212 Degrees, The Extra Degree | 212: The Extra Degree

212 Degrees, The Extra Degree | 212: The Extra Degree

Pursuit of God

I have forgotten about you during good times but you stayed close by.

I have come running to you during bad times and you watched over me.

I have accused you of playing with my emotions and you laughed at me. 

I asked you to let me carry a burden so that others won't have to and you said okay.

I now know what they mean about being careful what you wish for.

I now know that all of this has been done out of love.

Looking back I can see that your plan is the perfect plan.

Despite my deviate behavior you have always been there for me.

How you have treated me has opened my eyes and my heart.

I am a better person and father because of what I've been through.

You knew what you were doing all along ;)

I now know that in my pursuit to find you all I have to do is pray.

The Power of Teamwork Movie | The Power of Teamwork Movie

The Power of Teamwork Movie | The Power of Teamwork Movie

Great little movie on the power of teamwork and achieving synergy. When you achieve synergy with your team you can accomplish anything you set as a goal.

Inspiration 365 Days a Year | Inspriation 365 Day a Year Movie

Inspiration 365 Days a Year | Inspriation 365 Day a Year Movie

Zig Ziglar said it best, "motivation is like bathing, it's needed daily"

Enjoy!

WTH Does Mario Know?

I have never claimed to be like Bo Jackson and start my own "Mario Knows..." campaign. As a matter of fact I think the only thing I do know for sure is that what I do know is that I have made tons of mistakes and have learned from them. It is this mindset that keeps me learning and sharing what I learn.

The other day I had a conversation with someone and they were telling me that at first they could not comprehend why I shared so much on the social networks. They admitted to me that what they thought was that I gave so much advice for a person who hasn't shown much success at anything. I loved the honesty and I engaged the conversation even more. As my blog states I share my opinion on almost anything. They were also right that I have failed at almost everything, marriage, finances, career, weight loss, and even at my goal of retiring at 35. I set that goal when I was 18 but never wrote it down. Wow, I should just give up. Maybe I would have had I not learned from others that failure is just an event and it's not a person. I'm sure I heard that from someone in my mastermind alliance.

What I did learn from all of my mistakes is that I was just learning what to avoid in my journey to becoming a success. I had to remind myself of this daily. It is so easy to allow negativity to take over. Thoughts constantly ran through my mind about quitting, things would just be easier if I was dead, what can I contribute to anyone now, etc... I have been in those dark places and had I not had more faith I probably would have done something selfish.

So I am not someone who has made millions and is deeply in love with his soul mate. What I am is someone that is not a quitter. I am an everyday person that is sharing his experiences so that others may know they are not alone. The tips and experiences I share are not for everyone and it is not me trying to be arrogant. It is for that one person that needs it that day. If 1 person out of 300 has benefited than I have done my job for the day. So please don't ever take it as Mario thinks he knows everything when it's more like Mario knows some mistakes I should avoid or just skip over my post. My feelings will not be hurt.

Mastermind Alliance

The concept of a mastermind alliance was made popular by Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich. In a nutshell you start an alliance with others to create a synergistic relationship. The collective knowledge will produce better results. Over the years I have definitely bounced around different groups. I have benefited from every alliance I have been a part of and I hope the members have benefited from me as well.

I want to share with you the members of my alliance that have been a constant the last few years. This alliance is made up of some of the best in their field. Unfortunately I don't contribute much to them but what I take from them I try to share with others. These people are successful because they share and serve others and so I'm sure they don't mind that I use what I learn from them to share also. I will break them up into different categories below.

Religion:
Besides going to church every Sunday I try to listen to and read books by Joel Osteen. The book that turned me on to this pastor was Become a Better You. After reading this I started to watch him on TV when I could find him or downloaded his free podcast. His messages are always so positive and he's very articulate. An amazing story teller that knows how to apply scripture so that you understand what God wants from us. You can also find more information on him and his ministry at Joel Osteen.

Motivation:
This next man has been called a natural treasure. After reading many of his books I can see why. If you are going to add any of these people to your own Mastermind Alliance he definitely has to be one of them. This man has been through it all and if anyone can get your mind out of the gutter it would be Zig Ziglar. He has so many books out from Success for Dummies to his latest Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life's Terms. Go out and pick up any of his books and I guarantee it will alter the way you think and make you a better person. Check out his website at Ziglar and at least sign up for the newsletter and maybe download his podcast.

Money:
At Cal State Northridge my major was in Business Administration w/ an option in Finance. As a kid I read so many books on cash flow, time value of money, and leveraging money. This made me a little arrogant and I stopped listening to advice from my parents regarding money. I should have read a book about debt and how debt has the ability of making you a slave and really killing your spirit. I first saw Dave Ramsey on the Fox Business channel and thought why does this man have a show and there's really nothing sophisticated about the advice he's giving. No get rich quick scheme or how to settle your credit cards for 50 cents on the dollar. Just biblical teachings about money and common sense. He even goes out and says that he just gives you advice that your grandparents would have given you. This man has been through bankruptcy and now is a success story. Need to get back on track about money then check out The Total Money Makeover. You can also check out his site, Dave Ramsey , and check him out on the radio or Fox Biz.

Family:
I am going to go ahead and admit my mad crush on this woman. I am sure she has been responsible for saving many relationships and I'm not just talking about husband and wife. She offers great advice for women, men, and children. I just recently added her to my alliance but I always wonder how much of a better dad I could have been had I found her years ago.   I am currently reading Bad Childhood---Good Life: How to Blossom and Thrive in Spite of an Unhappy Childhood but she also has so many books. For men I suggest Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives. For women I suggest Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives. I'll get to those books but I had to suggest them just from the testimonials I've heard on her radio show. Check her out at Dr. Laura and listen to her from a live feed or on her radio show.

I hope this helps some of you in your lives cause I know the above have helped me tremendously. At least bookmark the links I have given you for them cause their sites offer helpful tools. I know I didn't include anyone for Politics but the truth is I admire the founding fathers so much that I try to read history books for that but in this world of ours it's a constantly changing and learning process.

Lakers vs. Celtics 2010 Championship! Who wants it more?

The Lakers will win in 6, I mean 7 hopefully. Obviously many Angelenos are upset with the position the Lakers have found themselves in and I'm sure the players are just even more upset. Emotions run high during championship games and the anxiety is overwhelming. What Lakers team is going to show up and I'm sure Bostonians are wondering what Celtics team will show up. These two teams are made up of championship caliber players and they know what is needed to stay alive or to close it out. The true champion will emerge as the team that was able to function as 1 unit and not a bunch of individual players. So what do they need to do?

Consistency from all players is needed. It's almost unanimous that Kobe is the best individual player in the game. He can come out and do all the scoring or he can create opportunities for his team. What ever he decides to do as the leader or however the game unfolds for him, his team is going to have to step up and execute their roles. We need you guys to get back on defense and do everything it takes to disrupt the Celtics, who are functioning much more as a team than the Lakers. This is the championship series and we need an aggressive team that is willing to dive, jump, run, etc... for the ball. I still think the Lakers are the better team if they can function as a team consistently for the next 8 quarters of basketball.

I applaud the Celtics team for getting this far. They really put it together to beat 2 teams that they were supposed to lose to but apparently they didn't get that memo. I don't wish them any bad luck but the exact opposite. I want to see the best Celtics team so that they can bring out the best Lakers team. In my opinion if the best Lakers team does show up then we will be champs. If they don't then congrats to the Celtics cause they earned the championship and were the best team when it counted.