Today I want to read a question to you that came through on the blog. Rick asks, “We have the opportunity to create a passive income in the Amway business with network marketing. My question is this: When you decided to start in the real estate business, I expect you had a peace from our Lord before you moved forward. Does it matter what business you put your hand to as long as it’s honest, legal and that you have a peace about it?”

Well first of all Rick, I’d say that’s a tremendously stated question. One thing that applies in anything you’re going to do in life is to make sure there’s a peace and presence. For example, in the Old Testament, we know that there was a pillar of cloud that they followed by the day and a pillar of fire that they followed by night. As the cloud moved, they moved with it.

The analogy there is that when the peace or presence of God moves in your life, you follow it. Typically when you start going in a certain direction and you have a funny feeling inside you and something doesn’t feel quite right, that’s the time to slow down and stop. Anytime you’re making any moves, you want to find peace. And then the next step beyond peace would be as you journey forward into that endeavor, does a presence settle on it? Not only do you feel peace on it, but there’s presence there. That means things are working out.

Of course everything may not be perfect, and certainly there will be mistakes along the way.  But at least in the middle of those mistakes, you feel like you’re moving forward and you can sense the presence of the Lord in what you’re doing.

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@billyepperhart” display_mode=”box” remove_url=”true”]It is very important that in any kind of business endeavor, we look to find peace and presence. –Billy Epperhart[/tweetthis]My wife and I have made a commitment to each other in this time of life that no matter how good something looks (and I get pitched investments from around the world every day!), we won’t move unless there’s a peace and presence on it.

Whenever I look at the investments that people pitch to me, I look to find if there’s a peace in it. If there is a peace on it, then I move forward a bit to determine if it has presence on it. If I get into it and realize there’s no presence on it, it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t feel right, then I don’t go any further.

So getting back to your original question (does it matter what business?): No, it doesn’t. If you have a peace on your life, you typically go into business where you have the strongest core competencies and the strongest interest. It’s places where you usually have a stronger passion and know-how. There are times though where you feel good about a business that you don’t know anything about. In those cases, and really in all businesses, it’s about what you learn and how you grow in the process.

I see young people try their hand at business or retirees try a new business, and they both get disheartened. They say, “I tried that business stuff, and it’s too hard” or “I tried real estate and it doesn’t work.” They try it one time in a very isolated place without enjoying success, so they think it doesn’t work. But the point is, you have to experience noble failure. You have to be willing to get in the game and start playing. And I can tell you when you get in the game, you might strike out.  But sometimes you might hit a home run, and sometimes you just get a single.

Don’t quit every time you strike out. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Don’t get bitter, you get better. And the only difference between bitter and better is the letter “i”. That means that you are right in the middle of it, so you have to guard your heart and say, “Okay, I’m going to celebrate noble failure in my life as I get into this game.”

Then, say you get going down the road and have been in it for a while but things don’t seem to be working. There’s no peace and presence in what you’re doing. Don’t hesitate to change. Many of the people that are most successful are people who persevered because when they realized God wasn’t in what they’re doing, they turned on a dime and moved onto something else.

Learn to locate peace and presence and follow it. Keep yourself in a learning and growing mode so that when you go into a business of any kind, you’ll be learning.

Thanks for watching! We’ll see you right back here soon.

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