Friday, December 23, 2011

The Life Testimony of Josh Dames

 




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A Hard working Man Learned how LIFE is so much more!


It was just a hand full of years ago when my wife Annie (Dames) got an unexpected phone call that, we would soon find out, would change our life forever. I grew up in a small town in Missouri where I was able to witness and learn from hard working parents, what it took to “get by” and raise a family. I am one of six children and have the greatest family a man could ask for. Growing up the oldest boy, I would like to say that I learned first hand from my father the principles, thinking, and character it took to be successful as a husband, father, and spiritual leader in my home, but that is not my story.  


I want to point out that I have a great father, and I can say that because I have learned things from him that I am able to still implement in my life, but he did not have the life or lifestyle that I wanted. I did learn from him one thing that I believe is a great trait to have as a man, and that is a strong work ethic. Because I learned to work hard, I soon realized that my work became a source of self-worth, or self-confidence. I found myself working 80-90 hours a week with a wife and 3 small children at home.


Not having any other options in my life but to “work hard”; I thought I was on the right track. With much doubt where our financial future was headed, Annie got the phone call. It was then we were introduced to the Team. I got really excited about the financial opportunity that the Team and eventually the LIFE Business had to offer! Working through all the skepticism, the questions, and a wife that was not excited about pursuing anything more, I seen a great opportunity to get us out of the financial trap that I was in. Thanks to Kevin Cobb, he was a great turning point in my life because he met me where I was at, not only by helping me in my finances, but also giving me the information in the 8 F’s. He also introduced me to the association where I learned the most valuable thing in my life! Define, Learn, Do!


  I did not realize that by simply defining what I want my life to look like, (in the 8F’s) learning from someone or a proven system that has fruit on the tree, and then doing what they did, that I would then start to see things change in my life. I would then have the successes that I was looking for.


  This is where I would like to thank my personal Life Coach and mentor, Mark Haas for his example and having done what is required to have results and the fruit on the tree to learn from. Also, Orrin and Laurie Woodward, and Chris and Terri Brady for developing the world’s best proven business information system. This system has helped me to grow in my family life, leadership skills, character, and relationships.


Ultimately I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his love, grace, and mercy! God Bless!


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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Angie Ballah's LIFE Testimony Changed her Obligations to Match her Priorities

 Angie Ballah Learns Absolute Truths from Those with Results!




A major turning point in our life was when a friend of ours introduced us to the Team system (eventually leading to THE LIFE BUSINESS), Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady and Mark and Rita Haas. Initially I didn’t review any of the information or attend any of the meetings that were designed to help me change the very thing in my life I had always wanted! I did however make some firm judgments about the Team and its leadership based on the fact that the way they thought was different than my conventional view of earning finances!


I don’t know if anyone else can relate to this thought but I can remember about 5 years into our marriage thinking what went wrong?! I had always been encouraged to follow the priorities that came from the strong family values I was raised with. I had the privilege of growing up in a home with a dad who had and incredible work ethic that allowed my mom to be a stay at home mom. So when my husband, Scott, and I got married and started a family I just assumed I would be able to quit work as a nurse and be able to raise our kids without a career.


It didn’t make sense to me that the priorities I wanted to be first in life were completely out reach! So many people who had influence in my life were telling me how good we must have been doing with our Nurse and engineer income. Over several years of trying to push through to those goals I could feel myself starting to let go of that dream and decide that was just a dream of the past.


Albert Einstein defines insanity as “ doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Insanity was the thinking I was consistently applying in my life and the results showed it! We had accumulated a lot of debt through instant gratification. The debt we had drove that need to keep working and interfered with having time to invest in our kids and each other. The constant diet of mainstream media fed the desire to always keep up with the Jones’ and justify that everyone just lived this way!


The main catalyst for change in our life came when I started to “try out” these TEAM meetings and information Scott was so excited about. I found that through learning absolute truths from people who had the results I wanted in their faith and family lives I could start to expect different results because I had made intentional changes in my thinking and behavior. We began to apply the 3 keys of wealth consistently to our finances to get out of debt and not need to have 2 careers drive our finances.


Taking responsibility for our finances took some of the pressure off our lives and we realized we had a lot of work to do in all areas of what LIFE’s founders call the 8 Fs. The education I have received in the area of family has been priceless. I have gained the courage and competence to homeschool our children and teach them at a foundational age in life the truths that I hadn’t been exposed to until I was almost 30.


I have to say that the TEAM information and people I was “checking out” initially became my passion. Over time it became evident that I could offer the same opportunity to others for them to choose to intentionally change their lives by changing their thinking and habits. I have found that passion grow based on a purpose rooted in changing the culture of a nation that has turned from truth to complacency just as I had over time. If the children we raise today have a foundation of truth then the next generation they raise will be world changers!


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The Life Testimony of Angelica Dames

 How One woman Learned so much from LIFE and the Proper association.



When I look at myself today, I sometimes wonder how in the world did I get here? If you could have seen me five years ago, you would completely understand what I mean. How did an extremely shy and insecure girl get involved in a people business, of all things, and actually see some results? I'm not talking financial results, we have seen those as well, but more importantly internal results.
  When I was younger I was very shy, so shy that my mom did everything she could think of to help me break out of my shell. It was the first day of school in fourth grade, and my teacher was doing roll call. When she came to my name she mis-pronounced it, being a Spanish name, it happens quite often. Instead of just speaking up and telling her it was wrong, I just allowed her to call me by the wrong name, and for the next five years (yes, FIVE years) my friends and teachers were still calling me by this mis-pronunciation of my name!! It drove my mother crazy, and she couldn't understand why I wouldn't correct everyone. You're probably thinking the same thing! I was so shy that I would rather be called the wrong name than speak up in class and correct her!
I tell you that because sometimes you see someone in this LIFE business, and you see the finished product. You see them all polished and think they have it all figured out, and that they have never had struggles.  I certainly thought that when looking at all of the leading ladies. I remember thinking there is no way I would ever be able to get enough courage to speak on stage. There is no way this information can give me the confidence of a Laurie Woodward, or the grace of a Terri Brady. I thought only a certain type of person could make it in this business. I didn't realize that i could become that type of leading lady through reading, growing, and implementing the information.
I am so thankful for people like Mark and Rita Haas and Kevin and Emily Cobb who saw something in me that I was too blind to see in myself! Sometimes you have to go on someone else's belief for awhile until you can gain it yourself!
  Of all the blessings I have gained from being a part of Team, the one that I treasure the most is my relationship with Christ. I never would have dreamed that through this I would find Christ and ask him into my life. To see my husband take control and be the spiritual leader in our home has been amazing, and because of that, my children are so hungry to learn.
  I look at my relationship with Josh, and although we thought our marriage was good, and it was, I never imagined it could be great!  With great books like A Woman After Gods Own Heart, Love and Respect, For Women Only, and The Five Love Languages, I was able to learn how to be a Godly wife and give him the respect he deserves. Not only did I learn the information, but I had amazing examples in Rita and Terri to help me along the way.
  It makes me cringe to think about where we would be right now, had it not been for those two amazing strangers coming into our lives! We are eternally grateful, and consider it an honor to be a part of this amazing journey called LIFE!  God Bless!
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Scott Ballah - LIFE Tesitmony

 A Man learns systematic Success from LIFE and its mentors!



I always had great examples to follow in the area of hard work which is required to achieve success in anything. It was only after being introduced to the Team system and our future mentors Mark and Rita Haas that I realized I had found a cure for the “pain” I had endured as an engineer. Chris Brady, Orrin Woodward, and Mark Haas taught me that hard work alone will just make a person tired. Hard work coupled with a system and the correct information is the true key to success.
I can remember sitting at my desk during work hours and being extremely frustrated about our financial situation and not having a way to be free to make my own choices. People would always tell me “you must be doing very well since you’re an engineer and your wife is a nurse”. Little did they know we were drowning in debt and having to spend more time away from each other and our twins at the time.
The first night I was introduced to the Team business system and what eventually became THE LIFE BUSINESS, I was extremely excited!! All of the dreams I had when I was in college that I thought would be provided through getting an engineering degree were awakened. At first, I only saw the financial benefit of the Team system and LIFE business. I have learned and applied so much about each of the 8 F’s of LIFE (Faith, Family, Finance, Fitness, Fun, Friends, Freedom, Following).
Our marriage and finances were a wreck. I didn’t have much of a spiritual background or foundation. Leadership was not in my vocabulary and I didn’t understand the importance of keeping our freedom (personal and national). I had plenty of friends and fun usually involving 12 ounce arm curls (the results of which were stated in the first sentence).
I am eternally grateful to the Haas’ and the Brady’s for steering me out of that train wreck through their mentorship and the books and CD’s in the LIFE business. Our marriage is amazing (twins plus 3 more)!! We have been able to get out of debt, pay cash for vehicles, help some family members financially, raise our children in a Christian home, have more friends and fun and find a purpose that will affect generations to come. LIFE will never be the same and I’m fired up about that!!!
In Christ,
Scott
“In a man’s heart, he plans his course but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
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Overcoming Being a Critic

I recently read through an article from Chris Brady's blog.
He wrote an article about the Tim Tebow mania that's happening right now with him starting for the Denver Broncos. He points out the many critics who can't find anything good to say about him. Below is a portion of his article.
"Tebow's play seemed to justify the claims of the critics. He missed wide-open receivers. He overthrew easy passes. He fumbled. He got sacked in the backfield. He rolled up terrible statistics the likes of which no NFL quarterback could expect to post and still retain his job. All the while the critics howled with their "I told you so's." However, one thing Tebow did was win. In fact, his whole team seemed to start playing better. The defense stepped up to an unbelievable level. Receivers started making stupendous catches. Running backs started nearly defying gravity. And Tebow himself seemed to come alive when the pressure was the greatest and pull victory out of the jaws of defeat - several times.
I am writing this article a bit early. Although Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos have won four out of the last five games, anything could still happen and they could end up at the bottom of their division. Their near-miss wins could easily start turning to losses, and if that happens, I have no doubt whatsoever the critics will have a field day once again.
None of that matters, however, because Tebow has already proven something extremely valuable, namely, that while people talk about lack of skill they should never underestimate the power of will. What Tim Tebow brings is leadership. He has that special ability to energize a team of players to each perform at their very own personal best. He inspires, instills confidence, and makes those around him believe that anything can happen if they just have faith. While the statistics bemoan his performance, Tebow proves again and again that there are some components in victory that can't be measured. There are intangibles to greatness that come from deep within, that defy the odds and mystify prognosticators, and that just simply can't be contained.
Leadership matters.
Character matters.
Attitude matters.
The will to win matters.
Critics, however, don't matter.
Tebow has shown all this and more. I personally hope he keeps on winning in his unconventional way, in front of the NFL experts who so haughtily claimed "That's not the way it's done here." The world needs to understand that unconventional doesn't mean wrong, inadequate, or below grade. Unconventional just may mean revolutionary. 
They said Tim Tebow wasn't ready for the NFL.
Perhaps the NFL wasn't ready for Tim Tebow."
I can't get over this. I love it. Leadership matters, character matters, attitude matters, but just like Chris Brady says, critics don't. They don't matter. It doesn't matter if you're playing football, becoming a better person or employee, or building a business. They don't matter.
As much as we say critics don't matter....Critics hurt. Critics destroy. How can we be mindful of our words and actions so that we do not become critics with our spouses or critics with our kids? Critics with our parents or siblings? Or even critics with our friends? I know for me, the LIFE information has helped me be less of a critic. I'm not saying I'm cured of my criticism habit, but I'm saying it's gotten a lot better after getting better information. What is it that you like most about the LIFE information, is it the books, cd's or the association?

 

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Team Maximus LIFE Submitted Go-getter Recognition for Week Ending 12/11/11 and 12/19/11

Congratulations!! Go-getter is 15 plans per month, or about 4 per week.  We post each week on Tuesday for the previous week Monday Morning to Sunday Night.  Send your Go-getter recognition to mrteam@swbell.net.Go-getters  I'm sure there are more out there, they just need to be reported.


Week Ending 12/11/11





Rob and Amie Sinkinson

 

 

 

 

 

Week Ending 12/19/11





Hey Mister, What's Your Dream?

Orrin Woodward’s RESOLVED 13 Resolutions for LIFE book states, “It’s only with a mind that understands, a heart that generates passion, and a disciplined will to follow through, that change is generated inside a person.”  The following is an amazing testimony of a couple who has united their mind, heart, and will towards achieving their dreams.  
"Welcome to Hollywood!  Everybody has a dream!  What's your dream?  What's your dream?  Hey mister, What's your dream?"  As the opening line to Pretty Woman (one of my favorite movies) points out, we all have dreams.  Usually dreams don't come true without sacrifice.  Sacrifice can be defined as short term loss in return for a greater power gain.  Sacrifice in the oldest records was that of human lives and animals.  The more valuable the offering, generally, the more highly the sacrifice is regarded but the more difficult to make. 
When my dream was to become an Architect, I had to leave my family and friends to go to college.  I am very shy, so this was difficult for me.  Growing up I was taught to go after what I wanted and I could do anything.  My parents wanted a better future for me than what they had.  When I was very young, they owned a health foods store.  At some point the store was not doing well, and their finances went south.  They lost their store and the house.  I was too young to understand what was happening.  They pushed on and on to provide for my sister and I, making sacrifices along the way that mine can't even compare to.
A dream I always had growing up was to have a family.  Ryan and I met during college.  A year after I graduated we got married, we got a house, then we got a dog and a cat all within the same year.  We both had good jobs, we worked on our house, and we enjoyed playing tennis.  Five years later we had a beautiful baby girl.  A lot of people asked me if I would stay home or go back to work. It wasn't something I really considered because I just figured I would go back to work.  How would we make it on 1 income? What kind of sacrifices would we have to make on 1 income?  What would people think of me if I "quit" on my dream of becoming an Architect? 
So, I went back to work full time.  I was juggling home, family, work and trying to become an Architect by taking 7 exams.  At this time (about 3 years ago) we were approached with TEAM by our good friends Ryan & Sarah.  They asked me if I wanted to be a stay at home mom.  I quickly answered "no".  I thought, "what are they talking about?  How am I supposed to be an Architect if I stay at home?"  We declined what they were offering.
A few years later we had another beautiful baby girl.  I honestly considered staying at home this time.  With the cost of daycare and rising gas prices, I questioned if it really made sense for me to continue to work.  Plus, by now my dream of becoming an Architect had been put on the back burner.  However, I went back to work full time again juggling everything.  Since then, I feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off!  We rush to get out the door in the morning, I rush around at work to get as much as possible done so that I don't have to work any over time, I rush to pick the girls up at daycare, we rush to get dinner on the table, and we rush to get them to bed.  This is our daily routine.  I started to think "I'm going to have a heart attack before they even graduate from high school."
This stressful busy life that society says makes us successful is just unhealthy.  The worst part is that our only family time is on the weekends.  We also started to go backwards in our finances.  All of this was affecting our relationships.  Ryan and I became short with each other, with our girls, and our patience was always running thin.
What a perfect time for Ryan and Sarah to re-approach us about LIFE!  I was interested, but wasn't sure we could make it work.  Ryan & Sarah told me I would have to make sacrifices.  I thought "why should I have to make sacrifices?"  They were gracious enough to accept me where I was.  Fortunately we don't have to offer the lives of our kids or animals to become part of LIFE!  I could tell my husband Ryan wanted this, so I agreed.  I would hear people on CD's talk about living your priorities.  I realized how backwards my thinking had become.  If my family was my priority, why wasn't I making it my priority?  We did need to change. 
My new dream is to be a stay at home mom.  I have to make sacrifices, but they are worth it.  Believe in your dreams.  Thank you Ryan & Sarah Fronick, Brandon & Kristina Brazier, and Chris & Marcia Robinson for believing in us!
Please share your LIFE "Dreams and Sacrifices" story and post to FB.

What do you believe??

Family Reading Time in the Haas home has truly been inspired by Orrin & Laurie Woodward and Chris & Terri Brady.  Our reading this morning was taken from "Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas" by Ace Collins.  My oldest children know there is no Santa Claus but there have still been curious minds.   This story is just a short part in the history of the origins of "Santa Claus".

. . . . . . . . . . .

Sadly, in a nation where many families were poor, Santa didn't call on everyone.  The fact that so many children had never received a Christmas gift led to classroom debates on the existence of the jolly man with the beard.  In 1897 a little girl named Virginia O'Hanlon listened to some of her classmates who had never received gifts from Santa and began to have doubts about the reality of Santa.  The third grader wrote the Sun, put the letter into an envelope, and mailed it to the editorial department.  What happened next would make a newspaper history and lead to one of the most famous editorials of all time.

 

Dear Editor-
I am 8 years old.  Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.  Papa says, "If you see it in the Sun, it's so."  Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
Virginia's letter passed through several hands before it found its way to veteran editor Francis P. Church.  The son of a Baptist minister, Church had covered the Civil War for the New York Times and had been on the staff of the New York Sun for twenty years.  Like the other staff members who had been handed Virginia's letter, the editor wondered how he could answer the letter.  After all, the Sun was a newspaper that proudly declared it printed nothing but the truth.  As he read and reread Virginia's letter, he knew this would be his toughest assignment in his long newspaper career.
A few days later, Virginia was thrilled to find her letter and the reply on the editorial page of the daily newspaper.  Church had no idea that what he wrote would become the most remembered and beloved editorial ever penned.
Virginia, your little friends are wrong.  They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age.  They do not believe except they see.  They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.  All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little.  In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.  Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus!  It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.  We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight.  The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies.  You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys of Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?  Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.  The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.  Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there.  Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart.  Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond.  Is it all real?  Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus!  Thank God!  He lives and lives forever.  A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Virginia O'Hanlon went on to graduate from Hunter College and to earn a master's degree from Columbia.  She taught in the New York City school system for forty-seven years.  When she retired, the Sun was still running her letter every Christmas on its front page.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Team Maximus LIFE Submitted Gogetter Recognition for Week of 11/27/11

Go-getter is 15 plans per month, or about 4 per week.  We post each week on Tuesday for the previous week Monday Morning to Sunday Night.  Send your Go-getter recognition to mrteam@swbell.net.



 

[caption id="attachment_603" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Dennis & Tisha Perry"]

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The best Home based business period!


There is a current post on Orin Woodward's Blog "Dreams, Dramas, & Creative Destruction" that would help me to explain one reason why I'm so excited to be able to offer the best business on the planet. Which if you are any kinda of Team LIFE business builder at all you should read it near daily and point others to it.  Think! What business owner doesn't read his top trade articles as a staple to success for "sharpening his saw, regularly?"  Think also!  What other trade has two top 12 leadership experts writing specifics for your success? Orrin Woodward's and Chris Brady's insights are awesome!   Anyway here is an excerpt with "Some of the facts, Jack!"
"Orrin Woodward: LIFE is striking at the foundations of the old networking business model. It is taking the best examples of leadership, community building, and life coaching, and marrying them together into a digital age busines Anyways. The benefits to the consumer are lower prices, higher rewards, and best value proposition, making the risk/reward ratios the best in the history of networking.
I have yet to see any legitimate criticisms of the LIFE business model and I am not shocked by this. How can anyone criticize these improvements on the current benchmarks in the profession?
1. LIFE is attracting numerous customers. In fact, one member had a customer sign up over ten customers in two days! You heard me correctly. I said a customer just signed up ten other customers so that he and several of his friends can enjoy their products for free through the three for free program.
2. LIFE has the lowest monthly subscription price on the market – ($50 to $125).
3. The leadership information is taught around the globe on the principles taught from two Wall Street Journal and New York Times best selling authors and Top 30 leadership gurus.
4. LIFE has meetings anywhere in the USA and Canada thanks to internet streaming technology.
5. LIFE flows close to 70% of the PV revenue back to its members (the highest in the industry to my knowledge).
6. LIFE has a 30 day no questions asked return policy. We want satisfied customers or your money back.
7. LIFE products already have thousands of satisfied users. Our best product is the changed lives of our customers and members.
8. The TEAM community building techniques have been benchmarked by nearly every other networking company, with many of the top networking leaders already customers of TEAM’s business building materials.
If any legitimate analyst would like to compare LIFE’s break-away compensation plan with any of the other break-away business models, then I am more than happy to do so. Show me any company that has a break-away compensation plan that rewards its members better? Since no other break-away pays up to 50% on the first type of bonus, I don’t think they really want to go there. In fact, it’s probably why they haven’t. In addition, when the older models pay 4% leadership bonus and LIFE pays 8%, I can see the need to deflect attention from that anyway they can. More telling, when the older models pay a 1% depth bonus and LIFE pays 4%, maybe the “no comment” policy is the right option. :) Lastly, when the older models pays no depth bonus after three legs, but LIFE compensates another 2% bonus on six legs, it becomes clear why the cat has got their tongue. Another 1% is the reward for nine legs over with further bonuses continuing through eighteen legs currently."
I think of all the good that can be done with a successful business that builds with a community striving to be better in the areas of the 8F's I'm proud to be associated with Men and women leading their families with financial wisdom.  I love being able to offer people who are struggling with faith, the same books and CDs that helped me get answers.  I so enjoy seeing marriages fortified and even being saved.  I'm inspired as I watch men become  heroes to their wives as they learn from others and the Life information what it looks like to be a leader and a person of character and then fight with a purpose to help others do the same. 
We need more men and women of character in this country.  We need strong families and family values!  We need finances to help us propogate our freedoms to create that kind of community that has the ability to turn back the destruction of our country. We need you to take LIFE and live it as if it's our last chance to fix what is broken before its too late!
Money, time, and information are tools! What you do with them make all the difference! 
God Bless
Mark Haas
Please comment on What are you most excited about in the LIFE business!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Do You Have The Gift of Blowing Bubbles?


I have had the privilege of knowing Terri Brady through the Team and now LIFE for going on 9 years now. It is amazing with you can see the direct impact a specific person can have in your life, to truly sharpen you and bring out your best. I know Terri has been that person for women all across North America due to the intentional role she has within the Team organization. The new blog she started, called Letters to Lindsey, was so exciting to me because I realized that her now her thinking would be shared on a regular basis and have public access to so many women who are striving to become better each day in the area of their faith, family, finance, fitness, following, understanding of freedom, friends, and having fun!
I wanted to share a paragraph from a recent article on Terri's blog because it is so timely for the season and culture we live in. With the holidays approaching and each woman's to do list lengthening it was a great reminder to revisit the priorities of our lives and see where they come in the order of that to do list! This comes from Terri's post In the Midst of Mess: But, motherhood is a GIFT! The memories of flour messes get lost in the midst of the cookies…and play dough…and bubbles…and laughs – if we allow them. The kids remember the seeds we plant – but rarely the circumstances in which they were planted.
I spent time thinking about these words and reflecting back on how my time was spent this week. This article encouraged and challenged me to see if what I was accomplishing each day fell in the right order of priority. Did I really take time to put myself in my children's place of feeling the excitement, frustration, joy or victory they were experiencing? Did I intentionally add value and communicate my love to them through how my words and time were used? I am a person naturally wired for task over relationship, so it is a blessing to be reminded that a "task" like blowing bubbles with our children is in the category of high priority! I found myself feeling so grateful to be able to have resources from LIFE. Resources like the parenting pack , or the books in the faith and family categories of LIFE or the mentorship and example of an Orrin and Laurie Woodward, Chris and Terri Brady and Mark and Rita Haas in our lives to guide both myself and husband Scott through the priorities of our lives. I pray this holiday season and throughout this next year that we will all add the gift of making memories and creating deeper relationships through investing in those around us!
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Chris Robinson-Testimony of LIFE


When they say the phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know,” that was me.  There are so many things that I thought I knew that I really didn’t know.    It’s amazing as you listen to other people’s experiences in LIFE and you see how they struggled just like you did, it gives you a sigh of hope.  With that hope, it gave me a desire to ask more questions, and I listened more.  As I dug deeper into the information, I really started to learn principles of success that I never heard before.  I was always taught to work hard, but was never taught the principles of how to win in life.  I was always surrounded with working and working and working.  What a great feeling it is to be on a journey of personal growth-to grow in all areas of my LIFE! 


To learn so much in these areas as far as being a husband, a father, a friend, a servant to others, and not to judge.  The three A’s- Accept, Approve and Appreciate-taught me how to love people for who they are.  As I’m on this journey, I see the ripple effect that is caused by each of us being willing to change.  In my personal life, I see how my willingness to change has impacted the lives of my children as well as good friends and others I have met along this journey.  There’s no turning back.  The better “me” lies just ahead, and I’m committed to learning what I don’t know.



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How A Christian man found the ability to influence others.

Because of Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady, my wife, Rebecca, and I have had the privilege to be a part of the greatest Team building community on the planet called LIFE!! for the past four and a half years. I can't begin to explain the thankfulness for the blessings that we've have received from mentors in my life like Mark and Rita Haas, Josh and Anny Dames  and a wonderful self directed education that has helped tremendously in my life. You see I have had a deep grounded faith in Jesus Christ most of my life. I would pray and think about ways that I would be able to lead and influence people to the faith that has changed my life.
I would share my faith with people that I didn't even know and even though I had good motives, at times I would feel frustrated with the fact that I was not able to make a significant difference in there lives an influence them in the faith that had greatly effected my life. I knew that God had placed certain gifts in me but was not sure how to effectively be able to use them. What really happened is that I started to work in a career in the construction industry that started out as really just a means to be able to work until I was able to do the thing that I was called to do.
I was not a stranger to hard work because my family had brought me up that way, providing a great example in my life. I soon later met my wonderful wife Becca and bought a house and had our first kid (Nolan). With having a family came the greatest rewards in life, however I did find myself working more hours to provide for my family, more time away from the people that I loved and definitely had a hard time finding time to a calling. 
I knew that God had placed me in a wonderful position and had blessed me with an amazing family but I still had such a desire to make an impact in the world while he had put me here. It wasn't but a couple of years later that my brother had introduced me to a leadership development engine called TEAM.  TEAM gave me new insight that there was a better way to live life, and that I did't have to stay in the rat race like everyone else. But, more importantly, I was able to gain mentors in life that showed me how I to truly lead community of people by gaining influence in the eight F's of LIFE! I started to learn and grow in my leadership an through an amazing system of information and I started making a difference in more peoples life than I could never have imagined.
I didn't know it but at the time when I had been introduced to LIFE, God was giving me the tools to fulfill my calling, to make a difference in my family, and to become the person I was created to be. What I learned is that the information that you receive and apply will determine actions, your actions will determine your habits and your habits will determine your results. Unfortunately most of the information that was being taught to me by the world had helped me get in to the position that I was in. 
What I now realize through the LIFE Business, is that if I wanted to get different results I should learn from those most qualified to teach me (hence, someone who has fruit on the tree). That in of itself is what the team has provided in my life. So I can't begin to put into words what a true blessing the LIFE business has been for my family.
Thank you Chris and Orrin for Serving and developing The Life Business with such Godly intentions
God Bless
Jason Dames
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Saturday, December 3, 2011

How do YOU have FUN ?

 



I'm telling ya, we have had some laughs over the years hanging out with Chris & Terri Brady and Orrin & Laurie Woodward!  You'd think laughing and joking is all they're in business for if you're hanging out with Brady's & Woodward's in a casual setting.  Mark's best leadership advice is to, "qualify for everything".  There's no chance you'd miss out on the FUN if you knew how FUN the FUN can be!!  We suggest to qualify for everything and come see for yourself that our LIFE leaders sure know how to have FUN!
There's a Proverb that states, "A happy heart makes the face cheerful,..." Prov. 15:13  another says, "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." Prov. 15:30.  After every occasion with Chris & Terri my bones, and my guts too, just plain hurt from the continuous laughter.  That kind of medicine can heal some serious wounds!  They sure know how to lift the spirits of those around them and we have been willing victims!  What a perfect gift to give, the gift of laughter! 
Have FUN with me and lets see who can answer these silly riddles.....
1) What happens when you throw a green rock in the Red Sea?
2) What does an envelope say when you lick it?
3) What weighs more: a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?
4) What ten letter word starts with g-a-s ?
5) What word if pronounced right is wrong but if pronounced wrong is right?
6) How many animals did Moses take on the ark?
7) How many times can you subtract 5 from 25 ?
8) What was the tallest mountain in the world before Mt. Everest was discovered?
9) Why couldn't Batman go fishing?
10) Solve this riddle       YY U R YY U B, I C U R YY 4 ME

 

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Friday, December 2, 2011

What is "Definiteness of Purpose," and do You have it?

Definitiveness of Purpose?As I attended one of the Team's (co-founded by Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady) LIFE open meetings recently, the speaker discussed a concept taught by Napoleon Hill. In his book, he studied successful people and based on his research found four principles that successful people apply. I have not read the book (it's on my list!) and am not claiming to be an expert, but one of the principles the speaker mentioned really spoke to me.
He said, "Have a definiteness of purpose backed by a burning desire to fulfill it." To someone who isn't around leadership principles, this may sound a little funny, or hard to understand. How can we have a definiteness of purpose in life if we're just trying to make it through the day? How can we have a definiteness of purpose with our children if we're just wishing they would hurry up because we've got ten thousand other things to do? How can we have a definiteness of purpose with our spouse if we don't have time to spend good quality time with them?
My point is, what the speaker said hit me hard. It had an impact on my thinking. Immediately.
How many of us wish we could take a few minutes each day, put our worries and work aside, and spend good quality time with our spouse or children? Or wish we could take a look at our life and live by our priorities instead of our obligations? How much would life be different if we all lived by our priorities?
But that's just the first part of the equation...the definiteness of purpose has to be backed by a burning desire to fulfill it. Ah ha. That's the hard part. The desire to do whatever. it. takes. to fulfill our definiteness of purpose. Living by your priorities is not easy. It means letting the phone ring when you're spending time with your children. It means leaving work at work, even though your work is not finished. It means taking the time to read books and apply the information you've learned, even though it's easier to watch tv. It means being diligent with your finances even though it's easier to use a credit card. It means doing the hard work and disciplining yourself in whatever area you define as your definiteness of purpose.
That's what I love about the information that LIFE provides. It consistently gives us information to help us fulfill our definiteness of purpose. The LIFE information encompasses everything I mentioned above (time with your children, relationship with your spouse, growing personally, better finances, etc.) and more. We are so thankful that we got over our skepticism to actually take a look at the information. It truly has changed our lives. I now live with a definiteness of purpose AND a burning desire to fulfill it.
LIFE is good.

 

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

LIFE gives the Gift of Honor


The gift-giving season has arrived and it reminds me of a book Terri Brady recommended related to parenting.  It challenged me to consider the Family area of my LIFE, specifically in regards to honor and respect in the home.  Honor was defined simply as “treating people as special, doing more than what’s expected, and having a good attitude.”  Additionally, it went on to explain that showing honor is like giving a gift.  When we treat others in dishonoring ways, it’s like giving dirt to them.  On the contrary, when we show honor, we give them a daily gift worthy of sharing with others.


As an assertive and somewhat dominant (lol!) woman, my personality had affected our home environment.  Our children were being raised as independent thinkers, yes, but ultimately, they knew that mommy and daddy had the “final say” in the home.  Obedience didn’t seem to be a problem; yet, something was lacking.  It didn’t take me long to recognize that “something” was honor.  I can laugh now looking back how I attempted to “take charge” and bring honor into our home through an action plan of discussions on character related topics, reading classics, and associated reward charts.  Initially we saw some change, but obviously I was missing the spirit of the book--honor through example.


We are commanded in God’s word to “prefer one another” (Romans 12:10).  The New International Version states it like this, “Honor one another above yourselves.”  At the heart of it, “preferring” one another really challenges our naturally selfish mindset.  This type of honor is desperately needed in many homes across America, including our own.  With the addition of our seventh little one, Chris and I were reawakened to this need.  We are so grateful for the LIFE changing information we continue to receive through the LIFE subscriptions.  Chris Brady’s recent LIFE cd on “giving happy” reminded me how we find true joy in service to others.  Honor Based Parenting isn’t always easy, but as Orrin Woodward says, “Leaders don’t do things that are convenient, they do things that are needed.”


The author of the book I mentioned earlier stresses, “When we recognize a person’s value, it’s easy to give him or her honor.”  We find ourselves blessed to be associated with people like Mark and Rita Haas, Chris and Terri Brady, and Orrin and Laurie Woodward.  These LIFE leaders exemplify how to not only validate others, but to add value in their lives by pouring a bit of themselves into them.


Chris and I are proud to be part of the legacy of Team Maximus, where each of our affiliated Teams can unite under the banner of “Strength and HONOR.”  We have found that STRENGTH resides in being part of a group of people that are committed to “treat people as special, do more than what’s expected, and have a good attitude.”  Thank you, Mark and Rita for setting that example for us all.


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