You might be wondering why I’m writing about Jasper Schuringa in a blog post about self transformation. His heroism is obviously a great example to us, but, besides that, he serves as a terrific model of the difference between living by Core Desires versus living by goal-setting, affirmations, and (the dreaded) New Year’s Resolutions. If you read my last blog, you know that in crisis moments, heroes probably aren’t sitting down and listing goals, baby steps, affirmations and rewards. Heroes see what they want and they go get it!

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving. It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

Yesterday I shared an article with you from my friend Roger
Allen from the Human Development Institute, on the gifts of
giving. Today I wish to share with you a story to warm your
heart!

Alan Axler, Vice President of Springfield Smoked Fish, had a problem. His Springfield, Mass company had been providing New Englanders lox, gefilte fish and other traditional kosher fish products since 1934. But in recent years, the company has barely been staying afloat. Axler attempted to boost sales in 2007 by investing thousands of dollars into his new product: Brekfish, a smoked salmon – healthier — substitute for bacon. It was well-received by samplers, but to Axler’s discouragement, supermarkets didn’t put it on their shelves. In 2008, sales were a full 20% down from where they’d been in 2000.

“I’ve had some bad experiences with trust at work,” Jim wrote. “At my last job, my boss didn’t trust anyone, and it showed. He was completely disorganized, but he blamed me when he lost his paperwork. He tried to micromanage everything, and he was always spying on me and the other employees. I’d turn around from my computer and he’d be reading over my shoulder. He actually went through people’s desks a couple of time. He was always talking about honesty – how it was dishonest to get paid for a full day’s work without giving it – but he made all kinds of promises he never kept.”

A top tier celebrity is in the news right now. It’s a pretty unsavory story, so I won’t go into the details, but in short, he made some really serious mistakes. That was bad enough, but then someone got hold of the details and began to blackmail him.

Maybe you’ve seen the video. A heavy storm in the Netherlands stranded over one hundred horses on a small island of raised land, where they suffered from food and exposure for three days as concerned people frantically tried to find a way to rescue them. Even as the waters slowly receded, the traumatized animals didn’t risk putting a hoof in the waters that had so terrified them.

Change – it happens all the time. But we don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable and scary and a lot of work. But if you’re stuck in an unhappy place – unhappy in your home, marriage, job, or even yourself – you need to change. Yourself. Not them. Not it. But you.

“I was told I could be bringing in upwards of $100,000 within two years of signing on,” Dave wrote. “I went to hundreds of meetings and when I wasn’t at a meeting I was on the phone. I was recruiting constantly – my extended family started avoiding me. Then all of a sudden, the company went out of business. Here I am with a garage full of expensive products, a couple of thousand dollars on my credit card from buying products to push up to the next level, and a couple of really strained relationships.”

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, wrote: “Direct Selling . . . is a revolutionary way to achieve wealth.” Selling! If you just shuddered and envisioned yourself carting a carpetbag of brooms from door to door, it’s time to update your vision. Most direct selling comes in the form of multi-level marketing, and it offers you some incredible advantages in your quest for financial freedom.