Achieving our dreams is never easy.
The past few years have not been easy for me. I lost money in a pyramid scheme, got burned in a business deal, saw some of my stocks plummet and said goodbye to a good friend.
At the same time I welcomed my son into the world, I built up my business, wrote a book, created this site, built a small house, and studied, studied, studied.
These are stark reminders that life is full of both positives and negatives, both inside and out.
But these experiences have helped lay a foundation for the next 3 years, which I believe will be some of the most exciting in our lives.
Note: I did not say easy, I said exciting.
I also said ours, not mine.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that we are all facing incredible challenges.
Time’s man of the year in 2011 was “The Protestor.”
Starting in Tunesia in Dec 2010, the world saw incredible events unfold from the Middle East to Japan and Britain to the US.
Things seem to have cooled down as of late, but I believe this is just the opening act.
Today’s world is so much more interconnected than the one I grew up in. And while I realize most people glaze over when people discuss economics I do believe that we should all take the time to understand just what is happening around us.
It just so happens that a lot of what has happened as of late and will happen in the years to come is linked to money and economics.
Only time will tell if I’m proven right and part of me wishes I were wrong, but all I do is look at the facts.
Here are some disturbing facts to consider:
- No fiat currency has ever survived.
- 14.1% of people in the US are now on food stamps.
- The derivatives market is somewhere between 600 trillion and 1.4 quadrillion.
- 7 billion people now live on earth, within the next 30 years, we will add another 3.
- The strength of the yen is causing major companies to move their operations overseas.
- Europe has announced numerous plans to solve their debt crisis.
Here are just a few of my comments regarding these points.
- Where are these 3 billion people going to live?
- What is a quadrillion?
- And why does Europe keep coming up with a new plan?
So with us facing so many grave questions just what is the answer? I mean what power do we have to change these?
Let’s get one thing straight – what happens in the world will happen. Very few of us have the power to change what is going to be.
What all of us have is the power to change ourselves.
And by changing ourselves we can change what happens to us. Jack Canfield came up with a simple formula that I believe sums things up nicely. His formula was:
- E + R = O which stands for EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME.
We can’t change what happens, but we can change how we respond to it. And that’s where we put our knowledge to use.
As my mentor Jim Rohn said, “Life change doesn’t begin with motivation. Life change begins with education,” which is why I encourage all of us to educate ourselves in things that will make a major difference in our lives.
It’s never too late to start. My real business and financial education started just 5 years ago, despite having run my own business for 10.
And 2012 is the year that I will start putting all that knowledge to work as I intend to offer coaching calls, audio programs and seminars in the weeks to come.
Until now I have chosen to educate passively, but now it’s time to get serious.
Regardless of whether you choose to take your education to the next level with me or not, I do hope you will choose to educate yourself by books, audio lectures and DVDs. There is a wealth of knowledge out there just waiting for you.
Change is coming whether we like it or not. The best we can do is to be prepared for it.
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, you’ll still be able to get a dose of knowledge dropped on you via this blog. Woohoo.
Adrian Shepherd