MIND...its potentials

The phrase "garbage in, garbage out" comes to mind when I think about the way some people live their lives. It is up to you to do the work of changing your beliefs, because when you do, you will be opening up new worlds - literally. The truth is that you have an amazing mind with a capacity for learning that is beyond your comprehension. You must believe this and feed your mind with valuable information. And when you do, you will be unlocking the potential of your mind. Here are three steps to help you find your genius:

1. Get the right knowledge. Words - if they are not true - are meaningless. I have heard people say, “I read it in a book.” But is it true? Just because someone says it or writes it, doesn't mean it is true. As learners, we want to get the right knowledge, not just information or opinions. It is our job to seek out information and knowledge and then test it and run it through our minds to see if it is true and if it can be rightfully applied to our lives in order to make them better. We need to weigh and measure what we learn in order to gain the right knowledge.

2. Become passionate about learning. This will take some work, but the only way to do it is to begin learning about things that have an immediate impact in your life. When you learn about a new financial concept that helps you earn money or get out of debt, you get fired up. When you learn about a way to communicate that helps you sell more products, you’ll feel energized. When you learn about how to interact with your family in a healthy way and your relationships get better, you’ll feel inspired.

3. Discipline yourself through the hard work of study. Learning will take work. Until someone comes up with modules that can plug into your mind and give you instant access to knowledge, you are on your own, and that takes work. The process of learning is a long one. Yes, we can speed it up, but it is still a process of reading, listening, reviewing, repetition, applying the knowledge, experiencing the outcomes, readjusting, etc. Simply put, it takes time. Slowly but surely, when you discipline yourself, you will gain knowledge and begin learning.

Learning is possible, no matter what your age. You are never too young or too old. Your mind was created to learn and has a huge capacity to do so.

God's Service Par Excellence

When we choose to follow God, what we get doesn’t always match what we expected. No matter. Even if others ignore or forget you, whatever you’re doing for God is important to God. For that reason,” Elisha admonishes, “give your best wherever God puts you.”

I turn Elisha’s words over in my mind. It’s true that God’s ways are not our ways. What we want isn’t always what serves God best. Yet when we are willing to put ourselves in God’s hands and do what He asks, giving our best, God uses us. Even before I went further in the scriptures, I’m starting to understand some things about the way God works:

1. IF YOU GIVE YOUR BEST IN OBSCURITY, GOD WILL RECOGNIZE IT

2. IF YOU DO YOUR BEST IN THE SMALL THINGS, GOD WILL GIVE YOU BIGGER THINGS TO DO

In the ten years Elisha served Elijah, he was asked to do the lowliest of tasks. An officer of the king of Israel described Elisha as the one who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. That was normally the job of a servant of low status. If Elisha did that, he undoubtedly performed other menial tasks during his decade of service.

If you are willing to do small things in the service of God, and do them with excellence, God will give you opportunities to do bigger things for Him when you are ready.

That's sincere lesson for leaders, real leaders.

Success: No Short-Cut

I am extremely leery of any quick fix solution for success or riches. In my opinion, they don't exist. With that said, the following formula is one that I have recently shared with few people around me to encourage them to break through the rut they are in and experience success. I suggested that they begin to do the following two things on a regular basis:

1. Surround yourself with positive people who believe that this life is not all that there is. Personally, I find this at my church. I know we don't share the same faith in all cases. But this message is not about my faith. It is about you finding a group of people who regularly meet together and have a belief that there is more to life than what we see. This is the first step to a positive outlook on life.

2. You must educate yourself through reading. Based on findings, the average CEO in America reads four to five books per month. The average American reads one book per year, and 60 percent of us don't get past the first chapter! As leaders, let's replicate the American CEOs. If it works for them it can work for us. Make a promise to yourself to read at least one book per month. Develop a passion for reading and learning, and you will see your attitude and outlook on life begin to change.

Any person who faithfully invests their time in these two areas may not break world records in levels of success. However, everything in me believes that they would see dramatic improvements.