1. Who You Are
2. What God has Made Available to You
3. How To Shatter What is Holding You Back
4. How to "Bury Your Dead"
5. How to be Unlocked and Unleashed into Your Full Potential

This was a deeply spiritual and powerful presentation, and is sure to minister to you in this season.

• Personal leadership
• Family leadership
• Community and civic leadership
• Vocational leadership or influence

In this episode, we look at the importance and power of community involvement, and how your JOB/CAREER positions you for significant influence in the marketplace.

What does it look like for a man, for a woman, for a young person to be engaged in impacting the culture around them? What does it mean to exercise leadership and influence in culture, government, neighborhoods, and the business arena? Let’s explore this together.

Leadership, however, is not a linear thing. There are angles and insights and yes, BLIND SPOTS! What we need is a 360° Leadership Approach.

That’s what we are talking about in this session; “The 4 Pillars of Personal Leadership”.

You see, I want you to know that the life you are currently living is NOT all you can have. The circumstances taking place in your personal world, and the world around you are the result of someone’s leadership … maybe not your own. Someone has determined that this is where you should be, and because we are all people pleasers in one way or another, we tend to GO ALONG to GET ALONG.

Well I am here today to say that is not going to cut it. It is my desire today to shake you up, and call you out.

In this NEW series, we’re going to look at LEADERSHIP, Influence, and Why the World Needs YOU!

Here are some questions we will look at in this episode:

• How do we navigate changes in relationships?
• Are all relationships meant to last for a lifetime?
• What do you do when a relationship is TESTED?
• What do you do when a relationship’s season has come to an end
• How do we steward the transitions in relationships from one level to another.

Today, we look at the inevitable testing and change that WILL come to every relationship, and how you can steward it in a way that produces a positive and Godly result.

What I’ve discovered is: there are 4 distinct stages of transition. What are they, and where does your present circumstance fall in with them?

The 4 stages of transition are:

1. Discontent
2. Disconnect
3. Reconnaissance (Discovery)
4. Re-engagement (Redeployment)

Transition WILL happen in your life, and things will shift significantly more than once.

How do you know if this is about to happen?

It begins with discontent. Discontent does not necessarily mean disgruntled, burned out, or unhappy (though it could). Discontent is the condition where you recognize your present circumstance is no longer satisfying and you’ve hit a ceiling. There’s something pulling on you and you feel there’s something new just beyond the horizon.

There’s an imbalance between being content and desiring more. This is a healthy discontent!

Without discontent, you may lose out on the sense to seek for something greater.

Don’t dismiss your feelings of discontent, but give yourself permission to seek what is waiting for you in your next area of influence.

What are you confident about? Feature Presentation: 

What are you confident about? Keep in mind, this has to do with your strengths.

Take an inventory of your competencies, what makes you who you are, and what you have to offer.

This is not an act of arrogance! Until you own who you are, it’s going to be impossible to do your very best.

Your strengths, talents, abilities, and resources all come together to propel you in your purpose.  So what are you confident about being able to achieve, or being able to serve others in or with?

What are you excited about?

What are you confident about? Keep in mind, this has to do with your strengths.

Take an inventory of your competencies, what makes you who you are, and what you have to offer.

This is not an act of arrogance! Until you own who you are, it’s going to be impossible to do your very best.

Your strengths, talents, abilities, and resources all come together to propel you in your purpose.  So what are you confident about being able to achieve, or being able to serve others in or with?

This week, I have a follow-up question for you, and it’s more involved than it appears at first glance.

What keeps you up at night?

I’m not talking about someone snoring, or the kids getting out of bed. What keeps your mind racing and keeps you restless at night while you’re trying to fall asleep?

It’s important not to dismiss these things as a simple annoyance. There are reasons your sleep is being interfered with!

Anything you’re worried or concerned about, any limiting belief you have – these are roadblocks that are preventing you from reaching the level of success you aspire to achieve.

You need to know – and identify – your obstacles. Only then will you be able to conquer them.

So what keeps you up at night? Take time to write these down and identify them. Realize now, there are answers to these issues. There is no problem before you that is larger than it’s solution.

If we were sitting together a certain number of years from now, what has to have happened – both personally and professionally – for you to be really satisfied with the outcome of your life?

To be content and fulfilled with the progress you’ve made in life, what needs to take place?

If you don’t have any idea what you’d like your future to look like, or what you want to achieve, it becomes nearly impossible to succeed in that which you have not defined.

Take this exercise seriously in different areas of your life: health, finances, relationships, career. What matters to you, and how can you define what needs to happen in a certain time frame in order to ensure success?

Write the question on a blank piece of paper, and answer it honestly and freely in answer beneath the question.

Once you define in writing – from a sincere, genuine heart-level – what you want your life to look like in the future, it becomes the baseline for the choices you make, the tasks you undertake, and the choices you pursue.

Ask yourself THE QUESTION.

Let’s just say we both learned a valuable lesson that day…

But what does it mean, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears?”

That’s exactly what we’re unpacking in this week’s podcast episode.

Even though my son was enthusiastic, he was not mature or prepared for the level of responsibility I chose to impart to him that particular day.

As neither are we sometimes.

We even complain and fuss about our opportunities have not presented themselves to us, but I disagree…

When you’re ready, what you’re waiting for begins to show up! It’s not that the opportunities aren’t there, it’s that you’re not ready.

What knowledge do you need to obtain? What relationships do you need to form (or release)? What is broken in your life that needs to be fixed?

When these are ready, so are we. Therefore, when the student is ready, they see the teacher (and the reward) waiting for them.

Deal with your attitudes, limiting beliefs, unresolved issues, and personal growth, so not only can you handle what’s waiting, but you’re able to run with it and do it well.

What is it in your life you need to be ready for?

And what do you need to do to make ready for it?

Relationships, jobs, careers, and even major purchases – are all choices you’re faced with.

I’m going to share 5 things every person should consider doing when faced with an important decision to be made.

1. SLOW DOWN It might be our instant gratification society, but somehow we’ve programmed ourselves to believe every major decision needs to happen immediately. That is not the case! Slow down, seek counsel, pray about it, and don’t make a decision in haste.
2. SEEK COUNSEL When you’re surrounded by godly, wise people, you’re going to be aided in making the best possible decision. From their experience, knowledge, and care for you, they’ll help you come to the right choice.
3. CONSIDER THE COST Every decision has pros and cons. On the front in, as much as you can, gather data. List out the benefits and the negatives, and see what it will really cost you. What will you gain and what will you have to give up?
4. CHECK THE ALIGNMENT “Who am I? Why am I here?” Make sure to run a check for what you’re doing up against who you are. Does it align internally and externally?
5. PRAY Inquire (from God) as to whether any of these choices you’re faced with have anything to do with the purpose He put you here for. If we’ll ask, He’ll answer, and listen to what He has to say.

These five steps will help you in your decisions, and I know great things are in your future.

Is that a bad thing? Let’s talk about it.

When we can’t see where we’re headed or what our next step is – or even if we give way to uncertainty about what’s around the bend – our human nature is to shirk back.

Faith is sometimes a tall order.

As we learn more about who we are, challenge and replace our limiting beliefs, we’re also shifting our methodologies and understanding on certain things we maybe have never seen any other way.

Stepping into more truth and understanding requires us to be accountable to what we know.

Herein lies the danger…

When you know what is true and yet you shirk back from it, you’ve created a deep internal conflict.

This internal conflict has innumerable ramifications: loss of sleep, restless sleep, decline in physical and emotional health, relationships, etc.

Don’t retreat.

Let your “yes” be “yes”!

If you’re in conflict now, no doubt you’re aware of it. For whatever reason, you’ve retreated into familiar. You’re better than that!

Take the steps forward, press in, and don’t settle. Progress over retreat.

The trails on Alpine Loop require specially-equipped vehicles to handle the rugged (and treacherous) terrain. To take a trail on the loop can mean you’re driving along a narrow road with a rock wall on one side and a steep cliff drop-off on the other. It requires special equipment, special focus, and special courage to set out and enjoy the adventure.

But why do it if it carries so much risk?

Sometimes in order to reap the benefit or reward of our desires, we have to push through to the other side of the risk involved. We may have to give up control. We may have to trust someone else knows better than we do.

But we have to keep going forward.

That can be challenging – or even downright scary – but it’s the only way to harvest the fruit of your adventure.

Therefore, real adventure requires real faith.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you “arrive”. You don’t have to overthink – you simply have to say “yes” to the invitation, trust the process (even when it’s out of your control) and remember the adventure.

The concept of Sabbath (rest) has been paramount to the health of the person, family unit, business, and life, from the beginning of history.

For decades now, especially in the western world, we have been conditioned to work hard, sacrifice our family’s and our personal health, all at the altar of productivity and accomplishment.

There is great danger in this.

We are designed to accomplish supernatural things in life; however, we cannot give what we do not possess!

It makes sense sometimes to just STOP!

• Stop performing
• Stop running non-stop
• Stop doing things that don’t matter

Evaluate where you are: look at progress, position, and perspective.

Sabbath is taking time to reset and rethink the future from a place of peace and rest, as opposed to making decisions from a place of flurry and busy-ness.

SO WHY AM I SHARING ALL OF THIS WITH YOU?

This summer marks numerous transitions taking place, opportunities to consider, and a very real need for me to focus.

In looking at my calendar, I realized the summer months presented the perfect opportunity for me to take a step back, and give intentional focus to these important things in my life and in my business.

HOW WILL I ACCOMPLISH THIS?

1. Doing virtually NO business travel during the remainder of the summer
2. No new appointments
3. Focusing my work days on thinking and creating
4. Taking time to get away and unplug
5. Spending time with my wife, kids, and close friends

One more thing:

Starting next week, I am going to publish ONLY ONE podcast episode per week!

This will be the Monday Mastery segment, which will provide high-intensity insight to fill you up for success and influence.

The Monday Mastery videos will post to our site and to YouTube on Mondays, and the audio podcast will post to our site, iTunes, Stitcher, and iHeart Radio on Thursdays.

I am not going away, I am only taking time to get stronger, better, more effective, and more influential.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Are you overdue for a Sabbath?
• Do you need to step back and reset?
• Are you stressed out and overwhelmed?
• Are there people in your life who need your time and attention now?
• Are you taking care of you so you can serve and take care of others?

• You have to rest
• You need to re-create
• You need to refuel
• You need to reboot
• You need to refresh

If life is a journey, are you paying attention to the value of the road you’re traveling, or are you simply in a hurry to “arrive”?

Sometimes, in order for us to successfully arrive at a new level, there are lessons we need to learn (and apply) along the way.

There is a destination, but the true value is in the process it takes to get you there.

Transition: it’s a big deal and a timely topic!

Over the last six years especially, I have personally come to understand the value of the process of transition.

There are areas of growth, healing, maturing, and understanding I never would have come to except for experiencing the process.

All the while, I was searching for what my “next” was. I was no longer pastoring in the traditional sense (after 27 years!) I was taking it one day at a time, learning, growing, resolving, etc.

Then one day it dawned on me: it was not about the destination, it was about the process!

1. Don’t rush to get to the next place
2. Embrace the process
3. Go deep in exploring your own heart and life
4. Identify deficits, weaknesses, and areas which need to be restored and improved
5. Ask the right questions
6. Surround yourself with people willing to speak the truth to you, even if it hurts
7. Look for opportunities to grow
8. Look for opportunities to learn
9. Look for opportunities to rest
10. Make EACH day the “next step” in the process

• If God has invited you … GO!
• If you said YES … let your yes be yes!
• Stay focused on today and the process.

There is a calling fulfilled by taking something which may have devastated you or your family, a personal failure or loss, an insurmountable tragedy, and using that as a baseline for helping others who may be going through something similar.

Many of you have heard my story.

I saw the vast need in the world: countless others who had been abused, raped, tormented by guilt, entangled with emotional connections they could not seem to shake.

Tens of thousands have found hope and freedom as a result of me sharing my story, and publishing a book which became accessible around the world.

This is also the case of my special guest today!

Rebecca Vijay is an author, blogger, editor, and designer. During a career spanning a decade and a half, after working in various industries, while heading a commissioning team in Oxford University Press when she took a break to spend time with her two kids and explore ways to make a difference.

During this break, she started blogging and it reignited her love for writing. In May 2017, she published her first book, My Angel in Heaven, in memory of her firstborn twin son, Jacob. It’s a book about finding comfort and hope in HIM in the midst of the grief.

EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS IN JUST A FEW DAYS!

Creating and publishing books, audio programs, or even video training courses is not as difficult as you may think.

In fact, with a little coaching and training, you will be empowered with the knowledge, systems, and confidence to make it happen. This one-day workshop is designed to provide you exactly that.

• You’ll learn how to leverage your concept or message for maximum impact and effectiveness
• You’ll learn our proven system for writing, publishing, and marketing your books.
• You’ll learn how to use different forms of media to extend the reach of your difference-making message.
• You will leave the training with a bulletproof plan for becoming a published author
• And so much more!

There are only 50 seats available, and a number of those have already been sold, so you need to secure yours ASAP.

If you have ever considered writing a book, creating an audio program, or launching an online course, this is the opportunity for you.

I am inviting you to make a decision today … a decision to step up, step out, and say YES to the opportunity you have to make an impact.

That being understood, how do we navigate those seasons where we find ourselves in a bit of a funk?

What are the keys to successfully getting on the other side of the darker seasons, and breaking through to your next level?

This is something I have personally been processing the last few months. I am going to share some insights with you that will empower you to focus, reset, and level up in YOUR life and leadership.

Review – Transition:

1. Discontent
2. Disconnect
3. Reconnaissance
4. Re-engagement

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?

1. We are creatures of comfort 


2. We are creatures of habit 


3. Our beliefs or mindsets govern the outcomes in our lives

These transitional seasons (times of funk) create a real conundrum for us:

• We are discontent presently
• We recognize there is something special waiting for us
• We don’t know what it looks like
• We have to step into the unknown
• The only way is to leave the security of what we know

The Invitation:

It takes faith to step into the unknown, and faith is based in your belief.

Leveling up to a new and higher reality will require you to exercise real faith and trust … to relinquish control.

To HAVE what is on the next level, I have to let GO of what I have come to depend on.

• You are at the threshold of something so amazing and so rewarding
• You have to make a decision
• You cannot have it both ways

James 1:6-8

6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

It took eight years after the idea was presented, but by the end of the 1880s, the German government created a retirement system which provided for living citizens over the age of 70.

Since then, the idea that one only works until they reach a qualified age was set in the conscious of our culture.

Corporations, investment companies, insurance programs; all of these are built on the premise that one lives, works, retires, dies.

BUT WHAT IF…?

• What if one could live many years being productive and doing what they were born to do?
• What if it was possible to do what you loved, love what you do, and keep doing it until you couldn’t do it anymore?
• What if doing that could bring joy, change lives, and leave a legacy that will outlive you?

It is possible, and I have seen it!

Just a few weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing one of the worlds greatest singers perform here in Dallas. Frank Sinatra referred to this man as the greatest vocalist to ever live.

I am talking about none other than Tony Bennett.

Tony Bennett is 91 years old, and has been singing professionally since early 1946…more than 70 years!

How can someone at his age be SO passionate, SO inspired, SO engaged, and still SO committed to his craft after all these years?

He doesn’t need the money; he doesn’t need the notoriety; he doesn’t need the applause.

So why does he do it?

1. This is how I want to live my life
2. When I am old, I want to STILL be doing the thing for which I was born
3. Those who stay in the game, WIN the game
4. Those who quit too early miss the most meaningful rewards
5. Health and strength are directly tied to purpose and meaningful activity
6. Legacy is not about what people remember you for; it’s about the lasting impact you make on those you serve
7. Work is not work when you are in your zone of genius

Tony Bennett is a living example of how to live life, love life, and make an impact on generations.

Find your passion and purpose and give yourself to it completely.

You can launch your message, leverage your authority, and establish your position effectively and efficiently as a published author.

Then, if you choose, you can parlay that message into an expert platform using audio, video, and online systems expanding your reach and changing more lives.

Premise:

1. You have a message, a story, and cause that matters
2. You are drawn to a certain need or people group, and have something of real value to offer
3. You have a desire to write, publish, and produce meaningful content for those you are called to serve

If any or all of these are true, you should be at the Create.Publish.Profit. workshop on June 21st!

7 Reasons Why You Should Attend The Create.Publish.Profit Workshop

1. Your difference-making message is important and deserves a place in the printed/digital resource world.
2. As your host, I am uniquely qualified to train/coach you in the creation and publishing process.
   1. Authored 2 books (third is on the way)
   2. Coached dozens including best sellers
3. You will learn my proven system for taking your idea, creating your manuscript, and preparing it for publishing.
4. You will learn how to self-publish through the Amazon/CreateSpace platform, and how to submit a proposal for traditional publishing.
5. You will meet writers, content developers, cover designers, editors, etc. who I personally work with.
6. You will leave the training room having written the thesis and chapter outline for your book.
7. Because someone is waiting on you to write and publish it!

What does it mean to be a difference-maker?

What does it mean to affect your environment and culture?

That’s exactly what we’re talking about in today’s episode: Salt, Light, and Other Ways to Disrupt the Environment.

Our focus carried over from last week is influence.

We must be engaged in activities and causes that foster positive change around us. True transformation will only come when people like us decide to be the change we desire to see.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses some very powerful word pictures to describe our place in this world.

“Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others. Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.”

Salt is an ingredient, which when introduced to any dish, fundamentally changes the flavor of the food.

The environment cannot say to the salt, “I refuse to change”.

Unless the salt has lost its potency or unique value and quality…

In which case it will become good for nothing, and be walked all over by those who have asserted their agenda to bear.

How About The Light?

There is no darkness powerful enough to overcome light.

What’s the point of being light if you’re going to keep it hidden from the people who so desperately need it?

If you have a message or an answer that can light the path for someone, why would you not share it?

Light only has value if it is intentionally set up where people can see it

Salt only has value if it can be utilized to change an environment or situation.

You have the capacity to radically change your world.

If you think about it, both SALT and LIGHT are environment disruptors. That is what YOU are.

You know God has created you for greatness. You see the needs and hurts of people around you. You have something to offer!

What does it mean to be a difference-maker?

What does it mean to affect your environment and culture?

Today we’re going to answer this question: What’s The Big Deal About Influence Anyway?

Let’s Start with a Primer on the 7 Spheres of Cultural Influence

They are:

1. Religion
2. Family
3. Government
4. Education
5. Arts/Entertainment
6. Media/Communication
7. Business/Financial Sector

Family:     Consider the groups that have shaped this area in the last 10 years. The term family has been completely re-defined, laws changed, gender neutralized, etc.

How did this happen?      INFLUENCE

Government:   Think about the current news, and how our nations are being transformed before our eyes. Principles and values that were the foundations for our culture have been eroded the point of no return.

How?        INFLUENCE

Education:        Many of our academic institutions are no longer laboratories for the development of potential. Rather, they have become the programming centers for contingencies of people hell-bent on erasing history and changing our cultural DNA.

Again … INFLUENCE

Arts/Entertainment:         Hollywood, Broadway, the music industry, sports industry, and even the online entertainment space have become cesspools of filth, activism, and agenda based programming. You cannot turn on a device without being told what to believe, how to think, what to wear, etc.

Again … INFLUENCE

Media/Communication:  Consider the news media, social media, and the thousands of pundits beaming their noise into every nook and cranny of our day.

Again … INFLUENCE

Business/Finance:   The entire world revolves around business, commerce, money, and market share. We need Godly, principle-centered business owners, board members, and entrepreneurs guiding and leading our nation.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see WHY our world is in such a mess.

It is simply a matter of influence.

SO, WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT INFLUENCE?

The big deal is that America, and other nations around the world, are in desperate need of great leaders, strong influencers, men and women of character and strength to STAND UP, take our place, and make a difference.

The very problems you complain about and grieve over are the problems YOU are called to and capable of solving.

You just have to get in the game!

Anytime you want to build something that stands the test of time, you must first engineer and construct a foundation worth of the thing you propose to build on it.

So many people are pursuing their goals and dreams without having taken the time to inspect, or possibly re-engineer the foundation.

A while back, I had the honor of being a guest on one of my dear friend’s podcast, and we went deep on this subject

Ray Edwards is the founder of Ray Edwards International, and is a renowned expert in marketing, copywriting, and has authored numerous books, including his soon to be released book entitled “Permission to Prosper”, which I highly recommend.

Ray is one of the wisest, most insightful people I know, and this conversation was really clear and powerful.

I wanted to share that conversation with you today. Let’s go now to my interview on the Ray Edwards show.

• Living strategically takes purpose and intent a step further.
• Unresolved or unreconciled issues create a ceiling on our ability to maximize our God-given potential.
• Personal healing is the chief cornerstone
• Who am I and why am I here?
• Focus on what you’ve discovered as a framework for who you are, why you’re here, and develop that person.
• This is a life-long cyclical process!
• Deployment is seasonal.
• Deployment is the fourth cornerstone, not the first cornerstone.
• Promotion and elevation are also cyclical and seasonal.

It’s important we understand the season we’re in, and where each relationship fits in with our progress and development.

Here are a few questions to consider;

• What is life outside of relationships? 
• How do we classify or categorize our relationships?
• Do relationships change in seasons of our lives?
• How do we navigate relationships when conflict or tests come?

Today, we’re going to be looking at these questions and talking about Relationships, Resources, and the Rhythm of Real Progress. 

GOD DID NOT CREATE US TO DO LIFE ALONE!

A great mentor and friend shared with me a very powerful concept some years ago. He said

You only need two things to succeed in life; Relationships and Resources. If you have to choose between the two, choose relationships, and they will lead you to the resources you need.

We are designed by God to have meaningful connections, relationships, and to interface with other people in order to add value and receive value

Categories of Relationships

• Family
• Mentors, Teachers, Spiritual Leaders
• Friends and Peers
• Workplace Relationships
• Casual Acquaintances

The Circle Test:

• Self – Know who you are
• Family – wife, children, mother, father, siblings, etc.
• Close friends – HOW CLOSE ARE THEY REALLY?
• Acquaintances/Tribe
• The Crowd 

The key is how do you define these levels.

• Friend
• Acquaintance
• Tribe
• Crowd
• Enemy
• Enemies/Fool

For your consideration:

1. Some relationships are for certain SEASONS. When that season has come to an end, it is not wise to continue to invest into the relationship, as you will drain yourself of the very resources
2. Some relationships are covenantal in nature and are sent by God to be LIFETIME relationships
3. Some relationships are SITUATIONAL such as business relationships, educational, etc. Most times, these are also temporary
4. Some relationships are STRATEGIC, and they have to do with your assignment in a particular season
5. All (healthy) relationships are given by God to be mutually beneficial, and for the common good

QUESTIONS:

1. Have you inventoried your relationships lately?
2. Are there people in your life that do NOT add value, but rather tale away from you?
3. Are there relationships in your life that need to be “moved” from one category to another?
4. Do you have room in your life for NEW, STRATEGIC relationships that could add value to your life in this new season?

Jim Rohn said … “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”.

What are you doing to raise your average?

WHO you have around you matters: who you allow to speak into your life, who you work for or with, your friends and associates – they all matter.

If you want to build a life of high impact and meaningful influence, you are going to need to make sure you are connecting with people who align.

Today, I have Val Kleppen sitting in with us to talk about how these concepts and realities have shaped our business, her life, and now her own business endeavors as she launches out to make her mark.

This is one you don’t want to miss!

I am thrilled to be able to have my executive assistant, Val Kleppen, on the program today as we talk about the importance of different relationships in different areas of our working together, and in her own business and life endeavors as well.

Val is not only a virtual assistant to fantastic clients but has a dream to change households across the country by teaching other people how to obtain their own freedoms in working from home. She has launched a course to train others to build their own business as a virtual assistant, in an effort to make home the center of day to day life.

She is a wife, speaker, self-proclaimed homesteader, homeschooling mom, and freelance writer.

Interested in her Virtual Assistant Training? Visit here: AnchorVAnetwork.com

For more about Harlynn’s Heart, visit their Facebook page

The Bible and its principles, on the other hand, still influence people and nations thousands of years after their Genesis.

While there are many reasons why this may be, there is one I am certain has played a major part in its continued influence:

Relationships

How do we reverse engineer the success and power of this movement that has influenced our world for generations?

What are the key components factored into the longevity of this movement?

What practices can we identify as being responsible for transforming cultures and shaping societies?

1. Learning
2. Fellowship (Doing Life Together)
3. Dining/Breaking Bread with Others
4. Communion with God (Prayer/Worship)

Gone are the days of knowing your neighbors, kids playing together in the streets, and families doing real life with one another.

Even if you do sit down to eat together with a group, everyone is on their smart phones, engaging someone who is NOT present in the moment.

We have lost something very sacred.

If you are like me, you are hungry for change; longing for the days where life was shared, not segregated.

We can change it!

• Have one person at the table “host” the dinner
• Instead of everyone chatting it up with whomever, pose a question, and everyone have one conversation around that question.
• Example: What is the most impactful book you have read recently? Why? How has it impacted you personally?

Be intentional. This will change your relationships.

The good ol’ days when…

• Families cooked out together
• We were in and out of each others homes all the time
• If someone was sick, everyone pitched in to help
• Most people were church-goers, and those church people were our extended family
• We shared the joys, pain, challenges, and even losses of these people

Nowadays, it is different.

Everyone is isolated, segregated, going different directions, consumed with self-interests, and so on.

There’s no community IN the home.

There’s no community with others OUTSIDE the home.

WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?

The Bible teaches us that we are NOT designed to do this thing called LIFE, alone.

The answer is … let’s try something different!

It would be presumptuous of me to put forward a guaranteed, fix-all, non-negotiable solution to such an overwhelming issue, however …

I would like to invite you to consider a few things we can do as we begin exploring what it really means to DO LIFE TOGETHER.

1. Be honest with yourself; are you isolated or alone?
2. If so, are you willing to do something different, even if it is initially difficult or uncomfortable?
3. Do you know anyone else who is probably hungry for the same thing?
   1. Invite one or more families over to your home for a meal and fellowship (CALL THEM … no texting)
   2. Set ground rules for the evening
      1. TV is turned off … period
      2. All phones on silent; NO social media or texting

• One conversation (Books, inspiration, other)

1. No politics or current events
2. You model what heart-level sharing looks like
3. Invite them to share

• Encourage, comfort, share resources (you don’t have to have an answer for everything)
• Play games

1. Be present
2. Stop texting for 30 days; instead, CALL and talk to people
3. No Facebook for 30 days
4. Eliminate pretense and live honestly with family and friends

In my case, not only did I get exactly what I expected by way of the training I signed up for, but was fundamentally blown away by the culture, the mindset, the environment, and the level of excellence on display.

I came away from my weekend with (at least) 5 things I really want to share with you today.

These 5 things will set you or your business apart, hands down.

• End your workday by taking 5-10 minutes for positive focus
• List out the day’s wins; what you did right; what you did that was good; the progress you made
• Pat yourself on the back.
• Talk to yourself
• Intentionally focus your mind on the measured success you had that day.

This will change your life … I promise!

What I saw at this company two weeks ago embodies so many of the principles we promote here on BrianHolmes.com

Delta Defense, LLC, headquartered in West Bend, has been recognized as one of America’s fastest growing companies.

In addition to the INC 5000 award, Delta Defense has been honored for the past three years as one of the top 15 fastest-growing companies in the state of Wisconsin.

• Arrival and Greeting
• Preparation and Presentation
• Immaculate facilities
• Kind and helpful staff
• Started on time (every time)
• Genuinely engaged with guests and true desire to relate
• Excellence, excellence, excellence
• So much more

When you are clear on who you are, why you are here, and what your mission is, you can run hard and run confidently toward the realization of that mission.

2. Culture is created

Early on, Tim Schmidt and his team decided to build a different kind of company; one that reflected a culture of family, support, personal growth, fun, and excellence.

Everyone has a voice and a contribution

3. Values are contagious

Ask any employee and they will tell you, “We are Honest, Humble, Happy, Hungry, and Healthy”.

4. Growth (both personal and corporate) is a choice

• Library
• Owner buys books for entire staff
• Brings in trainers and speakers
• Company Dream Board
• Committed to one another’s success and growth

5. Action and accountability produce results

It’s not enough to have an idea or even state something as a goal or project. One must execute rapidly, systematically, decisively and fearlessly, and hold each other responsible to achieve those goals.

I am deeply grateful for Tim Schmidt, Delta Defense, the USCCA, and the incredible team of people who served our group so well.

Whether you are a solo-preneur, small business owner, pastor, non-profit director, or in some other position of influence and leadership, these 5 things apply to you.

1. Mission matters
2. Culture is created
3. Values are contagious
4. Growth (both personal and corporate) is a choice
5. Action and accountability produce results

If anything in life is certain, it’s the fact things are going to change.

Are you cooperating with change, making right choices, and as a result, growing into your next level?

Life always changes around us, but we do not always change internally as a result, and therefore, do not leverage the external change.

Are you growing to be the person you are capable of being or are you simply accommodating the changes happening all around you?

Our Creator put certain laws in place which govern the universe, and one of those laws is the Law of Growth.

• “Living things grow, and growing things change.”
• If something stops changing and growing, it acquires a new status altogether – dead.
• History has recorded so many examples of how change comes, yet people (or organizations) still refuse to grow into the change.

Let’s Talk About You

• You have engaged change over the course of your life (and this year) but have you grown personally, mentally, academically, emotionally, spiritually, practically?
• Are you engaging the change on the basis of the same old you?
• Are you simply adapting to the change in an effort to try and survive, OR …
• Are you identifying areas in your own life where you need to grow in order to leverage and maximize the new opportunities?

What was excellent on the previous level is mediocre (at best) on the next level.

LIFE will constantly be in motion around you. Changes will take place in every sector of your world and opportunities will present themselves. The next level is available to you, without a doubt.

You cannot perform at a level you have not grown into.

5 Things You Can Do To Grow Your Life, Leadership, and Opportunity:

1. Know yourself
2. Identify strategic areas where growth is needed
3. Enroll in a learning program or discipline
4. Check your relationships
5. Submit yourself to a legitimate accountability system

Habits become second nature in our lives and behave and act out of habit.

Our habits produce results, but are they the results we were after? Perhaps you are you currently locked into habits that are keeping you from achieving your very best life.

You use routines to add value and move you forward OR to inhibit your progress and success.

You can make changes to bring about the results you desire by implementing habits, rituals, and routines.

There are THREE primary tools I use to guarantee I stay on track and on point with my habits and rituals:

1. Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner http://fullfocusplanner.com
2. Evernote https://evernote.com
3. The 30/30 App http://bit.ly/1lg36K7 Feature Presentation: Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. ~ James 4:17 (NASB)

   Humans tend to do the same things over and over again without even thinking about it.

   Examples:

   • What we eat
   • Spending money
   • Veg in front of the TV

   The life you desire can be attained if you are willing to examine your habits!

   • What do you want?
   • What area of your life do you desire to see change?
   • What are your present habits?

   The same is true of our routines. There are 5 steps I recommend for making the difference in your life you desire to make:

   1. Answer the question “What Do I Want?”
   2. Examine your current beliefs and habits.
   3. Identify: What new beliefs and/or habits can you develop and live that will move the needle?
   4. Commit: Make a commitment to yourself to do this action every day/week, etc for 90 days.
   5. Establish Rituals and Routines

   A ritual is nothing more than an act or series of acts done in a particular situation and in the same way each time. Rituals and routines, when properly structured, give us a track to run on, especially while we are working to for new habits.

   The key to make it a lasting routine is to make it something you do over and over again in the same way. Doing this forms our pattern of behaviors into habits. Habits, then, create the outcomes we want in our lives.

   Influencer’s Challenge:

   My Challenge:

   What new habits will you form TODAY that will change your future?

Listen in on this powerful conversation I had with Dale (in studio!) about transformational leadership, what it means, and how it changes your life and the lives of those around you.

Dale’s passion is to help business leaders live with heart, integrity, and significance.

Dale’s diverse background began in the technology world with a BS degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. After several years of technical work, he progressed into management, then consulting, then leading consultants, and finally executive management, at companies from startups to multi-nationals.

Becoming a born-again believer mid-way through that journey and being mentored by a business executive, Dale saw the integration of faith and work as an inspired and necessary goal.

The meteoric rise of a technology startup where Dale was the Executive Vice President in the early 2000’s brought success for a while, but the equally spectacular implosion due to poor team dynamics sent Dale on a quest to understand teamwork and leadership.

Dale has read, studied, and trained with the best. Dale was able to put that training to good use a few years later when he sold a multi-million dollar Managed Services engagement at a large energy company, displacing the entrenched incumbent. Dale built the team, which has been in place for over a decade even though Dale has not been involved with them for several years.

While this story was unfolding, Dale has served in the church as a life group leader, study group facilitator, deacon, and head usher. Dale has also served on mission trips to Costa Rica and on various boards and committees.

In early 2011, Dale started bringing these somewhat separate faith/work threads closer together by becoming a Certified Professional Life (2013) and Leadership (2016) Coach through the Professional Christian Coaching Institute (PCCI). Since mid-2011, Dale has been coaching business leaders around issues of heart, integrity, and significance.

God has given Dale the gifts, talents, insight, and experience to facilitate diverse groups of business leaders while integrating faith and work issues. Dale is single and lives in McKinney Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas.

When we get locked into the rut called “normal”, we begin to see the world through the eyes of limited possibility. The rut becomes our routine, and we lock into a second-nature functionality that cripples our ability to dream, to engage, to explore.

I am here today to challenge everything you have come to believe as normal and to tell you to Get Off Your “BUT” and Make A Difference!

Remember the story in the Bible where the leaders of Israel sent spies into the land of promise to do a little reconnaissance and check out the place?

12 men sent in to scope out the possibilities, the benefits, the prosperity, and the joy that awaited them (and the Giants).

Here is the part of the story that gets me – –

They come back to the leaders and give their report.

The promised land was:

• Amazing
• Over the moon
• Opportunistic
• When you plant a seed there and you expect an ordinary return, you wind up with 10X results
• WOW!

Then the “BUT” was introduced … (Numbers 13:28)

• BUT … We can’t access that (walls)
• BUT … It’s too good for us
• BUT … Giants – people standing in the way of us having it
• BUT … Compared to “THEM” we are little insects

Two of the spies (Joshua and Caleb) intervened trying to convince the people  WE CAN DO THIS!

BUT … they weren’t having it.

They settled for the wilderness while standing at the doorway of the possibility.

Here’s the worst part.

That entire generation DIED without ever realizing their dreams, destinies, purposes, or making their impact.

Why?

Because their “BUTS” got in the way.

All of us have “BUTS”.

Until you can get off your BUTS, you will never rise to the level of your design.

What are your BUTS?

• I’m not talented enough
• I don’t have the kind of resources others have
• The people in that space won’t accept me and my message
• What do I have that can help someone else
• There are too many obstacles I may have to overcome in order to make my mark
• My family doesn’t believe in me
• My pastor won’t sanction or encourage me in this
• People won’t understand

You have a difference-making message on the inside of you, and it is time to say yes to the possibilities.

• YES, there will be obstacles
• YES, you will have to grow and learn
• YES, you will face challenges and problems
• YES, it’s scary
• YES, it’s unfamiliar
• YES, it’s new

When you engage the possibilities, wonderful things happen. Get off your “BUTS”, and go make a difference in the world!

My Challenge:

If you’re ready to leverage your message and wisdom and make a greater impact, NOW is the time!

Don’t wait … Take action now:

“Does the work I am doing matter?”

“Am I living to work, or am I working to LIVE?”

“When I am gone, will my work have made a difference?”

“Do I love my work, or am I living for a paycheck?”

Here is another way of looking at it:

Am I engaged in activity that produces fulfillment, joy, and prosperity, AND, am I making an impact on other’s lives and the world at large?

…am I doing work that really matters?

Something is stirring in the hearts of so many people right now. It is a desire to not just work for the sake of work, but to do work that truly matters.

Here’s the lie you’ve been told:

1. Go to college
2. Get a degree
3. Get a job
4. Make a “living”
5. Provide for your family
6. Save for retirement
7. Retire at 65
8. Play golf, knit sweaters, and sit on the front porch until you die.

This is not God’s plan for your life!

Most people live their entire lives working to earn a paycheck or to survive.

What if, rather than trading your life for a token, you could invest your time, talent, resources, and greatness for the reward of making a lasting difference?

What if you could get PAID to do something that mattered?

What if your LIFE and your WORK could make a difference, and IMPACT a lasting, generational mark?

No matter what age you may be, I am challenging you to consider this question:

Are you doing work that simply allows you to maintain the mediocre and the status quo, or are you ALL IN on doing work that really matters?

Are you doing what is in your heart to do?

Are you living the life and pursuing the things for which God has created you?

Are you in the game, or are you on the sideline?

Are you doing work that really matters?

Here is the bottom line:

The choice is yours.

You can sit back and wait for something to come to you, OR, you can get off the sidelines and achieve YOUR maximum impact.

This has taken me all over the world and has allowed me to meet people from all backgrounds, all walks of life, all kinds of philosophies and all different paradigms.

There is ONE THING remaining consistent across the breadth and scope of my experience:

“There is something on the inside of every individual that desires to matter, to make a difference, to leave the world a better place”.

Every person has a TRUE NORTH; a first love; a passion, a cause, a message that they deeply believe in, and love to talk about.

Today, we’re going to show you how you can Leverage Your Passion, Communicate With Confidence, and Achieve Maximum Impact.

In 2018, I am launching a new endeavor in our Personal/Business/Leadership Development Training Series.

Over the course of this year, I will be offering a number of LIVE training opportunities here in DFW.

These will come in the form of:

• 1-Day Workshops
• 3-Day Intensive Bootcamps
• Immersive Training programs
• Exclusive Group Coaching Events

The overarching objective is simple:

Train, develop, and empower influencers for Maximum Impact.

As you are aware, we approach all of our training on the basis of the 4 Cornerstones for Strategic Living

1. Personal Healing
2. Personal Discovery
3. Personal Development
4. Personal Deployment

That leads me to our FIRST 1-Day Workshop of 2018.

On Thursday, February 22nd, I will be teaching you how to Maximize Your Message and Make A Greater Impact.

You will learn how to:

• see your unique value in the world
• align with your God-given passion and purpose
• find your voice and core (difference-making) message
• identify the people who need your message and determine where they are gathered
• make preparation easy and your presentations unforgettable
• understand the business side of training and speaking
• build your strategic plan for crafting your message and launching your communication platform
• and more!

Last week we talked about identifying what deeply moves you, excites you, angers you, or even breaks your heart.

I’m driving home the idea you are created, uniquely designed, and specifically wired to make a difference in this world.

Perhaps you’ve already identified your passion or cause, and you want to share it strategically to make a maximum impact for others.

Now what?

Today we’re taking a deeper look into how to find your voice and deliver your message effectively and confidently.

Finding Your Voice

The convergence of your unique wiring and deep passion brings about the possibility of a real mission, a real purpose, a course of action you can take in order to make what is on the inside of you really count. But will you take that course of action?

Hesitancies are born out of:

• Lack of confidence
• Fear
• Deep insecurity
• Don’t know how to speak or deliver a message
• Don’t know how to find the people who want to listen

How have we become so programmed to believe that the very thing we are BORN to do is unattainable?

Here is the greater issue …

The people we are called to serve with OUR MESSAGE are not getting the help, support, or information they desperately desire because we have yet to engage our calling in life.

In our upcoming WORKSHOP, we’re going to take time to help those who attend to get past the hang-ups, find their voice, and absolutely get in the game!

Delivering Your Message

It is widely stated one of the greatest fears most people have is public speaking.

Here’s a dirty little secret: Most of the great communicators, spokespersons, advocates, and leaders you admire and respect are just as normal, unassuming, and down to earth as YOU are.

They will tell you that their early presentations and speeches were terrible.

Here is the DIFFERENCE: Their passion, pain, and their recognition of the needs of others were stronger than their fear, insecurities, or lack of confidence.

What About The Technical Stuff?

Things like:

1. Defining and clarifying your core message
2. Techniques for preparation and delivery
3. How to book yourself as a speaker or trainer
4. How to connect with your audience and command a room

Here is the bottom line:

Your message is important.

Your voice needs to be heard.

You can (and must) make a difference in the area and with the people you’ve been called to serve.

It’s not enough to simply have a passion.

YOU are the difference maker!

You are uniquely qualified, and you are READY to take your cause, your message, your passion to the world.

It’s in our DNA to take interest in certain things. We were born with internal guidance that pulls us toward those interests by default.

Today, we’re going to really explore those things you are naturally drawn to and deeply care about, and discuss how these things are an indication of who you are, and why you are here.

Examples of indicators of our message and high-impact calling we have on our lives:

• What makes us laugh
• Things we love to do
• Things we love to talk about
• Things that make us happy, excited, or motivated
• Things that make us sad, angry, or even broken-hearted

EXAMPLES:

• Home Schooling
• Gaming
• Airplane Maintenance
• Personal development
• Work-from-home
• Essential Oils
• Health and Wellness
• Entrepreneurship
• Coaching
• Leadership and training
• Philanthropy and charity work
• Missions
• Widows and Orphans
• Pregnant Teenagers
• Single moms
• People in need of mentors
• Sex/human trafficking
• Malnourishment or sickness in developing world nations
• Battered women
• Evangelism or Discipleship

What Lights You Up?

What Moves you Deeply?

What Breaks Your Heart?

What keeps you up at night? 

Don’t minimize the awareness you have of the things that make you come alive. 

Now is the time to discover and embrace the higher purpose for which you were created.

Watch the video or download and listen to our audio file as well. Join us every Monday for a new Monday Mastery Edition of our Strategic Leader podcast, and every Thursday (beginning again in September) for a new in-depth episode.

While I won’t get into the science of how the mind works, I will tell you we tend to dial our truth and possibilities DOWN to the level of our internal belief structures.

Today, I want to start at the beginning.

I want to start with you! What is YOUR unique value in the world?

Is it really possible to channel your passions, interests, experience, and wisdom into meaningful work?

This episode will explore this very question in great detail.

God installed in the prophet Jeremiah everything he (Jeremiah) needed to succeed in life and make a difference in his world.

Remember these principles:

1. Before you arrived on earth, there was a plan and a purpose with your name on it.
2. There is a specific people group or demographic with a particular problem, challenge, question, or need which you are called to serve.
3. You are uniquely wired and equipped to make a difference in that arena; to make an impact which truly changes lives.
4. You were born to make an impact and change the world!

Who Am I, and Why Am I Here?

This is the million dollar question and is one so many never find a satisfactory answer to.

The challenge is life tends to teach us what we can and can’t have, and systematically conditions us to expect less than what we were born to achieve.

What About Discovery? 

5 Key Parts to the Discovery Process:

1. Understand your wiring
2. Understand your strengths
3. Identify your core values
4. Clarify and cultivate your vision
5. Strategic planning and execution 

Other questions to consider:

• How do I go about getting in touch with this divine purpose and life calling?
• How do I get past the limiting beliefs and fully embrace the cause, mission, passion, and message that makes me fully alive?
• How can I break free from the idea my work and meaning are exclusive, and the two should never meet?

Where can I go to get help?

• Hire a personal coach
• Take online profiles for personality, strengths, values
• Do a personal vision retreat
• Take time to know YOU
• Come to our one-day workshop!

Watch the video or download and listen to our audio file as well. Join us every Monday for a new Monday Mastery Edition of our Strategic Leader podcast, and every Thursday (beginning again in September) for a new in-depth episode.

The status quo is no longer satisfying and the time to shift gears and engage your life’s potential is NOW!

I’m alive and encouraged today. There’s something in the air. It feels like a fresh start. I’m glad to have you with us in 2018.

Let’s see what the New Year holds for us!

With a new beginning comes the opportunity to design something without prejudice, without limitations, without someone saying, “We’ve never done it that way before.”

Let me ask you a few questions as we begin the new year:

1. What dreams or plans have you given up on or dismissed as being impossible or unreachable?
2. What deeply inspired ideas have you talked about, contemplated, maybe even begun to act on, but eventually filed them away because of “reality”?
3. What if you could write your own story – a new and promising story – with nothing of your past having the power to stop you. What would that story be?
4. If you were to design your “perfect life” or your “perfect year” or even your “perfect day” what would it look like?
5. If you could travel anywhere you wanted to travel, where would it be?
6. If you could work in a field or area you had passion for, what would it be?

I pose these as questions, but really, they are all possibilities.

• You can choose your own path.
• You get to design it.
• You decide who, what, when, where, and how.

It is a new day. You have been given a fresh opportunity to create, to engage, to live, and to lead.

As you will hear more about in the coming weeks, you have a message, a cause, a lane you are created to run in.

There are people waiting on YOU to get in the game, make your voice heard, offer you expertise and your wisdom, and make a difference in their world.

It is time for you to make YOUR impact.

No more excuses.

I’m honored to have you with us. Let’s get started! Feature Presentation:

Encouragement:

1. Celebrate this year’s moments
2. Take responsibility for yourself (Fess it and fix it)
3. Resolve and Reconcile – ‘Let It Go’
4. Check Your Head – Be ruthless with unbelief and negativity
5. The Habit of Gratefulness – Be thankful (make a list)
6. Do a relationship inventory
7. Commit to personal growth (reading, habits, rituals, development of your leadership and influence)
8. Decide … “What Do I Want?”
9. Decide … “What am I willing to change to have it?”
10. Open your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit’s leadership

As you finish out these last few days of the old year, I want to challenge you to take time to reflect, consider, and imagine.

Your best days are still ahead of you.

God has great plans for your life.

You are a leader and influencer; destined to make a massive impact in your world.

Believe It!

There is no better time than now to reflect, regroup, reset, and be renewed.

On this episode especially, I want us to consider the blessing of Christmas, what it really means, and look to a wonderful, hope-filled future.

It’s not about gifts, toys, vacations, or gadgets. Both Christmas and the future ahead are about the ultimate gift the world has ever been given.

LUKE 2: This is a timeless story.

While the world has evolved and the story has become less of a focus in so many places, it is still the greatest story ever told. It was Jesus’ coming which provided us our opportunities.

It is imperative we consider the reason we can pursue our dreams, our hopes. It is important that we recognize the source from which all of our meaningful ideas and contributions originate.

Life has a way of consuming us; completely and totally overwhelming us and demanding our attention.

Each time I have taken the time to PAUSE, I am amazed at how much more of God’s creation I become aware of.

There is BEAUTY everywhere, but can you see it?

There are blessings abounding, but are you too busy to notice?

The Bible says “Be STILL and know that I Am God”

What would life be like if we made the PAUSE a part of our daily discipline?

My Christmas encouragement to you is …. PAUSE

No matter what 2017 has been like for you; know this …

• God’s plans for your life are sure
• You have a hope
• You have a future
• Your future is bigger and brighter than your past
• As difficult as things may have been or may still BE, you are blessed, capable, and worthy of realizing the tomorrows God has given you.

We’re all thinking about how we can do better, achieve more, grow our business, and expand our impact in a new year.

Obviously, there are many things one can do to accomplish their goals and objectives.

On today’s program, I want to discuss one such strategy that has proven to be priceless in my own journey.

What about you? Are you interested in learning how you can 10X your life and influence?

AUDIBLE

• One of my favorite ways to consume books and programs is AUDIBLE.COM.
• I listen to business, personal development, motivational, biographical, and leadership content every day.
• We have partnered with Audible to bring you something really special!
• 30 Day FREE Trial
• Start the New Year NOW. Begin feeding your mind.

AudibleTrial.com/strategicliving

THE ONE FACTOR THAT IS GUARANTEED TO 10X YOUR LIFE IS …

Having Strategic Relationships That Add Value and Safety

What Is A Mastermind?

• Mastermind groups offer a combination of brainstorming, education, peer accountability and support in a group setting to sharpen your business and personal skills.
• A mastermind group helps you and your mastermind group members achieve success.
• Participants challenge each other to set powerful goals, and more importantly, to accomplish them.
• The group requires commitment, confidentiality, willingness to both give and receive advice and ideas, and support each other with total honesty, respect and compassion.
• Mastermind group members act as catalysts for growth, devil’s advocates, and supportive colleagues.
• The concept of the “mastermind alliance” was formally introduced by Napoleon Hill in his timeless classic, “Think And Grow Rich,” though mastermind groups have been around since the beginning of time.
• Even Benjamin Franklin belonged to such a group, which he called a Junto.

What A Mastermind is NOT

• It’s not a class.
• It’s not group coaching.
• It’s not a networking group.

The Benefits of Belonging to a Mastermind Group

• Your mastermind partners give you feedback, help you brainstorm new possibilities.
• The mastermind provides accountability structures that keep you focused and on track.
• You create a community of supportive colleagues who brainstorm together to move the members to new heights.
• You’ll gain tremendous insights which improve your business and personal life.
• Your mastermind group is like having a objective board of directors, a success team, and a peer advisory group, all rolled into one.

 What are we looking for?

• You have a burning desire to elevate your life and leadership.
• You’re working full time on your business or are close to making that move.
• You recognize your need to have others speak into your life and situation,
• You are committed to adding value to others in the group
• You are able to commit to a weekly online mastermind group meeting.
• You are willing and able to commit to attending 2-3 “in-person” meetings each calendar year.
• You are able and willing to invest financially in your mastermind membership

(More information and guidelines will be provided to you in your personal interview)

Weekly (Online) Meetings

Our primary, and most consistent method for meeting is online. The wonderful thing about this is that you can be anywhere you want as long as you have a quality internet connection. Your geographical location is not important, but your presence on the video conference is.

Each week we meet on the same day and at the same time. We use a well-respected and dependable service called ZOOM.

In-Person Intensives

We will conduct 3 in-person meetings each calendar year. The format of these will vary from meeting to meeting, however, they are a very different experience than our weekly calls.

Each LIVE meeting will consist of 2 days of training, processes, and high level mastermind exercises designed to generate a 10X outcome in your life, business, ministry, or mission. Each member will have extensive “hotseat” time, and will leave the meeting with a strategy and actionable plan.

My Experience in Masterminds

For the last several years I have participated in TWO mastermind groups. I cannot express the impact these have had on my life, my business, and my relationships.

• I have experienced a significant pivot in my personal leadership.
• My business has transitioned to a broader reaching model, and is impacting 30X the nunber of people each month.
• I have built relationships and been granted access to mentors and leaders in my field of work.
• My ROI has easily exceeded 10X my personal investment in this process.

This is not a marketing ploy to get people into a course. I’m looking to grow my businesses in a co-operative environment and also share my knowledge and experience with those who are ready to take their life and their leadership to the next level.

If you want more information on this incredible opportunity, go to …

NOTE:

• There is an application and interview process.
• Not everyone will be accepted.
• Also, this is a PAID mastermind group.
• There is a substantial investment for membership in the SIMM group.

Again, If you want more information on this incredible opportunity, go to …

We look forward to having you join us on the NEXT LEVEL!

This marks our 300th episode and I wanted to use this opportunity to share something that will apply to many of you.

I have invited Dr. Michael Hudson back on the program with us. (He was on Episode #135.)  I love bringing people on who can speak life into your leadership growth and your personal and professional pursuits.

Dr. Michael Hudson is a dear friend of mine, a great resource, and someone I have been doing life with for several years. He’s a teacher, speaker, writer, facilitator, corporate trainer, coach, and ideapreneur.

Listen intently today. We are talking to you!

Dr. Michael Hudson helps people discover their vision, write their story, and speak their vision into existence using his provenVisionSpeaker™ System .

You can also find more about him on his webpage:

• Most people, even (and especially) if they desire to share their story, cite communication as a major issue in their work and in their lives.
• Sharing your message has far more impact on those you influence than you realize – but only if you share it!
• Our ability to have impact, influence, and income, comes in large part by our ability to leverage our past experiences.
• The first place we have to get our message heard is in our own brain.
• Who loses out if you don’t show up?
• “That which is obvious to you is often amazing to others.”
• Don’t discount the positive stuff in life.
• Mark your calendars for an event in Dallas February 22nd, 2018, and stay tuned for more details forthcoming.

How does this happen?

Simple. There are laws at work which transcend my opinion or stance on certain things.

If a person abides by certain principles and executes on those principles and laws, they will reap the rewards of those principles.

It’s so important for those of us who do have high standards, values, etc. to be influencing those around us, and succeeding in what we do and how we live. Therefore, we also must adopt, follow, and execute on certain principles!

Today, I want to share a few principles and factors which are paramount to success.

Have you ever been driving when you have an awesome idea, or maybe you’re in the gym when you think of a task you need to relay to your assistant?

How do you communicate these ideas or delegations safely and in ONE STEP?

Enter the SAY IT, MAIL IT app.

This app is a lifesaver! Rather than trying to type a text or a reminder while driving, simply record and send!

BrianHolmes.com/sayitapp

12 Elements That Dictate Success:

• Spiritual Connectedness
  • This is the baseline for all success

• Self-awareness
  • Identity, values, personality, strengths, etc.

• Core Beliefs
  • What do you believe about the areas of your life?

• Mission/Cause
  • What is your big why?

• Desire to Serve Others
  • “Always make your contribution bigger than your reward.” ~ Dan Sullivan

• Vision
  • Can you see and plan for your future?

• Goals and Plan
  • Strategic planning (and documentation) is a must.

• Discipline and Systems
  • Be the master of your time.

• Relationships
  • Find, and keep, the right people around you.

• Accountability
  • Who do you answer to?

• Determination and Follow Through
  • Finish what you start.

• Self-care
  • If you don’t take care of you, you cannot care for anyone or anything else.

If you want to change a relationship, a conversation, an atmosphere or environment, or even your own outlook on a situation, express love and gratitude!

It’s Thanksgiving here, and today, I want to challenge you to shift your life and your leadership. Ready to see what I mean?

Thanksgiving: It really is a formula for a better world!

• Daily Journal!
  • What 10 things are you grateful for each day?
• You will fundamentally change your life and see your circumstances differently if you do this exercise every day!

7 Categories In Which To Focus On Being Grateful:

• Relationship with God
• Health (Physical and Mental)
• Family
• Friends
• Provision/Finances
• Freedom
• Opportunity

Use This As A Starting Place:

(Psalm 103)

1. I am thankful FIRST to God because He is God
2. He is the One who created me
3. He is the One who leads me
4. I am HIS possession (the sheep of His pasture)
5. He loves me
6. He is ever faithful toward me
7. He pardons all my iniquities
8. Heals all my diseases
9. Redeems me from the pit
10. Crowns me with loving-kindness and compassion
11. Satisfies my years with good things
12. My youth is renewed like the eagle
13. He performs righteous deeds and judgments
14. He is compassionate towards me
15. He is gracious towards me
16. He is slow to anger and abounds in love

Why is this?

Think about this before we answer that: do you measure your success against the progress you’ve made, or against the perfect ideal you have in mind for it to eventually be? Your answer could be your hurdle.

It is all about staying out of the GAP! That’s what we’re talking about in this week’s episode.

• You may not want everyone having your personal cell phone number
• Get your own business line
• Calls routed to your cell phone or the cell of someone else
• You select your business hours
• You know when it is a business call inbound
• Answer or send to voicemail
• Multiple extensions/voicemails
• Fax included
• Text included
• Multiple lines each account
• A fraction of the cost of traditional business line systems

I have been using Grasshopper for more than 5 years, and could not run my business without it!

Find out more at … BrianHolmes.com/grasshopper

IDEAL:

• PICTURE or VISION of a possible future
• It does not exist outside of our minds
• As you move toward it, it moves further away
• The IDEAL is our perception of PERFECTION

ACTUALS:

• These represent our actual achievements, accomplishments, and state in life
• You embark on this journey, and you do so from a starting point … a beginning
• Each goal you achieve along the way represents a new current reality

Here is where the breakdown happens

• I leave my starting point with specific goals in mind
• My sense of value and accomplishment goes flying out of the window as I see myself through the eyes of having fallen short of perfection … again.

This thrusts us into a deeply negative attitude and mindset: 

• Failure
• Frustration
• Low Self-esteem
• Guilt/Shame
• Depression
• Disappointment

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A BETTER WAY

• What if you measured yourself against PROGRESS instead?
• What if, instead of comparing where you are with where you ultimately WANT to be, you compare where you are against where you have COME FROM?
• Doing this keeps you in a POSITIVE mental and spiritual attitude and state
  • Success
  • Satisfaction
  • Confidence
  • High Self-esteem
  • Optimism
  • Enjoyment and Fulfillment
  • Motivation and Energy
  • Abundance and Joy

How Do We Do This?

• You become intentional about having a positive focus
• Every day, you celebrate the WINS and the PROGRESS you have made
• You choose to focus on what you DID get done

Retrain your brain, and get out of the GAP, once and for all.

I am so grateful to have Scott in the studio for this timely and powerful topic of discussion.

We are talking about his newest book, and how you can begin seeing life through the lens of grace.

I’m honored to have you with us – let’s get started!

About Scott:

Scott sometimes says he went from practicing law to practicing grace, but that’s too simple to describe the journey. Scott has been a middle manager, tank commander, business owner and practicing attorney. He often says the education he picked up along the way was better than any of the degrees he earned.

Scott seeks to invest in people to facilitate their Kingdom purpose beyond the walls of a church. He wants to equip and release people in their identity, purpose and ability to raise others to do the same.

Scott will tell you he is likely one of the more non-traditional pastors you will come across but not for the sake of being edgy. He deeply believes the relationship God wants with us and for us with each other is real and raw and completely transparent. That means the polite, religious veil we sometimes opt for is sacrificed for the life that is available in authentic relationship.

Scott was raised in church, rebelled and raised “a bunch of hell” for many years, then was ruined by the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Scott says about his relationship with Jesus, “He wrecked me and I have never been the same since.”

Currently, Scott serves as the Executive Director of Fellowship Of The Sword and as an elder and pastor at Heritage Community Church.

Today, I am incredibly excited to introduce you to one of my closest friends: Scott Prickett.

We are talking about his newest book, and how you can begin seeing life through the lens of grace.

I’m honored to have you with us – now let’s get started!

About Scott:

Scott sometimes says he went from practicing law to practicing grace, but that’s too simple to describe the journey. Scott has been a middle manager, tank commander, business owner and practicing attorney. He often says the education he picked up along the way was better than any of the degrees he earned.

Scott seeks to invest in people to facilitate their Kingdom purpose beyond the walls of a church. He wants to equip and release people in their identity, purpose and ability to raise others to do the same.

Scott will tell you he is likely one of the more non-traditional pastors you will come across but not for the sake of being edgy. He deeply believes the relationship God wants with us and for us with each other is real and raw and completely transparent. That means the polite, religious veil we sometimes opt for is sacrificed for the life that is available in authentic relationship.

Scott was raised in church, rebelled and raised “a bunch of hell” for many years, then was ruined by the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Scott says about his relationship with Jesus, “He wrecked me and I have never been the same since.”

Currently, Scott serves as the Executive Director of Fellowship Of The Sword and as an elder and pastor at Heritage Community Church.

There is no doubt life deals circumstances and situations we did not ask for or deserve.

If you’ve lived any length of time, you’ve no doubt experienced one or more things that set you back, brought you great pain, or at the very least, slowed you down for a bit.

There are times in our lives when we are presented with opportunities to overcome, to reset, to re-evaluate.

STUFF will happen. The question is, “How Will You Respond”?

I want you to find encouragement and hope as we talk about not settling for something meant to be temporary.

Speed Dial 2

Have you ever thought, “I wish there was some way for me to have an app-like dashboard for my most frequently visited websites”?

Enter SPEED DIAL 2.

I open my browser and instantly see graphical dashboard with ALL my most important websites.

This is a crazy time saver, and a real joy to use.

If you spend any time online, and if you use Google Chrome Browser, check out SpeedDial2 at https://speeddial2.com/

Things to Consider:

• Nothing is final
• No state or condition is permanent
• No setback defines your future
• Only YOU determine what that looks like
• If you accept a present condition as evidence of your identity or value, you sentence yourself to live in that condition forever
• If you rightly assess the condition or state as a temporary and unwelcome thing, you the have the capacity to see your way out of it
• Be careful not to accept abnormal as normal
• Lazy people settle for abnormal
• It is easier to settle than it is to challenge your limiting beliefs and the pain that sold them to you
• Forgive the people
• Assess what got you here
• Seek wise counsel in your situation
• Create a plan
• Execute on that plan
• Commit to the LONG HAUL
• Make up your mind that WHERE YOU ARE TODAY is not where you are going.
• This current circumstance does not define you
• DON’T SETTLE for something that was meant to make you better
• Your life; your future; your best depends on you seeing yourself beyond your current state.

We are faced with one of the great dilemmas in human history. This level of divisiveness and tension has the potential to destroy life as we know it.

What will we do?

What can we do?

How do we stop the bleeding, and begin the healing?

I want to tackle this on today’s program, because here is what I know: A House Divided Cannot Stand.

This topic is a heavy one, and to provide a noteworthy, detailed summary would not serve any justice to the content covered – but I want you to have talking points from this episode.

Over the last few years or so, our world has become increasingly divided, if not toxic.

As the ancient scriptures predicted, we are seeing:

• Brother against brother
• Nation against nation
• Race against race
• Gender wars
• Political parties against political parties
• Generational gaps and conflicts
• Ideologies and doctrines creating separation and strife
• Church groups reviling other church groups
• And so on

Are you familiar with the story of Abraham Lincoln’s address? (Discussed in episode)

A house divided against itself, CANNOT STAND.

So what is the alternative? Unity? Uniformity? Political correctness? Moral compromise?

• Satan – steal, kill, destroy
• Media, Powers, Systems of this world
• The strategy: divide and conquer
• Constant barrage of programming and digital engagement
• Hatred, bigotry, an absence of God’s love

• Righteousness exalts a nation
• Perfect love casts out all fear
• The power of kindness and love
• YOU!
• Your leadership

If your answer is no, do you have any idea why you’re uncomfortable, or how to navigate through it? We’re going to challenge you to really look at your life, potential, and progress.

Today I’m going to challenge you to really look at your life, potential, and progress.

If you’re ready to take your life, your leadership, your business, and your influence to another level,  you’re in the right place.

The Ties That Bind

In 2004, I taught a 6-part seminar called “The Ties That Bind – Identifying and Breaking Unhealthy Connections and Soul Ties.” Never could I have anticipated the response it would receive, nor was I prepared for the far-reaching impact it would have.

In 2007, I published my first book, The Ties That Bind. Since that time, thousands of individuals from all walks of life have read it, experienced it, and been transformed by the truths contained within.

This comprehensive teaching is more than just another good read. It is a proven PROCESS that, when followed, has led thousands of people all over the world to receive deep personal healing, reconcile their past, disconnect from unhealthy and limiting factors, and walk forward in freedom and confidence.

FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME, AND ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST …

This book normally sells for $12.00, but right now, you can receive your own copy for 50% off the normal price.

I have 200 copies available at this price ($6.00 + S&H)

There is NO LIMIT on the number of copies you can purchase, BUT, when they are gone, they are GONE!

Sam Chand’s Formula:

Growth = Change Change = Loss Loss = Pain THEREFORE Growth = Pain

• In order to GROW, one must be willing to change.
• In order to change, one must be willing to let go of some things that are no longer serving them
• Loss is painful.
• We do not like pain.
• We also do not like being stretched.
  • Why?
    • Stretching creates pressure
    • Pressure creates stress
    • Stress causes us to worry or question
    • Worry and fear paralyze us
• We prefer comfort; peace; safety; the familiar.

We talk about comfort zones, so what are they?

• A comfort zone is a limited area of perception and association wherein the individual or group can function effectively without experiencing uneasiness or fear; a limited defined physical or psychological area in which a person feels at ease; self-regulating mechanism; anxiety arousal control.
• In my terms, a comfort zone is an invisible bubble we create for ourselves for one of several reasons; we feel safe; we feel we belong there; we feel we deserve to be there, etc.

“Discomfort brings engagement and change. Discomfort means you’re doing something that others were unlikely to do, because they’re hiding out in the comfortable zone. When your uncomfortable actions lead to success, the organization rewards you and brings you back for more.” – Seth Godin

Creating a New Normal

• The only way to create a new normal is to challenge the old one
• RE-SET the thermostat (or regulator) [your beliefs]
• RAISE the standard to which you will regulate
• Dismantle the comfort zones by intentionally addressing those beliefs, mindsets, and fears holding you in place
• Redefine what NORMAL is by first creating an out of order state in relation to what has been normal
• CHALLENGE the regulator, and create a new target

REMEMBER – ALL GROWTH REQUIRES CHANGE!

Therefore, if you want more opportunity, more business, more influence, more money, or just MORE OUT OF LIFE …

You must break free from the COMFORT trap!

• It is killing your dreams
• It is killing your hope
• It is killing your joy
• It is killing your motivation and drive
• It is killing your potential
• It is robbing you of results and outcomes you are more than capable of realizing

Your COMFORT is killing you!

On today’s episode, I want to talk to you about change, seasons, transition, and why it is imperative we recognize our season and steward it well.

We’re talking about Seasons, Segues, and the Strategic Shifting of Priorities and Focus.

Get A Coach

• Every great athlete has a coach.
• Every great business leader has a mentor or coach.
• All entrepreneurs I respect and look up to have one thing in common: they have a coach.

Why Coaching?

A coach is NOT a counselor, but rather, a person who assists the client to discover what is in their own heart, their desires, their dreams, their passions, and their purpose.

Once clarity has been achieved, the coach then assists the client in the process of strategic planning and goal setting, then provides accountability and support with the goals and objectives the client has determined to be most important.

• Types of Coaching Relationships:
  1. Individual Coaching
  2. Group Coaching
  3. Mastermind Groups
  4. Coaching Programs

  Find out more at  BrianHolmes.com/coaching

• 4 Types of Change
  • Change that happens around us.
  • Change that happens to us.
  • Change that happens in us.
  • Change we make happen.

• Seasons
  • Seasons are a part of life
  • We tend to get comfortable in one season and refuse to move when seasons change.
  • To everything, there is an appointed time and season.

• Shift and Adjust
  • See the possibilities from the new season’s perspective.
  • The new does not adjust to us, we must adjust to it.

• 7 Things That Must Be Renewed Seasonally
  • New Priorities
  • New Relationships
  • New Normal
  • New Focus
  • New Contexts
  • New Connections
  • New Commitments
• Change is inevitable and seasons come and go.
• Are you willing to allow new life to emerge through the process of allowing yourself to die to the past?

With all we have coming at us, vying for our attention, it takes extreme discipline to stay on point, stay focused, and keep progressing.

In addition to the daily tasks that distract us, I’m really talking about shiny objects, rabbit trails, good work vs. great work, and so on.

If you want to win in your life, leadership, impact, you must develop the skills and the discipline of process, focus, and follow through.

That’s what I want to talk about today.

• Studies show each time you check your email, you lose 23 minutes of your time in switching back to the work you were doing.
• Multi-tasking actually leads to a 40% reduction in measurable productivity.
• This is why I’m recommending: The Freedom App

• When we commit to a project, goal, or some other meaningful endeavor, it is important we know how to properly handle the new information and deal with the constant flow of ideas coming to us.
• The Litmus Test For Ideas And Projects (in order!)

   

  • What: What are you compelled to create, do, or accomplish?
  • Why: Can you identify the difference this will make in the lives of others? Why is it important?
  • Who: Who are you supposed to be doing this with? (team members, cheerleaders, mastermind, etc.)
  • Where: What area, industry, or people group does your proposed idea or project affect?
  • How: Details, mechanics, components, systems, marketing, etc.

• Additional questions to ask:
  • What does the completed product/project look like?
  • What has to be true when this project is completed?
  • What is the best result if you do take action?
  • What is the worst result if you do not take action?

• Brain dump, prioritize, apply the litmus test, and decide what goes, what stays, and what might be filed away for 90 days.
• Every time you say “yes” to something, you are saying “no” to something else.
• USE THIS TEST to determine what you will say yes or no to!

My father-in-law spent over 20 years as a professional homebuilder and he took great pride in the quality and surety of the foundations upon which he built his houses. Foundations are critical in the success of a build.

I often think about the massive skyscrapers erected in cities around the world. Careful planning comes in play as a foundation is meticulously engineered to support the building or structure to be constructed upon it.

Why should our lives be any different?

In today’s feature presentation, I’m going to share how you can engineer, construct, and lay a foundation for success, prosperity, and happiness, that will stand the test of time.

• Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner has been an incredible planning and productivity resource for me!
• Set your course, determine your next steps, chart your progress, stay on track.
• To learn more, visit brianholmes.com/fullfocus Building A Foundation: 
  • Engineer the foundation
    • Remember what to consider
  • Prepare the ground
    • What needs to be cleared away?
  • Lay down the forms
    • Set boundaries
  • Make it permanent
    • Once the foundation has been laid, you can only go up!

  3 Things To Consider When Laying a Foundation:

  1. The 4 Cornerstones
  2. The Relationship Factor
  3. Don’t Cut Corners

During the last few months while we worked on rebranding and reworking not only our podcast but our overarching goals and business plans, we took a hiatus from our Thursday podcast episodes. Today is the day of our return, and I am so happy to be back in the saddle!

On today’s program, I want to give you a preview of what is ahead and share what the podcast is going to look like moving forward.

Buckle up, everyone. It’s …The all-new STRATEGIC LIVING PODCAST!

• This episode is not going to contain the full version of the new podcast format, nor will it harbor a topic-based feature presentation.
• This episode is designed to give you more of a sneak peek, or preview, to show what you’re plugging in to, how you can subscribe to the message, and connect on a new, higher level.

• (Did you catch the new intro music and announcement?)
  • Check out Derrick’s Music
  • Like the voiceover? Let Val connect you with Kris Edwards.
• New Format
  • Opening Episode Preview
  • Tips, Tools, or Recommended Resources
  • Feature Presentation
  • Influencers Challenge
  • Closing
• Content will include:
  • Occasional interviews
  • Teaching/Development oriented content
  • Emphasis on elements of The 4 Cornerstones
  • Emphasis on business and ministry endeavors
  • Strategic influence in the 7 Spheres
  • …and much more!

I am thrilled to be back on Thursdays! Join us next week for Foundations For True Success.

As always, I’m honored you’re here and super excited you have made the decision to take it ALL to the next level, and beyond!

• Strategic Influencers, LLC
• Blog & Podcast began in 2013
• Monday Mastery video series
• Coaching & speaking
• Strategic Influencers Mastermind (2016)

• Training & development company
• Focused on personal and leadership development
• Empower individuals to administer high levels of influence and principle-centered leadership in every area of culture
• Strategic Influencers International Network
• Youth mentoring programs

• There are so many people out there who want to succeed, increase their leadership capacity, make a difference in others’ lives, BUT they are not receiving the coaching, training, mentoring, or development they need to be activated and effective in their place of influence. I want to change that!

• They are not going anywhere, at least not for long.
• The website is getting a makeover and update.
• The podcast will also undergo a makeover and update.
  • This includes shifting the name of the podcast back to the original name … The Strategic Living Podcast, a name that more broadly aligns with the training and content our listeners want.

We are working hard to bring you the very best personal and leadership development content available!

As you’re probably aware, I turned 50 earlier this year. While others may not be excited about that landmark, I’m more excited than I’ve ever been.

As we prepare to take our website, podcast, and business to the next level, I want to pull back the curtain today and give you a peek into some of the lessons I’ve learned, the changes made, the challenges faced, and the glorious hope I have about the future.

Tune in to this episode for The State Of The Host Address: An Inside Look At My Own Quest For The Next Level.

• 2012 Next Level Quest
• No room for double-mindedness
• Identity and meaning
• Philosophy and core beliefs challenged
• Faith, humility, and willingness to learn

• Turning 50 is not the beginning of the end … it’s the beginning of a new beginning
• I am confident in whose I am, and I am learning more every day about WHO I am
• My work matters, and what matters is building people
• I am committed to those I am created to serve
• I love God, I love my wife, I love my kids, and all my friends and colleagues

As we embark on the newest chapter in this QUEST for more, I encourage you to join the movement. Don’t settle for yesterday’s victories … commit to tomorrow’s possibilities. I am in a GREAT place and am ready to climb the mountain to the next level.

How about YOU?

How does one navigate their journey between their current circumstance and the next? Between here and there? What are the steps and considerations one might encounter on their way to their new level?

On today’s episode, I want to take a closer look at the keys you can use to unlock and unleash your next level.

Let’s talk about part 2 of The Next Level Challenge: 5 Truths About Transitioning To Your Next Level.

• The term “next level” is not necessarily defined in the dictionary, but if you look broad and deep enough, you will deduce that “next level” is somewhere different than where you are right now!
• It’s higher, farther, more productive, more lucrative, more influential.
• It is outside of the ordinary; beyond normal; a notch above the status quo.
• It represents better, bigger, and MORE!

1. Your next level is closer than you think.
2. What got you here will not take you “there”.
3. Next level results require next level thinking.
4. Not everyone will go with you to the next level.
5. Your next level is not your last level, but it is the next level.

• The best time to commit to taking your life to the next level is right now!
• Stop deferring your advance to an ambiguous timeline.
• Make a decision, go for the gold, and do it today!

I’m also going to be sharing with you why the next few weeks are so very strategic for me, for our podcast, and for our work, AND why what we are sharing is going to make a massive difference in your life.

• Let’s begin by considering the meaning of NEXT LEVEL.
• The term “next level” is not necessarily defined in the dictionary, but if you look broad and deep enough, you will deduce that “next level” is somewhere different than where you are right now!
• It’s higher, farther, more productive, more lucrative, more influential.
• It is outside of the ordinary; beyond normal; a notch above the status quo.
• It represents better, bigger, and MORE!

Are you willing to settle for what is getting you by, or are you ready to go after ALL that is available to you?

LIFE:

• Health
• Marriage
• Relationships
• Finances
• Spiritual life
• Mental/Emotional Well-being
• Education/Personal Development

BUSINESS/WORK:

• Dreams/Goals
• Business Endeavors
• Career/Job
• Charitable work
• Social contributions
• Making a difference
• Serving your community

MINISTRY:

• Pastor
• Staff Member
• Para-church ministry leader
• Marketplace

Wherever you are, whoever you are, there is a NEXT LEVEL waiting for you even now!

I had the distinct honor and privilege of visiting with Taya Kyle for the podcast, and know you will find this episode inspiring, encouraging, and forthright.

Listen in and let today’s episode be the push you need to pursue your best potential.

Taya Kyle is an American Daughter, an American Mom, and an American Wife that women throughout the world can feel a connection with.

As a focal point for military and first responder families throughout the United States, Taya has become a beacon of light for women through displaying her tenacity, strength, and faith in God in steering her family through tragedy.

Following on from the heartbreaking, sudden death of her husband, Chris Kyle – the author of New York Times best-selling book and Academy Award-winning motion picture, American Sniper – Taya has worked tirelessly to extend his legacy to the American people through the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation.

The Chris Kyle Frog Foundation aims to build a highly connected network of military and first responder families through meaningful interactive experiences.

In her own right, Taya has become a well-respected figure for military and first responder families and American women through appearances on the likes of Patriot Tour with Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell and regular media appearances representing Chris and the Foundation.

Taya’s story, American Wife (released May 2015 – HarperCollins), has given Taya the platform to tell her story, while also teaching on grief, faith, and love.

It represents the opportunity for Taya to be more deeply connected with American women, tell her story and use her experiences to help others.

Aaron has an incredible heart, he is an incredible leader, and he shares incredible wisdom he has learned from his own life experience and from overcoming a devastating tragedy.

Every time I talk with Aaron, I’m left feeling inspired, encouraged, and challenged. He is completely authentic and savvy, and yes – you can be both.

I’m honored to share this conversation with Aaron with you today, and know you will have a better week for taking the time to listen.

Aaron Walker is without question a veteran entrepreneur. Starting his first business at 18 and selling to a Fortune 500 company nine short years later demonstrates Aaron’s passion for succeeding. Unwilling to rest on past success Aaron started, bought and sold twelve successful companies over the past 38 years.

Having a strong desire for personal development has kept Aaron in a weekly mastermind group for more than a decade with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham and seven other notable Nashvillians. 

Aaron has enjoyed a 37-year marriage with his beautiful wife, Robin. Today Aaron spends the majority of his time HELPING MEN GROW IN SUCCESS AND SIGNIFICANCE as President and Founder of VIEW FROM THE TOP, a premier life and business coaching resource. 

Aaron’s new book, View From The Top is guaranteed to motivate and inspire you to live a successful and significant life. Also, Aaron is the Co-Author of The Mastermind Blueprint endorsed by many including Seth Godin. Aaron has a vibrant history that  guarantees to inspire you to reach heights you never dreamed possible.

• Connect with Aaron!
• Were you inspired by what he shared today?

We’ve launched our second season of the Strategic Influencers Mastermind group! Many of you are familiar with the concept and function of a mastermind group, though others of you may not be. I’m going to share the vision, concept, value, and practical functions of the mastermind.

Today we’ll answer:

• What is a mastermind group?
• Where did the idea come from?
• What does a mastermind do?
• How can it benefit you and your business?
• Why should every aspiring leader be a part of a mastermind program?
• And so much more

Let’s get right into discussing The Strategic Influencers Mastermind: Next Level Collaboration for Emerging Leaders.

• Mastermind groups offer a combination of brainstorming, education, peer accountability and support in a group setting to sharpen your business and personal skills.
• A mastermind group helps you and your mastermind group members achieve more success.
• Participants challenge each other to set powerful goals, and more importantly, to accomplish them.
• The group requires commitment, confidentiality, willingness to both give and receive advice and ideas, and support each other with total honesty, respect, and compassion.
• Mastermind group members act as catalysts for growth and supportive colleagues.
• The concept of the “mastermind alliance” was formally introduced by Napoleon Hill in his timeless classic, “Think And Grow Rich,” though mastermind groups have been around since the beginning of time.
• Even Benjamin Franklin belonged to such a group, which he called a Junto.

• In a mastermind group, the agenda belongs to the group and each person’s participation and commitment is key
• Your mastermind partners give you feedback, help you brainstorm new possibilities
• The mastermind provides accountability structures that keep you focused and on track
• You create a community of supportive colleagues who brainstorm together to move the members to new heights
• You’ll gain tremendous insights which improve your business and personal life
• Your mastermind group is like having an objective board of directors, a success team, and a peer advisory group, all rolled into one.

• You have a burning desire to elevate your life and leadership.
• You’re working full time on your business or are close to making that move.
• You recognize your need to have others speak into your life and situation,
• You are committed to adding value to others in the group
• You are able to commit to a weekly online mastermind group meeting.
• You are willing and able to commit to attending 2-3 “in-person” meetings each calendar year.
• You are able and willing to invest financially in your mastermind membership

(More information and guidelines will be provided to you in your personal interview)

Every Monday

• 7pm Central
• 8pm Eastern
• 5pm Pacific

Weekly (Online) Meetings

Our primary and most consistent method for meeting is online. The wonderful thing about this is you can be anywhere as long as you have a quality internet connection. Your geographical location is not important, but your presence on the video conference is.

Each week we meet on the same day and at the same time. We use a well-respected and dependable service called ZOOM.

In-Person Intensives

We will conduct two to three in-person meetings each calendar year. The format of these will vary from meeting to meeting, however, they are a very different experience than our weekly calls.

Each LIVE meeting will consist of two days of training, processes, and high-level mastermind exercises designed to generate a 10X outcome in your life, business, ministry, or mission. Each member will have extensive “hot seat” time and will leave the meeting with a strategy and actionable plan.

NOTE: 

• There is an application and interview process.
• Not everyone will be accepted.
• This is a PAID mastermind group.
• There is a significant investment for membership in the SIMM group.

Again, If you want more information on this incredible opportunity, go to:

We look forward to having you join us on THE NEXT LEVEL!

• You can continue to do what you have always done, and you will continue to have what you have right now.
• If you are ready to take your life and your leadership to the next level, join us.
• We would be honored to have you in the mastermind!

Whether you’re the CEO, a pastor, or a solo-preneur, taking care of YOU is paramount to the success of your leadership calling. But how can you make sure your account stays full? Why should Me-Time and We-Time be a priority in your life?

Today, we’re talking about The Invaluable Investment Of Time.

Most leaders find themselves working non-stop, always engaged in some way. No doubt several have experienced high levels of success due to this drive, but at what cost?

How many people arrive at the pinnacle of their career only to look back on their life and see a trail of carnage, especially of relationships lost along the way?

The 21st century culture is so success/results driven, we often sacrifice the things that matter the most on the altar of status or accolade.

We invest in the wrong things for the wrong reasons, forgetting how important it is to invest in ourselves, and those we love.

1. Rest
2. Recovery
3. Regained Perspective
4. Restored Hope
5. Renewed Vision
6. Recreation
7. Relationship Triage
8. Relationship Deposits
9. Growth & Development
10. Rediscover Your Why

• Schedule your time away.
• Not only will your work survive without you for a few days, but you’ll be better (and so might those around you) after some time separated from it!
• Is it worth it to sacrifice your relationships for building your business?

Most times, however, you have to leave safety and security behind and risk everything to commit your life and future to your unknown destiny.

There will be times in life when you need to cut all escape routes, and stand with victory as your only choice.

• If you’re going to succeed, you may have to sabotage your own escape mechanisms! Are you really all in?

• The Story of Cortez
• We need to identify what we regularly retreat to, and if necessary, eliminate it.
• Being comfortable can rob you of motivation, urgency, or focus necessary for living by design.
• What got you here is not going to get you there.
• We have to burn the boats!

• What brought me here? (What is my ship?)
• How have I usually responded to resistance or fear of the unknown?
• What am I clinging to as a fallback or safety net?
• What do I need to elminate (burn) in order to have nowhere to retreat back to?
• Am I willing to commit everything to the pursuit of my next level?

• You are at the threshold of a new conquest, a new territory, a completely new level of performance and productivity.
• Will you go all in? Or will you cave to fear?

I want to share with you a little more about my journey the last few years, and how along the way, it has been necessary to evaluate relationships, and make adjustments in order to continue our progress. In this episode I’ll revisit 7 Tough-Love Truths About Relationships.

An interesting exercise is to go back in your life and make a list of all the “friends” you’ve had. Then, consider how many of those same people are no longer a part of your life. Ask yourself, “why?”

Everything, even relationships, has a time and a season. Some relationships last a lifetime, though those are few and far between. Most relationships are seasonal; they come into our life for a time and serve a wonderful purpose in that season, but then they are gone.

1. Not everyone is called to walk the same path.
2. Not everyone says “YES!” to God’s invitation to follow Him into unchartered territory.
3. Not all relationships will transition with you into a new season or place.
4. You cannot expect someone to understand if they are not on the same path as you.
5. Most people choose the status quo – – it’s just easier.
6. In order to follow the Father’s voice, we oftentimes must leave what is familiar and embrace the unknown.
7. Trust God will bring NEW and meaningful relationships in your life that will build you up, encourage you, and cheer you on to purpose.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  ~ Proverbs 18:24

This is absolutely true, however, leading is about more than just filling your head with a lot of stuff; it is about learning, and most importantly, implementing what you learn.

My guest today exemplifies what this looks like in every way! Jeff and I met earlier this year at a Ray Edwards event, and became fast friends. He is a wonderful leader, and has a beautiful heart.

Most notably, he is making a HUGE impact in our world.

I am incredibly excited to revisit his interview on the program. Let’s go right now to my exclusive interview with Jeff Brown.

Jeff Brown is a podcaster, mentor and speaker who is passionate about helping others bridge the gap between intentionality and implementation.

He achieves this every day by sharing his professional insights, and the insights of successful people all over the world, on leadership, personal development, productivity, entrepreneurship and more through his blog, podcast, and through personal consulting and speaking.

Before beginning his highly-acclaimed, top-ranking Read to Lead podcast, he spent 26-years in radio.

He lives near Nashville, TN with his wife Annie, and two miniature Dachshunds, Fritz and Frank.

Jeff has interviewed a number of New York Times bestselling authors including John Maxwell, Seth Godin, Dan Miller, Daniel Pink, Simon Sinek, Chris Brogan (not once but twice), Gary Vaynerchuk and Liz Wiseman among others.

• Connect with Jeff!
• Were you inspired to read and lead?

Why do so many of us struggle with pleasing others and gaining their approval? What motivates us to say yes when we know we shouldn’t? Is it possible to break free from people-pleasing and performance-based approval?

In this episode, we’ll revisit an issue that seemed to resonate with so many of you and answer these questions and more as we talk about  Breaking Free From The Addiction of Approval.

You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” ~ John Lydgate

Most often, this tendency can be tracked back to a relationship or an event where one’s value was inherently linked to their performance.

• We say yes when we know we should say no.
• We accept jobs that do not bring us satisfaction or benefit us financially.
• We make promises we can’t keep.
• We create an unsustainable life!

1. Do you have a hard time saying “no”?

2. Do you find yourself striving to meet what you perceive to be other people’s expectations?

3. Do you lose self-esteem when people criticize or question you?

4. Do you often find yourself trying to help people understand why you are doing what you are doing?

5. Do you feel as though you never measure up?

6. Are you consumed with seeking approval or recognition?

7. Are you a people pleaser?

1. You are loved, accepted, and approved of by God.

2. You have tremendous value.

3. Your value is not based on what you do, but who you are.

4. The people in your life will always have their expectations of you, but only you can determine what you expect from yourself.

5. People pleasing is a plague. It will only bring you misery, frustration, and less than success.

6. You cannot expect people to understand where you are or where you are going. They simply cannot.

7. “If you live for people’s acceptance, you will die from their rejection.” ~ LeCrae

• Unplug for a moment.
• Decompress and take the pressure off yourself.
• Evaluate by listing your gifts, talents, abilities, and qualities.
• Get Clarity. Who am I, and why am I here?
• Identify the areas you feel you need to please others.
• Ask. Why? What is the root of this need in me?
• Decide. I will resolve this root issue and I will no longer be driven by fear.
• Create boundaries. Make decisions ahead of time.
• Be Accountable.
• Practice “no”.

• We teach people how to treat us.
• Most people love you as long as you fit in the box they’ve created for you.
• Don’t be afraid to disappoint. Do what is right and let the chips fall where they may.

One of the most damning traits of the western culture is an obsession with being busy. There is a false supposition many have bought into: if you are not busy doing something, you are not valuable.

In the US, a staggering percentage of people experience depression, hypertension, disease, and so many other challenges, and so much of this is tied to stress, anxiety, and lack of REST.

This episode, I want to talk to you about real rest: living from a place of stillness and quiet, even in the midst of chaos. I want to talk to you about being intentional with your life (living strategically), and re-centering in the rest that God has provided us. Today, let’s discuss Practicing the Principle of Rest.

He says “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. ~ Psalm 46:10-11 [NASB]

There is incredible value in being still. Being still (and quiet) allows us to:

• Regroup; re-center; re-connect with the One who holds our world in His hands
• De-clutter and de-compress
• Hear HIS VOICE and know HIS PLANS
• Position ourselves for change and transition
• Find peace, confidence, and the courage to go forward

Hebrews 4:9-16

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Practicing Sabbath (rest) positions us to receive mercy and grace!

1. It allows you to repair
2. It allows you to reboot
3. It allows you to be renewed
4. It allows you to receive (or be filled up)
5. It allows you to rebuild
6. It allows you to see more clearly
7. It allows you to hear God’s voice more clearly
8. It gives us confidence to draw close to Him
9. It provides you with peace that is not comprehensible
10. It provides you freedom from expectations of others
11. It allows you to release more of your creativity and potential
12. It shifts our focus from what we can do to what God can do when we walk with Him

• Are you tired, burned out, frustrated?
• Do you feel like you are living your life to please others?
• Are you stressed and anxious about your future?
• Do you feel as if you have to perform in order to feel accepted, loved, and approved of?

In this revisited episode I share a little about my journey the last few years, and how along the way it’s been necessary to evaluate relationships and make adjustments in order to continue our progress. I’m thrilled to bring to you my Interview With Dennis McIntee! 

For the last 25 years, Dennis has traveled extensively working with leaders to uncover their personal and organizational constraints in order to build high-trust, high-performance cultures. The first 15 years of his career was in pastoral ministry in the U.S. and Europe.

A whole new world opened up to Dennis when he realized these same principles that changed people’s lives could also change their companies. In 2004, he formed The Leadership Development Group to help leaders win at the game of work and the business of life.

Dennis is passionate about helping leaders develop their coaching skills. When a leader improves, their organization improves. He keynotes frequently at leadership seminars, as well as appearing in magazines, newspapers, trade journals, and on national radio and TV.

He is the author of The Power of Pursuit, People Smart, Time Mastery, and most recently The 8 Qualities of Drama Free Teams.

Disappointed In Your Team’s Results? Are you frustrated because your team doesn’t produce results fast enough? Stressed out because you spend your time putting out fires produced by team drama? The 8 Qualities Of Drama Free Teams will give you the tools you need to accomplish more in less time. This practical handbook shows you 8 different leadership strategies you can use today to see immediate changes in your organization. You don’t have to tolerate the drama. You can lead a high-trust, high-performance team that produces results. And you can do it without putting in more hours, and without working harder. Inside this book, you’ll discover: • The one coaching question that causes people to take personal responsibility. • A proven feedback formula that creates behavioral change. • How to unlock the 4 drivers of human motivation to help your team get more done in less time. Read The 8 Qualities Of Drama Free Teams and start doing more, with less stress, and zero drama.

On today’s program, I want to share with you the importance of Convergence: When Market And Ministry Collide.

Matthew 5:13-16

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 10:16

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

• Religion
• Family
• Government
• Education
• Arts/Entertainment
• Communication/Media
• Business/Finance

• The classroom
• The workplace
• The sports arenas
• The banking world
• The halls of government
• Hollywood and Broadway
• The music industry
• TV networks with character
• Podcasts/blogs

• Movie: Holy Ghost
• First Steps To Success – Dani Johnson

A NEW DAY IS DAWNING!

A new generation of KINGDOM leadership is coming up!

Let’s BE church.

We’ve been talking over the last several weeks about life transitions, business transitions, seasons of change in general. Not counting ourselves out, we’re transitioning our program and getting it ready for a relaunch later this spring! We’ll be airing some episodes that have had a tremendous impact over the course of the years since I started this program.

Starting off, let’s revisit how to overcome and replace limiting beliefs!

• How you see things in life has a direct bearing on how you will EXPERIENCE these things. These kinds of beliefs completely paralyze us from becoming all God has intended us to be. You must change your mind, so you can change your world.

• What is the truth?
• How do I effectively replace the old with the new?
• Word pictures

1. Identify the Limiting Belief

• Identify marker moments
• Identify models
• Identify imposed identities
• Identify words and ideas adopted as truth
• Identify opinions of others/yourself

2. Isolate 

• Stop that! That is not who I am.
• That is not how I behave.
• That believe no longer serves me.
• That is an untruth, therefore I will not align myself with it.

3. Reframe

• What if…..?
• Ask yourself questions so you can reframe what really IS possible.

4. Replace

As a man thinketh, so is he. We act in accordance with the truth as we believe it to be. In what holds you back in your life, you’ll need to change your mind so you can change your world. Remember these four steps for overcoming limiting beliefs.

I said “yes”, even though I didn’t have all – or any – of the answers.  When I said “yes”, I did so without hesitation, without reservation, and with all of my heart.

As a result, I’m living a life I never knew possible. There is, however, a next chapter in the story.

Does your “YES” truly mean “YES”?

• Saying yes is one thing. Knowing what it means when you say it is an entirely different story.

• What I am asking you today:
  • Look back over the last few months and years
  • Where have you come from?
  • Where are you today?
  • Has God proven Himself to you so far?
  • Can you trust Him with the next phase of the journey?

   He will not rob you of what you need

   He does not pleasure in taking from us

   He is leading you forward

   Say YES … Trust the process

   Believe again … there are great days ahead!

• Maybe you find yourself in a good place
• Maybe you are afraid saying YES to your next level requires some things of you
• Know whatever is NEXT is better than where you are
• Double-mindedness never produces life
• Let Your “YES” Truly Mean “YES”

Most times, however, you have to leave safety and security behind and risk everything to commit your life and future to your unknown destiny.

• If you’re going to succeed, you may have to sabotage your own escape mechanisms! Are you really all in?

• The Story of Cortez
• We need to identify what we regularly retreat to, and if necessary, eliminate it.
• Being comfortable can rob you of motivation, urgency, or focus necessary for living by design.
• What got you here is not going to get you there.
• We have to burn the boats!

• What brought me here? (What is my ship?)
• How have I usually responded to resistance or fear of the unknown?
• What am I clinging to as a fallback or safety net?
• What do I need to elminate (burn) in order to have nowhere to retreat back to?
• Am I willing to commit everything to the pursuit of my next level?

• You are at the threshold of a new conquest, a new territory, a completely new level of performance and productivity.
• Will you go all in? Or will you cave to fear?

What I want to do today is simply share some of my life with you. I want to pull back the curtains a little and let you backstage. I want you to be able to glean from my experiences, and learn from my journey. After all, 50 YEARS IS A LONG TIME!

Join me today as I share some parts of my journey I’ve never shared before, and reflect on the first 50 years of my life.

• Allow me to disclose the “cliff notes” version of where my life has been, and where it’s headed.

• Born in 1967 in Houston, TX
• Found something incredibly special in music and in airplanes
• 11 years old, experienced serious trauma
• Loved and excelled in basketball
• Started really leading and speaking
• Graduated HS in 1985
• Attended seminary for one semester

• Met my wife, Sabrina
• Moved to Dallas and got married
• Had various jobs and careers over time
• The struggle (from all my past junk) really started to rear its head
• Our son, Christian, was born
• Met Bishop Tudor Bismark
• Took my first trip to Africa
• Our daughter, Abigail, was born
• My dad passed away
• My marriage was dissolving and I contemplated taking my life
• The Pathways program (My pivot!)
• Published my first book, The Ties That Bind

• Another difficult season, and time of transition
• Met and befriended new influences
• Launched BrianHolmes.com
• Joined Mastermind(s)
• Developed meaningful relationships
• Shifting, growing, leading others and following God

• Next week I’ll share what I’ve learned and where I’m headed.
• We’ll also talk about your journey into your best season ever!

You’ve heard me speak about the journey I’ve been on over the last five years, and I frequently share when we’re in the midst of transition and advancing to our next level in life, the key relationships God sends us make such a powerful difference.

My guest today is one of those key relationships!

• Ken Davis hails from Franklin, TN, and has had a tremendous impact on my journey and where I am today. Listen in on his incredible story to find out more, and I promise you: you’ll be moved and inspired by today’s episode.

Ken Davis is one of the country’s most sought-after motivational and inspirational speakers. His mixture of side-splitting humor and his powerful insights on living fully alive have inspired audiences around the world.

Okay! I confess that I actually wrote the above sentence. However, I could not bear to begin the sentence with “I am one of the most sought-after speakers in the universe, etc.” But I can’t pretend someone else is writing this, so here goes.

I am an award-winning author of 12 books. The film Fully Alive, based on my latest book by the same name, was shown in theaters across the U.S. and is now enjoying a popular run on Netflix.

I have kept a full calendar speaking to a diverse group of corporate and faith-based audiences around the world. I am President of Ken Davis Productions and Lighten Up Ministries, which produce inspirational and motivational live shows, DVDs, books, seminars, and conferences designed to make a positive difference in the quality of peoples’ lives.

I was born in beautiful Northern Minnesota and lived there until my blood began to freeze. I now live in Franklin, TN, with my wife Diane.

I am in love with one wife, Diane, five grandchildren, and two daughters. Because I love those people so much, I have decided to let my two sons-in-law live. I am an intensely competitive athlete with no athletic ability to back it up. I regularly compete in triathlons, play racquetball, try to work out an hour a day, and occasionally sleep in. I excel at competitive sleeping.

The Dallas Morning News said of me, “One of the funniest comedians to come down the pike.” but that was 30 years ago. I’ve gotten much better since then.

Boastful resume and attempts at humorous self-deprecation aside, I can promise you this. Whether you bring my live show to your community, decide to spice up your next corporate convention, or invite me to speak to your church community, I will custom design an unforgettable experience that will leave you laughing, thinking, and ready to live more fully alive.

I love seeing auditoriums of people laugh until they require medical attention, I love to awaken in my audience the courage to rise above circumstances and the passion to live Fully Alive! Something tells me that the same desire burns in you as well.

• Register for the SCORRE Conference, and save $100 with the code holmes
• Buy, read, and re-read Ken Davis’ book, Fully Alive

Are you STUCK in a rut and paralyzed by the underwhelming expectations of those around you?

Today we will identify one of the most challenging enemies you will ever face, and reveal how you can beat it once and for all!

• Spoiler alert: your most challenging foe is known as the Status Quo.

• Even in the new year, the status quo demands you adjust your aspirations to its boundaries.
• The Status Quo is an invisible foe, but a powerful one.
• It constantly regulates your dreams, desires, and sense of possibility.
• The status quo is where you belong…or is it?

• Episode 123: Making The Pivot From Status Quo To So Much More
• Episode 163: 10 Things Real Leaders Do To Challenge The Status Quo
• Episode 096: 10 Keys For Living An Uncommon Life

1. Make up your mind
2. Declare your WHAT
3. Know and understand your WHY
4. Stop, Keep, Add
5. Be willing to walk away
6. Engage a viable support system
7. Be all in … no matter the risk or cost

• Don’t let this enemy overtake you.
• Go beyond the status quo and prepare yourself for a whole new world!
• Don’t stay stuck. Move, even if you have to do it creatively.

Many are talking about this, and while I certainly practice goal setting and planning, it is my supposition there are other factors at play to determine whether or not I will be successful in my new commitments and plans.

We’ll talk about that very thing as we discuss how to lay the foundation for an E.P.I.C. 2017!

• As we begin another new year, I want to help you lay a solid foundation on which to build your preferred future. I am using an acrostic to illustrate my foundational formula, which I hope will make it easier for you to follow, remember, and implement. It is simply E.P.I.C.

• No more …
  • I ran out of time
  • I was too busy
  • I didn’t have the resources
  • The other person did so and so

• Mindset
• Relationships
• Environment
• Act like the person you desire to be

• Visualize yourself …
  • Holding that book in your hand
  • Standing on that stage
  • Opening that business
  • Launching that foundation
  • Speaking in front of that audience
  • Influencing thousands of people

• The absence of confidence is timidity or fear; BOTH of which paralyze us from taking the necessary actions to create opportunity and progress
• COMMIT to progress: steady movement in the right direction

• Eliminate Excuses.
• Posture Yourself For The Next Level.
• Imagine The Possibilities And See Yourself Succeeding.
• Confidently Commit To The Process Of Progress.
• This is how you lay a powerful foundation for an EPIC year!

Today, we are talking in terms of No More Excuses! It’s Go Time!

• As we wrap up the year, each of us is processing things on different levels, yet all of us are exactly where we were meant to be. That said, it would be a major mistake to carry into next year what God intended for you to be rid of at the close of this year! What lies ahead is a new beginning and new possibilities.

Whatever it is you do, you were called by God to make a mark and leave a legacy. Your work – whether it’s parenthood, ministry, corporate, nonprofit, etc., is your business. With that in mind, a business is NOT a business unless it makes a profit.

A business fails for one reason: it makes no money.

A nonprofit fails for one reason: it has no money.

Whatever the scenario, you are in business!

Burn the appropriate bridges in 2017!

Get busy! This year is your year – make it your business to see it through!

Today, we are talking about: 17 Things To Do To Position Yourself For a Transformational 2017.

• Whatever you accomplished this year is about to be in your rear view mirror. While it will play a significant part in your future, it is NOT your future. In the same way, areas you did not accomplish or achieve desired outcomes are but a fading memory and an irreversible part of your life’s journey. You would be well served to look ahead!

1. Review your goals.
2. Celebrate your wins.
3. Identify areas you performed well in.
4. Identify areas you did not perform well in.
5. Answer the question: What did I not do that I needed to do?
6. Answer the question: Why? (No excuses, just honest assessment)
7. Forgive yourself. Commit to a fresh, more focused effort.
8. Close the books on 2016.
9. Start clean – blank sheet of paper!
10. Consider the possibilities. …. Really!
11. Answer the question: What do I want for my life, business, and relationships in 2017?
12. Write a short paragraph describing (in great detail) specifically what it is you want in each of those three areas.
13. Create a strategic plan.
14. Count the costs.
15. Inventory and evaluate your key relationships. (Eliminate all negative inputs!)
16. Collaborate in a community of like-minded leaders.
17. Confidently engage and execute the plan.

In order to achieve M.O.R.E. in the  year ahead, you have to embrace, engage, and leverage the process in getting there. You can have more influence, more effectiveness, and all more efficiently, but not without putting in the hard work. There are 5 things you must have to conquer this next level…

1. Desire
2. Dreams
3. Design
4. Discipline
5. Do

• Identify and embrace your desire. What do you want?
• Awaken the dreams within you and capture the vision.
• Design the life you want to live.
• Be disciplined in your pursuit.
• DO something!

This principle is timeless, and most assuredly true. There is nothing more important than mindset. We will always live the results and outcomes produced by our underlying beliefs.

As we prepare for the new year ahead, how can we ensure this next season will produce more, fulfill more, add more, and generate more in every area of our life?

Simply stated, there is but one way: change your mind.

Be honest with yourself. Explore the inner sanctum of your heart and mind (without prejudice) and see what beliefs, recurring thought patterns, or mindsets are holding you back from receiving all God has for your future.

Mindset and Money are corresponding items, as we discussed in our last episode. While money is not the only area in life most of us would like to experience M.O.R.E., it is an area which significantly impacts every other area of our lives.

1. Money is evil.
2. People who have money are evil.
3. I don’t need more if all my basic needs are met.
4. I’m not worthy or smart enough to have more money.
5. I can’t prosper in this economy.
6. Blessed are the poor.
7. This is my lot in life. After all, someone has to _____.

1. Identify the limiting belief.
2. Isolate the belief.
3. Reframe the belief.
4. Replace the belief with truth.

• What do you believe about you and money?
• Have you limited yourself in this area?
• Are you ready to change your mind about things that have been holding you back?
• Now is the time! This is the season!

How you see your future, however, will determine what you will get out of it. If you expect the same, you’ll achieve the same. If you expect newer, better, broader, that is what you will attain.

All of that said, how does one frame a future on a foundation of hope? Are we really able to reframe our hearts and minds to see the possibilities and opportunities before us?

Simply stated, this episode is about MORE.

M: Mindset, Money

O: Occupation, Opportunity

R: Recreation, Rest

E: Exercise, Effectiveness

• Where are you on the spectrum of your expectations?
• Do you want MORE?
• Are you willing to change your present mindset in order to position yourself for ALL available to you?
• Do you see opportunity, or are you stuck in an occupation you neither love nor enjoy?
• Have you taken time to re-create?

To celebrate the incredible milestone of 200 episodes of Brian’s podcast, we turned to you – the audience – for questions we could ask Brian on his show. We sprung those questions on Brian when his assistant, Val, was able to record the conversation.

This is an episode all about Brian, and more specifically, all about answering the very questions submitted by you!

Today is a special edition, as Strategic Leader Podcast has reached 200 episodes! We thought we’d celebrate by turning the tables, and making Brian the guest on his own podcast.

Brian’s assistant, Val, was thrilled to put Brian in the hot seat to answer your burning questions about him, his business, his habits, and for this 200th episode of the Strategic Leader Podcast.

Brian Holmes is the man behind BrianHolmes.com, and the regular host of The Strategic Leader Podcast. He is a leader of leaders, teacher, coach, aviator, seasoned author, highly-acclaimed speaker, and all-around genuine, intuitive, compassionate being.

Brian has shared his journey, his significant transitions, his passion and insights, and has continually poured value into his audience over the last many years.

• How do you ensure the priority of your family and your personal goals outside of this arena remain the focus and take precedent over everything you do in your business?
• What are the top three principles you’ve learned and applied that have been paramount to your success?
• What are some resources that have greatly influenced your career and calling?
• What’s the best business decision you’ve made to ensure you’re following the path of your passion to lead others?
• What was the most difficult or important criticism you received and needed to hear – and act on – in order to advance to the level you’re on today?
• What does it mean to you to be able to lead all people from all kinds of beliefs and backgrounds, from your worldview as a believer?
• Who do you keep around you to influence and encourage you in maintaining that line of faith in work?
• How have your relationships with your children, and especially your wife, helped you become who you are today?
• What is it about aviation that fires you up?
• Do you have a favorite aircraft/favorite flight destination?

• Let Brian know what you thought of his answers!
• Is there anything you’d like to ask Brian about for an upcoming episode?