Team Alpha 375

The 7 Secrets Revealed…

Everyone wants a phenomenal life, yet few seem to be truly satisfied with all aspects of their lives. L.I.F.E. stands for Living In Freedom Everyday. Not just the wonderful freedom we enjoy in this country, but the freedom we can have in our hearts, and in our minds. The freedom of knowing that we are doing what we are called to do in life. The freedom that comes from knowing we are making a difference. 

When I started my first business out of the trunk of my car 27 years ago, I never imagined it would turn into a multi-million dollar enterprise and that I would be working with the world’s top business authors and trainers. Now, my first published book is being released. 

This is especially surprising since I grew up on welfare. There were 7 kids crammed into a teeny-tiny 600 square foot shack. The roof was so bad that every time it rained, we had to get out all the pots and pans to catch the leaks! My mother somehow fed us on a hundred dollars a month from the welfare department. And building a business from scratch with no experience wasn’t easy either. 

Here are 7 secrets I have been blessed to learn about L.I.F.E. and business… 

Secret #1: It’s a PHENOMENAL Life

In the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart’s bank had all but collapsed and he was on the verge of jumping off a bridge to end his life. Little did he know that he had a guardian angel assigned to him and many wonderful people that loved him. He also found that he had made a huge difference in the lives of others.

Like Jimmy Stewart, the first step is to realize that your life has value and you don’t have to live by circumstances. Have an attitude of gratitude and know that you can make a difference and that your life has meaning.

 And understand that you can live the life you are called to live. You must develop a compelling VISION for your life. A vision so strong that it creates a burning desire in your heart to pursue it with phenomenal passion. If you don’t have that, you won’t do the things you need to do to have a phenomenal life. Create a vision of the kind of person you want to BE, the things you want to DO, and the things you want to HAVE (not just material things). Keep that dream in front of you every day.

 Secret # 2: Think and Grow Phenomenally Successful

Over a century ago, a man by the name of Napoleon Hill published a book titled Think and Grow Rich. Hill studied 500 of the most successful people in the country and found that the biggest difference is how they think.  

 My friend John Maxwell, the #1 leadership expert in the world also confirms this. What controls your mind controls your life. Many years ago I was part of a small group of small business owners that met weekly. They complained about the economy and moaned about how customers wouldn’t pay them a decent price. Some of them laughed at me because I was wearing a sport coat, a tie and a positive attitude.

They actually laughed at me and said “who do you think you are, Zig Ziglar or somebody?”. I did not know Zig Ziglar then, but I am now Ziglar’s exclusive small business coach. Little did they know they were speaking prophecy 

It is vitally important what you think about yourself, what you believe you can do, and what kind of live you think you can have and deserve. Zig says “you are what you are and where you are because of what you put into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by what you put into your mind”.

 Secret #3: How to Make Phenomenal Money

Bringing up the subject of money triggers all sorts of weird emotions. Everyone seems to want more of it, but can’t stand those who have it! The fact is that the business you are currently in is the best vehicle you could possibly have to reach your dreams. The profit margins are great. The investment is comparatively small, and you can go out and get business right now, today without investing a dime.

So, how much is “phenomenal” money? And how much money should you have?  You should have the amount of money that is required for you to fulfill your life goals and dreams. If you don’t have a dream and you don’t have clearly defined goals, you won’t make the money you need to make. The amount of money you make will be by accident, and most likely won’t be enough

Secret #4: Systems of a Phenomenal Business

 I have written extensively on this subject for a decade-and-a-half. If you are a business owner, do you remember why you went into business for yourself? Was it to make a lot of money? Or was it to be your own boss – to chart your own course – to have a little more “free time”? Yeah right! The brutal reality of most small business owners life is you feel like a slave to the business, there’s very little family time, your mind is consumed 24/7 and you feel like you have a “job” rather than a business. Your day is consumed putting out “brushfires”.

 Have you ever felt that way?

Secret #5: Your Phenomenal Body

 A few years ago, night after night I would repeat the same routine. Famished from a busy day that started with too much Starbucks coffee and no breakfast, I would consume everything I could find in the refrigerator.

Overweight and lethargic, I became desperate enough to change. I consulted a certified nutritionist who began to paint a very bleak picture of my future. I learned that I would most likely end up like so many Americans – shuffling around with a myriad of diseases – surviving on medication. All because of an unhealthy diet that could have been avoided.

And THAT, my friend, is NOT very phenomenal! The result of getting a VISION of being healthy and following the eating plan was a loss of 50 pounds! I then began to exercise and became very fit. Outside of a sickness out of your control, you CAN become fit. You simply must get desperate enough, or inspired enough to do it.   

Secret #6: Phenomenal Relationships 

At a dinner celebrating my wife’s parents’50th anniversary, someone asked them what their secret of a long marriage was. They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Like an excited schoolboy who knew the answer, I piped up with “I know, I know!.” I had been watching them all these years and realized they were simply unselfish.

Today, our problem in America is that we’re selfish. We want others to change and conform to our specifications of what the relationship should look like. I don’t know about you, but I have realized that you can’t change anyone. When you try, the result is a broken relationship or you tolerate the other person rather than having the kind of loving relationship you should have.

It could be that the other person may never change, but would you agree that if you change, there is much more of a chance of them changing? If you are waiting for someone else to be or do something before you are all you need to be, you have already lost the battle. Let go of the ego, forgive and be the one to build healthy relationships.  

All of life is about relationships. I have been blessed to have a lot of support over the years. My book is dedicated to my wife who has stood by me for over 27 years. My son loves me and I love him. This does not happen by accident.

Secret # 7: I AM Phenomenal, So Are You!

The final chapter is about Spiritual things. Your view of God has an incredible impact on how you live as a human being. What you think about who God is or isn’t directly corresponds to what you DO each and every day and how you treat others. You were created to be phenomenal. After all, as the old saying goes, “God don’t make no junk!”.