I’ve always felt like my biggest problem was a never ending chase.

A chase to more.  A chase to being satisfied with myself.

It’s why I’m so vocal about my faith in God.

There’s just something about the presence of God that relaxes me.  It’s the only thing that keeps my mind from running and wanting more.

More accomplishments…

More money…

More recognition.

It’s a never ending process.

A couple months ago, I realized that it would NEVER be fulfilled.

When I get to a million, I’ll want 2.

When I get to a certain point in my career, I’ll need to get further.

I even started to worry about my future wife.  Whoever that girl is, will she be enough?

Will I want better?  Will she be hot enough?  Will she be smart enough?

I’m confident that I’m not the only one.  There have to be others that struggle with the same thing.

This past week, I finally figured out the root of the problem.

I’m addicted to the praise of other people.  I equate their praise with my self-worth.

Part of it is extreme competitiveness.  I hate to lose.  I hate when I’m not the best at everything (which I’m not even close).

But why do I still call my dad after a good round of golf?  Because I don’t approve, until he approves it.  My self-worth is determined on his praise.  I don’t even play for fun.  I play to be better than everyone in less than a couple years.  If I don’t play well, it doesn’t justify even playing.

It’s not like my dad isn’t encouraging.  He always is.  I just have an addiction to praise.

The funny thing is, criticism doesn’t bother me in the least bit.  If someone tells me I suck, it just motivates me more.

It just makes me want to tell them that I plan on dominating them in every aspect of life (that literally runs through my mind).

My Self-Worth Should be in God

As humans, we’re naturally apart from God.  It’s why we seek outside approval.  It’s why we’re always longing for more.

We’re orphans spiritually.  God is our Father.  It’s in our nature to feel like orphans until we’re placing our Identity in God.

That’s where I lack.  I still place my self-worth and identity, in the praise of other people.  It’s why I’m never satisfied.

My identity needs to be a child of God.  Not as a businessman, speaker, or athlete.

If that’s not where it’s placed, my feeling of wanting MORE will never be fulfilled.

I still plan to work hard, make as much money as possible, and achieve everything I’ve set out to do.

But it doesn’t define who I am.  

If you’re feeling like you’re missing something…there’s nothing this earth can offer.

Money, Recognition, Sex, Praise…..only provide temporary satisfaction.

Understanding that you’re a child of the Creator is the only thing that will fulfill you.

He says you’re…..

Justified, Chosen, Blameless, Redeemed, Confident, Bold, a Friend

and most of all……COMPLETE.  

As expected with the election tomorrow, I’ve seen several tweets and statuses about who Jesus would endorse.

I get it.  It’s a legitimate question for someone that is strong in their belief.

We all vote based on the values that we believe are important.

Here’s who I think Jesus would endorse…

Short answer….neither.

We need to remember that Jesus could not be confined “inside a box”.

He was the guy that would love the Prostitute unconditionally, then tell her to “Sin no more”.

He was the guy that molded 12 disciples to share His message, then would call the “religious Pharisees” Whores.

My point is, Jesus wouldn’t be taking sides.

I think it’s safe to say that Jesus would have been pro-life.  But I also think he wouldn’t have supported the death penalty.

The scriptures provide multiple examples.

At times, Jesus would have leaned towards socialism.

Other times, He would have endorsed capitalism.

We need to understand that both sides of the “economy” arguments are fueled by greed.

Honestly, I think He would have been laughing at us.

My point is…

When we demonize the other political party, it’s a slippery slope.

It could be considered legalism.  Exactly what the Pharisees were doing.

When we think someone is “bad” for voting the opposite way, that’s pride.

The Bible says that compared to Jesus, we’re all WICKED.

It’s tough…

I’m not trying to be Ghandi.

I sometimes look at a tweet that I disagree with and think, “Are they stupid?  They don’t have a clue.”

That’s wrong.

We need to remember, that this election is not about “being right”.

We don’t get a trophy or seat on God’s throne for picking the most “Christ-like candidate”.

Vote for who you most agree with.  Just don’t make it ultimate.

It’s about exercising the right that we have in America.

It’s about understanding how good we have it in the United States.

We live in the greatest country in the history of mankind!

My favorite sport to watch (BY FAR) is finally here!  Tonight is the opening night for many teams around the country.

This past summer, I made my NBA finals prediction, and was right.

I hope I’m right on this too.  The #1 is my favorite team.

Top 5

5.  Ohio State

Thad Matta teams are always good.  Sure they lost Jared Sullinger, but they still got a lot of firepower.  Deshaun Thomas, Preseason All-American,  returns to OSU.  The guy can wake up in the middle of the night and score 20.  Wouldn’t be shocked if he gets 40+ a couple times this year.

The Buckeyes also return one of the best point guards in the country.  Aaron Craft.  Expect him to score more than he has in his previous seasons in Columbus.

4. Michigan

When Trey Burke decided to return, IU fans like myself, got pissed.  Without him Michigan is still very good, but not a top 5 team.

They are not a one-man-show though.  An excellent freshman class that includes Glenn Robinson Jr. (son of former NBA star) is going to make a huge impact.  I saw Robinson Jr. in person this past spring, he is underrated at #11 by Rivals.  He’s gonna be a beast in the Big 10 this year.

3. Louisville

They made it to the Final Four last year and return several key players.  Anytime you return a pg of the caliber of Peyton Siva, you’ve got a great chance to win.

Oh yeah, they have a coach on the sidelines with a Ring.  As Coach Pitino teams always are, they’ll be extremely tough defensively.  If this team figures out how to score more consistently, they’ll definitely live up to a top 5 ranking and have a good chance to get back to the Final Four.

2. Kentucky

This is kind of a toss-up.  It’s a completely different team than last year.  But I’m not going to bet against Coach Calipari.  It’s no secret that I’m not a UK fan in the least bit.  Thanks to some loud-mouth UK fans that I like to call friends, I tend to root against them.

But to be fair, I think UK belongs here.  With a completely different team, it’s hard to tell.  Don’t compare them to last years team (best in a LONG time I think), but they’ll still be VERY good.

They’re super athletic.  They have two 7 footers.  Archie Goodwin is a machine.  Kyle Wiltjer is going to score in bunches.  Surprisingly, I think Calipari is extremely underrated as a COACH.  He gets attention for his recruiting, but he can coach.  He’s a master people-person and gets stars to play together.  His teams also always play lock-down defense.  That’s why I think they have a good chance to make it back to the Final Four.

1. Indiana

Call me bias all you want, but Indiana has the most complete team in the country.  This team will score….ALOT.  They returned the entire roster from a Sweet 16 team that scored 90pts against the Defensive Juggernaut that UK was last year

They have, in my opinion, the single best player in the country: Cody Zeller.  He’ll be anchoring the post, with a multitude of shooters around him.  Christian Watford, winner of the ESPY for Best Play, returns for his Senior season.  He’ll be playing to prove that he belongs in the 1st round of the NBA draft next year.  Victor Oladipo, one of the most underrated players in the country, will be the lock-down defender.  This team is deep.  Their 2nd five is very good.  Everything they were lacking, they picked up the off season   They needed a penetrating point guard and brought in Yogi Ferrell (you’ll know about him by March).  With Ferrell’s help, Sharpshooting Jordan Hulls will be freed up to do what he does best.  Hit 3′s at an incredible percentage.

Their only question mark is defense and rebounding.  Last year, they were not to championship level in these areas and will have to improve to live up to this #1 ranking.  Freshman: Jeremy Hollowell & Hanner Perea should help here too.

Barring any injuries, they’re the most complete team in the country.  IU is back.

Conclusion

Preseason rankings mean absolutely nothing.  But they’re fun to do.  Wouldn’t be shocked to see NC State, Kansas, and Michigan State have incredible seasons.   UCLA could also be a wildcard with their incredibly talented freshman class.

It’s going to be a great college basketball season!

*Pictures are not mine.  Credit to the photographers.

I heard a preacher on TV say last week…

“God’s promises are always yes”.

That exact phrase is correct.  When God promises something, it will ALWAYS happen.

But the context of the statement was incorrect.

Not only that, but misleading.

Let me first say, I hate to criticize preachers.  Mainly because the biggest problems inside of Christianity, are from Christians themselves.  We bicker about pointless things that have no eternal value.

Even if I disagree with someone’s interpretation of a verse, it doesn’t bother me.

The statement above though was different.  It was misleading.  It was a false “feel-good”.  God was being used as a “good-luck charm” to success.  I can’t stand that.

My point is….

What if YOU think God is promising something?

You prayed for years about it.

You believe it’s your God given destiny.

Maybe you “declared” words of hope about it every single morning.

You worked your butt off to make it happen.

But it didn’t happen.

What do you do then?

You may give up on God.

That’s why the statement from that preacher bothers me.  It can give a false sense of hope towards earthly success.  Especially if not said in the proper context.

If God doesn’t give you want you want, does He even care?

If your “dreams” or “promises” don’t happen….is God not what you thought?

Is He not real?

God promised that He would be with us.

He promised to give us a future and a hope.

He promised peace.

He said that all our needs would be supplied.

But…

We need to understand the difference between God’s promises and our own dreams.

Your dreams, though loved and cared for by God, may not be His promises.

Your prayers may not be in line with HIS will.

Sometimes He will say YES to your prayers.  Sometimes He will say NO.

Why?  Because He’s the Boss and we’re not.

He created us.

We’re not in charge.

I’ll give you this though….

Every time He’s ever said NO to what I thought He promised, everything turned out ok.

I’m thankful that He said NO.

He has always been smarter than me.  I’m actually glad He said NO.

If you’re chasing something right now, it may not turn out how you think it will.

It may not look like what you envisioned.

Don’t believe the lies and doubt.

God is who HE says HE is.

It will all make sense someday.

He is fighting for you.

You’ll have peace.

He’ll provide.

Keep grinding it out.

We NEED the Faith of a Sick Woman

We NEED the courage of a woman that was outlawed by society.

Yeah, you read that right.

We NEED the guts of a woman who had been sick for over a decade.

Who is this woman?

In Mark 5, Jesus is just “hustlin” everywhere.  He’s going around healing people, raising the dead, and casting out demons.

Naturally, it’s easy for us to overlook the COURAGE of a sick woman.

Background

At this time in history, sick people were not allowed in cities.  If you’re not familiar with the Bible, cities in the early AD years had walls around them.  If you had a disease, you didn’t have a choice.  You couldn’t live inside the walls.

This wasn’t a biblical law.  Just a part of the culture at that time.

If YOU were sick and went through the gates….

• People saw you
• You were seen as unclean
• You couldn’t touch anyone
• You stood out

“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years.  She had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.“

This lady had been sick for 12 years, but she heard Jesus was coming.  You see, the stories of Jesus were circulating.  He was performing miracles everywhere.

It would be like Team USA coming to your hometown for a scrimmage.  People would know.

But this lady didn’t need to see Lebron or Kobe.  She needed healed.

She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”  And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.  Mark: 27-29

She wasn’t even supposed to be inside the walls.  Not only that, Jesus was in the middle of a huge crowd. Getting to Jesus would have been like pushing your way to the front row of a concert.

Remember, she wasn’t supposed to touch anybody.

But she wanted to live through the power of God.  It was more important than tradition, culture, or outside opinions.

She had to break through EVERYTHING that she had been told her entire life.

She needed healed.

I want to live like the sick woman…

The EXACT MOMENT that the sick lady touched Jesus’s garment, she was healed.  So much so, that Jesus even felt the power leave him.

We need to be like her.  We need to live in God’s power.

Tradition says I should go to church on Sundays, memorize a few bible verses, and not cuss.  Our culture says I should get a corporate job, get married, and wait for retirement.

That’s not my purpose though…

I refuse to be defined by the things society says I should do.

I’m not called to raise a family at 24.  I’m not supposed to start climbing the corporate ladder.

I’m called to tell you about the God who is..

The ONLY thing that fulfills my hunger for more.

The ONLY thing that satisfies my anxiety and addiction for worldly success.

I have to go against tradition and what people may say.

I need to live in God’s power…

The power that has cleared a way for me my entire life.

The power that gave me another year with my grandpa.

I need to trust that He will provide.

I need to live like the sick woman. 

If you can realistically achieve your dream….

IT’S TOO SMALL! 

If you can achieve  it without God’s help….

IT’S TOO SMALL!

If your friends wouldn’t laugh…

IT’S TOO SMALL!

Joshua Nason (@JoshuaNason)

• Almost 9,000 Twitter followers
• Aspiring Christian Rapper
• Artist of Spoken Word – Citizen Saved
• Founder of the highly successful Twitter Accountability Groups

MiMi Atkins (@MiMiQAtkins)

 

• Almost 9,000 Twitter followers
• Author of Adventures in Rainbow Valley
• Educator and Sunday School teacher
• Working on Doctorate in International Education

Jimmy Vasquez (@That_One_Poet)

•  Almost 2,500 Twitter followers
• Spoken Word Artist
• Aspiring Worship Leader
• Author of Poetic Prayers (Coming Soon)

Michael Fear (@MichaelEFear)

• Almost 4,000 Twitter followers
• Founder of GetBetterToday.com (@GetBetterTday)
• Founder of #GetBetterTV
• Former Division 1 Baseball Player

Event Information:

Each guest speaker will talk for 5-10 minutes, then the floor will be open for questions.  This is a great chance to interact and ask whatever YOU want!

Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions – michael@getbettertoday.com

Remember….this event will take place at 8:30 PM (EST) / 5:30 PM (PST)

SEE YOU THERE!!

One of my favorite people to follow on Twitter is Gary Vaynerchuk.

He’s not only changed my business perspective, but also the way I view my future.

Why?

He’s a businessman that’s not behind the scenes.  He’s actually impacting people.

Not only that, but he’s worth ALOT of money.  I’m guessing it’s definitely over 100 million.  He’s where I WANT to be.  He’s accomplished things I want to accomplish!  

I NEED to learn from his experiences.  I want to #GetBetter.

This past week, I came across a ridiculous conversation he had with someone on Twitter.

Are you serious?  What a bozo! (he actually went on more)

Gary is worth over 100 million and you’re trying to tell him how to work?  First of all, if you have egg, you shouldn’t be allowed to disagree with anyone on Twitter (whole different topic).

I’m not saying what this guy said was technically wrong.  It wasn’t.  But he was trying to “excuse himself” for not working as hard or long as Gary.

Trust me, Gary didn’t get to 100 million+ by working stupid.  The dude knows how to work smart.

What can we learn?

If someone is where you wanna be, listen to them.  

Sure, maybe what you’re doing will make you successful.  But will it make you elite?

Will working until 6pm get you to 60 thousand?  Maybe.

Will it get you to 100 million?  Probably not.  It takes more.  That’s what Gary was saying.

If you wanna be great, you gotta do what the great ones do.  

You can disagree, but you’ll probably just end up with an egg picture too.

You’re naturally good at something.  Figure out what that is!

Kobe Bryant didn’t try to be a doctor.

Turned out well.  

Lady Gaga didn’t try to be like everyone else.

Turned out well.  

Justin Bieber didn’t worry about being the valedictorian.

Turned out well.  

Rob Dyrdek didn’t care about having a traditional office.

Turned out well.  

Dennis Rodman didn’t care about free-throws.

Turned out well.

Adam Dunn doesn’t try to hit for average.

Turned out well.  

Jesus didn’t try to be the most liked.

Turned out well.  (for us)

Get the point? 

Figure out what your strength is and become the BEST at it!