I'm writing an extra post today. I've just failed rather pathetically and I need some encouragment. Knowing that I probably won't hear any right away, I'm going to encourage myself. Most of my encouragment is coming from the business world, but I believe it applies to life. Business is based on life so the principles of life apply to business, which means they apply to life first.

Paul Orberson, who was and still is the most successful business man in his industry, has said, "You are only as strong as your weakest moment. You ar as strong as the weakest moment in your business. Did anybody ever want to quit?...You are only as strong as the weakest moment in your marriages. There are marriages lost for moments. There are families destroyed for moments. There are jobs and careers destroyed, weak moments...Don't listen to yourself, talk to yourself...Talk back to yourself. You say, 'That's the way it's going to be' and it will...It's not important that you believe this or not as you start. I hear people say, 'You must believe.' No no no no no! You don't. You don't belive nothing hardly; you don't even believe yourself. Thank God you don't have to believe. You work yourself into the fact, rather than start with the belief." I could keep quoting from this speech for ever, but I'm going to quit there for now.

When I listen to that, I know it's all true. My relationship with Alyssa (actually, most of my relationships fit this, but that's the example I'm choosing) was lost because in a weak moment, I didn't say, "No." I lost the possibility of an awesome relationship (and marrying into one of the best families ever...sorry couldn't resist) because in a moment of weakness, I couldn't do the right thing and say, "No." Today I failed and lost the chance of having tomorrow being day two because in a weak moment, I didn't say, "No." I'm hearing myself now saying, "You'll never make it. You can't even make day four or day two. You can't make eternity." I'm talking back to myself. If other people can beat this addiction, so can I! I'm going to work it into existence, but I do believe that I can do it with Christ.

Napoleon Hill, who wrote the book "Think and Grow Rich" in 1937 (which is still one of the biggest selling business books of all time) said, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve." I've obviously conceived the idea otherwise, I wouldn't be blogging right now. I've already told you that I believe I can do it. The end result is that it will come to pass, even if I fail a hundred more times. There was a young man who made up his mind that he was going to be business partners with Thomas Edison. He travelled hundreds of miles absolutely broke to show up on his doorstep. He said, "Sir I want to be your business partner." He didn't show up in your typical Calvin Klein suit looking like a business stud. He looked like a hobo that had been beat up a few times; he was haggard-looking. He didn't get his partnership, but Thomas Edison saw something in this young man's determination to be business partners. Mr. Edison ended up giving him a position in his offices that was unimportant Mr. Edison. Months went by and nothing happened. Thomas Edison invented the Ediphone, then called the Edison Dictating Machine. His salesmen weren't excited about it because they thought it would be nearly impossible to sell. A man named Edwin C. Barnes saw an opportunity and he went to work selling this machine. Our determined young man sold it so successfully that Thomas Edison offered him a contract to distribute and market all over the U.S.A. Out of this was born the slogan, "Made by Edison and Installed by Barnes." His success was bigger than he ever dreamed, and if he can do it, so can I!

Bonnie Harrison is known among some as being the most unlikely success candidate in business. She was a grade ten drop out, single mother of four, living in the projects of Edmonton, feeding her children on $50 a week. She found an opportunity to fight and win for her and her children and she broke records in the company. Her words of advice, "Your results on the outside of your business show where you are on the inside...Persistence is to success what carbon is to steel. It's not very heroic for me to tell you that the only reason I am successful is because I was persistent." I would thoroughly agree with Bonnie on this. Failure on the outside shows that I'm not where I need to be on the inside. Not being there on the inside is why I started this blog. I'm going to keep going and keep growing until I succeed. I've just proved that I can beat this and will succeed.

So I hope this encourages someone else. If not, thanks for letting me rant and encouraging myself. I've set a goal. Bonnie has said, "Your goals should get you excited and a little scared. If you already know you will achieve your goal, it's too small. But don't make it unreasonable either." My goal is to make registration day for school, day 20 of no failureness (what do you call that?) Registration day = day 20. As always, your prayers are greatly appreciated in this.

P.S. My bell tingling friend: if you think I'm lame for blogging, that's fine. I don't let negative people into my dorm room though. Just kidding bro, I love you.