Brandon L. Clay's Blog, page 3

The Thing!

Today is December 11, 2014...1 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      The Thing. No, not the 1982 John Carpenter movie with Kurt Russell (even though that was a great one - think Alien with more suspense!).  I am not talking about the rock looking creature, Ben Grimm, from the Fantastic Four. I'm talking about your work, your calling, your gift, your passion and purpose... The Thing.  Your Thing. There is an expression that we used to use back in my day when we asked someone how they are doing.  The would answer,  "I am just trying to do my thang!"  or I am putting my thang down!"  There was hope in that expression.  There was a connotation of following a dream.  Now people might say,"I am trying to hold it down" or "Just working for a living" or as the youth might say, "I am grinding" (ok, at 1 day from 50, I may be a little out of touch!).
 From how I see it, the optimism and hope have gone out of the way we talk about our work... which encompasses the majority of our lives.    Have you lost touch with The Thing?   The Tests - To let you know whether or not you are doing The Thing, there are all kinds of things people will ask you; If you won 20 million dollars would you still do it?Sitting on your rocking chair at 90, what would you wish you had done?If you knew there was no way you could fail, what would you try?If you had 2 years to live, what would you do?
  "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important." Steve Jobs  Mortality is sobering.
 Why wait for some "magical event", threat of death or live with regret.  To deny their true calling is making people sick.  They live lives of despair and daily torment.  Sure, that sounds over dramatic, but what happens to most people is that they get used to it.  It becomes their normal.   "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12 NIV What would you rather do - Make a good living doing something you hate for the next 40 years and enjoy 15 years of retirement, or struggle 5-10 years to have 70 years of joyful living doing The Thing? I know you have to eat, put a roof over your heads and pay your bills, but there is more to life.
  "Get busy living, or get busy dying." Andy Dufresne- The Shawshank Redemption
I am asking you today to find The Thing.  If you know what The Thing is, I am asking you to pursue it.  No, don't walk off that job (that would be dumb!), but do like Andy Dufresne and throw a few rocks a day into the yard.  Think your way out, dig your way out, sweat and cry your way out.   Get out! When someone asks you how you are doing say, "I am putting my thing down" ...and mean it! T.D Jakes has a sermon where he admonishes and encourages his congregation to   Dream about That Thang...Work for That Thang...Sweat for That Thang... Pursue That Thang!   I want to add my voice of agreement to his that you would live a life filled with (back to the King's English)... The Thing!
  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Words to Live By!

Today is December 10, 2014...2 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      Words.   What are words? They are the way we convey the innermost thoughts from our mind.  A way to turn the electric impulses of inspiration, ideas and emotion  into tangible things that can be transferred and translated to others. Words are how we turn "a picture" into a "1,000 words".   Words are containers.  Spoken vividly, words become the plastic mold of our dreams and aspirations.  Spoken passionately, they become the catalyst of our actions.  Spoken frequently, they inform those actions we do automatically as habit.  This progression of how we use words then determines what experiences we will enjoy or endure in life...our destiny.
  Make your words count.  Let them dictate (pun intended) the things you want out of life, the things you will do in life and the difference you will make. In 1993, I had decided to start a business where I would help people with their finances - think Larry Burkett or Dave Ramsey.  I had been through a decade of financial chaos and my promise to God was, "Help me...and I will help people."  I started with a small gospel radio station and would do a live broadcast weekly called, The Journey to Prosperity. The disc jockey (do they still call them that?) asked me what my "tagline" was.  I had never really thought about it, but in the spontaneity of the moment said, "Helping Millions Achieve Success...One At A Time." That has stuck with me the past 20 years.  Each word in that phase means something to me.  It reminds me that my mission is helping people achieve success.  While my ultimate goal is to help millions, I am reminded daily to remain humble and help "the one at a time" that Providence sends to me.   While service minded, make no mistake, I want to make a good living doing this.  In the law of reciprocity, that means that as I help them, good things will happen for me.  That gave birth to my Law of Compensation (sorry Emerson!) that allows me to feel good about the money I make... "As I serve, I deserve." I have evolved and merged those two into my work/life mantra, "Having Fun Helping People Enjoying Rich Experiences, While Building Great Wealth" As most of you know, it is hard to separate what you do for a living...from your life.  That is why it is important to have a passion for what you do so it no longer feels like work. Sit down today and write down the words, your mantra, that will govern your work, your service to others and what you expect to receive in exchange for that work and service. Over time, your thoughts that become your words will become your actions, habits, character and ultimately...your destiny.  Who knows, they may become your... Words To Live By!
  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Get a Life...Stat!

Today is December 9, 2014...4 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      During this whole turning 50 countdown thing, I have tried to make you evaluate and look at your life as I look at mine.  Not so much a greatest hits retrospective album as much as a "Behind the Music" episode that chronicles how the music was made. With only a few days left, I want to leave you with some sage wisdom.  If I were being interviewed now and the question was asked, "What is your secret to a happy life?" my answer would be, "Get a Life" What that means would be different for each one of us, but there are 5 core things that I think are required to have not just life, but a happy, abundant one;  1. Find someone to love. Life is too long to endure it with poor relationships. Find the love of your lifetime.  Have good friends...real friends.   2. Find something to do that you love  Life is too short to miss your calling, your labor of love in service to mankind.  Chasing money will wear you out.  Yes, you can say it, "Do what you love and the money will follow". 3. Find something to believe in.  Faith is active, not passive.  It gives of time, money and resources.  Make a difference where you want to see a difference. 4. Find wonderful things to love.  Smart, inventive, and artistic people have filled the planet with amazing things.  Things that are ok for you to desire and acquire.  Life is willing to give them to you if you are willing to work for them...and sometimes wait for them. 5. Find a way to love your life and have joy.  At 50, I am still learning that enduring life makes you count minutes ...having joy helps you count moments . The common theme is love. Short but sweet, but my advice is the same... Get A Life!
  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

You Create Your Life! part 2

 Today is December 8, 2014...5days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      " The aphorism "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he" not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." James Allen   Happy Monday!
Where did I leave off?  Oh, yes...I was telling you that...
You Create Your Life!  At 25 years of age, I was at a valley of my life but also at the apex of self-discovery.  I did major soul searching and realized that everything I was going through was directly tied to the thoughts I had been thinking up to that point.  That was terrifying and liberating at the same time.  It took away all my excuses of why "bad things were happening to a good person" but also empowered me to know that if I caused it... I could change it.   I needed guidance on how to change so I became a student of the success classics, reading and re-reading every book my father had ever given me.  I could not afford to buy books, so I went back to my childhood roots and spent hours (I was unemployed at the time!) in the library...reading and writing (click here to read reviews of the books that changed my life).  In the span of about 2 years, I had read well over 200 books on a wide range of subjects - mostly self-improvement, inspirational and financial.  I would like to tell you that things changed on a dime...they didn't  I had many failings but they were progressively leading me to higher and higher levels.  I had learned to win the "inner battle" before I faced the outer challenges.
In 1993, my father in law gave me a tiny copy of James Allen's "As A Man Thinketh".  I had read it before in the library, but this little copy fit right in my pocket.  I read it every day...for months until the lessons it could transfer were inherent to my character...my being.  One of the most impactful passages;
"Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, and utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power."James AllenAs A Man Thinketh So I kept reading...and writing.  My life kept getting better...and better.  It took about a decade for the new seeds of thought to germinate, grow and become a harvest of a better life.  The old seeds of thought had to run their course and since I had learned the lessons their harvest provided, I was sure not to re-plant them. As I turn the corner to the milestone of 50, that is all so much clearer now in hindsight.  It also provides the foresight into my next 50 years.  I am closing in on another major milestone...1,000,000 words in print.  Books, blogs, training programs etc.  Think that is easy?  Stare at a blank page and type for 1 hour...count the words. Was it hard?  Not for me.  In fact, since I was 25, I have always been writing - mainly to myself.  I have well over a 1,000,000 words that most of you will never see.  The picture below is everything I have ever written to myself for the past 25 years.  When I need a reminder that I Create My Life, I look a the words the 25 year-old Brandon is telling the 50 year old Brandon.  He is a smart kid and the 50 year old is wise enough to listen.My wisdom of the ages...to myself! What are you telling yourself today?  Is it congruent with what you want in your life?  If not, change it, because... You Create Your Life! 
 Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

You Create Your Life! part 1

Today is December 5, 2014...8 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau   Happy Friday!
I heard from some of you yesterday that did the "I Am" exercise and I truly appreciate your sharing.  I also know that some people just don't see the point.  Believe me, I understand. There was a time in my life that I would have laughed at such a concept.  The scientist in me was "above" such thinking.  Though my father implanted the seed of success concepts in my life through books and conversation, part of me was looking at his life and thinking, "Doesn't look like this is working for you...why should I do it?" That was the short sidedness of youth talking.  I had not lived enough life.  I had not had enough trouble or struggles.  At almost 50, I now know, that if you keep on living, life will test your principles and principals. In our early 20's, Natalie and I built our first house.  I was proud of the fact I knew all the special first-time buyer, no money down programs and actually knew more than the agent.  My smarts got us in that home, my stupidity caused us to lose it in foreclosure.  This was the late 80's - I had my financial meltdown way before the Global Meltdown. I could have you in tears over my next decade.  It would be like watching "Little House on the Prairie"; Paw buys seed on credit at the feed store...drought almost devastates crop...the crop that does come up gets eaten by locusts...the bank comes and gets the farm. One thing about Charles Ingalls, that man had character.  He had principles and principals that were deeply etched into his being.    "Talent is nurtured in solitude; character is formed in the stormy billows of the world."  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe   For most of us, we live...and we learn.  For others, life's lessons never seem to take hold.  Learning life's lessons aren't a simple rite of passage with the passage of time- age does not necessarily bring wisdom.  It takes an Awakening, an epiphany, a moment where inner clarity exceeds external disparity. At 25 years of age, I realized that the hole I had dug for myself was a result of not taking full responsibility for my life. I thought smarts, talent and drive were all that I needed.  That was not enough.  That power needed concrete direction to be effective or else it was just spewing aimlessly and wastefully.  As I hit rock bottom, Natalie still faithfully by my side and two small children, I realized I did not have a defined set of guidelines for my life and I paid the price. After my trials by fire, I was determined to be someone that didn't just talk about my ideals...I was committed to living them. As I sought answers, the things my father tried to teach me whispered to me. The resounding words in the books and pamphlets and conversations were overwhelming consistent;  You Create Your Life!  
 Until Monday, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

I Am...! part 2

Today is December 4, 2014...9 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.     " Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." John Wooden   After you have your initial "I Am" statement the next step is to emotionalize how being that person would feel .  For example, for me, being stylish and well dressed everyday gives me more confidence. 
 Step 4: For each of the 5 key areas write a powerful word that brings emotion to the characteristic you want to develop.  This emotional "carrot" should evoke enough motivational juice that your desire to achieve it outweighs the work that you must do to achieve it.
 Area
 Physically
 Mentally
 Socially
 Spiritually
 Financially
 Key Descriptive WordStylish
 Brilliant
 Compassionate
   Joyful
 Affluent
 Key Emotional WordConfidentSuccessfulAdmiredGroundedSecure
 
 
 
 
 
 Step 5: Now you have to determine what you will do to become this person.  To continue my example of being stylish - in order to accomplish that I need to exercise, eat right, be fashion conscious and meticulous about details of my appearance.  There is a price to be paid to become who you desire to become.  You can wish for change but it will take work to make it happen!
 Through this exercise there are three things we are trying to accomplish;Decide the person you want to become. Determine how will it feel to become that person. Pay the price to become that person. "Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work."
 H. L. Hunt
  What you will have constructed through this exercise is your "I AM" affirmation.  As I turn the corner to 50, here is my affirmation for you to pattern yours;
"I am a stylish, brilliant, compassionate, respected and wealthy person. Being this person makes me feel confident, successful, admired, grounded and secure.  To be my best, I exercise, am fashion conscious and pay meticulous attention to the details of my appearance.  I am a voracious reader.  I speak compassionately and powerfully to convey authority.  I encourage others, inspire/motivate them, and give of my time and resources. I change peoples lives by empowering and enlightening them in areas where I have been gifted. I am grateful for every blessing that life gives and I remain steadfast through the challenges.  I am a cheerful giver. I represent myself and any business I am involved with the highest integrity, bringing mutual value and wealth to all. I am successful in all my business undertakings. This is WHO I AM!'
 
Who are you and what are you willing to do to become the best version of you? I know that some of you may doubt the power of writing this affirmation out and speaking it out daily (or more) until it takes root in the deepest part of  your being.  The simplicity of this concept and process makes it seem like "magic and pixie dust".  Make no mistake, the science of this is real and valid. Try it...what have you got to lose?  It may uncover and reveal the best you...the great
I Am!  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

I Am...!

Today is December 3, 2014...10 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      " I think; therefore I am" Rene Descartes    James Allen, Robert Collier, Wallace Wattles, Napoleon Hill, Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins and Brandon Clay (if you please!) - the greatest success philosophers of old and new all agree that affirmations are powerful ways to "program" the brain. Affirmations, in this context, are powerful words aligned in such a way that program the brain from the "inside out".  For a time, while you are speaking them (yes, out loud!) to yourself, the conscious mind says, "You fool, that is not true...that is not you."  but over time your sub-conscious mind says, "This has to be true...let me tell you what to do."   I don't want to play psychologist and try to describe the mental process that makes affirmation so powerful, but millions of people (me included) will tell you that they work. Like electricity and photosynthesis, you don't have to fully understand a process to get the benefit of it.  Take my word for affirmations...they are effective.  Here is the definition; Affirmation (noun)The act of affirming or the state of being affirmed; assertion.Something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment.A statement intended to provide encouragement, emotional support, or motivation, especially when used for the purpose of autosuggestion.The assertion that the testimony one gives is true and equivalent to that which would be given while under oath.What we are about to construct is an affirmation all about you...  Step one: Take the five areas of your life and write five key words to describe the ideal person you want to be.  These words should be powerfully descriptive, vivid and even an "over the top" caricature departure from words might normally use.  For example, for physically, instead of using the word "beautiful" you could use "stunning", or "breathtaking". Make sense?  See examples for Physically (yes, these are my own!) PhysicallyMentallySociallySpirituallyFinancially1.  Ripped1.1.1.1.2.  Sexy2.2.2.2.3.  Stylish3.3.3.3.4.  Healthy4.4.4.4.5.  Youthful5.5.5.5.  At the end of this portion of the exercise, you should have 5 powerful imagery words for each category. Step Two:  For each category, pick the one word that epitomizes the ideal version of you.  For my list of "Physically" words above, "stylish" does the trick.  Do that for the other 4 categories until you have the one word that is the most all- encompassing and dominant word for each category. PhysicallyMentallySociallySpirituallyFinanciallyStylishBrilliantCompassionate  JoyfulAffluent Step Three: Write out the simple version of your affirmation using the 5 descriptive words.  Here is mine;  "I AM stylish, brilliant, compassionate, joyful, and affluent."  Say yours once to yourself. Say it once out loud - don't worry, no one is listening except you....  Feels good doesn't it.      A properly constructed affirmation brings hope and hope feels good.  It is ok that you are not all that (and the proverbial bag of chips) just yet...it is coming if you remain faithful to this exercise.  How do I know?  Because...  I Am  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

I Am What I Am!

Today is December 2, 2014...11 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      "I am what I am and that's all that I am."  Popeye the Sailor  I mentioned in one of my earlier crumbs that I was not a big fan of Popeye.  Hard to understand a word he said, he was obsessed with Olive Oyl (who two-timed him with Bluto) and he liked spinach. Now that I am older I see him differently.  We are all a little hard to understand sometimes, relationships can be complicated, and now I love spinach, too! What I like most about him is that he was always himself.  Always authentic.  That is not an easy thing to do.    In order to get along, we trim off some of our personality and authenticity.  A fair amount of "holding back the real you" is necessary - It keeps us from saying everything that comes to mind.   The challenge comes when we conform so much that we lose the essence of our individuality, we lose the   "I am what I am and that's all that I am."  A few years ago, I came up with an exercise and do it as a workshop for sales people.  Hey, we have personalities too!  It has also been effective for 100's of others, outside of sales, that I have taken through some version of the exercise over the years.  It is the "I Am" exercise. The Set-Up Imagine a Hollywood actor was going to portray you in a movie.  You would want the best you possible to be portrayed...right?  What qualities and attributes would want conveyed on the big screen?  How would your character respond to opportunities and challenges?  What would be their strengths, values and character?  How would they live their life? As you sat down with the actor to give them direction, it would be some version of the ideal you... the version of you what would closest resemble what you really want to be .  I am not saying you should try to be "fake", perfect or faultless, but a portrayal that would capture the essence of you. As we begin the exercise tomorrow, some of the characteristics you list are already imbedded deep within you.  Others are attributes that you will have to develop, or allow them to re-emerge.  This is an opportunity usually reserved for January 1st resolutions.  A chance for you to define, refine and align the real you.  The one that boldly declares to the world...   I Am What I Am!  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Who Are You?

Today is December 1, 2014...12 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.   Who Are You?     "This above all; to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." William Shakespeare    Happy Monday! As I countdown to the milestone of 50, I have been deeply reflective, nostalgic and contemplative on my life to this point.  Make no mistake, I am not sensing my mortality (there is a whole lot more life to live!)...  but I am highly sensitive to time.  I want to make the most of it.  I don't want to waste any more of it.  I want to be purposeful and focused with every second.  That may not be possible, but I can try. That does not mean hustling and bustling every moment, but more a conscious recognition and enjoyment of each moment.  Like yesterday, I got to hold my granddaughter, Judah, for a long time.  Peaceful, surreal...joy. For me, that is an accomplishment! I have done a lot in the first 50 years, but I have also wasted a lot of time.  In looking back, I recognize that most of the time wasted was me getting pulled into other people's lives, drama, ideas, visions and agendas.  I am not talking about being social and having fun.  It's all the other stuff...I think you know what I mean. What I realize is that anytime I veer off my path, my passions and my purpose, I waste time.  I also understand that there were times I did not recognize I was being pulled off course.  The only way that could happen is not knowing myself well enough to see the warning signs that I was about to take a dangerous detour. Have you ever taken a detour? Some of those detours cost us days, some cost us weeks...yes, some cost us years.  We then spend double or triple the energy trying to, as the Beatles said, "Get Back to Where You Belong".  Who are you?  Answering that question is the surest way to make sure you don't get pulled off path again.  That means knowing your values, goals, likes and dislikes...the entire you. "Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?" Bob Marley  
I am using my countdown to 50 to re-evaluate who I am, what my values are, what I like and don't like and what I am truly committed to doing the rest of my life. The more fiercely protective I am of being true to myself, the more I can accomplish.  That doesn't mean I lock people out of my life...it means I draw in the people who are connected to me in purpose and passion.  We enrich each others lives, mutually.  I make better choices which means wasting less of the precious commodity and the gift of time.  "As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around."  Oprah Winfrey I invite you to reassess with me.  The next few days we are going to define, refine and align our lives in such a way that we will do more than we ever thought possible.  The first question you have to ask and answer...  Who are you?  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Hair Today...Gone Tomorrow!

 Today is November 26, 2014...17 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th. 
 I ran into a high school classmate a few months ago, that I hadn't seen in at least 15 years.  We gave each other "the glance" and then realized where our pasts and paths had crossed.  She said, "I didn't recognize you immediately, because you look different.  Your hair is much shorter than I remember." Hey, I could have said that I didn't recognize her because of a few (ok, more than a few) new pounds...thankfully, I always feel before I speak. Ok, I must admit, just 10 years ago, that hair comment would have bothered me.  Let me take you back.  I have always been known for my hair.  Ok, the picture on the left doesn't do my hair justice...I am not bald.  I keep it closed cropped for that professional speaker look! I have grown past being self-conscious and now confident in how I am and who I am.  That was a process of change and evolution.  The catalyst for change may have been the changes in my outward appearance but it manifested as an inward development.    I am proud to say, I am comfortable in my own skin. Back to my chance meeting with my high school friend.  After about 15 minutes of catching up, she hugged me warmly and said,  "You know, you haven't changed a bit."  That is what is true about life.  What she may have noticed was the hair (or lack of it) but what she really remembered was what was just under it (my brain) and the things that came out just 5 inches below (my mouth) which was governed by what was happening 18 inches below...in my heart. Those are the things that don't change much and are our engrafted personality.  That is how a long lost friend will know it is you, because 20 years from now, you will not look the same... Hair today...gone tomorrow. Here I am down through the years...