Today’s Economic Issues - Prosperity Lost?

While the masses are watching the news with white knuckles, there are still others who view these historic events with an uncommon peace of mind.

The fact is, that every adversity has the seed of equal or greater benefit. By the law of Polarity, the tougher the challenge, the more incredible the opportunity. Not everyone will suffer the same through these national, or even global, challenges. Even during the depression, not everyone struggled. There are going to be a lot of people who actually thrive during this economy... and they aren't typically the ones who are looking for the right advice by watching the 10:00 news.

How we choose to react to circumstances will always determine how well we fare in the long run. Remember, the very poor think day to day, the poor think week to week, the middle class think month to month, the rich think year to year, and the very rich think decade to decade.

The longer-term vision you have, the easier it is to endure the short-term blips in the road.

So how should you live out your day, today? How do you deal with the concern that the entire economy may be on the verge of disaster? The answer: do your best in the moment at hand to be solution-focused. All you have is now, and if your mind is set on long term results, you’ll be more inclined to come up with the right solutions to the concerns that are on your mind today.

I think of New England’s Dark Day of 1780, when the sun went dark for hours, and many feared that it was the end of the world. With only primitive communication methods, the cause of the darkness was inexplicable, and stirred up fear in the hearts of devoutly religious men who concluded that they were very possibly, about to meet their Maker.

A member of the legislature in Connecticut, Abraham Davenport, addressed his colleagues’ concerns, communicating his position that whether it was the end of the world or not, he could not say. But what he did know was that he had a duty to perform, and rather than coil back in fear, he chose to meet his Lord face to face, confidently carrying out the duty he knew was his responsibility to perform in that moment.

He intended to simply let God perform his work, and he would simply press forward with his own duties. His words to the men were that they must carry on, even in the darkness, and told them to thus “bring in the candles.”

So whether this is the beginning of the end for America or not, I have a duty to perform here and now, and so do you. Though darkness swirls about us, we must bring in the candles and press on, no matter what. Stay focused on your own personal victory, and as you let those images fill your mind (rather than the possible economic train wreck that has not quite fully happened), you’ll be entitled to discover the God-given solutions, custom-designed for you and your family.

The last thing we need is for the collective masses to be picturing disaster and adding emotion to those images. Nevertheless, I cannot control everyone's thoughts, so the best thing you and I can do is to control our own. I believe that is the best way to fare through the challenge. What other apporach could yield anything better?

As I have in the past, I encourage you to learn, and let me help you apply the principles of prosperity which are sometimes counter-intuitive, but oh, so dependable. Get started today with the Jackrabbit Factor 2-month Ecourse or Family Time & Money Freedom 3-month Home Study Course.

One last thought... if you're looking for another source of income, read about the Rabbit at your Door.

There's a Rabbit at Your Door. Right Now.

If you've been looking for a way to create more time and money for your family, I have an idea.

(I don't want to just talk philosophy all day, I want to help you find real ways to really make it happen, too.)

Just like in "The Jackrabbit Factor", some people will spot this rabbit, others will overlook it completely and then wonder why opportunity never knocks on their door. Well, it's knocking now.

How do you open this door?

By reading this entire message. Some people won't, and that's okay - because they're probably already chasing another rabbit. This certainly isn't for everyone.

But if you're looking for a real solution, then here's the story:

Have you ever seen any of my videos? If so, you probably know we've been more than just a little frustrated with not having the tools to bring you high quality video presentations. For people who can't attend a live event, it isn't quite the same to watch a presentation in a 3 inch box that has to reload every 2-3 minutes with low quality images (and worse quality audios).

Well, there's a new technology that would help us bring you powerful presentations in high-definition, full screen, streaming video, however...

There are only about 5 companies who use it: major television networks, Disney, and Oprah, because it's so cost-prohibitive - to the tune of 3 million dollars to play in the game, and $500,000 each quarter to maintain... plus streaming charges.

Well, the creators of the technology knew some retired millionaires, some of them wearing Super Bowl rings. They said, "If you can find a business model that would take this technology to the internet withOUT being television, you can have it for free (except for streaming charges)."

So they put their heads together, and came up with an idea to create a community around sports videos and teaching kids how to throw a football. They knew Garth Brooks because of their involvement in his charity, and planned to include a concert each quarter.

Their intention was to draw in the YouTube crowd - millions joined YouTube to watch poor quality video in a 3 inch box, why wouldn't they join this new community to watch high definition videos in full screen, with no buffering? The plan was to grow the community, sell it, buy an NBA franchise, retire again, and spend their days yelling at referees (that was literally their plan). :)

Brian Tracy found out these guys had access to the technology. He contacted the CEO and asked, "Is it true you have this technology?"

John McLelland (CEO) said, "Yes, we do."

Brian said, "This is the future of my industry. We've always known that one day we'd be in everyone's home. We just weren't willing to give up our content to a 3-inch, low-quality box."

He continued, "I'm in. I'll give you everything I've ever created. I'll bring you the top speakers in the world, and we'll fill the site with our content."

He turned over his $600,000 worth of content, and became the Chief Learning Officer for the newly evolved company now called iLearningGlobal.tv.

Dan Clark came along and volunteered his material. He went to dinner with Brian, Kevin Allen (Global Director of Marketing), and Kevin's wife who said, "Dan, I get why Brian's here, but why are you here?"

He replied, "Look. When you wake up at 2:30 in the morning and you're grieving the loss of a loved one, you're going to log in to ILG and punch in 'grieving', and 5-10 of the masters of emotion are going to give you 7-10 minute segments on how to go through the grieving process...

...It's going to get you through the night."

He was added to faculty, and the company evolved again to fulfill an even broader purpose than they had even imagined.

When they prepared to tape some new high-definition content with Brian Tracy, they told him, "Take the first 3 chapters of your book and give us 10 minutes... GO!"

He said, "I can't do that."

They said, "Take the first 3 chapters of your book and give us 10 minutes... GO!"

He replied, "It can't be done."

They said, "Take the first 3 chapters of your book and give us 10 minutes... GO!"

So he did it. When he was done, the room was silent. Finally, he said, "That is the BEST content I have ever created! Let's do another one!"

Eventually, they realized the need for material directed to the YOUTH, too. Now, each time a speaker puts up 3-4 video segments, they're required to create one for teens.

Teens have never really been Brian's audience. They just don't pay thousands of dollars for personal development, and now his material can really make an powerful impact in the lives of a younger generation.

Who else is on faculty?

Bob Proctor, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, Dolf de Roos, Stephen M R Covey, John Gray, Sandy Botkin, Denis Waitley, T Harv Ecker, Les Brown, Richard Paul Evans, Tony Allesandra, and more... about 45 are on faculty at the time I write this... including me.

*Big GRIN* - Uncanny how this becomes a part of my life shortly after I finally release my resistance...

Now, the company has only been "open" since August 1st, 2008. People can't sign up unless someone has referred them. That's because the company pays commissions on the referrals. Do you see where I'm going with this?

It's a business opportunity for YOU - create a residual (recurring) income for your family, by helping others become better at whatever they're already doing right now! As they tell their friends, your paycheck grows.

This isn't a $5 product being sold for $35 so you can get a commission, ... it's a service worth tens of thousands of dollars for a pittance ...and the company can afford to pay you because the content is donated, the technology is donated, and the advertising is word-of-mouth. Plus, nothing has to be bottled, warehoused, or shipped. Gas prices will have no effect on the delivery of this service.

Instead of paying $1500 for a 3-day workshop, subscribers pay $79.95/month to get everything, in the comfort of their own home, at a pace they can absorb. With new videos being added all the time, they'll never run out of things to learn.

This will be a billion dollar company in a very short period of time, and there will be a lot of new millionaires to come out of it. Want to be one of them?

(At the time I write this, it's still in soft launch mode, open only 46 days, with less than 2000 people involved. The big launch is scheduled for January 2009.)

All of my video will be handled at their studio. We'll get to use the same kind of technology that Oprah's using. (Do I hear a big "Hurrah!" from everyone who has so patiently endured our previous video recordings??)

By the way, the average cost to get started in a referral, or network marketing business (according to the Direct Sales Association) is $860. In order to get started with this , you pay $99.95. That's $79.95 for your first month's subscription, plus $20 to give you your own replicated website that tracks your commissions.

Come on board now, while it's still so new, and let's help the rest of the world find out about it. Be a part of our team; we're changing lives, and prospering families!

So, honestly, besides showing people how to get the information that will change their life as it has has ours, we're really looking for motivated leaders who want to work with us and our team directly, to improve lives and prosper their own family in the process.

If you think you're one of them:

1) Enroll as a marketer at http://www.ilearningGlobal.biz/jackrabbit. Click on "join now" and be sure to mention our username: "jackrabbit". (This puts you on our team so that you can get our personal support and special ThoughtsAlive event/training priveleges.)

2) Let us know you've enrolled so we can help you know how to get started. You'll even get our cell phone numbers after filling out the form at http://www.thoughtsalive.com/ILGlobal.php.

If you've ever wanted to work with us in the past, this just may be what you've been waiting for. It's a new beginning, let's put the principles you've been learning from us into practice, and soar!

How to Rely on God for a Paycheck

This is nuts. It's 1:00 am and I can barely keep my eyes open, but I know that if I just go to bed, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway. I have to get this out of my head. Having a message to convey is my curse and my blessing all wrapped up together.

Anyway, if I wait until the morning, there will be too many distractions.

So here's my question to you:

How much money do you need to feel financially free and secure?

Is it a monthly cashflow? Is it a pile of "X" amount of dollars in the bank? What's your number?

For years I operated from a standpoint of, "I will feel secure when we have $_______ coming in every month, residually." Or, sometimes it was, "I know the work is done when we have $________ saved or invested."

What I've noticed is that no matter what benchmark was set, once we achieved that number, I still didn't feel financially safe and secure. I could see how quickly it could evaporate, or how easily we had grown into that income, and once again, felt a driving need to earn more.

Suppose One Million Dollars is your benchmark for success. Suppose you think that having $1M in the bank would allow you to do everything on your list that has been waiting for the day you could afford it. What if I could send you a check today for $1M. What would you do with it, right now?

I know you're just reading along, but I really want you to stop and ponder that question:

What would you do TODAY with $1M?

If you don't have a solid answer, then you are not prepared to receive $1M. If you feel like just putting it in the bank would solve everything, then you're not prepared to receive it. If it's so big that you can't even wrap your brain around the concept of having $1M, then what difference would it make if it were $2M, or $400M? If you cannot conceptualize the difference between those figures and what that kind of money could do for you, then it's time to start shopping for the elements of your lifestyle that you'd like to enjoy one day.

Find out how much that cabin really costs, and whether that price includes granite or Formica, indoor or outdoor toilets, log or sheet rock? Get a feel for what big money can buy.

Suppose you were to leave your occupation to serve on a humanitarian aid mission somewhere. How much money would you need each month, and how much does the plane ticket cost?

If you have something in mind you'd like to do, have, or become, pretend like you already have the money and start shopping seriously for the things you'd need to purchase in order to have those dream experiences.

THEN (and here's the cool part), release your concerns about the money, and focus on enjoying the experience as though it is happening how. Picture it. You don't have to worry about the money part, because when you apply the principles of visualization to your dream-goals, things begin to line up for you to deliver the experience, sometimes without even requiring you to pay the regular price. Either opportunities line up that will provide you with the money you need, or circumstances will evolve in such a way that you will get to enjoy the benefit of your dream-goal through a barter, or a gift, or some other unexpected way. It's not your job to manage the creative process.

This is why I've always hesitated to encourage money goals... because honestly, for me, that's not what pushes my buttons. Every time I set a money goal, it seems to put me into a state of being that repels the money. It must be some kind of subconscious program I have, I don't know.

However, some people are really motivated and driven by money goals, but for me, they always seem to backfire. Well, I've decided that it's okay. I would rather that my driving force be the ultimate reason for wanting the money. I don't want to have the money at the expense of all the other things that are more important to me than money... and that's the risk we take when our goals are centered on a dollar figure.

So this begs the question: "What if I really do want a pile of money in the bank?"

Let me put it to you this way:

What is financial freedom, really? What is financial security?

Isn't it knowing that no matter what happens in the economy, or with your job, or whatever, your family's needs will be met?

When our income tripled and we experienced what it was like to pay off credit cards, and buy the groceries we really wanted, and sign the kids up for all kinds of lessons, and fix all the broken things around the house... and ultimately move to the home that would really meet all of our wants and needs as a growing family, I thought I was experiencing financial freedom. I was able to do what I wanted, when I wanted to.

No question, it was an experience I hope everyone will enjoy.

However, we could not be content with life as it was, because Trevan was gone too much, and we always had to ask permission from his employer if we wanted to take some time off with the family. We would be concerned about the consequences he'd face at work if he had to stay home sick.

We were doing pretty well, but had so many opportunities come across our table for which he (we) simply did not have time to do our due diligence, and we could see it was potentially costing us as much as his annual salary to let the opportunities go. These were opportunities that could have replaced his annual income in just one or two transactions... and how much time would that have afforded him?

So it became clear a few years ago that he had to take the leap of faith. We believed that by letting go of his regular and dependable source of income, we'd begin to really soar financially. He'd have time to do due diligence on the amazing opportunities to invest in businesses, or real estate, or helping businesses find capital, etc.

We were convinced that by letting him finally be his own boss, and as we continued to live the principles of prosperity we had been studying, we'd finally get to start putting BIG piles of money in the bank. This is how we pictured creating peace of mind. In a small temporary way, we planned to make a ton of money and then simply take a little break. We had worked so hard for so long, we were liking the idea of taking it easy. Not retirement, of course, but easing up on our crazy life-pace that we had subjected ourselves to for as long as we could remember.

Well, just as in the story of the acorn, letting go of the tree was terrifying, although we knew in our hearts it was time. (In the case of this story, the tree represented his JOB). We wondered how long we could survive without the sustenance that the tree had always provided.

We envisioned the grandeur and prestige of being independent, full-time entrepreneurs. It sounded so glamorous, and we were proud of ourselves for taking the step in spite of our fears, especially in light of the Stickman Concept.

With a bit of cockiness, we approached our investments with confidence, knowing that everything works out for us, because we had enjoyed a superb track record since discovering the principles in 2000.

Well, God has a way with people like us.

Like the acorn, we took a hard fall, and had never before experienced such fear and confusion. We wondered how long we'd have to flounder before God would see fit to rescue us and send us the financial windfall we continued to chase through our various ventures.

We literally lived on the end of our resources, eking by, one day at a time. I couldn't let myself wonder, "What happens when the money runs out next week, and there is no paycheck coming in?" I didn't let myself even think about it. There were times where I had to consciously choose to relax and subject myself to peaceful music in order to combat the storm raging inside my mind.

Somehow, God continued to sustain us in various ways, week by week, against all odds. This lasted a few months and then turned into more than a year... and I finally began to think, "If He has kept us going this far, and we're still alive, we have food to eat and a place to live, and our family is in tact, then why wouldn't I believe He would continue to support us?"

So during the second year, we pressed forward full throttle toward our goals, allowing the little money we had to flow through us freely, trusting that nature would fill the vacuum we continued to create. Unlike year #1, during year #2 we operated with very little (if any) anxiety, and gained confidence that everything was going to continue to work out. By this time, we were at peace with whatever was going to happen, good or bad. We'd move our feet in the direction of our goals a little further each day, and until there was absolutely nothing left we could do, we'd keep on keeping on.

I settled in to that strange new way of life. Like the acorn, we realized that we could survive, even disconnected from the tree, and I began to release my fears of, "What if we have to move?" Or, "What if you have to go back to a job?"

Suddenly, I found myself relying on God the same way we had relied on the paycheck. I knew God was there, and was aware of us and our needs, and I also knew that He could only bless us according to our faithfulness, so we practiced being at peace in the storm. Can't really practice without a storm, so here was our opportunity to practice.

So now, how much money do I need?

Honestly, it flows through us faster than you'd believe because of how much we continue to pump back into our business so that we can extend our reach to more families and bring more mothers home from work.

I'm like that acorn, and as much as we all think we want a pile of money, I have learned that financial freedom is not having ten years of money in my hands today.

The seed does not benefit from having ten years worth of nutrients and water dumped on it all at once.

Neither I nor the seed would be able to absorb it, and it would likely wash us both away into oblivion. No, in the bigger picture, the seed is better off receiving only as much as it needs, as it needs it.

Financial freedom is the financial peace of mind that comes from recognizing that your job does not pay you... it is God that pays you through your job. It is not your business that pays you, it is God that pays you through your business. Remove the delivery vehicle, and He can still deliver the resources you need to become all you have chosen to become. It will find you, so relax as you keep taking just one more step!

As you allow yourself to find peace in darkness and uncertainty, you discover that miracles here on earth have not ceased. You become the newest recipient.

The acorn only becomes a mighty oak after it lets go of the parent tree, and finds all the sustenance it needs from God through the elements within its immediate surroundings. It grows independent and becomes shelter and sustenance for other tiny seeds only just getting started.

You don't need a bazillion dollars in the bank. The person who learns to rely on God for daily support is the person who is truly financially free... because no market crash, no bank failure, no thief nor law suit, can ever overshadow the peace of mind that comes from having discovered God's willingness and power to give you just what you need when you need it.

I will point out, also, that only people who experience great financial hardships will likely ever discover this miracle I'm talking about. If you've got it rough, count yourself highly fortunate. The sooner you let go of your fears, the sooner you'll experience true financial freedom.

Realize now that even if all of your fears came true, you could still bounce back bigger than ever.

And then once you finally feel, and daily live, with that freedom in your heart, it's only a matter of time before it begins to manifest in your physical reality, too. But by then, you'll have the proper perspective on money, and will hopefully put it to work, blessing the lives of others.

I look forward to hearing your story.