Tommy Newberry - The 4:8 Principle. The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Newberry, Tommy.

The 4:8 principle : the secret to a joy-filled life / Tommy Newberry.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-1304-7 (hc)

ISBN-10: 1-4143-1304-7 (hc)

1. JoyReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Thought and thinkingReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4647.J68N49 2007

248.4dc22 2007010405

Printed in the United States of America

13 12 11 10 09 08 07

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is joyfully dedicated to my wife, Kristin,

and my three sons, Ty, Mason, and Brooks

By Tommy Newberry

BOOKS

The 4:8 Principle

Success Is Not an Accident

366 Days of Wisdom & Inspiration

AUDIO

Success Is Not an Accident: Secrets of the

Top 1%

Order your copy at www.tommynewberry.com

CONTENTS

Though it is virtually impossible for me to list all the people who have influenced me and contributed to The 4:8Principle, I do want to recognize a special few who helped make this book a reality. Special thanks to my agent, Pamela Harty, who believed in me and in this particular project and helped make it happen. Thanks to Carol Traver at Tyndale House Publishers who caught the vision for this book, saw its importance, and supplied the deadlines that compelled me to write. Thank you to Karin Buursma, and Dave Lindstedt from Tyndale, who meticulously examined every word in the manuscript and challenged me to clarify, simplify, and illustrate the key points in the most effective way possible. Readers will greatly benefit because of your experience, insight, and attention to detail.

Thanks to my good friend and business partner, Steve Cesari, whose ideas and feedback both directly and indirectly sharpened many of the concepts in this book. Thank you to The 1% Clubs assistant coachesJan West, Michele Zakeri, and Sara Boumanwhose creativity and tactical support allowed this project to be completed in the midst of many other pressing demands.

Thanks to my parents, who as far as my memory serves me, affirmed me repeatedly in 4:8 fashion with the phrase Were very proud of you, even when uttering those words probably required quite a leap of faith. I am grateful for my grandmother Lillian Mason, who first explained to me as a child the importance of a positive attitude in dealing with both the successes and setbacks of life. I want to thank my wife, Kristin, who encourages me continually and intuitively practices the 4:8 Principle as a wife, mom, and friend. I love you!

Most of all, I want to thank God for giving me the desire, the patience, the wise counsel, and especially this specific opportunity to impact the world with The 4:8 Principle:The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life.

This is not a book about thinking like most people think. You do not need a book for that; it just happens naturally! The4:8 Principle is a book about thinking differently, about thinking in a way that maximizes your potential for joy. Because most people are oblivious to their habitual way of thinking, they experience less joy and a less-abundant life than God intended for them.

I wrote this book to help you improve the one thing in life over which you have complete control: your thinking. This profoundly influences every other aspect of your life. In my practice as a life coach, Ive observed that all lasting change is preceded by changed thinking. Any other type of change will be only temporary. The place to begin, then, is with your thought life, with a revival of your mind. I have great news for you: You no longer have to be a slave to your thoughts!

Few people have experience with intentional, focused thinking. We spend very little time thinking about what we are thinking about. For most of us, thinking is a poorly developed ability that often occurs with little conscious awareness. You can probably go through hourseven days and weeksfilled with frenzied activity while giving very little notice to the quality of thoughts passing through your mind. Most of your thinking is more like background noise while you engage in other activities. Yet behind everything you do is a thought, and each individual thought contributes to your overall character. How well your mind works dictates how much joy you experience, how successful you feel, and how well you interact with other people. No area ofyour life is untouched by your thoughts. Your habitual thinking patterns either encourage you toward excellence or nudge you into weakness.

By the grace of God, each moment is a new beginning, a new dawn for your potential. Your thoughts can become totally different, and as a result, your character can change and your life can be transformed. God wants you to be completely alive, full of passion, and bursting with joy. After all, were his childrenand would you want anything less for your children? King David vividly illustrated Gods desire when he wrote these words to the Lord: You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy (Psalm 30:11, NIV ). God desires us to experience great joy, and he created us with that capacity. He wants good things for us and has a wonderful plan for our future!