James Heidema Speaks

A new year and a new chance! Seize it! The end of December is a wonderful time to refocus your life and your business. But to do that you need to let go of all the old baggage you are carrying, so that you make room for the new. You are like a glass filled with water to the very top with your experiences, emotions, your cherished beliefs, etc. You need to empty yourself and let go to make room for new plans, ideas and attitudes. I am in the midst of doing exactly that. If I can at 65 can do it, you certainly can. Go for it!

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.

Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men.

Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression.

Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.

Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility."

— Bahá'u'lláh

A positive book on change - 5th book in a series
by James M. Heidema and Carol A. McKenzie

Next week the premiere event for financial advisors and agents takes place in Toronto, Canada. The top sellers in the world will be attending the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). I will be going to Toronto to have dinner with the top 40 MDRT qualifiers from Turkey. I have been doing a lot of work in Turkey over the past couple years and have become quite close to these people.

I am at home and will be until early July. This is the longest period I have been home in a long time. It is a struggle for me, for when I travel I am better organized and more productive. Regardless I am blessed with a good family and a few close local friends, plus some good international friends.

I have had a very busy past 6 months traveling and training all over the world. I am now at home and have been for 2 weeks. My next trip is in July. One of the topics I teach is the importance of finding balance in our lives. I discourage individuals from sacrificing their family and friends for their jobs. At this moment I am facing my own need for balance.