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The Road Back

Written by: Jim Donovan

Article Overview: The road to success is often a bumpy ride

The Road Back

There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my parent’s not-so-large, five room apartment. I had, as they say, "run out of options." My life was out of control, way out. Had it not been for mom and dad’s willingness to let me stay with them, I would have been homeless living in Central Park or another one of New York City’s fine parks. Years of rampant excess had brought me to my knees.

I would lay awake at night, unable to sleep, pleading with God to help me. I prayed, begged and bargained for my life to change. I just wanted to get my life back on track for it had been years since I lived anything that resembled a "normal" life.

As they say, "We plan and God laughs." God’s plan for me was quite different from mine. God’s plan brought me to the detox ward of a local hospital, since He knew where the real problem lay. I remember sitting on the beat-up old couch on the second day, the day when one experiences the physical bottom of the detox and, with my arms reaching out, looking upward saying "Okay God, either take me or help me change." To be quite honest, at that moment, it didn’t much matter to me which, He chose. That fateful day was many years ago, and my life has never been the same from that moment on.

The hand of God reached directly into my life and changed my course from one of self-loathing and imminent death, to a life that is beyond my wildest dreams.

I began rebuilding my life, one day at a time and, some years later, started writing about the ideas and techniques that were helping me regain what I had lost and more. Little did I know where He was taking me next. From what began as a simple newsletter in 1991, I have since written several books, which were translated into seven languages and are read throughout the world. What an awesome feeling and honor it is for me to receive letters from people across the globe whose lives have become better as a result of reading something I wrote and acting on it.

Today I have a wonderful life, complete with a loving and supportive wife and beautiful home but, more importantly, today my life has purpose. Today I realize that the hand of God reached into my life so that I could share my message of hope and possibility to help others. Today I have the privilege of touching the lives of people throughout the world with my books and speaking and I am forever grateful that His will, not mine, was done.

Exercise:
Looking back over your own life, at what points did the Hand of God reach in and guide you?

How did that change the direction of your life?

Realizing that this guidance is always there for you, if you were God, looking at this person's (you) life, what would you change?

Ask for guidance and follow your intuition.

Jim Donovan is the author of "Handbook to a Happier Life," a motivational speaker and coach. A complimentary bonus e-book, articles and more are available from www.jimdonovan.com

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Re: I'm Back - Welcome Back! Hope you are doing great and looking forward to hearing from you.. Jude
Re: $8 website turns into a million-dollar empire - This is great inspiration for all of us. I would love for Ashley to come to the forum as well. Maybe give us the scoop on why she started and how she made it successful. Back to StumbleUpon. I also use it and find that I'm getting a decent amount of traffic from it. Alan
Show the Benefits - Offer a free test drive of the Product or Service with a Money Back Guarantee - Take the Risk out. This will help them make the decision but you have to work with them to realize it by explicitly state the benefits they are receiving.
Where to find angel Investors. - Back in 2001, I got a $25,000 investment from an angel investor, and it came from a very likely source... Family Member Sure I had an advantage because of relationship, but I didn't have to look very far. So the first place I would start looking is in your circle or extended circle of family and friends. If no one there has the funds that you need then I would recommend getting a list of the top business owners in your local area and pay them a visit with your pitch on point.
Re: 16 Year Old Entrepreneur - Wow! It's truly amazing what young people can do when they are given the tools to be plugged in and are enabled. Back when I was growing up, the internet was simply a NASA/university-only network that was never glorified the way we thought it would be today. Our options to publish anything, let alone a book would have been dismal at best. This guy's success speaks to the evolving world around us, and to the limitless options the new generations have.


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