Everything you got

I would love to sit down and interview 100 people and ask them this question: What is the last thing in your life that you gave everything you had? I mean everything.
It could be a goal back in high school or college, it could be paying off debt, it could be parenting, or it could even be physical goal like running a marathon or dieting.
Sorry ladies; you can't say childbirth. :)
If you can answer that question, how much time has passed since that moment?
If you can't answer that perhaps this blog will help you do just that.
In high school I was very involved in sports; I ran cross country and track. I look back now I can be honest with myself and say I could have tried harder during those practices and meets. I truly thought I gave everything I had.

As I have been in the finance industry for over 10 years and raising a family I think more and more about what value I can leave to others. What will you be remembered for?
Some people say it's never too late. Never too late to go back to school. Never too late to get diet. Never too late to learn something new.
Chris Brady, a best selling author says something different. There can be a too late. There is a too late when your health is gone. There is a too late to fix a relationship. There is a too late to take that dream vacation.
I have learned by surrounding myself with people that do give their best and strive for excellence every day it is a lot easier to make the decision to go after something, to chase your dreams, to take that one thing off of your bucket list.
I am not sure what legacy you want to leave or any major goals or dreams that you want to accomplish but you do have what it takes, and it will take everything you got.
Thanks for reading. God bless.        

Great resistance

We have all heard the great stories of the dream, the struggle and the victory. But sometimes the victory can come too late. Unfortunately that was the case for William 'Billy' Mitchell. In the end though his efforts were recognized. Click on the link below that explains the great courage of Billy Mitchell; someone willing to give up his career for his beliefs.

Can you think of someone who would be willing to give up their career for strong convictions?

Enjoy! William "Billy" Mitchell's Courageous Leadership

Sand in the engine

You wouldn't put sand in your car engine so why put destructive material in your brain?

Feel free to read that sentence again. 

Bill Lewis is a highly successful businessman that has leveraged a system of information that has provided him two things. Time. Money. Time is the most valuable asset we have and we can never get it back. And money provides options. 

Below is a link to one of Bill Lewis's blogs he just published. He is a master at helping people win and the reason he is so successful is because of his thinking. Read on!! 

Bil Lewis: Everything begins with your thinking. 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Nicholas Nighbor

Who's Encouraging You?

They call it the Bislett Effect. Ever hear of it? There is a stadium in Oslo, Norway. It is a track and field and also a speed skating stadium. It is known as the World Record Track Stadium.

Whenever a record is broken at any stadium it gets noticed. They put up a sign. When a stadium has posted a dozen records everybody hears of it. The Bislett Stadium has done more than get noticed. No less that 15 speed skating and 50 track and field world records have been broken there!! No other track can boast of such a record of record-breaking achievements.

What is so special at Bislett Stadium?

It's the crowd. It's the fans. The track is narrow. It has only six lanes and the runners have 21,000 fans cheering them on. People work harder when they have people cheering them on.

So here is my question for you. Who is cheering you on? Who are you 'running' harder for?

The reason I picked this topic today is because I have found a group of men and women who have become the best encouragers I have ever met in my entire life. I met them through the LIFE business.

It is a team of like minded people that want to get better in the 8 F's in life: faith, family, fitness, finance, friends, following, freedom and fun.

There are not many better feelings than having someone in your corner, cheering you on, helping you reach further for success to do more and get better.

I hope you have someone that encourages you.

Who is your biggest encourager? Is it your parents, your spouse, your kids, your team?

Better yet, who are you encouraging. Who do you see every day that needs that encouragement. Some people get encouraged at work and at home every day. Unfortunately most people don't.

So, who in your life can you turn to for a heavy dose of encouragement?

If you found value in this article feel free to leave a comment or share it with a friend. Even better, give someone a call right now and give someone some encouragement. It could change their day.

Thanks for reading. God bless. Nicholas Nighbor

There's a difference!

There are three frogs on a lily pad, two decided to jump off, how many frogs are left? 

The answer is three, two decided but none of them actually jumped.

Have you ever said; "Enough is enough, I have to change _____ in my life!"

I certainly have. But it takes more than just saying it doesn't it?

I listened to an audio once that talked about making a decision and managing a decision.

Have you ever made a decision to start working out or start tracking you finances? 

How long did it last? 

For some of you; you are still sticking to it. For the majority of the others; it only lasted a couple days.

What's the difference? 

The difference is not only is making the decision, but also managing the decision daily. 

Now that I brought up finances I will touch on that topic real briefly. For the last month or so I have been preparing myself to really buckle down on my finances. 

I am not behind in my bills. I don't have a horrible credit score. And I am able to give extra money to the causes that are important to me. 

But... my finances could be better. 

So this is what I did. I thought about it mentally for a few weeks to really organize how I want to change how I handle my finances. Crash diets never work, nor does it make any sense to go all out in the gym if you have not been there in ten years. But if you can make a gradual shift and change some habits over time you can have make significant progress(if you stick with it). 

Just recently I set a financial goal and now that I have that in place it is much easier manage the decision and not falter away from it so easily. This I know because at other times I decided and then I let instant gratification take over.

So, what are some areas you want to change. We are halfway through the year, it wouldn't hurt to reset that goal that you might have fallen away from in January. 

Next, with the one thing you want to work on; how can you manage that decision daily so you don't fall into your old habits? When all else fails, have a close friend hold you accountable- or even your children. Trust me, they don't forget to remind you when you commit to your kids. And you don't want to let them down right? :)

Well, thanks for stopping by and reading. Share your thoughts below, what area or areas are you trying to improve in? If you find value, feel free to share with your friends. 

God bless, 

Nicholas Nighbor

I got lucky

The Lord sure was on my side when he decided to bring Deanna into my life.

No, it's not her birthday; no, it's not our anniversary; and no this is not a special occasion.
It's about 11:46pm on Tuesday night July 2nd and I simply feel grateful.
Deanna is my wife, a wonderful wife. She is the mother of our three happy and healthy girls.
We have a 5 week old as of today and she will be getting up in a couple minutes or hours to take care of our new little one. As soon as the baby cries she is up. I think it's a mom thing.
She does it even when she is dead tired, lacking sleep, haven't eaten since I don't know when because if you are a mom I know your needs come second with a new baby or having other children for that matter.
And despite her loss of sleep and time to herself she continues to serve the girls, do all the housework, even mow the lawn sometimes and take care of this newborn.
I work a full time job and build a business in my discretionary time but she somehow fits time in to do the laundry, feed the girls, keep the house in order, give the girls a bath, put them to bed and still not complain with all the stuff she does to keep our house in order. I feel so blessed.
As I am at work during the day I know she is probably doing 25 other things I don't even know of because she doesn't ask for a thank you or keep score either. She is the perfect wife. The perfect wife for me.
And I didn't even mention that she still encourages me on a daily basis so we can be great examples for our kids too.
When the Lord decided to bring Deanna into my life I got the best deal in the world. Thank you Deanna for all that you do! I love you so much!

Ready when You Are

I got the test results back today. Now I am really going to change something in my life.

Do you know anyone that has said that? Perhaps it was you.

Stephen Covey's book 7 Habit of Highly Successful People talks about this in habit number one. I will be proactive. I am responsible. If it is to be it is up to me. This habit is not an easy one but it must be pretty important if it is number one.

So... what do test results and the word proactive have to do with this? Everything Mr. or Ms. Reader.

This is how the late Mr. Covey explained habit number one: take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and the consequences will follow.

On a daily basis I get the privilege to ask people how their life is going. I ask them a question like this: "If you could change something in your life David; what would you change? And why"

I get answers like; 'I want to have better finances,' 'I want more time,' 'I want to have better health,' 'I want to have better relationships.' So many people want their life to change. But do they? Really?

I can have someone tell me they want better finances but they are absolutely set against tracking their expenses. Tracking expenses is pretty important to creating financial discipline.

I can give someone a book on parenting or an audio on having a better marriage too.

This is the truth. Knowledge without action equals frustration.

I can lead people to the right information but if someone is still 'comfortable' enough in their life they will not change anything.

So... whether you are the person that got the test results already or you need to change something do it today. Do not wait.

You don't have a million years; and if you have kids they need your example that mom and dad can change afterall. Yes. You can change!

Whenever someone is ready to change; they will. But I refuse to convince people. I lead them to the right information and the right people with the right results in the LIFE business and changes do start happening.

I want to thank you for reading. If you found value in this article send it to a friend and share your thoughts below.

God bless,
Nicholas Nighbor