IN GODWE TRUST Life to the Full for Entrepreneurs EVANMONEY
stars Ewan McGregor as a grown up Christopher Robin who has let the cares of the world distract him from being the father and husband he really wants to be. In one special scene, Christopher explains to his wife that he can’t go on their planned vacation because he has to work. Like everyone caught up the cares of the world, he tries to explain that work is very important for their future life together. To this, his wife responds, “Your life is happening right now in front of you, and you’re missing it.” As an entrepreneur, it’s too easy to focus on the great future we’re building, and we forget to enjoy our lives right now. Don’t wait until you have grandkids to get perspective; get it now. It wasn’t until I really started digging into scripture that I was able to embrace the truth that truly enjoying my life, living it to the full, and being grateful for it are acts of worship. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.” Did you get that key word, JOY? As in enjoy . He also said strength, as in all your power will come from the joy of the Lord. You can be driven and joyful at the same time; you can be goal-oriented and joyful at the same time; and you can be committed and joyful at the same time. You can build a successful family, but only with joy! To be fully transparent, there was a part of me that didn’t think it was okay or “spiritual” to enjoy life. But the more I read and asked God for guidance, the more He opened my eyes to what He wanted for me. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Wow, what a great phrase, life to the full — not half, not 3/4, but to the full! Plan for the Long-Term, But Enjoy the Present. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
According to Erwin McManus, to enjoy life is a sacred act of worship. At first I didn’t agree with that statement. I was too caught up in building businesses, raising a family, and trying to be “spiritual.” Enjoying life was something you got to do after — after the kids were raised, after the business matured or sold, after we had “X” amount in the bank. Sure, I had my moments of enjoyment; our yearly weddings and honeymoons were always at the top of the list. We had our special times with the kids as well, but the simple truth is this: I was living life but not fully enjoying life, until I learned that the road to heaven is heaven. If you can’t honestly say that, then it’s time to change.
Disney recently put out the movie “Christopher Robin,” which is a must see. It
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just stand up. Do some jumping jacks at your desk or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in a parking space that’s farther away — GASP! Have you ever noticed that when people go to the gym to walk on the treadmill, many of them (me included) will take an extra five minutes to drive around and get a closer parking space. It’s silly but true. Too often, we overestimate what can be done in a day and underestimate what we can do in six months. And that’s why many of us “take action” entrepreneurs sign up for a Spartan race, Tough Mudder, or other extreme event, thinking we can catch up all at once on our health. However, if we just took the stairs every work day, we would be 100 times more healthy. No offense to you extreme racers out there — my bride did a Spartan race and had a great experience, apart from all the mud in the car. To paraphrase the great Zig Ziglar, hurricanes and tornados get all the news, but termites do 10 TIMES the damage every year. They take such teeny tiny bites, so it seems impossible they could do any kind of harm, yet they are so consistent. It’s the same with our body movement. Taking the stairs may seem like a tiny bite, but in the long run, it will produce massive health benefits. It’s a great no-brainer way to keep your waters stirred. What other no-brainer ways can you think of to keep your waters stirred? For me, it’s walks with the kids and the dog. When my son comes into the office with a question, we do jumping jacks together. Whatever you come up with, do it consistently and watch what happens.
HEALTH IS THE REAL WEALTH
Stir Your Waters
What happens to stagnant water? If you have a swimming pool, fish tank, or even a small desktop water feature, you know all too well. According to a popular water damage website, the longer water is stagnant, the more hazardous to your health it becomes, and the cleanup becomes more extreme. Now let me ask you this: What is your body mostly made of? So what do think happens when you sit all day? The longer you sit, the more hazardous to your health it becomes, and the cleanup becomes more extreme. So what is the solution? MOVE! Stir your waters. You don’t have to join a gym, run a marathon, or do a Spartan race;
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Get a Ph.D. in Your Spouse What if you put the same time and energy into studying your spouse as you do for fantasy football or social media? That may sting a bit, but I’m speaking the truth out of love. What do I mean by study your spouse? Just because you are married to someone and live with them doesn’t mean you really know them. Remember last issue’s article on not drifting apart? Here is a fun and game-changing exercise you can do with your spouse right now. My bride and I did it over the course of a few dinners and the results, as well as the sex, that followed were spectacular. Below are questions and prompts for you to answer or simply share what you know about your spouse. After you answer or share, let your spouse fill in areas, share new stories, or retell old ones and see where the conversation goes. Once you finish the list, then it’s your spouse’s turn. • Talk about the beliefs, habits, values, or major events of your spouse’s grandparents. • Share what you know about your spouse’s early life and formative years. • Name the top 10 events that you think shaped your spouse. WisdomSource From the Simple. Easy. Fun. Enjoy! PROVERBS 12:15 “A fool is in love with his own opinions, but wisdommeans being teachable.” Ready to go from the average life to the Gold Life? To reach the Gold Life of thriving in your health, relationships, finances, and spiritual walk, you simply need to learn and do things you have never done before. In order for things to change, you must change; in order for things to get better in 2019, you must get better. If you are ready to be teachable, we invite you to apply for the two open Gold Life coaching slots we have for 2019. Just email Gold@EvanMoney.com
• Share what you know about your spouse’s teen years. • Talk about favorite vacations or trips you have taken together. • Talk about favorite vacations or trips they took before you met, at any age. • What are your spouse’s greatest regrets? • What are your spouse’s greatest dreams, fulfilled and also unfulfilled? • Name your spouse’s top five disappointments. • Name your spouse’s top accomplishments. • Which five trips would your spouse love to take before they die? • What are your spouse’s biggest struggles and obstacles of today? • Talk about your spouse’s spiritual journey. • What are your spouse’s spiritual gifts and passions? • Before your spouse dies, what do they want to do? • Your spouse feels the most loved when you do what?
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So what does life to the full look like? It’s living the Gold Life; it’s thriving in your health, your relationships, your finances, and your spiritual walk. In order to go from your old life to the “Gold Life,” the first thing is to drop a capital “G” in front of “old” and truly put God first. Yes, you really can have life to the full. In fact it’s how it’s supposed to be with God, and it all starts with enjoying the now.
As Christopher Robin and Pooh once said,
“What day is it?”
“It’s today.”
“Oh, my favorite day.”
“This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” –Psalm 118:24
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Excerpts From Evan’s #1 Best-Seller
guessed it — they are difficult! For example, there once was a famous man who was getting bashed by a well- read blogger. So he took to his keyboard and “ripped him a new one,” as they say. He was about to hit send, knowing it would make waves with his PR team and teach this guy a lesson. As it turned out, he decided to take a walk before he hit send. It was a beautiful day and he ran into a friend who asked, “Did you hear about the blogger who has been bashing you?” His friend then explained that he was really suffering and, in fact, had just died that day. As it turned out, his wife had died a few months ago and his son was so distraught that he killed himself. To make matters worse, his daughter couldn’t handle it and she went insane. These tragedies were the reasons this guy was being so difficult and lashing out at people. He was suffering from extreme loss. When you know what’s going on, it’s that much easier to forgive someone. If we’re not able to know all about their circumstances, why not just forgive them anyway? I encourage you to take action and forgive that person — you know who I’m talking about — today.
Unforgiveness chains you to mediocrity, while forgiveness gives you wings so you can soar to greatness. It’s your choice; choose wisely. Thomas Kempis says, “Know all and you will forgive all.” He is right. You may discover that the most “difficult” people are having a difficult life, and that’s why — you
“Weak people can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.” –Gandhi
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