools, their universities, their workplaces, their churches, and throughout the entire fabric that makes up today’s society.

Who will take up the challenge? Who will count the cost? Who will pay the price? Who will stand against the tide of common opinion? Who will speak out? Who will be light? Who will be salt? Who will be a city set on a hill?

This is where those who stand up in response to this call will be and are transformed from the ordinary into the extraordinary. It may take decades to manifest, but if you persist it will surely appear.

This is where the common are transfigured into that which is uncommon. For these are the peculiar people who are going to effect eternal change in today’s universe.

These are the visionaries. These are the dreamers. These are those who fail time and again, and yet who get up one more time until they finally taste the sweet taste of success.

These are the triumphant. These are the courageous. These are those who have heart. These are those who have soul. And these are those whom men, women and children will follow whilst supping on the richness of the knowledge and wisdom that flows from their mouths and through their pens.

For there is an army rising up; an army of those who have made a deliberate decision to stay above the common place. They walk in the footsteps of the great leaders who have already walked this earth throughout the centuries, and they too declare, ‘we have been born for a time such as this’.

These are they who have a sense of destiny, and they will not rest until that destiny is fulfilled to utter completion. These are the willing. These are the obedient. And as the good book says, ‘the willing and obedient shall eat the fat of the land.’

And in eating, and in being filled to overflowing, they will share their wealth, their riches, their hopes, and their dreams with those who will hearken to the voice of Wisdom as she cries out - ‘Come. Come and drink of the rivers of life, and live a life filled with abundance from this day forward and forevermore – both you and the generations that follow.’

The Uncommon Place is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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Peter J. Daniels, (born in 1932 in Adelaide, Australia) is an Australian life coach, writer, and professional speaker. On January 14 through 16 in 1984 I entered a motel room with one of his first published books, a Gideon Bible and a notebook with one intention – to unveil my destiny. Those three days of prayer and fasting changed my life forever.

So when I had the privilege of hearing Peter speak at a seminar in my hometown this past week, after so many years, I felt compelled to  honor this great and godly man by including his brief biography(that now covers 78 years) here in my Motivational Memo Blog.

Peter Daniels was illiterate and worked as a brick-layer’s assistant. He came from a disadvantaged background and was challenged with illiteracy in his early years. His family was third generation welfare recipients, he has two alcoholic brothers, 4 fathers and 2 mothers. Many of his relatives have been in jail. He failed at every grade in school, became a bricklayer, and at 26 years of age was hopelessly in debt.

All through his school years he was told by his teachers, particularly Miss Phillips, that he was a stupid boy and would never amount to anything. Not knowing anything different, and having to endure undiagnosed dyslexia, Mr Daniels went to a Billy Graham meeting in the late 1950s in Adelaide where his life was forever changed. From that point, Peter Daniels learned how to read and put this new found skill into practice by reading over 6,000 biographies of successful people.

He then learned the secrets of wealth-creation and through many trials (having failed in business 3 times over and each time becoming bankrupt) eventually went on to become a multi-millionaire businessman whose motivational services are to this day in high demand around the world. He successfully managed to build a large real estate business in Australia and South East Asia and serves as a director and chairman on a range of international boards. Soon the leaders of ‘Third-World’ countries were calling on Mr Daniels and his corporation to help turn their nations from bankruptcy and poverty to wellness and prosperity.

Today he is a world recognized authority on leadership, personal development and goal setting. He is personally wealthy, benevolent, and has a ‘no debt’ philosophy. His family owns the only private-owned gold and silver bullion bank in the world.

Peter J. Daniels is one of the world’s most highly paid strategic planners and public speakers. Two companies have paid him a million dollars for advice. The success of his program has been so phenomenal that he exclaims, ‘Every 48 hours, gifts arrive from Christian business people whom I have helped to turn into millionaires.’

The business community has said of him, ‘he could motivate an Egyptian mummy to walk’. He has received many honors from universities, theological colleges, governments, business and humanitarian organizations around the world, and is a genius for creating simple business formulas to solve difficult problems.

Thousands flock to hear him speak. He has lectured to an audience of 31,000 CEO’s of major international organizations, and all who have the opportunity to know him conclude that Peter J. Daniels is ‘a man who loves Jesus and his family’.

Daniels has authored thirteen books (and more coming), including How to Reach Your Life Goals and How to be Happy Though Rich. His books sell at a frantic pace around the world. One tape recording on encouragement has reached over one million copies.

Described by Dr Norman Vincent Peale as the best speaker in the world, Daniels has been speaking on personal development for over 30 years.

Peter J. Daniels has been touching the lives of millions of people, not only in the business community, but people from all walks of life, with life-changing guidance and sound, focused leadership.

Personally, I owe him a great debt, and hold him in high esteem as one of only a few  key influencers and significant mentors in my life. I am proud to be one of his students of success, and look forward to taking part in the fulfillment of his dream to finance kingdom projects, through business endeavors, in the years to come.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_J._Daniels

From Illiterate Bricklayer To International Business Statesman is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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‘The mind is like a muscle and it can be developed.’ Peter J. Daniels

I heard Peter speak again this weekend at my local church, and it’s twenty four years since I first came in contact with the author of that quote. For three days I shut myself away in a motel room with three books – one book written by Peter J. Daniels, the Gideon Bible, and a blank notebook.

During those three days I filled that notebook and mapped out my future, including the businesses that I believed I would develop in the years to come. At the time I was not yet a businessman, and I was unaware of any businessmen being in my recent known ancestry. So it was virgin ground that I was entering, and experience has been my greatest teacher. This was the beginning of my mind muscle development that has continued to this very day.

Even twenty four years later, even though I have achieved many great things, I feel that I am just getting started. For that reason I continue to exercise my mind so that it can grow stronger and more prepared to achieve more in the next twenty four years than I have to date since those three precious days that defined my future.

So how do you develop the muscle called the mind? Well here are just a few ways that have helped me.

1. Read Mind Developing Material

I don’t read rubbish. And there are a lot of garbage books out there. So be discerning in your reading. I have also discovered that an author can write one good book, and yet the next will not rise to the same level of excellence. So never allow yourself to be lured into reading material that will not build your brain matter. I read a whole range of different subject material. But in all my reading I am seeking the lesson to be learnt – and no matter what I read – whether political, philosophical, social, economic, religious or otherwise – I will always bring it back to how can it help in relation to the further development of my human potential. I read for the purpose of mind muscle development.

2. Keep The Company Of Smarter People

Everyone I come in contact with is smarter than myself in some area. So that is why I ask lots of questions. Whenever I’m in the presence of another human being I allow them to be the teacher, and position myself as the student through the art of questioning. Through this practice I never cease learning something new. My world and mind are constantly expanded as a direct result of that habit. But as part of that process I glean my thoughts – making certain that only those words that will build my life are added to my growing storehouse of knowledge and wisdom.

3. Think Beyond BIG Thoughts

As soon as I think I have found the biggest thought I’m doomed. I must constantly develop the habit of thinking BIG. Through my reading and my association this is achieved. I choose to be challenged to grow and to expand into the BIG thinker that I was created to become. Practice the art of BIG thinking. Journal your ideas. BIG seeds will ultimately produce BIG results.

4. Get Off Your ‘Blessed Assurance’

This is a term used by Peter J. Daniels. He simply means that until we get up off our backside and apply actions to our big ideas, our big thoughts, our big goals and our big dreams – nothing is ever going to happen. Through the years I have gradually attempted bigger and better things, but as I look back at where I started I am amazed how much of a small thinker I was – and I suppose in  ten years I will look back at now and think the same thing. But that’s okay. We’re not competing against others. We’re running against the potential that God has placed in our lives – and it is for that reason, and that alone, that we are wholly responsible for.

So get moving – develop your mind muscle, and bring to the world stage the great advancements that only you can bring to make it a better place in which all of us can live.

The Expansive World Of Mind Muscle Development is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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‘If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it – how shortsighted to refuse correction.’ Proverbs 12:1 The Message

Laziness will never produce anything of value. Tardiness will leave behind disappointment and unfulfilled promises. But discipline will instill confidence and provide excellence as its hallmark.

But discipline takes on many forms, and it is my purpose to unveil how we are to apply this to our daily lives.

So here are five areas where I have found discipline to help me live a fulfilled and productive life.

1. A Disciplined Mind

How you fill your mind will determine the way you think and the way you live. That is why I spend a portion of each day in the disciplining of my mind. Most days I start by reading wisdom literature, which includes the Bible along with material written in that field – from both the past and the present. I flick though the newspapers with one purpose only, and that is to find commentary on the businesses I’m either involved or interested in, but I refuse to focus on the negative.

I am selective as to what I view on the television, and the same goes with what I listen. This is how I discipline my mind. And in addition I choose to think positive thoughts rather than entertaining those that are negative.

2. A Disciplined Heart

I choose to love. I choose to forgive. I deal with issues immediately and resolve them swiftly. I never go to sleep angry. I protect my heart by surrounding myself with those who love and support me. Any criticism thrust my way is deciphered. What is good, I take on board, but as for the rest I don’t allow it to take root in my heart. I love God and I love people, and prayer is very much a part of my everyday life.

3. A Disciplined Body

I monitor what I eat. I choose to exercise on a regular basis. I don’t overindulge. I choose the smaller piece. I take vitamin supplements. I drink filtered water. I breath in fresh air. I get sufficient sleep and generally go to bed early and rise early. I grow and eat organic vegetables and share them with those whom I love.

4. A Disciplined Day

I make lists. I keep to no more than 6 major things that need to be completed each day on that list. I do the list. And whatever is left undone at the end of the day, I translate to the next.

I set goals and work step by step towards their fulfillment.

I live at peace. I don’t do frantic, and I will not be pushed along by foolish people who lack discipline. They either fit my schedule or they just don’t fit. I’m prompt. I’m punctual. I show compassion and mercy, but if those whom I have organized meetings with fail to show within fifteen minutes of the appointed time, I leave. Why? Because I have a disciplined plan for my life. In fact, it is a written plan for tomorrow – always ready to go, today.

5. A Disciplined Life

Some people think that to have a disciplined life is to live a life that is regimented, and even robotic. But the opposite is true. Discipline creates freedom and sheds wastage, and with that comes peace and prosperity. It allows the disciplined to set their own pace without the pressure of uncertainty.

I surround myself with mentors, and whenever I make mistakes, or harm another in word or deed, I seek immediate forgiveness and am open to correction.

Discipline doesn’t mean that you are inflexible. Tragic things happen in all our lives from time to time, and I will drop my list in a second to attend to any unexpected needs faced by my family and friends. But I will do it with purpose and in a state of calm. And it is in that state that I think so much more clearly and act more responsibly than if I ever lived my life in an undisciplined fashion.

The road to life is definitely a disciplined life. So make the practice of discipline an integral part of your world.

The Road To Life Is A Disciplined Life is a post from: Motivational Memo Blog

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