Tag Archives: reaching your goals

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LYH85: How to Reach Your Max Potential in One Hour

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Get your free copy of the “10 Proven Steps to Extraordinary Influence” at haroldarnold.com

Faith in Focus: Tell Time

Ephesians 5:15-17

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Featured Presentation: How to Reach Your Max Potential in One Hour

In 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted an American Time Use Survey.  Though obviously they reflect the average American and your situation might be different, the results reveal the secret to achieving extraordinary influence. Let’s take a closer look at the results of the study.

Time Use Survey Results:

  • Work: 9 hours
  • Sleep: 8 hours
  • Household, eating, and other activities: 5 hours
  • Leisure and Sport: 2 hours

The key to max potential is to take ONE of those two leisure and sport hours every day and focus in on your unique purpose.

Your one thing may be developing and packaging inspirational content (e.g., videos, blog posts, articles) related to your passion, building relationships with other influencers and your tribe, or expanding your email distribution list. But, your one thing may also be introspective, prayerful, and listening to what God is speaking. The important thing to remember is to tackle a task and work it through to completion.

Leave me a comment and let me know what are the challenges for you to personally carve out one hour a day. I’ll do my best to help you find that time to be great.

 

Feel free to leave me a voicemail message with any questions or concerns by going to HaroldArnold.com and clicking “Send Voicemail” on the right side of the screen.

Get your FREE copy of the “10 Proven Steps to Extraordinary Influence” at haroldarnold.com

Please do me a huge favor and click HERE to go to iTunes and leave me a rating and review. It will only take 2 minutes of your time. And, it means so much to me. And, just for you, I’ll give you a shout out on the next show.

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LYH50: 10 DreamBusters to Stop Immediately [PODCAST]

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Featured Presentation

You can find the full blog post on this topic at haroldarnold.com/stopit

Click HERE to watch the short “Stop It” sketch starring comedian Bob Newhart.
So, in the spirit of Dr. Switzer (Bob Newhart’s character), I came up with what I believe are the top ten attitudes and behaviors to which I would just like to say “STOP IT!” for those who have a purposeful dream that they want to pursue in their lifetime.
Top 10 Behaviors to STOP
  • #10 – Thinking Small
  • #9 – Denying responsibility for the direction of your life
  • #8 – Giving excuses as to why you aren’t moving towards the dreams in your life
  • #7 – Letting your emotions primarily dictate your decisions
  • #6 – Trusting that other people will make you their priority
  • #5 – Accepting other people’s agenda for your life
  • #4 – Believing that you don’t have enough time or resources to pursue your dreams
  • #3 – Wasting time and energy on people and things that don’t fulfill your life’s purpose
  • #2 – Waiting for Perfection
  • #1 – Focusing on Yourself
So, there you have what I believe are the top ten things that the fictitious Dr. Switzer would tell us to STOP. Like Katherine, we can take offense to the parsimonious intervention or we can decide that enough is enough. I hope that you and I choose the latter.
What would you add to the list of things that Dr. Switzer would tell us to stop if you wanted to be a person of influence and reach your dreams?

Check out the blog post HERE to read more about this.

Please do me a huge favor and click HERE to go to iTunes and leave me a rating and review. It will only take 2 minutes of your time. And, it means so much to me. And, just for you, I’ll give you a shout out on the next show.

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Slaying the DRAGONS of Your Dreams (Part 2)

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Welcome to Part 2 of “Slaying the DRAGONS of Your Dreams”. In Part I, we learned about the adversarial nature of the DRAGONS and how they conspire to thwart the purpose and design of your life. The DRAGONS are experts of camouflage, disguising themselves prudence and pragmatism. The reality, however, is that the DRAGONS are liars. Even when they tell you facts, it is not the truth. The DRAGONS’ intention is to throw you off of your path of influence. The good news, however, is that the DRAGONS do not have the last word. You have a choice to listen to their litany of self-limiting beliefs or to tap into a transcendent truth. That truth is that you were built for the KINGDOM.

Many of us, especially those of us of the Christian faith, speak of the kingdom. But, to what exactly does it refer? It is the Kingdom of God. Think of it this way. God created you for a purpose. That purpose is different for each of us. But, ultimately, we all share a common one: to advance the Kingdom of God. We do that by listening and following the directions that God gives us to authentically connect with Him and with other people.

The systems of our world are not predicated on the Kingdom mindset. Our world systems are primarily built upon the DRAGONS’ philosophy of self-centered idolatry.

The Kingdom mindset espouses “we”. The DRAGONS focus on “me”.

The Kingdom mindset encourages giving. The DRAGONS speak of taking.

The Kingdom mindset enlists servants. The DRAGONS draft dictators.

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Slaying the DRAGONS of Your Dreams (Part I)

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Take a stroll down the self-help section of any bookstore and you will find plenty of books to help you think and dream bigger. These books (many quite excellent, others not so much) will challenge you to find your purpose—the reason you were born. These titles resonate with us because deep within most of us have that yearning for significance.  We want to feel that our life counts. We long for that sense of belonging and meaning. If you’re like me, you dream of the day when you can spend more time pursuing your passions. To be human is to search for the answers to bring those dreams to fruition. There is only one problem. It is called “the DRAGONS”.

I do agree that there is within each one of us a higher calling or a transcendent purpose. God created that yearning within you. Your purpose is that intersection where God’s will, your personal joy, and your service to people intersect. In an ideal world, it is your destiny.

So, why is it that so many people (most in fact) never reach that lofty perch?

The reason is that there is an adversary to your destiny. In the Bible (1 Peter 5:8), we are told that this enemy’s objective is your destruction. We are given the admonition to “be alert and of sober mind” in order to resist this onslaught.

There are many names for this “adversary”. Christian tradition calls him “Satan” or “the Devil”. Steven Pressfield in his bestselling book, the War of Art calls it “the Resistance”. I have coined another term to capture this insidious foe. I call it “the DRAGONS”.

The DRAGONS primary objective is to keep you from your own pursuit of influence. It is easy to think of the enemy as some mystical force that is difficult to qualify or pinpoint. it is also easy to think of the enemy of our dreams as some external aggressor that impinges upon our aspirations.

I like to think of it as “the DRAGONS” because it helps me understand that the enemy’s power tends to impact us more internally than externally. The enemy does this not by hurling a single stone at us. Rather, the adversary of your dreams uses a full onslaught of siege warfare to derail you from your ordained path. The DRAGONS represent a seven-part collective that is intent on your destruction. That is the tough news.

The good news, however, is that because the DRAGONS’ strategy centers on a foundation of lies, when you embrace the truth you ultimately hold the power over them. In other words, you decide how much destruction, if any, the DRAGONS unleash. In the presence of each of the DRAGONS, there is an alternate reality (which happens to be the truth). That is the great news.