The success formula

This may come as a surprise.
Our nation’s capital is the top U.S. literate city.
And this is for the second year in row.
That’s surprising in a city with third rate schools.
It must be because of all the government lawyers.

The researchers overlooked Congress.
None of them seem to read the laws they pass.
They pass too many laws - and exempt themselves.
Barry Goldwater had it right.
For each new law, they should have to rescind one.
Researchers said newspaper readers were a factor.
D.C. newspapers must have a lot of readers.

Reading is critical to success.
We become what we read and think about.
Our friend Don Roy says it is one of the top three.
The two others are:

• A commitment to pay the price for success.
That means studying what successful people do.
It means learning to act as they have.
Role models are all around us.

• The gumption to get off you butt and act.
You can think and study for years.
But without action, you will gain no ground.
Figure out where you want to go and take off.
There’s more to success than these three,
But they will get you going.
Read. Commit. Act.

As you lounge in front of the TV, Don is reading.
That’s why he’s in the Guinness World Records.
Don has a purpose in life. You do, too.

For more on finding your purpose, read my book.
Email me for a copy of “Your Life’s Great Purpose”.

Planning for 2012

Go for your goals

As we near year’s end, it’s time to think about 2012.
Don’t be one of those who sleep walk through life.
My weekly plan is worked out each weekend.
This takes less than 15 minutes.
A little extra time goes into planning a month ahead.

Here’s how you might develop your plan.
Your written goals should include:
1. A description of each goal.
2. Why it’s important to you.
3. The results that come with achievement.
4. Who will be responsible for each step.
5. The deadlines for completion.

The last Sunday of the quarter takes me 30 minutes.
This is to plan goals for the next quarter.
None of this takes a lot of time.
It actually saves time because:
1. Your goals are clear.
2. You know the time it will take for each one.
3. The results are spelled out.

If you are not doing anything like this now, try it.
It’s about planning your work and your life.
Include family time, exercise, travel, etc.
For more on this, go to JerryBellune.com
Click on Books & Videos.
You can order “Your Life’s Great Purpose”.
It gives you a blueprint for a more fulfilling life.
We all need help with making this a great life.
Next: How to work your plan.

Your work is important

Dave Evans believes
God gave us our work

We are all born with great purposes.
We come with no instruction manual.
We have to figure out our purposes.
Electronics engineer Dave Evans says your work is truly holy.
Genesis says all of us are created in God’s image.
That can make all that we do holy.
Remember that when you’re tempted to stray.
Evans says we are called to be God’s co-creators.
Our mission is to create a florishing life on earth.
This is a powerful concept to take to work.
Evans calls work “a profound act”.
Practicing faith at work means being ethical.
It means valuing your work for its own sake.
Seeing it as a higher calling, not just a job.
We spend a third of our lives or more at work.
Work should be fulfilling and satisfying.
It should give us joy and a sense of mission.
It should make us feel closer to our Maker.
We should see it as a service to our higher calling.
It is the work God has given us.
Make the most of it today - and into the future.
You can discover more on your purpose in life.
My book “Your Life’s Great Purpose” will help you.
Click here for your own autographed copy

What's your life sentence?

Claire Booth Luce challenged her friends to write a life sentence.
"Summarize your life in one sentence," she urged.
Mrs. Luce was an accomplished actress, writer and diplomat.
She was married to Henry Luce, founder of Time magazine.
With a magazine entitled Time, time had to be on her mind.
Her challenge is one worth addressing.
Summarize the importance of your life in a single sentence.
What would you write? How often would you rewrite it.
A single sentence forces us to focus on what’s important.
What is our life’s purpose? What have we done with it?
That's your life sentence. Write it as if you've done it.
For help, read my book "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
It was written for one reason alone.
It will help you find your great purpose in life.
My Midlands Tech course is based on this book.
In seven weeks starting tomorrow, find your great purpose.
Classes meet 6-8 p.m. at MTC’s Harbison Campus.
You’ll also receive a free, autographed copy of my book.
Just call 732-0432 to register with a charge card or:
Go to www.mtctraining.com
Search Your Life’s Great Purpose for details.
Deadline for registration is 5 p.m. today.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity.
If you have a comment, please click on comment below.

What if you died tomorrow?

Would you feel you had given this life all you had to give?
Would you feel you had completed your life’s great purpose?
How many people do? How many never find their purpose?
How many go to the grave with their music still inside them?
We’re all put in this life for a great purpose.
Yet we come with no instruction manual.
We have to find our great purpose on our own.
That’s one of life’s great challenges to us.
I wrote "Your Life’s Great Purpose" for one reason only.
To help you find your great purpose.
It took me many years in many jobs to find mine.
I bagged groceries and stocked shelves. Drove trucks.
Ground optical lenses. Delivered newspapers.
Sold insurance. Managed a warehouse and VIP hotel.
None did the trick. Then one day I found it.
It turned me on. It took over my life. It drove me.
I wished someone had given me a book like this years ago.
It would have shortened my own search for meaning.
For my book, "Your Life’s Great Purpose", just click here.
Or take my Wednesday evening course at Midlands Tech.
In seven weeks starting Sept. 9, you’ll find your great purpose.
You’ll also receive a free, autographed copy of my book.
Just call 732-0432 to register with a charge card.
Or go to www.mtctraining.com and search Your Life’s Great Purpose.

Are you running on empty?

Do you feel you should be getting more out of your life?
Do small things, inconsequential things get under your skin?
Do you awaken in the dark with feelings of unease?
That there should be something important going on in life?
Believe me, I’ve had those same feelings, too.
No, you’re not on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
You’re just feeling frustrated with the dailiness of life.
Yes, there should be something important going on in your life.
But what is it? What would make a difference? End these feelings?
Until I found my life’s great purpose, I felt your unease.
Then I found my great purpose. It changed me.
It gave me direction. It became a driving force in my life.
You need to find that driving force to power your life.
I can help you in my book, "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
It will help you tap your inner genius. Just click here.
Or take my Wednesday evening course at Midlands Tech.
In seven weeks starting Sept. 9 you’ll find your great purpose.
It's a life-changing experience. You'll find your driving force.
Just call 803-732-0432 to register with a charge card.
Or go to www.mtctraining.com
Type Your Life’s Great Purpose in the Search box.
A course outline and registration form will pop up.
You can also learn how to write advertising copy that sells.
Click Here to watch my Tip of the Week

Do what you love

Blog reader Dan left a comment Tuesday.
He loved the idea of doing what you love.
But, for Dan, an income has to come first.
I realize it takes time to find what you love to do.
Then more time to figure out how to make it pay.
He’s not alone. A lot of us went through a search.
I’ve driven trucks and ground optical lenses.
I’ve bagged groceries and shelved stock.
I once ran an alcoholic beverage warehouse.
In the Army, I ran the 7th Division hotel in Korea.
My guests were visiting celebrities and other VIPs.
Each one of those jobs taught important lessons.
One important lesson: They weren’t what I love.
They were jobs until I became the next Hemingway.
I gave up that dream. I didn’t have the gift.
God gave me another gift: A newspaper job I loved.
Now we own two publishing companies.
We publish books, newspapers and magazines.
I coach, consult, teach and speak publicly.
God gave me a great life with a wonderful mate.
Dan, you’ll find your passion. Keep looking.
Be patient. Learn all you can whatever you do.
Try my book "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
It will show you the way in your search.
For more about that, click here.
P.S. I’ll send info on our Great Book Sale today.

Make a difference in a teenager's life

Despite the economy, here’s some good news.
Four local high schools have invited me to talk with their students.
These are Gilbert, Lexington, Pelion and White Knoll.
The topic: Setting goals and finding their life’s great purpose.
We would like to make copies of my book available to them,
We’re looking for sponsors who would help us in this cause.
It’s simple to underwrite copies of Your Life’s Great Purpose.
All of these will go to high school juniors and seniors.
Your gift could make a huge difference in their lives.
A $27 donation sponsors an autographed copy in your name.
A $50 donation sponsors two autographed copies.
A $100 donation sponsors five autographed copies.
A $200 donation sponsors 12 autographed copies.
Your donation will pay for a second printing of the book.
Book sales go to our literacy and learning difficulties foundation.
We’re making a difference in thousands of lives.
If you want to help, please email me at Jerry@JerryBellune.com
Please include your phone number and I’ll call you.
You can make a credit card donation by phone.
For making a minimum $100 donation, I’ll add this incentive:
I’ll send you a personally autographed book for anyone you want.
Know someone who might serve as a book sponsor?
Please tell them about my book and ask them to contact me.
803-331-6695 or Jerry@JerryBellune.com. Thank you.
Not familiar with my book? Please click here.

Tracking where you are

Last time we talked about seven simple but not easy rules of life.
Today we’ll talk about tracking your progress toward your purpose.
All of us were put here in this life for great, specific purposes.
Yet no instructions came with our birth certificates.
We have to figure out our purpose and a plan to achieve it.
I wrote Your Life’s Great Purpose to help you discover yours.
Not only that, but to work out your own plan to achieve it.
You know mine: Raise $200 million for literacy in 10 years.
Here’s an important step for you to take in the coming year.
Start and keep a journal. Write in it your experiences.
Record your observations. Note what you learn each day.
Life is filled with lessons, stories, epiphanies.
Write your goals for each day and hold yourself accountable.
Each evening write: "What advanced my goals today".
Then write: "What will advance my goals tomorrow".
This goal setting and accountability exercise keeps you on track.
You will find that it gives your life far greater meaning.
A journal doesn’t have to be elaborate. A simple note pad will do.
Next time we’ll talk about what to write in your journal
For more on your life’s purpose, please click here.

TGIF: Cooking with curry

Years ago, my father found a recipe for Shrimp a la Indie.
To a man from rural south Georgia, it sounded exotic.
In South Carolina, the ingredients were hard to find.
It called for chutney, curry powder and Garam masala.
He had to special order many ingredients.
His kids turned up their noses. It wasn’t fried chicken.
But the aroma was tantalizing. We tasted it. Delicious.
That was the only time he ever prepared it.
I’ve tried to find that recipe ever since. No luck.
If you have the recipe, please email it to me.
We love Indian food. Some is elaborate and time-consuming.
Here’s a quick curry recipe you can try this weekend.
It takes almost no time at all.

Easy Chicken Curry (for 4)
3-4 lb. frying chicken
4 gloves garlic
1 teaspoon Garam masala
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 pint warm milk
1 cup cooked rice
Roast chicken. Saute garlic, spices, sugar and curry powder. Add remaining ingredients. Stir. Carve roasted chicken. Serve on a bed of rice. Serve sauce on side. Enjoy.

Today you can watch my interview with Ruth King.
To view the interview click here.
If you need to, you can watch it over the weekend.
We discuss my new book "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
Next week we’ll share more success tips.See you then.