I am still buzzing from yesterday’s full day of TV watching. That is something that I never thought I would hear myself saying. First off, I really don’t like watching much TV and second it is a bit hypocritical of me to do so, as I teach my team that it is a waste of their time and energy as it is so full of negativity. But I digress, I am human and yesterday I was hooked to what came out for me to be the greatest sports day I have ever witnessed in my life. There is so much to take away from this day an apply in everyday life. So….let’s go!

The United States defeats Algeria in the 91st minute (which is injury time…meaning the game is basically over any second as it is past the 90 minute mark) on a goal from Landon Donovan to win their group (which has not happened in 80 years). I am getting goosebumps typing this again! The country went nuts….everyone blew up facebook with posts of excitement and jubilation. You could sense for the first time maybe ever that the US was catching world cup fever. I wonder though….how many of you had already written the team off since there was virtually no time left, the refs were against them, and the ball seemed almost fatefully allergic to the Algerians goal despite US dominance? It just wasn’t meant to be. How many out there truly still believed it possible in extra time for the US to score? I bet not many if we are truly being honest here. If the boys had accepted that there was basically no time left and only a miracle would allow them to win a game, when clearly fortune was not on their side that day, do you think they would have scored? I have to think no. They believed it the whole time. There was never a doubt in their minds that they would not score…..and so they did. Relevance here Wesley, please: I wonder how many times you have faced a pressure situation in life or more specifically in business and accepted that it just wasn’t meant to be. Fate was against you. The gods were not looking down on you in a good way….the refs had it out for you. In other words you were not meant to get that sale or recruit that prospect or even that promotion at work because you just accepted and justified defeat because it just wasn’t meant to be. You let outside factors control your belief and ultimately a small defeat in life. Why?

Isner beats Malhut 70-68 in the 5th set at Wimbledon. For those of you that are not tennis fans the fifth set has to be one by two games, not two points. These guys played tennis for 11 hours which surpassed the previous record of a match that was a little over 6 hours. They pretty much defied and broke every single record in the books. In the end…only one of them won, but alas we all know that they are both winners. Time and time again either one of them could have “cramped up” or just thrown the match. You see it all the time whether people want to believe it or not….. it does happen. Guess what? Those people don’t make the record books. How many times have you let something that you could have fought through with a little pain and determination stop you from achieving an awesome goal? My bet is that since we are human the answer is quite a lot. It’s like wanting to be rich immediately from the get go in my company/industry. A little hardship occurs so one blames the company because it’s marketing tools were not perfect, or the economy because people have no money, or anything else externally so you don’t have to face up to the fact that you just gave up. I ask will you ever achieve success without fighting through some pain? We all know the answer is no. I urge you to stay the course of what you are determined to make happen and you will go into the record books. It is worth it. I promise!

Top of the 8th bases loaded TCU down by 2 runs in the College World Series losers bracket. They lose and they go home. Their dreams of a College World series, which trust me is the ultimate dream of any young ball player, on the line. Matt Curry comes to the plate with two outs and now has 2 strikes on him. Most would think….poor fella. I hope he does not re-live this moment of making the final out for ages to come, which is what the odds are of him doing in this situation.  Don’t blame me….you know it’s true that we are Americans and we have a tendency to assume the worst! Matt hit an absolute bomb to basically win the game for TCU and keep them alive in the CWS! No matter what happens for the rest of his life he will always have that moment where he fulfilled part of his dream in greatness because he defied the odds against him. I ask have you not lived your dreams because the odds are against you? Do you go with the odds and allow yourself to fail or do you dare see past them and live your dream?

If you don’t believe in yourself and your cause….you won’t achieve greatness. If you do you will find a way to make it happen. It’s a fact. Outside variables can only play a part in stopping you so many times. If you want to let excuses plague you and not give it a real go at obtaining your goals then you will always live in constant justification mode. You may call it “cramping up” and people will feel for you but you will know deep inside you had the power and could have made it through. If you are willing to let obstacles just be obstacles and bumps in the road on your journey you too will be in the record books. If you don’t achieve your dreams because you see failure as the odds are against you in most situations….than you will fail. But if you can see yourself being the hero……you too can live your dreams. It’s true I tell ya!

In closing I often site perception of the world. It really does define everything about us doesn’t it!  If you want great things in this world I promise you that you can have them. Don’t let anything stop you. You do deserve a great life. And please don’t ever stop dreaming no matter how old you are. Dreams are meant to be achieved. I believe in you and if you need to borrow my belief for a while until yours is strong enough….I am happy to oblige! I have done it before…and it works.

I Believe…I Believe…..I Believe!!!!

To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson
www.wesley-anderson.com

I often wonder how many times in life we miss out on huge opportunities because we just don’t jump. The anticipation of something as we all know is often ten times worse than the actual event. Sometimes we don’t make that follow up call for business or set that appointment to see someone because of the anxiety that we create with such anticipation. Amazing how 99.9% of the time the actual event is never nearly as fearful or bad as we anticipated it to be. Building your company is so much like sky diving it is unbelievable.

How many times have you come up with an idea that might take you to the next level but you just did not follow through? How many times have you started on something that you knew would help you in the long run if you just fully committed? How many times would your life have changed if you would just jump?

It’s never as bad as it seems and most of the time the outcome from jumping produces such feeling of elation and often unmatched joyful experiences in your life. Don’t forget we are here to experience things not just to sit idly!

13,000 feet!!!! I have now been staring out of the window and my nervous giggling has begun. That is a sure sign that I am actually a bit scared. The first level of jumping today was at this height. This is another key component in life. There was the 13,000 foot jump and there was the 18,000 foot jump. Why just do it small when you can do it big time? If you are going to go through with the fear or the challenge why not go big?

So many people jump into a business or just get there feet wet. Why waste your time and energy? If you are going to start your business or build it in any manner stop playing around and go big. The rewards for people who go big are ten times more than for those that just want to mess around in the sandbox. You might go through a bit more fear…you might have more challenge….but the reward I can promise you is worth it.

The first guy disappears into the sky, but I managed to look away as I did not want to scare myself anymore. We continue to elevate to the next level and they hand us oxygen masks to put on. This was another point were if i would have thought too much on this I might have said let’s throw in the towel here. If you can’t breathe without a mask should you really be up that high? Just another excuse I imagine, eh.

18,000 feet!!! My instructor taps my shoulder and says “I have been doing this every day for 11 years…I don’t want to die either…no worries” which really gives me a sense of comfort. Someone else has actually done this before and it was ok (normally the case in most things we want or strive for in life). My friend Nattida May goes first and I had to watch her. Oh my gosh what have I done, but I am committed and no turning back! We get to the ledge and I am petrified. Did I mention I have a severe fear of heights? He says one and rocks me leaning out of the plane and then pulls me back in. At this point I might have cursed at  him, just sayin. Just like that we are out of the plane! I just got goose bumps typing this. Here is what I will say…it is nothing like what you expect I promise. You have to do it for yourself. I can’t remember now if I am talking about business or sky diving….what I know is that committing to go big and just jumping will create experiences in your life that you can not imagine. They are nothing like what you may expect. They are almost always better.

Remember, it does not matter who you are. There was a lady jumping for her first time for her 60th birthday and a guy there on his 62nd for his first birthday jump. They both had grins on their faces afterwards that rival that of a kid rushing down the stairs on christmas morning. I am so happy to have learned from them that you can live such awesome experiences no matter what age you are. They clearly show it is all a matter of mindset.

In concluding here today………Don’t go small….Don’t let the anticipation kill ya….Don’t let the excuses stop ya…..and just Jump. You won’t be sorry. I believe in ya .

To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted (young is a mentality by the way)
Wesley Anderson
www.wesley-anderson.com

No….I won’t go out with you. No… I don’t want your product or service. No I don’t believe that. The amazing commonality about these phrases is that more often than not we play them in our head so many darned times that we don’t really ever actually hear them in our lives. The fear of rejection has such an amazing power which we totally associate with the word No. It is something that we allow to affect each one of our lives, albeit some much more than others. If you are one of those I promise you that you are missing out on a lot in this life. Perhaps that fear has kept you from what could be a love of your life….or what could be the opportunity to make your millions in business. You must learn to break that record in your head. It is not serving you properly.

It is all a matter of your perception of the outcome. You have to really learn to check perspective before you run this terrible broken record and never give yourself a chance. After all, you will never know unless you ask. I know..I know…such simple words but how many times have you later wondered what if I would have asked?

Minutes or even days later we put logic to that initial thought and say….shux why didn’t I just say something!! The worst of it is when see someone that is either similar to us or offering something similar to what we have now with that person or with that person as a new client. It happens all of the time doesn’t it.

The problem is that you down played yourself or your product or service in that instant second of decision. You probably thought you would be certain to fail making it easier not to ask rather than facing this awful No thing which clearly means you are inferior to a lizard with no legs.

Using a little logic in these moments would tell you such things as: Everyone is attracted to different types of people so there certainly is a possibility that I am that persons type so to speak…..That is a known fact regardless of what you look like. Say hello!

The reality is that there is always a decent chance that the person you might ask to check your product or service has been or is currently in fact in some type of similar situation and will be at minimum compassionately receptive if you don’t blow them out of the water. Most others are in industries where they have to ask others for a sale or to listen to there craft or trade in order to be paid. So ask…..it won’t hurt you! It can ONLY help you.

The solution is simple. In that brief second when either the curiosity hits you, whether it be your attraction to another human being or the potential client that you are afraid to ask, play the record of what could be instead of that darned Milly Vanilli fake thing .

Finally….Try to remember that we all have our likes and dislikes. I have been turned down many many times and it is a bummer for sure, but I have to remember that very rarely is it about me. When someone says no to my business…instead of slitting my wrist I play that record reminding me that they are not interested in my business….it has nothing to do with me as long as I know I was professional and fun.

If I have ever asked someone out and they shy away…it is probably just an attraction thing. It is not them denying me as a bad person. No matter who you are I am sure someone has felt that towards you and you were not attracted to them. It is just nature….try to remember that and play that record instead of the I am not good enough so I just won’t try record.

No….is just a word. Change it’s affect and you can change your life. Insert a few new records to play into your life and you will be much richer in many aspects.

You will never find that true success that you dream of if you don’t ask for it. Please don’t stop dreaming. Dreaming is life.

Until next time!
To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson
www.wesley-anderson.com

So…I have been thinking a lot about this lately. Why is it that Happiness does not equate with what we call “reality”? Why is it that it is corny or weird if someone smiles a lot? Why is it that you get de-friended from facebook for being too happy?

So I was told the other day that i am tired of your posts. You are too happy and it is preachy/arrogant and i am tired of it so i am de-friending you. I have to say that this is a first. I wonder what kind of programming this person lives through every day. I would imagine a lot of Law and Order episodes and back stabbing reality show episodes that depict negativity as the only way of life or the only way to get where you want to. I was a bit disappointed I must say but not for the loss of a facebook friend more so for the fact that this person despised me for trying to be a bit happy and spread that feeling.

I recently started to read a book called the 48 Laws of Power and have since burned the darned thing. It is apparently a huge seller, which is why I was interested in checking it out, that talks about the necessary steps in rising to the top. As you may or may not know I am very much for people becoming very prosperous and living an abundant life. But I digress, this great seller is absolutely atrocious. If you know me you know that I do not blast many things. I am very much a to each their own middle of the road kind of guy. This big seller book that people are buying teaches, with historical reference (a dandy touch), about how to manipulate the crap out of people and destroy/never trust anything in your path as it is the only way to the top. People are buying into this crap and it scares the heck out of me. Some might say W….this is reality. I say to you that is reality for someone who wants to make it to the top and live a miserable and unhappy existence constantly looking over their shoulder in fear. Reality in business is that yes you do have to work hard and no there is nothing wrong with using your business smarts and working angles but at the end of the day if those angles are not with legitimate intention and might hurt someone else…..you will not live in happiness. I promise miserable people at the top are miserable people at the top. They are not happy human beings…..they are lonely.

So….enough of the bad stuff. Why not look at some people that do adore the good stuff. I recently watched an awesome program by someone I have long admired, Michael J. Fox, called “The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.” I have to admit I watched it back to back to back the same night. I was amazed at some of the cool things he went through and studied. In particular he spoke of the Bhutans, who are located between China and India, and how they recognize a GNH (Gross National Happiness). Without going into too much detail it is a quantitative measure of happiness and well-being. My point in mentioning this is that this kind of thing is not corny to these people and they seem to live in a different state of “reality”……meaning being “overly” happy would not get a Bhutan de-friended from facebook, . In fact it is the norm and an everyday way of living.

Your laughing again thinking no that is not me….but the truth is most of the country’s perception of reality is surrounded by doom and gloom. Unless they work very hard to keep themselves from the negativity it slips in and takes over without them even knowing it. That is the nature of perception for every human being. Our society constantly feeds the negative “reality” so it is very common for people to become what i like to refer to as “naturally negative defaulters.”

This raises another point. If your automatic default in dealing with any issue that came up had a more positive light (meaning being overly happy was totally fine)….don’t you think you would achieve so much more and be so much happier? If your associations were towards achievement possibilities instead of potential failure would you try more things? I would venture a wild guess and say yes you would. If you are trying more things you are assuredly going to have more experiences in life. More experiences in life tend to equal more wonderful memories added to your journey. After all…like Miley said…It’s the Climb.

I could go on about this subject for days. I am very passionate about it, but I think you get the point. And to answer some friends that have asked do you ever have a bad day. The answer is yes I do. I am human for sure. I just tend to think i try as much as possible to turn it around as fast as i can. Everyone has triggers that they can use to change their current situation. Sometimes it is harder to break the funk (heart ache..death..etc.etc.) than other times but in the end we do all have a choice to do something every day to put ourselves in a happier state of mind.

So I ask ya…What are you doing to work on your own GPH (Gross Personal Happiness)? And yes..that is mine i will trademark it soon !

Check out my facebook page and make sure to watch the Will Smith Youtube video. It is awesome and you won’t be sorry you watched it. Check out the lessons learned from Michael J. Fox as an incurable optimist. Read up on Lance Armstrong and his awesome achievements in life. Instead of the backstabbing reality TV show tonight…read a bit about the Bhutans and why they are so happy. Make a few different choices towards the positive. It’s ok if someone thinks you are weird for being happy. You never know who you are going to affect…..including yourself. And remember….Smile…It looks good on ya.

Oh yeah…and sign up at www.wesley-anderson.com to receive my blogs as an email when they come out. I hear that he is a pretty good guy and has a good thing or two to say on occasion ! Shameless plug…I know.

Next post….will shoot more towards business! Time to Rock and Roll!

Cheers to ya!

To Your Continued Success In Life
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson

Upon my examination…those that have been with Bikram Yoga for a period of time seem to have a much better flexibility and posture to them. They seem happier all around. Of course that is a broad generalization but one worth at least testing for a bit to see if it has any validity. I am on week three of consistent classes and I can’t lie to ya. I feel amazing physically, and mentally I feel like I am sharper than I have been in some time. This unconventional practice has already begun to change my life. Of course something new and unconventional does not go without challenge. Who would have ever thought feeling like I was going to pass out and having no fluids left in my body could make me feel so darned good. Extreme maybe…probably…..how else do you achieve great results though?  Action….Action….Action!

In the last few months I have really done a lot of soul searching in all aspects of my life. I would imagine many others are in the same boat. Our economy has totally changed the way we think and do things. It has drastically affected so many people’s lives this year both physically and mentally. The end of the 09-year only illuminates all of that which has occurred to the utmost degree. So what do you do now? The New Year is coming. The rules have change. Can you change with it?

The answer is yes. Every day life as we know it has changed. The pendulum has swung and if you don’t change with the times you will get left behind. People seem to know this but at the same time are petrified of making any change. The interesting part of the equation is that when change happens greatness is at its easiest access point. When things are going just swell and the world is in perfect balance, so to speak, we sit idly in the comfort of our own haze. At some point most people have unfortunately accepted this complacency as the good life (comfort). They got there and quickly forgot what go them to that place. I promise you did not get there by sitting in comfort. You had to change. You had to push. You had to get a bit uncomfortable. You can do it again.

I think that the biggest fear in change is that it is simply overwhelming to people so they end up just skipping out. But wait…think for one second.  Your life in the process of change and betterment has generally been one the most joyous of times of ones existence. Think back to high school or college or some form of training part of your life. Think of all of the great memories and experiences that were created. Think of these things as the reward instead of being overwhelmed with the thought of where to start. Seeing yourself develop and striving for the next goal is what it is all about. The journey creates experiences that can truly be cherished. You just have to put your foot down and start. That’s all. Pick an area of your life that you want to develop, preferably something new and challenging, and start. When you see how easy it is to change you will see how easy the process is. The phenomenon can be contagious and move into so many other areas of your life. Start flexing those change muscles…have a little patience with your progress and get at it.

You deserve great things. Don’t settle for anything less.

Happy Holidays friends

BTW: I love Bikram Yoga but it can be very dangerous. I am not recommending it or endorsing it in any manner. Please consult with professionals before trying something like that. There I covered my butt here. Just sayin ☺.

To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson

Everyone goes through tough times. We all do. It does not matter who you are. So how do you get the good out of a tough time, or why do some people who are facing such hard ship seem to still be fun going people while others in the same situation are flat out depressed?

A lot of this has to do with our conditioning that we allow ourselves to be controlled by. The simple fact of the matter is that if you watch the news every day you are a more miserable person. I don’t mean you are a mean or bad person but the bottom line is that you see more depressing things day after day. There is no way your mental state can take that over and over and not be affected by it.  Don’t believe me? Go to cnn.com and look at the headlines. At this moment of me writing this there are seventeen headlines. Fifteen contain something very negative, one is neutral, and one is happy. Take this in every day and you become numb. It is a reality. This in turn changes your whole world and outlook on life. If you don’t believe me try going without watching the news for a month. Not only will you feel better in your every day life but your perspective in handling occurrences that do not go the way you want will drastically change. Your mind is not constantly defaulting to the negative programming. It has a chance to use that great word we like to call “Perspective” in a positive light.

Putting things in a positive perspective has been something I have really learned to do in the last few years. We are all human and at times all face things that seem like they will be the end of us. Often, the end of us seems like it would be a relief from some of the anxiety and stress that we might have to take on. There is nothing worse than having that feeling in the pit of your stomach accompanied by your brain saying…I have no answer and I am thinking so fast I can’t even begin to put thoughts together to get me out of this. Ever been there? My guess is yes you have and for many this has happened in the last year or so. What to do?

In those times though we all have choices. We can lie down and accept that we are powerless and that things are just bad for us, meaning we are victims, or we can choose to look at the new possibilities that we are now presented with. I would even break it down and say one should write down all of the new things that are now possible because of such life-changing occurrence. Notice I did not say the negative experience. When you write this down you give yourself something to look at which really will sink in if you keep it visible. Just like that bad news…the good stuff absorbs in if you look at it enough. Soon your bad situation, even if it leaves you in a temporary bind, will become something you have taken and turned into a new fun adventure in your life. That is what life is all about, right? No new adventures and we become lifeless.
In all of this process make sure you take inventory of all that is in your life. Look at your friends and family and how much care you have in your life. That stuff is what is truly important. The other things matters as well but in a different manner and you can get it again if you want it bad enough, regardless of what it is that you lost. Bottom line is that after the initial shock of your situation you have a choice in how you will manage life. Write it down and let the positive overtake the negative. You can do this. It does work.

The reality here is that we can find the good out of even the harshest of times. It all starts with our conditioning. Please be careful about what you allow yourself to be around and take in. It really does affect everything else in life… even when you just can’t see it. Think about that for a second. Negative creates negative whether you can see it or not. Take a step back after the shock of your situation and write down all of the things that are going to be possible in the future because of your current situation. Look around at your loved ones and remember what is important. Positive perspective is king.

Do a few of these things above and you will find that tough situations can really turn into new adventures in life. Even if you can’t see it at first give this stuff a shot. What have you got to lose? I believe in ya!

To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted (by the way….age is only a number)
Wesley Anderson

Why do people do what they do if there end result is not what they want? I know that sounds kind of silly but hang on for a second I have a point I promise. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. We all nod in approval believing that it is crazy that people do this, but we forget to look in the mirror and realize that we have to stop making justifications as to how that is not applicable to our own lives.

I hear all of the time I have a case of the Mondays…I can’t wait till Friday. I hate work. I hate where I live. I hate my situation. So I have a question for you. Why don’t you do something about it? You really can. It just takes some effort young gun.

You don’t have to have a case of the Mondays. You can celebrate every day if you want to bad enough. But you have to stop justifying that you don’t have this issue and you have to have enough hurt in you to want it to stop. When the hurt is bad enough you will justify doing what it takes. Or you can look at it today and realize that the hurt is so bad that you don’t even feel it anymore. If that is the case then it’s time to make that change! Stop doing the same thing over and over.

You learned to walk by falling down over and over. You learned to ride a bike by falling down over and over and then getting up and trying again. Each time you learned a new lesson on how to do such things and continued on with your journey towards those goals until it became second nature. Odds are now that you walk with no real effort. [No pun or any intention of offending anyone out there who does not have these luxuries…just making an easy to understand point here]. So why not remember the lessons of the infant…they seemed to work pretty good, yes?

I believe that being happy and doing what you want to do can become as basic to you as walking is. You just have to train yourself to do so. You have to eliminate the self- limiting beliefs that say being happy in life is any different or harder than walking is. Get rid of that and you start your journey. Don’t get me wrong we all have our days…but they can just be days…not years or our entire existence.

If you have the Monday’s I would suggest that you look to do something that makes you happy. I don’t care if you are 20 or 60. You deserve to live not to survive.  Find a different career and go for it!

Problems YOU have to get past: I am afraid of failing. I don’t want people to think I am un-cool or crazy.

Why these are stupid: Because you learned to walk by failing many times. You just picked yourself up each time and gave it more effort. Second, being un-cool is the new cool. There you have it from me. Being a heretic no longer gets you burned. It makes you happy and celebrated. You just have to not care what those think while you are doing it. Trust me the masses will follow suit. They always do.

I could go on and on about this subject, but I will save more for another day. I hope that all know that they are responsible for their own happiness. I hope all know that you can ALWAYS change no matter what. I hope that people will stop ruining themselves by listening to all of the horror and negativity out there. It does nothing but make you believe you are not worthy of such a wonderful life. I hope all of you know that people DO believe in you. I certainly do.

If you want some help shoot me an email and maybe I can throw a few ideas out there for ya.

And remember:

Be a kid again. It looks good on ya.

Off to go for a run in the rain. Until sooner my friends.

To your continued success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson

Life is full of choices. There are those that we make that have immediate direct consequences and then there are those that have the future unforeseen outcomes. Amazingly enough we have so much more power over our outcomes than we like to acknowledge. As a lazy society we like to claim that things are out of our own control freeing us from the responsibilities that come before certain outcomes. It’s such a cop out. When you allow for that lazy attitude I promise you are hurting someone else. Be careful about being so selfish.

Let me try to unravel this a bit and have it make sense. I promise I have a point here ☺! Everything you do affects this world whether you like to think that or not.

Example: I was driving to my pal’s house the other day to feed the dogs as he is out of town. All of the sudden a car nails me in the back right side tire and panel. I get knocked into the oncoming traffic lane and for that second that seemed to last a lifetime my body is in a total alert state of adrenaline and wonder. I am able to swerve my way out of the line of traffic but only because those coming at me were alert enough to hit their brakes and swerve in unison as to avoid me and each other. It was actually amazing and kind of weird that I can see it happening as I type…..very vivid. You see the car that hit me was trying to pull out from McDonald’s and pull across two lanes to go the other way in the middle of morning rush hour. I did not ever see him. The split second when he decided to chance going across a lane where he could not see was one that could have cost a few people their lives. The driver at some point made a decision that he thought would only affect him. That split second was lazy, as he did not realize that he was in reality jeopardizing several others. In the end outside of a damaged car all was ok. I wonder what other decisions were made that morning that kept me in safety. Perhaps the two people that were coming at me in the other lane where the two people that chose to get a good night sleep and their significant others had made them breakfast and a good cup of coffee that AM as they were both fast to react and quick in their senses. What is my life owed to? It could have been that someone’s significant other simply told the other I love you and put them in a good state instead of a state that did not allow them to sleep well and thus become slower in their reaction time in the morning. Far-fetched and dramatic you say! Well, in reality it is not. The choices you make affect others at all times and quite often in ways that you never see or realize.

None of us are perfect and we certainly all make mistakes. The guy that hit me was a nice young man who certainly felt bad and had no ill intention. I thought about it and did not call the police to file a report, as he would have then gotten an expensive ticket. He is a hard working cook who genuinely did not mean to harm anyone in my mind. He asked if I would trust in him and just talk to his insurance agent as he really could not afford a ticket and he would acknowledged guilt on the phone to the rep. My agency said to call the cops and file the report but it was not mandatory. I opted not to in hopes of saving the guy some stress and some money. Hey, maybe that will make for a better day for him. He may be the person that starts the chain that saves your life tomorrow. Hopefully it is just another form of paying it forward. I could get burned I suppose with the claim but that won’t kill me. It is hard to do so sometimes, but I like to still think that I can believe in people. It let’s me live a healthier trusting life. Naïve maybe? Oh well. I sleep better being able to believe in people. It takes a stress away.

I won’t ramble and I am not trying to be super philosophical Mr. W, but I will say that I have always been, and am even more so today, a believer in being careful about being lazy in my decision making process. As caring human beings I think we have a silent responsibility for trying to take care of each other in some form. So be careful to think it is all about you when making a decision. Likely you could change someone’s life with such a split second choice. You are that powerful.

To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson

I booked my ticket just a month ago as my business was at a point in Colombia that my team felt I was needed in order to help with growth. As I did this I began to ponder the possibilities of what I had just gotten myself into. You see…I always admired Harrison Ford. I thought he was the almighty actor for sure. How could you not be a Han Solo or more appropriately for this case a Jack Ryan fan. I mean the guy clearly showed you what Clear and Present Danger meant in the movie. When they told him do not look out the window white boy….it was pretty clear that they were serious. Interestingly enough there is some reality to the movie. I would imagine that it was probably a stronger reality than most understand. However, that was then…..this is now. What I saw in that movie were the side streets and the rocket launchers blazing at mi amigo Jack! It seemed dirty…it seemed very dangerous…. and seemed so third world that I could not imagine ever wanting to go there.

Needless to say these are the images that came to my mind when the thought of going to Colombia presented itself to me in the last two years. I really did not exercise any other use of my brain outside of the perception that I had from this movie. How often do we human beings do such and never know what we really missed? I would bet an awful lot more than we would like to admit.

The reality of the situation is something so different than what I would have ever imagined.

Does Colombia have riff raff? Absolutely…just like any other country or major city in the world. There are always a few places in any city that you should probably not wonder off into. Colombia is no worse because of that.

Does Colombia have violence? Yes… like anywhere else but the severity that seemed so prominent at one point genuinely looks to be a thing of the past. The violence that was once so strong seems to have succumbed to a president who is pretty darned anti-guerilla. The guy has done so much down here that they actually changed the constitution to elect him for a second term. Amazingly enough they are trying to change it again to have him elected for a third time. What does this mean….to me it means that peace is pretty darned contagious and the Colombian people are much more educated than I had ever imagined. As a matter of fact, I would bet there College Graduation rate in percentage rivals the best of countries. I have no supporting evidence except that everywhere I go people seem to be incredibly sharp and totally on the ball….oh yeah and they don’t eat Pizza with their hands and they rock some awesome 80’s music in half English/half Spanish in the restaurants and bars. If that is not educated than I don’t know what is ☺! Flat out…the people down here are sharp and very much world class and they have a kindness to them that just makes you feel like you are a family member. Pretty darned neat I say.

Ok ok…Enough rambling. My point is that if I would have continued to follow my perception on an outdated model, than I would have missed out on meeting some of the most wonderfully passionate and exciting people I have ever met. I would have missed out on some incredible cultural experiences. I would have missed out on some very big business opportunity for advancement. Do you see what I am getting at!!! I love me some Jack Ryan…but he is a bit outdated now. Are you still allowing outdated misperceptions to control opportunity in your present situation? If you are…I promise it’s not too late to change that.

So do me a favor please my friends. Don’t let misperception guide you. Give everything/one a fresh look. If a new opportunity presents itself and it is something that you associate as negative because of the past…..be careful and check it out fully. It just may be a whole new animal. Times are changing in this world. People are changing every day. Make sure you keep your mind fresh and your life will be enriched in such a way that others cannot understand. I hope you can learn from my experience here. Something that seemed so wrong to me became an amazing opportunity for so much positive experience and change in my life.

Open up that mind…what have you got to lose?

Until sooner my friends

To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson

It is amazing the things that we will do when we really commit. The problem is really getting our selves to fully commit to whatever it is you think can better your life. I work out hard without the boot camp, but I found out that I can work out a lot harder in the same amount of time just by allowing someone to push me in a respectful manner.  I could have said you won’t tell me what to do, as many do have that mind set, but I am not 1000 percent where I want to be physically so I figured it could not hurt to give them permission to push me a bit.

Obviously I have three weeks to go, but I am already feeling huge results. Move over Jason Statham I am doing the next Audi commercials in my Calvin’s! Ok now that half of you have puked and the other half are crying from laughter let’s move on again.

The first lesson that I am trying to get across here is that even if you are in good shape in life…good shape physically…good shape in your relationship or good shape in business….you can always do better. You just have to be ready and willing and you must give someone permission to push you a bit without a bunch of attitude back. Caveat —- Be careful of who you choose to push you.  I would recommend asking someone who has what you want to be the one who pushes you a bit. Don’t ask an obese trainer to push you to be in shape. Don’t ask a life coach who has no solid life to push you. Don’t ask a poor person how to make money…get my point here? Be selective as much as you can.

The next lesson is to make sure you give yourself some time and look at the other gains that you have made in the process that might not be so visible. I was disappointed that I actually gained weight the first week of boot camp. It is funny that we don’t look at the internal things in terms of progress first. We are such an external factor society. What I mean by this is that I feel incredible…my brain is functioning better…. and my overall sense of well-being is at a super high. That being said, I was upset a bit when I weighed myself. I had to really remind myself that this is a process and to look at all of the other non-tangible benefits that I have received already because I pushed so hard to lose weight. Even when you are being pushed it can take time and often the most valuable things gained are not always the goals that you set out to achieve. For example: How many of you have started working your own business and did not succeed as fast as you wanted or not even at all? If you open your mind up a bit I would bet you will find that if you were pushing hard you gained a ton of knowledge in the process regardless of the outcome. That knowledge and those experiences can indeed make you a better person and help you to achieve so much more in life. Make sure you keep good perspective, as I would bet that you have developed yourself a great deal if indeed you were really pushing for success. Those gains can be what help you in the long run more than anything else in the world.

Find someone to push you and go at it. I promise it is worth it. The things you give up are things that will improve as you hit your goals from being pushed harder. And don’t forget to look at ALL of the gains that take place in your pushing efforts.

You deserve to live this life to the fullest in happiness and joy. You deserve to achieve great things. I believe you can. Just push a bit harder. I promise it is worth it. You can do it!

Off to the fields for some running and push ups. Later Gators!

To Your Success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson