Do what you were created to do!

In a recent survey when asked why people were doing what they do as a profession the following results came back:

1. I needed income and took what was available - (41%)
2. I made a decision in high school or college and stuck with it - (19.2%)
3. I took this work just because of the good money - (17.6%)
4. I finally discovered my purpose and this is it - (9.8%)
5. My parents, pastor, friends suggested it - (6.4%)
6. I knew since I was a child that I wanted to do this - (6%)

Wow! - 98.2% took a position either because of the money, it was just available, or it was someone else's idea and only 9.8% of have connected it to fulfilling their “purpose.” If you are not fulfilling your purpose, your life is not as fulfilling as it was created to be. In other words, it can be better!

Never do things just for the sake of doing them, The world wants everyone to conform to the same standards. Right now it is, Get out of high school, go to college, get a good job, have a family and help them to go to school, graduate and then go to college and if you don't follow this path there is something wrong with you. I say that if you are doing things only because everyone else tells you too, then that is the wrong reason for doing them.

In his first semester in college, Michael Dell started buying outmoded IBM PCs from local retailers, upgraded them in his dorm room, and started selling them not only around campus, but in the local business community as well. Revenues were $180,000 the first month. Unfortunately, he dropped out of college, convinced he could make a living doing something he loved. Today he has to live with the curse of being a college dropout and with the shame of being worth only $13 billion. Dell is now recognized by Fortune magazine as America's most admired company. All because he did what he loved to do.

God created you with a plan and a purpose. He has given you gifts and talents, dreams and visions and He desires us to not only find out what they are, but to carry them out during our lifetime.

Stop settling for someone else's dream. Stop doing things because the majority are doing it. The majority is a paycheck away from the poor house, the majority are divorced and the majority are now taking antidepressants, Who wants to follow that behavior anyway?

Look at some of the statements from "The Majority"

• “I feel like I’ve lived my whole life by accident.”
• “I feel like I’ve been freefalling for the last 13 years.”
• “I feel like I’m a ball in a pinball machine. Something happens and I just go in a new direction.”
• “I feel like I’ve been given six seconds to sing, and I’m singing the wrong song.”
• “I feel like my life is a movie that’s almost over, and I haven’t even gotten the popcorn yet.”
• “I’ve lived my life up until now as though driving with the parking brake on.”
• 'I feel like I'm a box of parts, and none of them fit together.'
• “I’m a butterfly caught in a spider’s web, with my life slowly being sucked out.”

You do have a choice! You can do what you love to do! You can actually enjoy life to it's fullest. And You can start today!

Begin with writing out your dreams, what you would love to do.

Do research about others doing the same thing, find out how they got started, write to them, people love to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.

Can you make a living at it? If you think not, maybe you just haven't found out how? Get help from professionals in the same field. (Remember the pet Rock? Who would have figured?) Maybe you can incorporate it into your existing line of work. Maybe you can work with a non-profit agency.

Drop me a line and let me know what it is, I will use the resources I have to help you head in the right direction. More often then not, it is who you know that matters just as much as what you know.

Keep me posted on your progress to Abundant Life
Bob Wagner

Couples! Listen up!!!!

When I talk about relationships, anger, and self esteem in my training seminars I almost always have someone come up to me and say; "Boy I wish my spouse was here to hear this".

With the divorce in America at an all time high of 50% for first, 67% second and 74% for the third, we need our spouses to listen and listen carefully!

If you don't take a long hard look at the condition of your relationship you may wind up on the wrong side of these statistics and not only will you and your spouse suffer your children WILL also suffer for it! And if you have children, you are teaching them how couples are supposed to act and treat each other! Stop taking each other for granted and Stop thinking that everything is fine just because you don't hear your partner complain! Relationships do not fall apart over night, they are like anything else, it sometimes takes years of neglect before the damage becomes evident.

Today; as a matter of fact right now, start examining your relationship and since you may not have asked yourself the following questions let me help you;


Do you still hold hands when you walk together?
Do you still hug each other during the day?
Do you think of ways to put a smile on their face?
When was the last time you felt those "Butterflies" when you looked in their eyes?
When was the last time you wrote a love letter?

Did I stir something up inside of you? If so Good!

If you know the passion has been waining in your relationship do something about it!
If you know someone who needs help in their relationship, Help them.

If it will help, download a copy of my book and send it to them. (Read it yourself first!)

It is less than a price of a Latte' and you can get it here: http://www.bobwagner.org/Passionbuilder.htm

Whatever you do folks! If we really want to be successful in life and if we really want to be a good witness, we need to have our relationships healthy.

I will do my part, please do yours?

Let's hear your comments!

Are we quenching greatness in ourselves and our children? I think so.

The more I see people try to conform to the status quo, the more I see them quench their greatness and the more I see parents try to raise up an average child, the more I see them quench their greatness.

There is no such thing as an average person! We were not meant to be the same as everyone else. We were designed to be different; each of us having our own unique personalities, skills, gifts and traits. These differences when allowed to function without hindrances often result in greatness being displayed.

When that young computer geek is allowed to drop out of college and pursue that bigger than life dream to have a computer in every home we get Microsoft.

When that young boy is allowed to express himself freely by playing golf more than hitting the books, you get the Tiger Woods.

When the young girl with the overwhelming past is allowed to do what is inside of her, you get the Oprah Winfrey's.

When the young man with a message inside is allowed and encouraged to share it, you get the Billy Graham's and you get the Elvis Presley's when those with a beat in their spirit are allowed to pursue the passion inside of them.

But what do I see?
I see the child who has a lot of energy and who jumps up and down with enthusiasm about an answer get classified as ADHD and given medicine. They then can't wait to get out of school.

I see teens with the dream of something big be it acting or singing being told to come down to reality and get a real job, fall into a 9-5 they can' stand.

I also see men and women who fall into the average life of status quo America settling for less than they deserve or even want.

Men and women who trade their dreams of seeing the world for a rocking chair because they are told to act their age and for some reason they feel they should.

Men and women who want to start that restaurant, or open that store who don't because someone said they should sit and enjoy their golden years.

Folk we are different! Children are different! rather than focusing so much on what we believe are weaknesses, why not focus on their strengths and their passions. So what if a child never gets higher than a "C" in English. Maybe they are the next best Architect or Builder of their generation. So what if Grandma and Grandpa wants to start a business at 65, maybe they will start a Franchise like KFC as Colonel Sanders did.

Yes! Most definitely help each other grow in the areas they struggle with, but spend more time helping them soar in their strengths! Encourage them to live a life without regrets!

As for you; Follow that dream! Pursue that Passion, no matter how old you are!

In the comment section, why not dare to tell us your dreams and then tell us what is holding you back! Who knows maybe someone reading it will have the missing piece you are looking for!

A Child Shall Lead Them.

Wednesday I became a grandfather for the first time to a beautiful 8lb 14oz little girl. While my son and daughter in-law kept telling me they were going to have a daughter I would jokingly tell them, no its a boy. The longer the pregnancy went on past her due date, the more I would say, "It's because he is a late bloomer and needs a little more time to develop". Today I saw her for the first time. I sat on the couch for over an hour doing nothing; just sitting there allowing this gift from heaven to sleep on my chest. I must tell you, I haven't "just sat" anywhere for a long time. This joyful experience led me to write today's Blog.

When was the last time you did nothing? I mean really nothing? No books, no Ipods, no TV's, no cell phones, no email. Nothing. When was the last time you just sat and enjoyed each other? Not thinking of work, the yard, the clothes or the bills; just each other. When was the last time you talked? Talked about the past, the present and yes even the future? When was the last time you shared your dreams and even your fears? When was the last time you planned fun into your life?

If we aren't careful we may find ourselves spending more time running after things than we should. We can spend more time cleaning and cooking for our our loved ones than we do laughing, crying and learning with them. We can spend more time preparing for their future than we do enjoying their present.

Life is about doing our best to become our best so that we can develop the gifts and talents we have into skills and to use those skills to make this world a better place...... starting at home with the ones we love and then sharing them with others.

This week why don't you take a minute and think about your loved ones? When was the last time you enjoyed them and when was the last time they enjoyed you? Really enjoyed?

A successful life has balance. Balance between what we do for a living and who we are. It's about having a solid personal life and a strong professional life; each one complimenting the other, never competing. Your professional life should be a tool that brings joy, happiness and comfort to your personal life and your personal life should be one that allows for growth and development in your profession. When they compete it is because they are out of balance.

My granddaughter reminded me that life is about balance and we all need to slow down once in a while to enjoy the blessings God has already given us before we start looking for more.

Happy Birthday Alayna Nicole Wagner and thanks for the lesson in life.

G-Bob

Trying to Manage Time is a Waste of Time

Think about it, can anyone really manage time? Of course not, but we can manage the activities that consume our time. This is where most people miss the mark. They go through the day from activity to activity and when the sun sets and they haven't finished everything they wanted to they complain about not having enough hours in the day. Week after week, year after year and they never catch up, then before they know it they wake up closing in on retirement and no closer to the life they want. Bummer. What if you could actually get everything done that you need to and have plenty of time to not only enjoy that family of yours but even have enough left over to help others? Well the great news is that you can by applying the following steps:

1. Find out how you spend your time.
a. Look at every task you do and ask yourself. Do I really NEED to be doing this? Can I delegate it or not do it at all? Be serious in this step. Make a list and write down all the tasks you find yourself doing and then ask: "Were these steps really necessary and beneficial for a productive day and did they take me toward the life I really want or pull me away?" You may be surprised at how much time we spend doing habitual or wasteful things that add no real value to our life.

b. Prioritize the tasks that MUST be done and work on them and only them until they are complete. NEVER NEVER NEVER do any task that is not on this list while some remain undone.

c. Delegate or eliminate any task that is wasteful or non-productive.

2. When you go to work, WORK!
a. Stop goofing off, stop hanging around the water cooler and telling jokes, stop cruising the internet for personal reasons and quit reading the non-work related items in your inbox. Leave that for lunch and break time. Now it doesn't mean you can't take a few minutes for personal conversation while you work, just be cautious because you know as well as I do that a few minutes can easily turn into 15 or 20

b. Eliminate or control distractions. Every organization has time wasters who waste their own time and they want company. Make sure you don't give in to them. Set time limits on interruptions and schedule meetings when it is convenient for YOU. Turn off the email pop-up and only answer email at scheduled times, preferably around 10Am and again at 4PM before you leave for the day. Do the same with phone calls.

3. Become an expert in your field
a. Be a life long learner and learn everything there is to know about your field of interest and keep learning. People that are experts in their field have the knowledge it takes to perform quicker and better than those with limited knowledge.

4. Know and Work Your Strengths
a. Everyone has gifts and talents they excel at, these are your strengths. You know those tasks that you enjoy and are good at? Spend more time doing what you do well and less time doing the things you struggle with. If possible find someone who is good at and who does enjoy doing the things you don't and delegate those tasks to them.

5. Work on Your Weakness
a. Spend your scrap time (Driving, waiting rooms, lunch etc.) learning ways to develop and strengthen your weak areas. You may only grow a small amount in the areas you have little interest in, but even a small growth can produce time savings.

6. When you go Home, GO HOME!
a. Leave the computer off, the phone on answering service and your brief case closed. If you can't get your work done in 40 hours, you either have placed too much on your plate or you haven't been managing your tasks efficiently. Your family deserves to be with you, your kids need you active in their life and so does your spouse. Remember you work to live you don't live to work.
b. If you live alone, do all the work at home you want but you must also take time to recharge and enjoy the fruit of your labor along the way too.