To me this is the hardest post to type. How do I even try to express gratitude to those who are no longer with us, their family, their decedents, their friends, or anyone else who was blessed to have them in their lives?
On this day, I just want to say Thank You! Thank you to everyone who died serving and everyone who has lost a loved one in the military.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13
For some reason we have this mindset that goals are designed for us to achieve them. But what if the greatest thing about goals did not come from completing them?
“You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process of achieving it you become someone worth becoming.” ― Jim Rohn
Isn’t the greatest result from the goal setting process becoming a better version of ourselves? The new creation we become as we work on achieving each goal we set before ourselves? For example, almost everyone wants more money.
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What if you set a goal to make six figures next year?
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You have to change the person you are to become the person that earns six figures. You would have to become a better person to earn 500k. Therefore, what if you set your financial goal for $500,000? Yes, one half of a million dollars! On the way to half a million dollars, you would have to become a $100,000 dollar person. I want to encourage you to set ridiculously and crazy high goals.
“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.” ― James Cameron
For some reason, I believe that if you are truly committed and you show up each and every day to work on your #1 goal you would achieve a minimum of 20% of it. If you set your sights on an income of $500,000 then I would expect you to end up with over $100,000 in income. Remember, you have to show up and work consistently on this goal, but you would end up earning between 100k to 500k.
I’ve been sharing with you my struggle with my weight. I have failed numerous times. Even though I am truly committed to success, I know that my ability to stay focused on this doesn’t go that well.
As I went for my morning walk today, I was thinking about how long will this last… Will I make it into a habit or will I get distracted and veer off the course. Even though I hate to admit it, I know that I have wanted to improve my health since 2003. I started training to be on my agency’s SWAT team with a guy named Martin. However, I got married in August of 2003 and I didn’t continue training after my honeymoon.
If we were to talk about my desire to get fit…
Would you tell me to quit?
Would you tell me that I tried and failed and it was time to give up the dream?
Would you tell me that I just didn’t have it inside of me to living a healthy, active life?
I don’t think you would. How do you tell someone to not be a better version of themselves.
My next statement will offend some, but entrepreneurship is the same. How can you tell someone that they need to give up their dream? Or tell them that they just don’t have what it takes?
Why would you quit your dream? I’m not telling you to abandon your responsibilities or make excuses, but if you are truly sold out on a dream why would you not fight for it with all your soul?
Why would you ever give up? How can you put a quantity on the number of attempts that you have before you give up?
I believe that you don’t get to quit your dream. You may have to hustle on the side of your day job and push yourself to the very limits of your being, but you take another step every single day.
If you want to talk about your dream, I’d love for you to schedule a call with me (did I mention it is FREE?)
http://catalystjohn.com/call
Catalyst John
I went for a walk this morning and I passed a park that has two giant anchors at the entrance. It is pretty cool because instead of a fence, they use the anchor chains to “rope” off the area.
What is anchoring your business?
This made me think about what is the anchor holding down your business? I remember being a naive entrepreneur that was easily blown here and there by the wind. I had no solid anchor and I lacked a solid plan. Today, I have a much different outlook than I did a decade ago. The anchors in Catalyst John are connected to the core of this business.
There are too many distractions that we encounter each and every day to survive if our businesses don’t each have at least one solid anchor to hold us steady and in the right place.
You need to grab a pen and some paper and answer the question:
What is anchoring my business?
Next, are your actions as the entrepreneur behind the business consistent with that anchor or anchors?
Catalyst John
You have got to be kidding me!
For twelve long years, I have struggled with being overweight. I struggle daily with the fact that I am fat and I am physically weak. I have always used the excuse that I’m an intellectual or some other garbage to excuse myself for not being a man’s man. I’m not a man’s man and I’m definitely don’t have a “man” card in my wallet. I have no interest in a “man cave” unless it comes with a Kindle.
Unfortunately, I have lied to myself a lot. I don’t care if I ever become a man’s man or if my weight is approved by that weird BMI scale; however, I do care about the man that my heart and soul desires to be.
There is an analogy of the sheep dog. It is the protector of it’s herd and even though it appears to be as cuddly as a teddy bear, it will risk its life to protect every single sheep it is responsible for from every wolf attack. It will stand firm and will never retreat.
I had no clue why I signed up for the Law Enforcement Academy back in 1999, but I now realize part of it was that sheep dog mentality. They do not seek violence, but the do live to protect those that they love. I believe that is the warriors heart. He or she does not do this for any reason other than an intense desire to serve those in their community.
And that is why I must no longer live this comfortable lifestyle even though my warrior career is over, my heart desires the strength and discipline that goes with physical fitness.
On Saturday, I turned 38. I’m neither old nor young…I’m just a guy that has lived on this planet for 38 years. Over the weekend, I reflected on the choices I made and the places I have reached. I was reminded that there is a warrior’s heart beating in my chest. It is weak and it is atrophied, but it is there nonetheless.
Therefore I committed to changing how I view my health. I enjoyed some delicious birthday cake and then set down to truly commit to a change.
This morning, I woke up to start a new journey: I’m going to lose about 70 pounds over the next twelve months in addition to a whole lot of jogging, pushups, and pullups. My favorite commitment is attending a zombie run at the Guardian Center in Perry, GA in October.
On Sunday, my friend Moss gave a sermon about how there is a price to pay when you commit to something. We sometimes forget that our commitment will cause us pain and sacrifice. Our choices are easy, but the cost of our choices is a completely different story. My commitment to achieve this was so easy from the comfort of my house.
This morning was day one of my commitment. March 23th and everything changes. I woke up at sunrise and began my day reading a book on my Kindle. Then I got up and grabbed the running clothes I laid out last night. As I began to tie my shoes, I felt the first drop of rain.
You have got to be kidding me!
Remember that at the beginning of this blog. I haven’t even tied my shoes and my commitment is being tested. I have to dash back into the house and grab a Ziplock to protect my phone and my Couch to 5k voice prompts.
I do not even make it a block before I’m completely soaked. I am wet and cold and I still am in my warm up walk for the C25K program.
I did make it through the walk/jog intervals and made it home a wet mess. I was present in the moment and committed to the workout. I simply chose success.
The successful don’t do what is enjoyable; instead, they do what is required.
My choice to lose 70 pounds in one year means nothing. However, my how I chose my respond to those activities that are required of me to lose that 70 pounds is priceless.
May your year be ten times as amazing as the one I’m planning on making mine!
Catalyst John
“Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”
These words from A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson are words that I need to hear daily. I want to reprogram my brain to truly believe in this and constantly be aware that I was “born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.”
Therefore, I’m deciding that I want to read these inspiring words every morning before I start my day. Imagine the world you would live in if you read the following out loud at the beginning of every day for the next year?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
—-from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.
– Catalyst John
Feel free to check in with me and hold me accountable by asking if I read it today!
I’m diving into the deep end and writing a book. I want to write a book that serves well and is written for the one person that needs it most. I’ll be devoting the first 20% (Pareto principle) of my day to this book. I am going to show up every day until it is finished. However, I do not plan on doing this alone and am looking to surround myself with a community to make this an amazing book.
The book will be about chasing your dreams. I have chased mine and the results are amazing. I want to help others do the same. If you are an entrepreneur, a dreamer, a doer, an avid reader, and / or a fan of serving others, would you be interested in joining my book team? I have little to nothing to offer you and I am not going to bribe you to help. However, if this excites you and you are willing to sacrifice some time to help me make this vision an unbelievable resource, please join the community.
This post is written for the entrepreneur (and the person who does not realize that they too are an entrepreneur). Also, today’s post is in honor of Martin Luther King and his dream.
You have a dream. It is time to celebrate your dream today! We celebrate today no matter how far you have come because there is no ending point for any dream. We can’t articulate a specific date, time, or place in which we will have finally achieved the dream.
I have two amazing boys. Even though you may or may not have children yourself, I am hoping that this analogy can help you pursue your dream. The celebration for both of my children came before their birth. My wife’s baby showers were in anticipation of the child that was growing in her belly.
Your dream may have just been conceived. It may be a toddler. It may be a young adult. No matter what part of the journey you are on please take the time to celebrate your wins. There will be trails and there will be growing pains, but it will be worth it.
Dare to dream!
– Catalyst John
I’d love to hear about your dream. Click here to schedule a phone call with me.
I was honored to have the opportunity to be a guest on the Conscious Millionaire Podcast with my friend JV Crum III. As a thank you for taking time to listen to the interview, I have recorded my 7 Steps to Creating a Roadmap to Success to help you have the most amazing year ever.
The 7 Steps to Creating a Roadmap to Success!
Step 1: Find your purpose.
Step 2: Determine your destination (the end result).
Step 3: Define success (your mission objective).
Step 4: Reverse engineer the tasks to accomplish your definition of success.
Step 5: Schedule each task (target).
Step 6: Take the first step and create momentum.
Step 7: Stay focused on the mission by reading your definition of success and your next tasks / objectives daily.
Click the play button to hear an audio recording as I explain how to accomplish each of these seven steps.
– Catalyst John
How is this for transparency?
I, without a shadow of a doubt, absolutely love giving people advice! However, do not mistake giving advice with telling others what to do. Instead, I get the opportunity to invest into their lives. I get to share my personal journey (the good and the bad) with them and work with them to see a world in a new light. I get to make a small statement that creates a giant impact or open a door that was previously locked in their world.
One of the greatest things we can do is help others achieve more success in their lives. One of the best ways to do that is to stop trying to tell them what to do and start showing them how to make better decisions.
I am very hesitant to ever tell someone that they can’t do a specific thing. It is not my place to tell anyone whether they can or can’t do something. However, I have and do get opportunities to tell others that they path you are on will not take you to the destination you desire.
When you have the opportunity to speak into someone else’s life, think about giving them insanely awesome advice instead of telling them what to do.
There is a time for instructions, but most of the time people just need a little advice. Also, never forget that the best advice is giving to the person who is willing to listen to it.
– Catalyst John
Think about the best piece of advice that you have ever received. It wasn’t a step by step instruction manual, but most likely a thought or concept, an idea or a belief, and/or a new belief or way of seeing the world around you.
I’d love it if you left a comment with the best piece of advice you have ever received.