The Catalyst for Love

Drew’s Reminder,

    I just watched an interesting documentary on Netflix called The Scroll: Revelation.  It is a film where prominent spiritual figures and others share their inspiring stories about how their faith has guided them through trying times.  Bishop Hezekiah Walker was one of the featured presenters and his story was about divorce.  He says several times that he would not wish divorce on his worst enemy. He like most of us did not marry for divorce.  We marry to be married forever.  The advice that he gives his church is do not marry for love.  

     I found that advice very interesting.  It caught my attention and made me really focus because I wanted to understand what he was saying. I thought to myself shouldn't everyone marry for love?  Why else would you marry?  Doesn't the energy of love keep the marriage going?  How can you have a marriage without love?  As I continued to watch I learned he wasn't saying that.  He was saying that instead of marrying for love, we should all marry for relationship.  He went on to explain that the relationship will enhance the love.  It will make the love grow.  It will keep you together.  

     Sounds simple but it really hit home.  I've been married for 20 years.  I will always love my wife.  When I got married I said we would never divorce.  I am sure that is the same thing that most of us say when we get married.  Yet the divorce rate in this country is astronomically high in my opinion.  We all know some couple that has been divorced.  It's a normal fabric of our society.     No matter what I say divorce is a possibility because we are both imperfect human beings.  That is a fact of life.

      I think the pastor was right that the key to the marriage surviving is for the love to grow.  Growth is the engine to human life.  Without growth our lives deteriorate and eventually when the growth stops so does life.  We should focus on growth for our entire lives if we want to live a good life.  Some growth in life will happen because of our age.  But once we've finished all of our education and we have settled into our adult lives, the growth now is our responsibility.  Do not take that responsibility lightly.  It could lead to an unfulfilled life.  A life none of us want but some of us are currently living.  

     So when it comes to marriage you need to ensure your love for your partner continues to grow.  The love is limitless so never think that you are already there and things can’t get better.  They can and they will if you focus on your relationship.  Do you know that married couple that loves each other but doesn’t do anything together?  You don’t have to spend every living moment with your significant other but you do need to have a strong relationship.  You need to work at that relationship.  I have learned this on a personal level.  

    My wife and I are together today because of our relationship.  We have been best friends since I can remember.  We built that friendship one conversation at a time.  I still remember those lunches with her in college at Godfather’s Pizza where we would just talk.  At that time I never knew that this was the woman of my dreams.  I just enjoyed spending time with her.  We became such good friends that even when we broke up we continued to talk.  Our relationship continued to exist.  When we did decide to get married it was an easy decision because of that relationship.  We’ve been building on it every since and anytime we’ve hit a rocky road over the last 20 years all we needed to do was work on our relationship and it was back to smooth sailing.

  

    Some of the things we do to work on our relationship are so simple but the impact so great.  For example, we’ve both always tried to maintain our health through exercising and eating healthy.  In the early years we did most of this on our own, individually.  Once we started working out together it just added to our relationship.  We talked more.  We appreciated each other more.  To this day I love going for a run with her or even working out in the garage at the same time.  It doesn't end there.  We tailgate together.  We have a subscription to the Horizon Theater to see live plays together every year.  I never thought I would enjoy going to see plays as much as I do.  It's all thanks to my wife suggesting we do so.  We started traveling together without the kids once a year.  Those vacations have been some of the best times of my life.  We weren’t doing all of these things when we first got married and they didn’t all start at once.  They’ve all been added periodically throughout the last 20 years. 

    After listening to the pastor’s message I am now even more energized to continue to add to our relationship.  I love my wife more now than I ever have.  I don’t have a problem saying that.  That should be the goal every year.  Our love should grow.  Our love will grow.  It will grow because we will continue to work on our relationship.  If you are married or thinking about getting married this is your reminder to do the same.  Work on your relationship and the love will grow.  Your relationship with your partner is the key to experiencing marriage to its fullest.  When we grow we experience all of life to its fullest.   As always, I wish you the best and enjoy the journey!

With Gratitude,

Drew

Division is a choice.

Drew’s Reminder,

     We are all one. Division is a choice.  All religions point to this fact.  Science points to this fact.  Yet we find every reason we cannot fully embrace this fact.  Why is that?  There are too many reasons to list because as individuals we all have our own opinion on the root cause.  As with any opinion they are all debatable.  I’m not here to debate.  I’m here to point out a fact.  We are all one.  Division is a choice. 

    Now don’t get me wrong.  I know the “real world” as we see it.  There are rich people.  There are poor people.  There are mean people.  There are nice people.  There are judgmental people.  There are welcoming people.  There are athletic people.  There are lazy people.  There are handicapped people.  There are people who lack none of their physical senses.  You name it and it exists.  People have their differences.  Yet we are all one.  One nation, one Earth, one Solar System, one Universe.  Embrace that fact.

     By embracing that fact we fully align ourselves with all the universe has to offer.  It is our natural state.  Being divisive is not.  When you align yourself with all the universe has to offer you benefit by becoming more connected.  The more connected you are the more you will realize your expectations and desires.

      Over my life I’ve heard numerous conversations about how the white man did this or the black man did that.  How rich people are like this and how poor people are like that.  As conversation topics to articulate an observation that may be fine.  However, when you start to believe that  “those” people are not one with you, that they are different than you, you run the risk of being divisive yourself. They are people just like you.  They like you have choices.  They have the same power that you have to make choices.  Just as no one can tell you what choices to make, you cannot not know definitively what choices someone else will make.   Therefore don't concentrate on the choices you believe someone else will make.  Focus on what you can control.  You can control your choices.

     I choose to never let someone else take away my power and make me act the way they want me to act.  So if someone calls me a very derogative name that is disrespectful on ever level, I have a choice.  I can get upset and lash back.  I could physically assault that person.  I could get my revenge. Those are all my choices.  Yet I know none of those choices benefit me.  Lashing out at someone does nothing positive for me.  Physically assaulting someone could land me in jail which does nothing positive for me.  Getting revenge does nothing positive for me because it doesn't benefit my life.  It only harms someone else's.  My choice is to keep my mind in a place, that drives the feelings that I desire which leads me to take the actions that will lead to the right results.  It is a difficult challenge at times, however it is always well worth the effort.  

     Remember the formula is and always will be the same.  We have beliefs.  Those beliefs drive our thoughts.  Our thoughts cause our feelings.  Our feelings drive our actions.  Our actions ultimately lead to our results.  We get to choose what results we desire in life.  If you desire to be happy and abundant then you better make sure your beliefs and thoughts will lead you to that state.

     My desire for happiness and abundance is important to me and because of that I'm not going to give anyone else the opportunity to take me off track.  Since we are all one that other person who is trying to take me off track is no different than me. The exception is that they have made choices I am not willing to make.  I cannot control their choices but I can control mine.  My first choice is to look at everyone, man or woman, as one with me.  I do not choose division.  I believe this aligns me with the universe and all it has to offer.  I can only hope that you decide to do the same.  We are all one.  Division is a choice.  Consider yourself reminded and as always, enjoy the journey.


With gratitude,
Drew

The Energy of Love

Drew’s Reminder,

     Love is a gift that keeps on giving.  What do you love?  Who do you love?  Why do you love?  How do you love?  Those are 4 great questions that you should take the time to answer.  Answering these 4 questions is a perfect way to reflect on your life and the beauty within it.  No matter how you answer the questions you will get a benefit from that exercise. 
    
     You see love is the greatest energy known to man.  You may think that the energy from nuclear fission or the thermal energy of the sun would be considered the greatest energy.  Those are both sources of tremendous energy but man never can fully experience the energy of nuclear fission or the thermal energy of the sun and survive. You may experience some fraction of that energy but you won't experience it in totality.  It will always be limited. 
    
     Man can experience love.  You can actually feel that energy.  You can experience it in totality.  You can both give and receive unlimited amounts of it.  The only limiting factor in experiencing it is you.  Right now as you read this blog think of the last time you loved something.  Think about that time when you loved hard or someone loved you hard.  In that moment you felt every joule of energy.  It engulfed you.  It took over your being.  It was the best feeling you ever felt.  It was the most energy you ever consumed.
    
     The holiday season recently ended here in the United States and many other countries.  As part of my family’s tradition we visit my parents and my wife's parents.  Because its tradition to visit both sets of parents during that time we had to split our vacation between the two.  Depending on how you look at it that could be good or bad.  My wife and I both work in corporate America so our vacation is limited.  We actually had to split the vacation up into 3 parts because my wife and I wanted some time to ourselves as well.  With all the weekends included we had a total of 12 days between workdays to spend this great time with family and friends.  That meant 5 days for my parents, 4 days for her parents and 4 days on the end for us which included the weekend before going back to work.  The love I experienced during these 12 days was tremendous.  I couldn't ask for much more.  That energy has me back at work feeling great and ready to take on the world.  The energy from that love has fully charged me to start 2016 off in a great way. 
     
     So what, you may ask, is that love that recharged me during this period of time?  Let me explain some of it.  The first 5 days of the trip were amazing.  My father has been having some health issues and the last time I saw him he just wasn't himself.  When we arrived and he walked out of the house to greet us and I could immediately tell a big difference.  My dad was back.  He looked full of energy.  He looked happy.  It made me happy.  It made me feel the love for my Dad that I always feel but much more intensified.  My Dad has been telling me he loves me as long as I can remember.  Each and every time it makes me feel great to hear it.  Hearing him say it this visit was much more special because he was healthy and energized.  I didn’t have to think about the fact that I wished he was better because he was. 
    
     My Step Mom gave love in her own special way as well.  She's always very giving of her time and effort.  She goes out of her way to make Christmas for me, my wife and the kids special.  However, the greatest love that she gave this holiday period was her expressing how proud she was of us.  Hearing her words on how well she feels we are doing as parents and congratulating us on 20 years of marriage were a true gift of love.  It meant a lot to us. Those are just two examples of feeling love (seeing my father doing so much better) and receiving love (the words expressed by my step mom) in those first 5 days.  I really wished we could have spent more time with them.
     
     On our next trip to my wife's parents house the love continued.  My wife's parents are senior to my parents so it is a little different atmosphere visiting them.  They really love to see the grand kids.  Unfortunately they can't travel often to see us so they don't get to see them as often as they would like.  You can just see it in their eyes how much they really enjoy seeing the kids.  The smiles they have each and every day are warm felt.  My mother in law makes sure we are well fed and even though she's not as mobile as she used to be she doesn't miss a step when caring for us. 
    
     My father in law shows so much interest in the kids’ lives that it becomes inspiring.  He really cares and wants to know all the things that are going on in their lives.  It’s so refreshing to see his curiosity and enchantment as he engages them in conversation.  He plays with them and makes them smile.  In turn it makes him smile.  He has such a great spirit.  Those are two examples of giving love (my mother in law making sure we were well taken care of) and feeling love (watching my father in law interact with his grand kids).  We really enjoyed the time spent with them as well.
     
     The ultimate love I experienced was between my wife and me.  Yes, this could sound like that sappy part where I tell you how much I love my wife of 20 years.  You may be surprised that this example of love included some turmoil.  My wife and I actually had an argument during the holidays.  Of course the holidays are the wrong time to have an argument.  Yet when you think about it, is there ever really ever a good time to have an argument?  The argument wasn't anything major that we couldn't get past but for some reason it really took a toll on us. 
    
     Without going into too much personal detail the argument took a toll on both of us because of love.  We both love each other so much neither of us could really understand how we both felt about the actual situation that caused the argument.  I went into my shell and stopped communicating.  This in turn upset my wife and rightfully so.  I'm a work in progress and that's one thing I'm working on eliminating.  However, love brought us back together.  My wife said 3 simple words to me that made my heart soar.  The love I felt and experienced could never be put into words.  I believe it’s much greater than any nuclear fission or any thermal energy the sun could ever release.  Days later I still feel the energy from those words.
    
     What were those 3 words?  They were "I miss you".  She missed her best friend.  She missed our chemistry.  She missed the energy we share with our love for each other.  Those words meant the world to me.  Hearing her say them about me just hit home in a special way.  Just to know that she feels the same way about me that I feel about her is rewarding.  Even after 20 years I can never take that for granted.  I won’t allow myself to because once you take that for granted you risk the possibility of things becoming stagnant.  I never want that to happen because life without growth isn’t meaningful life.
    
     My heart is still soaring from those words.  I do know if I've ever hugged and kissed her with as much love as I did at that moment.  Maybe I have before but it felt like the best hug and kiss I'd ever given.  Those examples of receiving love (hearing my wife tell me that she missed me) and giving love (hugging her so tight and kissing like I've never kissed before) were the greatest examples of love from my holidays.  There's no other comparable energy on this earth that I can experience as a human being.  It, along with all the other love I experienced has fueled me for a great start of 2016.  My goal now is to continue adding to that fuel.  I must first charge myself up by give love whenever I can.  Second I must continue being aware of my every situation so I don't miss the opportunity of receiving love. 
     
     I'm not much of a New Year resolution guy.  I'm more of a find something I need to do and do it type of guy.  But because it is the beginning of a new year you can look at this as a New Year resolution if you like.  This will be one resolution that I won't quit on.  Love is the most power energy known to man and I plan to receive and give my share of it.  Why wouldn't I when I know it is so abundant?  The holidays just served as a great reminder of that fact.  Consider this your reminder to get and give yours as well.  Enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,
Drew

Align

Drew’s Reminder,

      Align.  I’m sure you’ve heard that word used in multiple situations.  If you look up the word in the merriam-webster dictionary you will see the following definitions:

      - to arrange things so that they form a line or are in proper position

      - to change (something) so that it agrees with or matches something else

      - to join a group that is supporting or opposing something

The topic of this blog is focusing on the middle definition of agreeing with or matching something else.   

     Let me paint a picture to help dive into this topic.  In order to paint that picture I will need to create two fictional characters, John and Mary.  John and Mary are in the same situation in different companies. Both are in a job right now that they don’t like.  They have ambition to do something else, they need to make more money or they simply don’t like their boss.  Their desire is to change their situation and get a new job.  When I finish telling both of their stories I want you to let me know who is aligned with their desires.   

 

      John goes to work every day and is unhappy.  He gets his job done because he has to but deep down inside he’s just not happy being there.  He does what needs to be done and that’s it.  While he is at work he is constantly thinking about how he wished things would be.  His wishes he had a better job.  He wishes he made more money and is stressed about his current financial situation.  He wishes his boss wasn’t his boss anymore.  Is John aligned since he is wishing for the things he desires?  Hold on to your answer for a minute while I discuss Mary.

      Mary too desires a new job.  She too doesn’t like the situation she is in.  However Mary refuses to be unhappy.  Mary deep down knows that the situation is temporary.  She knows that not only can she do better but she will do better.  Mary has accepted the fact that she has another job; she’s just not in it yet.  Mary goes to work with a great attitude.  She’s not upset, she’s focused.  She gets her job done even if takes going above and beyond at times.  If her boss does something to upset her she acknowledges the dislike and moves on because she knows she won’t be there much longer.  She is grateful that she has her current job because it will help her in the next role.  Is Mary aligned with her desire for a new job?

     Now let’s discuss your answers to the questions.  Is John aligned to his desire for a new job? If your answer is yes then you are incorrect.  John is actually sabotaging his chances of getting a new job.  John is not aligned.  Getting a new job for John would be a great thing for him.  He would be happy in a new job.  He would excel in a new job that he liked.  He would go above and beyond in that job.  In order for him to be aligned he needs to have those same traits now.  He needs to be happy in his current job.  He needs to excel in his current job.  He needs to go above and beyond as necessary in his new job.  If he does all of those things he will be aligned.  Once he’s aligned with his desire he is one step closer to achieving it.  

     However, there may be a case when John does get a new job.  If he wasn’t aligned from the beginning then that new job stands of chance of missing something.  He may get into that new job that makes more money but his boss is worse than the last one.  He may get into that new job and hate the work life balance.  He may get into a new job that just isn’t challenging or fulfilling so he loses his ambition.

     Mary on the other hand is aligned to her desire.  She is sending out the right energy to attract everything that she wants.  She will be that person you know that we all call lucky.  In actuality she wasn’t lucky.  She created her own circumstances.  She attracted exactly what she needed which lead to her achieving her desire.  That recruiter that calls her out of the blue or that job that all of sudden comes open is not a matter of luck.  It’s a matter of being prepared and aligned to her desire.  We have been given a great gift of thought.  That gift allows us to create our own reality.  Our job is to trust that fact and focus on making sure we are aligned with what we want to create.

     I know there isn’t a silver bullet to solve every situation.  If there was we would all be using it.  The one think I do know is that your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings create your actions and your actions create your results.  That is why you need to align your thoughts and feelings to the results you desire.  If you do that you will take the right actions.  You may not see the direct correlation to every action and result.  You are supposed to.  Leave that to the universe, your creator, God or whatever you choose to call the omnipresent spirit of your life.  

      The next time you have a desire ask yourself how do you need to align to achieve that desire.  If you want to run your own business you need to align yourself to act like a business owner.  For example a business owner will spend money to make money.  If you are scared to spend money then you aren’t aligned with being a business owner.  Haven’t you heard the phrase “scared money don’t make money.”  My daughter told me that the other day when I was debating on buying some product to sell.  It showed me that I need to work on being aligned with my own desires.  If you want to be rich you need to align yourself to being rich. 

      If you want to have a spouse then you need to align yourself to having a spouse.  Here’s an example I heard on a podcast I recently listened to.  A life coach had a client that desired to be married.  The life coach told the client to do some interesting things to align the client to being married.  The coach told the client to cook for two when cooking.  Eat one of the meals when finished and eat the other later.  The coach also told the client when going to bed to turn down the sheets on the other side of the bed as if the spouse was joining that evening.  This wasn’t all the advice but it was two of the actions that help the client become aligned with being married.  I’m sure you know the rest of the story.  The client was successful in meeting their spouse and is now happily married.  

   So think of your next desire.  Write it down.  Then write down what it means to be aligned to that desire.  Next, make the changes in your life to align yourself to those desires.  This may sound like too much work or maybe even seem silly to you.  If so, ask yourself what you are doing to help achieve your desires.  Is it enough?  Is it working?  Be honest with yourself.  You have one life to live and you are living it right now.  Why wouldn’t you do everything possible to live it the way you desire? If you don’t you are only hurting yourself and your chances of achieving your desires. We don't want that so go out and get aligned.  Enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew

The beauty of experience.

Drew's Reminder,

      Let’s face it.  We live in a material world.  Many of us have a strong desire to collect material things.  We all want what we consider the basic materials of life that make us comfortable.  Things like a house, a car and clothes.  For some us those are just things we need to survive and therefore we work to obtain them.  For some of us those material things have a deeper meaning in our lives.  They are a status symbol to show how successful or unsuccessful we are or have been.  In many of those cases we look at those material things as  vehicles to make us happy.  Yet in the end no big house or nice car by itself can make us happy. 

     As I’ve stated before we aren’t really interested in the nice big house.  What we are interested in is how that nice big house will make us feel.  Yet if you don’t concentrate on those feelings you run the risk of getting that nice big house and then not achieving the feelings you wanted in the first place.  In those cases you end up chasing the next big material thing.  Sound familiar?  I’m sure you know someone who is on that constant chase and they never end up in the final destination of being happy.  Because no matter where you are in the spectrum of having material things you have the capability to be happy right now.  That’s because happiness is a feeling.  You have beliefs.  You have thoughts.  Your beliefs influence your thoughts  and your thoughts create your feelings.  There’s nothing outside that can control that.  No material thing can create your beliefs.  No outside material thing can create your thoughts.  Only you can.

     Now instead of material things let's turn the discussion to experiences.  I believe experiences are much more valuable to all of us than material things.  You see with an experience you are actually using your mind to evaluate the experience.  To experience anything you must use your mind to have thoughts about the experience.  In good experiences those thoughts lead to good feelings.  Several experiences can also lead to you having beliefs about something associated with those experiences.  An experience can have a long lasting effect on your life if it creates or even reinforces a belief.  Beliefs lead to thoughts, thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to actions and actions lead to results.  So great experiences ultimately lead to great results in your life.  This can lead to a wonderful circle of life.  You have a great experience. You create or reinforce beliefs.  Your beliefs create great thoughts.  Your great thoughts lead to great feelings.  Your great feelings lead you to taking great actions.  Your great actions lead to great results.  Eventually one of those results will be another great experience.  Therefore you get caught up in a wonderful circle of life.  

      A nice house in itself won’t lead to those type of results.  Unless you create great experiences in that house.  A brand new car won’t lead to those type of results.  Unless you create great experiences in that car.  A diamond watch won’t lead to those type of results.  Unless you create great experiences due to that diamond watch.  The latest pair of Gucci shoes won’t lead to those  type of results, unless those Gucci shoes create great experiences.  I know there will be some people who say those material things will create great experiences.  My only challenge to you is that you could create those experiences regardless of the material item.  Because an experience is all in your mind.  So why take a chance on spending money or time on a material item that may create an experience?  Instead just spend your money or time on creating a great experience.  Take the element of chance out of the picture and get right to the desired result.

      I’d like to give you an example of an experience that continues to bring great dividends to my life, tailgating.  On the surface a tailgate can look like different things to different people. To some it’s a chance to drink beer before going into the big game.  For others it’s a chance to eat some meat from the grill and relax before going into the big game.  Then you have the people who don’t even go to the game they just love the opportunity to sit outside with fans and watch the game on TV.  For me above all a tailgate is a chance to see friends and have fun together. The game is just a means to bring everyone together.  There’s nothing like seeing people you haven’t seen all month or sometimes all year at a tailgate.  Especially since you know you are just there to enjoy each other’s company.  Sure there is loud music (if you are lucky enough to have DJ at your tailgate), there’s barbeque smoke and there’s random people walking around that you don't know.  But when you keep the perspective in mind that you are hanging with friends and sometimes family (framily), a tailgate is a wonderful experience.  

      If you allow yourself to fully experience the benefits of just hanging out with friends and family (framily), you can impact so many good beliefs you have inside you.  Your belief that you are loved and appreciated.  Your belief that people are good natured and you attract good natured people into your life.  Your belief that it is so simple to be happy just by enjoying yourself with food, drinks and friends.   Just think about how positive this experience can be on your life.  Think of the great thoughts you will have about your friends enjoying the meat that you grilled on the barbecue or the nice mixed drink you made especially for them. If you are the DJ you can appreciate the song that you played that got them so excited and hype.  

      

       If you open your mind you can also think about the possibilities of doing similar things in different places during different times of the year (traveling tailgates, renting a cabin in the mountains, a picnic in the park, a dinner with friends, a night out on the town together).  Those thoughts will make you feel so good.  You’ll be happy.  You’ll be appreciative.  You will be at peace with life no matter what outside circumstances may be bringing you down outside the tailgate.  That peace will lead to great thoughts.  Those thoughts will lead to great feelings.  Those great feelings will lead you to take action. You’ll take action like planning an annual trip around the country to go to a random college football game with your friends.  You’ll take action like going home and sharing your experience with others so they join the tailgate and add to the great atmosphere.  You’ll take action like going to work on Monday with a great attitude because you had such a good time at the tailgate. You will be ready to take on the world.  The list goes on and on.

       This is my depiction of a tailgate.  This is what it means to me.  It is an experience.  It's an experience I wouldn't trade for a nice gold watch or a brand new car.  Those material items won't make me feel the way a tailgate makes me feel.  Those material things won't compare because they won't give me the same experience.  Sure a new car will drive me to work in a quieter cabin or softer seats.  The problem is that experience won't have the same impact on me.  A quiet cabin and soft seats won't reinforce or create any new beliefs in me.  It won't bring about great thoughts.  Without the great thoughts it won't lead to a surge of great feelings.  I need those great feelings to make me take great actions so I can get great results.  If you don't agree let me prove my point.  I wrote this blog because of the impact tailgating has on me.  There will be one person who will read this and make the decision to put off buying a new car or a new purse and they will take that money and spend it on an experience.  That experience will have a great impact on their life.  They will end up with a great result and because of that and so will I.  As always I implore you to Enjoy the Journey!

With gratitude,
Drew

Your job is not your source of income.

Drew’s Reminder,

     Your job is not your source of income.  How is that so?  My job gives me a check every pay period.  How can my job not be my source of income?  That kind of thinking can lead to you not reaching your potential.  If you see your job as your source of income then the only way you will see to gain more income is to devote more to your job.  However, we all know that your job is not devoted to you.  Your job is paying you for a service.  The job is paying you to provide some type of value.  Where does that value come from?  It comes from within.

     Therefore you are your source of income.  Provide the same value year over year and you'll receive the same relative income year over year.  Once you stop providing value then you will no longer receive any income. Once you start providing more value you will receive more income. That is how it works.  But how can you provide more value?  You could get extra training or learn a new skill.  That will most likely give you an increase in the value you provide.  However it will not be substantial.  If you want to provide a substantial amount of increased value you have to work within.

      What do I mean by working within?  You have to work on your thoughts and your beliefs.  Those are the things that will drive you to take action that will result in the delivery of more value.  There's no other way around it.  Many of you have either figured it out or seen it in action on your job or in the marketplace.  In Corporate America the people that provide the most value and get the most income are the ones who have the traits necessary to get things done.  They have confidence.  They have persistence.  They believe.  They do not worry about how something will get done.  They know it will if we put our minds to it.  They have vision.  They communicate that vision freely and openly.  They challenge when they believe something needs to be challenged.  They have no fear of failure because they understand failure is part of life.  They focus on learning from each failure so that they will be better for the next opportunity.  They know that there will be a next opportunity because this is a world of abundance and they are determined to get their share of it.  They do not wait for the next opportunity either.  They actively search for it.  They know the only time we have is right now and we must take advantage of it.  These are all great traits.

       There are some of us who exude this traits and some of us that don't.  The truth is we all can if we put in the right work and take the right actions.  Too many of us shut off work once we leave the job.  We look at doing something outside of the job as extra work and who wants to do extra work?  However, if we knew what that so called extra work could do for our lives we would all do it and do it happily.  What is this extra work that I'm referring to anyway?  I'll give you a list and tell you the benefits.

Meditating - Meditation is a practice that increases your awareness.  Awareness is the key to living life.  When you are fully aware you not only enjoy life to its fullest extent you are also fully in the moment at all times. The power of awareness allows you to minimize stress and handle anything that comes your way.   http://www.freemeditation.com/meditation-basics/

Practicing Gratitude - Practicing gratitude has an endless amount of benefits.  At its basic core it is a tool to put our emotions in a positive space.  Emotions are key to the actions we take day in and day out.  Our thoughts and beliefs will drive our emotions and our emotions will drive our actions.  Need proof?  Take any situation and compare what actions a happy person would take versus a mad person.  The beauty of it all is you are in total control.   http://www.happify.com/hd/the-science-behind-gratitude/

Journaling - Journaling is a great tool to capture your thoughts and feelings.  It can be used to practice gratitude, set and define goals, visualize, help clarify your desires and harness creativity.  There is power in writing things down.  It helps connect your conscious mind with your subconscious mind.  You will have to get into your subconscious to truly defeat any limiting beliefs you may have.  http://lifehacker.com/why-you-should-keep-a-journal-and-how-to-start-yours-1547057185

Visualization - Visualization is a mental tool that is in use everyday however many of us aren't aware that we aren't utilizing it effectively.  When you have doubt or fear about something you will visualize that something going bad.  You end up attracting that result even though it wasn't the result you truly wanted.  When you have confidence in something you visualize that something happening and you end up attracting the result that you wanted.  Visualization is intentionally attracting what you want by focusing your mind on exactly what you want and how you want it.  It intensifies the attraction which improves your chances of success.  Anyone who practices the technique can tell you stories of how it has worked for them over their life.  I'm sure you've heard of a vision board.   http://www.learnmindpower.com/using_mindpower/visualization/

     In my opinion these are most basic examples of work that needs to be done by you in order to improve your value.  Once you improve your value the income will follow and it will follow much quicker than just doing what the job wants you to do.  You have to have intangibles that set you apart from the standard worker bee.  These tools build those intangibles.  Do not fear that adding this work to your life will make you even more tired and stressed.  I promise you it will do the opposite.  You will be more energized and less stressed which leads to more value.

     Your income is based on the value you provide.  Increasing value equals increasing income. Build more value in yourself.  Skip an hour of TV every night this week and work on one or all of these tools.  You will not be disappointed.  You will be rewarded.  Enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew