"THIS IS AMERICA, BY GOD!"

Pete Adkins, President of Transamerica Agency Network, is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He loves to use that 5-word expression, "This is America, by God!"

You too can use that powerful, uplifting 5-word statement as a tool to help you make 2013 the best year you've ever had!

By "Your Best Year" it means best in every way... physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually, with your loved ones and in your career, that whole ball of wax that you call your life. This should be your best year!

Pete Adkins leads thousands of insurance salespeople and managers, yet his job is a lot like yours... that of "problem solver." Yes, almost every working person's job is to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and be unstoppable.

Business owners have to figure out ways to grow their business, increase their customer service, compete with lower priced competitors, and hire, train and retain great team members.

The office support person has to figure out ways to get the work done correctly and on time.

Teachers and parents have the challenge of educating children, providing proper nutrition, keeping them safe and instilling wholesome core values.

Yes, almost everyone has to be a problem solver, and if you agree, here are two tools to assist you in solving some of those problems.

The first one you've seen and heard before. It's that Can of Success with the label that says: "Success Comes In Cans, Not In Cannots."

Since 1974 people who have attended my seminars or invested in my audio and video programs have gotten one of those cans. As of today, well over half a million of those cans sit on people's desks all across America and around the world.

If yours is in sight now, here's how to use it as the first step in problem solving.

When you're faced with the day-to-day challenges in your life, begin by looking at that can and asking yourself, "OK, self, based on this challenge I'm now facing, what CAN I do?"

"Oh, come on Joel," you say, "that's way too corny and simplistic in this high tech, nanosecond, mind-numbing world we live in."

No, it's not! Thinking in "cans" is exactly the mind-set direction you need in order to begin generating those brilliant solution-producing ideas.

The ordinary, frustrated, stressed-out person sees a challenge as a difficulty, an obstacle, and thinks, "Why me? This isn't fair!" Or "Come on, give me a break." That's quickly followed by, "I just can't do this stuff anymore."

Hey, stop! Stop thinking of what you can't do and start focusing on what you CAN do! Why? Because... "This is America, by God!"

And that's Step Two... use Pete Adkins' words to remind yourself that you're an American, and that America is special, unique, a nation founded in 1776 that has overcome problems from day one. Against all odds we gained our freedom from, at that time, the world's most powerful country, and for over 200 years we've been beating the odds because of people who think in CANS.

As you probably learned in grade school, the last four letters of "AMERICAN" spell out "I CAN" ... and yes, you CAN!

Some people say, "Oh come on, Joel, life's way too difficult today to be aided by corny, simplistic statements like I CAN and Success Comes In Cans."

Too tough? Too difficult? Hey, naysayers... at this very minute as I'm writing these words, I'm sitting at my desk in the middle of a barren wasteland called a desert, miles from water, surrounded by rugged mountains on ground that's too hard to plant anything in!

Oh, wait! That was what Scottsdale, Arizona used to be like before an American, Jack Swilling, with an "I CAN" attitude, decided to create a new agriculture area by bringing water to the desert.

Once he did that, Winfield Scott bought 620 acres for $2.50 per acre and began building a town that soon became a city... a city that now sells an acre of land for a million dollars! How did that happen? By saying "It can't be done? It won't work? It's impossible? It's too hard?" No! This is America, by God! And in America you can do amazing things! As an American, you know exactly what makes us special. Our creativity, ingenuity and productivity. Our generosity, freedom of religion, entrepreneurial spirit, the melting pot of races and cultures, and the sheer beauty of our land.

Yes, you can go on and on about why America is great... but is it great for you, right now? If it's not and those challenges, obstacles and problems have got you down, decide now to think in CANS and then take action, because... This is America, by God!

How about that last word of Pete's statement... God! Do you believe in God... a supreme being, more powerful and intelligent than man? Not everyone does. The American Atheistic Organization has 2200 members and thousands more who call themselves atheists. That's OK because... This is America, by God! And by most accounts, the vast majority of Americans do believe in God.

So if you do, add a powerful addition to "I CAN" and "This is America" ... because now you have God helping you solve your problems! Oh, what a powerful addition that can be in these challenging times!

Decide right now, this minute, to begin each battle you face with an "I CAN" attitude ... followed by "This is America" ... and then bring God with you!

You CAN make 2013 your best year ever!