The Climb

So I'm still working on tying my "Choices" blog together so in the mean time thought I'd offer something here that I am finding very powerful.  We've all no doubt heard of Miley Cyrus.  The young Disney star who seems to be headed down the same road Brittney and Lindsay took which is very sad.  Anyway she had a hit song from her movie called "The Climb" and I need to include it here because it is very powerful and it fits with the theme of my blog.  Thank you Miley for the inspiration and be safe.

The Climb

I can almost see it, that dream I'm dreamin' but there's a voice inside my head saying
you'll never reach it.  Every step I'm takin, every move I'm making feels
lost with no direction, my faith is shaken but I, I gotta keep tryin,
gotta keep my head held high.

Always gonna be another mountain,  always gonna want to make it move.
Always gonna be an uphill battle, sometimes I'm gonna have to lose.
Ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side.
It's the climb.

The struggles I'm facing, the chances I'm taking, sometimes might knock me down but
no I'm not breaking.  I may not know it but these are the moments that I'm gonna
remember most yeah just gotta keep going, and I, I gotta be strong, just keep pushing on.

Cause there's

Always gonna be another mountain,  always gonna want to make it move.
Always gonna be an uphill battle, sometimes you're gonna have to lose.
Ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side.
It's the climb.

It's awesome!  It's the truth.  As the saying goes..."Success is not a destination, it's a journey"

God Bless

video of the day: Miley of course,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs

Confessions

Seasons greetings and Merry Christmas to all who find my musings here.

I'd like to start out this segment with a confession. Maybe a couple.

First, here it is 4 days 'til Christmas and I still haven't been to the store to get the gifts for the upcoming holiday. I know what I'm getting everyone, I just haven't gone out and bought them yet. Luckily for me all my grandchildren are really into gift cards so that will be easy. Payday is Thursday so I'll get out and get them either Thursday or Friday and get them sent. They'll be a little late but they'll get there.

My second confession is that I get lost in YouTube a lot. It's such an amazing place. To me Facebook is nothing compared to YouTube. There are so many amazing things and amazing people on YouTube. The thing that amazes me the most is the incredibly talented singers and players who share their talent with the world. Some of my favorites are Kelly Rosenthal (kellyismusical is her page) with her friends Maddie, Taylor, and Collin. Maddie, Taylor and Collin are incredible singers and Kelly plays guitar, bass, piano, and drums but she's best at guitar. There's Tyler Ward and his friend Julia Sheer. Tyler sings and writes music and is a super guitar player. They each have their own page. Then there's a little boy with big big dreams MattyB. A 7 year old rapper extraordinaire. Makes up his own raps and everything. I'm not big into rap but Matty is fun to watch.. Of course there's the ultra-cute Megan Nicole. She sings and she raps and is soooo easy on the eyes. I could go on and on because the talent pool is unending but I want to explain what it is all these people have in common. Can you guess? They are all chasing a dream. They all have great talent but lots of people have talent. I have talent. The difference is I never really chased my dream. I started to a few times but I let other people and my perceived limits get in the way of what I really wanted when I was younger. I let a few disappointments drag me down and keep me from who I feel I was supposed to be. The people I mentioned above as well as many others are out there day after day going for it. Not letting things get in the way of their dream. I'm in awe of them.

I still have a lot of dreams but my problem is I have so many of them. I'm like an ADD dreamer. Today I want to work on one dream and the next day I think I need to do something else first to prepare myself for the other dream and on and on. Focus and discipline are my challenges which are essential to accomplish greatness in any endeavor. What are your challenges? I know I've said this before but what are your challenges? What do you need to work on to get to the point where you are actually moving in the direction of your dreams? What do you need to do to overcome those challenges? This is the time of year when most people start to think about what they want to accomplish next year maybe we all should put overcoming our challenges on that list.

Merry Christmas!

Video of the day: Julia and MattyB... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-WisyMtmc

Next...”Choices”

The American Dream

I'm sure you have heard of the concept of The American Dream, but I wonder if any of us knows what that really means? Is there really an actual definition that everyone can understand? I wonder if you can take a moment and define for yourself what the “American Dream” means to you. I know that for me it's about freedom. Freedom to do what I want, when I want, with whomever I want and never have to worry about whether my debit card will come back “denied” when the cashier pushes the button. I want the freedom to be able to call my travel agent and say book me a flight to Hawaii or Miami or someplace else warm when the weather report says an arctic blast is headed my way in a couple of days. I want to be able to help my children out financially when times are tough like my parents have been able to help me. I want to no longer be a slave to my alarm clock and wake up when my body feels fully rested... everyday! That's a snapshot of my dream. What about you? What is your dream?

America has long been known as “The Land of Opportunity” and many people have proven it to be so over and over. The stories are too numerous to mention. While the stories are numerous the actual numbers are staggeringly few. In the United States with a population of 300 million plus there are approx. 2.8 million millionaires. That's less than 1%!

Of course $1 million is an arbitrary figure to use to calculate success. For many people it's about quality of life and having a lot of money doesn't always equate to a great quality of life but it can sure give you more options. Here's an interesting question for you; are you making more money than you can stand? Is the money you're making now providing you with the life you truly want to live? If not the next question is, why? What keeps you from becoming that person who is actually living the life you want to live? What is keeping you from providing a better life for your family? Only you can answer that question for yourself. Those of us who consider ourselves average and ordinary and who are not as satisfied with life as we'd like to be are letting something hold us back. Many will blame something or someone outside of themselves for what's happening in their lives but what it eventually comes down to is you are the problem.

Harsh? Maybe, but usually true. There are enough stories of people rising from poverty to great wealth. Stories of uneducated people achieving dream lifestyles. Stories of ordinary people who get out of their own way to achieve something great for themselves, their families, and sometimes they even change the world. If they can do it don't you think there are possibilities for you also? It's possible, if you decide to move in the direction you really want to go.

The challenge to doing this is it means doing something uncomfortable. Maybe you need to turn off the TV. Maybe not crack open that next beer. Maybe get out of your house and meet people. Maybe just open up your mind and look at new possibilities that are out there for you. It may even mean we need to start thinking outside the box. I could tell you "follow me, I can show you the way" but the path I've chosen may not be the right path for you.   All I can suggest is that you take the time to look at your life and determine if you are where you really want to be. Ask yourself, “ if I were really living up to my potential, what would my life look like?” Maybe you need to look at your career path and ask yourself if it's really going to take you where you want to go. Maybe you need new friends. At some point we all need to decide that something needs to change and then make the change.

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men” Galileo

Video of the day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0iFgVzXxKc

If you haven't yet found the path that's right for you send me an email and I'll send you information about the path I've chosen.  You may find it valuable or just find it interesting.  free2prosper@comcast.net

Several years ago I had the thought that I would get into real estate investment. So much wealth has been created by people through various forms of real estate investment that I thought I'd give it a go. I decided at the time that I'd go with the lease/option method where you invest in a property and then find someone to lease the house with an option to buy before closing and use their money to help purchase the property through creative financing. I read a couple of books and then found a guy online who offered a course on the was to successfully make it work. It was very detailed with sample contracts and plans to find people to lease your property and how to find the properties you want to lease. I was pretty excited because I really thought I was headed in the right direction.

One of the things he highly recommended was a legal service to review the contracts. He said he used a program called Pre-Paid Legal. I had heard the name before but didn't really know anything about it so I went online and did a search and found a guys link who happened to be near me and started reading about the service. Here's what was offered in the program:

Unlimited telephone consultations on an unlimited number of different legal matters.

So any time I had a legal question I could call an attorney and get advice.

Unlimited contract review up to 10 pages on any number of different subjects.

Good plan for a real estate investor, or renter or for anyone who signs

a contract.

A letter written or phone call made by attorney if deemed beneficial.

A handy tool if someone fails to follow terms of contract.

Moving violation defense for any covered offence like speeding tickets.

Try to follow traffic laws but who knows? Could come in handy.

24 hr emergency access to attorney in case I'm detained for any non-drug/alcohol offence.

Never know what might happen.

25% discount on other services not covered above like divorce, bankruptcy, etc.

They also have a comprehensive identity theft program with restoration services

Very valuable today.

And last but not least they will draw up a standard will and medical directive as part of the membership.

Usually runs $500 or more so I could see the value.

The company was founded in 1972 and is on the NYSE.

All of this for a monthly fee of $17 or $26.95 if you include the identity theft. Sounded good to me so I bought the program. I've received a lot of good advice and actually used their advice to keep a ticket off my record after I was involved in an accident where I was at fault. I found out my daughter had actually purchased a plan also and has used the service to keep at least 3 speeding tickets off her record which has saved her a few bucks.

I decided that since the service seemed reasonable that it might even be something worth adding as a sideline product. So I decided to become part of their marketing force and let people know about the service. The real estate thing never got off the ground but several years later I still have an active membership and still represent the company.

Something I've found is that most people just don't realize how valuable it is to have access to an attorney for advice on even little matters. It's surprising how little things can turn into big things if you ignore them.

Many people will say that they've never used an attorney to which I would say “if it was free, would you?” Rich people pay a lot of money to keep attorneys on retainer to avoid problems and for $17/mo a person can do the same thing with Pre-Paid Legal.

Didn't know the story was going to be so long so I'll just say it's a program that's helped me and a lot of other people. If you want to know more click the link and watch the video.

Www.prepaidlegal.com/info/c_orr

No News is Good News?

So I received an email from Dr. Robert Anthony who as many of you may know is a long time self-help author and currently involved in "The Secret"/manifestation movement that I found very intriguing so I thought I'd re-post it here.  To me it's very extreme and I'm not sure if it's something I can actually do but I may give it a try at the beginning of the year.  Don't know how long I'll last because I love political debate, but doing it will certainly free up many hours in my day that I now devote to keeping up with current events that I can do nothing about.

Enjoy.

I understand what I am about to say may sound crazy to you, but
allow me to suggest the possibility that you have been totally
brainwashed and you have unknowingly become your own worst enemy.

In fact, this is exactly what is happening to millions of people.
And most likely, you are one of them. 

What I am talking about is the SUBLIMINAL and SUBCONSCIOUS
programming you are getting - programming that is imprinted on your
subconscious without your knowledge.

I am not saying there is an organized conspiracy to program your
mind. The people that are spreading these negative messages
don't even know they are doing it!

The problem is as you are exposed to these mind viruses, you are
likely to be infected. Just as exposure to raw sewage can cause you
to be infected with germs, microbes and other nasty things,
prolonged exposure to the media will infect your mind with many
nasty viruses. Society spends billions of dollars to protect
us from biological and computer viruses. Yet a mind virus can be
the most dangerous of all.

One of the best things you can do to prevent mind viruses is stop
following the news. Don't watch TV, don't listen to "talk" radio,
don't read newspapers or magazines that have the news in them. Why?
Because they all make their money by selling fear, lack, scarcity
and limitation. Bad news is what sells.

Open the average newspaper and you will see that 90% or more of what
you read is negative news. The percentage is about the same for
radio and TV.  Do you really believe it is important to find out how
many houses burnt down, how many people were robbed or killed in
your city, state or another country? Do you really need to be
reminded of the economic situation every day?  Being exposed to all
this negativity creates a negative view of the world and negative
thought patterns in your mind.

When I tell people to skip the news, they invariably ask, "How will
I know if there is a major world tragedy or natural disaster
heading my way or terrorists striking near me?" Trust me. You will
know about all the big stuff you need to know. Let's face it,
the vast majority of your friends and neighbors follow the news so
they can do the watching and reading for you. You still won't be
able to escape it completely because most restaurants and shops now
have the TV news on all day long. So if something major happens, you
will know about it. 

I haven't watched the news for the past ten years. I don't read the
newspaper either because I don't want or need to know about all the
bad stuff. My life is about creating good stuff. Eliminate the news
media from your life for the next 30 days and see what I mean.

Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation
that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT!  No matter how
large or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal. It will
only take a few moments and will AUTOMATICALLY put you in the Flow.

Truly Caring for Your Success!

Dr. Robert Anthony

What is "Where is Your Ship"?

At one time or another you have probably heard the line..."When my ship comes in I'll probably be at the airport".  It's kind of funny but sad at the same time because it sets us up with the belief that while we know there is something out there that will bring us the life we dream of and treasure Murphy's Law will make sure that we are always somewhere else and will never have the chance to experience "The Dream".   I'm sure that you, like me, have had many dreams in your life.  Many never come true but sometimes they do.  What are your dreams?

Dreams come in many forms.  Some are based around money, some around friendships, some around being loved and admired by a large group of people.  Many people have dreams of making a great contribution to the world like curing cancer or raising people out of poverty.  At one time I had a dream of being a country super-star.  I had a little country band that got off to a rough start but after awhile we developed a group of fans and I thought I had what it takes to make it but I never really chased that dream with the passion needed to make it come true.  My bad.  Anyway, I don't really want to make this about me.  I want to make this about you and what are you doing to find your ship.  Maybe I can help point you in the right direction or maybe I'll just give you something to think about along the way.

The thing about a ship is that in order for it to leave one point to travel to it's destination there has to be a crew.  A group of people who do certain things along the journey to help our ship arrive successfully.  So as we go through this journey I will be sharing ideas and thoughts that maybe will help not only you but also to a degree myself.  Sometimes I'll share things I've read.  Maybe a video or audio.  Something funny. Something serious.  In the end I desire to be helpful.  To offer something of value.  

I look forward to this journey.

 I dedicate this to the memory of my brother Rick.  Today would have been his 56th birthday.  He is one of my inspirations.