"Shaking Off The Rust"

"If You Rest, You Rust"
-Helen Hayes

I got this quote from JustSell.com. They provide daily quotes and I have found them to be extremely useful.

This one struck me a bit more than they usually do. I have been taking a lot of vacation time this summer and I have really enjoyed it. However, I feel it's important to question whether we have spent our time the best. In my case, I believe I have spent the time the best way could. I needed a lot of vacation since I haven't taken a vacation from work/schoool for at least 5 years. Live, learn and move on.

Well, what does this saying have to do with living Da Free Life? Basically, it hits the rule of Constant and Never Ending Improvement (Rule 5). We must never rest on our laurels. "Resting" is good but being static rather than dynamic is where the problems start.

Many examples of this exist in business (my chosen profession). General Motors and the other "Big 3" members (Chrysler and Ford) have sat on their "behinds" and didn't anticipate the rise of Japanese and other foreign automakers. Because they rested too much, they rusted...quite literally.

To sum it up, always question yourself in terms of your skills, ideas, and the way you are doing things. If something isn't working, try something else. Always be trying to find ways to be better. Since the world is always changing, we must change faster than it does to get ahead.

To Your Success,

Cheers!!!!

Winners Don't Quit

A Quitter Never Wins-And a Winner Never Quits

-Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill


Sorry for the delay in writing. I've been on vacation visiting my wonderful girlfriend before she left for Switzerland for 5 weeks. Articles will be more frequent now that I'm back on a normal schedule.

In my recent article "Step By Step Not Leaps and Bounds," I talked about taking steps to success. Building on that subject, I came across this quote as I'm reading Think and Grow Rich.

These two ideas go hand in hand. Many times we meet "temporary defeat" and this is a test of will. If we take small steps and then compound them we can do much more and be less stressed out.

Never quitting is a very smart principle. Edison "failed" 10,000 times with the incandescent light bulb before he got it to work. This is important because by taking things step by step and not overanalyzing the situation (wow I failed 9,913 times...guess I will just quit) and being persistent he found a way to make it work.

How can I do this in my life? This is a common question. I asked myself the same thing. A great example is with my girlfriend. By being persistent, making sure she always had fun with me, and going out of my way to do what was right for HER, we eventually got together and are very happy. It was "Step by Step" and "Never Quitting" put together that helped me to get together with her.

In summary, take things step by step and don't quit even when you can't see victory. PUSH PUSH PUSH and you will eventually get what you want. I promise!!!!!! (and I don't make promises lightly but I feel confident in making this one)

Cheers!!!!

Great Spirits

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
-Albert Einstein



E=MC^2

Energy=Mass X Speed of Light^2

Einstein was an amazing man. One of the biggest scientists, theorists, and geniuses the world to have ever walked the Earth.

I ask myself how many people thought he was crazy. I bet it was more than any one person could count. And yet he did his thing anyway.

One has to ask if there's a lesson in this. I believe there is. The lesson I take from this is we must persevere even when everyone thinks we are off base.

Everyone is a great mind. Everyone can be a mediocre mind at times as well. Let your greatness shine through and succeed. It's up to You. I don't know you personally but I know You Can Do It.

To Your Success!!

Be Someone's World

I've been pondering an interesting subject. The subject is "What Don't I See?"

Now, this is interesting because from time to time I am surprised by things. Today, someone wrote anonymously on my Facebook profile and I quote "Your gonna do alot of good things in your life man... tru shit."

This got me thinking. How many times do I get in a funk and not really appreciate the impact I have on others' lives? I probably do this a lot without even realizing it.

You never know when you are someone's world. That by your very presense you allow someone to be free. I know I do this for a few people. This is what I know. I bet there are people who I do it for who haven't told me.

One of the things about "Da Free Life" is that it's not a common way of living. Since it's uncommon, you can make a huge difference without even realizing this. A major fault of mine has been underestimating my impact. Some days I feel really bad and wonder if I am making a difference at all. On days like this, I'm reminded by little things like anonymous posts that I am making a difference. Have courage, faith, and conviction that you are making a difference and you will!!!!

I leave you with this quote which summarizes this article.

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."
-George Washington Carver

My Contact Info

Name: Brad Spencer

Email: bjs380@psu.edu

AIM: spencedaddy1604 (easy way to get a hold of me...I'm on frequently)

Work and Love

"Work is love made visible."
-Khalil Gibran

Rule 4 states Leave it On the Field in all your endeavors. The quote above really is short but to the point as to why this is.

For example, let's take this blog. I absolutely enjoy writing this blog, see it evolve, and share it with others. I work hard because I enjoy giving back and I love to help.

What do you have that you love? If you love it, work hard at it. It's not about winning, losing, "getting it done," or anything. Working hard is an expression of love for whatever you are working on.

It doesn't matter if you are the best. The person who is the best loves it the most. If you love something with all your energy you are the BEST. This is really important.

Admittedly, I am not the best at this yet. I'm just learning this concept. I have noticed however that it has changed my life. I appreciate my work so much more because I do the things I love. The things I love are reading, investing, writing, running businesses, and making a difference. These are the things that I'm the best at and I know it's because I love them the most.

In closing, I hope you can find some things that you love. If you love them, do them. You will be happy and that much closer to "Da Free Life".

Cheers

Believing You're Lucky

"You know what luck is? Luck is believing you're lucky, that's all."
-Marlon Brando, as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire"

A core philosophy of mine is keeping a positive attitude (Rule 2). "Luck" if you will is simply positive energy of the mind manifested into the "real" world.

I want to make it clear. Bad things do happen in life. But, it must be said, that every day is a blessing to be alive. We are lucky that we are alive and kicking.

In the past, I used to not be so positive. The funniest thing happened when I realized what I was actually doing. By being negative, I attracted negative energy. So, if I was grouchy, I got a crappy parking spot. By wishing I could sleep in more, I became exhausted.

As far as luck goes, I believe it's true. However, you make your luck. By getting out there and trying, falling down, picking yourself up, and giving yourself some well-deserved credit (Rule 3).

On the verge of sounding cocky (and I'm willing to risk it for this), YOU are amazing. I don't personally know YOU but I do know that you are here for a reason. As a writer, I hope that my work helps you find your purpose. Luck is the result not the cause of good things happening.

In parting, I want you to take this away. No one is like you. No one has the gifts that you do. Lastly, no one deserves happiness more than you do. So get "lucky" and achieve everything you were meant to achieve.

Cheers!!!

Step By Step...Not Leaps and Bounds

"You accomplish victory step by step, not by leaps and bounds."
-Lyn St. James, 2nd woman to race in the Indy 500

This quote really builds on my article "Goal Sheets." Big things are made up of many many small things that have come together to be big. It really is that simple.

For example, Microsoft brings in 2 billion dollars in cash every month. That is made up of millions of sales of software and other products. Those sales add up to massive cash flow.

One of the biggest struggles in my life has been reconciling this fact. In the past, I really wanted everything to be "big." Big companies, big investments, big achievement. However, until I realized it was "what did I do today to get to my goal" and not daydreaming of the "good days," I never achieved as much as I could.

Today, I write this blog. Making this blog a place where people come for insight, wisdom, and help in living a more free lifestyle is a huge undertaking. I break it up into various tasks.
Tasks include

• Writing articles (the big one!!!)
• Adding Things on the Sidebar
• Making Navigation Easier
• Coming Up With Anything Else to Improve the Reader Experience

So I figure that by doing these things and constantly improving (Rule 5) this will become a hub for self-improvement.

To summarize, ask yourself what you can do to break up your tasks. Figure out ways to make a call to build your business, study for improvement, or even setting a goal of reading 20 pages a day on a book you enjoy. These things will bring you more success, happiness, and freedom than you could ever imagine!!! Cheers