$100

Compare a fresh, crisp $100 bill...

With this one... 

Which one is worth more?  

Despite it's being tattered and worn, spit on and muddied, burned and soiled, you could probably buy $100 worth of stuff, even with the dirty hundred dollar bill.

$100 is $100 is $100…  

$100 has intrinsic value equal to 

$100.  

And you are worth more...

You are much like the $100.  Except you are priceless...  

God has made you priceless.  You are worthy to God.  You have intrinsic value.  Whether you are a crisp Bill,  freshly printed, just recently born and devoid of error... Or a crumpled, dirty, filthy Bill, regretting most of your life.   You are still worth infinitely more than $100… 

And that is why your head trash has got to stop.  

If you de-value yourself with the words you say to yourself:   

I'm a failure.  I'll never amount to anything.  I could never be anybody.  I could never be loved by anybody...

... or any of a number of things you could say about yourself...  this is what your God says:

I Love you with no condition.  I Love you without reservation.  I Love you.  I Love you.  I am waiting for you.

You are still worthy.   You are called for great things. You are called to a specific purpose.  A purpose that can serve mankind!

Tangent:

I was asked recently to explain why I insist that our lives are about anything other than serving ourselves.    Why should we want to "serve" others?  Especially, if there's nothing in it for us?

All you need to do is give a gift to someone...  Give a gift to someone that did nothing to deserve it.  Do it expecting nothing in return, and witness the feeling that grace brings.  Grace is nothing more and nothing less than a gift that is undeserved.  Share a Thanksgiving turkey with a family that would never have been able to afford it.  Do it for no other reason than to give... and witness the transformation of giving in your life.  That will be explanation enough.   "Givers" gain in this world... and they gain more than money...  (Check out the BNI  motto... sometimes givers do gain money). 

People who spend their lives taking and not giving are missing one of the greatest blessings this life offers––  to give, and give abundantly.

How do I raise my influence?

CLICK ON ME FOR THE AUDIO TEACHING!

Leadership is influence... nothing more... nothing less...   

Everything Rises & Falls with Leadership...

Pour Water on the Seeds

Thank you to my anonymous reader who asked me to list ways we can develop the seeds of greatness within!

The following are a few suggestions:

• Keep a gratitude journal

Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces that works in our psyche.  As counterintuitive as it may sound, writing down what you're thankful for sends a message to your subconscious that says, "I am worthy,"  "My life is valuable."   Writing down the your victories over obstacles reminds your subconscious that if you could win in the small things, you can win in the big things.   

I routinely write in my journal a list of the things I am thankful for and the victories I have collected.  The activity makes me feel empowered, and can be a powerful force in the order of developing a strong, positive self image.

• Create a Mission Statement for your Life

Stephen Covey, in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, writes about the value of creating a life mission statement. He encourages you to involve every member of your family.  What your life mission statement does is it focuses your mind on determining your values.  Remember, values are your roots.  

You need values, principles, and strong character to live a fulfilled life.  A well-thought mission statement crystalizes your code of life.  It allows you to measure your weekly, monthly, yearly actions against your code.  Are your daily actions coinciding with where your values are?  Or are you fooling yourself and creating inner stress by living out of harmony with your deepest values?

• Read to grow yourself

It's one thing to read for fun, another thing to read to grow.  Loads of people spend their lives reading pulp fiction and never pick up a book that challenges them to be better people.  Therefore, their growth is stunted.  

Reading is a pre-requisite for excellence in performance and leadership.  Make sure you are reading hungrily and intentionally.  Decide WHY you are reading what you are reading in order to be more effective with your time.

Ask yourself  "How does this book enable me to work better in my field? How does this book enable me to grow closer to the best possible version of myself?

• Seek out and value mentorship, and relationships that stretch you

It's hard to keep yourself motivated and progressing through life without a strong support group and a growth environment.  The reason organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous, book reading clubs, and Parent Teacher Organizations (ha ha ha... can you tell I'm a new parent?) are so popular is because of the power of a community.   No matter the level of your current achievement, you can be associating with others that challenge and stretch you.  Continually challenge yourself!

There's a saying in Spanish:   "Dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres."   It means:  "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are."   And yet another way of putting it is as follows:

"You will be the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with."

-Jim Rohn