A True Overcomer

3 07 2014

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In my life there has been moments and stories that have changed me because of the change that I have witnessed.  Like every father,  I cherish the moments of my children’s first steps and my children’s first return of a hug (even us “tough” guys get overwhelmed with emotion).  And I could continue with the moment my wife, Mary, first appeared to walk down the aisle in our wedding, and she changed from the girlfriend/fiance to my wife and best friend.

But a lot of my moments have come through the process of working with people in a culture of change.  It is incredible to watch people become totally consumed with their growth and purpose.  This culture  is enbodied in the LIFE Leadership business and community.  It is built around the idea that the world is starving for the “the best chance to live the life you always wanted”.  Through the right information in the right form from real people with real experiences, LIFE Leadership is changing lives all over the world through placing people in a growth environment.  And this community is just beginning.

One such story is that of my friend, Mike Eppenbaugh.  He is a great young man in Warsaw, Ind who is changing lives through his amazing example.  We will hear his story from his own words:

“I would say that my life is a underdog story. One day when I was 3 y/o, I was not feeling good, but my dad asked me if I wanted to go to preschool that day before dropping me off at my babysitter. I told him that I wanna go, but when I arrived at the preschool, I passed out in the arms of the teacher. I was diagnosed with a serious life-threatening seizure and became hospitalized for two weeks fighting for my life. Thanks for the good Lord, I made it. My struggles continued through by school years with learning disabilities and the label of “you can’t learn as fast or as good your  classmates”. Of course I had some friends cheer me on and be there for me, but I had my critics, too. Individuals who would make fun of my weight or think that I was stupid or that I wasn’t good enough to be their friend. Not only my classmates were my critics, some of the teachers continued to think I was not going to make through either. But I proved to them that I was good enough by making it through Elementary, Middle, and fighting through High School.  

My senior year could be considered my best and almost worse year in school.  First of all, my grades were the best they had been allowing me to hit the honor roll for first time ever while getting perfect attendance. I was flying high with possibly at getting a Core 40 Diploma ( a step higher than a normal one).  All changed, though, when I was once again struck with a seizure that almost cost me not only my school life but my personal life as well. As this was unfolding, one teacher was hoping that I would not pass the English part of a standardize test and refused to sign the waiver trying to prevent me from High School graduation. Once again, I proved my critics wrong by graduating High School!  A major victory in my life.

It took me a year and half out of high school to find my first full- time job.  But at the same time, I was baptized because my heart was crying out. I took Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Things did not end here, my life actually started to get worse with my dad’s best friend committed suicide.  I became so overwhelmed by depression that almost two weeks later, I attempted to commit suicide by taking knife to myself.  My family and my friends came beside me and helped me kick depression’s butt.

Now let us Fast Forward about five years, just before my 26 birthday, a friend of mine ask me what I doing was on a Tuesday Night. Unknown to me, I was about to be introduced to the LIFE Leadership community. My eyes were opened to a group of people that really care about me and will help me Win Big in my life. Thanks to the books I have read, all of the CDs I have listened to (A Whole Lot of them!), and the encouragement from Blake and Apryl Harris, my life has turned around BIG TIME for the better. I now have a positive attitude and let my Sanguine-Phlegmatic Personality really shine in both my personal and professional life. Because of the LIFE Leadership community, my job at McDonalds for the last seven and half years (quitting twice and coming back), has changed dramatically. My hard work, like Chris Brady’s Today’s the Day Cd ( Seven and Half Years!),  the double shifts, working on my days off, angry customers flipping me the Bird! (TODAY’S THE DAY!) is finally paying off.  I was recently promoted to Manager in Training position.  Likely to get my own store.  I want to thank the Life Leadership community (especially Aron and Mary Radosa, Phil and Shannon Bontrager. and Blake and Apryl Harris) for helping me become a lot better person. I don’t where my life would be without this culture, so THANK YOU !

My journey so far had been hard but it’s has been so Worth IT ! and this only the beginning of my success journey.  God Bless,Mike Eppenbaugh”

The Right Community + the Right Hunger + the Right Information = Overcomer!  I changed by watching Mike change and in hearing his story.  I pray you put yourself in an environment that improves you!  Put yourself in the LIFE Leadership community!

God bless,

Aron

Steel the Mind, and Tender the Heart.

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Categories : Bill Lewis Team LIFE, Faith, Family, LIFE, Orrin Woodward LIFE business, Uncategorized

Life Leadership: business plan and atmosphere

3 01 2014

As we come into the year of 2014, some people are resolute in improving their results from last year.  People are anxious to look inside themselves and find faults. The #’s of individuals who go out and get health club memberships and buy books in January is staggering.  But what is the results of this self-examination.  Usually by February, the workout facilities should become bars (this would continue to attract the new club members, 🙂 ) and the books assume their dusty realm of “I’ll get to it”.  Now, this is not new or even surprising information.  The question that lingers is that of “I want change but how?” or likely, “How do I stay consistent?”

Napoleon Hill (“Think and Grow Rich) and Robert Kiyosaki (Cash Flow Quadrants), both well-respected sages in the truth arena, wrote (over 60 years apart) that the atmosphere is most important aspect of improvement.  You become what you surround yourself with.  Good in = Good out, Bad in = Bad out.  They say it more eloquently, but you get the picture.  I am not trying to say that those around you are bad, or evil, or not good for you.  People just “don’t know what they don’t know” cause “if they did know, what they say they know, they would have different results, you know”.

There is an atmosphere of improvement. Whether it is improving your business or job results, improving your self-confidence, improving family and marriage skills,  gaining strength in your spiritual walk, understanding the deep principles of freedom,  or understanding the offense, defense, and playing field of finances, it all has to do with the environment you put yourselves in.  I believe that is all encompassed in the Life Leadership company.  I challenge you to prove me wrong.  Get around the likes of Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady, Bill Lewis, and Holger Spiewak and not improve.  Give yourself an adult time-frame (6 months to a year).  I bet the improvement is noticed much quicker! And I bet you stay consistent for a lot longer with the information you tune into.

Here is an example from Ed, who is a business owner for 19 years and initially, a true skeptic of Life Leadership :

I totally lost track of time last night watching movies with the kids.  Around eleven, I grabbed my phone thinking it must be close to ten and UGGGGH!  At that point I saw your text and got to thinking.  About expecting to win….. I’ve been around this organization long enough to know one can expect to win.  But what is a win and what is expectation, is what makes it a bit of a conundrum in my head.  The old adage you get what you expect is so true here.  If I get involved and do nothing, then I will surely get all the expectations that go with that effort.  But once I got busy reading associating and listening my expectations of a win started to clarify.  Through consistent effort to right the ship that is my thinking my expectation of winning grows bigger.  Like any endeavor without consistency it also can shape my expectation.  I can expect slow long coming results with this business if I don’t go make it happen.  Why still results?  Because this works and someone in your organization will step up and lead.  However, for me that’s not an option.  Expecting things, especially a big win in life is never fulfilled on luck and a prayer as they say.  It’s determination and guts that will bring home the win.  Recently I started reading A Whole New Mind.  So far it’s a great discussion about how we learn in this day and age.  About left brain mechanics and right brain art.  This “win” we talk of that is to be expected comes with not so much understanding the whole left vs. right brain argument, but rather by focusing on the practice of art with mechanics.  Dealing with prospects it’s the art that will drive them to do the mechanics that no one initially wants to do.  It’s a natural progression as with anything.  To get from point a to b requires c, so go do c and the wins will stack up.  But without the  art side driving us, the mechanics will and do bog us down.  For some the idea of a win isn’t expected and they’ll get exactly that.   Until we build the art side, “feed the elephant” so to speak long enough to change that expectation it will never change.  For me concentrating on expectation of a win is what keeps me looking for that next big leader that will benefit all our lives in our community from just being around them.  I expect myself to do the work for a win, I expect myself to be willing to talk through just about anything a teammate wants to discuss even if it doesn’t advance the ball immediately, I expect to have people be negative and outright ignorant about what I do, I expect that over time I’ll grow enough artistically that the mechanics will flow naturally, I expect that the next seminar is going to be the best because it’s there my newest teammate “sees” it.  I expect to struggle to keep tools flowing but constantly get better, I expect that this Tuesday is the one where a team member breaks out, and most importantly I expect to repay the efforts of my upline by paying it forward to the next individual willing to stand and say my time is now.  For all these expectations require effort and with the LIFE leadership community I can expect a win because it’s built on honesty integrity and character.    Oh and from my most recent lesson learned, you can expect to pay attention to time, it’s gonna pass whether or not you are noticing.  Sorry again about missing the call last night.  I know you would never bring it up negatively, but I hate the feeling of letting others down even if it’s something as simple as being involved with a call.   To this day when I’m late for work, I get all balled up inside like I’m going to get fired for being late.  I could only be so lucky eh?  lol 
Try it and you will like it.  “Hey! He likes it! Mikie likes it He really likes it!” (for my 80’s crowd)
God bless,  Aron Radosa
Steel the Mind and Tender the Heart

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Categories : Bill Lewis Team LIFE, Character, Chris Brady LIFE business, Freedom, LIFE, Orrin Woodward LIFE business, Uncategorized

Dad and his daughters

8 10 2013

Recently an old friend called me and asked about how to talk to his daughter about becoming a woman.  To say that the question blew me back is an understatement.  His daughter is the same age as my oldest daughter(10 yrs old).  My mind was working in over-drive.  “She is too young.”  “She doesn’t need to know that stuff right now.”  “She isn’t developing yet.”  “Oh, wait Mary said that she was talking about a boy the other day.”  “She has heard the sexuality talk from her mom.”  “Is that enough.”  “My oldest, Hailie, said just yesterday on her way to school, ‘Why do babies have to come from S…E….X…?!'” AUGH!!!  As a dad, you dream of your daughter growing up and becoming great.  You imagine that she will always treat you as the king, but in the same stream of consciousness, you know she had better treat her husband as her #1.  But not for a long time in the future, RIGHT?!

My wife, Mary, is incredible at helping my thick skull see things differently.  Mary has encouraged me to tell my daughters how beautiful they are.  Each daughter takes from their father the aspect of their beauty.  A daughter is dependent on the compliments of their dad to establish and maintain a healthy view of herself.  Mary stated that “beauty comes from the father’s view and then transferred onto the husband at marriage”.   I have done my best to tell Hailie and now, Reagan (my two daughters) how gorgeous they are.  Great example:  Hailie was having a down day and Mary told me to remind her how beautiful Hailie is to me.  Reluctantly (because I was being told what to do), I said,”Hailie, you are gorgeous!”; a feeling I had but did not express out loud.  Her reaction was one of covering her face and walking away.   Mary said, “Do it again.  She loved it.”  So, a few hours later, I repeated my truth to her.  I received the same reaction.  But that night, Hailie snuggled up to me to watch a movie (something she did not do).  I was amazed and elated.  Boy, do our girls need us!

Now gentlemen, their beauty is determined by our perspective, but how about this “purity” thing.  Anybody out there like me?  You are loading your guns and sharpening your aim.  A boy with my daughter?!?—> BAM!  No more boy!  Only kidding, (sort of…)  That is my natural thoughts, but not very healthy or Biblical.  We have established in our household the mother’s role to talk to our daughters about sex and the father’s role to talk to my son.  But the purity thing is a dual responsibility.  And yes, I said, “your RESPONSIBILITY”.  Now I am not perfect nor am I seasoned on this perspective, but some of you readers may be.  In the movie, Courageous, there a great scene of a dad’s want to fulfill the role of a promise.  One of the fathers takes his daughter out to eat at a very elegant restaurant.  During the meal, he presents her with a “promise” ring and places it on her finger to remind her of God’s request and command for purity until marriage.  [Old fashion?  I think not. Just the truth] He promises to be there for her until she finds the one that she falls in love with that believes and maintains the same belief system.  At marriage, the ring will be replaced with a wedding ring.  The transfer is then given unto the new husband to be the stronghold and keeper of her beauty.

Now, I know that I have only scratched the surface of the thoughts.  It is a crucial area of importance for family and fatherhood.  Please tell me of your resources and experiences so we can become stronger as husbands, fathers, and leaders.

My Daughters

To tell you how I feel

Is a task great indeed.

To say you are part of my heart

is simply too small and bleak.

Your smiles and hugs

can blow away any storm.

But your beauty before my eyes

is God reflection in a form.

I ask of you

to grow towards your great.

and maintain the love of God

as bright in every state.

One request of you

and I will end this truth.

Be as great and beautiful

as your Mother has been to both me and you.

 

God bless,   Aron

Steel the Mind and Tender the Heart.


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Categories : Character, Faith, Family, Orrin Woodward LIFE business