I am in sales in Oklahoma City.  I've worked for the same printing company for 16 years and 3 years ago I bagan a major life transformation.  The change came from my now 5 year old daughter who was born with moderate/severe asthma and severe allergies to more things than we can count.  The asthma and allergies seemed to be connected and my wife and I soon realized preservatives in the food we were feeding her contributed to the majority of her symptoms and health problems.  

The transformation came when my wife and I radically changed our diets for the benefit of our 5 year old, Grace.  We went through all of the food in our house and threw out anything and everything with ingredients we did not understand as well as those we knew affected respiratory function.  We were/are committed to only consuming minimally processed foods which are preservative free.

The result for my daughter Grace was instantaneous.  No longer did she require 1 allergy shot per week and 1 allergy pill per day but her asthma became manageable.  Two added benefits that were completely unexpected: our budget is not burdened any longer by the monthly $300 in medication and my wife and I started losing weight.  Over the course of that year my wife lost 30lbs and I lost 75lbs.  Keep in mind, we did not change our physical activity.  The weight loss was due solely to the change in our diet and aside from the addition of our 4th child, Jacob, we have kept the weight off.

Around the same time a local entrepreneur, Steven Vancauwenbergh, began feeding me books by the likes of Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Nepolean Hill and Stephen Covey...... Steven is now one of my closest friends.  I consumed the books with a hunger I've never known.  It was an awakening to say the least.  If you have seen the movie The Matrix starring Keanu Reeves the best way I can describe my transformation is being unplugged from the Matrix.  I will write more about this in a later post.

I have also been reaching out to those I aspire to be like. Tom Pace has been instrumental in my development.  His book, Mentor the kid and the CEO, found here mentorhope.com, is definitely worth reading.  Tom recently challenged me to go 10 days without complaining, gossiping or lying.  You can find out more about this here 3pointcommitment.org.  I'm proud to say I have gone 12 days and my new goal is 21.

Thanks to God, my wife, children, family and mentors I have matured more in the last 3 years than in all of my 37 years combined.

• Plan/Do/Review

 
1.  New House - Farm House + 5 acres and a Huge Barn.
2.  Income - $110,000 net income in 1 year
3.  Income - additional $15,000 net income in next 6 months
4.  Book - Finish Saving is Simple by Oct 15th 
(Done)
5.  Bills - Pay off all Medical bills by Dec. 1st 2012.
6.  House - Pay off current mortgage by Aug 11th, 2014.
7.  Family - camping trip to colorado mountains - pay with cash.
8.  Be mentored by someone rich and famous (Done)
9.  Own free and clear, 3 rental houses in my current neighborhood.
10. $100,000 cash in the bank as emergency fund.
11. 32" waist and weigh 170lbs.
12. A brand new mattress to sleep on.
13. Purchase an entire cow for the freezer.
14. Completely debt free including the house.
15. Take the family on vacation to disneyland.
16. Go on a cruise with the entire family.
17. Eat dinner out at nice restaurants every day for 1 month straight
18. Play the piano like I mean it! (Moonlight sonata)
19. Own a vacation home in the country complete with hunting and fishing. 150-300 acres
20. Entertain friends and family 1 night a week for 1 year.
21. Self insured
22. Own free and clear and live in a 3 story home.
24. Buy an old building down town and fix it up for friends and Family event center.
25. Take my friends and family out to dinner and a movie or sporting event.
26. Sprinkler system for front and back yard at my current home.
27. Hire a lawn care company for year round lawn care.
28. Provide a source income for my children and their children.
29. Have 2 best friends
30. Go on a hiking and camping trip with a group of physically fit adults.
31. Hire a business assistant
32. Build a cabin in the wilderness.
33. send my children to private school for highschool
34. Take my 2 best friends on a guys trip boating and jetski weekend at lake cabin.
35. Go on a retreat with other couples our age (no kids allowed)
36. purchase 1200 acres and start my own wildlife refuge
37. Own a private, spring fed pond, minimum 15 acres.
38. Give Five $100 tips at area restaurants
39. Release 100 helium balloons into the air.
40. Throw an exciting party for someone I don't know.
41. Open a bed a breakfast out of an old building downtown.
42. Own a nice 3 piece suit that fits perfectly
43. Have a waiting list for booking me to speak.
44. Own a pristine Porche.
45. 5 day vacation in Hawaii.
46. Be recognized in public by an admirer or someone who has benefited from my life's work.
47. Speak to an audience of 35+ and get them juiced up
48. Have a personal chef, trainer and voice coach.
49. Recognize 1 young talent and see them through to success.
50. Be sole sponsor of a professional.  Especially an underdog.

51. Mentor at least 1 person on a weekly basis (Done)
52. Write a minimum 200 page book
53. Buy a new car with cash
54. Wear a sport coat every day of the week
55. Hire a business assistant for my wife
56. Buy a new dress for my wife
57. Be independent of government assistance.
58. Buy a new pair of shoes from a store in the mall
59. Have a personal mechanic for my cars
60. Take a trip to Australia
61. Mail a $100 bill to every house in an underprivileged neighborhood
62. Give away a new car every month for 1 year
63. Hire an estate planner
64. Grow Watermelon successfully in my back yard.
65. Build a greenhouse complete with electricity and irrigation
66. build a multi million dollar business
67. Shoot a fully automatic machine gun
68. Irradicate the use the preservatives in medication
69. Have enough confidence to openly talk to anyone I meet.
70. Season box seats and front row seats at a professional sporting venue
71. Shoot hoops with a professional Basketball player
72. take piano lessons from a world famous pianist.
73. publish a series of children's books
74. appear in a real movie
75. Make a difference in the life of a child. 
(Done)
76. Take a 1 month vacation
77. Take a 1 year vacation
78. Go skiing and stay in  a cabin with a hot tub
79. Own a hot tub
80. Make 5 new friends in 1 day
81. Have a hot tub party with friends and family
82. New Grill (teeth)
83. Have coffee in peru
84. Gamble with $1000 at a casino (guilt free)
85. Take my wife to a concert. (Done)
86. Buy a brand new, biggest, Baddest Mac for the house.
87. Buy an Ipad for the wife
88. Restore a classic car.
89. Work out at a gym with a trainer and have a gym membership
90. Have more than 10 really close friends
91. tip $50 a day for the rest of my life
92. Give away $1000 
93. Give away $100,000
94. Set up a charitable trust
95. Write a short story and have it published
96. Close 1 deal worth $25,000 in net profit.
97. install a urinal in my bathroom
98. finance someones dream from start to finish
99. build a closet storm shelter/safe room in the house
100. travel and visit every family member at least once a year.