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A Reminder…

One of my closest friends and greatest advisors is my wife. For every great man, there is a great woman beside them or behind them. I do not remember the exact quote, but you know what I mean. She reminded last night while we were getting ready for bed that you will never achieve greatness or more in your life until YOU FIRST BELIEVE THAT YOU DESERVE GREATNESS AND MORE IN YOUR LIFE. It was a punch and wake up call at the same time.

I have been a hypocrite. I want my children to have the mentality that they deserve all the fruits that the world has to offer, as long as they put the work in to make it happen. I was putting the work in, but not having that deserving attitude. I believe in delay gratification, but I was taking it too far. I was depriving myself. I was not setting the right example for my children too. I deserved to live in a great neighborhood, drive a nice car, go on nice vacations, live in good health, have loving relationships, and make a great income. Obviously, I needed to put the work in to make this a reality, but first I had to believe I deserved it. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THAT DESERVING ATTITUDE, YOU WILL FIND WAYS TO SABATOGE YOURSELF FROM ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS AND DREAMS. I feel God and the Universe wants us to thrive and enjoy the fruits life has to offer. WE MUST BELIEVE WE ARE DESERVING OF THOSE FRUITS AND TEACH OUR CHILDREN THE SAME MENTALITY. WORK HARD, WORK SMART, AND PLAY HARD!

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2020 in Review

The year 2020 will be looked upon by ourselves, our children, and future generations as one of the most memorable years on record.

As 2020 comes to an end, I wanted to provide a quick recap of personal and world happenings. My hopes for doing this is that we will learn to enjoy NOW and to do great things TOMORROW.

2020 was highlighted by a global pandemic, which led to the death of millions around the world. Along with the pandemic, social unrest and a contentious presidential campaign highlighted America’s history. Wearing masks became a political and fashion statement. A new vaccine for the virus was discovered in record time.

Personally we sold a home, rented an apartment, and bought a new home in what seemed like record time. Work shut downs, job changes, homeschooling, and virtual learning became the new norm. Travel plans coming to a halt and not seeing family for over a year became a sad reality.

It was not all bad news. I published my first book and began to blog more regularly.

In all these challenges, a MIRACLE happened. On a cold and misty morning drive to work, I found my true calling. I wanted to be a KNIGHT(not the ones at the Renaissance fair, but figurative ones). Specifically, I wanted to be the HERO for myself, my children, my wife, and the world. I was tired of living in fear, with procrastination, and in a sense of inferiority. 2020 helped me to find my direction and 2021 is when I plan to live it and act on it.

Helping myself and my children form the habits of a Young Defender, learning to date my wife (not just be married to her), finally obtaining financial freedom, and taking charge of my health and weigh are my main 2021 adventures and goals.

Find your calling. It is what excites you and draws your energy. Stop IGNORING YOUR CALLING! Whether it is starting a new career, adding a new skill in your current career, getting healthy and in shape, making new friends, controlling your finances, traveling the world, starting a new business, building stronger relationships, or finding true love. Make 2021 a new beginning.

FIND YOUR CALLING NOW. THIS VERY SECOND & START LIVING IT.

YD

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Another Challenge Down!

2020 has been a very eventful year to say the least. Despite the many obstacles the world was facing, I had a couple obstacles that I was working towards overcoming. First, I wanted to be more active as a blogger. Second, I had the goal of being a published author. Both goals meant I had to overcome the obstacle of letting go and opening up. It is scary to share your thoughts and feelings with the world. It can be pretty intimidating. Last week it became reality.

I published my first book of any kind on the Amazon kindle platform. It is an e-book and directed towards a wide audience. At first look, the e-book may seem to be directed only towards small children and parents. A perfect bedtime story you could say. In reality, the lesson it teaches is useful for both children and adults. It is a lesson I have preached in previous blog posts. Change Comes in the Challenge (CCC). In other words, we grow as individuals when we are faced with challenges. Some of the challenges are expected and some not so expected. Either way, we can learn and grow to great heights in the face of challenges.

If you have small children, it is a no brainer to go to the link below, purchase the book, and read it with your children. Even if you are an adult or older kid, this cool, little book can teach a powerful lesson. A lesson we all can live by in the real world.

Click the link below and I thank you for your support ahead of time.

YD

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Ashlyn & Nikhil, the Young Defenders & Young Bloggers

We are at a milestone in this blog. This will be the first time I shall have guest bloggers sharing their experiences. These guest happen to be my own two children. They will share their own Challenges and how they overcame them and what they learned.

Ashlyn’s (14 years old) post….

One of my biggest fears is public speaking or speaking on the phone. I have always been afraid that I’m going to mess up and people are going to make fun of me. That’s the biggest thing for me, and I know that it shouldn’t bother me, but it does. This is a challenge or fear that I have been facing basically my whole life. The challenge that I wanted share was very recent. It was calling a dental office on the phone; I was so nervous and didn’t want to do it because I was scared that I was going to say the wrong thing. Even though I was scared to do it, I ended up facing my fears and making the appointment. Honestly, it wasn’t that hard. I was making a big deal of nothing. All in all, I got my appointment, and everything was fine. Now I know what to expect next time I need to call someone. 

Nik’s (11 years old) post…

The challenge I faced this week is that I had to interview a stranger. I was very nervous to talk to him. The person I talked to was a local Agriculture Agent. He gets information from UGA (University of GA) and brings it the local people. He can also tell you what is  wrong with your plants. I had to ask a few questions for a school report. He showed a video and some new plants he is growing. A fact that he told me was that he has a tree that is 300 years old.  I overcame my fear of talking to strangers. After all speaking to strangers is not as bad as you might think. 

Great job kids on the Challenges you faced and the posts you wrote and shared. As parents, it is our duty to have our children face challenges and learn from them. When we allow this to happen their confidence in themselves will grow. As a result, the challenges they will continue to face in life will be more manageable.

YD

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JUST SAY NO

The above phrase became very popular during the 1980s as part of the anti-drug campaign. Former first lady, Nancy Reagan was a champion for the movement. The campaign was simple, but a powerful tool to keep our young folks away from drug use.

“No” is one of the most powerful words in the English language. We all know the meaning, but are afraid to use it to protect ourselves and our interests. Perhaps we do not believe in ourselves or do not respect ourselves enough to use it. I learned this past week the power that this simple two letter word can have. People can take advantage of others, when they sense weakness. A Young Defender does live to serve others, but it does not mean they should be taking advantage of. As a YD, if you are not comfortable doing something, just say “No.” Remember, a Young Defender loves themselves enough where they do not allow anyone or anything take advantage of them. It is ok to be selfish at times when your best interest and others are protected. The YD oath stresses the need to love oneself. Saying “NO” to others can be an example of Self-love at it’s best. Challenge yourself to say “NO” when you do not wish to do something you are not comfortable doing.

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Another Unexpected CHALLENGE…

The Young Defender formula: Taking on CHALLENGES in your LIFE = leads to POSITIVE CHANGE in your LIFE

For those who have been long time readers of my blog, you know I am a BIG proponent of Challenging yourself to make positive Change happen in your life. For example, you may Challenge your muscles via weight lifting and your body becomes stronger. You Challenge your mind with a new book and you learn a new way of thinking.

Sometimes the Challenges we face are unexpected. They just hit us from no where. It could be a health challenge, a financial challenge, or a work/business challenge. This past weekend someone I care deeply about faced her own BIG Challenge. She was never in true DANGER, but the situation was DANGEROUS enough in her own mind. This person is terrified of water. Out of no where she was faced with the Challenge of being in relatively deep water alone with the current pushing her far from her party. She did have a life preserver on, but that did not make a difference in her mind. She was scared and yelling. No one was close enough to help her. SHE HAD TO HELP HERSELF. She eventually was able to move to some rocks down stream and waited until her family arrived.

When we face CHALLENGES in our lives, there are times we should ask for help. Sometimes help is not always around, so we must take charge and help ourselves. It is ok to be afraid. However, never allow that fear to stop you from overcoming the CHALLENGES you are facing. I am proud of my friend.

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The Young Defender (YD) Oath…

This week’s post is short, simple, but POWERFUL. What does it mean to be a Young Defender? The oaths sums it up. Yes, there is an oath and here it is…

I (state your name) promise to take on the mission of being a Young Defender. I will CHALLENGE myself, LOVE myself, and live my life with HONOR in the WORDS I speak, the THOUGHTS I think, and the ACTIONS I take. I will HELP others to do the same for we are all GREAT Young Defenders!

I personally speak these words at least twice a day. I make the extra effort to speak the oath with my children every morning and every night when possible. I am a BIG believer the words you speak have a direct affect on your thoughts and actions. The oath above is a great way to begin your Young Defender’s journey. Speak it daily and with energy!

Remember Change Comes in the Challenge. Challenge yourself to speak the oath above with your family.

YD

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There is a fine line…

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Delayed Gratification versus Delaying your Dreams.

In my life, I have been very guilty of punishing myself. I have punished myself thru delaying my dreams. I do believe that one must SACRIFICE (aka Delay Gratify) in the present to reap greater rewards in the future. For example, a person may work their butt off when they first start a business and may sacrifice time with their family in the present. However, the business they started becomes stronger and more self sufficient, which allows more family time. One may work hard at school or at work to enjoy career success down the road. These are examples of delay gratification.

The above examples should not be confused with delaying the dreams you have rightfully earned and have always desired. For example, I would delay seeing family using work as an excuse. I would drive a simple car, when I earned and deserved to drive something nicer. I would let my weight and body go, when I had the time to exercise and make more healthier food options. I would delay starting my business, because I was too busy at work making money. I would delay fighting for Financial Freedom, because I felt I did not know how to obtain it.

All these examples have one BIG thing in common. I DID NOT FEEL I WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO DESERVE THEM. The source of that thinking can vary. However, the BIGGEST thing is to CHANGE that thinking to “I DO DESERVE THOSE REWARDS.” I worked to make those rewards a reality and I deserve to enjoy them.

Remember there is a time and place for delayed gratification. However, do not punish yourself any longer. Go after your Dreams. Help yourself and children to have that same mindset. It is a Young Defender’s mindset.

YD

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A call to ACTION…

Alarm clock

I missed my wakeup call. It has happened to all of us at one point or another. I heard the words, “Honey, aren’t you going to be late for work?” It happened to me this morning. I had overslept for the first time in years. I must have forgotten to set my alarm last night.

More often, we ignore the proverbial wakeup call we receive in life on a daily basis. WE DO NOT TAKE ACTION ON OUR GOALS AND DREAMS. Possible reasons we may do this to ourselves…

  1. We do not feel we are not good enough or deserve such goals.
  2. We are afraid to screw up, fail, and look stupid.

These were my reasons at least. All great accomplishments in our lives can not come without some risk of failure. We deserve those rewards, but only if we are willing to put ourselves out there.

Meditation has been a great avenue for me to learn what I should be doing in life. It allows that inner voice to speak to me and tell me what I need to get done. Practice it daily. Throw questions you may have in your life out to the universe and listen for the answer.

Listen for wakeup call and begin to take ACTION today.

YD

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Adding Wealth to Create Wealth…

In my 45-50 minute commute to my workplace and clinic, I often take the time to listen to Personal finance podcasts or You tube videos on finance. This morning, I happen to listen to one of my favorite speakers, Garrett Gunderson. In this particular video, he was stressing what one must do to create wealth in a short period of time (in this case 3 years).

The formula is simple. Create value in the lives of others. In fact, the more people that you create value with, the greater the rewards.

The definition of creating value can vary. Coke provides value to millions with their soft drinks and the comfort it provides. Apple provides value in the gadgets it markets. Facebook provides value to millions via social media. Walmart creates value by providing low cost household items and more. The first three companies are not considered essential for the world to exist, but still make money by providing a perceived value. The last does provide necessities such as medicine, vision care, and groceries. All of these companies make money.

My goal with theyoungdefenders.com is to create value with readers, especially parents and kids. It is valuable due to the lessons it can teach.

Give a listen to the video above and remember to create value in your life and in your business.