On Mondays I will post an inspirational story or video. The hope is that by starting your week with this kind of motivation, you will be able to think big and have a great week. You can start your week on the right foot and achieve your goals in you home business.
Today a powerful story of character that demonstrates what is really important in life.
The Softball Miracle
Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
Every person every day and at every moment is either acting or reacting. You are either acting by setting your agenda for life, or you are reacting and letting other people set your life agenda. You are either a leader or a follower. The choice of whether to act or react will have a major difference in the way your over all life will be. Steven Covey calls the skill of choosing action over reaction as being proactive, and it truly is one of the habits of highly effective people.
Acting vs. Reacting in Time Management
One of the first places we see the difference between acting and reacting is in time management. In his book “Developing the Leader Within You,” John Maxwell explains this saying, “The question is not, ‘Will my calendar be full?’ but ‘Who will fill my calendar?’” Each and every day someone is dictating how you spend your time. If you are a leader and an initiator you are in control of your time, if you are a follower and reacting, others are setting your agenda. These “others” could be your boss, they could be your employees, or it could be something like your television. If it is the latter you really need to adjust your life.
If you are reacting in how you spend your time chances are great that you are not spending your time doing what is truly important to you. You are letting others determine your agenda based on what is important to them. Choosing to be an actor instead of a reactor starts with the need to have an overarching life mission and some very clear priorities about what is important in your life. After understanding what values and roles are important in your life you need to break those down on a weekly basis and even on a daily basis so you can always answer the question “what’s most important now?”
Acting vs. Reacting in Planning
Planning ahead is another part of being an initiator. You need to know what is coming up ahead and what has to be done by when. If you know your schedule for the future then others will mold their schedules around you if they need your input. One committee I am on recently sent out a schedule for a monthly meeting listing the dates of our meetings for the next four months. I already had plans for two of those dates, and after I let the others know about my schedule, the dates were changed to fit my schedule. Because I plan out my life and schedule myself, the others reacted to my schedule. CEO’s and top executives in major organizations often end up having their schedule molded because of one junior executive who has been proactive in planning out his future. Someone who acts ends up filling their calendar based on their priorities and what is important to them; someone who reacts fills their calendar based on the requests of others and what is important to those other people. Someone who acts also spends time planning and anticipating potential problems. Someone who reacts spends time living day to day trying to fix problems that already exist. (see my weekly planning process)
Times to React
Now there are times when it is appropriate to be a follower and to react to the leadership of others, however this should always be done by choice, which in essence still means you are acting in your choice of being put under the leadership of others. This will often happen when there is someone who has a position that deserves your respect and should be followed. This could (and probably should) be your boss at work, your family and others. By choosing to let them determine a portion of your schedule you are still being proactive, you are in a sense still leading. If you set aside a weekend for a special trip with your family and let your children choose everything you are going to do you are being proactive in that you have chosen to put their desires as your priority.
Acting vs. Reacting in you Home Business
The difference between acting and reacting can also be seen by how you grow your network marketing or direct sales home business. If you are someone who reacts you spend time wishing that people would phone you: “Why don’t my customers call me to order? Why don’t my new enrollees in my business call me for help? Why doesn’t anyone else do anything?” Does this sound familiar? These are the excuses that are very prevalent in most home businesses. These excuses also demonstrate how someone is reacting instead of acting. They are letting the decisions of others determine the future of their business.
Meanwhile if you are someone who takes action on your own you would be building a business. Instead of complaining about customers not ordering you send out e-mail reminders and product stories. Instead of waiting for your new customers to ask you for help you take the initiative to set up a plan for them to succeed and you keep in close contact with them making sure that they know you are there to help them. Often times they don’t call you because they think you are too busy or too important to help them.
Acting also means taking responsibility for finding new customers. It means you don’t just set up a website and think everyone will come to you, it means you don’t send out thousands of post cards or emails and expect to make millions of dollars. It means picking up the phone and following up with prospects. It means joining a networking group and looking for ways to meet new people. Really it means relying on YOU to go get the customers and not relying on them to get you – it simply doesn’t happen very often, and if you are getting some results from just sitting and letting the customers come to you imagine how much bigger your business would be and how much quicker it would grow if you were taking daily initiative to find new customers, it just might explode!!
So will you be proactive or reactive? Will you be a leader or a follower? Will you act or react? I hope for your sake and for your business that you choose to act. Act and move forward. Take your personal life and your business to the next level and do it today!
Written by:
Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
On Mondays I will post an inspirational story or video. The hope is that by starting your week with this kind of motivation, you will be able to think big and have a great week. You can start your week on the right foot and achieve your goals in you home business.
I came across this video just yesterday. It is a wonderful story and a great example of what it takes to be successful:
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
In our final look at leadership lessons from Joseph (see part 1 and part 2) we take a look at how Joseph dealt with adversity in his life. Joseph clearly had his share of trying times, and through it all he focused on God, and trusted that God would take him through. He stayed true to the path God had called for him, and in the end God rewarded him with a rapid rise to power.
Joseph’s life looks like an amazing roller coaster of ups and downs. It was certainly filled with adversity, the start of which was being sold into slavery by his brothers! The slave traders bought Joseph to Egypt where he served Potiphar, the captain of the guard. Here he quickly rose to be the leader of Potiphar’s household only to be framed by Potiphar’s wife and sent to prison.
It is here in prison that we start to clearly see how Joseph responds to adversity. Imagine you are in a land far away from home, and have just been put in prison – framed for something you didn’t do. How would you respond? Alright, maybe that is a little far of a stretch, but each day you face adversity in your business, people let you down, things don’t happen like they are supposed to, you don’t seem to be moving forward – only back.
The first key to dealing with such adversity is in your attitude. Joseph always maintained a positive attitude. Charles Swindoll says that the greatest test of such troubled situations is the test of attitude. Joseph passed with flying colors, and because of that he quickly rose in favor of the warden, and before long was in charge of all of those in prison!
The focus of Joseph’s attitude was on God. Even in the struggles Joseph turned to God. Face it, Joseph didn’t belong in jail, he had been framed, and yet we never see him complain about his situation to God, he always continues faithfully trusting in God – and God rewards him. Because of his focus on doing God’s will we are told that,
“the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21).
The second key is that Joseph focused on others. He was willing to help the cupbearer and baker when they were cast in to prison. Even knowing how much trouble dreams had gotten him into in the past Joseph was willing to interpret their dreams. In his book “Joseph”, Swindol ties this caring for others with the first key of attitude:
“That is what a positive attitude will do. It gets you beyond common hurdles. It will clear the deck. It will free you from hang-ups. It will show you an opportunity for ministry that you never would have touched with a ten-foot pole.”
Another reason why focusing on others is so important during times of adversity is simple psychology. By focusing on others and how you can help them, your personal concerns become less and less important. You are looking for how YOU can contribute, not how OTHERS have caused problems for you. You are focusing on the right thing – the thing that ultimately will pull you out of the troubles you are in.
This is what happened with Joseph. The good deed he did in helping the cupbearer ended up leading him out of jail. In reading Genesis 40, you’ll notice that Joseph didn’t see any personal benefit from helping the cupbearer for over two years! Thankfully Joseph also followed a third key – he always trusted God’s timing. In our business or ministry we need to always be reminded that results will come in God’s timing. Speaking about this same story, John Maxwell says that
“Self promotion can never replace divine promotion”
If you are in a time when your business is going a little slow you may need to be patient. As long as you are doing the work that God has called you to, you are in the perfect place. God’s timing is never late.
Eventually the cupbearer remembered Joseph, and this lead to what seems like the most rapid rises to power ever. One day Joseph is sitting in jail and the next he is prime minister of Egypt! In reality 23 years had passed between Joseph being placed in the pit and sold to slave traders and his new position in the palace. If you are going through a time of patiently waiting, remember that God can cause your business to grow and your position to increase in a very rapid time.
Even while Joseph was waiting for his time in leadership he was always growing and developing. God was bringing Joseph through the challenges and trials that he needed in order to develop character and leadership ability. When he was ready God brought him into the position of power. The same may be the case in your life, you may be learning perseverance, patience and other leadership skills. When you are ready, God will move you towards the leadership role he has in place for you. Just continue to follow in His will, continue to pursue Him every day.
Joseph faced more than his share of adversity in his life and through it all he let the three key qualities show. He always maintained a positive attitude by focusing on his relationship with God, he chose to focus on serving others, and he waited patiently on God’s timing. In the end he became the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, a position that God had planned for him all along and a position that he had dreamed about over 23 years before. You to will go through adversity, so apply these positions to your life, and in His timing, God will bring to the position He has had planned for you all along!
Written by:
Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
On Mondays I will post an inspirational story or video. The hope is that by starting your week with this kind of motivation, you will be able to think big and have a great week. You can start your week on the right foot and achieve your goals in you home business.
One very inspirational story is that of Roger Bannister the first person to break the four minute mile. Before Bannister, most people thought it was impossible. What do you think is impossible, that really just requires a new set of beliefs?
This inspirational mini-movie (4 minutes) comes out of reflections on that feat:
Bonus: Here’s an article I wrote about the four-minute mile on my other blog, The Success Professor:
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
Last week we started our look at Joseph and leadership by discussing vision. Today we take a look at Joseph’s character. Character is something that is important in any walk of life, but in leadership and in networking home businesses character is essential! As we will see Joseph is a great model we can learn from.
Joseph’s character first shows through when he was just a young man. Arriving in Egypt, after having been sold as a slave by his brothers, Joseph was placed as a servant to Potiphar, the captain of the Egyptian guard. We are told that Potiphar
“saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did” (Genesis 39:3).
Charles Swindoll teaches on the intimacy of Joseph’s relationship with God at this point saying,
“[God] guided him. He gave him facility in the Egyptian language. On top of all that, he gave him favor in the eyes of Potiphar. Clearly, God was the secret of Joseph’s success…… Furthermore, Joseph didn’t have to tell Potiphar that the Lord was with him; Potiphar could see it for himself.”
If you live a life that is centered on an intimate relationship with God, a life of highest character, others will see that there is something about you. This will attract people to you in your business, it will increase your credibility, and more importantly it will draw people towards Jesus. If bringing glory to God isn’t already the main purpose of building your business, I suggest you make it a priority.
Joseph quickly rose to power and influence and was soon put in charge of Potiphar’s household. This is when a major test of his character came. Potiphar’s wife started pursuing Joseph inviting him to sleep with her. Joseph refused saying,
“With me in charge… my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”(Genesis 39:8-9).
Joseph’s answer demonstrates loyalty. Loyalty to his master, and loyalty to God.It also demonstrates that Joseph knew God’s will. Have you ever wonder how Joseph knew that sleeping with Potiphar’s wife would be a sin against God? There were no Ten Commandments at this time, there was no Bible. So how did Joseph know this would be a sin? He knew because he had an intimate relationship with God. We to need to have that kind of relationship with our Heavenly Father. Being in consistent communication with God through prayer, taking time to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and read His Word, can put us in a place where we are acutely aware of God’s will – this will help us avoid sin and resist all temptation.
The next example of Joseph’s character we are going to look at takes place a number of years later. Joseph is now the Prime Minister of all of Egypt. A famine had taken over the whole earth, and Joseph’s brothers have come to Egypt looking for food. Remember these are the same brothers that had sold him into slavery about twenty years earlier. What is amazing is Joseph’s reaction. Joseph reveals himself to them, with love and forgiveness in his heart. The initial reaction of the brothers when Joseph revealed himself to them was fear:
“Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph!’…. But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence” (Genesis 45:3)
But Joseph was not going to condemn them for what they had done twenty years previously:
“And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you……. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance…. God made me lord over all of Egypt” (Genesis 45:5-9)
In time Joseph had seen God’s plans in his experiences. Joseph could look back and see that he was in God’s plan all along. These words are not the words of an angry brother, they are the words of someone wise with perspective, and filled with forgiveness. When people do you wrong you need to trust God’s will for your life, you need to lovingly forgive those who have harmed you.
So throughout Joseph’s life he demonstrated character that came from an intimate relationship with God. Take this as an example and model it throughout your life. Leadership is influence, and your influence can only increase by living a life that is filled with true character.
As a leader, people will be looking up to you. People will do what you do. As you help others to see success in their business they will look to you for guidance in other areas their life, and if they know you are a Christian they will closely watch you to make sure you walk your talk. Follow the example of Joseph, and make character a priority.
Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
On Mondays I will post an inspirational story or video. The hope is that by starting your week with this kind of motivation, you will be able to think big and have a great week. You can start your week on the right foot and achieve your goals in you home business.
Check out this short inspirational video:
Danny
See if this doesn’t make PERFECT sense to you…
SAVE 30% on over 250+ products and services you already use!
>> EARN commissions for LIFE by referring others. Not MLM.
NO personal selling req’d. Products are Exceptional, Safe,
Eco-sensitive,100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. >> NO RISK! <<
$11K Bonus? Will train 4 Serious for Home Biz.
For details: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
Over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at the life of Joseph. Joseph’s importance in the Biblical narrative is in part signified by the amount written about him. Fully 13 of the 50 chapters in the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50) are about his story. This compares to only 4 about Noah, in fact, only Abraham has as much written about him in this book. Also in the life of Joseph we also clearly see the growth of a leader. He did not start as a great leader, but he grew into it, from a young boy stumbling about what to do with a great vision from God, to the Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph clearly grew into the role.
As mentioned, one of the first things we see about the life of Joseph is his vision. His vision was not just about anything, the vision itself was about his role as a leader:
“Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed to it.(Genesis 37:6b-7)”
Clearly this dream had him as a great leader. As a leaders you to need to have a vision; you need a vision about who you want to be, and what great things you want to accomplish. The vision, at least in part, must drive you inspire you to go on, to achieve and to make a difference. Observing the story of Joseph from Genesis 37 we can learn a number of things about a vision.
First and most importantly a proper vision comes from God. Joseph’s vision came in the form a clear dream from God. Now not everyone will experience such a vivid dream to reveal our mission to us. In most cases a vision will be for something that you feel God leading you in, an area you are passionate about, and in an area where God has blessed you with appropriate skills. Be sure to prayerfully contemplate a vision you are planning to pursue. Trust God to confirm any initial impression you have. God confirmed Joseph’s first dream by giving him a second dream, a different dream but one that pointed to the same point.
A second point can be seen in the reaction of those around him. As Joseph shared his vision and dream he was ridiculed by those around him. This is a problem that frequently happens to people involved in a home-based business. They have a vision for a better life for themselves and those around them. They see themselves being successful, maybe far beyond were they currently are. In their excitement they share this with those closest to them, and those people ridicule their ideas, laughing at them. This is what happened to Joseph.
The first people Joseph told were his brothers. By now we were already told how:
“they hated him, and could not speak a kind word to him (Genesis 37:4b)”
So their negative reaction was probably expected. However Joseph also got the same reaction when he told his father:
“When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? (Genesis 37:10)”
In light of this you might be asking if you should bother telling your loved ones about your dream. You should be wise about it who you tell. For example, we already knew that Joseph’s brothers “hated” him even before this dream, so in this case maybe he should have just kept his vision to himself. Especially after his second dream – he already knew how they had reacted the first time he had told them, and he insisted on telling them again! I believe Joseph should have discerned that his brothers would have reacted negatively and not mention his vision to them.
Now his father might be a different story.
“[Jacob] loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in old age; (Genesis 37:3b).”
I can understand why Joseph would have told Jacob it makes sense. But as we saw, even Jacob who loved Joseph so much ridiculed him. It’s amazing how people will ridicule you even though they love you and want the best for you – the problem is that too often they insist that they know what is best for you, and it can’t be the vision you’ve just brought them.
Having said all this it is important to note that some with a strong vision won’t be able to keep it a secret. As John Maxwell writes,
“No leader’s vision can be kept a secret. When vision is shared in the right way, it can enhance a person’s leadership. But when it’s done in the wrong way, it creates problems. And that, of course, is what got Joseph in trouble.”
So the answer to the original question is that you must be discerning about whom you share your vision with. Certainly you should share it with your spouse if that applies to you, and you should also have some loved ones that know, just be careful. The key is that when you do face ridicule, that you don’t let it bother you. Keep your attitude positive, and let the vision drive you forward. That’s what Joseph did, there is no sign that he got upset or depressed, he just continued forward.
A final point to note about Joseph’s vision is that he didn’t reach it immediately. In fact there were about 23 years that passed between being sold in to slavery and being appointed the Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph had to grow and develop his leadership skills. Obviously when he was young he didn’t have the people skills necessary to lead others, but as he grew he developed those skills. God needed time to shape him into a man that could lead a nation through a period of tremendous struggle and famine.
So clearly having a vision is important, however you need to make sure that vision is God given. You need to be discerning about whom you share your vision with, and expect some of those closest to you to laugh at you, and put your vision down. And finally you need to be patient, don’t expect to reach the vision over night. Trust God to help you grow into the person you need to achieve your dream.
Written by: Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
Last week we started our look at Joseph
Over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at the life of Joseph. Joseph’s importance in the Biblical narrative is in part signified by the amount written about him. Fully 13 of the 50 chapters in the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50) are about his story. This compares to only 4 about Noah, in fact, only Abraham has as much written about him in this book. Also in the life of Joseph we also clearly see the growth of a leader. He did not start as a great leader, but he grew into it, from a young boy stumbling about what to do with a great vision from God, to the Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph clearly grew into the role.
Recent Comments