Update!!!

With all of the social networks out there I am still finding it hard to come up with a streamlined way of posting material and at the same time I do not wish to bother my subscribers with information they are not interested in. So even though I may lose a few of you, I would rather do that then send you content that is not valuable for you. From today on I will be posting the following information here:

Professional and Personal Development information will be posted here:
www.bobwagner.org This site will be used exclusively to help people become as successful as they can, bringing balance between their professional and personal life. Life Tips, training videos, Blog Posts, Forums and chat rooms will be used to help you achieve that abundant life.
In order to receive updates you must sign up for a free membership!!!!
Those who join me here will be the only ones who will receive an update. Please take a minute and join me. I have some exciting news to be sharing with you soon and if you don’t join me you will miss it!!!

For my friends and personal contacts
My personal Facebook account is: http://www.facebook.com/people/Bob-Wagner/635372917, I have enjoyed connecting with old friends and classmates. A great place to stay in touch on a more personal level.

My Twitter account is:
http://twitter.com/energizeme Here is where I post Daily Abundant life Tips in 140 Characters or less. You can have them emailed to you or sent via text to your phone.

I will be closing out the Christian Success Group as it does not get the activity or input I was hoping for.

This Blog will remain open but will become inactive.

Thanks for your continued support and I do hope you will all sign up to join me at www.bobwagner.org Take a visit and see what it’s like!

Things are only as bad as you make or allow them to be.

I continually hear how people hope things will get better for them and how maybe now with a new president things will get better or now that gas prices are down or now that ……. Stop it already! To be honest I don’t want to hear it anymore. The only way a country gets better is for its people to get better and the only way for your life to get better is for you to get better. Sound harsh? Maybe but until people stop blaming everyone or everything else for their problems they will never change.

The only person responsible for your current situation AND your future is you.

Is the economy in great shape? No, that’s a fact but it will only affect you to the extent that you allow it. If your business slows down, you need to find different ways to receive income or different ways to market yourself. If you get laid off, you need to find another job. If there are no other jobs in your area of expertise, expand your area of expertise. Go back to school; take online courses, read something besides the sports section or glamour magazine. In other words, if the economy has affected you in a negative way, don’t whine about it, do something about it! Some people will allow their lives to be turned upside down from bad economic times while other will prosper. The difference? The choices they make!

Folks! You may not have a choice in the events that happen to you but you always have a choice how you respond to them. You can either become a problem solver or you can become a complainer. Which attitude do you think will live a healthier and happier life?

A pastor I know closed every sermon with the following request:

“Lord, help us to affect this world more than it affects us”

I love those words and try my best to live by them. Why don’t you do the same.

So…. The economy is in the pits right now, what are you going to do about it?

Bob.

Fight Back!

Yesterday I read about Frank Bettger, a man whom at the age of 11 got up at 4:30 in the morning to sell newspapers to help his widowed mother make ends meet. He seldom had anything for dinner but cornmeal mush and watered down milk. At 14 he had to drop out of school to work as a steamfitter’s helper. There was no welfare, no unemployment, no food stamps, no HUD housing, and no, no-child left behind programs. You worked or you went hungry. You had to take care of yourself and if you had children, they helped. When Frank was injured in an accident at age 29 and was forced to give up his decent paying career he didn’t look for an unemployment check or file a workman’s compensation claim. Instead he started selling life insurance to make ends meet because that was the only job he could get without experience.

Some people would say that Franks story is a sad one, but not Frank. He wouldn’t trade it for anything because it was during those hard times that he learned how to work and work hard. He was forced to do his best or get fired and he learned the value of a dollar. He learned to save for the things he wanted and to make wise purchases. You see Frank’s story didn’t end here; the lessons life taught him the hard way are what gave him the drive and experience to become successful. So successful that he could have retired at 40 years old.

Today; hard work, dedication, commitment and saving for the things we want in life are rarely found. Doing what it takes to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads, even if it means taking a lower paid job is a rare trait as well.

Now we have government systems that hurt people and drain the economy by making them dependant on a hand out. We are bombarded by commercials to buy the latest and greatest while our mailboxes are filled with credit card offers. Then when we over extend ourselves because we can’t control our need to shop we have commercials from law firms telling us to fight back and file bankruptcy. Fight back? How is intentionally not paying a debt fighting back? To me fighting back means getting a job, two if you need it, making payment arrangements and paying what you said you would, even if it takes 5 years to do so. Fighting back means selling the new car and getting an older one, moving into a home you can afford. Fighting back means learning how to shop on Craigslist and Goodwill until you can afford to shop name brands, and fighting back means eating more rice, spaghetti and beans and less steak and prime rib.

Fighting back also means cutting up the credit cards until you can discipline yourself to use them wisely and since the Christmas season is upon us, fighting back means not going into debt to buy presents for your loved ones. If you are in debt, swallow your pride and tell everyone that you love them but you cannot afford to exchange gifts this year. If they get mad, they don’t deserve a gift anyway and if they don’t give you one because you didn’t give them one, write them off your list for next year too!

Folks, the economy is shaky, unemployment is extremely high and if you haven’t been affected by the recession yet, hang tight because you may. Use wisdom and look for ways to succeed and do what it takes to hang onto your job.

Lastly, get educated in finance and stop trusting others to take care of your future. Look; our financial institutions need a bailout, and our politicians cannot even balance a budget and you want to trust them? Read, learn and take care of yourself! The government may bail them out, but you and me? Yea right! The bible tells us to be the lender and not the borrower. It tells us that if we don’t work we should go hungry and that we should even look to the ant if we want to learn how to work hard and prepare for tough times. Gee you think God may just know a thing or two about success? Go figure.

It’s no secret

If you just think about it hard and long enough and it will happen. Only believe and it will be yours. You attract what you think about. Those are the statements that are circling the self improvement arena and people who want a quick fix are jumping on the band wagon only to find out that it doesn’t work. While I firmly believe in the power of positive thinking I also believe in the scripture that tells us we reap what we sow.

Let’s examine a few situations

You can wait for that check to come into your mailbox or you can get up, get a job and go to work.

You can wait for the fat to melt off your body by looking at a picture of what you want to look like or you can cut back on your calorie intake and exercise more.

You can hope for that promotion or you can develop your skills and knowledge to deserve that promotion.

You can sit and watch “Flip this House” and wish you made a $40,000 profit in 30 days or you can learn how to flip your own house.

In other words folks it takes more than wanting something to happen, you have to make it happen. When you want it bad enough, maybe then you will get out of that easy chair and go after it.

Thinking about the principles of “The Secret” didn’t make it a success. It was putting the principles on paper and recording a DVD and then marketing and promoting their philosophy to a public that wants a drive through microwave means of getting the life they want. That took work and a lot of it. That is why they succeeded, not just the thought.

Do you want a better life? Do you want to be healthier? Do you want to improve your relationships? Stop whining, talking and wishing and go do something about it.

Your future is in your hands and Gods. God will do His part…. but you have to do yours!

What kind of attitude do you have toward personal development?

The entitlement attitude: This attitude believes that it’s the church or the government’s responsibility to make sure they have all their needs met. When they don’t work or cannot afford it, someone else should take care of me, feed me, pay my bills, give me healthcare and keep a roof over my head for as long as I need it. I believe we should help folks when they are down on their luck…….. AFTER….. they have exhausted all of their own resources, talents and abilities; not before. If you cannot find work or cannot work or if you are faced with an unexpected burden and you have exhausted all of your own abilities and you still need assistance; yes the church and government should help. But assistance is just that, assistance. That means you do your part and they will help you get what you need. If you are a person of faith you need to memorize the scriptures that if a man doesn’t work, he should go hungry and if a man doesn’t provide for his family he is worse than an infidel. Keep in mind that providing for your family may also mean you have to take a pay cut or learn another trade. If there are no jobs with your skill set, increase your skills, learn another trade or profession or if need be, move to a part of the country where your skills are in demand. If it’s beneath you to flip burgers to provide for your family you have placed yourself on too high of a pedestal. Get down and get real. That mentality is one of selfishness and it’s helping to create a nation that is known for its handouts instead of being the land of opportunities.

The I will do more when you pay me more attitude: This attitude believes that it is the employers responsibility to train and improve their employees skills.  You are entitled to a fair days pay for a fair days work and you are entitled to a wage that is in line with your abilities. Period! Nothing more and nothing less. It is not your employer’s responsibility to develop your skills, it is yours. If your company pays for your training, consider it a blessing and take advantage of it. I have met so many people who will not go to a self improvement seminar unless their boss will pay for it, nor will they purchase any books or CDs on personal development. I would never hire a person with that mentality, if you are not willing to look out for your own future, your own health or your own success, why should I?

The I am worth more because I have been working here longer attitude: Employees do not become more valuable just because they have been employed for ten or twenty years. They become more valuable when they become more productive and effective at what they do and when they increase their skills and abilities.  I do believe long tenured employees need to be recognized, especially in today’s market where people change jobs as fast as they change hairstyles. However, just because you have been employed at one location for twenty years doesn’t  mean you have twenty years of experience. You may just have one year of experience twenty times. Some people are still doing things the way they did the first year of their employment and if that’s the case, may actually be less productive.

The Success is My Fault attitude: This attitude doesn’t wait for someone else to tell them to improve their weakness and they don’t make excuses for them. They will accept any additional training and education given to them but they will also not wait for it. This attitude looks for ways to improve the way things are done, even if they are working fine now. They live by the slogan, “What got me here will not keep me here.”  This attitude will push you over the top of all the others

Success is not just about doing things right

“Real success comes from having the right person do the right things, the right way at the right time.”

Have you ever had more things to do than time? Have you ever had to move tasks on your to-do list over to the next day because you didn’t get them done?

Let’s help you become more efficient and effective at the same time.

1. The right person. Before you take on a project or task, make sure you are the best, most qualified and most efficient person for the task or project.  Can anyone do it faster or better than you? If so, let them.  Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Also keep in mind; never spend $20.00 on a $5.00 task. Put a value on your time and a price that you would pay to have the task done if you had to; then ask yourself If you are getting a fair return on your investment

2. Doing the Right Things. If you have to ask if what you are doing is the right thing, it probably isn’t. We all know what the most important and morally correct things we should be doing at any given moment. Choose the right thing and you will not go wrong. Stop wasting time as well; playing games, forwarding cute emails and joining the gossip gang while you have other more important things to do is wasting time.

3. The right way. If you are going to cut corners, cheat, or not give it your all. Don’t even do the task. It will cost you more in the long run. 1. You may have to go back and do it again. 2. You are setting the standard for those watching you. 3. Your customers will eventually see what you are doing and may not come back.  4. Your character is greatly impacted and that can affect your reputation everywhere you go in life.

4. The right time. There is a time for everything to get done. Never do something that is not that important while you still have important things on your list. Don’t wait until the last minute and don’t keep avoiding it just because it is difficult. Brian Tracy said that we all have frogs to eat in life. When you have frogs to eat, eat the biggest and the ugliest frog first and then the rest will go down easier. Get the tough tasks done first.

In Closing: Ask yourself the following question: “What is it costing me and my family for me not to become as successful as I can?”

When you mismanage your tasks and have to work late or take work home, your relationship with your spouse and children suffer.

When you get passed up for that promotion because you were an average employee, you have to limit how much you can help your family, church and friends financially when they need it.

During unstable times like these and with layoffs and unemployment on the rise, who do you think are the first to go; the average Joe worker or the superstar?

Become a Superstar!!!!

You know the right thing to do and You can do it!!!!

If you need help, drop me a line!

Have a fantastic Week!

Bob

Do what you were created to do!

In a recent survey when asked why people were doing what they do as a profession the following results came back:

1. I needed income and took what was available – (41%)
2. I made a decision in high school or college and stuck with it – (19.2%)
3. I took this work just because of the good money – (17.6%)
4. I finally discovered my purpose and this is it – (9.8%)
5. My parents, pastor, friends suggested it – (6.4%)
6. I knew since I was a child that I wanted to do this – (6%)

Wow! – 98.2% took a position either because of the money, it was just available, or it was someone else’s idea and only 9.8% of have connected it to fulfilling their “purpose.” If you are not fulfilling your purpose, your life is not as fulfilling as it was created to be. In other words, it can be better!

Never do things just for the sake of doing them, The world wants everyone to conform to the same standards. Right now it is, Get out of high school, go to college, get a good job, have a family and help them to go to school, graduate and then go to college and if you don’t follow this path there is something wrong with you. I say that if you are doing things only because everyone else tells you too, then that is the wrong reason for doing them.

In his first semester in college, Michael Dell started buying outmoded IBM PCs from local retailers, upgraded them in his dorm room, and started selling them not only around campus, but in the local business community as well. Revenues were $180,000 the first month. Unfortunately, he dropped out of college, convinced he could make a living doing something he loved. Today he has to live with the curse of being a college dropout and with the shame of being worth only $13 billion. Dell is now recognized by Fortune magazine as America’s most admired company. All because he did what he loved to do.

God created you with a plan and a purpose. He has given you gifts and talents, dreams and visions and He desires us to not only find out what they are, but to carry them out during our lifetime.

Stop settling for someone else’s dream. Stop doing things because the majority are doing it. The majority is a paycheck away from the poor house, the majority are divorced and the majority are now taking antidepressants, Who wants to follow that behavior anyway?

Look at some of the statements from “The Majority”

• “I feel like I’ve lived my whole life by accident.”
• “I feel like I’ve been freefalling for the last 13 years.”
• “I feel like I’m a ball in a pinball machine. Something happens and I just go in a new direction.”
• “I feel like I’ve been given six seconds to sing, and I’m singing the wrong song.”
• “I feel like my life is a movie that’s almost over, and I haven’t even gotten the popcorn yet.”
• “I’ve lived my life up until now as though driving with the parking brake on.”
• ‘I feel like I’m a box of parts, and none of them fit together.’
• “I’m a butterfly caught in a spider’s web, with my life slowly being sucked out.”

You do have a choice! You can do what you love to do! You can actually enjoy life to it’s fullest. And You can start today!

Begin with writing out your dreams, what you would love to do.

Do research about others doing the same thing, find out how they got started, write to them, people love to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.

Can you make a living at it? If you think not, maybe you just haven’t found out how? Get help from professionals in the same field. (Remember the pet Rock? Who would have figured?) Maybe you can incorporate it into your existing line of work. Maybe you can work with a non-profit agency.

Drop me a line and let me know what it is, I will use the resources I have to help you head in the right direction. More often then not, it is who you know that matters just as much as what you know.

Keep me posted on your progress to Abundant Life
Bob Wagner

Couples! Listen up!!!!

When I talk about relationships, anger, and self esteem in my training seminars I almost always have someone come up to me and say; “Boy I wish my spouse was here to hear this”.

With the divorce in America at an all time high of 50% for first, 67% second and 74% for the third, we need our spouses to listen and listen carefully!

If you don’t take a long hard look at the condition of your relationship you may wind up on the wrong side of these statistics and not only will you and your spouse suffer your children WILL also suffer for it! And if you have children, you are teaching them how couples are supposed to act and treat each other! Stop taking each other for granted and Stop thinking that everything is fine just because you don’t hear your partner complain! Relationships do not fall apart over night, they are like anything else, it sometimes takes years of neglect before the damage becomes evident.

Today; as a matter of fact right now, start examining your relationship and since you may not have asked yourself the following questions let me help you;

Do you still hold hands when you walk together?
Do you still hug each other during the day?
Do you think of ways to put a smile on their face?
When was the last time you felt those “Butterflies” when you looked in their eyes?
When was the last time you wrote a love letter?

Did I stir something up inside of you? If so Good!

If you know the passion has been waining in your relationship do something about it!
If you know someone who needs help in their relationship, Help them.

If it will help, download a copy of my book and send it to them. (Read it yourself first!)

It is less than a price of a Latte’ and you can get it here: http://www.bobwagner.org/Passionbuilder.htm

Whatever you do folks! If we really want to be successful in life and if we really want to be a good witness, we need to have our relationships healthy.

I will do my part, please do yours?

Let’s hear your comments!

Are we quenching greatness in ourselves and our children? I think so.

The more I see people try to conform to the status quo, the more I see them quench their greatness and the more I see parents try to raise up an average child, the more I see them quench their greatness.

There is no such thing as an average person! We were not meant to be the same as everyone else. We were designed to be different; each of us having our own unique personalities, skills, gifts and traits. These differences when allowed to function without hindrances often result in greatness being displayed.

When that young computer geek is allowed to drop out of college and pursue that bigger than life dream to have a computer in every home we get Microsoft.

When that young boy is allowed to express himself freely by playing golf more than hitting the books, you get the Tiger Woods.

When the young girl with the overwhelming past is allowed to do what is inside of her, you get the Oprah Winfrey’s.

When the young man with a message inside is allowed and encouraged to share it, you get the Billy Graham’s and you get the Elvis Presley’s when those with a beat in their spirit are allowed to pursue the passion inside of them.

But what do I see?
I see the child who has a lot of energy and who jumps up and down with enthusiasm about an answer get classified as ADHD and given medicine. They then can’t wait to get out of school.

I see teens with the dream of something big be it acting or singing being told to come down to reality and get a real job, fall into a 9-5 they can’ stand.

I also see men and women who fall into the average life of status quo America settling for less than they deserve or even want.

Men and women who trade their dreams of seeing the world for a rocking chair because they are told to act their age and for some reason they feel they should.

Men and women who want to start that restaurant, or open that store who don’t because someone said they should sit and enjoy their golden years.

Folk we are different! Children are different! rather than focusing so much on what we believe are weaknesses, why not focus on their strengths and their passions. So what if a child never gets higher than a “C” in English. Maybe they are the next best Architect or Builder of their generation. So what if Grandma and Grandpa wants to start a business at 65, maybe they will start a Franchise like KFC as Colonel Sanders did.

Yes! Most definitely help each other grow in the areas they struggle with, but spend more time helping them soar in their strengths! Encourage them to live a life without regrets!

As for you; Follow that dream! Pursue that Passion, no matter how old you are!

In the comment section, why not dare to tell us your dreams and then tell us what is holding you back! Who knows maybe someone reading it will have the missing piece you are looking for!

A Child Shall Lead Them.

Wednesday I became a grandfather for the first time to a beautiful 8lb 14oz little girl. While my son and daughter in-law kept telling me they were going to have a daughter I would jokingly tell them, no its a boy. The longer the pregnancy went on past her due date, the more I would say, “It’s because he is a late bloomer and needs a little more time to develop”. Today I saw her for the first time. I sat on the couch for over an hour doing nothing; just sitting there allowing this gift from heaven to sleep on my chest. I must tell you, I haven’t “just sat” anywhere for a long time. This joyful experience led me to write today’s Blog.

When was the last time you did nothing? I mean really nothing? No books, no Ipods, no TV’s, no cell phones, no email. Nothing. When was the last time you just sat and enjoyed each other? Not thinking of work, the yard, the clothes or the bills; just each other. When was the last time you talked? Talked about the past, the present and yes even the future? When was the last time you shared your dreams and even your fears? When was the last time you planned fun into your life?

If we aren’t careful we may find ourselves spending more time running after things than we should. We can spend more time cleaning and cooking for our our loved ones than we do laughing, crying and learning with them. We can spend more time preparing for their future than we do enjoying their present.

Life is about doing our best to become our best so that we can develop the gifts and talents we have into skills and to use those skills to make this world a better place…… starting at home with the ones we love and then sharing them with others.

This week why don’t you take a minute and think about your loved ones? When was the last time you enjoyed them and when was the last time they enjoyed you? Really enjoyed?

A successful life has balance. Balance between what we do for a living and who we are. It’s about having a solid personal life and a strong professional life; each one complimenting the other, never competing. Your professional life should be a tool that brings joy, happiness and comfort to your personal life and your personal life should be one that allows for growth and development in your profession. When they compete it is because they are out of balance.

My granddaughter reminded me that life is about balance and we all need to slow down once in a while to enjoy the blessings God has already given us before we start looking for more.

Happy Birthday Alayna Nicole Wagner and thanks for the lesson in life.

G-Bob