Failures don’t plan to fail; they just fail to plan.
Think about it. Have you ever met anyone who planned to fail? Someone who wakes up in the morning and says, “Gosh, I really want to fail in life. I want to end up totally miserable. I want to end up divorced. I want to be hated by my family. I want to be broke forever and live in abject poverty. I want to suffer from a dreaded skin disease. Let me plan how to do this…”
Nope, I haven’t met anyone who planned to fail.
But I’ve met many who failed to plan.
Do you want to win in life? Then you have to plan to win.
Here’s the truth: Winners are planners.
A long time ago, a friend who was very religious told me, “I don’t plan. I just trust God. I just accept whatever happens as God’s will.”
I told her, “I think God wants us to plan.”
“How come?” she asked me.
“If God didn’t want us to plan, then He shouldn’t have given us a phenomenal brain that can imagine the future. The Bible also says, Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.(Proverbs 21:5)”
Do you want to prosper in every area of your life?
Then you have to plan to prosper…
How Long Is Your Timeframe?
One of the most glaring differences between successful and unsuccessful people is the timeframe of their thinking. Unsuccessful people always think short-term. They think about today, about this week, perhaps about this month.
When I was doing ministry work in a slum area, I’d ask the people there, “What do you want in life?” and they’re most common answer was, “Makakain lang ako ng tatlong beses sa isang araw, okay na…” (If I can eat three times today, I’ll be okay…)
But successful people always think long-term. And the longer their timeframe, the more successful they are. Successful people think about the next five years. Or the next ten years. Or the next twenty years. (Spiritual people are the most successful because we think really long term. We think of Heaven!)
Let me tell you why it’s important to plan…
Your Life Will Either Come
From Your Memory Or Your Imagination
Your life is a manifestation of your most dominant thinking.
In other words, your mind is the computer—and your life is the printout.
That’s why it’s important to plan.
Because there are two kinds of thoughts: Yourmemory and your imagination.
If you don’t plan, your life will be based on your memories—and that’s tragic. Because your future will simply duplicate your past. And that’s why an addict remains an addict. That’s why a depressed person remains depressed. That’s why a fearful person remains fearful. That’s why an unsuccessful person remains unsuccessful.
But if you plan, your life will be based on your imagination.
That’s why Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
Let me go back to my computer analogy.
Some people print out the old files and old data stored in their computer memory. If you do that, you’ll have the exact same printouts again and again. Nothing will change in your life.
It doesn’t have to be that way. You can write new files. You can create new documents. And you can have new printouts!
People ask me, “So Bo, how do I plan?”
In three words, I’ll tell you how to plan.
Are you ready?
Here it is: Make it up!
Manufacture the plan from your imagination. Planning is creating a non-existent, future reality in your mind.
Two Ingredients To Planning
There are two important elements to planning.
1. Be Positive
2. Be Proficient
1. Be Positive
If you’re not positive, you won’t even bother to plan.
Before 1954, no one planned on running a mile below 4 minutes. Because in their minds, this was “humanly” impossible. No human being was able to do it.
But one day in 1954, Roger Banister ran one mile for 3 min 59.4 seconds.
When news went around about Banister’s feat, do you know what happened next? So many other runners broke the 4-minute mile! (Today, high school kids regularly do it.) Why? Because people no longer think it’s impossible.
Are you positive that you can fulfill your dreams? Or control your temper? Or stop your smoking? Or change your finances?
Many of us aren’t positive, because we have a problem…
You’re Bombarded With Negative Thinking
Imagine a stranger entering into your house. He sits down on the sofa, leans back, crosses his legs, makes himself comfortable, and starts talking to your 8-year old girl. And he starts telling stories of rape, murder, adultery,… and he uses the foulest language.
Tell me. What will you do?
You’d get a big stick and drive him out of your house!
But here’s the sad fact of life: We’ve allowed that stranger to enter our home, enthrone him at the central place of the living room, and even made him enter our bedrooms.
I’m talking of some TV shows that don’t deserve to be in your home. I’m not saying throw the TV. (Goodness, I have a show on TV.) TV is a wonderful invention. You just have to choose the shows you watch.
Choose what you receive everyday.
When you watch TV or read the papers, it tells you of corrupt politicians, wars between nations, road accidents, philandering husbands, betraying friends…
That’s the garbage you fill your minds.
How do you clean your minds?
I actually demonstrated this before 6000 people. I got a glass of dirty water and showed it to the crowd. I then got a large pitcher of clean water. I then poured clean water onto the glass of brownish water until it overflowed. And in a few seconds, the polluted water was displaced. A few seconds more, the glass was now filled with pure fresh water.
In the same way, if you consistently pour powerful, positive, inspiring thoughts into your mind, soon, you’ll drive out all “polluted” thinking from your life.
I’m happy you’re reading Soulfood. Do this every week. And I believe your thinking will change.
Two Wolves Inside You
Remember this Cherokee story?
Within you, there are two wolves. The good wolf and the bad wolf. The good wolf represents anger, jealousy, bickering, temper, resentment, selfishness… The good wolf represents forgiveness, gentleness, kindness, humility, selflessness… And each day, they’re fighting each other.
Here’s the big question: Who will win?
The answer? The one that you feed.
Feed your mind with the best mental, spiritual, and emotional nourishment the world has to offer!
Joining our weekly Feast is one of the best things you can do to become positive. Read the best books. (Shameless plug: I just launched a new book,How To Prosper. Find it in bookstores.) Listen to the best music. Watch the most inspiring movies. And hang out with wisest people you can find.
But alas, for complicated changes, being positive isn’t enough.
2. Be Proficient
Imagine if I wanted to build a new house.
So I sketched on a napkin how I wanted my house to look like. I then asked my neighbor, “Neighbor, can you help me build my house? I’ve got the plans right here…” holding up the napkin.
My neighbor scratches his head and said, “Gee Bo, that’s a bit way off my turf. I’m an orthodontist.”
“You have no faith!” I scold him. “Just believe. Be positive!”
Do you think we’ll build a great house?
I don’t think so. No matter how much positive thinking I have. No matter how many times I say, “I can build my house! I can build my house!” it won’t work.
Let me give you an example in real life…
If You Don’t Have Proficiency,
Ask Someone Who Does
I love entrepreneurship. I teach it to others.
But I’ve seen thousands of failed businesses.
Why? The #1 reason why businesses fail: They launched their business on positive thinking, not proficient thinking.
There was no business plan. Or if there was a business plan, the business plan wasn’t shown to business mentors. Which is insane.
Listen. Your business isn’t unique. It’s been done in some way or form already by someone more proficient than you. Consult. Seek help. Get guidance.
Let me tell you a story.
One day, someone came up to me and asked if I wanted to be part-owner of his business. He gave me the financial statements of his little company and I liked the profits of his business.
After a week of studying them, I showed the financial statement to my Business Mentor. Here’s the amazing part of this story: My Mentor looked at it for 12 seconds and he told me, “This isn’t a good business. The margins are too small.” That financial statement was with me for a week and I didn’t see what he saw. But he saw the flaw in 12 seconds.
That’s proficiency.
My Business Mentor saved me from a lot of misery and pain and heartache.
I repeat: Planning requires proficiency. If you don’t have it, get others who have the proficiency.
How do you grow in proficiency?
Be An Eternal Student
Here’s some sad statistics. According to surveys, young people spend 8 hours a day for entertainment. Watching TV. Surfing the net. Video games. Facebook.
8 hours!
Suggestion? Cut it into half. Spend 4 hours in entertainment and 4 hours in education. Increase your skills. Develop new ones. Get training. Acquire expertise. Gain proficiency.
Ask yourself. What skills and habits do you need to accomplish your dream? Perhaps the ability to write. Or the ability to sell. Or the ability to invest. Or the ability to speak.
Imagine if you read one hour a day. That means you’ll be able to read one book a week. In one year, you would have read 52 books. Imagine how proficient you’d become.
“But Bo, I’m not a reader!” some will tell me. That’s fine. Then listen to audio talks, attend seminars, join workshops.
Because leaders are learners.
Let me end…
Create Your Future
Three years ago, we only had 3000 people attending the Feast. We were still in Valle Verde Country Club. I remember going home after one Feast,and writing a dream in my journal: “One day, we’ll have 8000 people attending the Feast, receiving God’s Love every Sunday.”
People told me that this was a humongous jump. 3000 to 8000 is a 160% growth. But I believed it was going to happen.
The dream was set in my mind: 8000 people. But dreaming wasn’t enough. Positive thinking wasn’t enough. I now had to create a plan to achieve that dream.
First, I knew we had to relocate. Because Valle Verde couldn’t accommodate 8000 people.
Second, we had to raise up more volunteers, more leaders, and more givers.
I then consulted with wiser leaders of other organizations that grew from 3000 to 8000 and beyond.
Result? We transferred to PICC, one of the most beautiful venues in the country.
Today, there are 7000 people coming every Sunday. (Plus, there are still 800 people who attend our Feast in Valle Verde.)
By the way, going from 7000 to 8000 people is no longer a challenge. We’ll reach that number this year.
But successful people think long-term. So I’m thinking three to five years from now. One day, we’ll have 15,000 people joining us every Sunday, receiving God’s Love.
Why am I sharing this to you?
Because you have your own dreams. I now urge you to write a plan. Create your future reality in your imagination. Chart a pathway towards your purpose. And seek help from others who are more proficient than you are.
Create your future today.
Today is new. A new slate. A new start. A new beginning.
Imagine your success now.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
