A wise man once said, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein

Einstein was right…

If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’re all striving toward something; whether it be status, success, recognition, fulfillment, or to help others…

And while it’s a natural thing for us to want to be successful, how we approach success matters.

Are you trying to reach a certain status so you can please other people and prove yourself, or are you genuinely trying to add value to others?

I can tell you one thing: the latter is much more fulfilling.

You could go on and on trying to reach society’s definition of success, but unless you’re doing something fulfilling that’s adding value to others and setting your soul on fire, it won’t be fulfilling in the least bit.

Because it isn’t necessarily about success more than it is about the process. I like to think of success as more of a byproduct of doing something good.

In a similar way, the purpose of a goal isn’t to achieve a goal. It’s to become the person that is capable of bringing it forward.

Now, everyone’s definition of success varies…

So, why would you want to reach someone else’s definition of success if you have your own? And why would you want to reach it if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons?

I always like to say, “your why matters more than your how,” because your why is what propels you forward; it’s what sparks your passion and determination to reach whatever it is you set out to accomplish.

And so, if you have the wrong intentions, 1) not only are you lying to yourself, but 2) you’re wasting your time when there could be something better out there for you that is just waiting for you to tap into...

But you’re busy following what other people have told you…

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s important to get feedback from people; especially those who can recognize our potential and help us grow…

But what I don’t believe in is to follow the voices of people who don’t truly know or understand what’s best for you.

You know yourself and your inner desires. So, why are you busy following what someone else’s idea of success is for your life?

I remember back in my early 20’s, sitting at the dinner table with my family when I shared my plans to start my very own cleaning business. The initial reaction of my family was not a positive one.

In fact, someone said I’d be better off taking a job as a mailman, because it was the “safe route.” It was stable and predictable, and I could be in a secure job for the rest of my life.

Well, I didn’t want the safe route. My calling wasn’t to be a mailman. I wanted to build a business, and take risks in that business, so I could grow it and walk through opportunities to add value to others; to experience freedom.

But here’s the truth: Success for that family member who said I was better off as a mailman did not look the same as success for me. And I’m not bitter toward this family member. In fact, I’m glad they helped me realize what I didn’t want. I didn’t want to settle. I wanted to move forward.

And that’s exactly what following my heart allowed me to do. After selling the cleaning business, I co-founded the John Maxwell Team where my impact reached thousands of people from all around the world.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t share this to boast. I share this to encourage you on your journey, because I’ve been where you are. I’ve gone through those times where I’m not sure if I’m taking the right next step. And those are the perfect times to check your intentions!

I still go through seasons where I have to check my intentions. I have to make sure that my actions are in alignment with my values and with my calling.

I want to ensure that I’m not doing something just because someone else told me to, but because I have a passion for it.

I challenge you today to pick up a piece of paper and a pen and to check your intentions.

What were the last 3 goals you set for yourself? Are they to set you on a path forward to live out your purpose, or are they to prove yourself to other people? Or are they for another reason?

Check your intentions! I believe it will work wonders for you and allow you to stay laser focused on what it is you desire.

I’m sure you’ve experienced it…

Feeling out of sorts. For some reason, it’s difficult to concentrate on tasks. You find your mind wandering, and you can’t seem to get the first thing on your to-do list done.

Perhaps instead you jump from task to task, but can’t seem to complete them.

You feel scatterbrained, unmotivated, burnt out…

But then I’m sure you’ve also experienced this…

That state of flow. That state where your life is in harmony. Things just seem to be going smoothly. Your mind feels rejuvenated; alive; all is going well.

You have space to think, your body is in its natural rhythm, and you’re feeling healthier than you’ve ever felt.

So the question is, how do you get from the state of feeling out of sorts to experiencing flow?

It’s one of the most desired states to be in! Ask anyone. No one wants to feel like their life is scattered, out of order, and as though they’re tired all the time.

Look, I know we’re entering our second quarter of the year (can you believe it?) And the truth is, for some, that thought may stress you out.

And for others, the thought might be quite motivating. You might feel on fire and ready to take on whatever the next quarter has to offer.

But wherever you may find yourself, allow me to share a few thoughts on living life inflow, and some ways I have been able to get back on track and into the rhythm of life.

When it comes to our well-being, one of the best ways we can function inflow as high-achievers is to take care of our mind, our body, and our spirit.

There’s quite a connection between all three of those areas, isn’t there?

We are all spiritual beings, gifted with intellect, and we live in and through a physical body.

And when one of these areas is lacking growth, it affects the others.

I think about times when I’ve experienced a sudden health issue, and it ends up affecting my mindset and my ability to stay focused.

I’ve had to discover ways to deal with this myself.

I mean, think about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Health is a physiological need that each of us needs to be fulfilled in order to reach our highest potential.

It makes sense.

Now, it might not look exactly the same for everyone, but when it comes to mastery and achieving our goals at the highest level, we have to make sure we’re paying attention to all three of these areas in our life (our body, our mind, and our spirit).

The truth is, we’re human. And anytime we experience feeling out of sorts, chances are, one of these areas is lacking.

So, whether you’re feeling this right now or end up feeling this later on this year, I want to suggest you sit down and address which area you’re not investing in.

If you feel perfectly in flow right now, save this tip for a time when you do feel out of sorts –  because believe me, we all go through these times and it helps knowing how to handle ourselves through them.

So, which area might you be lacking in right now? Is it your spiritual growth? Understanding your connection to God or Source?

Is it your mind? What are you filling your mind with every day? Have you spent undistracted time in thought? Have you taken the helm of thought?

Is it the health of your physical body?

How much time do you spend moving around during the day? Perhaps you need to move around more. Or maybe you simply need to take some time to focus on your breathing.

Whatever it may be, I encourage you to sit down today and evaluate which of these areas you can invest more in.

And make it a priority. Remember, we get what we put in.

I’m right there with you every step of the way.

In the early days of my dream building and goal setting, I became entranced with a vision of one day living in an estate home with two lion statues guarding the front entrance.

And through the process of goal setting and goal achievement, especially in my income and finances – including doubling, tripling, and quadrupling my income many times over, over the course of many years – this vision that I saw in my mind, this goal I’d set for myself, has finally come to fruition.

Let me tell you about the lions, and let me first start off by saying that your goals and dreams aren’t going to come easy. But if you stick to the process, they will come.

So, here’s my story about the lions:

They were bronze lions, originally cast in 1920 in Asia for a magnificent estate.

And then, over the course of their lifetime, they made their way over to Dallas, Texas. And that’s where we found them: sitting in a field outside of an antique shop.

The intricately crafted detail on these lions is out of this world. The teeth, the mane, the tail; the feeling you get when looking at them… it’s unreal.

And as soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted them.

If you look for anything remotely similar, these things are worth a good $100k+

...Little did I know the bumps and hurdles we would go through just to have them.

Remember, you have to be committed to your dream if you are going to bring it forward in your life!

The first of these many hurdles was the lack of communication on the brokerage platform we purchased them.

Once we finally got through and confirmed our purchase, they told us the shipping quote would be $3,000.

A few days later, the shipper told us the lions were not the original size they quoted, so it would cost us 3x the original amount for shipping alone.

We didn’t think anything of the mis-measured comment, and were told by the seller that the shipping company was trying to get more money out of the deal.

I could tell you all about the back-and-forth miscommunication that took place about the shipping cost, but it would take several paragraphs to explain.

So in summary, after being in contact with the seller, the brokerage platform, the first shipper, and then a second shipper, only then were we able to finally sort out the cost.

But then began the confusion around the date of arrival…

The date kept getting pushed back and we had no idea why or when they’d actually arrive.

We were told a date, and then it would change. And then a new date would be emailed over, and then it would change.

On a Sunday afternoon (3 days before they were scheduled to arrive – which would have been a Wednesday in September), I get a call from a guy named Arty with a strong Southern accent.

And he’s telling me he’s 30 minutes away with the lions in his cargo van, ready to drop them off, asking me if we have a forklift ready to get them out of the truck!

“Well, Arty,” I started. “We weren’t expecting these lions until Wednesday… This is a Sunday afternoon; there’s no chance in the world our moving company on this end of the transfer will be available.”

Arty doesn’t know what to do… these lions happen to weigh 600 pounds each, so it’s not exactly a one-man job (lol).

So, Arty resigns himself to stay overnight in West Palm Beach, and we call the moving company first thing Monday morning.

They couldn’t assist our friend Arty with the lions to drop them off at our home, but they agreed to let him bring them to their warehouse for the time being, before they could send someone out with the forklift.

Long story short, the moving company pushed their times twice that week, and when they finally were able to deliver the lions that Friday, just imagine two 18-wheeler trucks pulling up to the front of our house on a very quiet gated street.

One truck with our life-size lions, and another one with a forklift. Keep in mind… this is now about two months AFTER we originally confirmed purchase of these lions.

Moving 600-pound lions across the country isn’t for wimps.

Three guys jump out of the moving truck, and the forklift driver gets the forklift off the back of the second 18-wheeler… Holly was standing on our front step watching them lift the pallet with the first lion off the truck, and she had a sinking feeling in her gut. Here’s what she saw:

They drove the forklift up the driveway, and towards the front pedestal where it would stand, and upon arrival, lining that lion up to where it was meant to live…

Low and behold, there’s not a chance these lions would fit!

You see, we DID measure our front pedestal before confirming purchase.

And based on the measurements that were listed online (4 feet long), there wouldn’t have been any issue.

But remember when that first shipping company said they hadn’t been measured correctly??? Yeaaaahhhhh, right, forgot about that.

From tip of the tail to front paw was no less than 7 feet in length, not even including head and mane that extended further! A solid 2 feet LONGER than the pedestal.

The supervisor of the moving crew looked at Holly and pronounced, “well we can stand here and look at this all day long, but it won’t change the fact that these lions aren’t gonna fit.”

I was on a call with a private client at the time. I see Holly pacing about 20 feet away from where I was sitting on our couch in the living room… I started wondering what was going on.

I got off my call, and Holly looked at me with wide eyes. “They don’t fit.”

“WHAT??? What do you mean, they don’t fit?”

“The pedestal is TOO short,” she responded with a grimace on her face.

By this time our residential coordinator as well as security had pulled up to ask what all the fuss was about.

All this trouble for 2 lions that wouldn’t even fit on the pedestal.

And then began our process working with contractors to rebuild the pedestals… from scratch.

If you want to know the rest of the story, be sure to read the email I send on Thursday.

But in the meantime, let me say this…

The point I want to make in all of this, is that your dream requires sacrifices, it requires you to overcome challenges and boundaries, it requires you to put aside the voices of the naysayers telling you it’s not going to work.

Your dream also requires money. And it probably requires a good sum of money.

Look, I’m not talking about money for money’s sake, but money as a tool for you to do good in this world and make an impact.

If you’re struggling just to get by, there’s no way you can fully express your God-given creativity and potential into the world. And that’s what this world needs from you.

Growing your income is a very important part of the overall personal growth process.

On Wednesday, November 24, I am launching a brand-new program called “DOUBLE YOUR INCOME.”

This program has been in the works for several years, and I’m not saying this to toot my own horn, but you would be hard pressed to find a better program out there to guide you in the process of growing your income, even DOUBLING IT!

It’s going to be available at a killer offer rate for our Black Friday Holiday special, but only for a very limited time (5 days in total).

Just like getting my lions has required me to grow financially in major ways, so will your dreams and goals, no matter what they may be.

So what goal are you going to set for yourself financially? Why not start with DOUBLING your income? What do you have to lose?

I’m going to share all in this revolutionary money program, being released on November 24 – so mark your calendar. It’s an important day.

More on the lions coming soon.

‘til then…