Successful people are dreamers who have found a dream too exciting, too important, to remain in the realm of fantasy.    ~Earl Nightingale~

We all have the Lazurus-like ability to arise from the spiritually dead  and face our problems and fears head on.  With unyielding  resolve and confidence there is a way out or a way around our haunting, compromising past or present obstacles…..that is, if and as soon as we resolve to stay the course.

But staying the course is a tough nut to crack.  I don’t make light of it.

We have spouses, bosses and families demanding our undivided attention.

We have bills and creditors flattening our purses.

We have stress and depression caused by feelings that either we or our world seem out of whack.

We have a host of dysfunctional baggage ready to trample our fragile determination to amount to something…..anything! – during our brief visit to this planet.

We have hoards of nay Sayers and  do-nothingers surrounding us with negativity and doubt.

We have debilitating diseases and mental illnesses which, each in their own perverse way, give us a false justification for surrendering to the whimsical life of fate and inevitability.

In other words, the deck seems to be heavily stacked against numbers’ of us in our pursuit of excellence and success.  Maybe our looks are “bad.”  Too fat, thin, pimply, gawky, short, paunchy, shuffling, gaunt, shriveled with disease or slumped over with dis-ease.

All of these maladies are figments of our imagination or as a result of our stinking thinking.

Whatever “too” you may think yourself afflicted with, there are millions more who have greater tragedies to face every day, yet they still somehow rise to the challenge and master the skills requisite for success in their chosen life path.

If you are reading this message then you are part of a fortunate few around the globe who have ready access to the Information Age.  Computers are helping to level the playing field for growing legions of working-class people everywhere.  These are the brethren who used to live in abject poverty, shameless ignorance, utter despair, only to die broke, broken and in complete obscurity.

We all have a lot to be grateful for and we can do a lot to make this world a little more peaceful, a little more loving, a little more honest and and a little more rich because we have passed through.

I have resolved to never give up on myself again.  And neither should you ever give up on you.

We may have bad days or weeks or months – even horrible ones -  but hope and faith in ourselves, in our blessed capacity to learn and grow bigger, will ultimately lead to a lasting happiness.

Life is a series of peaks and valleys sprinkled with moments of revelry and wisdom.

Every day, every victory, every defeat, every trial, every touch of love, every slap of hate…..everything in our world is only a representation of who we are and what we stand for at the moment.

It is your job and mine to take control of our respective  lives and become the very best we can muster.  That is our destiny.  That is our duty to ourselves, our families, our community, our world, and our Creator.

Nobody other than you can play your hand.

Not one program, not one marketing genius, not one spiffy handsome god or stunningly beautiful goddess holding your hand in love, not one religion, nor one  race, nor one nation-state should or could ever reel you in and hold you soul hostage without your consent.

You must cross the road to get to the other side…..alone.

The beauty of this journey is that it comes with the gift of life.  The tragedy of it for many is that life passes us by because we so fear what others may think of us.

There is a perverse comfort in holding onto the lesser self and consciously settling for second best.

I hold a special affection for the growing legion of middle-aged, for those older and aging rapidly because of loneliness and melancholy, for those who are gripped in dire financial straits, and for those precocious dreamers of  youth who can’t wait to test the waters of life.

I greet you with true humility and want each of you to become my friend as we march down the path of righteousness, truth, independence, tolerance, financial comfort and growing confidence in ourselves and in those we touch.

Far too many online marketers are focusing on how much money they can make and how much money they claim they can make for you, if, of course, you invest in them.

While money and success are wonderful tools in sculpting a great life, they mean little if we remain weak in character and unwilling to learn anew day by day.

Let us drink to a life of intrinsic richness, not just the trappings of wealth.

Chew on ideas.  Drink them down with a brew of meaningful action.  And never fear failure; fear only inertia and complacency.

Challenge limiting concepts, no matter how certain we are that we are right or on the side of justice and fairness.

Our planet is abundant and we need not extort nor highway-rob our fellow citizens to get our fair share.

You are never too young nor too old to dream and to act boldly.

With imagination, one can move forward in the world, even if planted in a wheel chair or trapped in a prison cell.  I just know that each of us through our respective marketing efforts will march forward.  And when we reach stumbling blocks or armed resistance to our concerted efforts, we can and will dig deep within to find the spirit to persevere and win.

Let’s cheer each other on.  Let’s bring out the best in ourselves by bring out the best in others in our business and private lives.

I leave you with The “Parable of the Pencil”, an inspirational piece which sums up this message…

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

“There are 5 things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.”

“One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone’s hand.”

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.