In 1881, Otto von Bismarck, the conservative minister-president of Prussia, presented a radical idea to the Reichstag: government-run financial support for older members of society. In other words, retirement.

It took eight years after the idea was presented, but by the end of the 1880s, the German government created a retirement system which provided for living citizens over the age of 70.

Since then, the idea that one only works until they reach a qualified age was set in the conscious of our culture.

Corporations, investment companies, insurance programs; all of these are built on the premise that one lives, works, retires, dies.

BUT WHAT IF…?

• What if one could live many years being productive and doing what they were born to do?

It is possible, and I have seen it!

Just a few weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing one of the worlds greatest singers perform here in Dallas. Frank Sinatra referred to this man as the greatest vocalist to ever live.

I am talking about none other than Tony Bennett.

Tony Bennett is 91 years old, and has been singing professionally since early 1946…more than 70 years!

How can someone at his age be SO passionate, SO inspired, SO engaged, and still SO committed to his craft after all these years?

He doesn’t need the money; he doesn’t need the notoriety; he doesn’t need the applause.

So why does he do it?

1. This is how I want to live my life

Tony Bennett is a living example of how to live life, love life, and make an impact on generations.

Find your passion and purpose and give yourself to it completely.

What you have, what you know, and what you are gifted in are all factors in the exact purpose you were created to fulfill and with benefit to the exact audience you were created to impact. Listen in as Brian shares more about influence, your role in the world, and how to pursue your purpose.

There is nothing that positions you as an authority or expert as effectively as being a published author.

You can launch your message, leverage your authority, and establish your position effectively and efficiently as a published author.

Then, if you choose, you can parlay that message into an expert platform using audio, video, and online systems expanding your reach and changing more lives.

Premise:

1. You have a message, a story, and cause that matters

If any or all of these are true, you should be at the Create.Publish.Profit. workshop on June 21st!

7 Reasons Why You Should Attend The Create.Publish.Profit Workshop

1. Your difference-making message is important and deserves a place in the printed/digital resource world.

1. Authored 2 books (third is on the way)

When you experience tragedy in your life, it can be a devastating experience for you during that time. It doesn’t, however, have to be the end result of that era of your life. What you’ve experienced and the pain you have gone through becomes your authority in that arena of life and can open more doors than it closed for you. Listen in today for a more in-depth discussion on how your pain IS your authority.

Have you ever considered that YOU have the capacity and potential to change the world or to make a substantive difference in people’s lives?

What does it mean to be a difference-maker?

What does it mean to affect your environment and culture?

That’s exactly what we’re talking about in today’s episode: Salt, Light, and Other Ways to Disrupt the Environment.

Our focus carried over from last week is influence.

We must be engaged in activities and causes that foster positive change around us. True transformation will only come when people like us decide to be the change we desire to see.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses some very powerful word pictures to describe our place in this world.

“Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others.

Salt is an ingredient, which when introduced to any dish, fundamentally changes the flavor of the food.

The environment cannot say to the salt, “I refuse to change”.

Unless the salt has lost its potency or unique value and quality…

In which case it will become good for nothing, and be walked all over by those who have asserted their agenda to bear.

How About The Light?

There is no darkness powerful enough to overcome light.

What’s the point of being light if you’re going to keep it hidden from the people who so desperately need it?

If you have a message or an answer that can light the path for someone, why would you not share it?

Light only has value if it is intentionally set up where people can see it

Salt only has value if it can be utilized to change an environment or situation.

You have the capacity to radically change your world.

If you think about it, both SALT and LIGHT are environment disruptors. That is what YOU are.

You know God has created you for greatness. You see the needs and hurts of people around you. You have something to offer!

You cannot give what you do not have. When you lack experience, your opinions don’t carry weight. But when you take what you’ve been through, what you know from your own experience, and what you’ve spent your life doing, and share that with the rest of the world, you present tangible, worthwhile solutions that won’t simply fix problems, but change the world! Listen in to find out more.

Have you ever considered YOU have the ability and potential to change the world or to make a substantive difference in people’s lives?

What does it mean to be a difference-maker?

What does it mean to affect your environment and culture?

Today we’re going to answer this question: What’s The Big Deal About Influence Anyway?

Let’s Start with a Primer on the 7 Spheres of Cultural Influence

They are:

1. Religion

Family:     Consider the groups that have shaped this area in the last 10 years. The term family has been completely re-defined, laws changed, gender neutralized, etc.

How did this happen?      INFLUENCE

Government:   Think about the current news, and how our nations are being transformed before our eyes. Principles and values that were the foundations for our culture have been eroded the point of no return.

How?        INFLUENCE

Education:        Many of our academic institutions are no longer laboratories for the development of potential. Rather, they have become the programming centers for contingencies of people hell-bent on erasing history and changing our cultural DNA.

Again … INFLUENCE

Arts/Entertainment:         Hollywood, Broadway, the music industry, sports industry, and even the online entertainment space have become cesspools of filth, activism, and agenda based programming. You cannot turn on a device without being told what to believe, how to think, what to wear, etc.

Again … INFLUENCE

Media/Communication:  Consider the news media, social media, and the thousands of pundits beaming their noise into every nook and cranny of our day.

Again … INFLUENCE

Business/Finance:   The entire world revolves around business, commerce, money, and market share. We need Godly, principle-centered business owners, board members, and entrepreneurs guiding and leading our nation.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see WHY our world is in such a mess.

It is simply a matter of influence.

SO, WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT INFLUENCE?

The big deal is that America, and other nations around the world, are in desperate need of great leaders, strong influencers, men and women of character and strength to STAND UP, take our place, and make a difference.

The very problems you complain about and grieve over are the problems YOU are called to and capable of solving.

You just have to get in the game!

I get asked nearly every week if people should take what they know and put it into book form. My answer to them is really another question: do you have a message to share? If the answer is “yes”, then so is my answer! Write the book! Listen to today’s episode to find out more about what writing a book can do, why you should consider it, and how to get started.

So much of what I do, teach, and communicate is built on a framework that I call The 4 Cornerstones for Strategic Living.

Anytime you want to build something that stands the test of time, you must first engineer and construct a foundation worth of the thing you propose to build on it.

So many people are pursuing their goals and dreams without having taken the time to inspect, or possibly re-engineer the foundation.

A while back, I had the honor of being a guest on one of my dear friend’s podcast, and we went deep on this subject

Ray Edwards is the founder of Ray Edwards International, and is a renowned expert in marketing, copywriting, and has authored numerous books, including his soon to be released book entitled “Permission to Prosper”, which I highly recommend.

Ray is one of the wisest, most insightful people I know, and this conversation was really clear and powerful.

I wanted to share that conversation with you today. Let’s go now to my interview on the Ray Edwards show.

• Living strategically takes purpose and intent a step further.

We are, from the time we are very young, conditioned to blend in and fit in with the masses. Don’t let yourself be discouraged from being unique and rising above the average and ordinary. You don’t have to be like everyone else to be successful. Listen in to learn more.