I’ve been helping people change their lives for 30+ years.

And I’ve realized that one of the most common reasons why people don’t change is because they wait for the perfect condition to change.

But that’s a recipe for staying the same.

One November morning, an overweight guy told me, “I really want to get healthy. I want to start walking one solid hour every morning.”

“Great,” I told him, “When will you start?”

“I just need to buy a new pair of rubber shoes,” he beamed, “and I’m good to go. I want to walk with those hi-tech rubber shoes with air cushions in their soles. Once I buy that, I’m ready to conquer the streets. Boy, am I excited!”

When I checked him out in December, he said, “Oh Bo, it’s the Christmas season. I’m just super busy now. You know, with all the shopping and late-night parties.  But I promise you Bo, when Christmas is over, I’ll really get to it. Nothing is going to stop me from my morning exercise!”

In the middle of January, I bumped into him. He said, “I’ve not been able to start yet. Gosh, there’s a huge backlog in the office. Let me clear that off first. And I’ll jump into my exercise program right away…”

When I talked to him in April, he said, “Summer is crazy, Bo. My kids taking painting classes and music classes, and I have to drive them to all these classes every day.  After the insanity of summer is over, I’m really going to start walking every morning. You just wait. I’ll be burning the road. I’ll be sweating like a horse. I’ll be losing pounds….”

When June rolled in, he said, “The kids are back in school. Let me just settle them, buy their books, their uniform, their notebooks, and I’ll reeeeeeeeally start my exercise program in the morning. I mean, I can’t wait to walk on the road. The moment I start, I won’t stop. That’s me. That’s my personality. I don’t want to start anything half-baked…”

When I checked on him in October, he said, “Oh Bo, Christmas season is starting early this year. Let me let Christmas season pass by and I’ll reeeeeeeeeally get started on my morning walk…”

This man will never start.

Do you want to know if you’ll succeed in life or not?

Simply ask this question: Will you excuse or execute…

Just Do It

Let me ask you: What change have you been postponing in your life? What new move have you been delaying, because the conditions aren’t perfect?

Perhaps you want to change your spiritual life.

Or you want to change your financial life.

       Or you want to change your family life.

       I urge you: Start now!

“Just do it” wasn’t invented by Nike.

2000 years age, Jesus said the same thing. He said, “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” (Matthew 21:28-31)

At the end of the day, intentions mean nothing without execution.

The Three Principles Of Execution

Do you want success in your life? Execute.

For me, execution means three things:

1. Start Now

2. Start Small

3. Start Again

1. Start Now

       One day, I was walking in a mall when a man approached me. He said, “Bo, I’m a big fan. I read your books. I watch your TV show. What I really want to do is attend the Feast.”

I said, “You’re very welcome. Come!”

He said, “Even when the Feast was at Camp Aguinaldo, I already wanted to attend it.” (Note: That’s what we call our weekly spiritual gathering.)

Huh? We were in Camp Aguinaldo centuries ago. During the stone age, before the ice age made the dinosaurs extinct.

He said, “And when you moved to Valle Verde, I wanted to attend there. And then you moved to PICC, I wanted to join there too. But I never was able to attend…”

“Why not?” I asked.

“I’m just fixing something in my life, Brother Bo. There’s something I’m repairing in my life. Once that’s fixed, I’ll start joining you every Sunday.”

       I told him, “Don’t fix it on your own. Just come to the Feast as you are, and let you and God fix what needs to be fixed together.”

Don’t wait for a perfect condition before you execute.

My Awful Book

I remember the first book I ever wrote in my life. I was 20 years old. The book was entitled, “When My Brook Runs Dry.” 

Honestly, it was awful.

When I read it now, I cringe. I feel so ashamed. I want to dig a hole in the ground and hide my head. My grammar was shameful. My use of adjectives and adverbs was utterly deplorable. 

       I never reprinted it.

Oh, there have been attempts. Some of my friends insisted that I republish the book, telling me that they’ll even pay for its reprinting. I want you to know they’re no longer my friends.

Just kidding.

But no matter how terrible that book is, that was how my writing ministry started. Today, I have written 25 bestselling books. And I wouldn’t be writing my 26th book now if I didn’t write my first “awful” book.

It’s the same with Kerygma magazine.

In 1990, we launched Kerygma.  Do you know what topic I wrote for our first issue?  “Hell”. It was very reader-friendly.

But because of that crazy start, we have 8 magazines today–blessing the world with God’s Love. And Kerygma remains the widest read inspirational magazine in the country.

Do you see a pattern? First things can be awful. But they open the path for the future.

Get Over The First Tabo

       A few decades ago, most Filipinos didn’t use showers.  The shower spout was a décor. Reason: Weak water pressure all over the city.

       So we used the dipper. Or tabo. 

       We also didn’t have water heaters. 

I remember the ordeals of cold mornings. When I took a bath, the first tabo of water was the most difficult.  After that, it gets easier.

My friend had this great idea. He told me, “Because the first tabo is the coldest, I simply throw it away…” (I have very weird friends.)

Haven’t you noticed? When we take a bath, we “just start”. 

We don’t hold the tabo and wait for it to warm. 

We simply grit our teeth and pour the first tabo of water on our bodies and scream, “Brrrrrrrrrr!”

Do you have a project? A dream? A plan?

Just start.

Real Artists Ship

Apple founder, Steve Jobs, said, “Real Artists ship.”

Artists are notorious for not delivering their masterpieces on time. Because they’re not in the mood, or they’re not satisfied with their work, or they’re still perfecting this or that detail. Artists are known for creating beautiful designs and concepts in their minds–but they fail to deliver to the customer on time.

But Steve Jobs says, “Then you’re not a real artist.” Because real artists ship real products to real customers.

One of the reasons why artists don’t ship? Insecurity. We’re afraid of what other people will say if they spot this or that error.

But let me twist Steve Job’s famous line: Real Artists serve.

If you’re after serving others instead of your ego, you’ll bring out your product to the world and let it bless others–even if it isn’t perfect.

Second, don’t wait for big things before you start…

2. Start Small

In other words, catch small fish before big fish.

I know of a man who everyone calls Mr. Billionaire. Not because he’s a billionaire. But because he always talks about the billion peso deals he’s making.

One day, he tells me, “Bo, I’m talking with some Japanese billionaires. They’re selling a prime property of 200 hectares for a malunggay factory.” Wow.

On another day, he tells me, “I’m brokering a deal with the Koreans. They want to invest 100 billion to start a herbal company.”  Amazing.

On another day, he tells me, “I’m talking with the people of Ramon Ang of San Miguel for a possible power plant in Mindanao.”

They’re very impressive projects. And after each conversation, he’ll always tell me, “Brother Bo, once this deal is finished, I’ll donate 25 million to your ministry.”

But sadly, I’ve been talking to the guy for 13 years, and not a single deal has been done.

In the meantime, his friends tell me, “Brother Bo, can you pray for our pal? He’s always broke. He’s renting a rundown apartment and he can’t even pay for it.”

What’s wrong with him? He’s not starting small. He’s trying to catch big fish before small fish. 

Before Steven Spielberg made E.T, Jaws, and Jurassic Park, he started as a 12-year-old kid making amateur movies about their family’s camping trip.

Before Manny Paquiao fought De la Hoya and Marquez, he fought struggling boxers like himself–and lost many times.

       Start small.

Here’s why: When you start, you’ll always make many mistakes. If you start small, you make small mistakes. But if you start big, you’ll make big mistakes. That’s very costly and painful.

       This even applies in ministry.

Jesus said, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

       God will use you in Jerusalem first. Later, He’ll expand your impact to the entire province of Judea and Samaria. After that, the entire world.

       Finally…

3. Start Again

I heard this inspiring story from Les Brown.

One day, two guys were retrenched. And these men went looking for new jobs–but the economy was so bad, there were no job openings.

One guy got discouraged, watched TV, drank beer, became toxic with his wife, and talked negative with his other negative unemployed friends, with topics such as…

“How the economy is going to the dogs.”

“How the rich are robbing us blind.”

“How politicians are destroying the country.”

But the second guy kept applying. But no matter what he did, he was still rejected. The most common reason they told him was, “You’re overqualified for the job.”

But he never gave up. He kept knocking on doors.

One day, in desperation, he said to the one of the bosses he was talking to, “Look, you don’t have to pay me. I just want to be useful.” 

The boss said, “Okay, but don’t expect me to pay you.” 

He came to work everyday. He was the first guy to come in and the last guy to leave.   Even if he wasn’t paid.

Four weeks later, the top manager quit. The owners looked for a replacement. And they remembered that they had this “volunteer” working in their office. They hired him–and that man now runs the company.

       Here’s the key to success: Don’t stop moving.

       When you start and fail, start again.

The old formula for success was Ready, Aim, Fire.

Today, we’re realizing that the real formula for success is Ready, Aim, Fire, Aim, Fire, Aim, Fire…

In other words, don’t aim for perfect execution but persistent execution.

Conclusion: Don’t Bury Your Dreams

I usually do my morning walk around my village.

But one day, I decided to take my morning walk in the cemetery beside our village. I love going there because it’s very quiet. And even if you run and make noise, the homeowners don’t complain.

While walking, I realized I was surrounded by thousands of tombs. But I wasn’t only surrounded by dead people. I was also surrounded by the tombs of dead dreams. Books that were never written. Songs that were not sung. Friendships that were not kindled. Businesses that were not launched. Ministries that were not started. 

Because people didn’t execute.

Remember our passage above?

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(Ecclesiastes 9:10)

       Friend, don’t let your dreams die with you.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

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