A Personal Note From Eddie
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then,
is not an act, but a habit!”
-Aristotle
I couldn’t agree with Aristotle more when it comes to achieving your goals and creating success! There’s an old saying, “Repetition is the mother of skill,” meaning that in order to improve or increase your performance, whether personally, professionally or financially, you must continuously and consistently practice the RIGHT HABITS!
Studies indicate that it takes approximately 21-30 days to create a new habit. This means that if you want to change or create a belief in your mind, it should become a natural habit after practicing it for 21-30 days. This works for bad habits or good habits.
John Dryden said, “We first make our habits and then our habits make us!”
One of the goo
d habits I’ve consistently practiced over the last few years that has allowed me to achieve many goals, is reading or listening to the Word daily. Sometimes it’s only one scripture, sometimes I read a whole chapter or more. Sometimes I just listen to recorded teachings. But I force myself to get into the Word daily! This one habit alone has given me profound blessings in my life.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures {how often?} daily, whether those things were so.
Acts 17:11
Another habit I have formed is praying every day.
I took a Dale Carnegie class a long time ago and one of the things we learned was how to have a better memory. You do this by using “Memory Pegs”. Different points of differentiation that jog your memory.
You have a Limiting Factor
“Our minds are lazier than our bodies.”
– Francois, Duc de La Rochefouchauld, 1613-1680
I’m going to say something obvious, profound and slightly demeaning…
You have a limiting factor in your life that’s holding you back…guaranteed!
A limiting factor may be a habit, a preferred chemical, a physical trait or an attitude or belief that hinders your advancement, your happiness, your future.
Dr. Stephen R. Covey in his classic book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” referred to our unique human endowments. One of those endowments is the fact we are responsible human beings. We have the unique privilege of choosing our response to any given situation. We are Response-Able beings! A dog on the other hand, has no space between stimulus and response. Fight, flight or freeze is the only option if you slap a dog. A human an the other hand can choose a different response, they could laugh or they could turn the other cheek or simply do nothing at all.
Once a year… sometimes more, I check my ruts. I question those activities that I do habitually. One of those ritual activities is hitting the snooze button. I’m sure I’m not alone but more often than not I hit the snooze button… a couple, few times. This is actually a fairly new rut… I used to never do this. I have friends that “snooze it” for an hour or so. This is a limiting factor. It has absolutely no value. If you can relate with this, starting tomorrow, vow to remove this rut. We have a couple options. 1.) Set your alarm later, the time you actually do get up. But then NO snooze… this will give you an extra 10 minutes to an hour of uninterrupted sleep. 2.) Get up when the alarm first goes off. This will give you time to read or exercise, which is much better use of your time. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve used my “snooze time” to work out. Though I haven’t been perfect nor has it been easy, (a secret is to put the alarm across the room or do what’s in the photo above). I feel more energized than I have felt in several years… I also found that I actually feel less tired throughout the day.
What is one of your limiting factors? Do you spend too much time watching TV or on Facebook? Do you habitually have a weakness for junk food? Procrastination? Do you habitually complain, compare, or are you consistently sad or mad? These are all limiting factors that will hold you back from being the best disciple you can be.
Once we truly get honest with ourselves it will be obvious what the limiting factors are in our lives. It is our job as Prosperous Christians and responseABLE human beings to change these bad ruts and better our lives. It’s actually a command.
To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
-Ephesians 4:42-44
The good news is, most of us are not so far gone that we need professional help to get us out of our ruts. We just need to identify them and then use our unique human endowment and implement our action plan for change.
“Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they always have been done.”
– Dr. Rudolph Flesch
Each of us already know the right answers for success. We just need to force ourselves to hear the question, renew our minds to the Word and take action!
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfe
ct, will of God.
-Romans 12:2
Testimony of a Prosperous Christian
Sandy Sansing
Sandy Sansing has been in the auto business since 1986 and currently owns seven successful dealerships. In addition to his business background, Sansing has a long history of community
involvement including the sponsorship of over 55 baseball teams in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, and partnerships with local non-profit organizations and schools. Sandy is the past Chairman of the Greater Pensacola Chamber and the Current Vice Chair of the national Fellowship of Christian Athletes. 
A native of Pensacola, Sansing graduated from PJC and the University of West Florida earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting.
Q: When did you become a Christian?
A: Summer in between my Junior and Senior year I was at a youth Church camp and I was asked to make a commitment. I chose to live for Christ.
Q. How does God continue to prosper you today in all categories?
A: You have to put God first in your everyday life. Ask the WWJD when you come to crossroads and then you have to make a call. This has gotten me through some tough times.
Q: What are your favorite verses?
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. -Luke 12:48
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. -James 1:17
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. -Matthew 6:33
For more information on Mr. Sansing call his assistant Lisa @
475-2905 or go to www.sandysansing.com
