Remember When?

Since it's still January, I imagine many of us are still setting our 2010 goals.  I know I've been immersed in learning about vision boards, making to-do lists, goal-setting, etc.  Earlier this week I sat in on a call where the speaker introduced me to the "Remember When?" game. It wasn't the traditional, "Remember when this event happened 10 years ago?" kind of exercise. Instead, it asks you to remember forward. This is a way to speak life into your goals and relates very well to the last part of Romans 4:17 that says God "...calls things that are not as though they were (NIV)" and Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (NKJV)."

This is an exercise you can keep in your journal, but I thought it would be good to do some public "reminiscing."  I can't wait to come back in a year to see how many of these "Remember Whens" have already manifested in our lives.

Here are a few from me to get everyone started. Remember, these are related to your future goals, business or otherwise:

- Remember when I made more money my first year back full-time in my business than I ever made in corporate America?

- Remember when I made the cover of Entrepreneur...twice?

- Remember when I paid off all my debt, including those student loans, and never owed more than I could afford to pay again?

So, what do you "remember?"  Is it the first day on your dream job, the celebration you had because your child finally made the honor roll, marrying the man or woman of your dreams, fitting into a size you never thought possible, starting a worldwide ministry, making $1MM after expenses in your business venture, or something else entirely?  Whatever it is, don't be afraid to remember it.  Put those goals out in the universe, push forward and praise God as they come to pass.

Happy remembering!

An Unexpected Co-Host

Last night I had the unexpected pleasure of co-hosting the Change My Behavior Blog Talk Radio Show (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lybogan) with Minister Lorraine Y. Bogan. I recently joined Blog Talk Radio and was surfing the Christian shows currently on-air and came across Minister Bogan's show "Let's Talk About It." I found the call-in number and dialed in. I assumed I'd just be a passive listener, but right after the Blog Talk Radio intro I heard, "Caller, are you with us? What's your opinion on this topic?" I remained silent because I just KNEW she wasn't talking to me. Sure enough she repeated her question, and our dialogue began. We had a good 25 minute Q&A session that is currently posted to the web site.

I don't know how many listeners will hear that show, but it does feel good to be part of something that could be a blessing to others. This has given me the inspiration to move forward with my own Blog Talk Radio show (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/livinglifeonpurpose1), but I'll need your help! The radio show will follow the format of the blog: taking topics I've posted about previously and talking about them on air. For example, the first show will be about hearing God's calling on your life, remembering that time when God's purpose became clear, and what happened next. Ideally I'll have guests that are dealing with those issues. That's where you come in. I need guests! If you are interested in being on the show for any topic or have a show topic suggestion of your own, please email me at livingonpurpose1@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

You Are Closer Than You Think

In the bookstore on Saturday, I was thumbing through Joel Osteen's book, "It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor." An important phrase he repeats in the first chapter is "you are closer than you think."  He uses a story of him hiking up a mountain.  A sign at the bottom told Joel that it would take him 3 hours to reach the top.  After 45 minutes of a tough climb, he sat down, discouraged and ready to give up.  Just then an older man came down the mountain, looked at him and said, "You are closer than you think."  This phrase inspired something in Joel and he got up to continue his climb. Surprisingly, he reached the top of the mountain about 10 minutes later.  There he was thinking he had at least another 2 hours of climbing to do when he was only 10 minutes away.  What if the man hadn't been coming down the mountain or encouraged Joel to keep trying?  He may have given up never realizing that victory was just a few short steps away.

How many times have we done that in our lives?  Think about the sign at the bottom of the mountain - 3 hours to the top.  We see signs like that everyday - 4 years to a college degree, most businesses fail after 1 year, it takes more than 1 try to give up smoking cigarettes - and the list goes on.  Instead of being bound by those signs and timelines, look to "kairos" or God's time.  He may want your business to thrive for 30+ years or put you in an accelerated degree program or even give you the tools necessary to quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey.  However, if you give up before it's time, you'll never reap those rewards.

Now I realize how easy that seems when things are going well.  If you're on day 364 of successfully running your business, I'm sure you'll trust and believe that God will help you last through the next year.  It's important to praise God in those times, but it's also important to trust when you're unsure of what tomorrow will bring.  When you're on day 1 of opening your business without a customer in sight or day 364 of your job search and are going on yet another interview.  Personally, think of the moments where you've prayed for breakthrough month after month.  It's closer than you think:

- financial freedom
- good health
- new job
- small business success
- good relationship with your children
- the end of your addiction
- peace

What have you been praying for?  What desire has God placed on your heart that you're ready to give up on?  Keep the faith.  Remember you are closer than you think!

Day Three: What Drives Your Life?

Today's Purpose Driven Life lesson is around the driving force or forces in your life. Specifically, what is driving your life today and what you like it be in the future.  For the longest time, the driving force in my life was approval.  I still struggle with that on a regular basis and have to journal myself calm or talk to a trusted friend who can snap me back into reality.  I'd like the driving force in my life to be God's purpose.  I've decided to wake up every morning thanking God for staying with me and asking Him to use me as He sees fit.  There are many times that He is working in the background to give me an opportunity for a better life or even placing me in someone's path to be a blessing.  However, I'll never get that if I allow the devil to steal my joy or make me concerned with pleasing people vs. God.

Rick Warren had a few lines under Day 3 that addressed this - "It is impossible to do everything people want you to do. You have just enough time to do God's will.  If you can't get it all done, it means you're trying to do more than God intended for you to do."  I've had days like that, very recently, where I couldn't get anything done that I thought was important for the day.  Everytime I started, there'd be a distraction or the hardware wouldn't work or I'd get sick or something.  However, nothing negative happened when I did what God wanted - reading a book or the Bible (which brings me closer to Him), spending time with the children, working on my business, blogging here.  In fact, I was able to focus more on the "worldly work" related to my day job and get it done quicker once I let God have his way first. Things that normally would take 5 hours only took 1.5 hours.  I love simplicity God brings, and I need more of that in my life.  Instead of trying to be all things to all people, I will live each day asking God to direct my path and use me how He sees fit. When I've done that in the past, things just worked out...things that I thought were impossible became possible.

I am ready to change my driving force.  Is there something you need to change, start or stop?  Let God be the miracle worker that He is.  Even if you can't change it, He can.