My Philosophy on Worry

Late at night, I was thinking about some people who are very close to me and the burdens they bear - the burdens of worry and anxiety. As Alan Alda would say, here is what I overheard while talking to myself...

Worry is the free man's slave master. Worry is your ego operating under the false assumption that you actually have control over the outcome of situations in your life. Worry is your ego's misconception that you can do anything other than simply act in this moment.

You cannot control the past. You cannot control the future. The only control we are given in this life is what we do this very second. You can control your thoughts and your decisions in this instant only. This very moment, you could make an entirely new choice and live an entirely different life. You could, if you chose, stand up, walk away and change your life forever. Remember though, you can only exert that control in the here and now.

Sometimes you will make a good choice, and things will turn out badly. Sometimes you will make a poor choice, and everything will turn out wonderfully. You...do...not...have influence over the future. You have influence over the present and the present only.

What should you do with this understanding? Pay attention to what's going on around you in the present. Work hard. Make the best choices you know how to make in the present moment. Most importantly, do not worry about the outcome. It will be what it will be. When it arrives, you will face it in the present by paying attention, working hard and making the best choices you know how to make in the present.

As we all know, often the greatest good comes from the most difficult situations. Wouldn't it be a shame to make your way to that place where you find the greatest good but ruin the trip by worrying every step of the way? Live free. See where life takes you. And above all, enjoy the ride, my friends. Always enjoy the ride.

Wise Lessons (From 3 great books)

I'm forwarding on some great info I got from Brendon
Burchard. I read his stuff often. He has summarized
the best points from 3 great books this year.

~Dan Johnson

Gertonson Johnson is here to help you grow your business...use us.

www.gertonsonjohnson.com

End of Year Reminders from 3 Great Books

By Brendon Burchard
Founder, Experts Academy, and author of Life's Golden Ticket

With just a few weeks before the close of the year, I like
to focus on reading and reminding myself what to focus on.
These books have really helped.


Instant Wealth by Christopher Howard

What does it really take to be wealthy?

What must you know? What must you do? And what is "wealth"
anyway? In Instant Wealth, Christopher Howard proves that
gaining great wealth doesn't depend on advanced education,
or being born into the right family, or even finding
yourself in the right place at the right time. Instead,
wealth is simply a matter of waking up to a few crucially
important realities:

* Your passion in life, no matter what it might be, is
the fundamental engine of your success

* Wealth inevitably results when you rwork and your passion
are first linked, then unified

* Creating unity between work and passion requires certain
powerful tools—physical, mental, and spiritual

* As you give back to the world, passion and purpose are infused
with new meaning—and you literally wake up to a fundamentally
changed reality. Your soul's purpose shines through your work,
your work creates a better world, and you build a lasting legacy
of wealth in the truest sense of the word

For mega-entrepreneurs like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Richard
Branson, Warren Buffett, and Christopher Howard himself, bettering
the world is inseparable from the wealth-building journey.

Takeaway: Chris puts it this way: "The instant you commit to a
sharing intention, you embrace an even larger purpose than riches
for yourself. Your desire to give back energizes you to achieve
much greater levels of wealth.This makes your passion and purpose
far more meaningful. It clears the way not just for prosperity,
but for ultimate success."


Never Fly Solo by Rob "Wingman" Waldman

Rob “Waldo” Waldman understands one thing better than most
businesspeople: You can’t reach your highest potential alone.
You need wingmen—trusted partners—who can help you overcome
obstacles, adapt to change, and prepare for success. A decorated
former combat F-16 fighter pilot and now a successful entrepreneur,
Waldman lives his life by this rule. I've seen it in action.
Whether you’re a senior executive, mid-level manager, or new
hire fresh out of college, your success depends on the mutual
support of trusted associates.

In Never Fly Solo, Waldo helps you maximize your relationships
to reach your greatest potential. He tells you to:

* Commit to the values of integrity, accountability, service,
and excellence

* Transform your relationships with colleagues into interdependent
partnerships for success

* Take courageous action and ask for help when adversity strikes

* Communicate effectively in high-stress situations by sharing
more and sharing honestly

* Connect with your coworkers and customers on a deeper leve by
doing something important

Through compelling, real-world stories, Waldo relates how his Air
Force wingmen helped him overcome challenges and become successful
by teaching him lessons that work in an offi ce as well as in a
cockpit. Waldo helps us understand that teamwork and trust are
critical for thwarting the missiles of fear, change, and risk
that too often send even the most seasoned professional into a
downward spiral.

Takeaway: You need a team to succeed. Support others, rely on
them and celebrate with them to fly higher in life.

The Ultimate Happiness Prescription by Deepak Chopra

My friend and bestselling author Deepak Chopra shows us
seven keys to uncover the true secrets of joy in the most
difficult times.

This is a must-read for those who realize
that the goal of life is the expansion of happiness,
as Deepak contends. Chopra reframes success and tells
us that all success in life is the by-product of happiness,
not the cause. So what is the cause? After all avenues to
happiness have been explored and exhausted, he says only one
path is left: the journey to enlightenment.

Deepak makes the daunting and exotic challenge of finding
enlightenment accessible step by step. We are taken on an
inspiring journey to the true self, the only place
untouched by trouble and misfortune. On the way we learn
the secrets for living mindfully and with effortless
spontaneity.

Now happiness is no longer hostage to external events but
an experience we carry with us always. As Deepak inspiringly
concludes, "Everything we fear in the world and want to change
can be transformed through happiness, the simplest desire we
have, and also the most profound."

Takeaway: Happiness comes from living our true self and living
in, not someday reaching, a conscious and enlightened state.

I hope these quick lessons -- on happiness, wealth mentality
and supporting others -- helps you have a wonderful beginning
to the holidays.

With love,

-- Brendon Burchard
Author, Life's Golden Ticket

PS. I posted a holiday message for you on my blog.
About Brendon

Brendon Burchard is the author of Life's Golden Ticket and a
highly-acclaimed life strategist, leadership speaker and
business consultant.

(c) 2009 The Burchard Group LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Life's Golden Ticket is a registered trademark owned by the author.

A Much Bigger Job to Do

A Much Bigger Job to Do
-by Dan Johnson

My father told me, just before he passed on,
That a person is given two jobs,
One job is the work you do here on Earth,
The other when you go home to God.

The work you do here is important of course,
There’s so much to be done in this life,
Provide for your family, work hard every day,
Be a good neighbor, husband or wife.

But this world is a warm-up, he went on to say.
What you do here could never come close,
To the job you’ll be given when your next life begins.
That’s the work that will matter the most.

You have a bigger job to do,
When your time on this earth is all done.
God’s preparing you now for a purpose much higher,
And He’ll call you when your time has come.

God gives us each our talents and skills,
And He watches the choices we make.
If we use those gifts wisely, with grace, and with love,
God blesses the path that we take.

And to whom much is given, much will be asked,
So be faithful in all that you do.
When your Father sees all that you’ve done in this life,
He'll entrust His Kingdom to you.

So child, when I pass on and you look at my life,
See the love and the joy that I’ve shown.
And remember the only reason I’m gone,
Is I had bigger work to be done.

And my last day here on this difficult earth,
Is my first day there on the job.
And I so want to see the work that I’ll have,
Waiting there by the side of my God.

And between you and me, I hope one of my chores,
Is to always look after you.
For I’ve spent my whole life loving you so,
It’s what I intend always to do.

And I know that you’ll miss me, just don’t miss me too much.
When God tells me my work here is through.
“Well done good and faithful servant,” He’ll say,
Now you’ve a much bigger job to do.

SBA Report Summary

The 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy documents the 2008
recession’s effects on small business as well as their role in the 2008
economy. The report includes chapters focusing on the state of small business
(with brief subsections on small business challenges such as health care and
globalization, as well as contributions in job creation and innovation) and
financing. Appendices include additional data on small firms and a summary of
Advocacy research published in 2008.

• Small businesses in most industries, especially in the construction industry
hard hit by the housing market downturn, saw declines in employment.

• Average unincorporated self-employment fell from 10.4 million in 2007 to 0.1
million in 2008 and averaged 9.6 million by November and December 2008.

• Incorporated self-employment remained steady at 5.8 million on average
over the 2007-2008 period.

• Some surveys found small firms expressing less willingness to expand, hire
new workers, invest in new plant and equipment, or borrow money, at least in
the near term.

• Health care costs remain a major concern for small firms: according to the
Kaiser Family Foundation, the average annual cost of a family premium for
employer-sponsored health insurance increased 119 percent between 1999
and 2008, with a 5 percent increase in 2008 from the previous year.

• Real exports have risen steadily since 2005, outpacing the growth in
imports; the value of real exports increased 6.2 percent in 2008.

• Most small businesses faced a less accommodating credit market, especially
in the second half of 2008.

• Lenders exhibited widening interest rate spreads and tightening terms of
lending.

• Business borrowing plunged in the fourth quarter of 2008 to a low annual
rate comparable to the levels experienced in the 2001 recession.

• According to June 2007-June 2008 Call Report data, developments in the
financial markets had a limited impact on small business lending in the first half
of 2008.

• Despite the lack of very current financial data, a number of indicators
suggest that the flow of funds to small firms was much curtailed by the end of
2008.

A copy of The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President 2009 can be
found at http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/sb_econ2009.pdf and the
research summary can be found at:
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs347.pdf.

Information from the Office of Advocacy - Small Business Association