BY: BOYD WITTER, FINANCIAL ANALYST, KEARNEY, NE
OCTOBER 16, 2010
DON’T MAKE EXCUSES
Posted in Kearney Hub : October 16, 2010 2
Success is absolutely predictable. Success is a planned outcome, not an accident.It follows the natural and immutable Law of Sowing and Reaping. It’s not based on need, but on seed. If you want to reap more rewards, you must sow more service, contribution and value. So you’ve got to become good at either planting in the springtime or begging in the fall. As it’s always been, the choice is yours. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” It’s an impartial and impersonal law and it works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it works everywhere in the world. It was old when the pyramids were new. You can’t reap something that hasn’t been sown. Success is the effect generated by right thinking and right actions. Success is not an entitlement program. It’s not based on need but on seed. Both success and failure are not accidents, but consequences. If you want to know what you sowed in the past, look around you and see what you’re reaping today. Ouch! The mark of a fully mature, mentally healthy individual is the acceptance of complete responsibility for one’s life. When you realize you’re the cause of all of your choices, decision and actions, you start to act differently so you won’t face regret, frustration or embarrassment in the future. Everything you do or don’t do counts, every day of the week. Each day you’re either becoming more like the person you want to become, or you’re not. An extraordinary life is simply the accumulation of thousands of efforts, often unseen by others, that lead to the accomplishment of worthwhile goals. Ask yourself this question, “What’s my excuse? What excuses have I told others or told myself?” Think of our football team in Lincoln: While others are busy making excuses, the Huskers are making progress. Excuses are responsibility can’t coexist. When you make an excuse, you’ll tend to make more of them in the future and soon you’re making it a habit. Excuses are contagious, self defeating bad habits. If you hang around those making excuses, you’ll soon be infected. Remember, there’s never enough room for ‘buts’ and ‘brilliance.’ You must make the choice. Do you want your ‘big but’ or do you want your goal? When it comes to success, most people are ‘feelers’ rather than ‘doers.’ A ‘feeler’ will only act on something, like exercising, when they ‘feel’ like it. A decision by a ‘feeler’ is wired to his short term emotional appetite. It lacks character, conviction and maturity. “Doers”, on the other hand, act their way into feeling. Once they decide something needs to be done, they take action. They just do it. They refuse to let their desire for short-term comfort divert them from their long-term goal. The antidote to a life of comfort and mediocrity is a life of charater and courage. Consider the long-term ramifications of every action you take or don’t take. “If this action were to turn into a habit for me, would that be in my best long-term interest?” If the answer is ‘no,’ don’t do it. If the answer is ‘yes’, then do it now. Success is for you and for anyone willing to take the initiative and pay the price. May God bless your harvest.
BY: BOYD WITTER, FINANCIAL ANALYST, KEARNEY, NE
DEC. 3, 2009
PASSION IS THE KEY
Posted on http://www.kearneyhub.com : December 3, 2009 2:00 pm At a recent ribbon cutting, billionaire Warren Buffett was asked if today was a good time to start a business. He said, “It’s always a good time to do what you’re passionate about.” Passion is often the primary difference between success and failure. Entrepreneur and author Harvey Mackay said that you have zero chance of winning without it. Closer to home, Bo Pelini said in spring 2008 that passion makes the difference in the end, which is now showing up on the scoreboard for the Huskers. Not only is passion a difference maker for the Huskers, it’s even more critical for your family and community when you invest the most important asset at your disposal, your time. Invest in something that you can be passionate about. It’ll make all the difference. Rick Warren said in his book, “The Purpose Driven Life,” that God endowed each of us with a unique calling, something that we have a natural talent for and something that we’re passionate about. If we locate and pursue that calling, he said that success would come to us, our family and our community. Think how your life turned out differently because some teacher, coach or other leader was passionate about what they did. “Pay it forward.” Author and motivational speaker Mark Sanborn said that passion is the fuel that lets us “set ourselves on fire.” The team leader may or may not be the most talented member of your team, but I guarantee you he or she will always be the most passionate. Their “on fire” attitude makes all the difference. So who’s the difference maker in your world? Let it be you. Don’t settle for less than you were wired to be. You’ll be blessed, and so will everyone else in your world.
BY: BOYD WITTER, FINANCIAL ANALYST, KEARNEY, NE
MAR.. 9, 2010
DON’T LET NAYSAYERS
Posted on http://www.kearneyhub.com : Tuesday, March 9, 2010 2:00 pm
If we would all be honest with ourselves, most of us are on the merry-go-round of life, doing the same thing over and over, and getting the same disappointing results. How about getting off the merry-goround and striking out on a true adventure? To many of us, that sounds way too dangerous, like being the lead character in an “Indiana Jones” or “Lethal Weapon” movie. But kids don’t have a problem dreaming big, about becoming an astronaut or president. They’re looking for adventure. But as they grow up, they’re told repeatedly that they probably don’t have the right stuff for such lofty dreams. Like crabs in a bucket, others pull the dreamers back down into the bucket. Misery loves company. Pretty soon the dreamer begins to buy into the naysayers, thinking, “Maybe I don’t have what it takes, or maybe I don’t really deserve it. It’s just for the talented ones, or the lucky few.” In the scriptures, Joseph, son of Jacob, was a dreamer and was hated by his brothers. In the movie “Rudy,” the real-life Rudy Ruettiger had visions of playing football for Notre Dame, but his dad said his place was in the steel mill. In the movie “Braveheart,” William Wallace had a dream of freedom for Scotland, but those in leadership let him down again and again. “You probably don’t have what it takes. It just wasn’t meant to be.” The crabs were trying to pull these dreamers back down into the bucket. Misery loves company. For many, what had once been a dream, a burning passion, is now but a single fading ember. But winners don’t let the ember die, rather they cluster with others whose embers revive theirs and then together they fan the flame by believing in and encouraging one another. What’s your dream? Is your ember fading? Do you need to be part of a group, a team, that will help fan your flame and make your dream become a reality, like Joseph’s leadership in Egypt, like Rudy playing in a football game for Notre Dame, and freedom achieved for Wallace’s homeland? You may be called crazy, but when you know what your dream is, in the words of Winston Churchill, “never, ever give up!” Boyd Witter of Kearney is a financial analyst and an avid advocate of human potential.
BY: BOYD WITTER, FINANCIAL ANALYST, KEARNEY, NE
FEB. 9, 2010
PASSION OR FORTUNE?
Posted on http://www.kearneyhub.com : Tuesday, February 9, 2010 2:00 pm Author and motivational leader John Maxwell cited a college study that tracked 1,500 people who were just entering the workforce and starting to pursue their dreams.
Most of the group — 83 percent — chose to focus on wealth accumulation, choosing various careers and businesses they felt could get them on the fast track to fame and fortune. The other 17 percent chose instead to pursue something they were passionate about; money was not their primary concern. After 20 years, the study found that 101 had indeed become millionaires. The startling statistic, however, was that 100 of those came from the smaller group, the 17 percent that pursued their passions first; wealth was simply a byproduct of their efforts. However, wealth eluded nearly all of those in the larger group, which had intentionally pursued it. Upon a closer look, the results make sense. Which group would be more focused, try harder, persevere longer, be happier during the journey, and inspire more people along the way to join them in their efforts? The success of the smaller group also makes sense in light of Scripture that says it’s not money that is the root of all evil, rather it’s the love of money. Those in the smaller group were focused on the talents and passions that God gave them and how those gifts could best be utilized, rather than just on the fortunes they might amass before they took their final breath. Maxwell goes on to say, “ability, opportunity, knowledge and teamwork aren’t enough to maximize one’s potential; passion is the difference maker.” Passion can turn a good day into an unforgettable day. Passion will drive you beyond the ordinary; it will make you do things that don’t make any sense, but will make all of the difference in the end. It will cause you to stretch yourself right out of your comfort zone, to be extraordinary rather than ordinary. Others will soon take note and begin to say, “I can’t believe you were able to accomplish that.” Confucius said, “if you choose work that you love, you’ll never have to work another day in your life.” Business leader Jack Welch said, “the world belongs to passionate, driven leaders; their energy will energize others.” And theologian Howard Hendricks summarized passion most uniquely when he said, “don’t put live eggs under dead chickens.” What has God uniquely wired you to do? What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? Pursue the passions that God wired you with, and “all good things will come to you.” You won’t have to chase them down. And as an extra bonus, your cup will overflow and consequently you will bless countless others. Boyd Witter of Kearney is a financial analyst and an avid advocate of human potential.
BY: BOYD WITTER, FINANCIAL ANALYST, KEARNEY, NE
AVOID DEBT!
NOV. 4, 2009
Posted on http://www.kearneyhub.com : November 4, 2009 2:00 pm Posted: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 4:30 pm | Updated: 12:47 pm, Wed Nov 4, 2009.
By KEVIN HERVERT Hub Staff Writer | 0Â comments KEARNEY - To avoid debt, don't buy anything you can't afford. Boyd Witter from Primerica gave a presentation called "Debt Watchers: Empowering People to Attack Debt" Tuesday, part of $martMoney Week in Kearney. Witter told his audience that Americans carry $2.51 trillion in credit card debt, and debt is a dangerous problem. Problems debt causes: - Debt presumes on the future - for example, that employment will not change. - Debt reduces future standards of living. - Debt decisions focus on superficial factors, such as affordable monthly payments instead of total cost or interest. - Debt leaves people at the mercy of compound interest. - Debt clouds the lines between wants and needs. - Debt encourages impulse buying and overspending. - Debt stifles resourcefulness. - Debt eliminates family financial planning. - Debt teaches children that living outside of your means is normal. Witter warned that financial issues such as debt are the leading causes of divorce in the U.S., and that half of all marriages fail. "That's the reality of it. Get a handle on it, or it becomes overwhelming." According to Witter, in 1952, 42 percent of Americans' household incomes went toward paying down debt. Now, the figure is that 126 percent is owed. "People borrow against the equity of their home, and they use credit cards," Witter said. "That's how you end up spending more than you're making, and that's a really ugly place to be." To get rid of debt, Witter said it is important to develop the proper mindset and to make a plan. He said people who are in a hole need to stop digging. He recommends they stop buying with credit cards and start practicing saving.