I met Matt in a very weird way.  Candice and I went to a fast track to cash flow event (www.fasttracktocashflow.com) featuring Darren Weeks.  One of the things that Darren did to get people out of their comfort zones was he insisted that at every break, you have to switch tables.  So Candice and I ended up sitting at different tables after the first 30 minutes.  In one of the breaks, Candice came to me and said “there was this kid named Matt at my table, and he seemed like a really good guy, and smart too.  You should try to meet him if you get a chance.”  So I did.  I ended up meeting Matt, and one of his friends, Kyle McNeil.  We talked for a while, and I left them my business card.  I ended up talking to them well into the presentation that was starting, and since it was the last presentation, I figured that I would just go home early.  (turns out I won a cash flow 101 game (250$) but I missed it because I left early)

The first thing that impressed me about Matt was his kind spirit.  Right away I saw that he was laid back, and easy to get along with, and at the same time I could tell he was very driven.  It was like something had been awakened in him.  Well, one of the suggestions that the speaker (Darren Weeks) made was to find someone who was “job optional” and ask them if you could buy them dinner.  After a few days went by, I got a call from Matt asking if it would be okay if he took me out to supper.  Talk about a surprise!  So we went out, and Matt asked a lot of questions and that is how we really got to know each other.  This may seem like a simple thing, but there is a huge difference between knowing you should do something, and actually doing something.  Right away I was impressed that Matt was willing to take action to get what he wanted out of life.

Down the road, Matt came to ask about what Candice and I do for a living, and it wasn’t long before we were business partners.  Matt is a fast learner, and he had a lot of people who had respect for him, which led him to some early success in business.  He is a quick learner, and especially when you consider his age, he has a HUGE number of people who look at him as a business man, and really respect what he knows about business.  He has also shown that he can be a great teacher, and really understands Robert Kiyosaki’s lessons.   But that is not what impresses me the most about Matt.  What impresses me about Matt is that even though he is a great business mind, and will undoubtedly be retired before he turns 30, he also excels in so many other areas of his life.

Matt is an awesome big brother, and I think he would do anything in the world for his brother Jake.  I remember one night when he drove from Edmonton to Rimby to to pick his brother up and bring him to Edmonton to stay with him for a while.  He is also a very dedicated son from what I can see, and really cares a lot for his mom and the rest of his family.  He is also a good friend, and has a lot of people who call him friend.  I don’t think I know of anyone who has met him and not liked him, because he is so damn likeable.  Sometimes when a person  has a lot of friends, and a lot of people who look up to them, it comes at the expence of having really close friends.  But not Matt.  Even though he has a lot of friends and aquantances, he also has some very close friends.  I think all of his good friends know that Matt would do anything for them.  And the quality of his friends are first class.  Damien, Jeff, and Greg have all been awesome people to get to know, and all of them are good men.

So here is to Matt and all the great things he does for us all… I know my life has had many laughs, many good times, a few emotional moments, and a lot of fun because you have been a part of my life.  You have earned my respect and I look forward to spending more time together in the future.

Please share your favorate memory of  Matt on the blog, as I am sure there are many good stories.

Have you ever taken a step back, and talked to someone on the outside of your normal circle of influence to see what perspective they might have on what you are doing?

John Wooden in his book “Wooden, a lifetime of obersvations on and off the court” talks about doing your personal best every day.  He says to make sure that you never miss a day on whatever goal you have.  He points out that most people say ” I will just make up for it tomorrow”… and says “you can’t make up for it tomorrow, because once tomorrow comes you have already lost today.  And if you are making up for it by working harder, then why aren’t you giving that much every day?”

So, I need to make sure I stay focused and never miss a day… in many area’s of my life.  Now, on to the blog.

Tonight Candice and I got to have a Christmas dinner with many great friends, and we got some great food!  We got Turkey, (which is my favorite) but we also got scalloped potatoes, sweet potato fries, “fo-tatoes”, roast beef, stuffing and gravy!  It was so great to fill up my plate and have everything be great!  Usually you have your plate of food and then go back for a little more of whatever was your favorite dish… well today that was impossible!

From there we opened presents,  played scene it, rock band, and then risk.  (congratulations Bryan)

Today I am grateful for good food and good company.  Every time I eat Turkey it makes me think of thanksgiving day, and I am reminded of all the things I am thankful for.  So to everyone there, thank you for such a great night.

Then yesterday, I asked Travis if he would help me put a new light in.  I realized that it has been months and months of living without a ceiling light in our room, and we even got in the habit of using our bed side light every time we were in the room… talk about a pain in the butt!

Over the summer months, it didn’t really matter, because it was light out until 11pm, and then the sun came back up at 6am!  But with winter here (it kind of creeped up because it didn’t snow for so long) it now seems like it is dark 80% of the time!!  So, needless to say not having a light didn’t work anymore.

It was embarrassing to realize how little work, effort, and time it took to get a new light and install it.  It is funny all the things we are willing to put up with, just because it is “easier”… but here is my question; “Is it really easier in the long run?”  I think that is what messes most people up with their time and money.  Doing what is convenient now, and sacrificing what is going to be the easiest and most efficient over the long haul.  I am embarrassed to say that I fell in that trap with our bedroom light for the last 8 months!  It feels soooo good to have it fixed and to not have to worry about it any more!

So here is to all the little things that we take for granted that really make our life more enjoyable and let us focus more on what is important.  It is far to easy to take our lives for granted, and to forget the kind of lives that our grandparents had to endure… without complaining!  And here we are and one little thing goes wrong, and it messes our whole day up.  Thank you for all the wonders that we have in our world, and the things that make life convenient… may we use them for our mission in life, and not to further our complacency and entitlement mentalities.

Erik and I met through a mutual friend Jenifer Duvoid.  Jennifer and I got to know each other through a program of Robert Kiyosaki’s that we beta tested called “10 steps to increase your financial IQ”.  After learning for 10 weeks, she recommended that I called Erik because he was into Robert Kiyosaki’s teachings.  So I called Erik, and what I appreciated so much about him was his ability to make decisions quickly and move into action.

After finding the right people to test the program with us, I have seen many many people who say they want to learn, and that say they want more out of life, but when it comes right down to it, they are not WILLING to do the work or to make the sacrifices necessary to get to where they want to go.  That was not the case with Erik.  He had every reason not to do the course, but instead he FOCUSED on all the reasons why he should.  He already had commitments in Sherwood Park to build some decks, so he decided to start them in the morning, then drive from Sherwood Park to West Edmonton to learn, and then drive back to Sherwood Park later that night to finish the job.  He decided that it would be worth it to do that for ten weeks in a row, just to get the learning he desired.

After that Candice and I got to know Erik a lot better.  We learned that he has served for Canada as a sapper, he apparently is an awesome carpenter and builder, loves anything to do with sports (or anything in which he can be named the winner) such as hockey and watersking, loves older movies that actually make you think, and really understands what makes people tick… and loves any kind of psychology!

I think what impresses me the most about Erik is his drive and his ability to just “go”.  There was a poster on my grade 7 wall that said “a great way to get finished is to get started”.  Most people fail in life because they never get started.  Erik has a way of getting going and getting started.  He just knows how to get things done.  Leadership implies that you are in the lead.  How can you be in the lead, if you aren’t getting anything done?  The answer, is that you can’t.  Erik is a fantastic leader, and he is a leader because he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and be in the lead.  He can command respect by just walking into a room, but has the character to earn your respect anyways.   He has a natural knack for learning quickly, and when you combine those two things, you can see why he is going to be a huge leader on the team, with many people following his lead.

There are many leaders that are great at pontificating about what they should do, but never get anything done.  There are other leaders that get so caught up in the battle that they forget to look at the big picture.  Erik is one of the few exceptions who is great at getting things done, but also can take time to think about the paradigm shifts that are happening right now, and can see into the future.

If you are privileged enough to be working together with Erik, under his leadership, be thankful that you have such a strong leader to follow.  Many people in this industry (including me) didn’t get in business with someone with that kind of vision and work ethic.  I had to work hard for a long time to qualify for some time from someone who was ready to lead.  My suggestion is that you don’t take that for granted.  One day Erik will be on TEAM stages across the country, and people will be lining up to meet him.  Don’t wait until then to ask him about business or get his help.  Trends don’t wait for anyone.  Strike while the iron is hot and while your leader can give you lots of time to help you get your business to where you want it.

So, to Erik; thank you for being a part of our life.  If your reading this, feel free to share your favorite memory, story, or attribute of Erik.  (One day the blog might be about you, and I am sure you would like the feedback then!)

I watched someone go from really not understanding a concept, to having a huge grin on her face and getting excited to learn more and share what she has learned.  I feel really blessed that we got a chance to beta test a program of Robert Kiyosaki’s and were able to give him some feedback.  I have heard over and over that “God honors commitment” and when I think back to all the times that I have shown  commitment, things have always found a strange way of working themselves out, even when I had no idea how it was going to happen.

So today I am thankful for the cash flow game, and for the chance to teach.  When I graduated high school I decided that I wanted to be a teacher.  After deciding that I didn’t want to have a job and that I wanted to own a business, I thought that I would have to give up on my passion for teaching.  Turns out that I have been blessed enough to teach more in the past year than I have the whole rest of my life combined!  I pray that I can stay humble and always keep learning so that I have value to give to others.

If you have played cash flow before, what is your favorite lesson/memory/thing that you enjoy most about the game?

So today I am thankful for music, and the effect it has had on my life.  I am also thankful that I learned to play drums by ear when I was younger, and have a greater appreciation for music now!

I am very much looking forward to this weekend so that I can play cash flow, and so that I can see some great leadership principles taught on Saturday.  Hope this post finds you well!

So today I am thankful for a good book and the freedom we have in this country to read and learn.  I hope with all the shananagans going on in Ottawa that our children will grow up with the same freedoms we have been blessed with.  But again, another post for another day.

Has doing something for someone else ever lifted your spirits?  If so, share your story!