“The environment you fashion out of your thoughts…your beliefs…your ideals…your philosophy is the only climate you will ever live in.”–Alfred A. Montapert

Our attitude is the major factor in determining whether or not we will be successful in our careers and businesses, in the building of our families and in every other area of our lives. Positive thoughts are the seeds of positive attitudes, and positive attitudes are the seeds of positive results. A new attitude always produces a new result. The Bible says “You will be renewed by the renewing of your mind.” To change who we are, we must change how we think. Prosperity definitely begins with a positive state of mind.

The thoughts we allow our mind to dwell on determine the way we feel, which ultimately is reflected in our actions.  Unless we choose our own thoughts, we end up following the thoughts of others. Only we can master our own thoughts.  “What we think about, comes Read more » ]]> OUR ATTITUDE IS a combination of our thoughts, feelings and actions. Our attitude is our statement to the world of who we really are, regardless of what we say. Our life is merely a reflection of our attitudes.

“The environment you fashion out of your thoughts…your beliefs…your ideals…your philosophy is the only climate you will ever live in.”–Alfred A. Montapert

Our attitude is the major factor in determining whether or not we will be successful in our careers and businesses, in the building of our families and in every other area of our lives. Positive thoughts are the seeds of positive attitudes, and positive attitudes are the seeds of positive results. A new attitude always produces a new result. The Bible says “You will be renewed by the renewing of your mind.” To change who we are, we must change how we think. Prosperity definitely begins with a positive state of mind.

The thoughts we allow our mind to dwell on determine the way we feel, which ultimately is reflected in our actions.  Unless we choose our own thoughts, we end up following the thoughts of others. Only we can master our own thoughts.  “What we think about, comes about. We are the products of our own thoughts.” Mark Victor Hansen says. We hold within
ourselves everything that it takes to live a happy life. Happiness is not a destination but, rather, a way of traveling.

The elevation we can climb to in this life is determined solely by our attitude. Just like an airplane. When the attitude indicator indicates that the nose of the aircraft is pitched up, it means it is climbing and gaining altitude. What is your attitude indicator reading? Look up and you’ll climb up.

A Harvard University study revealed that 85% of the reasons for success, accomplishments, promotions, etc. were a result of our attitudes and only 15% the result of technical expertise. Still, our present school system spends 90% of its education dollars on teaching facts, and only 10% on training our attitudes. Our mind is like a garden: it can give back only what we put into it.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make heaven of Hell, and hell of Heaven.” – MILTON

FROM FAITH TO FEAR

I knew something was wrong in May 1987 when thoughts of fear and unbelief began racing through my mind. I began to fear the worst for every area of my life. Every asset appeared as a potential liability. Every possible success loomed as a probable failure and every realizable  gain looked like a possible loss. This was definitely my first experience with negativity and the fear of failure.

As I heard the prison doors of pessimism slam shut in my mind, my first fear was that I had been sentenced for life. Thank God, I found the keys to unlocking those gates, and I was once again able to experience the freedom of a positive mental attitude and faith.  I chose to give myself my own reprieve. So can you!  It is time to take control  of your thoughts.

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius put it this way “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.”

The Bible says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Thinking in your heart is different than thinking in your head. Thinking in your head is theology … it’s knowledge … it’s know-how. Thinking in your heart is what you really believe … it’s wisdom … it’s your passions … your convictions … your inner-drive.

The law of the harvest began to take on new meaning to me as I began to reap the results of seven years of  imbalanced living. The law of the harvest is the same as the law of gravity in that, whether you believe in it or not, it still operates. This same idea will apply to all of the success principles discussed in this book. They are in operation whether or not we believe they are. You will understand the Read more » ]]> I had no idea that afternoon as I knelt on the edge of a two-storey building, that  seconds later I would be traveling towards the ground head first. I also had no idea that the high voltage ballast I was changing was live! As my apprentice (my brother Jamie) handed me a wire he had just disconnected, he began to say “Watch it, it’s live.” It was too late! Electricity jolted through my body propelling me towards the a large shrub on the ground below. I did a somersault on the way down, landing on my feet and flattening the shrub, spraining both
ankles and cracking two vertebrae. That’s the law of gravity for you. It works every time.

The law of the harvest began to take on new meaning to me as I began to reap the results of seven years of  imbalanced living. The law of the harvest is the same as the law of gravity in that, whether you believe in it or not, it still operates. This same idea will apply to all of the success principles discussed in this book. They are in operation whether or not we believe they are. You will understand the reason for failures in certain areas of your life when you get a handle on the law of harvest. You will also perhaps realize why some people are successful and others are not, yet both have the same resources at their disposal. I also believe that the more principle-centered we become, the less we use the word luck.

The law of the harvest is found in Galations 6:7 Be not deceived, God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Being raised on a farm, I had the privilege of watching first-hand, the amazing process of planting and harvest. What always amazed me was placing seeds into the ground and observing the little plants shoot up and mature into a beautiful golden crop of grain ready for harvest.  As harvest would begin, there was an air of excitement; everyone was anxious to see the fruits of their labor being brought in. I would seize every opportunity to ride the combine and watch in awe as the stalks of grain disappeared into the throat of the gigantic machine and then reappeared in the bin to the rear as clean grain. Those few seeds we had planted in the spring had miraculously been transformed into a bountiful
harvest. We were harvesting the same type of crop we had planted. Because we had planted, we would have food to eat for another winter.

Witnessing as a youth the miracle of planting in order to harvest, I began to experience the same law at work in my own personal life. As I studied the lives of both successful people and those who seem to be losers, I discovered that the law of the harvest is universal and timeless.  It has no respect for age, financial status or religious belief. It can be our greatest asset or our greatest liability.  We get to choose the seeds we plant into our minds, the soil of our lives.

Let me share with you some observations of my own with regard to the planting and reaping of crops and how the law of the farm applies to our personal lives.

The Seven Laws Of The Harvest

1. You pick what you plant.
2. You always plant before you
   pick.
3. You perish before you
   prosper.
4. You have to work at weeding.
5. Patience pays off.
6. It’s rough before you reap.
7. Perpetual planting equals
   repeated reaping.

Let’s look at how the seven laws of the harvest apply to our lives. They  determine whether we reap a bountiful crop of happiness, love and material abundance or a crop of
weeds (misery, anxiety, depression, and greed).

1. You pick what you plant.

In other words, don’t plant anything you wouldn’t want to harvest.  This idea seems to be so obvious. Yet it comes as a surprise to most people who have been consumed by a career or business for years to discover they have lost their family and their soul in the process. They treat people dishonestly and wonder why others cheat them. They are tightwads with their money and can’t figure out why they never have enough to make ends meet. What goes around, comes around!

They eat junk foods and fail to get proper exercise and wonder why they have heart attacks, become obese or lack energy and enthusiasm. A regular vacation seems like a waste of time, so weekends are spent working, eventually when their bodies become sick to give them rest, it’s a surprise! They abuse their bodies with tobacco and are shocked to discover they have
cancer.

Our mind will also only grow the kind of crops that are planted in it. If we plant a seed of doubt, we will reap a crop of fear. If we plant a seed of fear, we will reap a crop of the very thing we fear. As Job said, “The very thing I feared, has come upon me.”  However, if we plant the seed of faith, we can expect to reap the very thing in which we believe. Too often we say “I’ll believe it when I see it,” when really we’ll only see it if we believe it.

We also reap in direct proportion to the amount seed we have sown. Abundant harvesting requires abundant sowing. If you want a hug, you need to give a hug away. Want a friend? Be a friend. If you would like your financial needs abundantly met,  freely give to those in need. Want to be happy? Make someone else happy!  Your harvest is determined at the time of
planting, not at the time of harvest. A farmer decides in the spring what crop it is he would like to harvest later that year. He cannot change his mind and harvest a crop he did not plant.

So it is in our personal lives. Our future depends on the seeds we are planting today. If we want the love and respect from our kids when they are teenagers or adults, we must give them our time and effort today. After we have become a financial success and they have gone off to live their own lives, it may be too late.

We would all like to be treated with caring affection and regard in our senior years. We must therefore, reach out to the elderly with love in our youth and expect to reap what we have sown.

Enjoying a healthy body  in the future will be determined by how we look after our bodies today. The alcoholic can count on reaping poor health and family problems.  I have friends today who are coping with physical ailments that are a result of an alcohol addiction they had twenty years ago.  I also know families that are broken today because of the damage
caused  in the past by an alcoholic parent.

Burnout occurs when we sow the seeds of workaholism and gross imbalance in our lives, fertilize them with greed, fear and anxiety and harvest the results of  depression, anxiety and despair.

Before I began this book I told at least a hundred people that I was about to write a book, even though I had never done it before. I also didn’t know how I would find the time. Since that time, countless people have asked me “How’s the book coming?” Sometimes I wished I hadn’t told anyone about my goal of writing a book. However, here I am, half way through. It is important to share your goals and dreams with those who love and support you and want to see you Read more » ]]> There is a general tendency for us to conceal our goals. That way, just in case we don’t achieve them, no one will know. None will ever say “Hey Ben, whatever happened to that book you said you were going to write?” or “How is your weight-loss program doing?” On the other hand, how can the crowd cheer if they don’t know where the finish line is? How can they applaud the scoring of a goal, when our game has invisible nets? Fans will support their home-team if they know that they are playing a game. Keep the game a secret and see how many people show up!

Before I began this book I told at least a hundred people that I was about to write a book, even though I had never done it before. I also didn’t know how I would find the time. Since that time, countless people have asked me “How’s the book coming?” Sometimes I wished I hadn’t told anyone about my goal of writing a book. However, here I am, half way through. It is important to share your goals and dreams with those who love and support you and want to see you succeed.  Call these people your Accountability Team or
your Board of Advisors, whatever,  they represent a great opportunity to share your goals and get tremendous support.

THE MASTERMIND PRINCIPLE

A Mastermind Team is a group of like-minded individuals (usually 2-6 people) meeting regularly for an hour to share their goals, ideas and skills. They hold the team leader accountable by asking the hard questions, like “What have you been doing lately to bring you closer to reaching your goals?”… ”How are you doing with integrity and honesty?”…”How is your balance?” Each member of the group makes a commitment to support all the other members of the group in their goals and dreams and contribute any skills or contacts they have. Every person in the group must be loving, giving and positive in attitude. A single negative person can totally destroy the harmony of a group.

As we share ideas and challenge each other’s mental abilities, we grow mentally and spiritually. As we share our energy, ideas and skills with the others in the group, we experience an explosion in our own strength and mental power. Once again, we see how the law of giving works. When we are involved in an accountability relationship and are in rapport with others, we become more aware that there is strength in numbers. A single arrow can easily be broken, but grab a handful of them and you will notice that they are virtually unbreakable.

Andrew Carnegie and other great individuals in the past have used accountability and masterminding very successfully. By ourselves, none of us can be truly successful, since we all need inspiration, encouragement and accountability. The fallen leaders of recent past are a clear indication that standing alone is a dangerous position, especially so, if we
are at the top. We need that circle of support and protection called the “accountability team” around us as a shield against the destructive arrows of imbalanced goals, selfish motives, mediocrity and complacency.

Think as big as you dare, when you formulate your goals and begin to write them down. Some wise human being once said, “It is better to aim your arrow at a star and hit an eagle, then to aim your arrow at an eagle and hit a stone.”  Set BIG goals. We need goals that are big enough to excite us and high enough to make us reach. As  Booker T. Washington  said, “You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you have to overcome to reach your goals.”

Every day, you should review your goals and take steps towards them. Set your goals with proper motives in mind. It is amazing how much stress is eliminated when our goals are unselfish and our motives are pure. I believe God wants to bless us and help us prosper so we can be a blessing to others and help them prosper.   Our cups need to be full and running over with abundance in order to meet the needs of others effectively. No individual can attain true riches unless he is willing to enrich the lives of others around him.

Be specific with your goals as well as your prayers. Don’t expect anything you don’t desire and don’t desire anything you don’t expect. Set your goals with a deadline. This creates a little pressure but certainly makes us more productive.

We need to set long-range goals to help us overcome the short-term obstacles we may face. As we step out with the faith we already have and go as far as we can see, when we get there, we’ll see farther and will have acquired more faith to continue. Long-term goals demand a daily commitment to action and must be reinforced by a regular Read more » ]]> Goals must be written and reviewed regularly. Only three percent of all people set goals and write them down. Ten percent have plans and goals but keep them in their heads.  The three percent of people with written goals accomplish from fifty to one hundred times more during their life time than the ten percent with their goals only in their heads. A goal is only a dream until it is written down. Setting goals is practically free. All you need to do is take a pen and pad and start writing. Don’t limit your imagination!

Be specific with your goals as well as your prayers. Don’t expect anything you don’t desire and don’t desire anything you don’t expect. Set your goals with a deadline. This creates a little pressure but certainly makes us more productive.

We need to set long-range goals to help us overcome the short-term obstacles we may face. As we step out with the faith we already have and go as far as we can see, when we get there, we’ll see farther and will have acquired more faith to continue. Long-term goals demand a daily commitment to action and must be reinforced by a regular review of objectives and accomplishments.

TYPES OF GOALS

In order to set our goals in a balanced fashion, you need to categorize them in a way that is meaningful and easy to relate to in your everyday life. Use the spaces  provided below each category to list some of your own goals. We all need short-term goals (the next 6 months), mid-term goals (within 6-12 months), long-term goals (during the next 2-5 years), and lifetime goals (those things we wish to accomplish within our lifetime).   Start now!

1.  SPIRITUAL GOALS.

a.) Spiritual Development Goals

• bible study/preayer/meditation
• church attendance
• empowering and enriching others

b.)  Habit-breaker Goals

• smoking
• alcohol and drug abuse
• profane language

2.   FINANCIAL GOALS   – Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.

• getting a raise
• getting a promotion
• starting my own business
• business  growth
• my annual earnings this year
• my annual earnings next year
• my annual earnings in five years
• real-estate investments
• retirement savings
• bank account balance
• tithing
• contributing  my time
• giving to the poor

3.  RECREATIONAL GOALS – Come away before you come apart.

• walking
• swimming
• jogging
• gardening
• horseback  riding
• golfing
• squash
• baseball
• hockey

4.   FAMILY  GOALS – Time spent with the family is high priority time.

• daily shared time
• weekly  date
• yearly  honeymoon
• daily play time with children
• devotional times
• educational  times
• time shared with parents
• remembering their special days

5.   MENTAL  GOALS.  As a man thinketh, so he is.

• books that I will read
• tapes I will listen to
• courses I will take
• languages I will learn
• outwardly express my appreciation of others
• hug twelve people every day
• think positive thoughts
• reject every thought that is negative or impure

6.   HEALTH  GOALS.  “We become what we eat.”

• my diet
• my daily exercise
• my physical weight and shape
• my sleep routine

7.   SOCIAL  GOALS. It’s not what you know, it’s whom you know.

• the people I will meet
• the friends I will make

8.  CHARACTER  GOALS.  Your reputation is who people think you are, your character is who you really are.

• entertaining
• integrity
• honesty
• meekness
• charity
• love

Don’t expect too much. The anticipation of your next holiday is as beneficial as the holiday itself. However, a vacation itself can sometimes be stressful, especially if we’ve set our expectations too high and things don’t measure up.

Don’t overplan. I know people who have every hour of their vacation planned before they leave home. They leave no room for spontaneity, no time for the unexpected. Is it any wonder they return from their vacations as uptight as when they left.

Don’t overdo. Leisure means rest opportunity, unhurried quietude, relaxation, calm, reprieve. Now, think of your last vacation. How much time did you spend resting, relaxing, in quietness? How much time did you spend in solitude?

Make a list of vacation goals. Try picking up a travel brochure and clipping out a picture of that place you would like to visit. Pin it up where you will see it Read more » ]]> Don’t wait too long. Some people need a reason for everything, and thus don’t take a vacation until they desperately need one – when they are physically exhausted, burned-out, or ill. The best time to plan your next vacation is before you return home from the vacation you are currently enjoying.

Don’t expect too much. The anticipation of your next holiday is as beneficial as the holiday itself. However, a vacation itself can sometimes be stressful, especially if we’ve set our expectations too high and things don’t measure up.

Don’t overplan. I know people who have every hour of their vacation planned before they leave home. They leave no room for spontaneity, no time for the unexpected. Is it any wonder they return from their vacations as uptight as when they left.

Don’t overdo. Leisure means rest opportunity, unhurried quietude, relaxation, calm, reprieve. Now, think of your last vacation. How much time did you spend resting, relaxing, in quietness? How much time did you spend in solitude?

Make a list of vacation goals. Try picking up a travel brochure and clipping out a picture of that place you would like to visit. Pin it up where you will see it frequently, and you will be amazed at how quickly you will be taking that vacation.

Take a mini vacation. Take an extra day on a long weekend and make it a mini vacation. Three and four day vacations are becoming very popular in 90’s. Even though it may take on the average twenty-four to forty-eight hours to unwind, the body is able to rejuvenate rapidly in a state of rest.

SLOW ME DOWN, LORD

Slow me down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and the muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations – of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to smile at a child, to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward to the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.
Rev. Wilfred A. Peterson

2. Irritability When we are depressed, we will become irritated very easily. Coming home after a long day’s work, we find that the noise caused by the family we love can irritate to no end. The people we work with and the customers we serve see us as irritable, edgy and hard to get along with, instead of the loving, kind and considerate people they once knew.

3. Lack of Joy With depression comes an immediate lack of joy or happiness. Forcing a smile requires a great deal of effort. However, the forced smile serves as a poor mask for the emotional pain written across the face of a depressed person. We pretend to be happy, but unless we are happy inside, we look miserable on the outside. Things that once brought happiness now bring no joy whatsoever.

4. Crying When we are depressed, we often tend to cry involuntarily. Weeping and Read more » ]]> Emotional
1. Fear, worry and anxiety
Somehow we find reason to worry about all the things we can’t change. The exciting challenges in our lives now appear to us as problems and potential failures. Our faith turns to fear and anxiety takes over our trust in God.

2. Irritability
When we are depressed, we will become irritated very easily. Coming home after a long day’s work, we find that the noise caused by the family we love can irritate to no end. The people we work with and the customers we serve see us as irritable, edgy and hard to get along with, instead of the loving, kind and considerate people they once knew.

3. Lack of Joy
With depression comes an immediate lack of joy or happiness. Forcing a smile requires a great deal of effort. However, the forced smile serves as a poor mask for the emotional pain written across the face of a depressed person. We pretend to be happy, but unless we are happy inside, we look miserable on the outside. Things that once brought happiness now bring no joy whatsoever.

4. Crying
When we are depressed, we often tend to cry involuntarily. Weeping and depression seem to go hand in hand. Weeping seems to be our means of releasing the pent-up emotions and feelings from our minds as depression sets in.

5. Despair
We are overcome with feelings of hopelessness. There appears to be no end in sight to our suffering, no light at the end of the tunnel. To the patient, this sickness seems to be terminal.

PHYSICAL
1. Chronic Fatigue
When depressed, we tend to wake up tired and continue to feel tired all day long. We don’t even enjoy our hobbies. It feels as though someone opened a tap and drained all the energy out of our bodies. Sleep seems to no longer re-vitalize us or re-store our energy levels. Our bodies feel as though they need to be dragged around. The zeal and zest for life are gone.

2. Insomnia
It is common when we are depressed to have difficulty falling asleep, although some of us oversleep and still awake tired. Lying there and waiting for sleep to come as our mind speeds on can cause a great deal of anxiety in itself. Our body is resting, but our mind refuses to stop thinking and worrying. There are times we fall asleep only to awake a short time later in a cold sweat. Prescribed sedatives can be a real lifesaver without causing an addiction.

3. Unkept Appearance
Our clothes reveal a great deal about the kind of image we hold of ourselves. I’ve seen men who have awoken depressed and shown up at work unshaven, their hair a mess and their clothes looking like they slept in them. We portray how we feel on the inside by the way we look on the outside. How we look is generally how we feel, yet it requires the same energy to dress up as it does to dress down.

4. Appetite
Food seems to lose its taste. The stomach feels tied in a knot as our appetite for food disappears. Some people, however, begin to overeat and totally neglect their diets. After all, when we were kids, our parents used to give us a treat or a snack to make us feel better if we were crying.

5. Physical Ailments
Even though these ailments are sometimes imagined, depressed people experience chest pains, headaches, respiratory problems and weakness. These are actually symptoms of the stress that caused our depression