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The Importance Of Finding Your WHY

For this post, I wanted to get you started right on your journey to a new you. If you have decided that you want to be better off this time next year, this post will supply you with the main ingredient. I know that you have set your goals for the next year and written your plans. Now comes the question, “What is your WHY?” The importance of finding your WHY cannot be understated.

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The Importance Of Finding Your WHY

Today is your beginning. It is time to step out on the path, look up at the mountain, and begin your journey. You should be excited and keep that excitement throughout your journey. Enjoy it. It’s not always going to be as easy as the first day. This is why you have to answer that question, “What is your WHY?” Your WHY has to be yours. It has to be big and emotional.

Every January I reread, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In his book, Hill defines the 13 steps necessary to obtain wealth.  During the early 20th century, Hill spent 20 years interviewing 500 men of wealth. He discovered that each one had the same 13 traits. One of the traits that each man had was a “Definite Purpose.” This is your primary goal; what you want to accomplish in your lifetime. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie Hall had a definite purpose.

The Great Depression

The book was written during the Great Depression. It was one of the hardest times for the country. It was a time where most people struggled financially; many lost everything. What a lot of people don’t know is that few people became millionaires during this time. They didn’t let the circumstances affect them. They had a big WHY and a definite purpose.

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Created During The Great Depression

2020

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that life is life and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Circumstances can change very quickly. Life can either shine you up or grind you up. Don’t let the things you can’t control stop you from controlling the things you can. Two things that you have complete control over are your Attitude and Effort. If you don’t have a big WHY you will crumble at the first sign of adversity. A big WHY will push you and keep you focused on working on your plan.

Desire

Hill begins his book, Think and Grow Rich, with the first step; Desire. He says, “Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a burning desire to win, essential to success.” Here he is talking about your WHY. I ask you again, “What is your WHY in 2021?”

Do you know your definite purpose? If not, find one. If so, find that burning desire to achieve your definite purpose. It is only by knowing what you want to accomplish and desiring immensely to succeed, that you will bring about change. Find your WHY.  You can be a different person this time next year.

How Important Is Breathing

If I held your head underwater, your definite purpose would be to breathe. You would quickly develop a burning desire to fill your lungs with air. A big emotional WHY would develop; you want to live. Develop the same burning desire to achieve your goals as you had for air. Fight for your goals as you would fight for air. If you do this, nothing can stop you.

The question remains, “What do you want to accomplish this year?” Do you want to be living a different lifestyle this time next year? If so, “What is your WHY in 2021?” Do you understand the importance of finding your WHY? Find your definite purpose and develop a burning desire to achieve it. Get started today.

Cites

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https://unsplash.com/@mrthetrain

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Transitions To A Growth Mindset

Change is inevitable. You go through many transitions as you advance in life. There are some changes that you cannot control, for example, aging. You are all getting older by the minute. Other changes are completely under your control. A good example is your financial situation. By learning to control your thoughts, you can control your bank account. You have to go through different transitions before this is possible. These transitions to a growth mindset take time, but they are worth it.

Let’s Do Something Great Together!

Going Through Transitions

If you are happy with your current situation, whether that be financial, spiritual, or just life in general; great. God bless you and keep doing what you’re doing. If not, then you will have to go through transitions to a growth mindset to change. I have gone through many transitions in my life. They all have one thing in common. See if you can figure out what that is.

Transitioning To A Growth Mindset

I enjoyed my high school years. I was a popular student, part of athletic teams, and even was elected as a class officer. As good as those years were, I had to transition when I became a college student. Mentally, I had to destroy my high school life. I had to hang up my letter jacket and become a college student.

After graduating from college, I became an officer in the U.S. Army. Once again, I had to transition from a college student to an Army officer. I stored away my college life in my mind and immersed myself as a soldier.

DEA

After leaving the Army, I became a Special Agent with DEA. For me to become the best investigator I could be, I mentally left the soldier behind. I grew my hair long and stopped wearing military clothing. DEA was about conducting narcotics investigations and going undercover.

Many agents never accomplished this. They kept the military haircut and clothing. A lot ended up in training because it was a lot like the Army. It was their comfort zone and they didn’t want to leave it. They weren’t willing to destroy their old self in transition to a new one.

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The Hardest Transition

After 30 years, I had to make another transition into retirement. It was difficult, as I had to leave my career behind. My career was who I was. The daily social interaction and the excitement were what I missed most. I knew that I would have to put my DEA life in the memory bank and move on.

Opening businesses, I transitioned my mindset to that of a businessman. I destroyed my DEA self and that life became a memory. People ask if I miss it; my reply is always; no. Just like all the other times I transitioned, they were great while they were happening and I’ll always have fond memories. To grow, I had to move forward.

Destroy The Old

If you want to have a better life, you must destroy your old mindset. You will go through transitions to a growth mindset. It will be necessary to immerse yourself in your new life. Your old life might have been okay but you will need to give up your old habits completely.

It Isn’t Easy

Beginning to transition to a growth mindset isn’t easy. Your brain is wired for survival and will do everything to keep you in your comfort zone. It will always resist change. For this reason, the transition takes time. I know no one wants to hear that because we live in a fast-food society. You are used to getting your food right away or ordering from Amazon and getting what you ordered the next day.

These transitions to a growth mindset will require you to do a self-analysis. I wrote a post about negative traits which will stop you from growing. Look at yourself and see if you are holding on to any negative habits. One negative habit that will sabotage your efforts is gossip. Stop talking about other people.

Steps To A New You

To grow, you must transition from a poverty mindset to a mindset of abundance. You know you have a poverty mindset when you’re thinking about the negative things in your life. For example, your primary thoughts are your debt, toxic relationship, or your life situation.

To achieve a mindset of abundance, you will go through the process of change.

You will make a decision and commit to it.

See yourself as who you want to be, not as who you are.

Speak positive affirmations daily.

If you have negative thoughts, immediately began speaking and thinking the opposite thought.

Don’t expect immediate change.

After time you will see the transitions in your daily life.

You will begin believing in your new life.

Your belief will turn into faith.

You will never quit.

If you have any comments on transitions to a growth mindset, please reply to the comments section below. If you liked it, tap the like button. Consider following my site; many new things are coming at inspirechief.com

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I Was Changed For The Better

It’s a new year full of promises. My goals are set, and my plans are in place. Now it is time to put the work in as the journey to success begins. Seeds that I planted last year are beginning to emerge. All the work I put in last year will start to pay off. Everything I did in the past transformed me and I was changed for the better.

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Changed For The Better

I have to constantly remind myself to enjoy every step as the journey to success begins. One way I do this is to look back at my journey so far. I asked myself, “How did I get here?” I have always hated writing. In college and during my career with DEA. Even now as one of my sources of income depends on writing reports, I struggle with writing.

So why did I choose to start a blog in April 2020? Why would I want to put down my thoughts on paper when I never could stand writing. The only answer is divine inspiration. It is something I’m supposed to do. My entire life, I have been lead by divine inspiration. I believe that God has a purpose for me to fulfill, and writing seems to be a big part of that.

The Change Begins

Looking back at my life, I grew up as a shy child who lacked confidence. I never felt like I belonged and always looked at other people as better than me. Even though I had many successes, I would only focus on the failures. I was constantly looking at the negative things that went on in my life.

As I grew, I constantly found myself in situations that were outside of my comfort zone. These were always situations that I volunteered for, such as trying out for sports teams. I volunteered to join the military and parachute training even though I was scared of heights. I didn’t know how I kept finding myself in these situations. Even though I excelled in my training and was winning awards, I still lacked self-confidence. All of my achievements didn’t matter.

Cancer

In 2008, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and remember asking myself, “What have I done in my life?” Taking a look at my life, I added up all my achievements and my successes. I found peace because I had lived a full life. It is strange to say, but through cancer, I was changed for the better.

I also found my self-confidence, and I stopped caring about other people’s opinions. I focused on myself and began to notice all the “God winks” taking place daily. “God winks” are seemingly coincidental events that happen in our lives. Thinking about someone you haven’t heard from in a long time and they call you. This phone call eventually leads you to someone who becomes a great client.

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Inspiration

Fast forward to January 2020, when I became inspired to start an online business to help people. The thought that I needed to pass on lessons that I have learned throughout my life wouldn’t go away. I have learned so much about how the mind works by training and working alongside military special operations operatives. There were people in the world who needed to know what I have learned.

It was then that I started InspireChief.com and began doing the one thing that I hated more than anything, writing. I never learned how to type, so when I do, it’s with two fingers. Luckily, I found dictation software, and I don’t have to type, which saves me a lot of time.

Relationships

Through my journey to success, I began to enjoy blogging. I have built relationships with people throughout the world.  I enjoy cultivating these relationships the most. Relationships are important, and I started using social media to build more relationships. Through these wonderful relationships, I was changed.

Thank You

During my 30 year career with the military and DEA, I was told three times, “thank you,” by strangers. These two little words are powerful and gave me the energy to carry on the fight. In the last nine months, I have been thanked several times and told that my articles have helped people. Whenever I hear I have helped someone, it fills me with energy and keeps me going. Humans are not solitary people, we need interaction and relationships. Relationships need to be tended to so they can flourish. A simple comment like “thank you” goes a long way.

As the journey to success begins, I know I’m here today by divine intervention. I still receive “God winks” frequently. I know there’s more to do. My journey to success has been great, and I have enjoyed it. I was changed for the better. Make sure you enjoy yours and keep your eyes and ears open for your “God winks.”

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The Process Of Personal Development

When I first started learning about personal development I thought that I had to change immediately. I would listen to a speaker or a mentor who would tell me what I needed to do. Next, I would try to do everything they said right away. This meant dumping all of my old habits and becoming a new person overnight. Eventually, the result was a failure. I didn’t realize personal development is a process; the keyword is development. Change must be developed. The process of personal development takes time.

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Personal Development Is A Process

Once I realized personal development was a process it took a lot of pressure off of me. I gave myself time to develop good habits and replace my old ones. As time went by, I began to notice little differences in my life. I was in the process of personal development. Consequently, I began to feel better about myself and became more confident. Below are 10 steps I took in the process of my personal development.

  1. The Decision.
  2. Commitment.
  3. Write an Action Statement.
  4. Set Goals.
  5. Write a plan.
  6. Time Management.
  7. Positive Affirmations.
  8. Thought Control.
  9. Belief.
  10. Faith.

Begin Your Development

You begin with your decision to change. There are many different reasons why people decide to change their lifestyle. You might have realized that your habits are leading you down a path of destruction. Deciding to develop healthier habits will lead you to a happier lifestyle.

Unfortunately just making a decision is not enough. Most people who begin the process of personal development fail. The main reason is they didn’t commit. 75% of your success will be due to your commitment to your decision. Commitment means you will give your personal development time. You will not quit when you hit your first obstacle.

Your Statement

Writing an action statement is a key component in the process. First, write down what you are going to do. Second, why do you want to do it? Your WHY is a key element. Third, what are you going to give up, sleep, TV, social media, etc? No one gets something for nothing. Finally, when do you want it? Set a realistic date of when you want to obtain your desire.

Goals

Set goals and write them down. Make sure you have long-term goals, intermediate goals, and short-term or weekly goals. Your goals will keep you on track and you can monitor your progress. Write a plan on how you’re going to accomplish your goals. Don’t worry about the details. Your goals will lead you to discover how to accomplish them.

Manage your time. You have 1440 minutes every day. Set aside some time daily, once in the morning and once before you go to sleep, for you. Use this time to relax, journal, meditate and speak your action statement out loud.

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Verbalize

Speak positive affirmations every day. Write down several affirmations that are tailored to you and the person you want to become. Speak these out loud as many times as you can a day. Visualization and verbalization are important in the process of personal development. Through these techniques, you will change your paradigm.

Thought Control

Begin to control your thoughts. Your brain is putting out thoughts constantly, both positive and negative. Pay attention to your thoughts and change any negative thought to a positive one. Your thoughts will become your reality. See yourself as the person you want to become in the future. When you’re visualizing your future life make sure that it feels normal to you.

Belief

As you go through the process of personal development you will begin to develop belief. In the beginning, you might not believe that you can change. As you continue to go through the process your belief will become stronger. The more you speak your positive affirmations and visualize your future as if it is now the greater your belief will become.

Finally, Faith

Ultimately, your belief will turn into faith. Faith is the final step in the process because once you have faith you can never be stopped. If you experience failure, faith will help you begin again. Obstacles will become smaller and just a nuisance. Once you develop faith you will feel a calmness because you know you will succeed. It’s just a matter of time.

When you make your decision to change remember that personal development is a process. This process doesn’t happen immediately but occurs over time. Commit to your decision and you will begin to see positive changes in your personal development. Eventually, you will succeed and become the person you are meant to be.

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How To Be Happy With Yourself

In Episode 51 I talk about how to be happy with yourself. I want to talk about taking everything we did at the end of the last year and utilize it in the future. If you haven’t read my previous posts from the last few weeks, then I will encourage you to go back and read them. I talked about words you need to replace in your vocabulary, setting goals, and doing a self-analysis.

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You Can Be Happy With Yourself

For me, 2020 was a great year despite everything that went on in the world. Today I’m a different person than I was this time last year. I am excited about what the future brings. The possibilities are endless and the choice is yours on what you want to do with the next 365 days. I am set up better for the future because of everything I did at the end of 2020.

Commit

How to be happy with yourself? First, you can decide today how your life is going to be like a year from now. You just need to make the decision to change. The decision is not enough though. The most important part of making any decision is to make a commitment to that decision. Your commitment will get you through the difficult times.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions during this time. I have never made New Year’s resolutions. Most New Year’s resolutions made by people only last about two weeks. By January 15th they have already quit on them. The reason is that they never committed to their resolutions.

New Years Resolutions

Let’s take the gym for example. Before COVID, you could find me in the gym almost every morning. Many people make a resolution to lose weight and at the beginning of January, the gym becomes very crowded. Normally, I could go through my workouts without any interference but not at the beginning of January. I don’t like the crowds but I only have to put up with them for the first two weeks. By then, most people have quit because it got too hard and they didn’t commit.

Don’t Follow The Crowd

Now that we’re in 2021 don’t be like most people. Begin today working on a new you. Start carving out the life that you want to live and stop listening to the opinion of others. Read your goals and begin working on your plan. I’m a better person today because of the decision I made last year and the commitment I made to that decision. It wasn’t easy and in fact, it was very hard at times. Stretching my comfort zone was difficult and I wanted to quit several times.

Keep Working

I just kept working on my plan even on days that I didn’t want to. I kept speaking what I wanted and not what I had. Celebrating the small victories was a big help. I made productive use of each day and always moved forward. Some days I made giant leaps and others, small steps. When I fell I always fell forward. The most important thing I did was persevere by focusing on the WHY.

How to be happy with yourself? Go make the next year your year! You’ve made your decision and committed to that decision. Your goals are set and you have a solid plan. You have a WHY that is big and emotional. Hopefully, it scares you. You know nothing’s going to get in your way and you will overcome all obstacles. Persevere and NEVER QUIT!

Cites

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Qualities Of A Good Leader

Some people follow, others just get in the way, but leaders lead. No mission is accomplished without good leaders and leadership. Being a good leader is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart. Good leaders are few and far between. Many people are referred to as leaders yet exhibit no qualities of a good leader.

The supreme quality of leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Don’t follow the crowd. Let the crowd follow you.
~ Margaret Thatcher

Leadership is a choice, not a position.
~ Stephen Covey

Good Leader Qualities

You can be called a leader, but holding a title does not necessarily make you a good leader. A good leader is someone people will follow. They will perform above their abilities for that leader. Good leaders get subordinates to be better than their skill level. They build belief in people. If subordinates believe in their leader, they will begin to believe in their selves. Below are five qualities of a good leader.

  1. Humility
  2. Integrity
  3. Intelligence
  4. Innovation
  5. Decisive

The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.
~ Ronald Reagan

Good Leaders Are Humble

One of the first things I was taught, when I was training to be a military officer was to be humble. You have to take care of the troops. A good leader ensures that they take care of their subordinates. When addressing subordinates outside, the leader should always face the sun. A good leader is always first to arrive and the last to leave. They make sure all the subordinates’ needs are taken care of. Then they can take care of themselves.

Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.
~ Richard Branson

Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right thing.
~ Peter F. Drucker

Honesty

Another quality of a good leader is honesty and integrity. Lead by example and always do the right thing. The good leader stands up for what they believe. Telling the truth, no matter how dire the situation is, is paramount. I had a great leader tell me once, “Bad news never gets better with age.”

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Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or conclude you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.
~ Colin Powell

Educate

All good leaders are intelligent. They continue to read and educate themselves. Leaders are readers, and readers are leaders. A good leader develops his/her subordinates. They make sure the subordinates are prepared for the job, mission, etc. Even though it might be easier to perform a task themselves, they will delegate parts of the task to others. The delegation of tasks will develop leadership in others.

If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself, and the organization gets pulled up with you.
~ Indra Nooyi

Thinkers

Good leaders are innovative; they think outside the box. They keep an open mind and are always welcome to new ideas. The old ways of accomplishing the mission are not necessarily the best. They understand this concept. Leaders actively listen to everyone on their team.

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
~ Jack Welch

Never Waver

A good leader is always decisive. They never want to leave their team in limbo. They always make a decision even if it’s not a popular choice. Leaders listen to different ideas from their team and then make the final decision. The decision is always based on what is best for the group as a whole. Not all decisions are the right ones. If their decision was wrong and they take responsibility. They regroup, reevaluate, and make another decision. They always learn from their failures.

Great leaders can see the greatness in others when they can’t see it themselves and lead them to their highest potential they don’t even know.
~ Roy T. Bennett

These are only five qualities of a good leader. There are many more qualities of true leadership. If you would like to add a quality you admire, please do so in the comments section. If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to like and follow my blog. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my articles.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@capturedby_kiana

https://unsplash.com/@brookelark

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Conduct A SWOT Self-Analysis

I wrote this post back in December as we were closing out 2020. December is a great time to conduct an end-of-year SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) self-analysis. Truthfully, you can do a SWOT self-analysis at any time of the year, you don’t have to wait until December. Doing them quarterly is a great idea. Right now is a great time to do an end-of-year self-analysis.

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Conduct A SWOT Self-Analysis Frequently

I am going to give you a few ways to conduct a SWOT self-analysis. I conduct a SWOT self-analysis to take an inventory of my life. Looking at different aspects of my life to see where I became better, stayed the same, and where I’m worse off. Some of the areas that I look at are my goals, my plan, my education, and my expenses. In each area, I evaluate my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Your Goals

Since our goals are simply what we want they are easy to analyze. Did I accomplish them or not? Doing a SWOT self-analysis of your goals is crucial to set goals for next year. I break down my goals to make sure they were specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bounded. If I accomplish my goals easily, I know I need to set more challenging ones for next year. If I did not accomplish my goals, I want to find out why. Maybe I overestimated my abilities and set unattainable goals.

Your Plan

The next thing I do when conducting SWOT self-analysis is going over my plan. Accomplishing the goals I set for myself all depends on my plan. If the plan I had didn’t succeed then I need to change my plan. By analyzing my plan I don’t waste time doing things that didn’t achieve the results I expected. Achieving great results means my plan is working so I continue with the plan. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

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Education

I always like to go over my education. I look at courses I purchased, books I read, and people I listened to. Writing down what I learned, if anything, from these different educational tools, helps me to see if I’m on the right path. You can analyze what you learned about yourself, your business/career, and your relationship.

For me, education is important and I never want to stop learning. This analysis of my education also helps me to analyze my goals. For example, if I didn’t achieve a goal in my business but I learned some new marketing tactics then I know I’m on the right track. If you are failing, don’t beat yourself up. As long as you are learning and doing you’re on the right track. Everything you’ve done in the past is like sowing seeds that will begin to sprout soon.

Expenses

Finally, I analyze my expenses. I want to see where my money is going. Am I investing my money or spending my money? For my business, some of the things I look at are courses I purchased, marketing expenses, as well as apps and plug-ins. I want to see if they were worth it or not. By conducting this analysis of my expenses I get a good indication of my return on investment. I can then determine what expenses I cut and what I continue for next year.

Decide today where you want to be this time next year. Conduct a self-analysis and put together a winning plan for next year. Commit to working on this plan every day and you will be a different person a year from now

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Happy July 4th 2021

Happy July 4th, 2021. In celebration of Independence Day, here in the United States, To celebrate Independence Day, here in the United States, I am reposting the story of 56 inspirational men who made a decision that changed the world.

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Today, July 4th, we will celebrate one of the greatest decisions ever made when 56 men signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. Most people know the story of this famous document that gave birth and freedom to a nation. What they don’t know is the events that led up to such a monumental decision by these men. The power behind this decision was not to be taken lightly. Each man was signing his own death warrant if they failed.

March 5, 1770

Everything began with a battle on the streets of Boston on March 5, 1770. The colonists resented the presence of armed British soldiers patrolling the streets and openly threatening them. Infuriated, the colonists began hurling stones at the soldiers. This resulted in the commanding officer ordering his men to, “Fix bayonets and charge!” The battle resulted in many men being killed and injured. Because of the incident, the Provincial Assembly called a meeting to take definite action. During the meeting, John Hancock and Samuel Adams bravely declared that all British soldiers must be ejected from Boston.

Adams was selected by the members to speak to the Governor. He requested a meeting and demanded the withdrawal of troops. The request was granted and the troops were removed. Even without the troops, issues remained. Adams and Richard Henry Lee began communicating frequently by letter about their concerns for the people. Adams then conceived the idea to coordinate the efforts of the 13 colonies through a mutual exchange of correspondence.

Two Years Later

Two years later in March 1772, Adams presented a motion to the Assembly that a Correspondence Committee be established by the colonies. This was the beginning of the organization of a power that gives us the freedom we enjoy today. This Correspondence Committee constituted the first organized planning of the disgruntled Colonists. The Colonists had been conducting disorganized resistance similar to what took place in the city of Boston. However, their individual grievances had never before been consolidated.

The newly appointed Governor of Massachusetts sent a messenger to Adams in order to get him to cease his actions. The messenger, Colonel Fenton, told Adams that if he stopped his activities in opposition of the Crown, he would receive great personal advantages. On the other hand, if he did not cease he would be sent to England and be tried for treason. Adams made his decision instantly. He told Fenton that he had, a long time ago, made his peace with the King of Kings. Therefore, no bribe would make him abandon the righteous cause of his Country.

The First Continental Congress

When the Governor received Adams’ answer, he was enraged. He issued a pardon to all who would lay down their arms and return to being peaceful subjects of the King. This pardon applied to all subjects except for Adams and Hancock. Upon hearing this, they were forced to call a secret meeting of their followers and locked the doors. They said it was imperative that a Congress of the Colonists be formed. No man should leave until they had made their decision.

Objections, doubt, and fear were raised by the men in the room. Some questioned the wisdom of such a definite decision defying the Crown. Through the influence of their minds, Adams and Hancock convinced the others to agree. Arrangements were made for a meeting of the First Continental Congress, on September 5, 1774, in Philadelphia. This is a particularly important date. If this meeting were never held, there wouldn’t have been a signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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First Continental Congress

Richard Henry Lee

Before the first meeting was held, Thomas Jefferson published his work, “Summary View of the Rights of British America.” Shortly after it was published, he was informed by the representative of the Crown in Virginia that he was subject to prosecution for high treason. These were men of great fortitude. They lacked authority, military strength, or power. Still, they sat and deliberated the destiny of the colonies while under the threat of death.

They continued to meet at intervals for two years. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee made this motion: “Gentlemen, I make the motion that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states, that they be absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be totally dissolved.” The members continued to discuss the issue for days until Lee addressed the Assembly once again by saying, “Why still deliberate? Let this happy day give birth to an American Republic. Let her arise, not to devastate and to conquer, but to reestablish the reign of peace, and of law.”

Declaration Of Independence

Shortly thereafter, John Hancock established a committee, chaired by Jefferson, to draw up a Declaration of Independence. The document was written and when accepted by Congress, would mean death to every man who signed it should the colonies lose the inevitable war to follow. The original draft was read before Congress on June 28 and for several days it was discussed and altered. On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson read: “When in the course of human events it is necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of Nature, and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impelled them to the separation….”

A Death Warrant

After Jefferson had finished reading, the document was voted on, accepted, and signed by the fifty-six men. Each man knowing that he was staking his own life by making the decision to sign his name. The rest is history. Happy July 4th 2021! May God Bless America.

Works Citied:

“Chapter 8 – Decision.” Think and Grow Rich: the Complete Classic Text, by Napoleon Hill, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, pp. 203–213.