It is a well known fact of life that a human being will become a product of his own mental environment. It has been said that the person you will become within the next five years depends precisely upon the books you read and the people with whom you associate. May I request that you pause right now after reading or hearing what I have just stated, and carefully consider what it is that you have personally been reading and the type and caliber of the people with whom you have been associating. Do you see any blatant changes and/or adjustments that need to immediately be made on your part?
A very wealthy man from the East Coast of the United States told me many years ago that a person’s financial income will be determined to be the average of the incomes of his five best, closest, and personal friends. May I ask you to conduct a quick calculation of what is the estimated average incomes of your five closest personal friends? Is this calculated number acceptable on which you can tithe, live, pay your bills, create an adequate savings account, love, laugh, travel, and play? I do not have a crystal ball so I am unable to accurately measure other people or their lifestyles, but I can pretty well guess that your own answer to this last question is an emphatic “NO.”
Well, what are you going to do about it? I will guarantee that ignoring the personal problem is not an effective answer to the situation. You need a good plan and some major changes in and for your own life. Only you are personally able to change your own mind and make some immediate decisions about correcting your personal situation…particularly as relates to your own health, well being, finances, and stress levels. It is so easy to “think” about a proposed solution to a problem as compared to actually doing something about solving it. Action carries with it effort, responsibilities, and accountability on the part of the person who chooses to solve the problems in their lives that need solving. Are you one of those type people? I certainly hope you are.
As I have told you before, I am a Christian Believer in The Lord Jesus Christ, and have been for the last 37 years of my life. I live my life based upon the precepts of God as recorded in the Holy Bible. Of course, I occasionally fail to measure up to the requirements of my beliefs, but since I am “Forgiven” by God Almighty,…after every failure, I confess my sins, ask for forgiveness, repent of my misgivings, and then pick up the broken pieces and carry on with my life. God has promised me that He will never leave me or forsake me,…just as He promised to all Christians.
The most important and critical book from which you should be reading is The Holy Bible. It is God’s “Love Letter” to all of His creations.
Mentors are a critical part of every person’s journey to their own success. Of course the Bible tells us, time and time again, about the importance of having a personal counselor or mentor,…of having more than one of them, whenever it is possible to do so. An example of what I am referencing appears in the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 1, verse 5, NKJV:
(5) “A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.”
Another reference this time concerning the type of counselors a person is to avoid appears in the Book of Psalms, Chapter 1, verse 1, NKJV:
(1) “Blessed is the man
Who walks NOT IN THE COUNSEL of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful”
Mentors and/or counselors come in the form of:
(1) People we personally know or know about,…that we have met
regularly with,…and with whom we continually associate….and….
(2) People whom we have never personally met or associated with, but
who have written books, occupied leadership offices, earned great
titles, and made great speeches all of which we have read or listened to
as they poured out their knowledge and wisdom in their many and
varied venues.
A mentor does not have to be alive or be a personal acquaintance to qualify as one of your personal mentors. It is not the physical closeness of them to you that qualifies them to be one of your personal mentors, but rather it is the knowledge and understanding they possess which they are willing to openly share with you that qualifies them to be your counselor. I never personally knew or rubbed elbows with either George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, but I have learned great amounts of wisdom and knowledge from both of these gentlemen and many others like them.
The Holy Bible tells us in the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11, verse 14, NKJV:
(14) “Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
And again the Bible clearly states in the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 24, verse 6, NKJV:
(6) “For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of wise counselors there is safety.”
You see how much importance God puts on the necessity of having good personal mentors. Remember, your blessings from God that benefit you are all based upon your demonstrated personal obedience to His instructions.
Permit me to wrap a blanket of understanding around this whole business of having a good mentor(s) in your life.
We live in a free country that operates under the economic system known as Free Enterprise. That means that anyone who so desires has the authority and ability to start, own, and operate a business of their own, for a profit. Said business can then be taken to any level of success its owner(s) are willing to work to achieve. Such a System of economics has allowed the United States to become the wealthiest and freest nation on earth.
So, that being stated, may I say to you that to become successful and make the big money in America, you need:
1. To own and operate a honest and legal business vehicle,…and…
2. To receive proper and accurate advice and counsel on how to effectively
operate the business vehicle for a profit.
Such is to say…You need a good coach!
A good coach,…a good mentor,…teaches men:
1. How to do what they ordinarily wouldn’t do,…so that,…
2. They may become what they were originally designed to be.
Find yourself a good mentor, sit at his feet, and learn as much as you possibly can from him (or her). Consistently perform the required work habits your counselor advises you to do. Make adjustments as necessary and don’t look back. Put your head down and charge on through the openings that pop up in front of you. Do not allow obstacles or stumbling blocks to keep you from advancing.
You cannot stop a person who possesses a definiteness of purpose, and the will to persevere until he turns his dream into a reality.
Peace and Love to All of You……………..Poppa Bear