How to Make the Most at Work

Human nature is to magnify the small problems. The longer we stare at our problems, the bigger they look. If we’re not setting the tone for our day with a positive attitude right at the beginning, our circumstances will probably set the tone for us in a negative way.

One reason we feel bad about ourselves is because we complain. We dislike the traffic. We don’t like our jobs. Our boss is too stiff. Our co-workers are lazy. We feel unappreciated and so on and so forth. However, when we change our attitude, we can change our lives.

Let me give you some perspective. Think about the person who doesn’t have a car, a job, or a nice environment to work in. Think about the person who is battling a long-term disease. Think about a family who is going through a divorce or a foreclosure on their house. Even worse, they just lost their loved one to a dreaded disease.

People go through extreme difficulty every single day. While we complain and throw a fit over petty things, others are fighting life or death situations. Somebody would love to have your job, your health, your vehicle, your house, or your income.

Our lives gravitate towards our thoughts. What we constantly think about, we bring about. If you’re expecting clients to be demanding, they probably will be. If you’re planning to have a tough day, you probably will. On the contrary, if you believe that today you’ll hit that sales goal, you probably will. If you believe that you’re favored by the Power on High, you’ll be the most productive employee in the company. Whatever you believe, you’ll experience.

The famous Zig Zigar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Years ago, I worked at a nation-wide computer retail store. Most people there had a sour attitude at work. They didn’t like the management. They were offended at a customer. They complained about the constant change in the company policy. They had relationship problems at home and they brought it to work with them. I was going through a difficult phase in my life with some of my own personal problems. I was a sales person but very quickly I realized how blessed I was compared to those around me. I was in a negative environment but I didn’t allow the negativity to get in me. I began to reach out to my co-workers. I took time to listen to their frustrations. There was one guy who was struggling so I got lunch for two of us the whole time I was there. I prayed for them in the break room. Amazingly, I got promotion after promotion!

Don’t misunderstand me; I wasn’t perfect at all. Once, I stormed into my manager’s office and let him have several pieces of my mind. I took off my Christianity for a while and cussed him out. My manager was shocked! Half an hour later, when the Holy Spirit began to deal with me, I went back to my manager and asked him to forgive me. He was relieved!

I spent most of my time at work trying to help customers or co-workers. I became the go-to person with difficult customers or employees. I was the minister in the marketplace. As I helped others, my sales increased. I was making more on my off days than when I was present because the cashiers were putting sales through in my employee number. In a short time, I became one of the top performers in the company among thousands, winning all sorts of trophies, vacations, and awards. Change your attitude about work! Jesus said, “Give and you’ll receive.”

Today put on a sun-dried, lemon-fresh attitude. Wear a big smile – it says you’re open for business. Take the first step to make someone feel like a million dollars. Buy your co-worker a coffee or a lunch. Hum a praise song of God’s goodness in your life. Look at your family picture at your office and remember that because of you, their lives are blessed. Set your mind in the right direction first thing in the morning. You’re born to do great things. I speak blessing, focus, creativity, favor, increase, peace and prosperity in your life this week. Change your attitude and you’ll change your life. I’m praying for you!

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8 NLT).

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Dream Bigger Dreams

There’s something about big thinkers. The world is full of small thinkers because small thinking takes no effort. It’s those who have the audacity to think big that will change the world. I love being around big thinkers because they inspire others.

Our God, who created the vast universe, is a big thinker. Everything about God is lavish and expansive. It doesn’t cost us anything to have a large mindset. Big thoughts are free. If we can dare to dream it, most of the time we can achieve it. Today, I want to inspire you to dream bigger dreams for your business, career, and life. Small goals take small effort. God-size dreams require God Himself to work on our behalf.

Born into slavery in 1864, George had the odds stacked against him. At the age of twelve, he left home in pursuit of an education. The first college to accept him turned him away because he was black. Through perseverance and sheer determination, George not only finished college but he became an agricultural revolutionist.

One of the biggest money-makers in agriculture those days were cotton plantations. However, constant farming of cotton depleted the soil of its nutrients and would eventually kill the land and the farmer’s livelihood. George came up with the big idea of crop rotation. He proposed alternation between cotton and peanuts. The idea wasn’t easy to sell to the farmers. Once again, through hard work and tenacity, the idea took off. It was so effective that now they had to deal with a new problem — excessive peanuts. George knew he had to come up with a quick solution. Once again, he put on his “big thinking” hat on and within a week George invented dozens of smart solutions. From cooking oil to ink and of course, peanut butter, he went on to find 325 smart solutions. By 1938, tiny peanuts became a mighty 200 million dollar industry! Could it be that a little tweak in your business could bring about the same change?

What is interesting is that George Washington Carver was not motivated by money. He turned down today’s equivalent of one million dollars a year to work for Thomas Edison. He never aspired to amass a fortune or sell his discoveries. Success to him was a lifetime of service. He said, “It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.”

Too many professionals today are putting the cart before the horse. While there’s nothing wrong in wanting the best compensation for your services and products, it’s never going to be enough if we put making money as our ultimate goal. As a business owner or a professional, put in time to serve and treasures will find you.

This is what my young friend David did. He works for a multinational company here in DFW. Recently, he had to deal with an irate customer because his order wasn’t delivered on time. David, being a man of integrity, took matters in his own hands. He fought upper management and showed up at the customer’s doorstep with a car full of expensive equipment. David not only made a huge impression on the client but retained him as customer for life. It is service that begets success. What are your motives in business? If making money is your ultimate goal; you’re dreaming too small!

In the Bible (Luke 5:1-11), Jesus was teaching large crowds wherever he went. One day he was pressed between the multitude and the open sea. He saw Peter washing his nets by the shore. He asked if he could borrow his boat. Peter willingly agreed. Jesus is a gentleman. He’ll never put you through something without paying you back for it. Every time you honor God, He will honor you. Later, He asked Peter to cast his nets into the deep. Peter was a professional fisherman. He said, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so…” My friend, take time to listen to what God is saying about your business or career. Peter caught so many fish that his nets were breaking and he had to call for others to bring it all in. Let me ask you a question. Is your career or your business only a vehicle to make ends meet or are you glorifying God with your products and services? If you think big, toil hard, follow God’s Word, and put others first, you too will become big producer. God’s dream for you is bigger than your own dream for yourself. Agree with God and He’ll take you higher than you could ever imagine. I believe and declare that this week will be your best week of the year so far! I’m praying for you.

“When you get there, you will come to a secure people. The land is wide open to you. God will hand it over to you. It's a place where you will have everything you could want" (Judges 18:10 God’s Word).

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How to Sell to Anyone

Whether you realize it or not, everyone is selling something. Of course, none of us like being sold to, but the fact of the matter is, we’re always either buying or selling from each other.

Robert Stevenson said, “Anyone who sells a product, services or an idea is a salesperson.” For example, a mother sells her values to a child. The rewards are emotional and not monetary. As a minister, I “sell” the idea of Christianity to people who have not yet experienced Christ as their Lord and Savior. As a professional, when a person sells a solution, it is called a win-win because both parties end up gaining. The bigger the problem you solve the more profit you make!

Sales people often make the mistake of pushing their product. They’re eager for a quick gain but it’s not very effective in the long run. Always remember that people don’t buy products and services; they buy the experience of you. This is why it is so important to focus on building relationships and not so much on hard sales.

Be a better listener. You’ve heard the phrase, “If you’re telling, you’re not selling.” If you’re always dominating the conversation, you’re losing. It is far superior to learn the art of asking open-ended questions. I spent a lot of money and hundreds of hours watching interviews by Larry King on multiple DVDs because he could talk to anybody — presidents, film stars, celebrities, drunks, and crazy politicians! More accurately, he puts everyone at ease and they’re willing to share with him. Today, people compliment me as being a good listener. Why? It is because I take genuine interest in the person I’m in front of. This is what Jesus did. He took time to talk to ONE Samaritan woman by the well and the whole city came to know Him! Ask about the person, their family, values, and their lifestyle. The more they talk, the better educated you’ll be to provide a solution to their need. My banker friend Gale Wagner always says, “We’re interested in YOU and not just your money.” What a great way to add value to people!

Believe in yourself and your product. As a doctor, if you’re not going to give that medicine to your child, then it’s unethical to prescribe it to others. If you’re going to sell anything, you must believe in it. Recently, I was talking to a friend who needed to sell certain services to his constituency. He had been working hard but something was missing. I told him to share his passion with the people he was contacting and ask, with boldness, if they wanted to provide a solution to his cause. Within three days he had raised thousands of dollars for his mission. What was the difference? He added conviction to his cause. People see you as you see yourself. If they don’t see your faith, enthusiasm, and desire to help others, people won’t buy from you.

Don’t focus on the price, focus on value. You have no competition because there’s no one like you! Certainly, consumers want to buy the best and pay the least. But any sensible person knows that you get what you pay for. You have to find creative ways to add value to your customers. I know business owners who have full-time employees to answer the phone. Why is that? It is because human nature is to feel important. Nobody likes to talk to a machine. If you’re providing value, your customers will pay for your product.

Always do what is right for the customer. Once, my suitcase was lost during international travel. It was not a pleasant experience because the airline didn’t even know where my luggage was. Finally, the airline sent me a settlement check compensating me for my lost luggage. Only a couple of days after that, I got a phone call from a different airline in Mexico City (it was not my destination) saying they had found my lost suitcase. A few things were missing but I got my luggage back. Since I got most of my belongings back, I called the airline and asked them where I could send a check because they’d now overpaid for my lost items. They said, “Mr. Anderson, you can keep the whole check. We’re sorry for your inconvenience. We hope you will travel with us again.” Yes, I will. Why? It is because they did me right as a customer.

Friend, this week go out and believe that you can sell. Internally, you must see yourself closing a sale long before you talk to a customer. Talk less, listen more. People don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care. Believe in yourself, believe in your product,and most of all, believe in the favor of God. He wants to bless you so that you can be a blessing to the world. I’m praying for you!

"The LORD your God will then make you successful in everything you do. He will give you many children and numerous livestock, and he will cause your fields to produce abundant harvests, for the LORD will again delight in being good to you as he was to your ancestors” (Deuteronomy 30:9 NLT).

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You Have Abundant Supply

Often the enemy wants to remind us of what we don’t have, especially in our finances. Today, I want to remind you that in Christ, you have more than enough. But first, you have to say it and then you’ll see it. You cannot have a poor mouth and have a rich life. Wake up every day and say, “I’m blessed and highly favored.” This is how faith works!

God has hidden treasures that you do not know of. You have been responsible to pay your bills. You’ve been generous. You’ve helped others. You have planted your seeds in famine. He’s putting you in other people’s heart right now. Sales are going to go through and commission checks are coming to you. Expect a raise at your work. Strangers will want to be good to you and your children. You will inherit a fortune.

Did you know Jesus recognized and blessed people who served Him and supported His ministry? That’s you! “Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and villages, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities – Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Heord’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance” (Luke 8:1-3 NKJV).

These people helped God’s work on earth. You’ve done the same for your fellowmen, Build International Ministries, your church, friends and family. Today, I want to remind you that you’re the head and not the tail. You’re above lack and mediocrity. God has plenty in store to help you pay your bills and plenty leftover to impact the nations. Shake off the dust of condemnation and critical voices within. God looks at you with favor and approves of you. He remembers your sacrifices and the seeds you’ve planted in tears. Today, His face is turned toward you and His Hands are outstretched toward you. Will you receive His provision? He’s still Jehovah Jireh – the Lord our Provider. You don’t have to know how but rest assured He knows what you need and how to get it to you. Now give Him a shout of praise like you believe in His promises. God will not fail you my friend. Remember, you’re too blessed to be stressed. I’m praying for you.

“Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant" (Psalm 35:27 NAS).

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Add a Little Favor in Your Day

Rewards, promotions and satisfactions are great motivation to work hard, be creative and be productive. For many of us, our self-worth is deeply rooted into the work we do. W-O-R-K is one my favorite four-letter-words in the Bible. I believe part of our God given purpose in life is to work and not be lazy.

However, I know too many people who are trying too hard. We should never be slave to anything – not even work. Today I want us to consider a better approach to work. Have you ever tried to cook? You may have done everything right – applied exact temperature, put in the precise ingredients but food taste terrible simply because you forgot to add a little salt in your cooking.

This is how we often go about our business. We try to do everything within our own power. We use our connections, skills and exert our influence. It is good to do our due diligence but today I’m asking you to call in God’s favor in everything you do. This week, be more favor-minded. You’re His son/daughter. He wants to give you preferential treatment at work. One touch of God’s favor will turn everything to your advantage. When we trust God more than our own skill, we’ll experience a new level of peace and productivity like never before. Will you trust Him today? I know you will. I’m praying for you!

“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:3 NLT).

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How to Obtain Your Dream

We’ve all had dreams that once we believed in. Most people in life give up on their dreams because they encounter a setback or get hurt in the process of realizing the dream. Broken dreams are like gift wrapped boxes that never got opened.

We all know people who started with great dreams but somewhere along the way, they gave up on their journey. There are many reasons why people abort their dreams but none of them are good excuses to settle for mediocrity. Today we will discuss how to realize our dreams.

IMAGINATION is one of the most powerful tools God has given us. Yet, very few people stop long enough to use their imagination. The dictionary describes imagination as “the ability to imagine things that are not real: the ability to form a picture in your mind of something that you have not seen or experienced.” We create things into existence through our imagination.

In the beginning of history, people had gathered together to build a tower of Babel that would reach heaven. God said, “… nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do.” That’s the power of imagination! When we have the right mental picture of who we are and what we’re going to achieve, we will eventually bring about our dreams into reality. Take time to think and imagine how things can alter your life and others in the immediate future. The Bibles calls it faith!

The next step to appropriating our dream is our WILLINGNESS. I have met too many people, including myself, who say they want things to change but our action does not show it. Mark Twain said, “We can achieve what we can conceive and believe.” Unless our willingness is greater than our excuses we will not obtain our dreams. Anything worth having will require a fight. Focus more on your desire than on your doubt.

Jesus said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” It is not enough to have the right mental picture of your dream. With it we must also be able to pay the price. It is going to cost us something. When we are willing to put a plan in motion, then we will begin to see our dream unravel.

The third step of obtaining our dream is CONCENTRATION. Athletes do it all the time. This is our mental ability to focus on the task at hand. One way to maintain focus is to set goals on specific aspects of our dreams. For example, if your goal is to obtain your dream car, you have to first see yourself sitting in it. Learn what make or model of car you want. Set an achievable deadline for your purchase. Then you may want to go to a dealership and ask for expert advice. Later, you may want to go for a test drive to see how everything feels. Once you have taken these steps then you can make an educated decision to buy your dream car.

Focus on the reward not the pain. Jesus was the prime example. His purpose on earth was to redeem mankind. No matter how painful it was He never lost concentration. Even on the cross, He surrendered to God’s will. Jesus kept His eyes on the reward till the end. Joy, health, relationship, peace and prosperity will be yours if you keep your concentration and move forward.

Friend, this is your year! I declare that you will accomplish every dream God put in your heart. It may be something since you were a child. It could be dream that you have given up on. Remember, God never aborts a dream. If you dare to dream again, God is big enough to bring it pass. Let your imagination begin to soar. Commit to the process even though it’s painful. Concentrate on the task at hand. Divide up goals into priorities and bite-size pieces and then take action. When you dare to dream again, nobody can stand against you. Go for it dreamer. I believe in you!

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it” (I Corinthians 9:24 ESV).

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Four Keys to Abundant Life

As we come to the end of this year, it’s time to reflect what has happened and more importantly, why it has happened. While we can never go back to our past, we can take measures to ensure that our future looks bright.

Many people I know have thrown in their towel and are ready to move into the next year. However, the way we end something is how we enter into another. If it was a year to forget, we should consider why things went wrong. We shouldn’t feel guilty but make adjustments. Insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.

Jesus said, “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy but I have come so that you may have abundant life” (John 10:10). Let me share with you four keys that will produce abundant life.

1. Decide. Everything we are, everything we have is because of the decisions we made in the past. You’ve heard the expression, “What were you thinking?” Truth is, most of the time we’re not thinking when we made the dumb decisions. If we’re going to enjoy life, it is imperative that we learn to make good decisions. There are five major areas we have to make wise decisions - God, family, relationships, money and health. When you’re dealing with any of this, take extra time to hear God and do what His Word says. Take counsel. Wise decisions will produce wide harvest.

2. Be Diligent. I’ve met many people with wish-bone but only a few have any backbone. Unlike popular myth, God wants us all to do well in life. He gave us able body, mind and strength to think, pray, connect, work and do what we can. When we do our due diligence, God will play His part. I heard of a young man who wanted to work for a department store in the east. He wrote over 300 letters applying for a job. Not one replies! Finally he got all his savings together and bought a train ticket to New York. Upon arrival, he was spellbound! When he got to the building, the interviewer pointed to a stack of letters they had received from this young man. Baffled, the young man said, “Why didn’t you reply to my letters?” The interviewer said, “We knew you’d come!” Needless to say, the young man got hired and spent the rest of his life building a great company and making tremendous contribution. How diligent are you about doing the things God placed in your heart?

3. Declare. What we say demonstrate what we believe. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of heart, man speaks.” When we say thing that are contrary to God’s Word, we’re sabotaging our own future. It may feel good at the time but it will rob us. You can’t have a poor mouth and a rich life. You can’t always talk sickness and have health. You can’t talk lack and have abundance. You can’t talk defeat and expect victory. The Bible says, “Death and life is in the POWER of your tongue.” Notice we exert power over lives by the words we speak. God created the heavens and the earth by declaring His Word. We too can create our world by speaking positive, uplifting, kind, life-giving words about ourselves and of others. Faith works both ways of what we speak. You can speak faith for abundant or a defeated life. Change your words and it will change your world!

4. Be Determined. Our culture and society have conditioned us to give up anything that is hard or not fun. Always remember this, when you want something really bad, there will be oppositions. The enemy will fight you the hardest when you’re about to reap your harvest. You gotta be determined to outlast the enemy! If you have a big struggle, you have a big victory coming. Paul didn’t pray for all the problems to go away but he prayed that they will have strength to go through the difficult things. If you haven’t figured this out it, life’s a fight. You can fight to win or lose by default. I suggest you be determined and fight till the end because Jesus and I are praying for you!

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome” (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP).

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How to Increase Your Sales

You may not be directly involved in a sales job but all of us are selling ourselves. Whether we provide a service or a product or even peace of mind such as insurance, or a relationship - we all need to master the skills of sales.

I have many friends who have outstanding products but they’re sitting in the dark. Today, let’s discuss simple principles to jump-start your sales and bring you immediate increase.

First, the product! If you want great sale, you must have a great product. If the product is designed to provide a service or increase productivity then you have a valid commodity in hand. Know your product. Find out what it can do for people.

Market effectively. Big companies spend top dollars on advertisement for a reason – it works! How you market your product will determine how much it will sell. I have a friend who is very intelligent and has a great product to offer. However, his sales pitch is very confusing. He doesn’t have a clear presentation. Therefore, his business is struggling. If you want to increase your sales, you have to market the benefit of your products over and over with as many people as possible.

Build trust. Hoping to make a quick sale, many people make the mistake of pushing their product before building trust. We may succeed in making a quick sale here and there but if you want to build life-long customer base, then you have to invest time, effort and energy in your prospective customer. When we take the time to understand what the customer want and how to best serve that need, then we’ll have clients waiting on us.

Give a custom-made experience. Most successful businesses are those that are flexible. People don’t buy product or services; they buy the experience of you and your establishment. Recently, I was with my daughter Sabrina, buying breakfast in a cozy London restaurant. They had a long list of menu but I just wanted some eggs and hash brown. When I asked the waitress, she was more than willing to serve my request. It was delicious and I left a generous tip. The next day, we wanted to try a different restaurant. When we sat down I asked for the same breakfast. This time the response was, “We don’t have that on the menu; we don’t serve that.” I was taken back at the owner’s response and I almost wanted to leave. We’re the only people in the restaurant and I didn’t want to be rude. So we endured the unfriendly service. The difference between the two restaurants was vast in their attitude. One was there to serve and give us a custom-made experience while the other was just going through the motion. Guess where we ate breakfast the next day!

Be patient. A “no” for now is not “NO” forever. Customers are in the process of making decisions. Give people some time. In our recent missions trip to India, we’re driving to our meeting place when a young boy on the street approached my window to sell a banana. I like to help people but I also like to know their story. It wasn’t more than a minute when the youngster got tired of my questions. I had money in my hand ready to buy his bananas but he left! Soon we stopped to pay toll at a toll booth. Another young boy came trying to sell us corn. This young boy was hungry and he was patient. He started running beside our car when we took off. We stopped and gave him a day’s wage. The first boy got impatient but the second young man got blessed with hundred bananas!  What’s the point? Be patient. If your customers are not ready to buy right now, keep educating them about the benefits of your products and services. From time to time, go back to the “closed doors” and offer your services again. You’ll be amazed how your sales will increase!

Last but not the least; ask God for favor in your business. Bring God to work with you. He will open doors for you that no man can shut. You’re designed to have plenty. If you practice these simple principles, your sales will go off the roof.

“The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none” (Deuteronomy 28:12 NIV).

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