It is not enough if you are busy.

The question is, What are you busy about?

–Henry David Thoreau

Happiness is not found outside of you.  It doesn’t come from cars, clothes, cash, or Caribbean cruises.  Happiness is found within.

But how can you find it if you don’t have the simplicity of time and space to discover the most important things in your life?  How can you search the depths of your soul if you are too busy impressing others, acquiring wealth, protecting your properties, and paying your debts?

Simplicity is NOT about the externals either: living in a doghouse, eating in a Hepatitis joint, wearing rags…

The best definition of simplicity I ever read comes from Janet Luhrs from her book, The Simple Living Guide.   There she says thatsimplicity is living from the core of your being.

I cannot agree more.

I believe that simplicity is having the time and space to embrace what is most important to you.  It is having the leisure to cherish them, having the freedom to glory in them, and having the power to live by them.

         Along the way, you’ll discover that the most important things in life aren’t things, but the persons that have been given to our lives.  But that’s something you’ll have to discover yourself.

         Give up shallowness.

         I repeat: Live from the core of your being.

Here’s my suggestion: Get a notebook and begin a journal for this book.  Write down your discoveries, insights, reflections.  What is yourcore?  What are the most important things in your life right now?  Do you allow your core to direct and empower your daily decisions and actions?

Live On Less & Delight In Them More

G.K. Chesterton said, There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more; The other is to desire less.

Let me clarify.  I’ll be the last person to tell you to stop trying to earn more.  Earn as much as you can and unleash your fullest potential, so that you can bless OTHERS.

But to protect yourself from greed, I urge you: Relish, taste, and immerse in the divine of the ordinary!  Because if you develop the capacity to suck all the joy that life has to offer, you don’t need expensive entertainment. 

I’m not ashamed to say that looking through an open window and seeing clouds drift by is Class A entertainment for me.  Doing that for just five minutes sets the tenor of my day.

         Some take their pleasure dining in classy restaurants, trips to Europe, and owning the latest home-theatre equipment.  Nothing wrong with those things, by the way.  Recently, I’ve been able to travel a lot with my family because God has blessed my businesses with abundance.  But I don’t depend on them for my core enjoyment.  For decades, I couldn’t do any of that, yet I was still very happy.  Why?  Because inwardly, I’ve chosen the simpler path: If I can simply be with my wife, or take a quiet stroll under a canopy of stars, or play with a child, or read a good book in my home, or laugh with friends over pizza, I consider myself richly blessed.

         Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have.

         Because satisfaction doesn’t come from getting what you want, but wanting what you already have.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

–Philippians 4:12-13

Think about it.

What do you have right now that you have been taking for granted?  List down in your journal fifty blessings you enjoy today.  Don’t stop until you reach fifty!

         Live on less and delight in them more.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. Do You See Yourself As A Speaker?  LAST CALL before the price of my 4-Day Successful Speakers Bootcamp goes up.  Better act now.  To know more about it, click here now. 

(Hi, I just wanted to make sure you read this very important email before the Stock Market soars up again; When that happens, my letter below will mean nothing…  So read and act on it!  Blessings!)

       Forget my bad grammar.

       I’m making a very important point.

I believe that everyday is the BEST time to start investing in the Stock Market.  No kidding.  Because to start is glorious.  So many people don’t start!  All they do is talk about starting.  (Does this sound familiar to you?)

But there are days that are BESTEST than others.  (My Grammar teacher in grade school is rolling in her grave right now.)  And this month is one of those BESTEST days.

Why?  Because the Stock Market is down.  You see, in the past four months, we saw the Stock Market go up like a turbo rocket.  It went berserk.

But now, it MUST go down before it goes up again.  That’s just its cyclic nature.

That’s why—if you haven’t started investing in the Stock Market, get into it NOW.

Is This For You?

By the way, my letter today isn’t for everyone. 

Please disregard if this isn’t your concern.

I don’t expect everyone to join my TrulyRichClub.  

If this isn’t for you, I apologize for bothering you with this letter.

Because today, I’m specifically writing to people who want to grow their financial life—and who want my guidance in investing in the Stock Market.

Are you tired of being stuck in a rut in your finances?

Are you tired of your lingering debts?

Are you tired of feeling the pain of wanting to help people you love, but can’t, because you don’t have the resources?

Are you tired of your big fears and uncertainty?

Are you tired of working very hard everyday, only to realize that you don’t really have any savings for your future?

Just in case you’re that person, let me help you.

To know more about my TrulyRichClub, click the link below:

Yes Bo, teach me how to grow my money!

Tell me more about the TrulyRichClub

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. Don’t Miss This Window Of Opportunity When The Stocks Are Low.  To know more about the TrulyRichClub, click the link below:

Yes Bo, teach me how to grow my money!

Tell me more about the TrulyRichClub

(I have an oldie but goodie article below.  Enjoy.)

My parents breathed simplicity.

          Oxygen too, but that’s pretty obvious.

          Dad was an assistant vice president at a humongous company, yet I didn’t “feel” like I was a rich man’s kid.   Because my parents made it a rule to live below their means.

          A millionaire’s son rode a sleek Benz.  I rode our sixteen-year old Toyota that sounded more like a drum and bugle band, with its cacophony of bangs, rattles, and whams.  Oh yes, our neighbors had cars with a little bit of rust.  But we had rust with a little bit of car.  An heir of the moneyed class was chauffeured to school, but as early as Grade III, I was taking the public jeepney—sitting, standing, or swinging from its handrails like a flapping flag…

           The wealthy dined on gourmet meals every day.  But the culinary highlight of my whole week was when Mom bought Coke for our Sunday lunch—the only time we tasted the stuff.  I’m not kidding.

Rich kids wore outfits from America, England, and Paris.  I wore clothes from Avenida, Escolta, and Pasay.

           The mansions of the rich and famous are veritable furniture showcases, complete with sixteen Egyptian jars from the Nephriti era.  I learned that one of those monstrous flower vases was equal to the price of our entire house.  But naturally, we too had our own flower vases.  If my archeological knowledge serves me right, they came from the Nescafe era.

           Their estates have playrooms with life-size Barbie’s and Power Rangers.  But the way I played with expensive toys was admiring them from the store shelf and using my imagination to the hilt.  That way, I owned all the toys in the world.

           You’ll be shocked by what I’m going to tell you, but in all these, I recall never feeling deprived in anyway.

  Let me tell you why.

  I remember my father coming home every night and we’d go jogging together–around our old car parked in the garage.  (Dad says he wasn’t vying for the Olympics anyway.)  Then I’d sit on his lap and we’d talk about how to solve the problems of the universe.  After dinner, we’d read the comic pages together.  Tarzan was my favorite, until I reached puberty.  From then on, it became Jane.

Almost every Saturday afternoon, it was father and son time.  We’d walk to the shopping center and Dad would buy me a hotdog.  Then we’d walk back home, bringing some small thing for Mom, usually a chocolate bar.  To add sentimental value to our token gift, I forced myself to take a few bites from it.

I guess being with Dad and Mom were all that my little boy’s heart ever wanted.

And I got it, every single day.  

Start Living Deliberately

I believe that God chose to write the “map of happiness” in the ordinary parchment of simplicity—like a treasure map written on recycled brown paper.  Consequently, many people ignore the map, and are attracted instead to the more glossy, loud, shiny maps around.  But when they follow these others maps, they end up tired as a dog chasing it’s own tail.

         I have a radical suggestion.

         Simplify.

         Simplify because you want to discover the depths of your soul.

         Simplify because you want to start living deliberately.

         Simplify because you want to love from an uncluttered heart.

         Remember that simplicity is only a first step of the journey.  Holding the treasure map, memorizing it, photocopying it a thousand copies, and keeping it safe in a vault won’t make you claim the gold.  You actually need to sail through oceans, climb the peaks, cross the valleys, and dig in caves.

Simplicity will point to you where and what and who the gold is in your life.

         Once you know your gold, the game has just begun.

Will you treasure your gold?

         My parents knew their gold: (1) Each other, (2) their six children, and (3) their faith.  They tried to live uncluttered lives so that they could have time for what was most important.

They didn’t busy themselves buying a bigger house, because that would mean working harder to pay the monthly amortization, do overtime work, or take a second job.  Who would then go jogging with little Bo every night?  Who would read Tarzan for him?  They didn’t burden themselves buying a BMW because that would mean laboring and worrying about installment bills.  Besides, walking to the shopping center every Saturday afternoon with his son gave him exercise, and made little Bo feel special.

         One of the delights of my heart was seeing Dad and Mom in their bedroom at night, after our nightly family prayer.  The lights were turned off, and I’d see the silhouette of my father seated on his old chair and mom standing behind him, gently massaging his shoulders.  I’d hear them talk about what transpired in their day.  Even as a child, I sensed their quiet pleasure at being together.  My question today: Could they have done this rich ritual each night and nourished their marriage if they were busy paying designer outfits for themselves or their kids?  Or worrying about monthly bills for new hi-tech appliances?

         I don’t think so.

         And I’ve made the choice: I don’t want that kind of life either.

         In the next few weeks, it will be my pleasure to take you through the peaks and valleys of this journey towards happy simplicity.

         May your dreams come true,

         Bo Sanchez

PS. Who Else Wants To Be A Powerful Speaker?  Do you want to be an effective, riveting, and powerful speaker?  And do you want to earn through your speaking?  I can help you become the best speaker you can ever become.  I’ll be running a 4-day How To Be A Highly-Paid Speakers Bootcamp on August 14 to 17 in a secluded hotel in Tagaytay.  To know more about it, click here now.

          Do you want to succeed in life?

Stop whining. 

Take charge.

          Make things happen.

Here’s what I realized: Addicts are expert blamers.  They will never take charge.  They will never say, “I’m in charge.  Depending on what I choose, my life can be very beautiful or very ugly.”  Because addicts believe that others are to blame for their problem.

They had a survey—what is the common denominator of all successful people in the world. 

They checked family background—and they found nothing in common.  Some had great families while others had broken families.  They checked education—and there again, there was nothing in common.  Some had Ph.D’s while others didn’t even have a high school diploma.  They checked religion—and there was nothing in common.  Others were Christians, some were Muslims, some were Buddhists, some were atheists. 

There was only one thing that all successful people had in common: They responded to failure positively.   When the going gets tough, they took charge!  They took the steering wheel of their life and drove.

Let me correct a misunderstanding: Friend, you are NOT the passenger and God is the driver.  I’ve heard that analogy a lot.  Shucks, I’ve even taught it.  But it’s wrong.  Here’s a better analogy: You are a driver (because God gave you free will)—but God is the real owner of the car, the master mechanic riding with you in the car, the GPS guiding your car, and the powerful fuel in your car…

We Even Blame God!

       In Genesis, you find the famous “blame” verses in the Bible.

       First, Adam blamed Eve for his sin: “God, she made me do it.”

And then Eve blamed the snake for her sin: “Uh, this snake made me do it!”

This is shifting the blame. 

You don’t hear the words, “I did it.  I blew it.  It’s my fault.  I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.”  None.  Instead you hear words of blame.  Pointing fingers. 

       Actually, if you read the exact words of Adam, He was actually blaming God for his sin.  Adam said, “The woman YOU put here in the garden made me sin…”

       Tsk, tsk.

       That was why bestselling author Larry Crabb said that the problem of this world is really the problem of manhood.  He calls it the Silence of Adam.  He didn’t protect his wife Eve.  He allowed her to fall into sin—and even blamed her when he sinned.

I love what Bishop Ruben Abante told me.  He said the Bible does NOT say, “Wives, love your husbands”.  But it says, “Husbands, love your wives”.  How come? Because love should come from the husband.  When the husband loves the wife and the children, the wife and the children will love him.  Men must take charge for the spiritual life of the family.  When they take their leadership role seriously, abundance will flow.

“It’s Your Fault, Bo…”

One day, I was talking to a man who committed adultery.  He said, “Bo, if you knew my wife, you too would commit adultery.  Each day, I’d come home from work tired and exhausted, and I get nothing but nagging wife upset about this and upset about that.  Every single night.”  I felt so sad for him.  Because I knew he won’t change.

Before our conversation was over, his last words to me were, “I fell into adultery because YOU didn’t follow me up.  You’re my spiritual leader.  But you were too busy with other things…”

Groan.  So now it was my fault he committed adultery?

Don’t Even Blame Yourself

       Look, I’m not even asking you blame yourself.

       Just take responsibility.  (There’s a huge difference.)

       God is not in the business of blaming people.

       God is not in the business of condemning people.

God is in the business of loving people, forgiving people, and giving people abundance.

If you have fault, accept it.

If you have sin, admit your mistake.

But never condemn yourself!

The point is not to blame yourself for your mess.  The point is taking charge for creating a new life.

       Yes, accept the guilt. 

       But accept also the power to live a new life.

When you take responsibility, you don’t find fault—even on yourself.

Condemnation won’t heal you.  Judging yourself won’t heal you.  Taking a guilt trip won’t heal you.  Shaming yourself won’t heal you. 

Only love will.

“Learned Helplessness” Or “Learned Helpfulness”

If there’s such a thing as “Learned Helplessness”, let me introduce you to “Learned Helpfulness”.   Find the power that God has given you to change your life.  Learned helplessness happens one day at a time.  Learned Helpfulness happens one day at a time too.

       There are three kinds of people in the world:

·      Those who make things happen.

·      Those who watch as things happen.

·      And those who wonder, “What happened?”

       What kind of person are you?

Tied to The Mind

       Have you ever wondered why a gigantic elephant can be held by a rope around its leg tied to a flimsy stick dug in the ground?

       Here’s the secret: While the elephant was still a baby, its owner would tie it with the rope.  With much pain and a lot of frustration, the elephant tried to pull away but couldn’t.

       After a lot of pain and frustration, it learned that it was impossible to get away and break the rope.  Years later, even if the elephant was now a huge beast, weighing six tons, it doesn’t pull away. Why? Because the rope is tied to the mind, not to the body.

       Friend, have you been blaming that thin piece of rope tying you to your mess, your failure, your sin, your problem?

You’re not helpless.  You can change your life!  You can change your spiritual life.  Family life.  Financial life. 

Right now.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

PS. Attention Singles: Do You Need Guidance On How To Find Your One True Love?  I know a lot of married people who go to counselling AFTER the wedding.  But I think they should work on themselves BEFORE they get married.  How early?  I think they should work on themselves BEFORE they even meet their One True Love!  My friend Rissa Singson-Kawpeng is offering a 6-month COACHING PROGRAM for singles who need guidance on this very important area of their life and future.  If you want to know more about it, click here now.

PS2. Life is confusing.  Having a life and relationship Coach beside you can help you discern, think, choose, and love.  For more details,click here now.

Warning: I’m going to say something controversial today.

For some people, Religion is Toxic.

It kills.  It harms.  It hurts.  It robs.

No, I’m not talking about the Brand of your Religion.  You could be Catholic or Born-Again or Muslim or Buddhist or Hindu.  And still have Toxic Faith, no matter what brand you carry.

It’s not the brand, but the way we carry out our religion.

In fact, I believe wrong religion worsens our hidden addictions.

There are a significant number of religious people I know who have sex addictions, anger addictions, food addictions, and obviously, religious addiction.  

Why?

          What is Toxic Faith? 

How do you know if you have Toxic Faith?

Here is the main symptom…

Do You Have A Distorted Image of God?

       One day, a man came up to me and said, “Bo, I’ve been feeling guilty.  I feel God is angry at me today…”

“Angry at you?  Why?” I asked.

“Because I missed my prayer time today.  I’m afraid that He’ll punish me.”

Friends, I knew that feeling very well.  Because for years—decades—I used to think this way. 

Yes, I once had Toxic Faith.  (And if I’ll be honest, I still feel its residue in my soul.)  Toxic Faith is based on a distorted image of God.  For 20 years, I worshipped a judgmental, wrathful, vindictive, vengeful, and legalistic God.  Even if during that time, I was preaching on God’s Love!

Why?  Because our intellectual image of God is very different from our subconscious image of God.  The latter is much deeper and more difficult to change.

A person with Toxic Faith will imagine God telling him, “Aha!  You missed your prayer time today.  I will punish you…”

I used to pray daily because of fear. 

Do you know how absurd this is? 

Imagine a father calling up his son by phone and growling, “Ingrate!  You don’t visit me anymore.  I’m warning you.  I’m going to put a curse on you if you don’t visit me right this minute.  Do you understand?”  What kind of father is that?

And yet we imagine God to be like that.

Today, I still pray daily, but I do so because I love to pray.  He blesses me, nourishes me, and fills my heart with love.  If I do miss my prayers, He doesn’t throw lightning bolts on me.

Do You Worship The Judgmental, Wrathful,

Vindictive, And Vengeful God?

According to Toxic Faith, God is a judgmental, wrathful, vindictive, vengeful, and legalistic God.  If a person has a distorted image of God, your subconscious beliefs are as follows… (Check if you have any of them.)

·      “God will love me only if I behave.”

·      “God hates sinners and is angry with me.” 

·      “He wants to punish me.” 

·      “God is never satisfied with me.”

When you have Toxic Faith, it seems as though God ispreoccupied with your sinfulness, waiting for you to make a mistake.  He’s also fickle and moody: When you don’t sin, He likes you.  When you do sin, He doesn’t like you.  He constantly shames you, humiliates you, so you will follow His ever-increasing demanding standards. 

My Painful Past

The foundation for religious faith isn’t religious education but strong family bonds.  If a child grows up WITHOUT close relationship with his or her parents, he’ll have the capacity only for learning doctrines, not a capacity to trust God.

       My parents were Catholic.  We went to Mass every Sunday.  We prayed the rosary every night.  God was important.  But more than that, it was our closeness as a family that prepared me for faith.

       By 1978, all of us joined the Catholic Renewal.  And I was introduced to a personal God.  As a 12-year old, I gave my life to live for Jesus.

       Our prayer group was lovely—small, happy, simple.  We did outreach work in the provinces.  Our leader, Sister Aida, was a prophet who prophesied that I would preach and she raised me up to preach.  She was always honest about her faults—her temper, her worries, her fears—and it made us honest about our faults too.

       But something went wrong when I was 13…

       That was when I joined another group.  It was a tiny youth group led by a gifted leader who was a great preacher, a good singer, and a very friendly fellow.  I enjoyed being with other young people.  I was one of its 4 young “elders”.  But one day, when I was 13 year old, he sexually abused me.  When that happened, I didn’t share it with anyone. I couldn’t.  I kept the dark secret to myself.  How could I tell others?  He was our leader.  In some terribly convoluted way, I didn’t want to shake the status quo.  You like the community, you like the group, you like your role in the group.   I became numb to the pain, I buried whatever feelings of shame, anger, and fear that I felt.

       It took a few months later when I was with another youth “elder”—and he asked me if our leader molested me. I said he did.  He said that he too was molested.  And that others were abused too.  Our entire youth group was being molested, one by one.  We heard that one of our newest members was taking a shower in our community center when our leader just came in and took a shower with him.

       With all that unaddressed pain within, I became a religious addict.  What better drug—a way of escape—than religion?  Than reading the Bible?  Than prayer?  Than religious activities?

       I prayed an hour a day, went to Mass daily, prayed the rosary daily, read the Bible daily, lived a life of poverty—all in an effort to numb the pain within. 

And I became a religious leader.  If a religious addict becomes a leader, he usually becomes spiritually abusive towards his followers—because I insisted to everyone that my spiritual regimen was the only way to please God.  So I taught them my spiritual regimen.  I also frowned on them when they thought their thoughts, felt their feelings, wanted their wants.  I used guilt and fear to manipulate them to follow my teachings.

       Today, I’ve learned NOT to use religion as my drug.  I’ve learned to address my inner pain.  I’ve learned to feel my feelings, think my thoughts, and want my wants.  I’ve learned to love myself.  I’ve learned to enjoy life and to find God in non-religious stuff, like family, like business, like just being myself. 

       I’m free.

And this freedom has made me love God and others more.

       I pray that you receive this freedom too.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

PS. How To Earn Money Through Larry Gamboa’s Real Estate System.  My friend and Real Estate Mentor Larry Gamboa is giving a Seminar on how he buys foreclosed properties OR properties from “motivated sellers” and turns them around into rental properties or quick sales.  If you’re interested to learn his system, click here now.

PS2. The seminar is on June 1.  For more information, click here now.

Ronni is a good friend and a very successful businessman.

       When I asked him why he’s so successful, he told me a very peculiar reason: He said that when he was growing up as a kid, his father prohibited them from talking about gossip around the dinner table.  They couldn’t talk about showbiz actors, their neighbors, or the usual trivia that people talk about. 

Instead, they always talked about business. 

Imagine being a 5-year-old boy.  And all around you, people are talking about how to increase sales, how to satisfy customers, and how to market your product!

As a child, these daily family conversations around the dinner table painted a powerful picture in Ronni’s mind about who he would become one day.  Subconsciously, he already knew he was going to be a successful businessman. 

Today, Ronni owns a few companies worth hundreds of millions.   For years, Ronni’s father made him focus on a powerful Self-Portrait. 

And it has become a reality…

Focus On Your Portrait In God’s Mind

Friend, you have to learn how to focus.

Don’t focus on the negative things happening in your life.

Accept it, yes.  Acknowledge it, yes.  Don’t deny it.

But don’t dwell on it, meditate on it, and analyze it to death.

Instead, focus on what God is telling you.

Because as you eat around the Banquet of Life, your Heavenly Father likes talking about how great you are—and how great you will be.  Listen to Him.  Focus on His Words.  And be blown away by how beautiful you are in His eyes.

No Matter What Happens,

Never Give Up Your Divine Self-Portrait

When I think of Self-Portraits from God, I think of Joseph in the Old Testament. 

Because Joseph had a dream about who he was in God’s eyes (Genesis 37:5-11, 23, 28).  In that dream, he saw the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him.  This became his fantastic Self-Portrait.  He saw himself as a Child of God, Friend of God, and Champion of God.  And through all the trials of his life, he held on to this Divine Self-Portrait. 

Joseph kept on rising after each fall, even if others kept putting him down.

       Consider this list of failures:

·      Joseph was thrown into a pit.

·      Joseph was sold as a slave.

·      Joseph was falsely accused of rape.

·      Joseph was thrown into prison.

·      Joseph was forgotten in prison!

       Through all these, Joseph must have asked, “Lord, what about that vision, the dream, that Self-Portrait that you gave me?  Was it fake?”

       But Joseph never gave up.

       Each time failure struck him like a lead pipe hitting his head, he held onto the Self-Portrait God gave him in his heart.  He believed that he was going to be a winner.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

       And in the end, Joseph’s Self-Portrait came true. 

He became Governor of all of Egypt.

Let me tell you one last story of another electric fan…

Use The Power Of Pictures

In Your Heart

       When he got married, Rudy was so poor, he couldn’t even buy an electric fan.  He and his wife were renting a tiny room for P90 a month.  And this tiny room got warm during summer, and without a fan, it got really hot.

       But even in his poverty, Rudy believed in his dreams. 

He was also a great believer in having pictures to remind him of his dreams.

So he did the ridiculous.  He got a newspaper, cut out a photo of an electric fan, and pinned it on their wall.  And each time he saw the photo, it reminded him of his great goal in life (at that time): That he’d be able to buy an electric fan for his beloved wife. 

Whenever he saw beads of perspiration on her forehead, he’d go to the photo, and “press” the switch of the fan.  He focused on his dream.

       Four days later, Rudy heard a knock on the door. 

When he opened it, he saw his neighbor holding an old electric fan.  The neighbor said he was moving out and wondered if Rudy wanted to buy his old fan for P50.

       Rudy was overjoyed.  “Yes!” he said.

       In four days, the real fan now replaced the photo.

       The next photo he pinned on the wall was a beautiful white van.  Foolish, right?  How in the world can a poor man who couldn’t even buy an electric fan now dream of buying a van? 

       But he kept on dreaming for that van and worked hard.  The white van came.  And so did the larger homes.  Both here and America.

       Today, Rudy is a multi-millionaire.  Because he had pictures that guided him through his journey.  (And in case you’re wondering, yes, Rudy is also one of the financial mentors in my Truly Rich Coaching Program.  I hope you can meet him one day.)

       Having photos work!

Hang In Your Heart Your Divine Self-Portrait

       But I’m asking you not just to hang a photo of an electric fan on your wall.

       Use the power of pictures for a more important task: Hang a photo of yourself in your heart—the kind of person God wants you to be in the future.  Like Rudy, I want to you to focus on that photo—your Self-Portrait—and dream big dreams. 

       See yourself as a holy person. 

See yourself as a loving person. 

See yourself as a successful person. 

And see yourself as a “truly rich” person.

Redefine yourself.  Now.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

PS.  If you want to learn how to earn passive income through creative Real Estate: My friend, Real Estate Mentor, and Bestselling Author Larry Gamboa has a Think Rich Pinoy Seminar on June 1 at The Fort.  To learn more about it, click here now.

       One day, a man came up to me and asked, “Did you come up withKerygma?” 

“Yep,” I said, “Started it way back in 1990.”

“And after that, you published other magazines, like Didache, Gabay, Companion, Sabbath…”

“Yes,” I said.

He grabbed my arm and asked, “Bo, can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot,” I said.

“Where do you get all your ideas?  Man, I’m serious.”

To tell you honestly, I couldn’t answer him. 

Because I felt my answer would have sounded cocky.

       I wanted to tell him, “I’m a friend of God and He talks to me.”

Not with bolts of lightning and peals of thunder.  But through ordinary thoughts.  Why?  Because He’s my friend and friends talk to each other each day.

When I say this, I’m NOT saying everything I’ve done has been a resounding kawabangga success.  On the contrary, I’ve started a lot of stuff that crashlanded the day I launched it.  But even those failures weren’t really failures because I learned so much from them.

So even those failures, I felt God’s guidance and kindness on me.

And in case you’re thinking that I’m putting myself on a pedestal here, read my next sentence: If you look back at your life, you’ll realize that God has spoken to you too.  He has been guiding you throughout your life.  Because He’s your friend too.

       There’s nothing special about me.  I fart.  I snore.  I sleep with my mouth open.  I leave my dirty socks on the floor (My wife is holy because of me).

       YOU are God’s Friend. 

And God likes talking to you.

       Jesus says, No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

God Stands By His Friends

       Whenever I face a problem, I speak these mighty words out loud: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

       Let me tell you a story that happened to me a few years ago.

       One day, I got worried.

       Because we bought an Audio System for the FEAST (that’s what we call our prayer gathering)worth a staggering, mind-blowing P2.4 Million.

And I also promised the guy who sold it to us that we would pay him in three months time.

       Frankly, I didn’t know how in the world we could pay him in three months.

But after all these years, I’ve gotten used to my insanity, and so have my friends.

I figured I didn’t have a choice either, as our weekly FEAST was growing in number and we really needed the beefed-up Audio System.

So after I signed that piece of paper, I went on stage and spoke to our FEAST audience.  “Friends, we need to raise P2.4M in three months for our Audio System.”  The crowd in front of me looked at me with a huge question mark on their faces, waiting for a punch line.  They probably thought I was joking.

After my announcement, we passed the offering basket for the Audio System.  True enough.  On that day, we collected the humongous, astronomical, gigantic sum of… (drum roll please)… P12,000!  Wow, if this pace kept up, I calculated that we’d reach P2.4 Million in, oh, fourteen years.  Man, we needed a miracle.

During those three months, I don’t know how many times I said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  I’m a Friend of God!

And as the weeks went by, the miracles came.

First, the wonderful man who sold the Audio System slashed his price to P2 Million.  He said he no longer wanted to make a profit from us.  (Bless his soul and business, Lord!)  Second, a lot of people began to give sacrificially.  And the Audio System was fully paid at the exact time!

Right now, you may be worried about all sorts of concerns.  Perhaps it’s about your kids.  Or about your job.  Or about your health.  Or about your future. 

Declare today that God stands by His friends.

And you’re God’s friend.

Even more, trust in your Friend today.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. If you’re voting today… I pray for God’s wisdom upon you.  Be guided by the Lord’s voice in your heart.  And together, let’s pray for the Philippines—that we be led by men and women who will uphold life, serve the poor, and lift up our countrymen from poverty to God’s abundance, in Jesus name.  Amen!

PS2. Another Topic: If want to learn how to earn through creative Real Estate…  My friend and Real Estate teacher Larry Gamboa has aThink Rich Pinoy Seminar on June 1 at The Fort.  To read his letter about it, click here now.

Last week, my mother died.

Looking at her lifeless body in her simple white coffin, and remembering her permanent impact in my life, I realized that mothers are God’s greatest inventions.

Why did God invent mothers?

Because there are a few things that only mothers can do…

I needed someone crazy enough to carry me in her womb for 9 months, crazy enough to go through the pain of childbirth, crazy enough to feed me, bath me, burp me, and look after me 24/7, crazy enough to teach me to how to walk, how to talk, how to play, how to pray, how to learn, how to share, how to serve, and how to say “Thank You” and “I’m Sorry” and “I love you”

Why did God invent mothers?

Because when my fingers were smaller, I needed someone with bigger fingers to button my shirt, to cut my fingernails, and to tie my shoelaces.  And when my wisdom was smaller, I needed someone with bigger wisdom to teach me what was right and wrong, and someone to forgive me when I did the wrong.

Why did God invent mothers?

Because when I failed in an exam or when a teacher laughed at me or when a playmate rejected me and I felt like my whole world was collapsing, I needed a mother who would tell me, “Just wait. Everything will be alright…” I needed a mother to hold my hand when I was afraid, hold my hand when I was sick, to hold my hand when I fell down, and hold my hand when I felt sad. 

Why did God invent mothers?

Because when I was 13, I needed a mother who would listen with rapt attention to the mumblings and ramblings of a 13 year old boy giving his first talk; I needed a mother who went to every talk I gave, who recorded my every word in her gigantic old tape recorder, and who heard my talks over and over again in her bedroom—to tell me that in her heart, I will always be the greatest preacher in the universe; I needed a mother who would believe in me so that it would be easier for me to believe that God believed in me.

I needed a mother who would read every word I wrote—in every magazine and in every book I published.  I needed a mother who, even if she never used the internet or email in her life, would still read my blog by asking her daughters to print my online essays for her—to tell me that I never stop writing God’s message to this world.

Why did God invent mothers?

Because when I was 14, I needed a mother who didn’t freak out when I told her that I wanted to live in a dangerous slum area to bring Jesus in the poorest of the poor; All she said was, “If that’s what God wants you to do, then do it; I will pray for your protection.”  Like any mother, she wanted me to be safe, but she believed that there’s nothing safer than being in the will of God;

When I was 14, I needed a mother crazy enough to allow me to travel by myself to the farthest islands of the Philippines to preach the Gospel; I needed a mother who trusted me but who trusted God more than me to take care of me. 

When I was 16, I needed a mother crazy enough to send me off to pilgrimage to Israel and 20 cities in Europe for 41 days all by myself—because I needed a mother who would love me and launch me, love me and let go of me…

Why did God invent mothers?

Because when I started preaching about financial literacy and how to become truly rich, and some people were criticizing me for becoming worldly, I needed my mother who knew my heart more than anyone else and told me, “I’m happy that God is opening a new ministry for you.”

Why did God invent mothers?

Because I needed a mother who prayed for me every single moment of her life. I needed a mother who showed me God’s face by simply showing her face to me.

But I realized I didn’t need just any mother.

I needed my mother.

I needed Pilar.

To make me who I am today.

Dearest friend, God gave you your mother.  With all her weaknesses, she is still one of God’s most precious gifts to you.

       Love her…while you can.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. Do you want to help others with traumas and phobias?  (Do YOU want to be healed of your traumas and phobias too?)On June 14 to 15, my friend Jojo Apolo is giving a seminar on how to help people with phobias and traumas.  I joined his previous seminar as a participant and it was simply amazing.  For more information, click here now.

She left us quietly, peacefully, and lovingly.
When I arrived from Europe yesterday morning, I whispered to her ear, “Mom, I’m here.  This is Bo, your son.  I love you.”
I knew she heard me because a tear escaped her eye.
I’ll always be grateful that she waited for me for an entire month before saying goodbye…

She was the first woman who loved me.
She loved me when I was conceived in her womb.
She loved me when I was a baby nursing on her breast.
She loved me when I went to school for the first time.
She loved me when I gave my first talk at 13.
She loved me when I wrote my first book.
She loved me when I got married.
She loved me when I gave her grandkids.
And yes, she loved me on her deathbed.

At 3:55pm, she slipped into blissful eternity.

I imagined her hugging my father, Gene, whom she called “Amor” for 62 years.  Dad must have been his dashing, handsome, wonderful self–how he looked like when they got married–not the old, sickly man who died 5 years ago.  And Mom?  She would be beautiful and passionate, young and strong, her jet-black hair, large eyes, and a warm smile.

I imagined her embracing Jesus whom she served all her life.

Thank you for your love and prayers.
Yesterday, God gave you and me a new gift.
You have a new intercessor in Heaven praying for you.
She is the mother of all our ministries.
She will implore blessings for you because you’re part of a spiritual community that was born in her heart.

May your dreams come true,

Bo

          I was only a kid then.

But to this day, I can never forget our old electric fan.

          If you’re my age, you’ve probably seen those monsters: An electric fan made of pure 100% steel and heavy as a boat.  And with blades that could chop your head off.

One day, we switched it on, and the blades made so much noise, you’d think there was an army helicopter right inside our home. 

That was when my cousin Chuck dropped by and volunteered to fix it.  He was known in the family as a “jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none” kind of guy.  We should have focused on the “master-of-none” part.  Because after he “fixed” it, the noise was totally gone—but so was all signs of life.  Our fan was now dead.  “Chuck, you killed it!” we told him.  “Well at least, it’s quiet now,” he said, “and we can sell this junk!”

That was when my Uncle Tom came ambling through the door.  “He’s good with his hands,” my father said.  So we asked him to check what was left of our fan.

Uncle Tom took it apart, and after almost two hours, put it together again. He plugged it—and with bated breath—we saw the blades moving again!  And without the noise too.

But no wonder, because the blades made one complete spin every…60 seconds!  It was so slow, we wondered if it was now a clock.

That was when one of my sisters asked, “Who made it anyway?”  

Someone said, “Hitachi.”

Another sister of mine said, “Then let’s bring it to Hitachi.  If they made it, I’m sure they can fix it.”  Once in awhile, my sisters can say sensible things too.  (Just kidding.  I’m the only boy in the family, and the youngest too.  So I have the license to tease them.)

True enough, we brought it to Hitachi, and in a few days, the fan was running perfectly.

You Have A Self-Portrait In Your Heart;

Many Times, It’s A Lie.

          In your mind, you already have an image of who you are.

It’s a Self-Portrait. 

And it’s so incredibly powerful, it actually determines your entire life.

This Self-Portrait—how you define yourself—comes from your collective experience of your failures and successes.  It also comes from how other people treat you.   And it comes from how you’ve treated yourself all these years.

That’s why your Self-Portrait could be a lie.

It’s like asking my cousin Chuck and my Uncle Tom to fix you up.  They don’t have your blueprint.  They really don’t know who you are.

Because they didn’t make you.

Go to your Manufacturer instead.

Delve deep within you and you’ll see your label stitched to your soul: “God’s Own, Made in Heaven.” 

He’s got your blueprint.  He knows all your working parts.  He knows you more than you know yourself.

       Because He made you, He possesses your most accurate Self-Portrait.

Friend, in your heart right now, you carry a Self-Portrait—a way of looking at yourself.  Question: Where does it come from?

My Self-Portrait Was A Lie

Years ago, I had a raging pornographic addiction[1].

At 3am, I would wake up and roam the streets, looking for my “fix”—pornographic material.  (There was no internet porn at that time, so I had to scrounge for cheap porn magazines.)  That was who I was many years ago.

In my mind, I had only one Self-Portrait: I was lustful.  I was uncontrollable.  I was sick and ugly and shameful.

And stronger than my sexual addiction was my approval addiction.

Desperate to fill in my hunger for love—and desperate to escape my inner shame—I was desperate that people like me.  I’d bend over to get people to love me, no matter what the cost.  I was a pathological People-Pleaser.  And I was miserable as hell.

Yes, I failed in the past.  Too many times to count!

Oh, I shouldn’t be here writing to you now.

Yet here I am, authoring books and preaching to thousands.  I’m leading four organizations and a worldwide ministry.  I’m a successful entrepreneur running my little businesses.  I’m a happy family man with a lovely wife and two great boys.

I shouldn’t be enjoying all these.

I should be in the dumps.  Destroyed.  Hopeless.  Lost.

So what happened?

In a phrase, I changed my Self-Portrait.

Because every time I came to God in prayer, He wouldn’t agree with my rotten Self-Portrait.  He would insist on changing it.  Each time, He would tell me I was wonderful, beautiful, loved, and powerful beyond my wildest imagination.

He also told me that it didn’t matter how much I failed. 

Surprisingly, He didn’t even look at my failures at all…

Next week, I want to share three giant Lessons on Self-Portraits…

          May your dreams come true,

          Bo Sanchez

PS. Have you ever thought of writing a book?  I meet a lot of people who tell me, “I want to be like you, Bo.  I want to be an author too.”  But many people aren’t really serious.  Because they don’t do anything about it.  I’ve written 29 books and I can teach you how to author a book…

PS2.  If you’re REALLY serious in becoming an author, and creating an income stream from your book… I’m inviting you to join my Bestselling Authors Intensive Bootcamp on May 15 to 18.   For 4-days, we’ll hole up in a secluded hotel in Tagaytay and make your dream of writing your own book come true.  Not only that, I’ll also guide you to identify and create a money machine connected with your book, so you can build a continuous income stream for your life.

Yes Bo, Tell Me More About The

Bestselling Authors Intensive Bootcamp

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1 I have written about this in my book ‘Your Past Does Not Define Your Future’