Remember when you believed in your dream?

Remember thinking you could do it?

Do you have unfulfilled dreams? Is there a desire buried deep in your heart that is slowly dying? Has life squashed your dreams? Has discouragement, distraction, mediocrity, procrastination, laziness, busy-ness or just downright disappointment caused you to give up? 

Remember When You Had a Dream?

Think back to your childhood…back to the time when you thought you could be or do anything, before you’d been told what is and isn’t possible, before your relationships, career path or other choices caused you to end up where you are today. 

David Johnson believes you still can. 

What: Launch The Dream: How To Stop Making Excuses & Be All You Can Be! 
Who: David Johnson, Serial Entrepreneur 
When: May 2, 2012: 3:00-4:00 pm EST
(Check that time in your time zone here.)
How: Register here
Where: At the convenience of your own computer! 

We believe now is the time for you to:

• Write that book
• Learn that skill
• Start that business
• Create that new product
• Bring that invention to life
• Proceed with that new service
• …and Launch the Dream!

In this webcast, David will show you how to dig up your buried dreams, dust them off and propel them to reality. He’ll show you why there’s never been a better time in history or in your lifetime to start and pursue the fulfillment of your deepest dreams and desires.

David G. Johnson is a serial entrepreneur who launched his first business at 18 and has been passionately focused on serving the needs of business owners and entrepreneurs ever since. In 1998, he launched Epiphany Marketing, which has produced millions of dollars in revenue for its clients through coaching, consulting, training and an array of strategic marketing services. Most recently, David founded Nourish the Dream, a strategic platform for developing, equipping and training entrepreneurs. David is a sought-after speaker who stirs people up to identify and realize their dreams! 

Please join me for what is sure to be the best hour of your day! 

Tom Ziglar 
CEO and Proud Son of Zig Ziglar 

P.S. If you’re not living out your passions…if you feel like there’s more…if your career or business is stagnating, you won’t want to miss this webcast! Wednesday, May 2, 2012. 

P.P.S. Pass along this information by Liking us on Facebook or Tweet the registration link!

Editor’s Note: Crystal recently discussed this topic with David G. Johnson on a webinar as a “sneak peek” of what’s to come at the Nourish The Dream event in Tampa March 30th & 31st. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can catch it here.

Are You Functioning at the Place of Convergence?

There is an internal mechanism within each of us that operates similar to a GPS. This navigational tool is designed to provide direction. Unfortunately, many spend their lives listening to this inner voice saying: “recalculating…recalculating.”  They drive lost; second guessing their turns and questioning choices in life. They live in a constant flux of re-evaluation; always searching for the quickest route to somewhere, unable to find the on-ramp to a satisfying life.

In order to successively navigate, you must have a clear understanding of your “somewhere”. There must be clarity in regards to the address you are seeking…you must learn how to find home! Where do you shine? What are your natural tendencies, your interests and your passions? It is this ability to identify your sweet spot that allows you to provide accurate input for your internal compass. Defining this data of purpose and direction will help to pave a path and minimize the U turns and traffic jams of life.

However, knowing your destination is not enough. Life is littered with those who have found themselves and yet sat waiting for circumstances to give them the green light to proceed. The commitment to prepare and develop the required skills impacts the ability to start and finish the journey. A variety of equipping avenues are available such as books, classes, on the job training, coaching and conferences. Each external development provides the opportunity to test drive vehicles and practice for navigating the course.

It is the combination of internal direction and external preparation that positions individuals to discover the on-ramp of life and merge safely on to their freeway. This critical moment is called Convergence.

Many individuals spend their lives searching for Convergence and yet it is neither mystical nor unattainable. It lies within the grasp of each one of us. It requires the ability to listen…really listen to what makes you tick and sets you apart. It then requires the discipline to take this revelation and apply elbow grease, hard work and intentional tuning of your skill sets. In convergence you operate on a new level and are fueled by a higher octane. It is here, that you experience a deeper satisfaction and enter into a more rewarding life.

Convergence happens in multiple areas of life at varying times. Catalysts can be used to accelerate this process. Our goal is to function as a catalyst for convergence in the lives of individuals, businesses and organizations. We have developed numerous workshops and conferences designed to facilitate the necessary internal and external growth. These include…

CEO DNA Codes ~

It has been said that within every individual lies the seeds of greatness. We identify these seeds as the CEO DNA codes. Everyone has them. However, these codes lie in seed form waiting for recognition and then cultivation. The ability to Administrate, Operate, Market and conduct Finances are the codes that play an essential role in businesses, organizations and even in the lives of individuals. Training is beneficial in the understanding and practical application of these codes.

EQW ~

When it comes to creating wealth, there are three components: Spiritual, Emotional and Mechanical. Unfortunately, most individuals focus on the spiritual and mechanical processes and overlook the connecting factor— EQW.

The Emotional Quotient of Wealth is the fulcrum that weighs the experiences, aspirations and internal thought processes of an individual against the factual data and calculations of finances. It acknowledges the internal belief system and the pragmatic formulas of reason to create a response based upon wisdom without emotional entanglements. It removes reactionary impulses and produces proactive solutions and strategies. A developed EQW provides the ability to create wealth!

Tribal Leadership ~

Tribal leadership focuses on identifying the stages of culture and how individuals, businesses, organizations and communities can transition through these stages successfully. It is not about performance evaluations, project management or even a well structured business plan. Rather, tribal leadership is moving past procedure to identifying the underlying core value and common bond within an environment. This revelation, combined with insight, can shift cultures and transition mindsets from preservation to innovation.

Financial Strategy Team ~

Organizations have depended upon the generosity of donors as the financial foundation for their ministries. This single stream of income is directly connected to the circumstances and faithfulness of individuals and often creates questionable sustainability.

Financial Strategy Team training is designed to broaden the financial platform for organizations through the intentional development of donors. Four strategic components are integrated together to increase financial literacy and transition individuals, as well as the organization, from spenders to savers to wealth creators

Our goal is to be a catalyst that helps people, businesses and organizations discover their point of convergence so they can enter the freeway of life. We realize that on this freeway, they will excel as quickly as their vehicle will allow. Therefore, their vehicle must be prepared and secure, with solid internal wiring that is fine tuned for maximum performance …and enjoyment!

Today we have a guest post from Gary Keesee that I’m sure you’re going to enjoy. If you missed it, be sure to listen to last week’s webinar with Gary and find out how to get a free copy of his book, Fixing the Money Thing.

Now, here’s Gary…

Gary Keesee, Entrepreneur, Pastor, Television Host & Successful Author

When was the last time you failed at something? Was it something small, or something big? Was it fun? Of course not! Failure is never fun. And it’s not a cliché to say we can always learn from it. In fact, having a proper understanding of failure is vital to our success.

Honda has a proper understanding of failure. Their engineers spend 95% of their time studying why the lawnmower wouldn’t start the first time, or why the gas mileage is higher on their new car model than it was on the old one. They know that their success lies in those failures.

We have to look at failures that same way. We’re all going to make mistakes. Most of us come into God’s Kingdom and we don’t know how to live life, so we fail. And the enemy loves to pervert our failures. He wants us to hesitate. He tries to rehearse our failures or paint a picture of the risks. He tells us that they’re permanent and we believe him. We stop. We don’t move forward because we’re afraid we’ll fail again.

Or, he blames the failure on God. That’s one of his favorites. He gets us questioning God. He used it on Joshua. In Joshua 1, Moses had died and God had put Joshua in charge. So, Joshua took off. He led the people to Jericho and the walls came down. Things were working just like God had said…until we get to Chapter 7.

Everyone has a Chapter 7. That’s where failure happened. There was a guy named Achan in Chapter 7. Achan had stolen some of the spoils from battle and Joshua had no clue. Unaware of Achan’s failure to follow God’s instructions, Joshua went ahead and sent men on to the next battle at Ai only to see his men killed.

We’ve all had those moments when we begin to follow Christ and something happens that doesn’t match the picture, or the promise, in the Bible. If we don’t understand how to deal with failure, those moments may make us lose our courage. We might hesitate, or we might set up camp and never try again, or we might just try to run back to Egypt. So, we have to understand failure and how to deal with it.

Joshua had to learn. At first, like we all do, Joshua reacted. The enemy’s plan to have him blaming God worked. Joshua questioned God. Ever done that before? We all have. But God wasn’t having it. He told Joshua to GET UP!

See, people say that they wish Jesus would just show up. Trust me, you DON’T want that. Jesus isn’t going to show up and say, “Let’s have a group hug.” When the disciples freaked out that they were going to drown in the storm at sea, Jesus didn’t get up and comfort them. He said, “Where is your faith?” He’s going to say, “GET UP! Have you not read MY WORD? I already paid the price!” He WILL correct you.

That’s exactly what God did to Joshua. He told him to get up. Then, He told Joshua exactly what had happened. See the failure wasn’t just on Achan’s part; it was also on Joshua’s. Joshua hadn’t sought instruction from God before he engaged Ai. God could have told him about Achan before they went to battle. Instead, Joshua assumed. We can NEVER assume things in the Kingdom. We can’t do anything based on our past victories. The enemy is already wise to them, and he’s already changed strategies.

Like Joshua, we don’t have to fail. If we go to God first, failure doesn’t have to happen. But, if we do fail, there are steps we can take to overcome the failure and move forward:

1. Ask God what happened. If the Word says it, it’s God’s will. There are a lot of variables—things like unbelief and wrong expectations—that mess with the heart and can short circuit faith. If it didn’t happen, you need to ask God why.
2. Pinpoint the short circuit. Know who, what, why, when, where and how so it doesn’t happen again.
3. Ask God how to fix it.
4. Get the plan on how to restore the loss.
5. Stand up and take action.

Sure, you’ll be tempted to be afraid. Ignore your feelings. God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. You will have to be, too. You can feel afraid, but don’t act like it. Remember, if you’re not doing the hardest thing in your life, then you’re not growing.

God has already prepared a way for you to go and succeed in a big way. Be confident to let the Holy Spirit teach you and train you, and reveal unique strategies to you. Keep your vision in front of your face. Write it down! Believe it’s possible; otherwise you’re destined to stay right where you are.

God wants to advance His Kingdom in the earth through you. He’s depending on you to overcome failure and kick butt!

Gary Keesee was the “poster child” for debt and poverty until he discovered how the Kingdom of God works and started his first business more than 25 years ago. His businesses continue to produce millions of dollars each year in gross revenues and he now pastors a church in Columbus, Ohio, hosts a television program and has published several books. Don’t miss what Gary has to say at Nourish The Dream in Tampa, Florida March 30-31, 2012!

“If you’re not currently doing the hardest thing you’ve ever done, you’re not growing.” – Gary Keesee

The Hardest Thing You've Ever Done?

Everything that is alive grows. This is how God wrote the laws of the universe—both naturally and spiritually. Sometimes the growth is visible, like a healthy, thriving business (or my 7-year-old daughter whose height makes me wonder if she’ll be taller than I am before much longer!). Sometimes, however, that growth is below the surface where it can’t be seen, like the the root systems of our Florida palm trees that seem to survive hurricane after hurricane.

This week, I was listening to a teaching series on business success by Gary Keesee. If you’re not already familiar with him, Gary has been a very successful entrepreneur for more than 20 years. But things were not always this way for Gary. In fact, he tells the story that he spent a number of years barely feeding his family and going further and further into debt. The stress got so bad that he could hardly get out of bed. Ultimately, he began finding his answers by discovering how the Kingdom of God operates, which led to his first multi-million-dollar business. (He owns several today.)

Looking in from the outside, it might have been easy to conclude that those years where Gary was going further and further in the hole were wasted. As the financial stress was mounting to the point where his health was threatened, you might not have concluded that he was growing.

But as Gary puts it: pressure will cause you to grow. A naturally shy person, Gary overcame call reluctance by being forced to make sales calls just to survive. When he later launched with his new business idea, he was already well equipped to talk to people because he had spent years overcoming that challenge.

Are You Under Pressure Today?

Many people have been under more pressure than ever in the last few years. Economic conditions, drastic changes in technology, the rapidly changing needs and buying habits of customers and other factors have all added up to a perfect storm for even the most well-established businesses.

Regardless of where the pressure is coming from, however, the question is: what are you doing with the pressure? Are you allowing it to drive change in your own life? Are you growing? Are you gaining new skills? Are you forcing yourself to adopt new ways of doing business despite your own desire to avoid change?

And if you’re not under pressure… if you’re not currently working on the hardest thing you’ve ever done, perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate!

By the way, Gary Keesee has a ton of valuable insight to share. If you haven’t already signed up for it, I want to personally invite you to join me and the hundreds of others who’ve already registered for a 1-hour webinar with Gary tomorrow evening (Thursday) at 7PM Eastern time. You’ll be glad you did! You can register here.

Tom Ziglar, Proud Son of Zig Ziglar and CEO of Ziglar, Inc.

During yesterday’s webinar with Tom Ziglar, the conversation took a really powerful turn. Tom is (as you most likely already know) the “Proud Son of Zig Ziglar” and CEO of Ziglar, Inc. After we got an update on his Dad and talked a little about the brand new book from Zig and Tom called Born To Win: Finding Your Success Code, Tom started to talk about something really important.

He began by sharing this quote:

“Your business exists for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to provide a vehicle for you to achieve your life’s goals.” – Howard Partridge

At first glance, this might seem a little simplistic. I guess some might even say it’s somewhat misguided. After all, many of us have goals for our lives that don’t revolve around business or money. And hopefully that’s really true. The most important things in life, after all, can’t be bought. And if we spend our lives pursuing business success we could end up sacrificing our families or other important elements of life.

But like most profound statements, this one is deceptively simple. I appreciated very much what Tom shared next about how this plays out. In fact, I liked it so much that I really want you to hear it. So, I decided to share it with all of our readers and subscribers. Another great bonus: Tom made a very generous offer on the webinar, and he gave me permission to share it with everyone. Watch the replay now to learn how you can get a free copy of Born To Win by Zig Ziglar & Tom Ziglar shipped to you at no charge!

As you probably know, the webinar series we’re running right now is a “Preview” of what’s to come at Nourish The Dream in Tampa March 30th & 31st, where you can hear Tom LIVE and in person along with a hand-picked lineup of top Kingdom business leaders and experts. When you register for the event, you’ll get access to all the remaining live preview webinars! There will be one webinar each week between now and the end of March, so this is a fantastic value!

You won’t want to miss what to has to say—both in this webinar and live in Tampa—so go watch it as soon as possible. And don’t forget, the special offer to receive a free copy of Born To Win expires tonight (Friday) at midnight!

Note: Thanks to some recent developments, we have quite a few new readers who may not really be familiar with what Nourish The Dream is all about… so we felt it was time for an introduction of sorts. Enjoy!

Has God Called You To Business?

A little over ten years ago, I stepped out of my full-time job as a Pastor and went full-time into the business my wife & I had started several years earlier. It was a gigantic leap of faith for us at the time, but we were responding to a strong sense of calling and the belief that we had clear direction from God.

The problem was that the idea of being “called” to do something other than “ministry” (as we understood it) didn’t jibe with our training. After all, once you were “called to the ministry,” the gifts & calling are without repentance, right?

An Anointing for Business?

We were in for a few paradigm shifts, some of which had been bubbling below the surface in me for a number of years. One of the first ones that crystallized for me was that the “anointing” of God isn’t reserved for people behind a pulpit or leading worship or working on the mission field.

Today, I would argue that there’s an anointing available for anyone doing what they were created to do.

Business may not seem very “spiritual” on the surface, but there are numerous examples in Scripture of people who were anointed to do very “non-spiritual” things. Metalworking (Exodus 31) and killing giants (1 Samuel 17) are just a couple of quick ones that come to mind.

“But business deals with ‘filthy lucre’!” some may argue.

It’s true that “greed” is going to come up in this discussion. We might as well get it out of the way. Anyone who has a greed problem or deals with love of money needs to take it to God and get rid of it. But I would argue that more people struggle with “love of money” and misplaced trust in money when they don’t have any or have no means of getting their needs met than those who have some. Perhaps that’s a debate for a different day, but you can think about it. Either way, without the manifest Grace of God, any fleshly lust can consume a person regardless of their position, calling, daily work or status in life. Enough said.

Staying Away From Evil

That said, it’s time to address something that’s a real problem with the Church today. To some extent, it’s been an issue for hundreds of years, but it seems that in the United States it really matured in the latter half of the 20th Century. Somewhere along the line, we decided that certain elements of society were inherently “evil” and Christians should stay away from them. Politics, Hollywood and business are big examples.

After years of study, I’m more convinced than ever that God doesn’t think like this. Quite the opposite, in fact. From Scripture, it’s clear that God is trying to invade every corner of society and infiltrate it with His Kingdom. (If you need a Scripture to start with, let’s take Matthew 28 back out and study the Great Commission.)

But we’ve raised a few generations of believers who don’t see things that way, so we have some unlearning to do.

And those who—like me 10 years ago—have a sense of calling or anointing where business is concerned, need to be retrained with a new Biblical foundation for work.

We also need relationships with others who share our calling.

We need to be authenticated in our callings and allowed to dream about not only what we’re built to do here on the earth, but also about what a future would look like with believers in every corner of society who are authenticated and functioning in their callings.

Wow… what a dream!

My friend… this isn’t just a dream born in the hearts of some radical people. This dream was born in the heart of God. It’s His dream… and it’s time for us to bring it to life!

Care to join me?

If this resonates with you, don’t miss your opportunity to connect with others like you in Tampa, FL March 30th & 31st, 2012. This will be 2 days of life-changing teaching, training, equipping & inspiration from Godly business leaders who taken major territory for the Kingdom and unabashedly created millions of dollars in profits along the way! Check out the details now!

SOPA: Are You Prepared To Be Silenced?

Here at Nourish The Dream, we are incredibly passionate about the success of small businesses and entrepreneurs. We work tirelessly to produce events and resources that will help “nourish the dream” of business ownership and success in the lives of people. And that’s why we feel it’s important to bring SOPA (and its evil twin: PIPA) to your attention.

Depending upon when you read this, the links above may not be working. That’s because Wikipedia is “going dark” for the very first time (at least for its English version) in its history in order to protest this outrageous piece of legislation.

Why Sound the Alarm?

On the surface, the idea behind these bills is honorable and even noble: to stop the illegal downloading & sharing of content protected by copyright. The biggest beneficiaries of this action are relatively obvious: record labels, movie studios and others who create content which is ordinarily sold but which is being pirated (something which, I would like to note, is already illegal).

The egregious nature of the legislation comes not from its ostensible purpose but from its far-reaching, dangerous implications. Specifically, as the legislation is currently drafted, it gives incredible powers of internet censorship to the US courts. Further, it places ridiculous demands upon search engines to no longer provide links to sites which are accused of violating copyrights.

Picture a world where Google is required to police its search results at any given moment for links to websites which have not been proven to be guilty of violating copyrights. Picture a world where your small business website can be shut down at will by anyone willing to throw out a complaint.

In short: the legislation as drafted violates the free speech rights of US citizens via censorship without due process of law.

What About Piracy?

First let me say that we make our living creating content and enjoying the wonderful protection of copyright law. Without copyrights, it would be very difficult for our parent organization to recognize revenue from the training products it creates. Similarly, here at Nourish The Dream, we value very highly the ability for us to create and distribute CDs, MP3s and (soon) DVDs of materials to empower, train & equip the business owners and entrepreneurs we exist to serve… and to, in turn, achieve revenue from those sales to fuel our mission and to give us the ability to create new & better products as we go.

It is therefore of no small significance to us that there be appropriate tools in the hands of legislators and law enforcement agencies to go after piracy and shut it down where possible. We fully understand that no retailer would leave their shop doors unlocked at night with no one watching. There are evil people in the world, and the “honor system” doesn’t always pan out well in the end. Hence the need for proper protections for those who create items of value.

All of that said, SOPA & PIPA do not place appropriate powers in the hands of the right parties to solve the issues they purport to address. Rather, they place undue power in the hands of a few while effectively crippling the business model of many valuable companies who contribute to an open, free (as in speech) internet.

Looking for something to do about it? Visit AmericanCensorship.org or sign this petition on WhiteHouse.gov.

Who Is Responsible to Create Your Economic Opportunity?

One of the (many) things that frustrates me about the current political discussion in the US has to do with economic opportunity. As is typical in the realm of politics, the debate over how to create economic opportunity is framed in such a way that an underlying presupposition is passed on to everyone as fact.

In this case, the presupposition is this: that government can and should create economic opportunity.

Government cannot create—nor has it ever created—economic opportunity. In fact, the reverse is often true. The original colonists that came to this land from Europe were fleeing from oppressive governments whose tyranny dominated many aspects of their lives, not the least of which was their ability to produce wealth.

But before we get carried away into a purely political discussion (which is not my purpose), I want to ask the real question at the heart of this thought:

Who is responsible to create economic opportunity for you and your family?

Think about that for a moment. When you’re pining away for a larger paycheck (or perhaps any paycheck), who is it you hold responsible for it? Who do you look to to bring that about?

Sadly, many people today look to sources like:

• an employer
• Uncle Sam
• “the economy”
• Wall Street
• Main Street

What about you?

Some will say, “I look to God to create economic opportunity,” and will cite scriptures like Philippians 4:19 (“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”). That sounds very noble and very spiritual, but many people who say things like this are in dire need. Something’s missing.

I’ve got more to say about this, but I’m interested in your thoughts. Fire away in the comments below and let’s have a discussion!

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 NKJV)

Today I want to pick up where we left off last… talking about the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah used some interesting language in describing the coming Messiah. The Child would be born, yes… and that’s why this passage comes to mind at Christmastime. And while Jesus would carry the “identity” described in this passage at His birth, clearly no government can rest upon the shoulder of an infant — even if He is the Son of God. Thus, it’s important that we let these words describe to us the man Jesus, and not just the baby.

Prince. It’s a nice term we use to think about someone who is the son of a king. And yes, Jesus is the Son of The King. But it’s also important to realize that in the 1500s and 1600s as the Scriptures were first being translated into English, it was perfectly normal to refer to the Sovereign Himself as “Prince.” In fact, the translators of the King James Bible wrote a letter to King James in which they referred to him as “Prince.” By then, James was certainly on the throne of England and was ruling as King. It was a reverential term ascribing to him the highest levels of authority in the land and it conveyed their deepest respect of him and his power. I assure you it was no slight… or it would’ve meant their heads.

Thus, when we see this word appearing in Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is being referred to as the King of Peace — the Sovereign Ruler whose life and reign would produce and be characterized by peace. It echoes back to Melchizedek who, in the time of Abraham, was referred to as the King of Salem. “Salem” is from the same Hebrew root as shalom, which is the word used here by Isaiah

Receiving Him as King of Shalom

Receive the King of Shalom

Both words refer to something that we need today… the real peace that Jesus promised and gave to His disciples. The concept is one that goes much deeper than we may realize. Jesus is the King of peace — the kind of peace that rises up, violently even, to overwhelm the onslaught of trouble, stress and anxiety that assaults a person whose life or livelihood is threatened.

The gift of this kind of peace means that we have completeness. It is utterly and entirely disconnected from circumstances and outward appearances. Regardless of what is going on around them, a person experiencing this type of wholeness is confidently assured of their security, safety and soundness. They understand that what they possess is greater than anything life may throw at them, and they draw from a deep well of resources that enables them to look fear in the face and overcome it.

Today, I believe the Body of Christ needs a renewed understanding of this powerful, precious, valuable gift of peace. When Jesus commanded his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid,” He wasn’t giving them an impossible directive. He was saying to them, “Here is My peace. It’s the peace you’ve seen Me use and will watch me use to overcome sin and shame on the cross. It’s yours to use so that you can keep your hearts from being overwhelmed by the great difficulties that are coming your way. Use it as I use it. Overwhelm your circumstances and dominate them. You are and will be complete in Me. Here is real power for you today and for always. Let this peace overwhelm you, and extend my reign of peace and wholeness into the lives of everyone you encounter.”

My friend, receive peace today. The power and promises of God are yours. You have real ability to conquer any circumstance, challenge or obstacle in your path. Look to Jesus and allow Him to teach you how to use it by His Spirit. It’s a powerful component in His plan for you to overcome.