Russell Emerson on Success

Hi everybody,

Recently I had a Q & A session with Mike Spillman (Future You University) and posted the result of that Q & A session here on this blog. I can't thank Mike enough for that session. He reminded me about why we're here on this earth.

In addition to Mike Spillman, I had a similar Q & A session with Russell Emerson. Russ Emerson is currently disabled from a stroke he survived in 2001. He describes himself as abled not disabled. As such he is self employed with no current income except SSI/DSI. In his words, "I refuse to let anyone tell me what I CAN'T do, I don't know that and have no interest in remaining in THEIR small, Godless world, nor am I interested in failing to complete the journey that God specifically chose for me or influence/inspire/encourage those that He has caused or gives me the blessed opportunity to do so. Not just anyone gets to be where I have been or emerge alive from it".

There's so much more to Russ. Feel free to visit his profile on 48days.net and add him as a friend. He'll happily share his world with you.

When I had the Q & A with Russ on the topic of "success", this is what he had to say:

Actually, a friend asked me once when I was about 35: How do you know that your life has been successful? My answer I believed then and 20 years later I do still. My answer then was if those who throw the dirt on you at your Victory Ceremony, can honestly say that ''He cared enough to make a difference'', then your life has been a success.

Around the same time, another friend, a Stone Cutter, making $25 per hour, asked me, a Dairy Farmer, why I did what I did? I told him the answer is simple. Everyday I produce a nutritious, consumable product and have the satisfaction of knowing that, you got $25 per hour.

I don't honestly have anything that I'm unwilling to do, except something that I know to be wrong and would not glorify God. If I did I would be outside of God's will for me.

I really do believe that long term goals should be what the short term goals were just geometrically multiplied. If the change you did, and there is no beginning or end, the consistency of God. If He never changes, can we and still be like Him or did someone or something else.

Mid-Term goals can be likened to a refreshment stop in a race that allows us to finish strong, ''run the good race , fight the good fight'' where or when Mid-Term arrives is impossible to say. If we just keep on keepin' on and the whole end [Long-Term goal] becomes geometrically multiplied, Mid-Term would impose limitations on the Long-Term goal .

Russell Emerson

As you can tell, he's very optimistic. I encourage you to get to know him better.

Stay tuned for more Q & A sessions.

God bless...

MJ
http://budurl.com/mjenterprisesbzblog
http://budurl.com/cibblog

Thankful Thursday, Despite....

Hey everyone,

Well it's been another Thursday, or as my good friend Mike Spillman (Future You University) has dubbed it "Thankful Thursday". It's a day to be thankful, grateful, looking for, seeing and being appreciative of the positive around you. Is this always possible though?

It may be "Thankful Thursday", a day when you should be thankful (and every day should be like that really), but it's kind of hard to be thankful when your life doesn't quite go the way you'd like it, isn't it? I mean not every day is going to turn out the way you'd like it so what do you do on those days?

I've been confronted with this question lately and my answer is simply: keep being thankful, grateful, positive and appreciative of the positive that surrounds you on a daily basis. I've had to take this advice of mine today (and every day lately). It seems that since my post on Attitude Tune-Up, my attitude's been tested daily. Go figure right?

My point is that despite the apparent tests of my attitude I've still somehow managed to stay pretty positive and upbeat. I'd like to take credit for that but quite frankly it's had little to do with me and a lot to do with my faith.

As you may or may not know, I'm a Christian, or as I like to refer to myself, a Christ-follower. I have to say that it's been my relationship with Christ that has kept me going a lot lately. I do believe that if it hadn't been for Christ (whose death, burial and resurrection the entire church world will be celebrating shortly), I probably wouldn't make it from day to day.

For that alone I'd like to thank Him and I'm so thankful and grateful and appreciative for. It's kind of odd (I think) how He's kept me going, how He's kept reminding me that He loves me. He's done it a lot lately mainly through my little nieces. Being around them, and sometimes just thinking about them, brings such joy to my life and reminds me that despite every thing life brings our way sometimes, I still have a lot to be thankful for.

Of course my little nieces hasn't been the only way He's reminded me of His constant love for me, nor consequently are they the only thing I have to be grateful and thankful for. I am blessed to still have my parents around and kicking. I'm blessed to be able to get up every day virtually pain free, take a deep breath, eat great meals, wear cool clothes (it tends to get pretty hot here in Belize), etc (you get the point).

So this brings me back to my original question: is it possible to be thankful, grateful, looking for, seeing and being appreciative of the positive around you all the time? While it may not be the easiest thing to do ALL the time, it is certainly possible. I mean, you're still breathing aren't you? So that alone should be where you can start. As for me, I pray I always remain thankful, no matter what happens in my life or in the lives of those I care about.

God bless..

MJ

Have you PAP'd today?

Hey everyone,

You might be wondering what the heck I'm talking about. I'm glad you asked. On Monday's podcast, Mike Spillman (Future You University) continued on his question "Why Not Now?" Basically, he's asking what's holding you back from doing what it is you'll do "if only.." and the " one day I will..." You remember those "if only's" and "one day I will's". If only I had the time, if only I had the money, if only..fill in the blank. One day I'll start that business, one day I'll travel to that place, one day I'll..you fill in the blank. Mike's response to the "if only" and "one day I'll" dilemma is Get Started..Today!

Ok ok ok, easier said that done right? I have obligations Miss J, you say. I can't just walk away from my job and step out and get going with my dreams. That'd be irresponsible. True, I agree, but there's nothing stopping you from planning, preparing, getting things set up so that you can get going with your dreams.

Which brings me to PAP, or at least the first P: Plan. Most of us don't even get to that first stage in the process. We are so busy with every day life, fulfilling our obligations to our job, our family, etc that we don't put the time into researching and planning what it will take to make our dreams come true. Then there are those of us who have done our research and have even gone as far as prepared the plan. But alas, that's as far as we've gotten.

Which brings me once again to PAP, or at least the A: Action. Once we have overcome the hurdle of researching, planning, preparing, we need to take that second step and Take Action. Even if that action does not bring you your dream (and it probably won't - forgive me but it's true, no success worth having, no dream worth bringing to pass, will happen overnight), at least you're one step closer to seeing your dream become a reality. And who knows, that one step might be the catalyst you need to get on a roll, and eventually, boom, before you know it, the dream has been realized. You're living your dream.

By now you should have guessed the last P, but if you haven't, it's Progress. All the research and planning, all the action, should lead to progress, even if it's not the desired end result, just yet. But hey, you're making progress, and progress will eventually lead you to your desired end result.

If you plan, take action and make some progress, you'll find success. Preparation is key to any success, online or offline, business or personal or social or financial or whatever success you're after. Of course, no follow up (action) on the preparation (plan) equals no progress.

Live life without regrets. Leave no room for procrastination. The time to do anything is NOW. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, but when it do comes don't let it meet you unprepared.

So have you PAP'd today? I have (this blog is proof).

God bless...

MJ