Most people never come close to their full potential, not because they lack talent, but because they lack structure. Jim called it years ago and we're seeing it every day. That's why we built the self-discipline Master Playbook, a step by step system trusted by over 5000 people to build consistency, clarity and confidence. If you know you're meant for more, don't wait. Get your copy today. Links in the description. But here's what else I hope you'll find here today, and that
is inspiration. And who knows the mystery of inspiration, Why some people are inspired and some are not. You were inspired to get here, some were not. Who knows the mystery of that? I don't know how come you made it? The rest of them didn't make it. We don't know what that mystery is. Some people turned it down. Some people said it cost too much. Some people said it's going to take too much time. Some people are too busy, right?
A lot of different excuses why Some are inspired to take advantage of something that comes to town. Others pass it up. We don't know the mystery to that. Here's what I call it, mysteries of the mind, and I just leave it at that. Some things I don't try to figure out. I take the simple approach now, right? Some people do and some people don't. I mean, that's about as profound as my philosophy is. Some buy Anne, some don't buy. Some go for it, Anne.
Some don't. Some change, Anne, some don't. And if you've been around for a while, you can usually work out the numbers right? Out of 10, you know, three do, 7 don't. Whatever business you're involved in, pretty soon you got this ratio going. The ones that do, the ones that don't, you say, well, why don't? The ones that don't, how come they don't? We don't know. I just leave it as a mystery. I used to try to understand all that.
I just take the simple approach. Now the guy says this happens to me, this happens to me, this goes wrong for me and all this stuff goes wrong for me. How come all this stuff happens to me? I say, I don't know. It beats me. The best I've been able to figure out is those kind of things always happen to people like you. I mean, right, That's the best I got. I don't know, I'm an amateur on this stuff. What do I know? So just take the simple approach, right? That's how it is. Who knows?
Interesting story, says the day the Christian Church was started. Now I'm an amateur on the Bible, but best account I can remember the day the Christian Church was started, a magnificent sermon was preached, great presentation and if you're a student of all at all of good communication. It was one of the classic presentations of all times. The sermon the first day the Christian Church was started and
it said the sermon. This presentation was given to a multitude, meaning a lot of people, but it was interesting as the account gives us the record. It says when the sermon was finished, there was a variety of reaction to the same sermon. Isn't that fascinating? I find it fascinating. It said some that heard this presentation were perplexed. And I read the presentation, sounded pretty straightforward to me, Said why would somebody be perplexed with a good, sincere, straightforward
presentation? Best answer I've got. They are the perplexed. I mean, you know what other explanation is that? It doesn't matter who's preaching it, said some that heard this presentation mocked and laughed, made fun of the presentation. I thought, hey, this looks pretty sincere to me. If you give a sincere, honest presentation, why would somebody mock and laugh? Easy explanation. They are the mockers and the laughers. What else would you expect them to do, right?
I used to try to straighten all that out, say, well, they shouldn't do that. I don't do that anymore. I've got Peace of Mind now. I can sleep like a baby, not try to straighten all this stuff out. I used to be so naive. I used to say, well, liars shouldn't lie. See how naive can you be? Of course they're supposed to lie. That's why we call them liars. They lie, they lie. So I don't straighten this stuff out anymore.
Anyway, it said some that heard this magnificent presentation didn't know what was going on. And they're usually easy to spot. They're usually saying what's going on, right? I mean, they don't know what's going on, but interesting, right? A variety of reaction to the same sincere, honest presentation. Now it also says in wrapping it up, some that heard the presentation believed, and I think that's who the speaker was looking for, the believers.
Interesting. Now it said the number of believers was about 3000. So pretty good first day, 3000. I've had some first days, but I never had 3000. Some people never will have much. They're too cautious. Now, you can also be too reckless, but you can also be too cautious. This is called the timid approach to life. And my caution was always the risk. Risk used to drive me right up the wall. I used to say what if this happened? It's called the language of the poor.
What if this happens? And on top of that, if this was to happen, look at the fix I'd be in. I better not try. I could always ace myself out. Then I'll tell you what changed my whole life when I finally discovered it's all risky. The minute you were born it got risky. If you think trying is risky, wait till they hand you the bill for not trying. If you think investigating is risky, wait till you get the tab for not investing. See, it's all risky.
Getting married is risky. Having children is risky. Going into business is risky. Investing your money is risky. It's all risky. I'll tell you how risky life is. You're not going to get out alive. That's risky. The Englishman says, well if that's the way it's going to work out, let's give it a go, right? That's what it's for. Give it a go. Somebody says, yeah, but I'm
looking for safety and security. Fine then huddle in a corner, we'll cover you with a sheet, bring you 3 meals a day and we'll protect you, feed you, look after you, care for you. We won't let anything happen to you and you'll probably live to be 100. The guy said, well, yeah, I'd live to be 100, but what a way to live, right? What a way to live safe and secure. Don't ask for security, ask for adventure. Better to live 30 years full of adventure than 100 years safe in
the corner. And see, it's not important how long you live. What's important is how you live. Here's the next attitude disease. We're almost through with this motley list. In fact, we're almost through. Hang on. The next one is pessimism. Pessimism, the deadly disease of always looking on the bad side, the problem side, the difficult side, checking all the reasons why it can't be done. The poor pessimist leads an ugly life. He doesn't try to figure out
what's right. He tries to figure out what's wrong. He doesn't look for virtue, he looks for faults. And when he finds him, he's delighted how ugly this is. The poor guy looks through the window, doesn't see the sunset. He sees the specks on the window. And this is the poor guy, right? Who rushes up, takes such leave of his senses. This guy rushes up and he says I've got 5 good reasons why it
won't work. He's so dumb he doesn't know all he needs one, he's got 5. To the pessimist, the glass is always half empty. To the optimist, the glass is half full. Why would the same measure affect people two different ways? Answer. It all depends on how you look at it. Our lives are mostly affected by the way we think things are, not the way they are. The way we think they are affects us most. There's a subject we don't have time to get into tonight called
better thinking habits. One of the major things Shoaf taught me when I met him, he said poor thinking habits keeps most people poor, not poor working habits. Most people work hard, but they don't think hard, and Shoaf taught me that The mind is like a factory, a mental factory, and whatever you think about all day long pours ingredients into this mental factory. And that's what builds the economic, social, financial fabric of your life.
He quoted me a Bible phrase that says as you think so you become. How awesome. When he talked about poor thinking habits, he had me. I used to start the day reading the morning newspaper. I mean, you can believe that or not. I'd get a cup of coffee and read the paper. I'd load up on wars and riots and murders and stabbings and killings and bank robberies and muggings and car wrecks and tragedies. I'd even read the back pages. I seem to like that stuff for
some weird reason. I'd load up on all that and then I'd start the day. You can imagine the kind of days I used to have you walk around on your financial knees. They call you economic peewee. The guy says, I want to be a great leader. Wonderful. The first thing we do is follow him to his house. When we get there, we walk in and check his library #1 somebody says, well, why check his library?
The reason is because what a man reads pours massive ingredients into his mental factory and the fabric of his life is built from those ingredients. You would not believe what some people have got in their house to read. You would not believe One of the best dressed up words I know for a lot of it is trash. Can you imagine dumping a barrel of trash into this mental factory every day and coming out with a rich, dynamic, positive life? It can't be done. You might as well try making a
cake with cement. The kids back in Danbury, CT high school, they're asking me questions. One day I'm talking to the kids. Kids got good questions these days. One of them said to me, Mr. Owen, how do you build the good life? I said it's simple. It's not easy, but it's simple. Here's how you build anything. Select the right ingredients, keep out the wrong ingredients, and it starts with thought.
Everything starts with thought. So you must be wise and careful what you think about because that starts everything. You got to be wise and careful. I ask the kids what would happen if somebody dropped sugar in my coffee. They said, will you be OK? I said what if somebody dropped strychnine in my coffee? They said, well, you'd be dead. I said correct. Lesson one, life is both sugar and strychnine, you got to be careful. I said, what if my worst enemy drops in the sugar?
They said will you be OK? I said what if my best friend, even by accident, drops in the strychnine? They said, well you'd be dead. I said correct. Lesson 2, watch your coffee. You got to be careful. See, it doesn't matter who hands you the bad stuff. It doesn't matter where you get the bad stuff.
It'll still do its damage on your bank account wherever you get it. Mr. Schoof gave me one of the greatest phrases when I first met him, when he said, Jim, every day, stand guard at the door of your mind. How important? Stand guard at the door of your mind and you decide what goes into your mental factory. Don't let anybody just dump anything they want to in your mental factory, because you've got to live with the results. OK, here's the last disease, and we're through with this list.
In fact, we're almost through. Hang on. The last subject is very brief, the last disease, but this one is deadly. Engage in this one, indulge in it even slightly, and you might as well forget the future because it's going to forget you. Complaining, crying, quining, griping. A Bible word called murmuring. See, that'll ace your future. Spend 5 minutes complaining and you have wasted 5 and you may have begun what's known as economic cancer of the bone.
Surely they will soon haul you off into a financial desert and there let you choke on the dust of your own regret. I hope I said that well so you won't forget. It's a deadly disease. If you don't think it's bad, ask the children of Israel of Old Testament fame. Typical of us all, their story just happened to get in. The book Story says children of Israel were slaves. God performed a series of dazzling miracles and got them out, and now they're heading for the Promised Land.
Remember the story heading for the promised land? Tragedy of the story? They never got there. Reason. From day one they started to complain. They griped about the water. They griped about the weather. They whined and cried and griped about the food. They griped about the leadership, they whined and cried because it was too far, too cold, too hot, too difficult, too miserable. I mean, they whined and whined and cried for years.
Finally God said, I've had it trip cancelled or something like that. The story says they died in the desert, never got to the promised land. Which I think means two things. Indulging this long enough, you get your future canceled. And I guess it also means even God himself can only take so much. OK, just be on the lookout of the things that can destroy all the good you start. The war is on.
And this evening, tomorrow, mentally, personally, socially, economically, you've got to make sure you're winning the war and this is part of it.