If you’re like me, you constantly struggle with fear, doubt, and insecurity. Overcoming a negative, pessimistic, lack and limitation mentality is difficult for so many people. I’m here to tell you there is hope for you!

Truth is, 98% of the population live their lives with this mentality. The difference between successful people and those that stay stuck in mediocrity- is the way they think. That’s right, I said it. What separates the have’s from the have-not’s is the way they think.

Entrepreneurs, especially Christian Entrepreneurs diligently cultivate a completely different mindset than most people that exist to merely settle for being an employee living paycheck to paycheck without any hope for creating liberty, freedom, and a truly abundant life.

The reality is, you’re going to need to start thinking like a 2%’er. Yes you’re going to have to start thinking like an entrepreneur. Which means you’re gonna need to start thinking about what you’re thinking about. Psychologists refer to this as meta-cognition. Being aware about what you thinking about.

The Apostle Paul, was an amazing leader, and an incredible entrepreneur. In his letter to the Phillippians, he encourages the people in that community during their frustratio, worry, anxiety, doubt, and fear- by helping them create peace of mind and a positive outlook on life. Here’s some perspective for you…

“Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about those things. Whatever you have learned, or received, or heard from me, or seen in me- put into action. And the God of Peace (Shalom) will be with you!” -Philippians 4:8-9

So let’s think about what Paul’s gettin at…

Whatever: Can be used as a Pronound, Adjective, or Adverb. Basically it’s talking about whatever you are taking about.

True: People tend to forget often. So often, people are deceived, manipulated, and taken advantage of. However, people that rest in the Truth, typically can stand in the face of fear, doubt, insecurity, uncertainty, and more with a level of trust and confidence not found in 98% of people because they know the Truth, and the Truth sets people Free!

Noble: What are you living your life for? People of this generation love to join movements and organizations that help people improve their quality of life, increase awareness and financial support, all while, enjoying how it makes them feel to be apart of the solution, for a noble cause that is greater than themselves.

Right: Doing the right thing everyday. It’s a goal that everyone should seek to achieve. This has to do with character and integrity. God honors those that love justice, that seeks mercy, and walk humbly with Him. Life is a journey, and making mistakes is apart of the growing process. Be encouraged to know that when you are weak, God’s grace is sufficient for you.

Pure: The condition of our heart is crucial to our success in life. When you operate from a pure heart, people connect with you more because they resonate with you. As humans, our bodies are made up of water, cells, and energy. The positive frequency that is put out of a pure heart is contagious and incredibly attractive. Jesus said it best in the beatitudes, blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall SEE God!

Lovely, Admirable, Excellent, Praiseworthy: Are you picking up what Paul is telling us? Whatever you do…think positive, be optimistic, stay hopeful, and as a result The God of Peace will be with you! There IS power in positive thinking! More so, there is a God who is Peace!

So if your struggling personally, professionally, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, just know that it may be time for you to become aware of what your thinking of. Become cognizant of what you are allowing into your life. Look objectively at your work and home environments; as well as, your relationships and your results- and ask yourself if you’re living up to your potential. See you were created for greatness. You have significant value, and a calling on your life to be free, to be a light, and to be love in a world that needs faith, hope, and unconditional love.

Your life, your story, your struggles and your successes are to be shared with others. To encourage, to inspire, and to empower others! I want you to think about all the people who you would love to help, love to serve, and love to make a difference with; and I want you to ask yourself, what is stopping you using your influence to make an eternal impact?

-Daniel Santiago

If this post has helped you, please forward it to 3 people; leave a comment below, and email your thoughts and prayer requests to daniel@danielsantiago.org. God bless you in abundance!

In the Game of Business and Life it’s crucially important to make wise, prudent, and strategic decisions that will inevitably keep you increasing revenue, developing a loyal following, and growing in influence and stature.  Sometimes making decisions can be difficult. The process can be grueling, stressful, and overwhelming, but the fact is, leaders develop the necessary courage to make the hard decisions.  Doing what’s right, and creating a win-win is crucial in becoming a better leader.  Whether it is personally or professionally, whether you’re an employee or a business owner.  Sometimes the hardest thing, is not the “making” of the decision, but rather, “communicating” to others the decision that you’ve made!

I once gleaned a great nugget of wisdom from Anthony Robbins, he taught about the fact that people will always make decisions based upon either Pain or Pleasure.  In other words, people do things to avoid (or experience) pain, and/or do things to experience (or avoid) pleasure.  Simply stated, people do things out of Fear or Love.  SH!FT HAPPENS when either your Love outweighs your Fear, and vice versa.  That’s why so many people are afraid of change.  Not I, though.. it’s quite an exciting thing to embrace change, because you’ll have to adapt, accept, and embrace whatever we choose to create, or whatever comes our way. Remember we are all on a journey, and life is an Adventure…so we should enjoy it!

Connecting with complete strangers whether in business or in your journey through life requires one essential skill- communication.  Effective communication is crucial to building rapport and trust, while developing deep and meaningful relationships with others.  Here are a few keys that will help you become a Master Communicator.

1.  Connect with Your Audience:  Whether it is one person or an entire room of people, talk to them as if you were having a conversation over a cup of coffee, or as if you were writing them a letter from your heart.  Authenticity speaks volumes!

2.  Begin with Affirmation: People love compliments and it is the deep innate desire of all human beings to be loved, accepted, and appreciated.  When you affirm, encourage, or compliment another individual- you accomplish several things. You build their confidence and self-esteem, as well as, edify them deep into their hearts core and subconscious mind.

3.  Enlarge Their Vision: All people are either driven by pain or pleasure. They are either trying to solve a problem or reach a goal.  Whether they know it or not, when you communicate with people, you either build them up or tear them down.  Your words breathe life or death to their dreams. Be conscious about encouraging them and helping them think, dream, and become bigger than they already are at this moment. If you do this, your influential leadership will impact a life forever!

4.  Use Positive Inclusive Language:  Think what you’re thinking about, as well as, how and why you’re saying it. People subconsciously communicate in a negative perspective all the time. Let me give you two examples: 1. “Not Bad” two very negative words trying to say something positive.  What if you said “It’s Good!” a small but significant shift could alter your attitude and mood in a positive way.  2.  “I Love Them To Death” oh my…that’s supposed to be a good thing right? What if you moved a small position, and your perspective became “I Love Them To Life!”

5.  Offer Specific Action Steps:  This step may require courage and tact on your part.  Becoming an effective communicator has less to do with what you say, but more so, how you say it- with both words and body language.  Regardless of what you do in life personally or professionally, you are either helping people solve a problem or partnering with them to create pleasure.  As you seek to provide products or service to your clients, family, and/or friends, becoming a more effective communicator will help you make a difference in the lives of the people you serve every single day.  Remember to stay positive, offer constructive-honest feedback, and always encourage, edify, and s- from this position you will leave a lasting impression and the legacy of a lifetime in the minds of the people you influence everyday!

Live Abundantly,

If you’re looking for a way to establish, expand, or grow your business by becoming a published author, motivational speaker, entertainer, entrepreneur, trainer, coach, or consultant, here are 6 Strategies for Growing Your Business in the 21^st Century:

Step 1:  Visualize Success- You’ll need to begin clarifying what it is you want in every area of your life: personally, professionally, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, recreationally, intellectually, and financially. This will take faith, concentration, and focus. It’s imperative that you keep everything you want fresh in your mind, because we think in pictures. So whatever you think about you will bring about. Whether it’s positive or negative, so do your best to keep it as positive and productive as possible!

Step 2:  Niche and Grow Rich- Being able to accurately identify the demographics and characteristics of your target market allows you to properly communicate value propositions, your products, and your services to them. So keep your messages tailored to your target market! A great way to do this is by creating an elevator pitch, so that when someone asks you “what do you do?” you can articulate your message with precision while peaking their interest in you, your business, your products, or your service.

Step 3: Brand Your Business- In the 21^st Century it’s more important to have a Tag Line than a Title.  Rather than saying you’re a speaker, a coach, a trainer, or a consultant, use a “theme” that explains how you help people. For example, Les Brown’s tag line is “Unwrap Your Infinite Greatness”- James Malinchak has “Big Money Speaker” and “College Speaking Success Boot Camp” and Brian Tracey helps people “Achieve Your Personal & Business Goals Faster”.  What’s your Tag Line?

Step 4: Enhance Your Credibility- A few of the best ways to build your Credibility is through Testimonials. That is, people bragging on you especially through video (YouTube) is one of the most powerful ways to inspire belief in your product or service.  Other ways are though Modern Media meaning newspapers, magazines, television shows, radio, etc. and through Social Media and blogging.  These allow you to gain SEO (search engine optimization) so that when someone searches for you on Google, you will have a higher ranking in the search results.  You can also create credibility yourself.

Step 5:  Create Your Own Economy- Some of the most successful and affluent speakers, entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants all have one thing in common. They create their own economy by creating their own products and services.  The Law of Compensation states “You Always Get Paid in Direct Proportion to the Service You Provide” so start creating multiple sources of income by providing books, CD’s, DVD’s, coaching programs, seminars, workshops, retreats, conferences, boot camps, etc. So get started today creating products and services!

Step 6: Build Your Community- Begin immediately to focus on building your human and network equity. Social Networks such as Facebook! Twitter and YouTube are essential for building your business.  Your ability to get in front of your customers, supporters, sponsors, prospects, fans, etc…and to consistently communicate and correspondence with them is of the utmost importance.  You can do this by sharing and/or giving away information in exchange for their name and email address. It is a must to capture this information because then you have their approval to stay connected with them while promoting your valuable content, products, and services directly in to their Inbox. “Building Your List” is probably the #1 thing that you could do to consistently get more visibility and interactivity with your customers, while ensuring your business thrives in the 21^st Century.

Each of the aforementioned strategies was shared to increase your general awareness of ways that can help your business grow regardless of respective industry.