Some Things To Be Thankful For

When there is much to complain about THAT is a time to remember A FEW THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR:

1. Clean Water.  One in eight people around the world don’t have access to clean water. When you take a five-minute shower, you use more water than a typical person in a developing country uses in a whole day.  I’m thankful for clean water!

2. A Bathroom.   I still think plumbing is the greatest technological invention in the last millennium.  Did you know that about 40 percent of the world's population don’t have toilets?  It’s a major cause of disease and death around the world.  Thank God for toilets!

3. Electricity.  Electricity is definitely #2 (right after plumbing) on the list of greatest inventions.  Statistics say that 1/4th of the world does not have electricity. I can barely even imagine what that would be like.  I’m thankful for electricity!

4. Food.  Statistics say that about 990 million people in the developing world are malnourished—many of them are children and die of actual starvation.  And here in America, we have an obesity problem.  I totally enjoy eating.  As for many of us, it’s my second favorite thing to do.  Thank God for food!

Good Fortune is Not About Chance

Good Fortune Is Not About Chance

By Dennis Petersen

Reclaiming Your Legacy show #167 aired 04-15-2014

Good fortune and prosperity has virtually nothing to do with chances.

I read that: "the odds of becoming a huge success are so low because it’s insanely tough."

If you think your success is a matter of "odds" like winning the lottery then you've probably swallowed the lie that you are a victim of your circumstances rather than the architect of your choices.

While you rest in the conscious humility of dependency on God, don't ever forget that God expects you to determine your vision, your mission and your objectives while you trust Him for His guidance.  His grace takes up where your effort leaves off.

The choice is yours.  You can give 13 Reasons Why You Will Never Be Successful or you can decide to be a winner instead of a whiner.

The changes you decide to make for your journey in life will demolish those casino "odds" against you because you decide to take some very simple actions.   They’re simple, but not easy. It’s largely in your mind. Are you ready to make major changes in your life? Let’s get to it. Here are 13 factors why you will either choose to be successful or choose to resist success.

Listen to This episode of Reclaim Your Legacy at www.ReclaimYourLegacy.com > Radio Programs > Broadcast Archive > Show #25

12 Dynamics to Empower You to Enhance the lives of others

Imagine you just got a direct message from God that your efforts in a critical area will soon be rewarded!  You’re excited… Are you ready for your marching orders now?  Imagine that his next download to your brain is this: “Take action today on that excellent thought you just had.”  That’s a pretty straight forward simple command.  Are you ready to take his command to heart?

Let’s be honest with ourselves.  Within the providence of our Creator, the only way you can truly prosper in life is to bring benefits, advantages, profits or blessings into the lives of others.  Once we grow up enough to realize that in order to harvest a crop you have to plant and cultivate a seed, we can be free to focus on others and not be so worried about ourselves and our self interests all the time.  But that takes some extraordinary self control and openness to adjust our natural tendencies to fear everything around us that appears to threaten our personal prosperity and peace of mind.

Think about it.  Do you want to get off the vicious cycle of self-centered anxiety that tends to make us think we have to dominate others or trick them into giving us what we want?  There are reasons why more than 90% of the people around our society are anxious about temporal things continually and lacking the abundant life that we were designed by our Creator to experience.

Have you heard the basic principle of the law of the harvest?  The Golden Rule?  If you want to make a change in your destination you have to make a change in your direction.  As you take the high road of developing yourself and becoming more of what you were created to be, you are then able to help others do the same and experience more of the abundant life that is available to them.

And because we were put into a tangible world filled with stuff to be developed and expanded with the touch of our own creativity and resourcefulness, we inevitably have to get mature about the use and management of the stuff that is on loan to us for this fleeting ‘vapor’ we call our life.

I believe that these suggestions will help you accomplish more, discover more, profit more and add more to whatever your business is about… even inviting more people to your cause, your project, your business and your community.

If you are one of the people who have chosen to participate in a project or business that is all about building a network of team members for a special cause or enterprise, you MUST understand something that great leaders have discovered. It’s simply this: that IF you become a better person, you WILL attract better people to you – just the kind of people you want on your team. AND you will inevitably enlarge your influence. You may think it is only a great script or book full of facts that influences people to take action.  In reality it’s much more.  The words and the facts must be made vibrant through HOW you actually say things and WHO you are to the person when you are talking to them. IF you improve your life and how you feel about yourself, the dynamic energy that you send out will be greater and more compelling so that people will actually want to be around you.

Think about it.  This is why the disciples of Jesus were able to turn the world upside down.  The people could tell that the disciples had spent time with their leader, their teacher and coach.  If you want to truly leave a legacy that positively influences other people for generations to come, find a mentor.  Find a coach.  Find living examples of the qualities you want to emulate.  Listen to them.  Read their books.  Participate in the activities that they are participating in.  Join their cause.  Show them you are willing to go the extra mile.  Let them see that you show up for the events.  Let them see that you are following their example.  Let them see that you are disciplined enough to do the challenging things that demand that you improve yourself, learn new skills and receive the life-changing insights that make you a more productive human being.

So let’s look at a dozen simple things you can do to improve your life and be that legacy-minded person that will influence others to be as blessed and as successful as you are willing to be yourself.

12 Ways to Improve Your Life

1. First of all, Smile more. Now here is a choice that doesn’t cost you a cent … it’s simple and easy to implement and it will INSTANTLY make you more attractive to other people.  Decide today to conscientiously do this one thing.  It will improve your life and communicate to others what they often refer to as a more positive “vibe” or vibration. Anytime someone – even a stranger – locks eyes with you, even for a fleeting moment, give them a big ole smile.  There’s something very satisfying

A single Word for you to delete from your Vocabulary

Do you want to make one of the most important decisions that can positively change your life starting today perhaps more than anything else you can do? 

I’m completely convinced that many of us and those around us are far more capable of being much more productive, more influential and happier than they ever dreamed.  Is it possible that just one word can ignite a beacon-light of hope for you today?  Is there a word that can make a 180 degree change in your future?

Before we get into this… if you have had a tough day, or even a rough year watch this amazing 5 minute video about a girl born without legs.  I guarantee, you’ll be challenged and encouraged to eliminate a word from your speech too.

 

Just to rattle your cage a little, let me ask you something.  Do you want to completely sabotage your life, destroy your potential, and ultimately look back on a life of wasted years with intense regret? Of course you don't. No one WANTS that. But for many people, their actions -- and more importantly their attitude -- are leading them down a road of self-destruction that will ultimately lead them to such an undesirable final destination.

That road's name is "I Can't Boulevard" and it's full of millions upon millions of unsuccessful, complacent, and mediocrity-filled men and women.

Yes, many of these people are also good hearted and well meaning, but unfortunately they're stuck in a big fat rut with their health, their body, their income, their marriage, their career, or their relationships. And they are stuck because of their attitude, because of the phrase, “I can’t”.

I can't achieve a body like that. I don't have the genetics.

I can’t make a six figure salary. What skills do I have?

I can't fix my marriage. It's too far gone.

I can't be an entrepreneur. That's too risky.

I can't. I can't. I can't. Enough!

This negative "can't do" mentality is holding them back.

As employees, when a problem arises, they'd rather tell you about every potential solution that WON'T work instead of spending their time focusing on finding the one solution that will work.

Whine.  Complain.  Negative thoughts.  Negative words.  Negative action.

Fact is, when it all boils down, how you handle the problems and obstacles that arise in your life will determine whether you excel and soar like an eagle, or if you remain grounded in a chicken coop full of other self-limiting thinkers.

You see, problems and obstacles are OPPORTUNITIES for leaders. Are you a leader? You can be a leader, if you learn to RESPOND like a leader.

Are you ready to Make this the day that your life will change for good?

There seems to be a lot of confusion and anxiety that is causing very real and damaging financial crisis for many people today.  Could it be that 90% of even Bible believing people are heading for retirement years of dependency and lack because they have not understood and planned their lives around the truth Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 8:18 and Solomon wrote in Proverbs 8:18?

For those who will receive it, the keys to a greater life of effective and profitable service to our Maker are often so simple that we over-complicate it.  It could start with some of the nuggets relayed in this empowering little article.

Are you ready to Make this the day that your life will change for good?

Adapted by Dennis Petersen from an article by Chris Widener

How many people do you know who wish for a better life but never seem to do much to change it?  It seems to be natural for almost everybody to desire a better life.  But is their desire matched with effort to do anything about it?

No matter where we are in life we tend to at least have fleeting dreams of a better place.  I suppose some would think that is a good quality, but is it really?

It might seem good to have a dream that we can see far off of a better situation for us, our families and our businesses and communities.  But is this really a good mindset to maintain?  What good is a dream if it is not progressing toward reality?

A lot of people give up dreaming for this very reason… There is no progress in reality toward the dream.  A dream can make you feel good, but long term, if you don’t actively pursue it and make it a reality, the dream will cause you more frustration than anything.

But there is a good reason to have hope!  I’m talking about the day your life really changes…the day that your dream starts to become a reality, and not

4 Reasons Why Curiosity is Important and How to Develop It

The Key to Influencing People

By Dennis Petersen

We cannot Teach people Anything…- Galileo Galilei

We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves. - Galileo Galilei, the father of science.

    Curiosity is an important trait of a genius. I don’t think you can find an intellectual giant who is not a curious person. Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein.

4 Reasons Why Curiosity is Important and How to Develop It

    "The important thing is not to stop questioning… Never lose a holy curiosity."

    Albert Einstein

But why is curiosity so important? Here are four reasons:

1.. It makes your mind active instead of passive

    Curious people always ask questions and search for answers in their minds. Their minds are always active. Since the mind is like a muscle which becomes stronger through continual exercise, the mental exercise caused by curiosity makes your mind stronger and stronger.

2.. It makes your mind observant of new ideas

    When you are curious about something, your mind expects and anticipates new ideas related to it. When the ideas come they will soon be recognized. Without curiosity, the ideas may pass right in front of you and yet you miss them because your mind is not prepared to recognize them. Just think: how many great ideas may have lost due to lack of curiosity?

3.. It opens up new worlds and possibilities

    By being curious you will be able to see new worlds and possibilities which are normally not visible. They are hidden behind the surface of normal life, and it takes a curious mind to look beneath the surface and discover these new worlds and possibilities.

4.. It brings excitement into your life

    The life of curious people is far from boring. It’s neither dull nor routine. There are always new things that attract their attention; there are always new ‘toys’ to play with. Instead of being bored, curious people have an adventurous life.

So, How do you develop curiosity?

Now, knowing the importance of curiosity, here are some tips to develop it:

1. Keep an open mind

This is essential if you are to have a curious mind. Be open to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Some things you know and believe might be wrong, and you should be prepared to accept this possibility and change your mind.

2. Don’t take things as granted

If you just accept the world as it is without trying to dig deeper, you will

10 Decisions that will transform your life to make you truly happy

10 Decisions that will transform your life to make you truly happy

Legacy show 2013-09-17

Have you ever gotten ‘fed up’ with the way things are going for you to the point where you finally just said you’ve had it?

Why not take stock today of some things that need to change?

Why not decide today to intentionally work on some personal habits that are guaranteed to make you a happier person?

Are you willing to Stop the self-destructive things to regain your joy?

1. Stop making excuses: If you are really serious about reclaiming your legacy then you have to realize that you’re entering the realm where you know good and well that NO EXCUSES ever fly! Why do we come up with excuses? Because they deceive us into thinking they are easier than actually achieving our goals. But excuses are just a waste of time, and we know it.

What draws us into a negative path?   Rather than growing and working on improving ourselves, we get stuck, lying to ourselves.  We use all kind of excuses.  And 99.9% of those excuses are not even real.

2. Stop the blame game: When you blame others for what you don’t have or for what happens to you, you actually give your power away. Life should never be only about what happens to you.  How are you going to handle the situations in your life?  Only you can make the choice to take right actions.

3. Stop your resistance to change: Change is good. Change will help you make improvements in your life.  Working with change you can also help lives of those around you.  Embrace change – don’t resist it. There is a great book:Who Moved my Cheese by Spencer Johnson - read it!

4.  Stop complaining: You are the only person responsible for your attitude and your reactions to things! So stop complaining about people – You can’t change them.  Stop complaining about events – they happen to everyone.  Situations can only make you sad, angry and bitter when YOU allow them to. No one wants to be around someone who constantly complains.

5. Stop trying to impress others: Stop trying so hard to be something or somebody that you’re not… especially if you’re doing it just to make others like you. It doesn’t work anyway. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.  Not all people… of course.  Just the people who you really want to connect with anyway.

6. Stop being a control freak:  Yeah, sure… I know this is hard, but when you are willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and