10 1/2 Reasons To Start A (New) Part-Time Business in 2015 (And 3 Reasons Why You SHOULDN'T)

10 1/2 Reasons To Start A (New) Part-Time Business in 2015

10. You can't sell your job no matter how much you love it.  You can either exchange time for dollars at a job and never seem to have enough of either, or do work once and get paid over and over again for it.  Think about it: Will Smith is still collecting checks from "Fresh Prince of Bel Air". What will you get paid when you quit your job?

9. Find a creative outlet to do what you do best. Everyone was created to do something extraordinary for the world to see. More than likely, that something extraordinary isn't going to be during the hours of clocking in and clocking out of work.  Building a business gives you TIME freedom--the time to do something meaningful for others that only you can offer.

8. Face your fears. If you don't have a business at least part-time yet, it's probably because you've asked yourself "what if it fails?".  First off, yeah it might.  But that's okay, because life will move on, you can dust yourself off, get up, and start a new one because you now have all the experience from that failure.  Second off, what if it doesn't?  What if your business is a massive success and you can quit your job and build a massive organization that runs on its own?  Don't just face your fear of failure.  Face your fear of massive success too.  You deserve to be an immense success.

7. Invest in the highest return thing possible: yourself.  Your business only grows to the size of you.  Become a factor for constant growth and failure isn't an option.

6. Take responsibility for your future instead of expecting handouts.  When you have a job, you have 1 client: your boss.  And they have the power to fire you at will.  When you have a business, you have many clients.  Even if one fires you, you'll have plenty more to keep you in business.  Plus, I don't think the magical imaginary thing we call social security and 401ks need to be mentioned here.

5. Passive/residual income.  The wealthiest people in the world build assets that give them a source of income on autopilot.  That way they can work when they choose, where they choose, how they choose, and not worry about not getting paid.

4. It takes 5-10 hours/week.  As soon as you start a business, the race is on.  It's a matter of how fast can you generate the income needed to make it worth your time.  If your aiming to replace your working income, then you'll need to learn how to produce as much in 5-10 hours/week as you do in 40 hours/week.  Which of course means that by then you'll have doubled your income and could leave your job whenever you want.

3. Learn sales and marketing.  Sales and marketing is nothing more than answering "how can as many people as possible understand that what I have is of value to them?"  Sales and marketing is nothing more than communicating.  The more people you talk to and the better you learn to communicate to them, the more business you'll have.

2. You can get started for as little as $300.  Even if you have a dream of opening up your own restaurant and need $100,000 to get it started, you could start a part-time home-based business and take the profits from there to store up so you can invest in your restaurant idea.  The wealthiest people in the world build businesses and use those profits to build more businesses.

1. Opportunity is everywhere.  When you look past the whole politics, economy, media mumbo jumbo, you'll see that opportunity is everywhere.  All you have to do is take what you're passionate about, find a niche group of people in need of a solution, and the courage to learn the skills needed to serve them.

1/2. Give more.  Who wouldn't love to feed all the starving kids in the world or find a cure for cancer or build a shelter for abused women?  Money has two purposes: pay for the stuff you need, and pay for the stuff you want.  Nothing is stopping you from making more money than you need so you can give it all away to the causes that touch your heart.

3 Reasons Why You SHOULDN'T Start a Business

3. You're already juggling one or more businesses and need to focus more on those.  In that case, keep it up!  2015 is your year!

2. You'd rather try see a return on investment for your Netflix and cable bill. Um...

1. You'd rather listen to the excuses your fears are telling you and fold to the opinions of others.  In that case, definitely do not start a business.

E-mail me at thatninjamark@yahoo.com if you'd like to discuss how you can launch a new part-time business in just 90 days!!

How To Make 2015 The Most Exciting Year Ever

2014 was a GREAT year for me personally.

There was love.  There was loss.  There was pain.  There was pleasure.

Exhaustion and excitement. Failure and fulfillment.

I learned peace and patience is a choice.

I learned poverty and riches are two sides of the same coin.

I learned that there are only 2 possible outcomes: success, or quitting.  Failure is impossible if you don't give up.

The best part about 2014...is that I'm just getting warmed up.

Here's my personal blueprint for making 2015 the best and most exciting year ever...

1. Ask the big questions.  What excites you?  Really.  What gets you fired up and makes you feel alive? I've learned to correlate the words "excitement" with "purpose".  Meaning, if it excites you, you were meant to do it.  This past year, I followed a simple formula: only do what excites me.  Doing so got me on a network television show, working for myself from home, writing and publishing 2 best selling books,  building homes for a family in Mexico, and growing tremendously in my faith.  I plan to do the same thing next year, and the year after that.  Just keep asking myself "what excites me?" and see where that answer takes me.

2. See the big picture.  I always try to keep the year ahead in perspective with my BIG goals.  My lifetime goals.  My vision for myself and the kind of legacy I want to leave.  You might not look at life the same way I do, but at the very least, look at where you want to be 10 years from now and work backwards.  2015 is just a stepping stone to who and what you'll be in 2025 and beyond.  What you do this coming year will greatly effect what 10 years from now looks like.

3. Gain clarity.  You can step into 2015 with no direction and wander around in a haze of confusion, or you can walk a clear path towards what it is you want.  When you gain clarity on what exactly you want in life, the universe seems to bend to your will and give you exactly what you want.  The hard part is figuring that out.  After figuring out what excites me and matching that up with my bigger picture, I get into putting my goals down on paper (something 85% of successful people say they do).  I write down yearly goals, break them down into quarterly goals, then monthly goals, and then weekly goals.  From there, I can break it down further into daily habits. 

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" -Aristotle.

4. Find my roadblocks.  My biggest roadblock this year, and what will probably be my biggest roadblock for the rest of my life, is myself.  And by myself, I mean specifically my beliefs about myself and my potential. When I changed my thoughts from "I can't do that" to "How can I do that?", suddenly anything was possible. How about you?  Are you severely underestimating the greatness you're able to accomplish in life? Are you your own worst enemy?  If so, it's time to let the shackles go and really take the first steps towards doing something amazing.  But first, you have to believe you can.

5. Find the missing pieces. There was a time when I believed there was always something missing that kept me from accomplishing my goals.  These days, I believe we have everything we need to do anything at our disposal, we just have to go out and find it.  Who do you need to meet in 2015 to help you in your goals?  Do you need to find a coach? A mentor? A business partner? An investor? Whatever it is, they exist out there, you just need to do the leg work and reach out to them.

6. Raise the bar.  In order to do big things, I have to become big things.  Meaning, I have to raise the bar on my own personal standards.  In doing so, I also have to raise the bar on the standards of the people I spend my time on.  We are, after all, the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with.  This means if we want to become better, we have to be around people who raise us up, not bring us down. Who has to get cut out of your life in order to fit someone in who can help you reach your vision for yourself?

7. 80/20 and 90/10.  80/20 refers to what's known as "Pareto's Law" and basically states that 80% of the outcome comes from 20% of the output.  So what 20% of your time, activity, and resources is giving you 80% of the results?  Cut out the 80% that's only producing 20% and have more time and freedom to do what's most important.  90/10 refers to me going 90% and leaving 10% for slack.  If I do everything 90% and rest 10% of the time, I'll accomplish way more than if I gave 100% all the time and end up burnt out.

Here's to 2015 being your best and most exciting year ever!

DON'T FORGET TO LIKE/COMMENT/SHARE!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

What It Means To Be An Entrepreneur

I was sitting outside this morning doing my daily meditation when it hit me.

I realized why so few people were willing to do the work it takes to be an entrepreneur.

I mean, everyone knows they should be one.

Everyone knows that we can no longer expect a job to take care of us for the rest of our lives.

Everyone knows that their greatest life achievements aren't going to be between the hours they clock in and out.

But what holds us back from taking that leap?

I'll tell you what.

It's standing out.

It's being willing to self promote.

It's standing up and saying "look at me!"

It's also the reason why more people are afraid of public speaking than death itself.

It's because our whole lives, we're told to not stand out from the crowd.

As a kid, when you went out anywhere in public and acted out, you were shamed by your mom with a "stop that, everyone's looking at you. Don't draw attention to yourself."

At school, it was the ones who conformed the most who got straight As and never got in trouble.  The ones who questioned the system ("what will I ever use algebra for anyway?") were the trouble makers. (By the way, I still haven't used algebra since high school).

As adults, differing opinions alienates us from friends.  Deciding to go on a new exercise and diet routine only gains cynicism.  Trying new things breeds criticism.

You see, from childhood, we're conditioned that standing apart from the crowd is a bad thing.

We're told that if we're "different", that something is "wrong" with us and we need to be "fixed".

Yet its usually the ones who are radically different who make the biggest impact in the world and live the most fulfilled lives.

They're the ones who choose to take the path less traveled and follow what's in their hearts.

That's what it means to be an entrepreneur.

It means abandoning the fear of other people's opinions and be willing to stand up, stand apart, and say "this is what I'm doing and I don't care what you have to say about it".

It means abandoning our childhood conditioning that being different is wrong.

It means claiming your stake in the world and being the most authentic self you that you can be.

And it means shedding the layers of doubt and excuses and committing to becoming the grandest version of the greatest vision you hold for yourself.

Because the people around you who seem fearless are only fearless because they face their fears every single day.

They seem bold because they make bold choices every day.

They have high aspirations because their choices reflect their hopes and not their fears.

They only do work that excites them because they know that it's only when they're excited that their best work comes out.

If you're already an entrepreneur, then you live this every day.
If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, then its time to start living this every day.
If you're not an entrepreneur, why not?

(I hope that your answer isn't an excuse based off fear.  If the grandest version of the greatest vision you hold for yourself means working for someone else, then more power to you.  Just don't let fear be the reason you make your life choices.)

TODAY I CHALLENGE YOU:
To STOP listening to the opinions of those who aren't paying your bills.
TO STOP being afraid to stand out from the crowd.
To STOP making excuses for why you're not exactly where you want to be in life.

NO ONE IS STOPPING YOU BUT YOU.

START doing what's unpopular.

START being your true, authentic self.

START picturing what your ideal day, week, month, year, LIFE would look life if you faced your fears.

START creating a plan to get there.

AND DON'T FORGET TO LIKE/COMMENT/SHARE!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

Giving Back and My Journey Into Juarez

Hey all!

 So I recently returned from my very first mission trip and let me tell you, it was unbelievable.

It started about 12 months ago, when I knew I as being called to do a mission trip. Being my first time, I wanted it to be something somewhat local and for a short period of time. It just so happened that my church had 2 trips planned: one to Thailand for 10 days, and one to Juarez, Mexico for 5 days. Considering the mission in Juarez was to help build a house for a family and me being a ninja and all, Mexico was the perfect choice.

I came in with no real expectation except that I would help a family in need and be in the presence of God. Well, those 2 expectations where amplified to the infinitieth power. Not only was I able to help build a small home for a family there, but I was able to build two homes.  And not only was I in the presence of God, but I've never felt closer.

Truly an eye opening experience.

As soon as we crossed the border from El Paso, Texas to Juarez, Mexico, you could see the shift in economies.  Within 5 minutes of crossing the border, our bus was met with unpaved roads, homes built out of scrap pieces of plywood and pallets, and no sewage system.

In fact, the part of Juarez we were working in was actually built over a landfill.  And you could tell.

You would think that living there, you would see an entire population of people depressed, hopeless, looking for a better way.  Amazingly enough, I found the opposite.

I found an entire culture cheerful and grateful for the things they had.  Laughing and smiling just to be alive and well.  In a country full of "but my iPad screen broke!" (that's a direct quote from my daughter), it was incredibly humbling to see such joy in people's faces who literally had nothing but the clothes on their back.

The most powerful experience for me was having the privilege to hand the keys over to the owner of the second house.  She was a grandma who had a house built by the organization, Casas por Cristo (Houses for Christ), 7 years ago.  Then, 2 years ago, her daughter received a house across the street, and our goal was to build one for her daughter on the same plot of land as well as repair the roof of the grandmother.

Grandma's house before

What we came to find out was the grandma's house had been destroyed due to flood damage and was deemed unlivable, so she was kicked out and told to live in a shack next to her daughter.  With a larger team of skilled workers than normal, and with God's hand, we ended up building her a brand new home so she didn't have to spend the 40 degree nights in a house made of nailed up boards and billboard signs.

Grandma's house after

I got to say a little speech for her (translated into Spanish by one of our team members) about the power of giving back.  It went a little something like this:

"I present these keys to you as a reminder.  I've been told that 7 years ago, Casas por Cristo built you a house, and from there, you brought your entire family to know God.  And now look how much he's blessed you since! (showing off her 2nd brand new home).  We came here as missionaries from America, because we've been blessed and have come here to be a blessing to you.  So with these keys, I commission you.  I commission you to now be a blessing, not only to your family, but to your entire town, so that they may know the glory of God."

I wanted to share that with you as a reminder of how fortunate you are today.  If you're reading this on a smart phone, realize that it cost more than what most of the world makes in a single month.  If you have a house with windows, let alone a door and heat, you're incredibly fortunate.  First off, take time to be grateful every day for what you have instead of putting your time and energy into focusing about what you don't have.  Second, pass along the blessing.  Help others less fortunate than yourself, for the simple fact that you can.  Lift up others so that they can help lift up others.  The ripple effect of your good works will go far beyond anything you or I can imagine.

The kids: some were from the States, helping build the home. Some were just grateful to have friends to play with.

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

Stop Stressing Start Living

I used to stress a lot.

Like hair falling out (only partially from me pulling it out), rapid weight fluctuations, no such thing as a good nights' sleep sort of stress.

I remember going to a convention for my current company in Atlanta, GA and spending a few nights in a hotel there.  While there, I spoke to my wife over the phone who told me about an interesting observation she made.

She said, "so you know how I make the bed each day, and each morning when we wake up the sheets are mangled and twisted and a complete mess?"

"Yes" I reply.

"Well I noticed, that during the last few nights you've been gone, all I have to do to fix the bed is get up, tuck the corner of the top sheet where I slept, and the bed's perfect."

While we both had a great laugh about it, it was definitely a sign that I obviously wasn't sleeping well.  And by 'not sleeping well', I mean I was a violent sleeper.  Tossing, turning, kicking, waking up 3 or 4 times before my alarm.  I should have noticed from the fact that I hadn't remembered dreaming in over 5 years.  Looking back, I doubt I ever reached that deep REM sleep during a typical night.

I can't even begin to talk about how little I stress these days.  Like to the point where if I told you how peaceful and serene my life is, and how great I sleep at night, I'd come off as bragging.

Through this journey of mine, I learned that there are 2 main sources of stress, that once fixed, can make a world of difference.

The first source, is trying to control things we have no control over.

I'm going to say that again.  The first source of stress is trying to control those things we have no control over, and will never have control over.

You're never going to control traffic.
You'll never control what other people think of you.
You can't control what other people say to you or about you.
You're never going to get everyone to like you.
And you definitely can't control the results of anything you do.

I have one piece of advice to immediately relieve your stress in those circumstances.

LET GO.

That's right.  Let go!  Stop trying to control everything and give it up to God, or the Universe, or whatever power you believe in that is superior to your human efforts.

You can't control traffic, stop complaining.  No matter what you do, there are people who will think, say, and do things you don't want them to.  In a nice a way as you can, just tell them to piss off.  Just do you, be you, and if they don't like it, good.  They don't need to be apart of your life anyway and now you know to stop trying to please them because nothing you do will make them any happier.

No matter how strong your efforts, you can't control the results.  Only the process.  No amount of practice can guarantee a team will win a game.  No amount of preparation can guarantee a sale.  So practice as hard as you can, prepare as much as you can, and let go of the results.  That's not up to you.

This goes right into the second source of stress, which is not controlling the things you can control.

You have the choice as to how you react to what other people say and do to and about you.
You have the choice as to what you read and watch and the thoughts that enter your head.
You have the choice to decide what your priorities are and schedule your life around them.

So to that, I say, take 100% responsibility.

Stop blaming others for why you are where you are.  It's not your parents fault. It's not your kids fault. It's not your boss' fault.  It's not the president's fault.

If you're stressed out mentally, mediate more.  Spend more time in self reflection.
If you're stressed out physically, go for a run.  Do yoga.  Go to the gym.  Eat better foods.
If you're stressed out emotionally, call a friend and share a few laughs with them.
If you're stressed out financially, make more sales.  Take control of your budget.  Create a new stream of income.

Most importantly, only do things that excite you.  If it doesn't excite you to do something, find someone who is excited to do it.  They'll do it better, faster, you get the credit, and they get to do something they enjoy. Win-win.

It was a slow progression, but as I steadily learned to let go of all the things I had no control of and just went with the flow, rolled with the punches, I started sleeping better.

When I stopped blaming others and playing the victim and began to take control of every aspect of my life from the books I read, to the people I associated myself with, to sitting down and getting my priorities and schedule in order, I started to dream again.

How cool is that?  

The simple act of deciding to take 100% responsibility for my own life allowed me to control my circumstances and now I sleep like a baby doped up on Benedryl.  It's a beautiful thing.

DON'T FORGET TO LIKE/ COMMENT/SHARE!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

Winners Vs Losers

Are you a winner or a loser?

You're probably thinking "Of course I'm a winner".  No one wants to think of themselves as a loser.  The problem though, is that in life, many people who think they are winners, in reality, are actually losers.

Here are 7 major differences between winners and losers.  Make sure to take a minute between each to fully make sure you are a winner.  And if not, well, it's time to switch your thoughts and actions and start winning.

1) Winners congratulate other winners.  Losers are secretly jealous/envious of winners.  When someone at your job gets a promotion, are you happy for them?  Or are you secretly wishing it were you instead?  Real winners are secure with their abilities and aren't threatened by others.  They understand that there is an abundance of opportunity and as long as they focus on being the best version of themselves, then the universe will deliver to them exactly what they deserve.

2) Winners talk about solutions.  Losers complain about their problems. Losers whine.  They complain.  It's too cold.  It's too hot.  Nothing is good enough.  If someone gave them $20, they'd complain that it should have been $40.  When they see a problem, the only thing they know to do is share that problem with everyone they come in contact with.  Winners don't complain.  They know that complaining is a waste of energy and reserved for losers, and instead only see problems as temporary obstacles that they must tackle and find a solution to.

3) Winners realize they don't know what they don't know.  Losers know everything. Winners are life long students.  If they're not reading books, they're listening to audios, or watching training videos, or attending training events, or speaking with people they admire and learning from them.  Even if they don't admire that person, they understand that every person they come in contact with is an opportunity to learn something new.  Not losers.  They already know everything.  Their way is the right way.  Anything else is the wrong way.  There's no point in reading books or listening to audios or attending seminars, because they have it all figured out.

4) Winners take responsibility.  Losers blame.  You can easily spot a loser because when something goes wrong, it's everyone's fault but theirs.  They live miserable, unhappy lives not because they want to, but because their boss, and their spouse, and their kids, and the weather, and the president, and the economy is to blame.  If only everything else around them were perfect, their lives would be better.  Winners take responsibility for everything.  Not only do they take responsibility when things go wrong, they refuse to take credit when things go right.  If they lead a team to failure, that failure rests on their shoulders.  If that team is lead to a win, then it's because the team worked hard and earned it.  Winners win because they acknowledge the support of others in their successes.  Losers only pop their heads up to try and take the credit.

5) Losers make excuses.  Winners make a way.  You know you've found a loser when they complain about how unhappy they are, or how hard something is to do, then when you suggest a solution to them, it's "yeah, but...".  They're not complaining to you so you can offer solutions.  They don't want solutions, they want to complain.  They want attention.  Excuses are their way of saying "I would do something about this problem, but I enjoy complaining about it more."  Winners know what they want, then find a way to make it happen.  Hell or high water.  If you want to see a massive explosion, just put a brick wall in between a winner and their goals and when the smoke clears, all you'll see is the winner standing on a pile of rubble, goals in hand.

6) Winners give.  Losers take. Winners live in a state of abundance.  They have more than enough resources to live a fulfilled life.  That's why they are always willing to give a helping hand.  They also understand the law of reciprocity, give and you shall receive.  They don't give in expectation of receiving, but give knowing that receiving is part of the natural order of things.  Losers don't understand that role.  They live lives of scarcity, of not enough resources.  So when they do get a hold of something, they hold on to it so tightly that there's no more room to receive anything else.  They live in fear of losing what they have so they never give.  They have a "I'll give when I have enough" mentality, not realizing that until they give, they'll never have enough.

7) Winners choose to design their lives.  Losers let life happen to them.  Winners are bold.  They're unconventional.  When you tell them something can't be done, they don't take that as fact, they take that as a challenge.  They learn the rules of the game not so they can play by them, but so they know how to break them.  Losers accept the status quo because, well, they're losers.  While winners seek freedom, losers seek security.  Losers expect others to take care of them and feel entitled to having the finer things in life.  Winners know better than to expect such nonsense and instead, go out and earn their place in life.

Winners win.  Losers lose.

DON'T FORGET TO LIKE/COMMENT/SHARE!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

What I Learned From My Business Failures

I love talking about business. Starting them. Growing them. To me, growing a business is like playing real life monopoly. It's the ultimate form of real life creativity. Sure you can be an artist or a musician, but the actual skill of turning that creativity and turning it into a living as well as a way of life, well, that's the fun part. 

 Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur though. Everybody wants to be their own boss, set their own hours, and do what they want, when they want. But no one wants to be an entrepreneur. That's because people know the sacrifice involved. If we all lived a thousand years ago (or whenever it was before money was invented) and we could just all barter goods and services, being an entrepreneur would be awesome. Instead of creating a piece of art and trying to sell it for food, I could exchange that artwork for the food itself. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, not sure which), we don't live a thousand years ago. We live in 2014. We live in a time where your very self worth is determined by the marketplace. If the market doesn't like what you have to offer, it doesn't pay you and you don't eat. If it does however, then the sky's the limit. 

To date, I've started four businesses. The first one failed within 6 months. I was 21 and my friend turned business partner turned guy I didn't talk to for 5 years turned friend again, had a brilliant idea. At the time, he was working for a company that brokered electronic components. Basically, every piece of electronic hardware in every electronic device you could imagine, he was (and still is) the middle man to between the manufacturers and the companies that sell the devices. The business model is brilliant, and quite possibly the most recession proof business around. Well he realized after working at his company for 6 months that instead of making the sale and getting his 25% cut for it, why not start his own business and keep 100% of it. So he asked me to be his partner and 6 months later I read everything I could about starting a business, left by bartending job, put my entire savings in, and went in full time. He did the same. With dreams of making a six figure income by the end of that year, we felt on top of the world. We would work hard making and processing sales by day, and sit around discussing running the world at night. That soon depleted after hitting issues due to lack of skill, lack of capital, cash flow issues, and eventually, falling into a business scam where $12,000 worth of inventory was stolen from us. Now we were left to pay back our investors, with no inventory to sell, no more capital, and on top of personal issues, no more will to continue. So we did the only thing we could do, which was close up shop, go our separate ways, and return to our old jobs with our heads down and tails tucked, eventually paying our investors back. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. When you start a business, you learn a few things a job will never teach you. Perseverance, strength of character, and what it means to make money work for you instead of work for money. You learn what going 100% really means when you do it whether you get paid or not. 

 Three years later, I was in business once again. This time, a fitness boot camp. Leading up to this, I was working at the bar at night and spending my days getting certified as a personal trainer and working at a private studio. Seeing how "bootcamps" were the hottest new thing around and the perfect blend of personal training and group exercise, I franchised with one of the top bootcamp models around. In the year and a half with them, I learned half the equation of doing business, being marketing and sales. You could have the best product or service around, but if no one knows about it, or you can't close the sale, then it doesn't matter. Well after a Groupon and Living Social offer for my business pulling in close to 200 people in the first 3 months, my complete lack of sales experience meant that I kept about 5 of them as full time paying clients. Usually, they were the ones who said "I lost HOW MUCH weight in 3 weeks?! Sign me up!". I soon learned the basics of sales, being LISTENING to the client and OFFERING them a solution to their problem. But by the end of that year and half, the franchise was asking for more and more money while giving less and less value, which didn't sit well with me. So I left them for another franchise. 

 The second franchise (and what I consider my third business), a group personal training franchise, was a great experience. I learned the value of creating a business driven on systems. I had sales systems, marketing systems, program design systems, training systems, I had systems for everything. For those thinking about getting into business, remember this, SYSTEM means Saving Your Self Time, Energy, and Money. I hired an administrative assistant and assistant coach for a while, and things were going smooth. I also learned the second part of business, which is having an amazing product. All the marketing and sales in the world mean nothing if you fail to deliver. So I focused on delivering an extraordinary experience and soon found myself surrounded by some of the most elite trainers and fitness coaches in the country. But after 2 1/2 years, learned the hard way that a personal training business is quite possibly one of the most grueling business models to be apart of. It takes a real passion to stick in it for the long haul, and by then, my passion and fire had burnt out. 4 years of waking up at 5am and either training clients, writing up client workouts, marketing for new clients, scheduling potential clients, or meeting potential clients until 10pm every day had taken its toll. I needed a new business that would re-ignite my flame. 

Which leads me to my current business. While the core of my work is in a network marketing company, I like to say I'm now in the "freedom" business. I work from home, with no alarm clock (actually set at 7:30 in case I oversleep, which I rarely need), and create my day exactly how I choose. I've found the business model of the 21st century. One that has minimal overhead, unlimited income potential, no brick and mortar to pay rent to, is built around creating success for others and help them achieve freedom in their lives, and no employees to hire, train, pay, or fire. It's given me the opportunity to write and publish my first book, "Think The Fat Away" on Amazon, and unlike a personal training business, has interstate and international potential.  It's the perfect blend of doing what I love, and a sustainable business model that I can leave as a legacy for my children.

So my journey continues, but before this blog post is over, I'd like to leave you with 5 tips about starting and growing a business based on my own failures.

1) Get into something you love. Your business will only succeed to the extent of how much effort you put in, and if you don't love what you do, it will show in your effort.
2) Use leverage.  Leverage the use of systems to save yourself time, energy, and money.  Team up with a franchise or network marketing company to leverage their knowledge, experience, and support.  Read books, listen to podcasts/audios, attend seminars, and leverage the wisdom of people who have reached the heights of success you wish to achieve.  Leverage your money by reinvesting profits into growing your business instead of immediately spending it to "ball out".
3) Build your social capital.  Network like a fiend and build strong relationships with others.  As they say, it takes a village.  None of my success would have been possible without the support of certain individuals.
4) Business revolves around 2 key steps: having the best product/service possible, and making sure everyone knows about it.  If you have the best marketing in the world but a crappy product, you'll market yourself out of business once everyone finds out how bad you are.  If you have the best product but no one knows about it, you're out of business just as fast.
5) Kaizen. The Japanese term for practicing continuous improvement.  It's what made Toyota the highest selling car maker in the country.  While everyone was waiting 3-4 years to reinvent their models, Toyota focused on making small improvements over time.  Focus on being 1% better every day.  That's 365% better year over year.

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Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

How To Not Get Your Nose Broken

I fully believe in karma.

Or, more specifically, in the idea that what goes around comes around.

For example, I've been fortunate enough to have only broken a bone once in my life.  Plenty of sprains, strains, and maybe a tear or two, but only one break.

And I've done a lot of dangerous stupid stuff in my life.

But back to the one time I broke a bone.  It was my nose.

And I must have deserved it.  Because I'm almost positive that I broke some kid's ribs just moments before.

I was working security/barback at the club I worked at.  It was a special event of 17+ party.  Always the worst kinds of parties.  Partially because you always have to worry about teenagers either trying to sneak alcohol into the club, or show up already drunk.

But mainly because 17 year old girls think its okay dress like hookers, dance like strippers, and act like groupies.  And their 17.  Not cool.  I've got two daughters.  Really not cool.

Anyways, things were the normal level of hectic.  Kicking kids out for trying to sneak in "water bottles", or leave to drink in the car to come back, only to find out they couldn't come back in.  Well, as the night drew to a close, things got a little out of hand towards the front door.  A small fight of some sort broke out, and all the security including myself were right on the scene.

Well, after kicking one kid out, we start breaking up the rest of the ruckus inside.  Then SMASH!

The kid we kicked out throws something at the glass window and shatters it.  He dashes, and is chased by myself and 2 other security guards.

One guard manages to catch up to him and catch him in a headlock, dropped onto his knees.

The next security guard comes to his side and gives him a swift uppercut to the ribs.

In which I decide to come around the other side of this kid, on his knees, in a headlock, put my hands over his back, and drive my knee into his ribs with so much force that the other two security guards get shifted over.

Then karma and absolute mayhem ensue.  Every 17-20 year old in the club sees what happens and its an all out war of 20 or so kids versus us 6 security guards scattered across the parking lot.  I see one staff employee running over towards me only to get cold cocked from the side from another kid.  I rush over to catch that punk and give him a taste of his own medicine.

We end up squaring off face to face, but I hesitate.  Before making a move I think "this guy is under 18.  One hit and it's charges pressed and jail time for me."  By then, I've already hesitated, opt to shoot in for a takedown instead, and get caught with a hook to the side of the head and fall over.

I stand up vision blurred thinking I dropped a contact lens, only to have 3 other kids fly by and give me a quick shot each.  One to the head, one to the back, and the last directly in the face, cracking the bridge of my nose.

By the time I regain composure, the party is scattered, kids have ran off, and I'm in a blind rage with my security shirt off, blood pouring down my face and chest, screaming to the air looking for the person who hit me, as if they would step up with their hand raised.

The fight dies down, cops are called, and I head to the bathroom to readjust my nose which is shifted about 1/4" to the right.  To this day, you can slide your finger up the side of my nose and feel a notch of bone that juts out.

But then it makes me think, there was some kid who went to the hospital that night with at least a few broken ribs.

Moral of the story?

What goes around comes around.  What you put out the universe comes back.  Sow seeds of hate, jealousy, envy, greed, and violence, and you reap it all the same.

These days, I'd rather master my ability to communicate effectively.  I take pride in my ability to control my emotions as well as influence others through proper use of the right words.  Less bones broken that way.

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Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

What Kids Taught Me About Leadership

I have 2 daughters. One is 8. The other is 4.

Studies show that they are the two most beautiful, precious daughters in the world.

It's been proven. By science.

When the topic of leadership gets brought up, I instantly think of how I am a leader to them.  Now I have to admit, I've never led a massive sales team, or infantry, or anything of great magnitude, though training upwards of 20 clients at a time in my personal training business should count for something.  In fact, the largest "team" you could say I've led was a team of 24 high school boy's varsity baseball players as we put together and managed a course for a 5K race/walk to benefit a charity.  Which some might say is more difficult to lead, considering they were teenage boys doing it on a Saturday morning for community service hours versus a motivated sales team or trained soldiers.

Any who, back to my daughters.

Looking at them, I realize there are few roles in this world more important than a father raising daughters (possibly only topped by a mother raising sons).  And it's in this role that I realize a few things:

1. Who I am and how I treat my daughters is the exact kind of man they will bring home one day.
2. How I treat my daughters is how I should treat everyone.
3. How I raise my daughters is a direct reflection of my own level of personal development.
4. My daughters truly are the future. If they're going to make a difference in the world, it will be based on the values I've instilled within them in their developmental years.

So based on those realizations, I've come up with my top 3 lessons my daughters have taught me about being a leader.  The point of these is to use them in growing and developing your own team as well as yourself.

1. Monkey see, monkey do. No matter what I tell my kids to do, if my actions speak otherwise, they won't listen.  If I tell them every day the importance of telling the truth, and turn around and never uphold a promise to them, they'll do just that in life.  This has really put my feet to the flame because my daughters, I'm sure like most, ask a million and one things starting with "Daddy can I..." and ending with some odd request either for a toy they saw in a commercial, or a grandiose place they want to visit.  I have to be very careful to not just say "Yeah honey sure" to everything and just not follow through.  Which also helps my kids learn to hear the word "No" every once in a while when its the most fitting answer.  The point is, if you want to instill integrity in your team, you have to be it.

2. Empower them.  So many times, I'll ask a request of one of my girls and they'll reply "but I can't."  Now I have a bit of a rule in my household, and kind of a general rule about life.  Never say "I can't." Instead, I make them ask themselves "how can I?"  By doing so, they learn the value of being independent and even interdependent in order to find a solution to a problem.  This is much better than the alternative, which is to do everything for them and raise them in a state of constant dependency. While many leaders are capable of doing all the roles within their team, its much easier to trust and delegate those roles to focus on the most productive and strength-driven tasks.

3. Let them explore their free will.  I've never understood parents who jump at their kids the moment they try and do something on their own (sorry if you're one of those parents).  Children are naturally curious.  They're naturally creative.  They naturally want to explore. (Interesting enough, so are adults) I say let em.  My wife disagrees.  When they're at the park, they have one rule, "be careful."  With those two simple words, they get to run around to their heart's desire and be kids.  If one tries to jump off a slide and gets hurt, they get the "were you being careful?" from me.  They say no, I say "next time be more careful" and then they're off again.  Let them explore their own limits, don't set them for them.  When they're home making pictures or crafts, it's "just don't make a mess", which gives them the opportunity to use up all their creative energy on any project they'd like, as long as they don't make a mess.  Now the opposite of all this is the dreaded "micro manager" who watches their every movement and tells them "don't do that" or "do it like this" at every turn.  My goal is to develop my kids to use up their full potential for themselves and be leaders, not set predetermined limits on them they might never have the courage to explore for themselves as they grow older.

As my kids grow older, I learn more and more not just about myself and what kind of leader I am, but I also get to see their growth as a sort of feedback loop.  I can reexamine how I've taught them life lessons, and compare it to the results.  If I see my kids are polite, generous, respectful, bright, talented, and creative, then I can use that as a reflection of my methods.  If, on the other hand, my kids start showing signs of greed, disrespect, bitterness, and even violence, well, then, maybe I need to rethink the kind of monkey my kids are following and do something to change those results.

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Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

The Law Of Attraction

Probably my favorite "success principle" if you will, in earning and achieving anything you want, is the Law of Attraction.

Here's Wikipedia's definition:

The law of attraction is the name given to the belief that "like attracts like" and that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, one can bring about positive or negative results. This belief is based upon the idea that people and their thoughts are both made from "pure energy", and the belief that like energy attracts like energy.

Basically you attract what you think about most. For those who are fans of the book or movie "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne, you should have a better idea of what I'm talking about.

If you start your morning thinking "Man today is going to be a miserable day! " well guess what? Chances are you're going to have a miserable day.

If, on the other hand, you wake up Monday morning and the first thought that goes into your head is "Today is going to be great!", those thought vibrations will not only get sent out to the universe and attract things that are "great" in your life, but your subconscious will begin to look for things that are "great" instead of things that are "miserable", and your brain will begin to be more open to opportunity instead of misfortune.

I've found there are five ways to use the Law Of Attraction to attract anything you want into your life.

1. Affirmations. I put this first because as soon as I began doing them, I noticed an almost immediate positive effect.  An Affirmation is simply a declaration to oneself a statement that is true.  For example, I have a list of affirmations written on my bathroom mirror so it is the first thing I see and read every morning.  One of them is "I am so excited to be working with hundreds of positive, motivated leaders."  I recommend writing down a list of 5-10 things that excite you, that you're grateful for, or that want to attract more of, write it in the present personal tense ("I am", "I have"), and place them somewhere to see and read to yourself (out loud works best) daily.  Believe without a shadow of a doubt that what you want is already yours. You just need to go out there and get it.

2. Asking questions.  I attribute a lot of my journey and where my life has taken me to the questions I ask myself and the answers I've come up with.  I think it starts with asking the big questions first. "Why am I here?" "What is my purpose?". Yeah, those big questions.  The other part is asking yourself empowering questions, questions that lead you to take more action.  Instead of saying "I can't do that.", ask yourself "how can I do that?" and force your brain to think up of a solution.  And don't be afraid to ask for big requests.  When you ask for something wild and out of your comfort zone and follow with a "now how can I make this happen?", you'll be surprised what comes your way.

3. Be the person.  It's been said that when building a team of leaders, the first step is to write down a list of the top 10 things you want to see in a leader.  Character. Integrity. Confidence.  The second step is to be that person.  Like attracts like.  Lions don't spend their time around the company of rats, and lions can smell a rat from a mile away.

4. Take massive action. In the words of Jim Carrey, "you can't ask the universe for ten million dollars, and then go make a sandwich." Your thoughts and words will attract to you all the people and events you need to succeed at anything you want.  But when that opportunity comes up, its your actions that make it all come to fruition.  Remember, you are 100% responsible for everything that happens in your life.  No one will change it for you.

5. Let Go Of The Brakes.  What dominating thoughts about yourself and who you are is slowing you down? Do you constantly tell yourself "you're not smart enough to do that" or "you're not good enough" or "you don't deserve that"?  What if you instead started looking at all the things you want in life and started telling yourself "yes you are smart enough and talented enough to have that, and you deserve it too!"  Now that would be a game changer.  Before you go full speed and tackle life, make sure to let go of the brakes first!

Using the Law of Attraction as a tool in my journey has been powerful. Empowering, even.  And if you'd like to learn more, definitely check out "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne.

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Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook.

Defining Your Core Values

During my lifetime, I'm sure as in yours, I've been faced with difficult decisions.

In fact, come to think of it, I'm faced with decisions every day.

Some more difficult than others.

What makes them difficult is not so much the decision itself, but the consequences of those decisions.

Positive or negative.

Big or small.

And most importantly, where that decision takes me on my path.

Through it all, I've learned to base every decision based on one key factor.

My compass.

My guiding core values that have allowed me to make the best, most sound decision with the resources and knowledge I have at the time.

Today I want to share with you what my compass looks like.  Yours may not look anything like mine.  Yours might be exactly like mine.  But the point I want to reach is to decide today what your compass will look like.  It will help each major and minor decision you make from this point on that much easier to make.  With fewer regrets and more personal fulfillment.

Here it is...

GOD

FAMILY

BUSINESS

FRIENDS

SELF

In that order.  That is the hierarchy of my core values.

What do I mean by this?

Basically, any time I come to a crossroads and need to know which direction to take, I look at those core values.  God first, then family, then my business, then my friends, then myself.

I understand that as long as I focus on doing what God wants and asks of me, everything else falls into place.  From there, I check to see if the decision will benefit my family. Then business, then friends, and so on.

Based on these values, I can always know how to divide up my time, my money, my energy, and my focus.  For example, when I had my personal training business, I was my own boss.  That means I set my own hours, set my own rates, and designed my life and schedule however I wanted to.  When you have unlimited choices, sometimes the hardest thing is to make a choice.  Which is why I placed the importance of my business beneath my faith and my family.  Because I knew that if left unchecked, my business would take full control of my life and my higher values would suffer.  But based on that hierarchy, I had 2 rules for my business.

1. I never trained clients on Sundays.

2. If I sensed my family needed my attention, I put my work away.

Simple.

And sure, I could have probably made a lot more money if I buried myself in work all day every day, but again, making a ton of money wasn't and isn't my top priority in life.  As I like to say "chase the dream and the money will follow."

Another example is with my friends.  No doubt, over the years, my circle of friends has shrunk.  Not that I was Mr. Popular in my younger years, but the time and energy and focus I've put into my friends has certainly diminished.  That's because I've devoted all my time, energy, and focus on my faith first, then my family, then my business.  But still, my friends' needs come before my own.  Which is why I'm always open to helping friends move.  Because while everyone else is suddenly "busy" when it comes to helping friends with the tough task of relocating, to me it's an opportunity to help out even though I could be at home taking time for myself.

Now notice I put myself at the bottom.  I do this for two reasons. One, because deep down I believe I am a selfless person instead of a selfish one.  It's been a long time since I've had the "me me me" attitude towards life.  But mainly, because I know that as long as I take care of the first four, that I've served my God, and my family, and my business, and my friends, then I will be taken care of regardless.

Now again, what I set as my hierarchy of priorities doesn't have to be the same as yours.  What I think is important is setting them and sticking to them.  It not only makes decision making that much easier, but I believe it sets a standard for living.  It creates integrity within yourself to say "these are the 5 most important things in my life in this specific order.  This order will not change, and everything I say and do will be based on serving this order."

So I encourage you to create your compass today if you haven't yet.  Allow it not only to be the guiding light towards every decision you make (I know I know, I've probably overkilled that word in this post), but also allow it to define who you are.

Don't forget to Like/Comment/Share!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead lives of success, happiness, and personal fulfillment.  To learn more about how Mark can help you live on purpose, e-mail him at thatninjamark@yahoo.com or follow him onFacebook.

My #1 Lesson from American Ninja Warrior

It was Sunday.

Two days before show time.  Denver was giving us some wicked weather all week, but today was especially brutal.

A group of about 30 competitors had been in the walk on line for American Ninja Warrior for about 5 days at this point.  Park policy wouldn't allow us to camp out overnight, so we would stay there from 5am when the park opened until 11pm when it closed, with 3 hours of breaks each day and roll call at the beginning and end of each.  If you missed roll call, your name got bumped to the end of the line.

We were a hungry bunch.  Most had taken off of work, traveled across the country, essentially becoming homeless for 2 weeks in order for a chance to tackle the World's Toughest Obstacle course.  Their dream and passion and the reason they trained so intensely year after year was upon them.  Some had even spent 3 days camped out at other regional locations, didn't make the cut, then traveled to Denver for another shot.

Most of the week was spent sitting around watching the course get built, playing football or light workouts to get used to the mile high elevation, or hanging out in local coffee/sandwich shops during break.

Today was different though.  The elements put everyone's will to the test.  We all arrived from our warm cars/hotel/hostel rooms promptly at 5am to make roll call, where it had already started to drizzle rain.

Traditionally everyone showed up for roll call, then tucked away to sleep for another few hours until the sun came up.  That didn't happen.  By 6am, the rain turned to freezing rain.  And it continued.  By 7:30am, every single sleeping bag was soaking wet in freezing rain and every tent was seeping water inside.  The mental fortitude to take on the course was there, but no one expected our biggest enemy to be the weather.  Hypothermia was a very real threat for all of us that morning.

In the end, we all decided as a group that it was safest to find warmth and shelter, and reconvene
 every couple hours to do roll call.  Smart move considering it snowed until noon the following day.

--

Tuesday. Game Day.

A year's worth of training and preparation came down to today.  As a walkon in the first 10 spots, I expected to be one of the first athletes to take on the course.  "Between 9-10pm" I told myself and others all week. "I'm running the course between 9-10pm".  I based my training, nutrition, and sleep around that time.  I wanted to make sure I was in peak performance mode by then. Traditionally, they take the first 10 walkons run the course first before letting the call-backs go.  I was #9.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way.  After the first 5 walk-ons took on the course, they pulled myself and the other 4 competitors to the side with a "hey we're going to let a few call-backs go then we'll bring you on."  So the logical thing to do was to stay light, stay warm.  Pretty tricky to do in 36 degree weather.

--

2:30am.

Time to run the course.

After letting 65 athletes go in front of us, then taking a lunch break, they finally let us go.  By then it's too late.  The 5 of us are exhausted from bouncing around trying to keep warm in the freezing weather for 4 hours.  We missed our peak and still had the course in front of us.  The first man goes and falls on the 4th obstacle (out of 6). Next goes and falls on the 3rd.  Next goes and falls on the 2nd.  I go and fall on the first. Yup. First. The quintuple steps.  The obstacle I had the least worry over after 4 years as a track and field jumper
and hurdler wipes me out. Ice buildup on the steps may have had a part to do with it, the weather and poor timing may have as well.  But excuses aside, I didn't respect the course or the elements and took it on like it was a warm sunny day and I was at my peak.  There's always next year.

But I'm grateful to have run the course.  #10 goes and falls on the 5th obstacle.  And that's it.  Of the 30+ athletes camping out in freezing weather for 7 days, they only let 10 walk ons run. So yes, it certainly could have been worse for me.

--

So what do I have to learn from the whole experience? What is my #1 take home lesson?

LIVE FOR THE JOURNEY, NOT THE OUTCOME.

Of the 10 days I spent in Denver, I had the least fun on actual competition day.  I spent 6 days building relationships and bonding with fellow ninjas, learning training tips, tricks, and techniques, networking and finding out all the best gyms to check out.  On the day of, we were all just treated like cattle with a number, herded into this section and that, pictures here, interviews there.  It's still a TV show after all.

But if I let my previous 2 years of training and week of essentially being homeless be defined by my performance the day of, I could consider myself a failure.  But I don't.  Because it wasn't about the outcome.  It was about the journey.  They gyms I've gone to and continue to explore.  The training I've done and continue to push myself in.  The people I've met and continue to meet.  And the community I've grown to be apart of.  Those things can't be defined by the 3 minutes of potential network television time we all look forward to getting.

So for today, I ask you to look at all the things you aspire to be in your life.  Your goals, your visions, your passions.  No doubt you've had failure along the way.  Roadblocks.  Obstacles.  You can't let those define you though.  It's the road you take and the experiences you have and the person you become along the way that really matters.  The same goes for your successes.  Bask in the glory of success, but not too long.  Set bigger goals, cast greater visions, never stop improving.

I'm still training for American Ninja Warrior.  And I'm going to continue training for as long as it's around.  Even if and when I do complete the entire course, I'll make sure to train harder and show up the following year.  Because it's not about the course at all.  It's who I'm becoming along the way.

Don't forget to like/comment/share!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead lives of success, happiness, and personal fulfillment.  To learn more about how Mark can help you live on purpose, e-mail him at thatninjamark@yahoo.com or follow him onFacebook.

Where There's A Will There's A Way

I was hanging out with a good friend the other day, and we started reminiscing about "the old days".

High school.

During the summer before my junior year of high school, my parents had a finished basement that my sister and I lived in.  2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a living room, full kitchen, and a back door entrance so we didn't even have to go upstairs and see our parents to leave or enter the house, guests included.  Basically, we were two high school teenagers with our own apartment.

And there was only one word to describe that summer before junior year.

LEGENDARY.

I mean this to the point that my friends who I still talk to today still refer to it as "Mark's Basement Days".

For nearly 3 months, we partied EVERY NIGHT.

Now I'm sure some of you have had some wild party days, so I'm not going to go off on how my party days were harder than yours...but we partied hard.

So much so, that by the start of the school year, we managed to accumulate a total of 24 handles of liquor with NO repeat bottles, and 3 trash bags full of beer cans, which at 5 cents per can, made us $50. (read: 1000 cans collected.)

Sometimes it was just 5 or 6 of us, sometimes 10, sometimes more.  For my 17th birthday which was a week before school started, I asked a couple friends to come by and told them I was having a party.  This led to about 120 kids from my school showing up and many many stories I won't be sharing with you, probably ever.  What I can say though was that no one got hurt, arrested, or hospitalized, so good times overall.

But I tell you all this to ask you a question.

How the hell did we do it?

We were a group of teenagers, some with part-time jobs, some without, who no matter what, for 3 straight months always managed to pull together $30 for a bottle of liquor (or 2), a case of beer (or 2), and a tip for the guy who pushed grocery carts at the local Shoprite and would walk to the liquor store to buy us booze.

So the simple answer? We wanted it bad enough. No excuses.  We were all broke as hell, but somehow, some way, we always had enough to drink ourselves into oblivion.  There was no such thing as "Oh hey, everyone is broke so we're not going to do anything tonight." No. It just didn't happen.  We sacrificed things that weren't a priority.  Like proper nutrition ($1 McChickens for all!), our livers, and our brain cells.

So ask yourself, How badly do you want to live life on your own terms? And what excuses have you been telling yourself why you can't do it? Is it money? Is it time? I don't believe it. Why? Because if someone were to pull out a briefcase in front of you with $1 million in and and said "I'll give you this briefcase and everything in it if all you do is give me $20,000 and take a month off from work", I GUARANTEE you would find a way to pull it off.  You just have to want it bad enough.

My challenge for you today is to ask yourself "What kind of life do I want to live, and what do I have to do to get there?" And please, don't think small.  Be grand with your vision for yourself.  And don't let excuses and blame cloud your thoughts.  Take 100% responsibility and understand it's all a choice.

If a group of young, dumb, full of...pride teenagers can make it happen, trust me, so can you.

Don't forget to Like/Share/Comment below!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead lives of success, happiness, and personal fulfillment.  To learn more about how Mark can help you live on purpose, e-mail him at thatninjamark@yahoo.com or follow him onFacebook.

Being In The Business of YOU

The 40/40 Plan doesn't work anymore.

You know what I'm talking about.

Work 40 hours a week for 40 years so you can retire with a nice pension?

I think it's common knowledge at this point that that doesn't exist anymore.

Neither does job security. Or company loyalty. Or social security for that matter.

Why spend your entire life slaving away at a job you're not truly passionate about, working under a boss that doesn't truly appreciate and recognize you for your efforts, for a paycheck that's hardly enough to get by with, just so you can spend the last few years of your life in enjoyment?

Or maybe that's not the case.

Maybe you LOVE your job. You make GREAT money. But there are obviously certain restrictions, responsibilities, and sacrifices that come with it.

Like spending time with your family on a Tuesday afternoon.
Or planning out a spur of the moment 10 day vacation.
Or simply being able to raise your children instead of paying someone to do it for you because you have to focus on your career.

IT'S TIME TO FLIP THE SCRIPT! 

THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND!

Why not create a legacy every single day?

Why not live out your passion, every single day?

Why not make more than enough money to support your lifestyle and have the freedom to travel and do your heart's desire whenever you want?

It is possible you know.  You just need the right vehicle.

YOU NEED TO BE IN THE BUSINESS OF YOU. 

With the end game of either creating a residual income that pays you whether you show up to work or not. Or to eventually sell for millions, retire on the interest, and focus on new projects and passions.

Something you can pour your heart into, even if it's during the pockets of your day while you work your day job to support your family.

And in my experience, there are 3 ways you can do that (and I've done all 3):

1. Start your own company

2. Franchise

3. Join network marketing company

1. Start your own company.  This is typically the hardest option but also the first option people run to.  Why? Because you're literally starting from scratch.  All you have is a vision, maybe some start up capital, and sweat equity.  While the rewards can be astounding (think Apple, Microsoft, Disney, Starbucks, etc), you are limited by your time and money, with limited leverage of other people's time and money.  Skill becomes a major player because at first, you are everything to everyone until you can hire and delegate, which may take years.  It's not easy, but again, it can be incredibly rewarding.

2. Franchise.  This can be much simpler to do than starting your own company because you are leveraging other people's resources to help you benefit.  Typically, for a large initial investment up front and monthly royalties, you can get the systems and support of a proven company and you just have to put in the leg work.  The advantage is in its leverage over starting your own company.  The disadvantage is you lose your own brand as there are many restrictions to what you can and can't do, as well as high initial investment costs (typically $50,000 - $250,000 or more to start).  Not to mention the difficulty of trying to operate a franchise part time.

3. Join a network marketing company.  I've found this to be the most rewarding of the three.  After starting my own company as well as franchising, neither have come close to the freedom and income potential of network marketing.  Minimal start up costs (typically less than $500), minimal overhead, no employees, choose your own hours, create your own schedule, work only with people you want to, and unlimited income potential.  Not to mention receiving a residual income and getting paid whether you work or not.  The trick lies in finding a strong, stable company built on integrity, with products/services you can stand behind, and being committed to learning the skills to become a professional networker.  Network marketing is quickly becoming the fastest growing industry in the world due to its nature of cutting out third-party distributors and directly referring outstanding products and services via word of mouth. Its reputation is also growing as the industry that's creating more 6 and 7-figure earners than any other.

In any of these 3 scenarios, you can be in the business of YOU.  You can live a life on purpose, knowing that you're really contributing to society in a way that only you can.  Knowing that you're not working a job, but creating a legacy.

All you need is the desire to make it happen, the will to plan, and the courage to act.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to Like/Share/Comment below!

Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead lives of success, happiness, and personal fulfillment.  To learn more about how Mark can help you live on purpose, e-mail him at thatninjamark@yahoo.com or follow him onFacebook.