George Guzzardo of the LIFE Team

A CHARACTER DRIVEN LIFE

Orrin Woodward and the LIFE business places character development as the central focus by using the 8 F’s concept for personal development.  The 8 F’s represent categories that a person can work on to improve their character. Character development affects all areas of a person’s life and is the foundation of leadership.  The Greek word ‘charakter’ means enduring marks. It is such a critical subject that the founders of America felt that it’s people would require the virtue of ethical character for the republic to survive. In today’s world it is clear that character of leaders in government and corporate officials is suspect.  This subject is so important that Orrin Woodward wrote ‘Resolved 13 Resolutions for LIFE’ which will be the LIFE book of the month in November.  After reviewing much of his book, I feel it will be the best source to improve one’s character and thus one’s life when the principles in the book are applied.  Many of today’s problems would be solved and the world would be a better place when character development becomes the project.  Simply stated, “ the project is you.” 

 I believe there is a direct connection between character development and courage.  Courage directly affects the will, which becomes the one element that determines the result of a better character.  Our will must be strengthened.  The will can be strengthened by associating with the right role models.  People find gatherings like the Team leadership conventions helpful in strengthening their resolve.  This is helpful since there seems to be a prevailing hopelessness through out the Western world. People who are on a mission for self -improvement and who demonstrate progress give us hope.  Personal improvement also happens when there are reasons big enough to make changes. Leighton Ford said, “Centered in any great leader’s soul is a sense of transcendent purpose.”  Most great leaders believed they were working on a greater purpose than themselves.  This is tied to a sense of destiny.  

 J.R. Miller, the Christian author of over 100 books, said, “If we only had one chance in life, it would fare badly with most of us.  We do scarcely anything perfectly the first time we do it. Nearly always do we fail.”  Every human has a pattern as if being formed by a potter.  The ‘Butterfly Effect’ is a theory that refers to a minor change in circumstances that can cause a large change in outcomes.  It’s possible that if improvements are made to a person’s character it could have significant long-term effects on a person’s family, friends, fitness, finances, or faith.  This is what the LIFE business is all about.  No one starts or ends being perfect but by taking responsibility and becoming accountable for our actions, we can make progress and have significant long-term impact on ourselves and others.  

  We must remember that we are not robots but creatures of choice.   Russell N. Gough, professor of ethics and philosophy at Pepperdine University wrote,     “For Aristotle, the truest friendship is far more than mere companionship, mutual hobbies, and a common network of acquaintances.  Friends in the highest sense of the term are those who make conscientious effort to take ethics and personal character seriously and inspire each other to be better – in thought, in action, and in life. “  I think this defines exactly what is happening in the LIFE business lead by Orrin Woodward.  God Bless, George Guzzardo    

 

LIFE OPPORTUNITY; LEARNING ECONOMICS

Working with Orrin Woodward and the LIFE business has provided me the opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds.  It’s interesting that the wisest people always seem to make complex subjects simple to understand.  Through this business I’ve had the good fortune to widen my horizons in a variety of subjects within the 8 F’s categories.  Recently, I had searched through some of the writings from Warren T. Brookes and Ludwig Von Mises because their works were on the suggested reading list from Woodward and Brady’s 'Leadership and Liberty’ book.  Reading these materials caused me to reflect on why I thought the way I did and how I have changed some of my views on economics. 

When the country becomes polarized from the two party system, influence comes from other sources. For example, growing up in Chicago, I was part of the “Democratic machine”.  I was aligned with a political party.  This had a profound influence on my mind on other ways of thinking.  I thought in terms of a ‘party’ rather than ideas and principles.  How many of us can see how being aligned with this type of thinking could polarize the population today?  Gary Allen said,  “Suppose you were part of a football team that couldn’t agree as to what kind of defense they should put up against the offense?  If that were the case for say the Green Bay Packers, a sand lot team could beat them.” Oliver DeMille in his book ‘Freedom Shift’ suggests a rise of independent thinkers as part of the solution to polarization.  It also forces us to think on principle rather than position.  If the population won’t influence the direction that government takes, the government takes more influence.  

 According to the Communist Manifesto, three things are necessary to achieve a dictatorship:

1. Elimination of private property.  How many of us have seen the creeping changes in the real estate market over the last 10 years?
2. The dissolution of the Family unit.  Anyone notice the gradual changes on how the justice department has redefined the family?
3. Destruction of religion.  Marx called it the “opiate of the people”. 

 Because of my reading through the LIFE business materials like ‘The Creature from Jekyll Island’, I began to wonder just who were the ‘League of Just Men’ who hired Karl Marx to write the Communist Manifesto?  I asked the question, does it appear that we are being socialized in America?   If someone wanted to control the United States it seems that they would want power over the executive branch of the federal government.  This could lead to gradual government control over the nations manufacturing, commerce, finance, and transportation.  A monopoly could squeeze out all competition.  The Fifth plank of the communist manifesto reads, “Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital” or as Lenin said, “The establishment of a central bank was ninety percent of communizing a country.”   

 Thomas Jefferson wrote John Adams, “I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”  English Philosopher Thomas Hobbes said, “Freedom is government divided into small fragments.”  Woodrow Wilson said, “The History of liberty is a history of the limitation of government power, not the increase of it.”  Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  The opposite of absolute power is liberty.  Ludwig Von Mises was the leading influencer of the Austrian school of economics.   Mises said, “Each individual will act purposefully to attain his or her own personal goals and values.” This is the antithesis of the Keynesian school of economics, which teaches central government control and social engineering.   Will today’s individual act for more liberty or security?  Warren T. Brookes said, “We are now approaching a time where we will decide whether security or liberty are more important.”  Mises felt that a nation is more prosperous today, the fewer obstacles it has in the way of the spirit of free enterprise and private initiative.  He felt that Business would prosper only by serving the consumer with the best and most affordable products and services.  Entrepreneurs owe their wealth to those who patronize their business.  Mises also felt that capitalism provides many with the opportunity to display initiative.   Profit is the prize of successful deviation from customary types of procedures.  The individual is free to show what they can do in a better way than their competition.  The opposite of this is Keynesian economics where the central planners take control of the individual citizen’s initiative. .  This amounts to transfer of control from entrepreneur and small business to government and big banks who centralize credit controls.

 One of the best ways to put these ideas to the test is to join the LIFE Team leadership business system.  From this venture I’ve had the opportunity to learn how different entrepreneurs think.  In the beginning it wasn’t an easy decision to try something out of the ordinary but the ordinary wasn’t working so well.  I began to question just who where the molders of my opinions anyway?  Be aware of those who control public opinion.  For example, in Russia or China, the citizen is free only as long as they obey all the orders issued by their superiors.  The only offense comes when they don’t respond quickly enough.  In the East, no entrepreneurs could form because the populous was given the idea that wealth was the cause of poverty so no business flourished.  There was no public to encourage or patronize businesses, or innovators.  As Tacitus sadly observed, “Ruer in servituim.”  “They plunged into slavery.”

 I’ve had the opportunity to learn from Mises and Brookes.  Anyone wishing to get a primer on economics and learn why they think the way they do are encouraged to pick up a copy of ‘Leadership and Liberty’ by Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady.  Take advantage of your ability to read, listen and learn from great leaders like Orrin Woodward and LIFE.  God Bless, George Guzzardo