I love to read. Books have been my primary source of education.

Today I share 10 Books that changed my life.

Also in this episode… if God is all powerful and all loving, why do bad things happen to good people? … what may be the perfect vlogging camera… and, of course, 10 books that changed my life.

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Tip of the Week:

Canon M50 mirrorless camera.

1. Compact and lightweight.
2. Excellent image quality.
3. Quick and accurate autofocus.
4. Easy-to-use interface.
5. Flip-out screen.

By the way, get a Rhode Video Micro, and the 11-22 EF-M lens.

Spiritual Foundations:

Why Does God Allow Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Feature Presentation ” The 10 Books That Changed My Life“

1. The Bible, by God
2. Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
3. Awaken the Giant Within, by Tony Robbins
4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey
5. The Alchemist, by Paolo Coehlo
6. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. The 4 Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss
8. The Obstacle Is the Way, by Ryan Holiday
9. On Writing, by Stephen King
10. Destined to Reign, by Joseph Prince

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Have you experienced a tragic loss? A devastating blow? A tough break? Have you had a setback? Even a minor inconvenience?

When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011, it seemed like a devastating blow and a tragic loss. Today I want to share how you can beat Parkinson’s – or any other problem you may be facing.

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Tip of the Week: 5 Steps to Get (and STAY) Motivated

1. Define what you MUST do.
2. Define the COST of NOT doing it and the REWARD for accomplishing the objective.
3. Set a deadline, milestones, consequences, and rewards.
4. Isolate the next action step toward the achievement and do it.
5. Record, Report, and Renew.

Spiritual Foundations: Charity TowardNone?

Am I suggesting we eradicate charity and replace it with commerce?

Since “no one gets out alive,” how does that impact your response to challenges?

Was Jesus a pessimist?  How to process his statement, “In this world you will have trouble.”

Feature Presentation “7 Principles- How to Beat Parkinson's (Or Anything)“

1. Principle of verbal cognitive framing: Speak what you want to experience.
2. Principle of possibility thinking: What does this make possible?
3. Principle of continuous feedback loops: What can you learn from this?
4. Principle of utilization: How can you use this?
5. Principle of results modeling: Who else has beaten or overcome this before me?
6. Principle of commitment and consistency: Who is depending on my victory?
7. Principle of experimentation: Try. Test. Repeat until victory.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• John 16:33, the Bible

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If you want to build a purpose-driven, personality-based online business, blogging should be the cornerstone of your business. And I can think of no one better than Leslie Samuel to discuss this topic.

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Tip of the Week: 3Ways to Be More Productive Instantly

1. Start using Block Time. Block similar tasks. Batching similar activities and blocking time will make you more productive.
2. Set yourself up for success. Disconnect from the internet and make yourself distraction-free.
3. Buy experience. Experience is the best teacher. Doesn’t it make more sense to benefit from the mistakes other people have experienced? Masterminds, online courses, and training programs give you the lessons learned by the experiences of others (without having to endure the difficulty of the experience).

Spiritual Foundations: The Gift of No Condemnation

Romans 8 explains the Gift of No Condemnation, “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ.”

You should have no guilt. You shouldn’t beat yourself up for your mistakes.

Yes, make amends if you have hurt someone, but feeling guilty should be over.

It is FINISHED. He paid the debt for all your sin…past…present…future.

Some worry that living with no condemnation will cause you to go and sin more.

No, this is not true. If you truly understand this, the Spirit will help you to actually sin less.
Although it seems counterintuitive, stop with the self–loathing and condemnation and realize you’re loaded with peace, love and joy.

Stop self–condemnation and celebrate your righteousness and receive what Jesus has to give you.

Feature Presentation “Why You Should Become a Blogger and How to Do It“

• How stumbling onto a website, “Make Some Money on the Internet” changed my life –Why blogging about a subject you know and love can propel your life in a new direction
• When I earned $70 online in one day I knew my future would be different – How blogging landed me my dream job as a university professor (even though I didn’t have a PhD)
• How to make the monumental crossroads decision: should you leave your side business or your job? The wise counsel of my wife and how it has influenced our family, our finances, and our future
• How to turn your blog into a business – Why great content alone is not enough to build your blog–based business
• If you are solving a problem, then you have the foundation for a business – How I sold a study guide and advertisements on my site to monetize my blog
• The Top 3 Most Common Mistakes People Make with Blogging

1. Business mistake – The problem is they build a huge audience and yet they don’t have anything to sell. Ask yourself, “What problem am I solving?” Many bloggers don’t look at how to transform their blog into a business. A blog isn’t a business, it’s a platform. If you want to make money you have to sell something of value. When there is a button to show you how to buy, you have a business.
2. Content mistake – The content they create has no plan. The content should attract the right people and lead them in the direction of what you have to sell. This may be common knowledge, but it’s not common practice. I created a course called Blogging Business Foundations to help you learn to attract the right person with the right problem to your business.
3. Marketing mistake – They don’t have a strategic way to promote their content. They falsely believe, “If I build it they will come.” How are you marketing it? Are you promoting without a specific plan? Pay attention to how others who are successful are marketing their blog and learn from their example.

• How false information leads to failure – If you have no list, no experience, and you don’t work you’ll fail – Why 80–90% of businesses fail and how to avoid this pitfall.
• If you’re looking for a magic money bullet this is not for you – How to build a business that allows you to travel, spend more time with your family and make more money than your job.
• How blogging gives you the freedom to create the life you want and to determine the future you desire – What if you had the financial freedom to spend time with your family and to create only work you love.
• What if you could make more money in one month than you usually make in a year – Imagine freedom to support your family both financially and by being present in their lives.
• God’s timing is best – How building my blog-based business gave me freedom to be with my mom in her last days.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Leslie Samuel’s blog: www.becomeablogger.com

  The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. “You know what you should be doing. Count backward from five and then just jump. Go do that thing. Take that leap of faith. What could possibly happen if it works out?” Leslie Samuel comments on Mel Robbins’ book.

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Your belief determines your destiny. What you believe about anything determines what you receive, whether it's your life, your business, your personal performance or your identity.

In this episode we're going to unpack why what you believe about yourself is more important than you may have ever suspected. It's not magic, it's just the logical progression of a thought process. We'll uncover this and more during a conversation I'm going to have with my good friend, Cliff Ravenscraft.

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Tip of the Week

This week I’m giving you three tips for the price of one. What a deal! If you are an entrepreneur and you're trying to grow your business, or you're a manager in an existing business, there are three big steps to take that will move you along much quicker than just trial and error.

If you are an entrepreneur and you're trying to grow your business, or you're a manager in an existing business, there are three big steps to take that will move you along much quicker than just trial and error.

1. Know your big reason why. There's a saying that goes something like this, “Once you have a big enough WHY, you  can  overcome  any HOW  that  needs to be  overcome  to  reach  your  objective.”  Knowing your reason why will help you push through the difficult hows that come up.
2. Accelerate your business growth,  define your beliefs,  your values, and your rules.  This is something most people never bother to do. You must be clear on what your beliefs are about everything in your life, what your values are around the major sections of your life and your business, and what your rules are, to know that you're being consistent or in integrity with your beliefs and values.
3. Choose your peers carefully. The people you spend the most intentional time with. The people you allow to influence your behavior,  opinions,  thoughts, and feelings.  You need to choose these people very carefully. They need to be people who are on the same path as you are. Maybe not the same business, but the same attitude toward business. The same approach to life.  An optimistic,  hopeful, centered approach to business and life. If the people you're surrounding yourself with most right now are not like that,  it becomes doubly important that you find a mastermind group that you can be part of, that will support you in your personal and business growth going forward. One such mastermind you might consider is our new paid mastermind.  There should still be openings available when this is published.  Maybe there won't be,  but you can find out by going to  rayedwards.com/empire.  If there are still openings,  then you'll be able to apply there. If not, you'll be able to join the waitlist.

Those are your three steps to accelerate your business growth.

Number one, know your big why. 

Number two, define your beliefs,  values, and rules. 

Number three, choose your peers carefully.

Spiritual Foundations

This week,  we're going to unpack your spiritual Christian baggage.  What do  I mean by Christian baggage?  Well, it grows from a metaphor that my friend,  Frank Viola, shared with me. He calls it the Christian backpack, I call it Christian baggage. It goes something like this,  when you become a  Christian,  when you accept  Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you're told beforehand that it's by grace that you're saved. It's not anything you can earn or deserve, it's given to you as a gift. It's a free gift. All you have to do is accept it.

You  think  to  yourself,  “That  sounds  like  a  great  deal,  I'm  going  to  take  that  deal.” Then once you're “in the club”, the people in the Church begin to tell you what you need to be doing and not doing. They hand you a backpack or a piece of luggage,

and they begin loading it up with bowling balls…sixteen-pound bowling balls.

Those bowling balls come with innocent names like:

• Small Groups
• Serving in the Children’s Ministry
• Missions
• Tithing
• Ushering
• Be here every time the doors open
• Act like a Christian
• Don’t Swear
• Don’t watch TV
• Here’s what your political views should be

And the list goes on and on. How does it feel to carry around all those bowling balls?

There's no end to the bowling balls that we could add to your baggage, but what this does,  is it chokes off the real fruit of the spirit that you receive when you accept Jesus,  and the holy spirit enters into you.  When that happens,  you're filled with grace, and you're no longer under the requirements of the law. There are no rules for you to follow. Because when you really receive and appreciate the grace that you've been given,  your behavior begins to flow naturally from that. It's not a requirement, it's a supply of grace and ease that flows through you.

If you've been carrying the Christian baggage around, my suggestion is, drop it-just drop it. But the spirit that raised Jesus from the dead manifest himself through you, and you'll begin to see the fruits of that spirit in every part of your life. You won't have

to work on your behavior, your behavior will work on you.

Feature Presentation “What you Believe is What You Receive“

What you believe is what you receive. It's true. It sounds mystical, but it's not. It's quite logical. We are going to get right into it with my good friend, Cliff Ravenscraft.

Here are a few snippets from our conversation:

• What you believe impacts everything – Just because you know something in your head doesn’t mean it you know it in your heart (19:12)
• Repetition is the Mother of Skill – How to create lasting change (22:06)
• Sticking your toe in the water doesn’t work – The secret of breaking free from limitation and taking your life to the next level (26:26)
• Watch your mouth – How the power of words distorts the truth of how we see ourselves (28:30)
• The value of pain – How to make instant change easy (36:45)
• The Fat Man returns – Nothing changes until our identity changes (38:30)
• The birth of a New Identity – How the power of mentorship unleashed a powerful new beginning (42:56)
• The mirror might be lying to you – How to embrace The Rubber Band Principle (48:05)
• The 100-Day Dilemma – The destructive power of a temporary identity (50:07)
• Draw a line in the sand – How to fall in love with the daily grind (58:09)
• The most powerful force in human psychology – Why it’s important to understand and apply the joy of consistency (63:18)
• Free the Dream – How to awaken the dormant greatness inside you (66:27)

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Empire Builder Mastermind
• Cliff Ravenscraft: What You Believe About Who You Are Will Determine Your Outcome
• Cliff Ravenscraft: Draw The Line in The Sand
• Tony Robbins: Creating Lasting Change
• Tony Robbins: Personal Power II
• Free The Dream Conference

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