What a dream!  Unfortunately, most people spend their entire life building someone else’s dreams!  Be proud that you are a business owner and that you have the opportunity to become financially independent and live your own dreams.   But also, be excited that you have the opportunity to help others do the exact same thing.  Some of life’s greatest rewards is in watching others achieve financial success and having their dreams become a reality.  

Begin living your own dreams TODAY!

Some of my favorite quotes from As A Man Thinketh by James Allen are: “Circumstances does not make the person – it simply reveals the true self.”  “People imagine that thought (or their philosophies) can be kept secret, but it cannot – it rapidly crystallizes into habit and habit solidifies into circumstance.”  If you want to change who you are and what you have, focus more on the root of it all, which is your philosophies.   Most people spend time trying to alter their attitude or habits, but it’s hard to make sustained changes if you don’t change your philosophies.  

Jim Rohn says it best. “You can have every technique in the world and the best product in the world and the finest support system in the world but unless you have the philosophy that drives you to do the necessary things to make it work, then nothing works.”

So now that you understand how important your philosophies are then let’s study what makes up your philosophy.  Most all of your philosophies are created by four major input sources.  1. The books you read. 2. The people that you associate with.  3. The things you see.  4. The things you listen to.  Most of who you are and what you have are a sum of these four input sources:  In the book The Slight Edge, Jeff Olsen tells a story about a shoe shine lady that read romance novels between customers.  Over the years she had spent hundreds of hours reading these books.  What was the result of all that input?  She was after so many years still a shoe shine lady…  Imagine if she had read different books that stretched her mind and motivated her into a greater realm of success.  I often wondered why a person would settle for working all of his or her life in an 8’ x 8’ cubicle building someone else’s dreams.  The answer is actually quite simple.  They are surrounded everyday with other people that settle for the same type of lifestyle, thus their associations.   They are not encouraged to read any books that would stretch their minds or drive them to want and to have anything more than what they currently have.  They settle for insignificant raises and promotions.  They listen to their boss or supervisor and that, over time, molds their philosophy into much of who they are.  

How do you instantly change your  lifestyle and become a different person?  Well unfortunately you can’t;  Your habits today will still be your habits tomorrow.  Your attitude today will still be your attitude tomorrow.  These things can all be changed, but they take time and discipline.  But what you can change today that will have the biggest impact on everything about your life is your philosophy.  If you don’t like your current circumstances then simply change the books you read, the people you associate with, the things you listen to, and the things you see.  Change your inputs and you can change your philosophies.

 Fifteen years ago I was living in an apartment, and earning less than $20,000 a year. I was 28 years old when I was introduced to the incredible world of personal development.  I learned for the first time that I had total control over my lifestyle and circumstances.  I learned that we all have our own personal sailboat and that it is not the wind that determines where you go in life, but the set of your sail. In fact, the same wind blows on us all.  I began changing my associations, reading books like Think and Grow Rich, and listening to audio cassettes from people that had the success that I wanted.  Amazingly everything in my life started to change including my bank account.  That year I earned over $100,000 which was five times what I had earned the year before.  Over the last fifteen years, I have earned over six million dollars in income and have created an amazing lifestyle for my family.  I now make more every month than I used to make every year.

 I challenge you to decide today that you will no longer settle for mediocrity and an average lifestyle.  You were born to be great!  Stop settling for table scraps when you can own the whole palace!    Remember – changing your philosophies can ultimately change your life!

Your Friend,

Mark Riches

B y Mark H.  Riches

To some he was a carpenters son,

who came to earth to live.

To others He’s their savior

who came to earth to give.

But still to some a deeper love

the Son of God did show

as He knelt down in Gethsemane

as He knelt down there so low.

And took upon Himself you see

the sins of me and you.

So much pain and suffering

something no other man could do.

And as He prayed for comfort

from this awful gloomy state

The soldiers marched toward Him,

their hearts so full of hate.

The judgment to be crucified

upon our savior fell

His suffering almost finished

as they began to drive the nail.

Naked, scourged and trembling

the eternal price was paid

While at his feet so helpless now

His loving mother laid.

He completed the great suffering

so that we can live again

He bowed his head and closed his eyes

and left this world of sin.

To some we was a carpenter,

to others just a man

But to me He is the son of God,

and I’ll love him all I can.

Merry Christmas from The Riches Family!

There are many sand of distraction that can consume all of our time if we allow them to.  Remember we need to schedule our priorities- not prioritze our schedule.