Steps for Moving Forward (1st Step)

On June 30, 2010, In @ Home, @ Work, Relationships, By Bryan Dodge

Here are some steps that you must take if you want to move forward in a way that will last for a lifetime:

First step forward:
During each of my speaking events so far this year, I have seen many people who have lost hope because they have lost the ability to dream. The greatest gift in life is the ability to dream, but the ability to dream has truly become an idle factory with very dirty windows.

Dreaming alone is good, but to dream with others is great. Sometimes, you can go faster in life by yourself – “I’ll do it; I can do it faster.” But you will go further with others. I have had a lot of disappointments throughout my life, usually when I try to go at it alone. But I am much more successful when I have someone close to remind me of the Good Life Rule to be thankful for what you have and not yearn for impossibilities. When you have that ability to be thankful, you can accomplish so much more.

Again, I can hear you thinking that’s not right. My radio show each week is really helping me be able to hear what you are thinking out there. I’m talking about a different road and a lot of different ideas. I have personally seen what happens sometimes when it comes from the outside in. Sure I run across people all the time that are not satisfied with what they have and they keep getting more in life. Again, I’m talking about that peace in life that money can’t buy. It is your ability to grow from the inside, so when the outside gets better you can enjoy it more.

Come back tomorrow for the 2nd step. Until then have a great day.

The Good Life Rules!
Bryan Dodge

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Steps for Moving Forward

On June 29, 2010, In @ Home, @ Work, Relationships, By Bryan Dodge

The economic meltdown has cast a very cold and harsh light on the pursuit of success, power, and money. It was only months ago that I witnessed, both personally and through others, fortunes and careers that were wiped out overnight. It’s no wonder so many of us feel lost, alone, and resentful due to a lack of trust in the “system.” But the truth is that those were things that made people look good on the outside. What’s on the inside is what matters most, both today and in the years to come. That is why I’m on an airplane at this moment, heading to another event to remind people to make better choices so they will have a better life.

To have a better life now, you have to revive the power of your own hope – not hope in a system or hope in what others can do for you. I’m talking about the hope in yourself and what you can do to make America a better place to call home. Always remember that you should first look inward before you look outward; hope comes from what’s inside of you, not what people see on the outside.

Maybe, just maybe, what has happened to our economy is a way of reminding us that previous generations were not as individualistic as ours today. It is without a doubt that we live in a “ME-based” society, rather than a “WE-based” society. Generations before us understood that hopes and dreams were more for the family and society as a whole, rather than for their own personal success. Since everyone was together as a family, and no one lived apart from the family, values such as success were only sought for the entire family. How times have changed! Perhaps, we have been forcefully reminded that we can change for the better by learning from the past and embracing the new norm in our economy. The result is that we are better from the inside out.

The rest of this weeks posts will be about the steps necessary to “move forward”. Until then have a great day!

The Good Life Rules!

Bryan Dodge

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The Rewards of Submission

On June 23, 2010, In @ Home, @ Work, Relationships, By Bryan Dodge

This is perhaps one of the most challenging subject matters that I have ever written about. The reason I have not given up on addressing this subject is because I believe it is one of those “cutting edge” differences that separate success from failure and high achievers from average performers.

This subject is not a popular one, but I believe it is integral to one’s success. The reason it’s not popular is because it is a discipline. Every discipline has a corresponding freedom and benefit. The purpose of a discipline is the benefit. Our aim, e.g., freedom, assurance, or reward, is the benefit and not the discipline. The discipline is for realizing the greater good. This article is about submission. We don’t want to simply look at submission, but rather we want to realize the freedom or benefit it brings.

What freedom corresponds to submission? In my opinion, it is the ability to lay down the burden of always needing to get our own way. The obsession of demanding that we always get our way is one of the greatest hindrances in relationships. In the discipline of submission, we must release the matter from our own universe and forget about it. Frankly, most issues in life are not as big as they first appear in our psyche. We convince ourselves that a critical issue is at stake; usually it is not. This is what causes most “office politics” problems or hard feelings within an organization. Only in submission can we bring a self-serving spirit to a place where it no longer controls us. Only submission can free us sufficiently to enable us to distinguish between genuine issues and stubborn self- will.

Submission is an ethical theme. It is a position obligator that says: I value other people. I value my co-workers. I count others as good as or better than myself.

I hold others’ interests above my own. I always think well and highly of others. I look for the good in other people.

The real issue is the spirit of consideration and respect we have for each other.

By taking this approach, we enter into a new, wonderful, and glorious freedom – the freedom to give up our own rights for the good of others. For the first time, we can then accept people unconditionally. It means, we set ourselves free from the destructive anger and bitterness we feel when someone doesn’t act toward us the way we think they should. I once had a manager often encourage us to be cohesive when he was attempting to accomplish a team spirit around a project or deadline. I don’t know of a better way to gain cohesiveness than to practice the discipline of submission. The reward for good service, such as submitting to the needs of customers, will bring financial stability and longevity.

In conclusion, let me mention one more phenomenon that may be racing through your mind, and that is the matter of identity. Submission does not mean the loss of our identity, as one might think. The opposite is true; submission will exalt. Submission will catapult a person’s success faster than anything. An employee who serves well and submits to his employer will receive honors, favors, and promotions by that employer. A person who submits to a system will get promoted by that system. Submission, like all disciplines, will reward those who serve.

Frank Massine

Vice President, Dodge Development, Inc.

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Why We Must Connect With Others

On June 22, 2010, In @ Home, @ Work, Relationships, By Bryan Dodge

It is important to remember that we are human beings. And being human, it is important to realize that we are designed to connect with others. It is the separation of that design that removes the happiness and fulfillment that we all need. It is that connection that allows you to live The Good Life. It is not our calling to go about our lives focused only on what we do at work, and then try to fit our personal lives into the cracks of the day.

I truly have a passion for what I do, and I’m focused on my mission in life. I want to help build a better world by helping you build a better you, one person at a time. I want to THANK YOU for all that you have done to help me accomplish this goal. So many of you have supported me through all the years and you play an important role in my life. I’m very THANKFUL to have a special connection with you.

Our capacity for love, affection, warmth, and friendship are rich and reliable sources of human happiness. The key is to transform the “I” and “U” in our lives into “We.” Evolving our lives to a higher level allows us to cultivate a sense of belonging that brings rich rewards of human satisfaction, along with better physical, mental, and emotional health. The key is to connect with others.

Connecting with the human race helps to strengthen the wider community and is vital to building a better you.

The Good life Rules!

Bryan J. Dodge

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The Wisdom of King Bera

On June 17, 2010, In @ Home, @ Work, Relationships, By Bryan Dodge

I am sure if you asked one hundred people who King Bera is, there is a good chance that no one could tell you. The Bible is loaded with names of individuals and stories. It gives an account of King Bera in the 14th chapter of Genesis. The chapter begins with “Now war filled the land.” We’ll pick up this bit of history at the 14th chapter’s 8th verse:

“(8-13) But now the other army, that of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (Zoar), unsuccessfully attached Chedorlaomer and his allies as they were in the Sea Valley (four Kings against five). As it happened, the valley was full of asphalt pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some slipped into the pits. And the remainder fled to the mountains. Then the victors plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and carried off all their wealth and food, and went on their homeward way, taking with them Lot, Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom, and all he owned. One of the men who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was camping among the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite (brother of Eshcol and Aner; Abram’s allies).

“(14-16) When Abram learned that Lot had been captured, he called together the men born into his household, 318 of them in all, and chased after the retiring army as far as Dan. That night he successfully attached them and pursued the fleeting army to Hobah, north of Damascus, and recovered everything, the loot that had been taken, his relative Lot, and all of Lot’s possessions, including the women and other captives.

“(17-20) As Abram returned from his stick against Chedorlaomer and the other kings at the Valley of Shaveh (later called King’s Valley), the king of Sodom came out to meet him, and Melchizedek, the King of Salem (Jerusalem), who was a priest of the God of Highest Heaven, brought him bread and wine. Then Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:

“The blessing of the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth, be upon you, Abram: blessed be God, who has delivered your enemies over to you.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils.

(21) The King of Sodom told him, “Just give me back my people who were captured; keep for yourself the booty stolen from my city.”

The lesson learned here is highlighted in the last verse of this story in which King Bera speaks words of wisdom. He understood that true wealth is in people, not in things. King Bera didn’t care about the gold, jewelry, food, or other valuables looted from the cities. He did care about the people. In his wisdom, he knew that people are far more valuable than things. This is a principle that all leaders must keep in perspective.

Frank Massine
Vice President, Dodge Development, Inc.

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