Joel Osteen - Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day

Your Best Life Now

The names and identifying details of some individuals mentioned in this book have been changed.

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Copyright 2007 by Joel Osteen

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osteen, Joel.
Become a better you: 7 keys to improving your life every day / Joel Osteen.1st Free
Press hardcover ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Self-actualization (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity.
2. Christian life. I. Title.
BV4598.2.O86 2007
248.4dc22 2007020823
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-7155-1
ISBN-10: 1-4165-7155-8

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Thanks for believing in me and inspiring me to greater things. Your love, friendship, and your kind, gentle spirit make living with you each day a gift. I would not be who I am without the seeds you have sown in my life.

I respect you, admire you, and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together.

Thanks for being such an incredible son! You are kind, respectful, and have a great sense of humor. You amaze me with your wisdom, your insight, and your talent. I treasure the time we share together. You are going to make a significant impact on our world. I am proud to call you my son.

You are not only beautiful on the outside, but you are beautiful on the inside. You have such a tender heart, filled with kindness and compassion. You are smart and funny, and have a voice like an angel. When you sing, we feel Gods love. I am proud of you and I will always be your number one fan!

W riting a book is a bit like gathering some raw materials and through an extensive refining process, shaping them into a finely tuned, high performance automobileit takes a great team of skilled and dedicated people to see a concept, and then turn it into reality. Ive been blessed to have just such a team working with me on Become a Better You, and I appreciate each person who has contributed.

First, I want to thank the many people who have poured spiritual wisdom into my life. Growing up in a pastors home as I did, I was privileged to meet and talk with a wide variety of world-changers, individuals from around the world, ministers and their families, men and women who wanted their lives to count, to make a difference, and who believed that our best days were still ahead of us. Many of the people who visited with us or ministered to our community were humorous and interesting, and all possessed a wide repertoire of incredibly fascinating stories, laced with life principles and truth. To them, along with my mother and father, I am grateful for laying the strong foundations on which much that I do today is built.

Next, I want to thank the many great authors and speakers whose books and audio messages have helped shape my life, as well. These mentors built the infrastructure, and contributed greatly to my continuing education, and I thank each one for the investment you have made in me. With every life that is touched through my books, speaking, audio or video ministries, you share the credit; any success I have known, and any eternal impact I may have is part of your legacy.

Special thanks to Carolyn Reidy, Dominick Anfuso, and Martha Levin of Simon & Schuster, for believing in this project and for going the extra mile to make sure it happened. Thanks, too, to Jason Madding, for a great cover design.

I am immensely grateful to Jan Miller and Shannon Marven, of Dupree/Miller, who caught the vision for what could be, and then patiently oversaw all our negotiations.

Special thanks to collaborator Ken Abraham, who provided key editorial assistance as well as valuable insights and perspectives to my material.

Thanks also to the Lakewood Church familythe thousands of faithful who attend each week as well as the those who watch our services on television, the internet, pod casts, or who listen on radio. Im so grateful to the devoted staff of Lakewood Church, for facilitating much of the research and logistical details involved with this project. Michelle Trevino, my executive assistant, coordinated so many important aspects of the book-writing process. Paul Osteen, Kevin Comes, Don Iloff, and Duncan Doddsmy inner circle of mighty mendeserve great credit. These men smoothly manage the myriad aspects of the ministry while allowing me to do what I do best.

Heartfelt thanks to my mom, Dodie Osteen, who loves me, prays for me, and always encourages me. And to Georgine Iloff, the best mother-in-law a man could ever want! Thanks to my sister, Lisa Comes, whose excellence and integrity inspire me; to Gary and April Simons of High Point Church and Jim and Tamara Graff of Faith Family Church, my sisters and brothers-in-law. God has richly blessed me through each of you. Last, but certainly not least, thanks to my sisters-in-law, Jackelyn Iloff and Jennifer Osteen, for your constant support and encouragement.

W hether life is going well for you or collapsing right before your eyes, we all want to be better. We want to be more effective in our lives. We want to know God better; we want to be better spouses and parents, better lovers, better encouragers, better community leaders, better employees, and better bosses and managers. God put something deep down inside us that evokes a desire to be more like Him. In our inner being, we hear a voice saying, You were born for better than this; you are meant to live at a higher level than you are currently. Dont be satisfied with less. You can be better.

The question is: How? What must I do to become a better me?

In my first book, Your Best Life Now , I presented seven steps to living at your full potential. Today many people are developing a greater vision for their future and are experiencing more of Gods blessings and favor. But even if you are living your best life now, it is important that you do not become stagnant. God always wants to increase us, to do more in and through us. He always wants to take us deeper into self-discovery and then wants to raise us to a higher level of living. He didnt create us to be average. He doesnt want us to settle for good enough. He wants us to keep stretching, to keep pressing forward into the next level.

Now, in Become a Better You , I want to help you do just that. I want to take you deeper; Im hoping to help you look inside yourself and discover the priceless seeds of greatness that God has placed within you. In this book, I will reveal to you seven keys that you can use to unlock those seeds of greatness, allowing them to burst forth in an abundantly blessed life. These keys are not complicated or difficult; in fact, their sheer simplicity often causes them to elude many peoples notice. Nevertheless, they are seven key principles that have helped shape me and continue to keep me expecting good things in my personal life, in my relationships, in my family, and in my career. I know these principles work, because I have experienced them firsthand in my own life.