Cheers to GIN (using your alcohol of choice :)

Kevin Trudeau, one of the founders of the Global Information Network, may have a controversial past, but one thing is for sure: he has very powerful ideas about personal development. When a friend first introduced me to GIN I was not convinced that I could benefit from it. But in the course of a very rough personal patch that included the loss of some close friendships and the need to start over, I realized I needed to change what I was doing, which meant also changing what I was listening to.

Luckily for me, my friend was gently persistent and continued to e-mail me links that he thought might interest me. Eventually I started poking around the GIN web site as an affiliate, and I'm truly glad that I did. 

It turns out that the founders' high levels of wealth and business experience give them the credibility that a skeptic like me needed. After a lot of research, listening to the site's featured audios, and reading others' experiences, I feel confident in saying that GIN is a professional organization created by some of the most brilliant business minds in the world. They dedicate their time to providing resources and knowledge that enable people to improve their professional lives and achieve their dreams. Many of the speakers' messages are very powerful. Some might even hurt to listen to the first few times, or even get you angry, because they are real. They are designed to wake you up from "auto pilot," and pull you out of the "rat race," where a lot of us Americans are stuck.   

One of the most inspiring messages that I've gotten from GIN so far is that the successful are no smarter than the average person, nor did they start with more money or some other type of advantage.  

They simply chose to think a different way. They dared to dream, and dream specifically. They found the burning desire that motivated them to do things that they hadn't dared do before, even if that meant moving out of their comfort zone. After all, we can't expect things in our lives to change, if we are not willing to change things in our lives.

I don't know about you, but I desire a purpose-driven life in which I develop all of my skills and talents not just for my own benefit, but for the greater good. GIN has reminded me that this is more than obtainable. It also made me feel at peace with the right, although very difficult, choice in leaving certain friendships behind. If someone is not contributing to your growth, then they are holding it back. It is better, I now believe, to have only 5 real friends who care about your happiness, than to have 20 who care only for how you can contribute to theirs.

It is a beautiful feeling to be uniquely blessed with friends to love. I am so excited to attend my first GIN event in Las Vegas this Spring. From what other members have said, the events are truly life-changing. I would love to have you as a guest (as long as you're someone I like :P)

Good night everyone. Thanks for all your support last year and for coming back to the New Year's blog. All comments are encourage!