Axiom 37: What is Your Legacy?

"Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day." -Billy Graham

Recently I watched an excellent documentary on the History Channel called, The Men Who Built America. This show is an absolute must watch for anyone interested in what it takes to become successful. It is a historical account of the great early American capitalists: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and a few others.

It was interesting to learn that as rich as the early American capitalists were they were also very generous with their charitable donations. Today we still often see their names even decades after their deaths. This brings up an interesting topic of what it means to have a legacy.

If you stop for a moment and ask yourself, "What do I want my legacy to be?", you might find that the answer probably has little or no relationship to money. We often get so caught up in tying money to success that we often overlook the bigger picture.

One day you'll be gone and what will remain? The memory of how much money you had in your bank account or the effect you had on the lives of others?

Now I know it sounds weird I am mentioning the success of early American business people while preaching that money is not important but hear me out. When it came down to it and these guys made their fortunes they then looked to see what good they could do in the world. They gave a lot of their money away and ultimately changed their legacy in the process.

So I ask you again, "What do you want your legacy to be?" It's not something that can be crafted in a few days, weeks, or months. It's something that takes your whole life to define. It is the sum of the work of your life, good and bad. It is the quality of your friendships, family, and actions. It is the one question you can answer that will help you align all goals underneath. The one question that will not be fulfilled until your last day.

Brew Your Own Beer

For most guys brewing beer at least once in their life is on their bucket list. After successfully completing my first couple batches of home brewed beer with the help of my brother-in-law I am here with a few tips and tricks for anyone that is thinking about giving it a try.

Tip #1 - Buy a Brew Book: Buy and at least skim through a good book on what it takes to brew your own beer. There is a great one called How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time

Tip #2 - Buy the Right Equipment: Brewing beer takes a little bit of upfront investment in good quality equipment. Don't cut corners on equipment to save money. If you're brewing your own beer just to save money from buying store bought beer keep in mind that it will take a while to make back your investment money. After you pay off the equipment you'll be able to brew good quality beer for around $.62 per 12oz, or cheaper, in ingredients. It helps if you can also find a good local home brew store to go to.

Tip #3 - Set Aside the Time to Do it Right - It takes about four hours to do the initial batch, and then two weeks later it will take another 4-6 hours to clean and bottle. The whole process takes about four weeks.

Tip #4 - Clean Everything Thoroughly - The main thing that can spoil a batch of beer is by not cleaning everything properly. Make sure that sanitation is your number one priority.

Tip #5 - Use Good Water - Good tasting water helps make good tasting beer.

Tip #6 - Take it Easy - Start off easy with a kit that has all the ingredients prepackaged along with a recipe. Once you get the hang of everything then you can try something a little harder.

Cheers!

Axiom 36: The Problem of You

"The way we see the problem is the problem." -Stephen Covey

"A problem is a chance for you to do your best." -Duke Ellington

A problem is an opportunity, not a setback. For too long people have blamed problems on others. I'm here today to tell you most of your problems are opportunities in disguise.

Everyone has troubles in life from time to time, but ultimately it is who you blame for those troubles and how you react to those troubles that defines your world.

Don't get me wrong - everyone deserves help when they're in trouble. The problem is when some people continuously blame other people instead of themselves for all of their life's woes. By blaming other people they give away control of the situation. It creates this perpetual mental state of negativity and misery. They instigate a continuous cycle of bad luck that they think they have no power over.  

For example - let's look at the mentality of someone who blames them self for an impending foreclosure versus someone who blames everyone else.

First, the person who identifies them self as the problem:

"It's my fault this foreclose happened. I should have put at least 20% down on the home so my payments were lower. I should have had six months of savings in the bank. I should have bought a house I knew I could afford. I'll try to find some temporary work I wouldn't normally do so I can try to pay my mortgage until I can get a job I really want again. However, if they foreclose my house I know what I need to know to keep this from happening again."

Now here is the person that blames everyone else as the problem:

"The bank and the government shouldn't have approved my home loan knowing I may not be able to afford it. It's their fault they didn't require a bigger down payment. Everyone deserves a home. It's in society's best interest to bail me out since they created this mess to begin with."

People that think they're being oppressed, people that feel they're entitled, people that believe in bad luck, they all tend to see the glass as half-empty. The people that view themselves in control of their problems view the glass as half-full. They're able to accept the blame and make constructive criticism against themselves.   

So the next time something bad happens blame yourself first for a change. Ask yourself what you could have done differently to avoid that situation. You'll learn more when you admit you're the problem, not someone else.