Kirk Taylor

Committed to Following Christ

Committed to Follow Christ

Hi, I'm Kirk Taylor, and I am committed to following Christ. My journey began before I came to my Church home. Everything changed in a single moment, ending the direction of the first forty-nine years of my life. This blog now focuses on my commitment to following Christ.

Little Bit of Faith Goes A long Way

Faith

Let's be real. My life has pretty much been a bullet train flying down the track, or a train wreck. Everything Changed in the last half of 2018. I gained a little bit of faith that goes a long way toward stability.

No matter what I did, I never really found the bedrock to stabilize my world. Now, I am secure in my decisions. I am no longer focused on choosing the ones that seam easy, but the tough ones that produce results.

Bedrock for a Little Bit of Faith

The bedrock of being able to have a little bit of faith is my growth in becoming a follower of Christ, not just a believer, or even a fan. There is no security or stability for me without being a follower.

That means that in my writing that you are going to find me sharing more about my faith and walk with Christ because it is a part of every day of my life. That means that some of you will quit reading what I write because you aren't a believer. I hope that is not the case, but we all have free will to choose and do what we want.

Some of you, who are questioning will keep reading, wanting to know more about what is changing me and my life. Maybe you have been searching, or even given up. I know that feeling as well.

What nailed the deal is my participation in Rooted in the last half of 2018. Just about the time of my previous post in this blog. Rooted changed me so much and changed my life to the point where incredible things are happening.

What's changed is I am learning to have a healthy relationship, and more importantly, others are feeding off my energy as a follower. They are growing in their relationships with others and more importantly with their relationship with Christ.

Little bit of Faith gives improvement everywhere

There is not a single area that is lacking significant improvement in my life. Everything from my most personal relationships to business transactions proves to be more comfortable. The ups and downs are smoothed out in the most challenging of times, and I now have so much joy to share in my life.

My Rooted ten-week class at Church is the foundation of the changes, and now I am about to embark on leading a group of others who are seeking to discover what I found in this incredible journey. I will be so excited to share my experiences as I continue to grow in my walk with Christ and you.

Have a wonderful day!

At Some Point, Excuses have to Stop

Marketing

There are those that are pro's at getting by, but at some point, excuses have to stop. I'm not scolding you; It's me that makes excuses that somehow get me through life.

The truth is, my reality is I barely graduated from high school. I didn't try to do well, I did not even enough, but got by because I would do things to swap for my grade. I traded doing the darkroom work for the yearbook in exchange for my English grade my senior year.

Making Excuses in High School

I read a couple of chapters in a class and was called on by my teacher(who is one of my friends on FaceBook) who knew I wasn't reading the book and lucked out because he asked the class what kind of car the Great Gatsby drove. Being a car guy, and just happening to read the chapter, I responded a Rolls Royce. My teacher also being car guy said I was wrong, it did not say, but I think he was so primed to say I was wrong, which prompted me to locate the paragraph and point it out.

But, my ability to get by is a talent that I am disappointed to say has worked well for me. Merely making excuses, and then using logic and troubleshooting talents to bail me out.

Now, I have committed to follow Christ, and excuses have to stop, They are no longer as prevalent as before, but from time to time, they happen.

Still, I hear many people who are Christians making excuses for not following God's Word which reflects poorly on those who either don't believe or are struggling to build their relationship with Christ.

At some point, excuses have to stop because we need to be an example for others around us.

Making Excuses in Celebrate Recovery

I admit that I have failed to write out my responses to questions in the Celebrate Recovery program that I am doing with others in my Church. Writing out our answers is not a requirement for participation, but having the responses made a significant impact when done.

Sunday, I joined in on the Rooted program, a series that lasts ten weeks. I received my book at 12:30, went to Starbuck's and worked on my daily work for the first week. I made it through three days worth, before attending the meeting. I realized how important it is to have my answers ready, and yet there were several who did not complete any of the days and had attended the previous week.

It is two days into the book for Week three work, and I am caught up. I know that by doing the daily reading and writing, I won make excuses because I am committed to doing the work necessary to get the full value of the program.

I've written about using Things, a task and objective tracking program on the Mac, which is helping me to stop making excuses in other areas of my life, but some influences lead to me making excuses. Those influences are not the fault of others, and they are my responsibility because I choose to divert from the work I have to complete. The key is, I “choose,” which means I have a choice, and I have to make better decisions.

Making better decisions, I will stop making excuses for things that shouldn't be excused.

Positive Influences are Necessary In Your Life

Motivation

Surrounding yourself with positive influences and behaviors is critical to entrepreneurial success. The people around you in your personal and professional life need to bring value to help you be all you can be.

Positive Influences that are Beyond Surface

Some people appear as positive influences, but are really a negative influence and continually challenge you with pointless activities to prove their value. The proof is in the result of their actions, not in their words. As you trust them more, it becomes harder to achieve great results.

The best thing you can do when you find one of these types is to shed them and move towards people who will help you achieve their goal and at the same time can benefit from your efforts.

I'm not saying you shouldn't give people a chance, as I've given hundreds of people an opportunity in my life, and wound up with incredible results from them and for them. They have something to prove and will do anything to achieve their goals. I love working with people who are humble.

On the other hand, if they think they are better than everyone else, you should realize that they are not going to help you achieve your dreams. They will instead tell you how great they are, but in the end, you go no place fast and end up doing damage control. Again, I want to be around people who are humble, and appreciate what they have in their life.

I'm embarrassed to say that there are times in my life that I have been full of pride and thought that I was invincible. I had lots of pride, but it wasn't because I was trying to be arrogant. Instead, I was building up my self-worth. That is typical of people who appear to have too much pride and tell people how great they are.

Positive Influences Shed Pride Leading to Self-Confidence

The best thing I have done to shed that pride, and thinking I am great is to strengthen my connection with God and put my trust in him. Self-confidence has improved and is at a healthy level, and I don't need to walk around telling people how great I am at certain activities, albeit sometimes I have prideful issues, but am quick to recognize when I should humble myself. Usually, I get a swat for my behavior during those times! LOL.

I've worked to help others who are too prideful by being an example for them, but in the end, I can't change them, they have to improve themselves, and it is out of my power to do so. We have to let go, and let God handle their development.

The best thing I can do is to keep working at being a better person than who I am today, and working hard, being more humble, and taking care of the business that God gives me. No need to be arrogant, and to change who I surround myself with, finding those who are also working on building a better life for themselves and others around them.

Positive Influences bring Peace and Happiness

I write this with nothing but love for all who are wanting to make changes in your life. You can surround yourself with positive influences that will help you become the kind of person you want and have peace and happiness in your life.

You don't have to struggle with low self-esteem, and you can show people what you are capable of without having to tell them how great you are. If you want to know how I am doing it, I will share with you. Drop me a note and ask me on my contact form, and I will give you the resources that I have used to have a happier and healthier life.

Have a fantastic day!

The Good Stuff – Are you Missing What is in Front of You?

Motivation

You have a vision of what you think your life should be but are you missing the good stuff? There's a lot more to life than what we have, or where we live, and our career path. Sometimes the “good stuff” is right in front of us, but we are too caught up in a vision that we drown what could be a wonderful life.

Missing the Good Stuff Chasing Some Wild Fantasy

Yes, it happens all the time. People are missing the good stuff while chasing some wild fantasy that isn't as great as we think. That is, we believe the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

When you get to the other side of the fence, you realize your grass could be every bit as green, and often even better than what we discover. There's sure to be weeds that we missed as we gazed towards what we think is so beautiful.

Sometimes, we are missing the good stuff because all we see are weeds while failing to see the fertile soil and foundation beneath those weeds. Say goodbye to the opportunity of a lifetime because we are so concerned about the surface and are unwilling to look deeper.

Even worse, we aren't willing to cultivate and take the time to create something beautiful because it is not up to the standards of others, and appearance is everything for many of us. Most all of us are guilty of this at least sometime in our lifetime, while others let their thoughts fester, failing to grasp onto something great.

Pay attention to what is in front of you. Don't be so superficial and miss out on the good stuff. Appreciate what you have, and learn to work at achieving what is right in your life. The weeds will, and the grass will grow rich if you work at the opportunities that exist in front of you. Who knows? Might you find extraordinary happiness in your life if you give it a chance!

Passion Drives You To Action

Marketing, Motivation

Passion drives you to action. It is the motivation that causes you to do things you wouldn't do if you are ambivalent. Get out of the same old routine and do what you love.

Can't afford what you like to do most? Why not write about it? Visualize your passion and let what you see drive you to action. Create new opportunities to work towards accomplishing your dreams.

Tell Your Story – Passion Drives You To Action

Tell people about your story and what you want to do. Affiliate Marketing will help monetize your writing with a blog. Insert links to Amazon, and signing up for other affiliate marketing networks so that you will start generating revenue through your site.

Right now is a great time to get started in Affiliate Marketing because the Christmas season is coming up, and that's the best time to have links into your content. Links to items that have to do with your passion, and you'll start making money from your writing.

Of course, you'll need to have links that include your affiliate information. Places like Amazon and ShareaSale provide the links for you. Just paste it into your content and watch it work for you.

If you need a blog, a great place to start is a self-hosted blog through WP Engine, the company that hosts my blog. You'll get a clean WordPress install. I can help you get your site up with the right child-theme and plugins for your website.

Best of all, no matter what your passion, setting up your blog is affordable allowing you to share your expertise with the world. Control your destiny and change your life.

Share your passion with the world, and soon enough you will be living life better than ever. The key is, while you are having fun, make sure you focus on running your blog as a business. Don't treat it as a hobby because you have to work at it to generate revenue.

Quit Dreaming and Get Started Today!

Standing at the top of the cliff Above Your Destination

Motivation

Do you ever feel like your standing at the top of the cliff, looking down at the place where you belong? You can't jump because it is too far, and you can't repel because you don't know how.

Distancing Yourself First – Standing at the Top of the Cliff

You are in the presence of the place you are supposed to be. Your standing at the top of the cliff. You can feel it, hear it and even taste what it is supposed to be. Still you cannot get any closer without first distancing yourself.

The path to reaching your destination, what you are so passionate about requires you to turn and walk away. To go far from your intended destination in what seems to be distancing yourself forever.

But, what seems like giving up is, in reality, the shortest route to getting to your destination. Nothing good can come until you take the path that seems so distant, which is actually the most direct and shortest route to what is most important.

Do you stand on the cliff, thinking about how you wish you could fly to where you are supposed to be or do you turn, walk away, and follow the path to where you should be now?

Instant Gratification – Standing at the Top of the Cliff

The instant gratification does not compare to a lifetime of happiness. We all try to repel or jump into the moment. How hard is it to take the route that requires a journey to get to our destination that will last a lifetime? Hard, very hard.

Some people are able to take the right path, while others choose to let fear hold them on the cliff. Then there are those of us who will take a while to let it sink in and ultimately start moving towards our destination by moving away from what we want most.

My life is there, I am now moving away from what I want in my life in order to get what I want. The journey is without knowing how close or far away I am trusting God that I am on the right path to reaching my destination.

Do you have a choice of taking a path that seemingly pulls you away from what seems so close? Are you willing to take the most direct route which moves you away from where you are going?

I never thought that this would be so difficult.