Make Yourself Happy

The Practices of the Heart Part V - The Practice of Seeking Resource

2007-08-06T12:17:00.001-07:00

The lone thing changeless in this human race is change. This volition always be true. Which is why I happen every chance to update my knowledge. The pattern of seeking resource for me is to happen the best tools for learning, and environ myself with the best people to larn from. Resources are available in more than formattings today than ever before. Not only make we have got got got traditional schools, workshops, periodicals, and books, but now we have a countless of electronic beginnings like teleclasses, eBooks, podcasts, and webinars.

Additionally, people have always been a powerful resource. I consistently attain out to larn from others, such as as masterminding with successful leaders, seeking out mentors, and working with managers and teachers. These all afford me the chance to develop new capacities within and turn and develop my ain resources of cognition and skill.

How are you seeking resources in your life? Are you trying to be a rebel and travel it alone? There are so many who have got gone before you and are willing to help. See creating an effectual squad around you consisting of those with accomplishments and cognition that fill your gaps. Bash you necessitate a coach, mentor, or spouse to assist you with your home-based business? Bash you necessitate business office aid from an intern, or part-time employee or contractor? Bash you have got a trusted accountant, attorney, and copywriter on your team? Bash you have got other concern proprietors you can confabulate with from clip to time? Brand certain all your alkalis are covered.

Too often new concern proprietors believe they're supposed to manage everything alone and experience it's weak to inquire for help. Well, if that's you, then it's clock to recognize you can't make it all—and there's no shame in that. Few people have got expertness in every field. Don't be too disdainful to accept aid and usage resources from any topographic point you happen suitable. It's the lone manner to turn and spread out as an individual and in your business.

Furthering your instruction is an in progress process. We're in an age of changeless innovation, so to win in business, you must maintain up. If you believe you're too busy to take classes, you can larn online. If you don't have got clip to read a book, you can read the eBook or listen to the audio in your car. With so many easy, time-saving choices, you have got no excuses.

Incorporate the pattern of seeking resource to let yourself the space and freedom to turn and accommodate to change. Be unfastened to new ideas, and allow travel of what doesn't work any more. Keep updating your resources to the best you can find.

Someday you might even be a resource for person else.

Where is Your Turning Point?

2007-07-30T16:10:00.001-07:00

If we are to understand adequate about our selves to go the individual we desire to be, then we must detect within our ego a purchase factor, a bend point that lets us to be our ain master.

There is no uncertainty that we are complex beings. Each characteristic, be it rational, emotional, physical and chemical or spiritual, have its ain complexnesses and barriers to understanding.

So much of our apprehension is limited by our language, by the words we utilize to state ourselves and others what we are thinking and what our ideas really mean. Our full beingness of the moment, what we are experiencing right now is surrounded by our past experiences and the significance and attending that we give to those past experiences.

You would believe that a babe would be an exact transcript of its parents. But, the fact is that the baby's DNA, which finds everything about it, is different. So each of us is think, feel, and act differently than our parents.

This agency that you are unique.

The minute that you recognize this, you must also recognize the powerfulness you have got over your ain mind. Only you cognize what the cardinal is to your mind. Only you can be responsible for the picks you do within your ain head.

We, each of us, delegate meaning to our experiences based on our acquisition and experiences. Your experience is different from anyone else's not because you have got got had different experiences, which you may have, but because your spring it different significance than I do, or anyone else for that matter.

No 1 else cognizes what is happening on in your mind. Even if you give me a verbal description of what is happening, I can not experience exactly what you are experiencing. In our minds, we each have got a alone theoretical account of ourselves and of the human race around us.

The linguistic communication and images, what hear and see and touch, is interpreted in our minds. As the signaling from the retina of our oculus go throughs through the eye nervus to our encephalon other signalings from our emotional and rational centres premix with it to constitute our alone apprehension of the world.

These are complex electrical, chemical and physical interactions that consequence in a memory and an interpretation. These go a set of instructions, as words and mental images and sounds, that are meaningful to you as a alone individual.

These instruction manual are your experiences, the memories you have got absorbed since your birth from every twenty-four hours living.

It is through this jelly of experience, this mass of past interpretation, that you must drag your twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours experiences.

If you are consciously funny and aware, if you dwell in the moment, then you will recognize that what you are experiencing now is a totally new experience. If you are not consciously funny and aware, you will not recognize that your life is an exciting journeying of discovery.

And that is the existent secret to overcoming any emotional job rooted in your past. Our emotional well being depends on where we pass our clip in our heads.

If you are focusing on your past, you are allowing the weight of your past experiences to overmaster the importance of any new experience. If you concentrate your head on what happened to you in the past, your past experience will oppress the significance of your life minute now.

We are all traveling on a clip line between birth and death. Where we are on that clip line is our present moment, here and now, the lone topographic point that we have got any powerfulness to take what we do.

We can derive control of our lives,now, by life in the minute with an almost child-like wonder and wonder.

If you are focused on the injury and maltreatment of the past, you are allowing that memory and the horror of those events, to oppress your wonderment and curiosity of life in this moment. You are giving up life now to dwell in the past where you are weak to change anything.

The additional along the line we are, the greater the weight and significance of our past experiences. If we have got got got not made picks that have given us command over our lives it will go more than hard to acquire control.

Only in the present make you have the powerfulness to take what to believe and do, and to program what you desire for yourself tomorrow.

Survive Transition and Icky Neutral Zones

2007-07-27T11:48:00.001-07:00

Sick of what you are doing? Ready to go forth your old human race but not certain what your new human race is? In that painful in-between place? Ahhhhhh transitions. The slippery challenge of moving from one human race or manner of being into another. When life boots us out of our comfortableness zone so we can go our adjacent self.

I have got been going through a large passage myself these last couple of old age and as it picks up rush and finishes (at least on one level) it looks at every bend I am encountering others who are going through the same, sometimes really ambitious process. So a small article on passages and that awkward uncertainness phase called 'the neutral zone' seemed in order (to both reassure myself and others that passages really are perfectly normal and a necessary constituent of a well lived life).

Stages of Transition:There is a terrific writer named Bill Bridges, who have done a batch of research and authorship on the subject of transition. I particularly like his book called The Manner of Transition. In it (and in his other books) he explicates the typical phases of transition. That we be given to make through three large 'Ds': disenchantment, disidentification and freak out (the neutral zone) before we protrude out the other side into a different manner of being and stabilise again.

Disenchantment Phase: Disenchantment is the form that I see a batch of folks in lately. They come up for coaching job or my specialised artwork preparation because they are looking for something different – the same ol' same ol' just doesn't cut it and they look for something that volition add spark, spice or exhilaration to their life. Get them out of the 'ho hums' they have got been feeling for a while. Disenchantment is the same as the first phase in my SHIFT-IT process: Satisfaction Interrupted.

Might be an enterpriser who desires to change the nature or gait of their business. A skilled professional who is good at but world-weary by their position quo. A corporate employee who is thinking about jumping ship into a free agent lifestyle. Whatever the circumstances, they are disenchanted with the form they are now in (which once suited them fine) and are looking for something different.

Dis-identification Phase:After or during the disillusion form you come in into disidentification. In this form a individual either voluntarily dis-identifies themselves from their old life, or something haps to them that causes a separation. Their old personal identity starts to interrupt up. For myself, this happened when I was no longer satisfied with being a Graphic Recorder and started the convoluted procedure of becoming a Graphic Facilitator and then a Graphic Coach. The proverbial s#it hit the fan as my geographical location radically shifted and a core human relationship also broke up – paving the manner for greater shifts. I had to drop designation with 1 personal identity in order for a new one to emerge. For me, this personal identity driblet and displacement have taken about six old age and have gone through multiple levels.

This is the same for many of my clients who are in calling or concern transitions. They have got done something for quite a long time, and might be very good at it and acquire accolades, but it no longer 'does it' for them personally anymore. Others might personal identity them that manner still but they themselves no longer do. They often also have got the challenge of having their supports and incomes wrapped around this old personal identity – so it is slippery to happen a better feeling substitution right away. So they maintain the 'day job' so to talk going, long after they have got any vested personal identity in it. Kind of acquire stuck, especially when feelings of uncertainness and uncertainty prevail.

Wandering in the Neutral Zone: What haps adjacent is a freak out phase, where one can experience really lost and baffled and alone. Where you have got allow spell of the old on an emotional degree (maybe not physical) but the new hasn't come up into focusing yet. A oblivion land. Like letting spell of 1 trapeze and hoping the other one will emerge in clip for you to catch it.

Bridges have coined the phrase 'the neutral zone' to eloquently depict this experience. Like wandering in the desert or being on your ain personal pilgrimage. It is often in fact a sort of Negro spiritual experience to acquire through your neutral zone and emerge out the other side. Difficult to hang in there when you don't really cognize what you are doing or where you are going. Or how things will somehow stabilise into a new reality.

Natural Procedure Like the Seasons: It is fitting to be authorship about passages as we travel into winter. When you are in it, the neutral zone can look like it travels on forever with no end in sight. However that is not the case. It is 'not terminal' as Harry Bridges reassures. It is just the preliminary to something new. A clip of terminations and beginnings – just like wintertime is and then springtime follows. All looks to halt for a piece but it makes dad back up again just when all looks dead or despairing. It really does!

The Bigger Picture:To acquire a sense of these rhythms it is often very helpful to map out your life journeying to date. So you can see your ain rhythm of passage and alteration and position how things really make morph and happen their ain conclusions, like a watercourse determination its manner through the landscape. Your narrative makes travel on. It always has. It always will. Creating your Life Map will assist you appreciate that. To develop some religion that this too shall go through and certainty and assurance will go back again and you will acquire moving and going again.

Other Things That Can Help:It also assists to just appreciate and accept the procedure you are in - to give into it and trust it. As opposing to fighting or resisting it. And to just make whatever little stairway are in presence of you that you make have got some involvement or energy for. One little, better-feeling measure at a time. Doing your best to detect and place what you make like and make feel good about and move towards that as much as you can. Like volition pull like.

You will eventually "SHIFT-IT" and move into a new personal identity (which you will eventually passage out of too – cause that is just the manner life goes, alteration never really ends!). As person is quoted as saying 'life is just one darn thing after another' and that actually isn't such as a bad thing when you really see the alternatives. It is all in how you look at it.

All the best with navigating your passages and in making it through the 'icky' (that is a technical term - smile) neutral zone – stableness really is somewhere just around the corner. Bent in there!

The Secret and the Law of Attraction - Hip, Hype or Hoax?

2007-06-08T15:13:00.001-07:00

'The Secret' is not so secret anymore. In fact most people have now heard about its key message ... the Law of Attraction. This philosophy states that we create our reality, both good and bad, by what we focus on. In other words, we attract our life results by what we think.

We've seen The Secret talked about ad nauseum. On Oprah, The Letterman Show, in popular magazines. Now, we're starting to see some backlash.

The current affair shows are starting to interview people who've 'used' The Secret and failed in their lives. The radio stations are starting to lampoon The Secret in satire. Recently, there's even been an 'expose' on one of the teachers of The Secret as a conman. Ouch, it's getting ugly.

Why? Because there is some doubt in some people's minds on the validity of the teachings of The Secret. There are sceptics out there. The unbelievers, those who choose not to be ordained by the teachings. And there are those who've tried to make it work and failed. Those who are continuing to get the same miserable results in their lives and choosing to blame The Secret.

But is it a case of these people again finding something else other than themselves to blame for the lack of results in their lives? Could it be that they've not applied the teachings of The Secret in the correct way. Could it be that the teachings work, for those people who 'get it'.

So what's the secret to getting The Secret? Why is it so hard to apply the teachings?

The Secret says we need to Ask, Believe and Receive. Ask for what you want, hold the belief that you will attain it, and open yourself up to receive it. As easy as that!

Or maybe it's not so easy for some people. Yes, you may be pretty good at defining and asking for what you want, and putting it out there. But for some, this initial step is the first stumbling block. You may find it difficult to realise that there are other options available to you. Or to conceptualise that you may be able to do things in a different way in your world to get different results. Better results, bigger results. It takes some thought, dreaming and hope to visualise another possibility for your life.

The believing part is about holding the faith with every thread of your being. It's about visualising what you want 'as if' you've already got it. Seeing yourself as though you're already there, ahead of the manifestation. Now this can take some doing. This is where it gets harder for some. Imagination may not be your strong suit. Or you may simply get caught up in your day to day habitual world and forget your focus. Or you may start to doubt. You may get caught up in other people's expectations of you, or your own negative or habitual thoughts.

Even if you're a success in believing you'll soon be achieving, the next step in the process may be your downfall. This step is about opening yourself up to receiving NOW. Getting yourself ready to realise the dream you've been chasing. This step is about unblocking and allowing yourself to grab hold of your gifts from the universe. And this may not be so easy for you. Because you may be habitually living your life expecting the same results tomorrow that you got yesterday. You may be holding the faith that The Secret stuff you've been hoping for will come...but in the future. The future never comes because it's always ahead of you. Getting yourself in the right mindset to receive now rather than later is the final milestone.

There are many other pitfalls, hazards and stumbling blocks that may set you back in your 'Secret' journey. Follow the footsteps of someone who is travelling the path and benefit from their insights and experience. Click here to follow a 31 day expedition down the pathway to a Better Life applying The Secret - http://thesecretjournal.wordpress.com. The Secret Journal of the Secret Journey.

The Tricky Business of Motivating Employees - Part 5

2007-05-26T13:13:00.001-07:00

WAYS TO GET BACK ON TRACK

The emotional snowball will be harder to stop than it would
have been to address the work problem in the first place:

Addictive and compulsive behaviors must be addressed first.

As these are attempts to avoid and deny the original
problem, they will be in the way of getting back to the
underlying issue. Depending on which behaviors are present,
structured hospital or outpatient treatment may be
indicated, along with participation in twelve step or other
self-help groups. To locate these resources, the employee
can contact his/her Employee Assistance Program, health
insurance provider and the local branch of the National
Mental Health Association.

Psychotherapy may be indicated to begin unraveling the
emotional puzzle.

The first step will be to utlize either individual or
family psychotherapy to stabilize the individual's
situation at work and at home.

A "corrective action plan" will be needed at work (if not
already established), or plans to find other employment
must be made. Contracts with family members will be put in
place, so that the individual has some "breathing room" to
address conflicts while the family receives some initial
relief through basic agreements with their troubled family
member.

Then the work begins in earnest. What is the source of the
employee's work dilemma? A very careful history of the
problem is taken, to determine this. There are many
possibilities.

It could be uncovered that the employee has difficulties
taking direction from authority figures, which leads to job
dissatisfaction. Conversely, he/she could be struggling
with a position which requires more independent work and
less structure than the person can handle. Other types of
"personality conflicts" may indicate that there are people
in the workplace that remind the individual of unfinished
business with people from his/her past.

Then there are those that "do themselves in" because they
maintain unhealthy beliefs that interfere with
communication and negotiation. Here are some examples:
Those who do not assert themselves may either believe that
they have "no right" to comment on the ways they feel about
their assignments, or fear retaliation for their feedback
to management. Others may believe that "nothing ever works
out for them" and so fall into unhappy acquiescence in the
workplace. Naturally, few individuals with any of these
beliefs have worked much on developing the critical skills
of healthy assertive communication and negotiation.

For these and other similar emotional dilemmas, the work of
psychotherapy may reap benefits that resolve workplace
concerns and those beyond. To feel that one is reaching
their life goals, one must be emotionally "freed up" to
reach for them. A shift in behavior related to authority
figures, for instance, might result in an employee being
more receptive to management's requests and make him more
willing to be his son's parent (i.e. authority figure),
instead of friend. This might also result in a better
atmosphere at home, which is not marked by daily struggles
with the adolescent member of the family.

Sometimes, workshops and readings on assertiveness,
communication skills, self-esteem and the like are
recommended to complement psychotherapy. Once the
employee has a clear view of where the problems lie,
he/she will be able to continue working on them well beyond the
termination of therapy.

Career counseling also may be an option.

Sometimes, during the course of counseling, it becomes
clear that the employee has never found their vocational
niche. While this may be a problem related to the emotional
conflicts discussed above (such as an individual choosing
the same career as his father, but not one that fits his
talents or interests), career counseling may be recommended
to help the employee identify their aptitudes, interests
and preferred work setting. Career counseling also is
extremely valuable in insuring that the individual is
creating a career plan that is possible to successfully
pursue in the current economic climate and at the person's
given stage in life. For example, there is less and less
work for those who want to repair the office machines of
yesterday and it may not be the best plan to begin training
to be an astronaut at age 50.

IN CONCLUSION

The precise course of action needed to remedy any given
employee's job dissatisfaction will of course have to be
uniquely tailored for him/her. However, the information
presented in this article will hopefully provide enough
"food for thought" for employees to consider "working" more
deliberately "toward reaching their life goals" -- at work
and at home. It's also rewarding to know, that the more
satisfying life is, the more likely life span will increase
(refer again to the Health Trap section of this article),
giving more time to enjoy the outcome of this therapeutic
work.

Seeing Things As We Are – The Power of Your Worldview

2007-05-23T10:37:00.001-07:00

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."

–Anaîs Nin

Driving home from the pool after my morning swim, I happened to see a young woman walking toward the high school. As the car passed by, we made fleeting but certain eye contact. I was smiling; she was not. In fact, she seemed to be deliberately frowning. "What have you got to be so happy about?" her eyes were asking. "Why are you so unhappy?" I wondered.

In that brief encounter I imagined two worlds colliding, or at least two worldviews. It occurred to me once again how -- from moment to moment, through thought, word, and action -- we invent the world we inhabit.

How we think determines how we make sense of what happens to us and informs the quality of our days. If we think life is a treasure it most certainly is and we find the bounty in life to support our belief. If we believe life a trial, we will see disappointment, pain, and punishment everywhere and perhaps participate in creating it.

When life throws challenges our way, it's especially important to have a worldview that's creative, positive and vision-driven. What we tell ourselves when faced with difficulty makes a difference. Daniel Goleman, author and educator on Emotional Intelligence, calls self-motivation a key skill of emotionally intelligent people. When you're self-motivated, you see challenges in ways that help you learn from them and move forward in life.

My mother, Lorna, has a worldview that says we're here to love and help each other and, in turn, we are loved and taken care of. She does and is.

My friend Suzanne believes that perseverance will allow you to move through the seemingly impossible challenges of life with grace and dignity. And she does.

My lovely Aunt Mimi, who lived in a wheelchair most of her 83 years, believed "life is what you make it," and the way she lived her full and happy life taught those around her how to do the same.

Was my frowning school-bound friend unhappy? Did she really want to make my day miserable, too? Or was it just momentary indigestion. I'll never know. I do know that her emotional state is not about me. We'd never met. I also know that regardless of the fact that we'd never met, depending on my own worldview, I could easily have generated an attitude war in that moment. But I decided not to and continued on with a very enjoyable morning.

I can't think of a better way to begin each day than to remember the power of our innate creativity. Be mindful of what you hope for and what you worry about, what you believe and what you foster in the world. If life truly is what you make it, how are you creating your life today?

8 Reasons to Invest in Decision Diva Coaching

2007-05-21T11:14:00.001-07:00

Coaching is a phenomenal way to work your way to the life that you want and deserve. Coach and client work through the "layers" of your life to this point, doing what is necessary to get you out of your old story and begin stepping into the life that you choose. A coach may be the one person in your life that has no agenda for you, but surely has your best interests at heart. This results in an outside perspective on your life that is invaluable to your progress . . . a must-have.

1. Clarity: In order to build the life you want - one decision at at time - and to know which are the "right" decisions to make, one must be very clear on who they really are. You need to move beyond who you were told that you are, who you think you are, who other people want you to be, and who you think you should be. Through open and honest conversation, various fun and enlightening tests, and assignments tailored specifically to your life circumstances, you will discover the true you that is bustin' to get out. You will have more clarity than you've ever had before. And you will learn how to make the decisions to honor who you are and take you where you want to go . . . one decision at a time.

2. Options and Opportunities: To the extent that you are clear on who you are and what you want and need, you will begin to recognize and understand all of the options that lie before you. They may have been there all along, but you just haven't seen them. We will create a new vision. You will know what to say "yes" and "no" to. You will have more control over your time and destiny. You may need to create options and opportunities for yourself . . . we will tackle that together. As the old saying goes . . . two heads are better than one! We will go through the brainstorming process as a team. Your possibilities are endless! You can create options and opportunities to suit your true self. No more trying to plug yourself into situations. You will be creating them based on what is best for YOU. Can you feel the freedom in that statement?

3. Acceptance: A HUGE part of the process of discovering who you are is accepting all that has led you to this moment. There is no good . . . no bad . . . there just IS. Together we will go back and reframe, to acknowledge and accept your unique history. It was all a necessary part of the process for you to be reading these words right now. We do not look in the rear-view mirror to re-live or beat you up for the past. We rewrite your story so you can live and leave the legacy that captures the true essence of who you are. What legacy do you want to leave?

4. Confidence: In the Decision Diva Dictionary, the word "confidence" means TRUSTING YOURSELF . . . to keep promises made to yourself and others; to know that you can handle whatever comes your way because you are CLEAR about who you are and what you want; the ability to rely on yourself to be your own best friend, leaving behind the negative self-talk and self-defeating behaviors; and being comfortable showing up as your authentic self . . . no matter what the situation. These are among the MANY skills you will learn through Decision Diva coaching.

5. Honesty: First and foremost, you will learn to be completely honest with yourself (perhaps for the first time in your life!) You will learn how to command honesty from others - and how to deal with a lack of honesty when it occurs. It all begins with you learning to confidently and comfortably stand in YOUR OWN TRUTH . . . even when it is scary and may not seem popular. To live an authentic life is the greatest gift you can give to yourself and others. When you are honest, authentic and standing in your truth, you set a great example and give others permission to do the same. Decision Diva coaching is the ideal SAFE place to practice this skill.

6. Insight: You will look at yourself and your life in a way that you never have before . . . guaranteed! You will see things from a new perspective, understand why you have made certain decisions in the past, and become so clear on who you are that the decisions you make FOR YOU - from this point forward - will become a natural process rather than a struggle or a sacrifice. Every insight you have into yourself brings you closer to the pot o'gold at the end of YOUR rainbow.

7. New outlook: The set of eyes through which you see the world will be forever changed. When we know better, we do better. And once we know, it is impossible to go back to the old ways when we are committed to our true selves. I am not talking about the "rose colored glasses" theory as we know it. I am talking about a genuine, positive "rosy" outlook, with a newfound excitement for life. Tapping into your essence, discovering the true you. Experiencing joy at every turn and seeing the beauty and wonder of life. These things will no longer go unnoticed . . . they will become a part of your being. That is the glory of being human.

8. Giving from Your Overflow: This is a concept introduced to me by my own coach, Angela. As women, we are accustomed to give, give, give - even when we have nothing left in our tanks. Sound familiar? You will learn how to give to yourself FIRST - filling your own tank - actually to the point of OVERFLOW - before you give to others. That means when you give you will not feel depleted - you will have the space and energy to FEEL the gift of giving . . . and the recipient has the opportunity to experience the joy of receiving. Keep filling YOURSELF up and you have more to give. No guilt. No selfish feelings. It is a gift that you give to yourself and others. A definite WIN-WIN situation for everyone!

Personal Development Tips - 5 Ways to Develop an Abundance Mentality

2007-05-20T08:42:00.001-07:00

An abundance mentality is an important asset for your success. Without it, you may end up living a mediocre life, failing to achieve your goals and not getting the success you deserve. In this article, you will find 5 personal development tips for boosting your abundance mentality.

Understand What an Abundance Mentality is An abundance mentality is a belief that the world is an abundant place, that there is more than enough to go round, that you can win and other people can win too.

Make a commitment to continuous growth As you grow as a person, you will find that an abundance mentality comes naturally to you. You will find yourself believing that more and more is possible, that you can do bigger things, that there are more opportunities out there.

You can accelerate this process by helping other people to grow. Teach them about an abundance mentality – in order to teach you first have to truly understand!

Develop an appreciation of the abundance of the world around you As you look around you at people, things, and at nature you can see just how vast this planet we are on is. Think about all the vast chain of events that have led to the cup of coffee in your hand… You will realise just how many opportunities there are out there!

Develop the habit of giving selflessly The universe is a dynamic place, energy and matter is constantly being exchanged. In order to tap into this vast flow, you need to be part of the flow. You play your part by giving. But not by giving and mentally counting the returns you should receive.

You need to give selflessly, with love for the recipient and no expectation of a specific return. You don't have to give anything specific – it could be money, it could be time, it could be… anything of value to the recipient.

Practice Abundance Affirmations regularly affirming that you are in an abundant world will slowly shift your mental state to understanding the truth of this statement.

An abundance mentality is a key component of your personal growth and success. Put the five personal development tips in this article into practise and you will boost you're abundance mentality!

Would you like some more personal development tips?

Motivational Seminars - Do they Translate into Increased Sales?

2007-05-10T11:15:00.001-07:00

An old real estate friend of mine once attended, at the request of his broker, a listing presentation. After the speaker had gone through all of his theatricals, humorous anecdotes and a generous helping of buzz words, he encourage members of the audience to sign up for a full day seminar with the emphasis on listing.

My friend said he was amazed at the enthusiasm it created. Dozens of people were pushing and shoving to get to the front with their check books at the ready. As all these people were licensed real estate agents he figured they obviously knew how to knock on a door and deliver a short feature benefit statement, so why were they so anxious to get rid of their cash.

Fred, my friend, was a champion at listing. His secret was to go out in the morning and stay out into the evening knocking on doors. He didn't see anything very complicated about this, it simply took a lot of hard work and perseverance. His office colleagues envied his ability to keep chalking up listings on the board but they never wanted to put that much effort in themselves.

It seems that seminars serve two purposes. First it gets the salesperson off the road for a few hours or a few days and secondly the participants hope that they will receive some inside information that will allow them to make money without having to work so hard.

I spent some time training high tech sales representatives and during that period I suffered through countless motivational tapes and the occasional live speaker. At times I had a good laugh at some of the amusing anecdotes but I never felt that I'd gained anything that would make a huge difference to my life. Even some of the more euphoric salespeople, who came out of the sessions with a great big WOW! rarely changed the way they conducted their business.

I recently spoke to a salesman who swore to me that a well known motivational speaker had changed his life with one particular phrase. However, this man is struggling to make a meager living and he's moving from company to company hoping to find an easy way of making a buck. Seems to me that what ever phrase that was - he should forget it before he goes broke.

Salesmanship hasn't really changed that much since someone tried to sell Pharaoh some outrageously priced vinyl siding for the Pyramids. My old friend Fred used to say that all a salesperson needed was a paper and pencil to write down the orders.

Today of course we've added cell phones, laptops and CRM systems to help salespeople to do their jobs but they still have to make the calls, they still have to build that client relationship and above all remain focused. You can add all those new phrases like active listening, buying facilitation, consultative selling, quantitative evaluation and inter-functional collaboration to your vocabulary, but are your sales figures increasing as a result?

Ben Feldman, who worked for New York Life in the eighties made one million dollars a year in commissions. How did he do it? He worked hard and he worked smart. Can anybody do what he did? Yes - but you've got make up your mind that you're going to do it and never waiver.

I don't personally believe that listening to a motivational speaker will do very much for the average salesperson. For someone to address a hundred or so people with the same message is like a doctor treating all his patients for a sinus infection regardless of their symptoms. I'm convinced that it's better for a salesperson to interact with a motivator on a one on one basis and for areas of concern to be dealt with in detail and without distraction.

Companies have got to examine their own motives for hiring, what I call, light entertainers, and celebrities who know beans about business. There's one famous sport figure on the speaking circuit, who's mother is also on the circuit talking about her son. Soon we'll be seeing Babe Ruth's great grandchildren inspiring us with tales of how he was placed in an orphanage at age seven and was regarded as an unruly student. But, in spite of these set backs, he managed to claw his way up to play major league baseball at the tender age of 19.

The Babe was a great player but he never sold a life insurance policy, a piece of computer software or vinyl siding and salespeople don't play major league baseball - they provide solutions to their client's needs and have a very different way of looking at the world.

What Super Heroes Teach Us About Personl Growth

2007-05-06T18:14:00.001-07:00

I have always enjoyed super heroes. Spiderman, Batman, The X-Men, and many others. My favorite of all time would have to be Superman though. Superman always amazed me because he is one of the few super heroes who has to put on a costume to be normal. He also has the ability to have anything he wants, including complete rule over the earth if he so chose, but instead decided to use his powers to help people. There is one major flaw in almost every single super hero though. That one flaw is complete selflessness. Let me explain.

In our society we believe that anyone who is selfish at all is a bad person. For some reason we have picked up the idea that anytime someone does something selfish that they are commiting a sin. Now I am not saying that people should be selfish all the time and never give, however, there needs to be a balance. We should give of ourselves in any way we can to help others live better lives. However, if we don't first take care of ourselves, and if we always have others in mind with every thought, word, and deed, we will never get what we need to live a happy fulfilling life. If you only have ten dollars left until next Friday, it would be silly to give half or all of it to someone else who needs it.

It is not a bad thing to be selfish as long as that selfish is not effecting other people in a negative way emotionally, menatlly, or physically. Each and every one of us has to take care of ourselves as no one else will do so. If you give away your last meal, you will starve to death. If you are always focused on making others happy, you will never express yourself in a way that makes you happy. If you are always doing for others, when will you have the time to do for you. You need to take time to make sure you are providing for yourself on a mental, emotional, and physical level. It is the only way you will ever get closer to your goals and dreams, and hopefully you are providing for others by getting closer to your goals and dreams.

No one does anything for nothing. There is no such thing as a completely altruistic act. The return may be smaller than what is given, but nothing is done for nothing. When you donate money to a non-profit organization you don't do it completely void of emotion. You do it because it makes you feel good for one reason or another. When you stay over time at your job when you don't have to you don't do it so others can benefit. You do it because you feel a sense of duty, or you like to move forward, or for a million other reasons. Nothing we ever do is without some form of self serving reason. We tithe at church because we believe it is the right thing to do and we want to support our ministry. So be willing to be a little more selfish. Superman saved thousands of lives, but at the end of the day he had little left for himself. Often times he pushed his own happiness away so he could help other people. None of us are super heroes, but we can accomplish super hero deeds, as long as we remember to take time for ourselves.

The Times of Our Lives

2007-05-04T14:49:00.001-07:00

I recently returned from my ninth week-long trip to Aruba with my fiancé. We spent our time relaxing under a tree and swimming at the beach during the day and then sharing exquisite dinners and romantic walks in the evenings. We had a lot of fun but didn't take any photos because since we had visited the island many times before we already have plenty of pictures of both of us posed in front of every restaurant and divi tree on the island. On our way to the airport we joked that, other than our tanned skin, we would not be able to prove that we traveled here!

As we stood in line at check-in, we noticed also waiting in line was a family who had been on our chartered plane ride down the week before. This day, however, they all had swollen eyes and seemed upset, some of them wiping away tears and sniffling, and sharing only an occasional whispered comment. As it turned out, on the plane we were seated directly in back of them: a mother and her four children who ranged in age from 16 to 8, but no dad was in attendance. We found out that while vacationing with his family that week, he had been killed in a jet skiing accident. This day, his wife and children had to bravely make their way home without him.

We watched the moods of the children go from seemingly careless while playing cards to quiet sobbing when idle, but the mother's face was another story. In between hopping seats in an effort to attend to each of her devastated children, she would sit and stare down at her lap, unable to comprehend what lay ahead for her and her family. We could almost feel her shock and pain as we realized that this is something that could have happened to any one of us that week. While we were laughing and playing in the water and eating chocolate desserts to our heart's content, this poor family was experiencing the tragedy of their lives. The vacation they dreamed about and looked forward to turned out to be a nightmare and something none of them would ever forget – their photographs were these indelible moments that would haunt them forever.

As I turned my gaze away from that lost family and toward my fiancé, I could feel how precious time had suddenly become, and I whispered "thank you" to God for giving me some more of it with him. For a moment I found myself regretting that we had no pictures from this vacation together, but then realized that whether or not we actually capture our experiences on film, our minds are busy recording images of certain moments throughout our lives – moments that somehow jolt our emotions, have an impact on us, and change our perception and direction. I wondered if that kind of memorialization was only triggered during traumatic events. What about the good times? I closed my eyes and scanned my memory hoping that my mind had taken enough time to properly register all the tender, wonderful moments I shared with my fiancé this past week.

Throughout our lives as our hearts begin to show wear and tear from the inevitable mishaps and misfortunes that will befall us, we must remember to offset that anguish and erosion by making it also swell with love and gratitude as we encounter the happy times that bless us. We must consciously stop time and record with our minds so we can remember and cherish for years to come the intimate moments, the surprises, the hours spent with loved ones and friends... all the times of our lives.

Live Life, Be Positive

2007-05-01T22:15:00.001-07:00

The ability to understand that things and events around us, that impact on our lives, happen for a purpose, is one of the keys to accepting that there are forces operating around us, over which we have no control. We can hide away from the past heartaches, embarrassments and failures or we can take control and learn from them. They are and do become the tools for our future success, provided we do learn from them.

OptiMindzation Acceleration is a new process of using the latest research into how our mind works and builds on the principals of the "Law of Attraction" to develop our inner strengths. The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don't feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a project, in a specific situation or in a position at work.
There is always the next time, so make room in your life and use the Law of Attraction to build your self worth. Call in from the universe the things that are rightfully yours, by being specific in your requests.
Keep them positive and you will gain. Be negative and you will attract negativity into your life..

Remember self improvement leads to inner stability from this comes your inner self confidence and your own self esteem.

Are Winners Born or Made?

2007-04-30T18:57:00.001-07:00

Aaah... the age-old debate.
Are we born winners or do we become winners with hard work, discipline, dedication, determination... and all those other 'D' words?

We all want to be winners.
(Well, I've personally never met anyone who has the goal of being a loser).

Winners in our career, winners in love, winners in business, winners in health, winners in happiness, winners in sport, winners in life.
We don't all want to win at the same endeavour (thankfully)... and we don't all share the same definition of winning... but we do all want to win at whatever is important to us.

So of course winning is represented by different things for different people:

For one person, being able to complete a five kilometre (three mile) walk every day is 'winning', while for someone else, it's simply incidental activity which happens in the course of their typical day.

Not having a beer for a month would be a major victory for some people, but for someone like me (a non-drinker), it would be a non-issue; something which goes un-noticed.

Earning an annual salary of $100,000 would be an incredible achievement for person A, but a devastating loss of income for person B.

For me, talking to an auditorium filled with twenty thousand people would be a win, while for someone else it would be the most terrifying experience of their life.

'Winning' (on an individual level) depends on our standards, our expectations, our desires and our goals... but we're not gonna head too far down that philosophical road today (the 'what is winning' road)... or I'll get a headache and give you one at the same time.

My point is, we all need to determine what winning is for us.

So this post is not so much a 'lesson' from coach Craig, as it is an 'opinion piece' (my thoughts on the matter); a discussion...... possibly a debate (feel free to comment).

I regularly get asked these questions:

"Can anyone be a winner, or is it largely genetic?"

"Is it in-built?"

"Is it pre-determined?"

So what are the determinants of success?

What differentiates winners from the multitudes who might, by their own admission, seemingly spend much of their life back-stroking in a sea of mediocrity... not being where, what or who they wanna be?

I personally don't believe that winners are born, I believe they're made.
(I also believe that some people are given a definite head-start.. but that doesn't qualify them as winners).

There.

I said it.

Post over.

See ya.

Alright I'll keep going.

Of course some people are born with certain advantages (be they physical, social, cultural, financial or other), but having great genetics or certain social or financial advantages is one thing... but being a winner, is another.

It's not what we're given that counts; it's what we do with it.

My observations have taught me that quite often the people who are given a 'running start' at life are the ones who spontaneously combust.

Waste what they've been given.

Being handed everything on a silver platter often means that the 'lucky ones' don't develop those highly desirable and valuable practical winning skills; those skills which allow us to win despite our situations, circumstances or challenges.

In fact, I wrote a post on this subject a while back called Is it a Gift to be Gifted . . . or is it a Handicap. It generated some spirited discussion. Take a peek if you haven't read it.

So for the moment, we're gonna go with the 'winners are made' line of thinking (until one of you convinces me otherwise) and explore how we can maximise our chances of becoming a winner in the game of life.

Clearly there are many variables on the winner's journey over which we have little or no control (innate ability, where we were born, genetics, what other people will do), so let's focus our energy and ability on the stuff we can control and let's keep it realistic, practical and simple.

THE WINNING INGREDIENTS:

1. Self control.

Winners create different standards for themselves and do things that most won't.

They expect more out of themselves than anyone else.

While the majority go the easy option, winners go the 'effective' option.

They consistently demonstrate a strength of character that most won't.

2. Adaptability.

Winners embrace challenges and change.

They find ways to cope in dynamic, volatile, ever-changing environments.

They always find a way.

While most people avoid discomfort, they embrace it... because they know what it leads to.

Winners make mistakes, learn from them, change accordingly and keep going.

Losers keep making the same mistakes; they don't learn.

3. Planning, preparation, organisation, research.

These guys don't accidentally win, they put in the ground-work.

They don't stumble blindly and ignorantly in the 'general direction' of where they wanna be; they move towards their goals like a bomber closing in on a target because they are highly prepared for their mission (sorry about the crappy war analogy but you get my point).

They know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it.

While others are sitting on their butts complaining and waiting for success to knock on their door, winners are doing the hard yards.

4. Exceptional attitude.

We all know there's an undeniable relationship between attitude and outcome.... well winners live it. They choose to have a great attitude; they always find the good.

While losers are 'cracking the sads' (an Australian expression... feel free to use it), winners are keeping their head in the game (what is it with me and analogies today).

5. Mental and emotional toughness.

These guys deal with all kinds of crap all the time.
And survive.

When most people would curl up into the foetal position and suck their thumb, these guys are just warming up.

They do things in spite of their fears

They are resilient.

Tough.

6. Efficiency: Winners don't waste time or energy on things they can't change.

Losers do.

On a daily basis.

7. Vision, clarity and certainty.

It's pretty hard to be a winner if you don't have clearly defined objectives.

Winners know exactly what they want and exactly what's required to get it.

Losers spend much of their time scratching their head and hoping someone will tell them what to do with their life.

8. Proactivity.

Winners get stuff done.

They don't procrastinate.

They are doers.

Consistently.

While losers are 'waiting for the right time'... and talking the talk, winners are getting on with business.

Okay, so I couldn't help myself.

I had to throw a (small) lesson in there.

Sorry.

So, am I right or am I wrong?

Optimal Action - Using Tension And Release

2007-04-29T10:39:00.001-07:00

Optimal action is about using tension and relaxation to control the force and flow of energy. Releasing your intention is tension in release. It is the process of holding your intention firmly and then releasing it to carry itself out in motion. It is a balance of how much tension and release to have at different moments.

Work from your internal state because it is the main thing that contributes to reaching your goals. The primary focus in on keeping an optimum internal state, and every external situation is a challenge to improve your internal abilities. By altering your internal state in a way that produces the right amount of tension and release, you improve your external performance. The only thing that ultimately matters is commitment to your internal experience.

Less haste, more speed. Less tension, more readiness. The key to optimal action is to have the right amount of tension needed and as little extraneous thought as possible. It is to be focused and in the focused yet relaxed, alpha-beta-theta state. True concentration happens when we stop thinking. Thinking creates physical tension and in the moment of concentration we cease to think for awhile and just act.

Optimal action requires optimal concentration, both mental and physical. Concentration is the focusing of energy into a particular area of application. You shouldn't over concentrate or under concentrate. Proper concentration requires the correct amount of tension and release necessary for effective action. Optimal action is action that gets you the results you want.

Relaxation doesn't mean no tension. It means no excessive tension. You must not fear. Fear and all sorts of unwanted emotions are unnecessary tension. You deal with your fear by releasing the tension and becoming free to act. Pay attention to your internal states while in action. When your internal states are right, your outer conditions will take care of themselves. You can control your external conditions by controlling your inner consciousness.

We normally use far more effort than necessary to accomplish a thing. It is natural for us to do things with the least amount of effort and not in a way that expends excess energy. We notice this when we observe infants learning to crawl, sit, stand and roll over. They find out exactly what level of strength they require for the movement.

You need to expend a certain amount of effort towards achieving the target of your desires. Not just any amount of effort though. Not too much, not too little, but just right. Optimal results require optimal action.

To have maximum control, you need to have the right amount of tension and release necessary. Not too much, not too little. Just right. If you find yourself faltering in your actions, you could try increasing the tension or reducing it. Concentrated and effective action requires the right amount of tension. Excessive and insufficient tension cause failure. Since everything is changing all the time, you should flow with the situation by adjusting your tension and release from moment to moment.

Optimal action also requires you to have a certain amount of stiffness and a certain amount of softness. As well as a certain amount of firmness and a certain amount of flexibility. It is all about finding the balancing point.

The way to release tension is to feel pleasure. Pleasure is the psychic result of releasing of tension. Building up and releasing tension is the key to enjoying what you are doing. Anytime you allow yourself to feel pleasure, you are in a state of relaxation and releasing tension. It is all about enjoying what we are doing in order to do it best.

Allow yourself to feel pleasure as it radiates through your skin. Allow yourself to be as comfortable as possible and to feel the pleasure and enjoyment of what you are doing. Optimal action is about focusing on enjoying the process instead of just getting the result you want to achieve. Feel the tension in the parts of your body being released and experiencing pleasure. Act with the feeling of pleasure and you will find yourself far more effective.

Our breathing is our main life function. We can control our entire energy system by our breathing. We should always focus on breathing in a manner that allows us to focus energy and release it properly. You can always tell how you are performing by how you're breathing in everything that you do. You can control your tension and release by controlling your breathing.

Bodily awareness is the key to bodily control. By becoming present to the feeling of your body, you can do whatever you are doing with a lot more control. The way to becoming more effective is to increase your sensitivity. It is about becoming more perceptive so as to flow with the forces around you.

Feelings give us energy, passion and vitality. Our feelings are not in our head but in our body and physiology. We experience our feelings in our physical body and energy body together. We become aware of our feelings when we become aware of the sensation of our body and our physiology. Since our body is made of energy as well, we know our energetic state of vibration when we know how our body is feeling. We can control our feelings by controlling our breathing and physiology.

All emotion is energy in motion. The more we let our emotions move through us by experiencing and expressing them, the less blockage we have that impedes our flow of actions. The more freely we experience and express our emotions, the more freedom we have in our actions. We have to release our emotions in order to be free. Flow with you feelings. The more you resist your feelings, the more inhibited your actions will be. Move with the emotion and you will find yourself moving more freely and powerfully.

Our feelings are what drives us. They give us energy to do what we do. We should use our feelings to empower our actions. We should use our feelings by using the tension it creates and releasing it. Act with feeling and speak with feeling. When we use our feelings, our actions become more powerful. When we use our feelings to act, we are acting the natural way. For optimal action, you need to be in the right mental and emotional states.

Tension and release are the workings of energy and feeling. Different kinds of feeling produce different kinds of tension that are meant to be released differently, and the way you release the tension also results further in different kinds of feeling. Sometimes the tension is meant to be released softly and warmly, other times you're supposed to squeeze. Using tension and release for optimal action and expression is all about determining the energy and feeling you exude.

Tension and release are also the workings of power. Building up and releasing tension is building up and releasing power. The greater the tension and release, the greater the force of power generated. Powerful and effective action requires a certain amount of tension but too much, and to release it in a proper way.

Always remember to focus on what you are feeling, you physical state and your breathing in whatever you are doing and not just on what is happening on the outside. Awareness of your internal state is what you should have in everything you do. Internal state is everything, and external result is always dependant on internal state.

The Power Of A Positive Attitude In Your Home Business!

2007-04-27T06:15:00.001-07:00

One thing that many Home Business entrepreneurs find most challenging is keeping a positive attitude. Understandably, it is hard to keep a positive outlook on your business when things are not going as well as planned. But giving up early or saying negative things only develops a defeatist attitude!

You'll find yourself having days where you hardly made any sales, had a bad run-in with a customer or even had problems with your hosting account or merchant account. But this is normal and every online entrepreneur faces these problems every once in a while. Those who succeed just face them head-on and then move on.

Just keep focused on your long-term goals and what you want to achieve. Perhaps you want to quit your job, or perhaps you are eyeing that new car. Whatever it is, focus on the benefits of achieving your goal and you will have no problems keeping a positive attitude towards your Internet business. In fact, you will forward to each day ready to work on your business.

Don't ever give up. If you don't ever give up, how can you fail, right? Keep knocking on that door until it breaks open, and you can achieve anything you want in your Internet business. Your dreams are too small to give up on petty problems.

Remember, it is always easier to say 'I give up'. But will you look back in 20 to 30 years and say you should have done more to achieve your dreams?

The Baroque Exercise

2007-04-25T18:50:00.001-07:00

To be precise, exacting and clear, let us together explore the symphony of the healthy human body. As music could not exist without the ears to hear, the body will begin to retreat to non-existence without the proper playing of the notes of wellness. Can you name a necessary counterpoint to the movement of the physical body that when exercised creates optimal growth in response to the resistance? That's right…exercise!

At the onset of such a journey of exploration, one must proactively and joyfully chart a course and prepare the tools and resources to insure one will achieve the desired destination. Since we will undertake this adventure together I will prepare our list.

We will bring: A Map. We must have a picture of where we want to be. For our physical benefit and the reason for this journey we should have a clear idea of the body we would like to inhabit. For this map let us cut out pictures from magazines, take photos with our minds of the ideal figure that we wish to embody. This map is necessary for two reasons: one, we will know we have arrived if we have a clear picture of the goal, and having a map reminds us of the journey we are on.

Next we need some tools. You have many at your disposal. So many in fact that you really do not need to bring them all…you are well equipped, loved and supported. The tools you will need are light and always you are happy when you are using them. Happiness is the light, the sustenance, the path, and the clarity of vision along the journey. Happiness is the skip in the step on the elliptical machine of life!

We are ready to begin. We have all we need to realize successful co-creative relationships grounded in health and wellness. To recap: We have a map and goals clear in our mind and happiness to guide, support and remind us that we are on an important journey. This is no less than the most valuable task you will ever undertake. This is the journey of your becoming and nothing can prevent your free will from making this dream a reality.

You are loved and supported on your path to clarity, joy and abundance. Let your inner guidance radiate. Worry not about your partners along the way. Always you will meet those who will support you in this co-creative journey. You are here to teach less with your words and more with your clarity, happiness and the detailed map of your future accomplishments.

Life Is All Just But A Game?

2007-04-24T13:14:00.001-07:00

We have always been told not to treat life as a game and that we have to be serious about it. Yes, I totally agree on that but agreeing that we should be serious in our game.

There is nothing wrong with treating life as a game as long as you play it seriously. In fact if you were to give it some serious thoughts, life can indeed be just like a game.

Perhaps, let us define what makes a game a game.

I should believe that you have personally played before, a variety of different games? Some would have been fun and amusing while some boring. But be they however entertaining or not, all the games you have played eventually lead to an ending didn't they? It was an either win or loses, or maybe even a draw for some.

That's life! Just as like a game, all our actions in life will lead to a certain outcome too. I should believe that you have heard of the saying, you can either be a winner or a loser in life? And I am sure you would want to be a winner in life?

Now, what matters is how you are going to play this game of yours, your very own game of life. And for your information, your game has already begun.

What is the key to winning a game?

The key to winning a game is always to understand the objective of the game well. It is only when you are clear about the objective will you know how to go about playing the game?

And what should the objective of your game be? It is for you to decide. Remember. This is yours very own game, your very own life. Before this game can proceed, you have to first get your objective right, knowing clearly what you want for yourself in life. There is not point rushing into the game. Without a clear objective, you will probably end up wasting your precious time losing the very whole game.

Lay down your objectives first and then you are ready to start your game.

Next, would be to work out some wise strategies.

First: Get to understand the strength of you, yourself (the key player) Now, everyone is bound to be strong and weak in certain areas. Ask yourself what are you good in and what are you weak in? Attack the game in those areas you are strong in and avoid those where you are weak at.

Second: Build up a strong ally or team. In this game, you are bound to meet many other different players. And remember, some are there to help you while some are there to harm and to put you down. Choose wisely the partners who can help you, especially in the areas you are weak in. Your unique strengths plus theirs will make up the whole and together this will be a strong team. To form a soccer team, you will need at least eleven players each with their specialty, isn't it? Understand this. You can never rule this world alone.

Third: Plan your attack. Once you get the foundation right, clearly knowing the strength and weakness of yourself and the players around you, plan your moves accordingly. Decide on a plan that best suits you and your fellow team players; a plan that is within the capability of everyone. No point having the best of plans when there is no one to execute it.

Finally: Take actions! Paper talk no matter how excellent the plan is won't get you anywhere without real physical actions.

Many have great ideas, some of which are indeed excellent but lack the drive and the courage to execute them; to put them into real actions. And why is this so? Because they are still unclear of their objectives in life. They didn't clearly understand themselves, failing to find out what they want in life.

Remember. In this game of life, there is never a predetermined ending. What will be the outcome of the game? Nobody knows. And in this game of life, there is never a fixed rule to how you are going to play it. But understand this. For all games that exist in this world, there is one ultimate rule: If you are not going to play, you can never win. That's life! If you never give yourself the chance to try, how will you ever know what will just come next?

Without some real physical actions, you won't get anywhere in this game. In life, if you are not going to take any actions to work towards your objective, nothing will ever happen.

But as the word game imply, it mean winning is certainly achievable. Understand the game well, play it smartly and the chances of winning will be there. And remember. This game of life will only end when you decided to give up. Though you may fail at times during this game but this game of life is not going to end on you unless you give up on yourself.

Remember. The law of Nature states that for all that exist in this world there is always the equal and opposite side to them. When there can be failure, there can also be victory too. Don't give up without even trying.

A Life of Truth - Keeping Love Sacred

2007-04-18T17:26:00.001-07:00

"Love is the ultimate guru. Where love does not exist, life cannot exist"

Tired, frustrated, overweight, addicted, overworked, stressed with anxiety, driven by obsession, out of balance? If yes, this article may provide you with an amazing insight.

Human spirit is another word for energy. There is no ghost or spirit controlling our vitality. What controls our vitality and energy is our love for life. When our mind, our heart or our spirit withdraws from something, so our energy withdraws. We begin to feel tired, exhausted, angry or simply disappointed.

Tired is physical but its real origins are in the human heart.

The soul thinks in pictures and when the pictures become fuzzy, so the soul goes on holiday. Soulless living means the dream is lost, the love is gone, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Love is food for the heart, energy for the spirit. Really, when you find an exhausted, tired person, you find a person who has lost love. They might even be in a relationship, but the love has gone out of it. They might be in a job, but the love has gone out of it. Because we are so afraid of change, sometimes we stay in relationships and jobs when the love goes out of it. We do it because our culture, society values staying higher than going. Then, if the love goes out of it, we have to find substitutes.

Love cannot be forced. If love goes out of a relationship, it becomes a soulless union. Anything done, where the human spirit is lost, is done without soul. Then it is purely mechanical. There are allot of people who can deal with this mechanical life on the surface, but below the surface they have found a coping mechanism, a substitute for love, a way of supporting their spirit while it dies.

The four substitutes are:

Food

Greed

Sex

Righteousness

Food as a substitute. This obsession reveals itself in obesity, preoccupation with flavour and cooking, eating disorders, and substance abuse including alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and sugar. Food is not limited to what we consume by mouth. Infatuation and upper emotions are food as well.

Sex as a substitute. This obsession reveals itself in so many ways. Flirting, seeking approval, appetite for physical sex, masturbation, fantasy, affairs to name a few. Sexual drive rises as a substitute for love, not always as a mirror of it. This can include the pleasure lust for spiritual enlightenment.

Greed as a substitute. When love goes out, and therefore human spirit – energy goes out of someone's life, greed comes in as a substitute. This greed is an appetite seen in blind ambition, obsessive saving, status and power in the form of cars, success, and righteous aggression. Holding onto children, living vicariously.

Righteousness as a substitute for love. The human ego thrives on blame. It wants to be right. The human ego is what grows to replace the human spirit when love is missing in a persons life. The human ego defends the individual from what they fear, creating a feeling of identity and self importance, energy.

To change a circumstance in our life, it is wise to deal with cause, rather than effect. The cause of the need for substitutes is that LOVE is not held SACRED. When love is gone, Sacred is gone, spirit dies and we are left with no option but to fill our empty space with a substitute.

Substitutes are responsible for: affairs, arthritis, arm ache, gangrene, heart attack, gum disease, ulcers, obesity, chronic fatigue, depression, suicide, car accidents, premature ejaculation, impotence, cancer, tinea, acne, bad moods, domestic violence, low productivity and more….

Do what you love, love what you do.

The loss of the human spirit is an epidemic that's spreading fast. Have you caught it. Are you going through the motions of a relationship that's dead, a job that's about money, an exercise program that's about how you look? Are you hooked on substitutes, righteousness about the world, greed about wanting, sex about acceptance, food about consumption? If so, it can all change if you prioritise love. Where love doesn't exist – substitutes do.

Be you

Cultural norms make us stay where we don't need to be. They make us leave where we don't need to leave. Cultural conditioning make us think our parents are important after the age of 15. Cultural norms suggest the length of our relationships are more important than the quality and integrity of them. Where love stops, hearts stop.

The soul thinks in pictures. Can you see? With your inner eye? Are your dreams alive?

Remember, tiredness, ageing, stress and frustration are just signs that love is gone and substitutes have crept in.

Live with Spirit

Read

2007-04-17T09:13:00.001-07:00

I have just returned from a visit to my family in South Africa. I have the most loving, caring and committed family in the world. On the way home in the plane. I was thinking about my visit with them and I realized that every one of them was constantly pushing books into my hands to read. We are a family of are Readers.

Wendy showed me her latest book, "Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos." by Robert D. Kaplan. It was filled with her notes and comments. My Dad read me excerpts from his war books, Gwyneth urged me to read her five recommended books in the fourteen days I was there and my Mom had me read and finish her friend, Gabriel Weiss's amazing book about how he survived the Nazi death camps in Hungary. And of course I took a whole lot of books and books on tape for them, too. Rika and I love visiting the library and any good bookshop.

Entrepreneurs should realize one important thing about reading good books by smart people: When you read the words of a good author, you are thinking his thoughts! What a wonderful privilege to be able to think the thoughts of Churchill, Donald Trump, Ayn Rand, Sun Tzu, Patton, Aristotle, Leonard Peikoff, and Napoleon Hill! Surely, we if think their thoughts, our choices will achieve the same results that they did. There's nothing sadder than someone who has stopped reading good books. Especially an entrepreneur, who needs to constantly develop and learn in order to maintain the lead in his or her chosen field.

When I met multi-millionaire Maxim Krok, he suggested I read "Horse Sense" by All Reiss. I bought it immediately and read it three times. I was fortunate to do some work for him and it was a privilege to learn from him. When you visit someone's home or office, see what books line the shelves. Jim Rohn said the more successful people are, they more they read. And I'm not talking about the sports pages or the TV Times. When I want to know more about people, I ask what they're currently reading. What are YOU reading? When I left South Africa, my Family gave me… another book: Building Buzz by Marisa D'Vari. On the plane, I look at what my fellow flyer is reading before deciding whether or not to talk with them. I had a fascinating three hour conversation with a 23 year old English teacher who was reading "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver.

Are you what you read? If we are our thoughts and if our thoughts are things, if our mind is a magnet, if our thoughts determine our choices, then we should eagerly seize the opportunity to read more than ever before. And if your excuse is that you don't have the time, how about audio books on MP3? Atlas Shrugged is now available, all 53 hours of it, on MP3!

The Secret of True Happiness

2007-04-16T05:06:00.001-07:00

People sometimes wonder if it is possible to find true happiness. While the definition of happiness will vary greatly from one person to another, it can be summed up to mean the feeling of well being that someone has when they feel sure that everything in their life is going to be alright. How you reach this feeling is up to you but there are different areas that you can work on to make sure you are moving in the right direction.

First, love and respect yourself. This may sound unbelievable but many people do not feel that they are deserving of happiness, prosperity, or love. Know that you are a unique and special individual and you are worthy of all that life has to offer. When you wake up each morning express your gratitude to God and the Universe for making you the person that you are. Loving yourself and believing that you are special will help move you towards true happiness. Having gratitude can make this become an hourly ritual that will bring you joy and happiness throughout each day.

Second, surround yourself with people you love. It is said that if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change. If you are around people who are unhappy or negative, imagine them to be as unique as special as yourself. Refuse to see anything but the best in them in each situation. If they say or do something unkind try to see deeper into why they may be behaving this way. Treat them as you would a small child and encourage them to do their best in the situation they are dealing with. People will sometimes be so wrapped up in what might happen at a later time that they are unable to see what is happening right now in the present. Bring calmness to the people around you and watch how they begin to respond in a more positive way.

Finally, do work that you love. If you are at a job that is making you unhappy or even ill, look for a way to move out of it as soon as possible. Sometimes a job we thought would work out for us is nothing like we imagined. Everyone needs to earn a living but we have choices about what we do and how we spend our time. Figure out what you love to do and work toward a job or career in that area. It is said that if you do what you love the money will soon follow. Some of the most successful people in the world did just that. They spent time doing the things that brought them true happiness and soon they were doing a job in that area that brings them happiness and money at the same time.

Time is the great equalizer for us all. We all have the same twenty-four hours each day. Refuse to spend another minute in situations or with people you do not love. And, most of all, love yourself. Then you will be on your way to true happiness.

Finding Passion in Your Work - What Do You Love to Do Every Day?

2007-04-14T20:07:00.001-07:00

Finding work that we are passionate about is the key to spending our life with happiness and joy instead of bitterness and regret. Some people seem to know what kind of career they would like to have when they are still small children. Others never seem to find a job that they enjoy doing and may even detest going to work each day. It is better to spend some time figuring out what types of activities you are drawn to and love doing than to just end up at a job that you will always dislike.

To find out what you are passionate about ask yourself some hard questions. If money were not an issue what would you like to do each day? Maybe you would love working in a large office, being responsible for company projects and traveling frequently. Maybe just the sound of that makes you feel ill. Make a list of some things you have done during your life that you truly enjoyed. Make another list of what you have done that you disliked.

What is your educational background? Did you go to college or take classes that were your choice or someone else's? Think about classes and programs you have taken and how you liked or disliked them. Write down what you did you can see it clearly. Obtain transcripts from your schools so you can refresh your memory. What areas do you excel in? Think about specific teachers and the impact they had upon your life.

· Are you working at present?

· If so, is there a position at your company that you would enjoy?

· What do you look forward to doing on your day off?

· If you went back to school what kinds of classes would you want to take?

· What have your friends and family told you that you would be good at doing?

After you have asked yourself these questions begin to keep a journal of your thoughts and ideas. Make a plan of action to do something every day that will bring you closer to what you would like to be doing. Assure yourself that you are worthy of any goal that you set for yourself.

Most people go through their entire lives without doing the things that bring them joy. They end up having regrets about how they spent the years of their life. If you start today to believe that you can achieve anything that you want you will begin to allow yourself to dream about what could be instead of accepting what is. You can be, do, or have anything you want. Take the first steps today to make that a reality.

Tinnitus Forces You to Learn

2007-04-13T18:49:00.001-07:00

Do you know the main reason why most people don't get the results they desire? It's because they don't follow through on anything long enough to get the desired effect. They give up before they reach their goal because it's either too hard, takes too long or it's too much trouble.

How can anyone ever hope to get what they want in life if they keep giving up and making excuses why they couldn't follow through? For example; did you know that on a very regular basis I have people who, after downloading my "Practical Guide to Tinnitus Free Living" package, they email me, often within a week, and say that it doesn't work for them?

Well, I can honestly say that the reason it didn't work for them is that these people have obviously decided on some sort of time frame that it's supposed to work. Life doesn't work like that. Any worthwhile result is worth a consistent amount of positive doing until the result is achieved. Giving up before you achieve it just means that you've learned to accept a life that is created by default.

How can anyone say that something doesn't work if they only give it a couple of days? What I offer in my teachings is help for tinnitus sufferers but it's also an entirely new way of living. To re-learn how to live after so many years of suffering is not an easy thing to do but, it is possible. Yet, because tinnitus sufferers are so conditioned to expect the worst they usually get it. Their fear, worry and doubt about everything keeps them where they are.

I'm speaking from experience when I say these things. I think I hold the world's record for fear and worry. I used to worry about everything then, one day, I got tinnitus and my world changed forever. At first I blamed the world for giving me this disease but after almost 3 years of struggle I realized that I only have myself to blame.

The simple truth is, somehow I consciously or unconsciously invited, attracted and allowed tinnitus into my life. How? Through the law of attraction. By focusing entirely on fear and worry I managed to manifest the very thing I was trying to avoid.

Everything in my life at the time I contracted tinnitus was going wrong. It only stands to reason that something as devastating as tinnitus would eventually show up. However, I now regularly thank the universe for giving me tinnitus instead of cancer or some other more serious disease. Tinnitus allowed me to see life in a whole new way without the threat of losing it.

Did it take work on my part to change my life situation? Yes, of course. It took a lot of work. And, my intention with my teachings is to shorten your learning curve on how to get what you want in your life instead of what you don't want. Yet, it still amazes me that even after compiling to the best of my ability the information that people need, they still manage to dismiss it after only a few days.

What exactly am I trying to say? That anything worthwhile in life is worth a certain amount of effort and a detachment from the amount of time you think it will take to get the result you want. Think about it this way; if everything you ever wanted was handed to you on a silver platter without any effort, just exactly what would be the point to life? What would you learn?

Tinnitus is a learning experience. It will teach you many things about yourself and about life if you're just open to learning. Learning is the key to living. Granted, you may not want to learn the lessons that tinnitus can teach you but rest assured, these lessons are the key to manifesting a life of true happiness. These lessons will force you to focus on living instead of suffering.

As I've said many times before, there is no mysterious force in the universe that causes random suffering. You must choose whether to wallow in grief and despair or step up to the plate, learn something then, empower your life on a level that's deeper than anything you've encountered in the past. Getting in touch with your true purpose is the only way to true happiness. Tinnitus can actually force you into learning what that purpose is. Accept it, and run with it.

You Can Overcome The Fear Of Failure - Discover How To Silence Fears Forever

2007-04-12T13:31:00.001-07:00

Is fear robbing you? Change your focus.

Fear is a by product of your thoughts. To overcome fear you need to change the way you look at things and change the way you think about them. Fear is rarely a reflection of your current reality, it's usually a result of anticipating negative future events.

People respond to fear in different ways, they

avoid things and find ways of getting around them

give in to the fear and do nothing at all

let the fear be a catalyst and provoke them into action

The thing you fear the most is often the one thing that's standing in the way of what you really want. Don't let fear rule your life. Recognise it for what it is and let your fear act as a motivator to get you to where you want to be. I'm sure you've heard the phrase, 'feel the fear and do it anyway'; it's possible to feel fear yet move past it and go for what you want regardless.

In the past I've let fear hold me back from doing many things that I really wanted to do. I eventually decided that it was time to do something about it. I didn't want to get to the end of my life and be full of regret for all the things I hadn't done. I decided it was time to face my fears and push past them.

When I stopped to think, I realised that the things I feared rarely actually happened. Then, I started to ask myself, "What's the worse thing that could happen if I did ...?" "Would that really be so bad?"

I began to realise that I'd been letting ridiculous things stop me from stepping out of my comfort zone. I had a choice. I could carry on being afraid and let those fears stop me from doing things, or I could face the fears and go ahead and do things in spite of feeling afraid.

I decided that I wasn't going to let fear of failure stop me any longer.

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Eleanor RooseveltI encourage you to press on and do what needs to be done, if necessary, do it afraid. There is no magic solution. The key is to recognise the fear for what it really is and refuse to let it hold you back from your dreams. The antidote to fear is to take action.

develop a clear strategy for overcoming your fear

begin taking action

do something every day towards overcoming your fear

Your plan will never be perfect. Make adjustments as you discover what is working and what isn't. When you start taking action the fear will begin to lose its power. Focus on your plan and take some action every day. It's unlikely that the fears will ever completely go away; fears have a habit of creeping up on you when you're not expecting them. Just tell them that you're not going to listen to them, take a deep breath and dare to live life the way you want to live it.

When you step out of your comfort zone and start to do things that you've been afraid of doing you soon begin to discover that the fear was bigger than the thing itself and there really wasn't anything to be afraid of. Things are rarely as bad as you think.

Don't let fear rob you of your dreams. Do something towards overcoming your fears every day. Keep pushing through and silence your fears forever.

Freedom is a Gift

2007-04-11T12:28:00.001-07:00

This week is the Jewish holiday of Passover. It's a festival that's been celebrated for thousands of years and every year we read the same story of how Moses took the Israelites from oppression into freedom. It's a powerful story of how one man can change the lives of many and continue to influence people for hundreds of generations.

Whether we believe the story is true or not is irrelevant. The powerful metaphor contained within it has been a beacon for many oppressed peoples throughout the world. Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and many, many others, took the story of the Exodus and made it their own.

Many of you already know the story of Moses and how he parted the waters to lead his people across the Red Sea. Now I don't know about you, but I've been to the Red Sea, and it's pretty big. It was a long walk across with the chariots of the Pharaoh bearing down on them. But the idea that we can overcome the limitations of what other people place upon us is a powerful idea.

Enslavement was and is the darkest part of humanity. The idea that we can control the destiny of others with our will, with our beliefs and with our iron fist, is anathema to how we want to be as humans. To deny the lives of others to further our own power or control is a bitter pill no one should be forced to swallow.

But it's not only the physical act of holding someone in bondage or keeping them oppressed that stands out for me in the Passover story. It is the way we hold this metaphor for how we live our own lives.

We are all in bondage to something.

In my own life, I grew up in a family where chaos ruled. My father was a serious alcoholic who physically abused both his wife and his children for many years. Now, I could have gone one of two ways. I could have been kicked into the gutter of life and reverted to alcohol myself, or I could take the higher road and find my salvation in other things. Well, it was a bit of both in reality.

I loved drugs and alcohol from an early age. I was thirteen when I started drinking and I was fifteen when I got hooked on amphetamines. My self-esteem was lower than a gnat, but that didn't seem to stop me. As you can see, I'm here now talking about it. But the long road out of bondage to this place I stand in today, being a Fearless Fifty, took me into some very dark and scary places. It is not a road I would recommend anyone going down, but for me there was no option. It was that or perish.

Along the way, people close to me were hurt but I couldn't help myself, and as I continued to struggle with drug and alcohol dependency it would eventually push me into Alcoholics Anonymous. I am not a Bill W story, although I was in AA for five years. During that time I was also undergoing some very intensive therapy and I confronted a lot of the demons, including being a victim of sexual abuse, which I had locked away.

But getting healthy was far more important to me than holding onto my dark secrets, and gradually I began to unearth the real me beneath the garbage. I began to realize that I was a victim of alcoholic thinking. I was an obsessive compulsive who needed to know exactly where everything was in order to feel safe. I wanted order in my life, but my behavior was anything but. When I drank too much I was convinced I was an alcoholic. But as you know, a real alcoholic cannot live without a drink, and I have always been able to do that. Controlling how much I drank in one sitting and then feeling bad that I'd overdone it again, was my biggest problem.

It took me 5 years to see that my enslavement was the way I think about myself when I drink. I was not my father, or my mother, or anyone else for that matter. It was key to the whole issue. It had to change. And it did. I changed my relationship to alcohol and to behavior that occasionally is not good for me. I like a glass of wine or two and on occasion three or four, but I know how to stop nowadays and what's better, I chalk it up to having had a really good time and I'll recover the next day. I'm a Fearless Fifty now because I can face the demons and give them a name. I choose not to allow the demons to enslave me anymore. I choose to live life on my own terms.

But there are always things in our lives that we are enslaved to.

We find it in our work, our relationship to money, to debt, a style of life we can't afford, a relationship that's not working, health that isn't perfect, too much sex, not enough sex, endlessly trying to please, too much eating, drinking, obsessing about things that are out of our control, habits that are destructive.

In the Passover story we speak of the ten plagues that afflicted the Egyptians as a punishment for their oppression of the Israelites. They include the Nile being turned into blood, frogs, massive hail stones, cow disease, lice and locusts, and the death of the first born child.

What are some of the plagues that afflict us today? I can think of a few. Aids, SARS, Mad Cow disease, wars ravaging Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Sudan, Sierra Leone and many others. The distrust and conflict that separates Israel and Palestine. The economic oppression in Russia. All of these are conflicts of the soul and of the heart. All are a source of oppression.

We would like to think that we have moved on from the dark days of slavery, but that's not true. Think of the young women from Eastern Europe who are forced into slavery as sex slaves throughout the world. The children in Asia who are forced into child labor and sex. Even here in New York today there is are hundreds of sweat shops and underpaid workers. At the restaurant Saigon Grill on the Upper West Side the food is good, the prices reasonable. But they pay their workers $1.61 an hour to work there. Most are illegal immigrants with no way to retaliate. Now that's slave labor. It's a small thing, but I will not return to that restaurant.

We don't need to support oppression for our own satisfaction. By ignoring the plight of others, we ignore the basic needs of man. We ignore the message that we are intrinsically saying they don't count. We all count.

That means we are all responsible for the choices we make when interacting with others. It is said at Passover, 'if even one person is enslaved, we all are.'

Martin Luther King spent his entire life trying to free his people from the oppression of white supremacy and the suffocating laws and expectations that kept people down. The Dalai Lama works tirelessly for the Tibetan people and for mankind to be free of oppression, both physically and spiritually. Repression around the globe is endemic and we must all do our small part to stop the pain. We all have a responsibility to do something about it. Your pain is my pain because we live in the lives of others.

Passover in the Jewish tradition is our yearly reminder. We sit at our Seder table and recite the story of the Exodus. We talk about the present day and we talk about our enslavements. Too much TV, too much work, too much alcohol, too much eating, too much negative thinking. These are just some of the ways we are enslaved.

Think of something you'd like to break free from, and when you're done, write it down and make a promise to yourself that you will make an effort this year to change it. You see we all have them. I'm enslaved to my work right now. I can't let it go for a day, or if I do, I feel guilty that I should be doing something. I'm exhausted a lot of the time building my business, making the connections, getting exposure for what I'm doing. No one is cracking the whip except me. Do I need to break that habit? Probably. The world will keep turning no matter what I do.

Freedom is a choice many do not have. Whether it is self-imposed or imposed by others, freedom is a gift and a natural-born right. We all have the right to be free from bondage.

When Paul Robeson sang Let My People Go, you could feel the entire weight of that request. It was a cry for release. A cry for humanity.

Humanity. The words compassion, generosity, acceptance, tolerance and diversity come up for me when I consider that word. We are ALL entitled to our humanity. Our right to be whatever it is we want to be, however we want to be, as long as we generate respect for the rights of others to have the same privilege. We should all have the freedom to live without someone else telling us how it should be.

The holiday of Passover is a Jewish holiday, but it's a world holiday. It's a time to consider if we truly are free, and if not, we have the opportunity to change it today. We end our Seder with a statement "Next Year in Jerusalem." It is a saying that encompasses the idea that we can all live in harmony. We can all find peace in this world.

I wish you Hag Sameach. A good year.

Be the best you can be for yourself and you will be the best you can be for others.
Let us live in peace and harmony NOW.

Self-Motivation - 5 Strategies for Surviving the "Pit" of Life

2007-04-09T07:53:00.001-07:00

Does it seem as if life has presented you with situations where you have been knocked down and knocked around? Are you facing a barrage of obstacles, challenges, issues, and problems? Do you feel as if you've been knocked into a "pit"?

I define the "pit" as a state of being in which you feel helpless, hopeless and unable to succeed. Your energy is low, your actions are stagnant, and your faith is weak. Overall, you lack the ability to motivate yourself to take action.

I have found that once you fall in the "pit", it is sometimes hard to come out. You struggle and can't get a grip. You slip, you slide, you fall flat on your face. Worse yet, you feel as if you can't see, and there seems to be no one around to help.

What I have come to realize, however, is that self-motivation is one of the most crucial resources to surviving the challenges of life. Self-motivation is when you can see beyond your current situation in order to move yourself into action.

Even though we all have self-motivation as a tool to increase our chances of avoiding life's pitfalls, I have observed that there are those of us that find it extremely hard to remain motivated in living life daily. And worse yet, I've realized that there are some who completely rely upon other people to motivate them.

No matter what life has tricked you into believing about yourself, understand that you must motivate yourself! When you are knocked down by the challenges of life, know that you are your greatest resource to getting back up again!

Here are five (5) strategies that I developed which will help you to remain motivated to climb out your "pit":

"Put on your Rhinestone Combat Boots": Put your foot down, take a stand and declare, "Enough is enough!" Feel good about yourself as you wear the knowledge, experiences, wisdom, and faith that will help you to fight battles, climb over challenges, and kick butt".

"Focus on the Light": You must realize that your success depends on you believing in yourself and pushing beyond what you see. You must learn to focus on what lies ahead (i.e. job promotion, SBA loan, keys to your new home) and not dwell on what has passed (i.e. layoff, bankruptcy, divorce).

"Grasp Again": Learn that when you slip in grasping for something that you want, that break gives you a chance to take a breath, regain your strength, and renew your focus, allowing you to see the best way to grasp again. As my favorite singer, Aaliyah, once sang, "if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again, you can dust it off and try again, try again." Meaning, keep grasping until you get a firm hold and can overcome your obstacles.

"Have a Flashback Party": Get together with a group of your closest friends. Allow those who know you well to shed light on the areas where you are great. You will gain strength as the memories reveal your achievements, successes, and moments of fearlessness. The "flashback party" will add to your self-confidence and boost your self-esteem and give you the energy to fight the darkness.

"Sing a Tune": "Singing a tune" of positive words will uplift, encourage and motivate you to put forth your best effort to overcome the challenges of your life. Quotes, words of praise, affirmations, and scriptures are examples of positive "tunes" that you must play in your mind over and over again as you experience your darkest moments.

Success in life does require you to receive guidance, direction and assistance from others. Yet, the vital key to remaining out of and moving beyond the "pit" requires that you serve as the motivating force of your own life. When you "Put on your Rhinestone Combat Boots", "Focus on the Light", "Grasp Again", "Have a Flashback Party", and "Sing a Tune", your actions will develop you into a capable individual who is wise and strong enough to overcome the challenges life throws your way.

No Matter Where You Are At In Your Life, You Can

2007-04-07T18:01:00.001-07:00

I was reading through some statistics regarding depression and the percentage of people suffering from this has increased substantially. And I remembered what I often hear from people: 'I have failed in my life' or 'I have not achieved anything,' or 'I experienced such and such in my past and it will jeopardize my entire life,' or 'I have made a lot of mistakes,' or 'I have been feeling depressed or anxious for so many years and I can't change.'

Do you think if we have such thoughts we are going to feel good? Well, no. We actually make ourselves depressed.

Now, the truth is that no matter where you are at in your life right now, no matter what your past has been, no matter what your present circumstances are, no matter how you have been feeling for years, no matter the mistakes you have made, you can change your future. That is for sure.

The thing is that sometimes we don't know what can help us to change, so here are some ideas.

The first thing to do is to take total and full responsibility.

You are the only person responsible for your actions, for your behaviours, for your thoughts, for your emotions, for your health, wealth, happiness, inner peace, etc., for your life. You might have heard about the great movie 'The Secret' and how it shows how much power you really have. Your thoughts create. It is the Law of Attraction. Everything that has happened in your life, everything that is happening, you create. For some people it might be a little uncomfortable to take this on board, but it is the truth. Blaming or complaining is simply giving your power away. But this also means that you can change anything you want in your life by a simple shift in your awareness. Every bit is really down to you.

Now, let us consider things in order.

If you have experienced a difficult past, time line therapy is very helpful. Whatever you have experienced in the past, time line therapy does not go back into the past and analyze it; that would keep you there. Instead it gives you the power to feel free from your past and empowered to create your future. It enables you to relive it with more empowering resources and change the memory of it.

If you feel, for example, depressed or anxious, NLP and hypnosis are incredibly powerful tools to enable you to take control of your emotional state. All emotions generate from thoughts, beliefs, the meaning we give to events, self-talk, and you are the master of your own mind. But the thing is that nobody has given us a manual of how the brain works, so when we do not feel good we do not know what to do. If we buy a PC we are given a manual, and your brain is an extraordinary computer! Once you know how the conscious and subconscious mind works, you can take control of your emotional state, and so choose how to feel.

Now, another thing to say is that if we do the same things, we get the same results. So, sometimes we feel stuck in our life or our habits, but if we want to change we need to change what we do and think. So, if you are doing something that makes you feel bad or does not work, stop, right now, and do something different, and you will get different results.

Guilt is a very powerful and damaging emotion, and what I have often found with clients is that we have a strong tendency to beat ourselves up harshly. Now, everybody makes mistakes, and what we need to do is recognise them, take full responsibility, learn from them and grow. One aspect of this is taking full responsibility for our behaviour; a very different thing to feeling guilty about it. The way we treat ourselves has a very strong impact on our emotional state. And if I were to ask you: 'Would you treat another person as harshly as you treat yourself?' I am sure your answer would be no. So, please treat yourself with the same compassion as you would your best friend. Now, do you think God would want you to beat yourself up? No, no, no. Please be kind to yourself. God loves you unconditionally: forgive and love yourself. Strive for excellence, not perfection. And always remember you always do the best you can at all times with the resources you have got.

Now, one of the reasons why we do not achieve what we want in life is because we do not know what we want. Many people live a life by default, they react to what happens, but are they going to make themselves happy? Maybe, maybe not. How about if you could work more smartly? If you could know what makes you happy and create it in your life? So, establish a vision of the life that you really want, establish goals toward that vision, and actions to take. And if you know what you want and you focus on it, the Law of Attraction says it will manifest, without exception.

So, what are you going to do today to become the person you want to be and create the life you want to live?

My Plate is Full Another Weasel Word Excuse and Is Not a Motivational Strategy

2007-04-05T14:42:00.001-07:00

How many times have you heard the following: "My Plate is Full?" If you are like me, maybe you are becoming tired of this excuse that promotes failure to take action or personal responsibility. These phrases are the new Weasel Words of Life in the 21st century and create a self-fulfilling prophecy of can't do attitudes.

Years ago, at a national conference, I heard for the first time the phrase Weasel Words from David Herdlinger a close friend and colleague speaking about the obstacles to personal motivation and human potential. Weasel words are:

Would of

Could of

Should of

Maybe

Might

Think

These words limit the human potential because individuals choose not to open the front door of life and stepping out to experience life's successes as well as failures. What happens instead is that these individuals go out the back door because they are fearful of what might happen. Weasel Words give individuals permission not to take risks and explore the innate human potential residing within them.

Lately in my business consulting and coaching practice, I hear this phrase more and more especially when people are asked to take responsibility. When I first heard these words, I literally envisioned a plate full of meat and vegetables. The picture was quite accurate because sometimes life is full of a lot of stuff. However, now the phrase has become an excuse not to take action and acts against possibility of success.

Given the brain is wired either to fight or flight, this new Weasel Word phrase is giving permission to fly away from new challenges and opportunities. Individuals who actively use this word have started a self-fulfilling prophecy where can't do attitudes become the primary thought and this belief is now demonstrated through their behaviors.

If you hear yourself saying or thinking that "My plate is full," then maybe it is time to start either discarding some of that stuff off your plate or taking action by actually "eating some of it."

Analyzing Lack Of Educational Motivation In Students

2007-04-04T03:43:00.001-07:00

Education is the key towards success for every country.It helps to

boost the economy and to generate democratic society in a country.The

main resource of any country is Human Resource. If we'll prepare

educated human in our society in advance,by providing proper education

facilities to our younger generation, then we could move towards the

path of success undoubtly.

If we look towards our education system,there are many unveiled reasons

behind the de-motivation and poor academic performance of

students.Despite a great deal of effort since from the day of

independence, academic achievement among students in Pakistan continues

to lag behind.No doubt that we are moving towards the successful

future, but our education system some how, is hampering the progress of

our country.

The results, which we see in matriculation, intermediate and graduation

are not up to mark.

The interest in students to achieve quality education is de-motivated

in the recent years.The only thing student require, is

Certificate/Degree with passing marks.

In the attempt to improve school results, the teacher educators and

education counselor are trying their level best to find the roots of

poor academic achievement of school students.Educational Psychologist

has also developed many tests, to judge and improve the skills of

students, but the real cause has not been founded till date, that what

makes the student frustrated to back out of education so easily?

Might be it's the fault of Ministry of Education to develop lack of

integrated curriculum and wrong dimensional policies or it might be the

fault of a teacher, whose teaching style is not appropriate to the age

level students they teach, or its the problem of Learning Disability in

a child.

Some point the finger at the outrageous homework loads students given

by the teachers. Students are overburdened with academic demands of

questionable value and, as a result, end up indifferent to studies,

exhausted, and worn out.In addition,the heavy loads of books are not

worthwhile, until and unless the students are ready to go through it.

Our Curriculum Ministry is trying to develop curriculum according to

their own judgement, without keeping in view the taste and level of a

student.

The reason for the poor academic achievement could be any out of these.

But the question is, Why the students academic records are more

successful in European and American Countries?

The answer is that, they are keen to learn and explore things. No over

load of work is given to them nor books load and examination pressure

is exerted on them.The books are well integrated too.

The new writers, who want to write curriculum books according to the

requirement of students are never encouraged in our country.

Teachers, even sometimes avoid researching, and teaches whatever is

given in the textbook.

The main contributing factors that lead to low learning proficiency of

students according to my experience as a teacher are as follows

1. Incomprehension of the Studying Purpose

The main reason why so many students don't feel interested in what they

are doing at school, is the incomprehension of their studying routine.

A vast majority of private and government teachers are not even

bothered to explain to their students what the learning outcomes are,

why they need to achieve them and how they will be assessed.Mostly

Teachers take out their text books and start making a wrong impression

of rote learning on students, and then evaluate their students without

seeing the capabilities of a child.Students are not encouraged to write

their own answers. Despite of it, teacher wants their student to copy

the same answer in the examination, which they have taught or were made

to write.

Thus, the writing and analytical thinking skill gets hamper, for which

we can't blame a student.

Student just accomplish their tasks by command, which needs to be

bluntly carried out.Students prepare projects, submit reports etc just

to get extra marks, without knowing the purpose of their study.

2. Wrong Assessment Process

Assessment means to evaluate children capabilities, not to judge them.

Assessment in Pakistan is often wrongly intended by teachers as a

punishment for students, or traps to catch them out. Grades seem to

exist in order to show students' errors, mistakes and drawbacks in the

study area, rather than to give students reasonable chance of

demonstrating their achievements of specific learning goals. Same five

years questions, wrong curriculum development by the ministry of

education, changing of the course at the last moment of the end of the

year are going on in secondary and higher classes. Assessment should

not be based on counting the pages, which a student fills. Rather than

this, evaluating system should be changed.Invigilators should be well

educated to judge the learning tasks and own input, else the wrong

assessment process, which is going on since a long time would create a

fearful attitude in students towards assessment.

Students are learning not for acquiring knowledge but for getting a

"pass." Students, who works hard gets low marks, because the teacher

checks the paper according to their knowledge and often forgets student

effort of contributing towards answering question.

3. Lack of integrated Curriculum

Ministry of Education is making such a curriculum, which is not up to

mark and is not well integrated with full resources. Mistakes in the

books and wrong statements makes student furious.

Activities are always missing in our curriculum books. The quality and

the presentation of book makes jack a dull boy.

Our curriculum is made by professionals, but the question is, Why the

curriculum is not made yet, according to the needs and requirement of

the students? We are just trying to change our curriculum all the time

on the basis of the prevailing fear of any other examination

systems,coming ahead in the competition. If we are capable, why don't

we move ahead rather than taking wrong decisions at the end moment.

4. Teachers Fault

With classes consisting of more than 15-20 children, many students feel

deprived of the due attention on their teacher's part.Teachers are the

leader and a role model for every student. Every student want to be

unique and want their place in teachers heart. They are placed among

the great lot of students without their personal interests, and

problems with studying being taken into account. As a result, students

don't feel cared about, lose their identity, become indifferent to

studies and lose faith in the brighter future.

Teacher should treat their student equally and give proper attention to

every student of his/her class.

5. Wrong attitude of parents

Many parents are "performance oriented," which emphasises results such

as students' grades, rather than knowing whether their child have

mastered the material or not.They just want their child to be on the

top of the list and thats all.

Children gets frustrated, when parent keeps alot of expectations from

our child, which de-motivates them most of the time.

There are many parents,who tells their child in advance that they have

to join their fathers or forefathers business after passing school,

which also makes student less motivated to perform well in examination

and thus, poor performance is seen in the results, just because of the

wrong impression embossed by parents on their children.

How's Your Passion These Days?

2007-04-01T21:08:00.001-07:00

If there is a fire in your gut there are bound to be a few sparked flying out of your mouth. Passion is different than enthusiasm. Passion is the fuel that drives you toward the finish line. It is the reason why you do anything. Without passion you are destined to a life of being 'average'. To a life of mediocrity.

Passion is one of life's critical behaviors if you want to achieve sustained success in any career especially sales.

Who do you know that is on fire with passion? Are you? Have you had it in the past but are losing it due to some external circumstances? Do you feel in welling up inside you or do you feeling it slowly slipping away?

Many people can be heard saying that their sales career just doesn't seem to have the same spark that it did in the past. That selling is becoming - same stuff different day - or it is just too demanding or difficult to maintain consistent high sales volume. Passion is not in a career, job or life, it is in people or it isn't.

Passion can make up for a lack of education, skill, opportunity and it can help you overcome adversity, failure and problems with ease. Yes ease, because your attitude is - I can handle it, so bring on the challenges, problems and adversity. I will overcome. I will surmount. I will find a way around, under or over it. I will not be defeated. I will not be deterred. I will never quit, never no matter what is going on around me. I have drawn a line in the sand and have made the decision to overcome, no matter what.

Here are a few words to consider when you think about how passionate you are.

Expectations

Disappointment

Struggle

Pain

Problems

Resolve

Outcomes

Enthusiasm

Adversity

Risk

Winning

Overcoming

Self- belief

Self-confidence

Self-assured

Why not rate yourself on the above words to see where you may need to re-discover or re-kindle your passion or why it has left you or is leaving.

Passion is your key to success. It assures that no matter what you know or don't know, do or don't do, believe or don't believe, feel or don't feel doesn't matter. With passion you will do "whatever it takes, learn whatever you need to learn and use what you have to the fullest. Passion gives no excuses. Passion is not what you have only when things are going well, It is a part of your cellular makeup. If you haven't got it, get it. If you have it, never let it go. If you have lost it, get it back.

Accountability - Can You Hold Yourself Accountable?

2007-03-30T13:44:00.001-07:00

I just finished up with my coaching singles training recently and was reminded of something I wanted to share.

The training was held once a week. In the second last class we were to identify a goal that we wanted to reach and then list 1-3 action steps we were willing to take by the next class and report back to the class on how we did. Luckily, this class was just before Christmas so it gave us an additional week to complete our action steps.

At the beginning of the next class, which was also the last class, we were asked to report on what we completed. The whole idea behind the exercise was to experience how accountability can be a motivator. Many of the participants had stated that they were much more driven to do the action steps because they knew they had to report back to class how they made out.

Obviously this was just a generic test, but statistics back this up as well. Below reflects the probability of completing a project or goal based on certain behaviors:

Come up with an idea - Probability 10%

Consciously decide to adopt the idea - Probability 20%

Set a date to complete - Probability 40%

Put a plan in place - Probability 50%

Commit to someone else - Probability 65%

Have a specific accountability appointment - Probability 95%

After the class I reflected on the exercise. When I was listening to the other class members%u2019 talk about how motivated they were because they did not want to let the class down and look like failures, I wondered whether or not success could be had if they chose to be accountable to themselves as well. This is important since we don%u2019t always have someone or a group to hold our feet to the fire.

That is when I started to remember a particular situation where that did occur for me. My husband and I separated in the month of January. In February I attended an intensive weekend workshop. In that workshop I was introduced to %u201Cacknowledgements%u201D. Acknowledgements are used to help you identify positive things about yourself.

The way it works is everyday you are suppose to identify five things that you acknowledge yourself for, starting each acknowledgement with %u201CI acknowledge myself for %u2026..%u201D . I thought this was a cool idea and thought I would give a shot. So when I came home from the weekend workshop I dusted off my journal and started my daily acknowledgements. Since everything was new and different everyday due to the separation I had no problem coming up with acknowledgements initially.

Well as the weeks went by it became harder and harder to come up with acknowledgements. But I wasn%u2019t willing to quit. What happened was I found that I started to think of things that I could do differently so I would have something to acknowledge myself for each day. Little by little I started to step outside my comfort zone and take a risk just so I could have something to right in that blasted journal at the end of the day.

One particular situation sticks in my mind still today. As I mentioned earlier my husband and I separated in the month of January. My birthday is in April. So I found myself facing a birthday alone during a period of emotional turmoil. Well I resolved that I would not spend it alone and unhappy. So I decided I would throw myself a birthday party. This was a huge step outside my comfort zone, as one of my greatest fears in life is %u201Crejection%u201D and this was definitely a way to set myself up for rejection. I hand delivered my hand made invitations and had an amazing response. I must say it was probably one of the best birthdays I ever had.

I have my commitment to %u201Cacknowledgements%u201D to thank for having the strength to take this step. After all I needed something to write in my acknowledgement journal. So again, I ask can we be just as successful by being accountable to ourselves as we are being accountable to others? I say, yes!

What is it that you want to achieve? How will you achieve it? Can you be your own support system when others are not available? Give it a try. Start your acknowledgement journal today. See how just a few entries can help you see you and your world a little different.

Hey, we are going to think things about ourselves and others no matter what, right? Why not choose to see the positive in ourselves and others rather than the negative. We or someone taught us how to think negatively about ourselves, so I challenge you to retrain yourself to see the good more than the bad. Give it a try. What do you have to lose? Nothing except your negative self-esteem.

Ignore Your Conscience And Reprogram For Success

2007-03-29T09:45:00.001-07:00

Programming yourself for success is all about ignoring all the negative thoughts and way of thinking you had in the past and start again from fresh, rather like wiping your hard drive and reinstalling the Operating system.

Where before your conscience has always crept in and told you "you can't do this" or "you'll fail, you know you will" you have to rid your mind of these thoughts and replace a more positive natural way of thinking, by practicing this on a regular basis you will find that eventually you have successfully reprogrammed your brain.

Actually you are aiming to reprogram only the left part of your brain, or the left hemisphere as it called, because this is the part that sends you negative thoughts. The right hemisphere however is the side that lets you see the good in life and which send you positive thoughts.

So in effect you have to ignore the left and go with the right. Reprogramming can be done but it does take time, after all you will have probably had years of letting the left side win over the right and it having a free reign.

There are three main factors that go together and contribute to reprogramming your mind, they are effective and have been proven to work if used together. The first is relaxation, the second, visualization and the third affirmation.

Relaxation is essential if we want to listen in only to our right side, the fact is that if we are relaxed then the brain waves slow down and our brain goes into a state called "alpha". During this state the left hemisphere goes dormant and the right or subconscious is firmly in control, this is good, this is what you are aiming for.

This state is most often felt just seconds before we drift off to sleep, where we feel light, happy and comfortable, almost as if you are floating. However this state can be felt anytime you are deeply relaxed. It is this feeling and this state that we want to encourage and we can learn how to reach it at anytime, anywhere.

The most common way to achieve this state easily and quickly is to learn meditation or similar relaxation techniques.

Using the visualization technique is the second step towards reprogramming. When you are relaxed your creative side will be allowed to flow freely and you can make good use of this. Through visualizing a happy more successful person you can eventually instill this in your brain and the new confidence sticks with you throughout your day. Visualize in as much clear detail as you possibly can and although this will take some practicing you will eventually find that you are able to relax quickly and easily and your visualizations become almost real in quality.

The final part of your reprogramming relies on backing up all this with affirmations. Affirmations are positive thoughts and statements, which will help to give you confidence and make sure your new way of thinking sticks in your mind.

Motivate Yourself To A Healthier You

2007-03-25T09:42:00.001-07:00

You know you need to get moving. The benefits of exercise are well documented through research. Exercise can improve your overall health, increase your self-esteem and decrease your stress. The first prescription for people who are depressed is to start an exercise program. Physicians are encouraging most of their patients to exercise. It is the secret to a long and healthy life.

OK, great; you know it already. So how do you continue to exercise when you are mentally fatigued, the weather is lousy and your stress level is through the roof.

Here are six great tips to help you continue on your journey to a healthier you.

1. See it in black and white. Call it a calendar, diary or list – doesn't matter. What ever you call it mark the days that you have completed your exercise for the day. Seeing it in black and white can be very motivating. Put the record in a place that you will look at each and every day. It doesn't matter if you plan to work out that day or not. Look at the record each day.

2. Reward yourself for good behavior. Write down specific short term (3-5 week) goals and reward yourself when you achieve them. Make the reward something that you don't get unless you achieve the goal. If you normally stop at the local coffee shop but your reward is a Latte then the reward won't mean much.

3. Challenge yourself to achieve something you might not otherwise attempt. Is your neighborhood or community having a walk/run event? Sign up and commit to completing the event on that day. You can find these opportunities in every community – bike rides, walk/runs, or swimming for charity.

4. Be clear about your reason to exercise. Are you searching for better health, sleep better, treat depression or increased energy and a new figure? Write your reason down on a piece of paper – preferably with a picture that represents your reason, and look at it every day. Keep your reason to the front of your mind and it will be easier to stay motivated on rainy days.

5. Consider a training partner. This is someone who engages in the same exercise routines to accomplish their goals. You can find partners for running, walking, swimming, aerobics – you name it, someone is doing it. You may be motivated by having an Internet partner with whom you share your goals and achievements. Or you may do better with a partner who can exercise with you.

6. Identify your usual excuses and provide yourself with answers. If time is an issue be sure you have everything ready to go and you schedule an adequate amount of time to work out. If you have young children arrange for a neighborhood sitter to watch them for short periods, or purchase a good quality jogging stroller to take them with you. Identify what you usually use as an excuse and fix it!

Exercise has an incredible number of benefits to our health. However, unless we do more than read about them we can't benefit from exercise. So get out and do it!

Turn Ideas Into Action

2007-03-23T09:09:00.001-07:00

Does your brain bounce with ideas? So many ideas in fact, you feel overwhelmed?

Maybe you have a unique idea for a book. Maybe you have lots of ideas stirring for a new marketing campaign. Or, maybe you have a fun idea for a family vacation.

There's a good reason why you have all of these great ideas—you're smart, creative, and talented!

So why haven't you acted on these ideas yet? Do you struggle with deciding which ideas to tackle first? Do you wonder how you'll ever find the time to see the idea through?

Whether they're for your professional life or for your personal life, don't let these ideas sit and collect dust. Rather, turn them into action!

Tips for turning your ideas into action:

1. Make a list. If you don't already have one, create a "master list of ideas." Create a separate list for work and personal life. Every time a new idea piques your interest, add it to the list.

2. Identify obstacles. Take a close look at your list and identify what has kept you from implementing the ideas. Is it lack of time, lack of resources, lack of confidence, etc.? Figure out how to break the obstacles.

3. Determine impact. From your master list, determine which idea could have an immediate positive impact on your job or your personal life. Work on this idea first.

4. Set a goal. Take the idea that you identified in #3 and set a specific goal. For example, maybe you want to implement a new training program by the end of the quarter.

5. Create a plan. Now that you have a goal in place, create a plan to achieve it. Break the plan into small, manageable tasks. The more tasks you can break it into, the quicker you can complete them. Seeing this progress will motivate you to keep plugging away!

6. Give effort. The more effort you contribute to your idea, the faster you'll accomplish it. If you contribute little effort, you'll see little accomplishment and your idea will remain just another idea.

7. Hold yourself accountable. Accountability will help you reach your goal. For example, in the "implement a new training program" example, you could share your plan with your boss. When he asks questions such as "How is the planning coming along?" or "When will the training take place?" you may get annoyed, but he'll encourage you to keep working at it. After all, you don't want to let your boss down!

8. Stay motivated. It's not unusual to feel like you're burning out when working on a goal. If this happens, focus on the reason you thought of the idea and keep the end result in mind.

9. Take a bow! Once you've finished your goal, celebrate! What once was merely an idea is now a reality. Congratulations!

10. Start on your next idea. Your momentum is high now, so after a well-deserved break, start on your next idea!

Repeat these ten steps for each idea and they'll all become actions! So, what are you waiting for? Get started!

Consistency - Parent of Progress, Cornerstone of Success

2007-03-20T06:16:00.001-07:00

In his book, "Awaken the Giant Within", Anthony Robbins has the following to say about achieving success:

"In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently."

Remember back down the line where someone told you that if you put a little bit of money in the bank every week or out of every paycheck, after a while you would have a large chunk of money? Made sense, right?

Or how about if you take a walk every day, or at least several times a week, you will lose weight, get fitter, go down a dress size...whatever! Do you remember that?

Okay, how about brush every day? I know you've heard that one!

So, what the heck do all these things have in common?

No peeking! You actually have to read the article.

Oh, okay. We all know and understand that simply taking the occasional swing at changing our lives or improving them or losing weight or making more money isn't going to work. It's the exercise done regularly and often over time that improves our bodies. It's the money put into the bank out of every paycheck that mounts up to enough to actually invest in something expensive. It is brushing our teeth every day that helps keep tooth decay in check and keeps the dentist off our backs.

That little Austrian kid, what's his name, probably did have some good genes going for him. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger never would have made "Pumping Iron", got discovered, made a lot more movies, married Maria Shriver, and become the governor of the state of California if he had only visited the gym once or twice and then quit...or only showed up every other Wednesday.

Like so many successful people, Ahnald (sorry, couldn't resist) visualized a goal for himself, figured out what steps were needed to get him there, and then was willing to spend the time and effort necessary to perform those steps regularly and religiously.

Raining and cold today? Got to get to the gym. Don't feel like working out? Got to get to the gym. Not only that, if something he tried wasn't working, he tried to figure out what would work and started over.

Was every step along the way perfect? Of course not. Just look at some of Arnold's movies, and you will see that some would definitely NOT remind you of the future governor of California...or of Gregory Peck, Charleton Heston, or Gabby Hayes, for that matter. What did matter was that he kept swinging...er, lifting, and did not give up.

Same with Ronald Regan, by the way.

Or how about that young black woman born in the segregated city of Birmingham, Alabama in the mid 50's? Who would have thought that she ever would have a chance to become anything. I grew up in the South of the 50's. I remember what she faced. It wasn't just two water fountains (white and colored) and three bathrooms (men, women, and colored). That's almost just an inconvenience compared to being considered by a large part of the population to be less than human and not being allowed to even dream of following the paths to achievement open to those who did not have skin the same color as hers. However, she too had a goal and never quit working at it despite the obstacles, and the almost certain times that she must have felt that her goal must be impossible to obtain.

Today, Condoleezza Rice is one of the most famous, most respected women in the world. Her name will go down in history because she had something to work towards and realized that just taking a casual swing at it once in a while would not get her where she wanted to go.

By the way, it was another person with skin the color of hers who would not give up and quit either. Partly because of the sacrifices of people like Martin Luther King, not only did the extra water fountain and bathroom go away, but so did a lot of the obstacles that little girl faced. He didn't quit trying either, until he could try no more...and that decision was not his.

Pick somebody successful. It doesn't matter if it is Tiger Woods, Thomas Edison, Donald Trump, or Tony Robbins. Heck, Edison even said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." How many of us would have quit after two or three tries?

How about that unemployed ex-secretary in Britain. Thought up some silly characters and wrote a book about them. Twelve publishing houses rejected her story before one decided to take a chance on it. Even her good friends were telling her to give it up and get a real job when the first Harry Potter book by J. K. Rowling hit the stands.

An old story I remember from a bazillion (my spell checker says "kazillion" doesn't exist) years ago was about a sports writer watching a famous golfer sink a difficult putt. A man beside him snorted and said something like, "I wish I had been lucky enough to be born with his talent." The sports writer didn't say anything at that time, but he thought to himself of all the times he had seen that same golfer practicing putting over and over between rounds when he could have been resting.

Yeah, we all have different levels of skills and talents. Our parents may or may not have been able to help us out. Our genes, or the circumstances of our birth and heritage, may or may not have made it easier for us to accomplish this or that. However, again and again we can see that the winners...those who succeed, are not always the most talented, those born rich, or those whose genes made it easy for them.

So many times in life's race, the winner is the one who simply did not quit running.

Mach Speed Trio 1GB MP3/Video Player (Black) -PMP-TV819-1GB-BLACK

2007-03-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Mach Speed Trio 1GB MP3/Video Player (Black) -PMP-TV819-1GB-BLACK

List Price:	~~$89.99~~
You Save:	$40
Final Price:	$49.99

Description :
Amazingly thin, super lightweight, & ultra high tech. The classy new Trio MP4 819 is feature-rich yet unbelievably affordable! It combines a brilliant 1.5 inch color display, the ever-popular MP3 function, crystal-clear video player, quality digital FM radio & voice recorder, efficient photo browser, convenient e-book reader and USB flash drive in a sleek & stylish design. Now you can have it all in a splendid array of innovation.

Go to Buy.com
Add to Shopping cart for $49.99
Final Price: $49.99 + Free Shipping + No Tax (Except CA, MD, MA, and TN)
Click here to grab this deal from Buy.com

Make Yourself Happy

The Practices of the Heart Part V - The Practice of Seeking Resource

Where is Your Turning Point?

Survive Transition and Icky Neutral Zones

The Secret and the Law of Attraction - Hip, Hype or Hoax?

The Tricky Business of Motivating Employees - Part 5

Seeing Things As We Are – The Power of Your Worldview

8 Reasons to Invest in Decision Diva Coaching

Personal Development Tips - 5 Ways to Develop an Abundance Mentality

Motivational Seminars - Do they Translate into Increased Sales?

What Super Heroes Teach Us About Personl Growth

The Times of Our Lives

Live Life, Be Positive

Are Winners Born or Made?

Optimal Action - Using Tension And Release

The Power Of A Positive Attitude In Your Home Business!

The Baroque Exercise

Life Is All Just But A Game?

A Life of Truth - Keeping Love Sacred

Read

The Secret of True Happiness

Finding Passion in Your Work - What Do You Love to Do Every Day?

Tinnitus Forces You to Learn

You Can Overcome The Fear Of Failure - Discover How To Silence Fears Forever

Freedom is a Gift

Self-Motivation - 5 Strategies for Surviving the "Pit" of Life

No Matter Where You Are At In Your Life, You Can

My Plate is Full Another Weasel Word Excuse and Is Not a Motivational Strategy

Analyzing Lack Of Educational Motivation In Students

How's Your Passion These Days?

Accountability - Can You Hold Yourself Accountable?

Ignore Your Conscience And Reprogram For Success

Motivate Yourself To A Healthier You

Turn Ideas Into Action

Consistency - Parent of Progress, Cornerstone of Success

Mach Speed Trio 1GB MP3/Video Player (Black) -PMP-TV819-1GB-BLACK

iPod Compatible 3-D Sound/Docking Station - White -26481

SanDisk 2GB microSD Card -SDSDQ-2048-A10M

Wenger SwissGear Degree Notebook Case w/ Shoulder Strap (Fits up to 15.4") -GA-7436-01F00

Dremel 3962-02 Variable-Speed MultiPro Tool Kit

Sony Cybershot S650 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Cavalry 120GB Portable 2.5" External Hard Drive, USB 2.0, 4200RPM -CAUP25120

Photo Explosion 2.0 - PJW

Creative Zen Vision:M 60GB MP3 Player - Black

Sandisk SDMX4-4096 Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion Slot

Panasonic DMR-ES15S DVD Player/Recorder - Progressive Scan DVD Recorder with DV inputRecords to DVD-RAM/-R/-RW/+R/+RW Discs

PNY 1GB DDR2 SDRAM Memory Module - 1GB - 533MHz DDR2-533/PC2-4200 - DDR2 SDRAM - 200-pin SoDIMM -N1GX43OPT

Brother QL-500 Label Printer

Samsung ML-2510 Laser Printer - Monochrome Laser - Desktop Printer - 25 ppm Monochrome - 1200 x 600 dpi Monochrome - Mac, PC

PNY Verto GeForce FX5200 256MB DDR PCI Video Card ( S- Video Dual VGA ) -VCGFX522PPB

Creative HN-505 Noise Cancelling Headphones - Black - 5002010000038

IOGear Mobile Kit (Includes 4 port USB Hub, USB Mouse, and Network Cables) -GKC431

Kodak Digital Camera Tripod -8062135

SanDisk Sansa 512MB MP3 Player -SDMX2-512 (New Factory Overstock marked as "Refurbished" by Sandisk

Gear Head Laser Wireless Rechargeable Mouse -LM8000WR

Kingston 1GB Secure Digital Memory Card (SD 1GB Card)

APC BACK-UPS ES 8 OUTLET 350VA 120V -BE350R

Aluratek 120GB 2.5 5400RPM Portable External Hard Drive With Push Button Auto Backup -AHDUB250120

Intuix M300 Series Smart Drive U3 City 1GB USB Flash Drive

Dell DimensionE521 AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core3800+,1GB RAM, 160GB, 16x DVD+/-RW2 Drive, 19" LCD (Flat Panel), 1yr Warranty

Digistor 8x Internal Slimline DVD +/-RW Drive

Morpheus Photo Morpher -MORPHWBX2

Kingston 2GB Secure Digital Card (SD) -SD/2GBKR

50 Pack Ritek RiData G04 4X Mini DVD-R (MiniDVD-R) Blank Media 1.46GB 8cm (3 inch) in Cake Box

Olympus EVOLT E-500 Two Lens Kit: Evolt E-500 Digital SLR Camera with 14 45 mm and 40 150 mm Zuiko Digital

Super Talent 2GB Secure Digital Card, 150X SD Card-

Apacer 1GB AH-230 USB2.0 Pen Drive

KWorld External TV Tuner w/ Speaker - KW-TV1440RNB

Lucien Piccard Swarovski Crystal Watch

Panasonic DVD-S52S DVD Player -Progressive-Scan DVD Player with Multi-Format Playback, High Definition (1080i/720p) Up-Conversion, and HDMI Output

eDimensional - AudioFX Gaming Headset -EDI-100

KWorld USB 2.0 TV Tuner Adapter -KW-PVR-TV305U

Nikon Coolpix L4 Digital Camera - 4.0 Megapixels - 3x Optical Zoom - 4x Digital Zoom - 2" TFT Color LCD-25546

5-Pack Compatible Inkjet Cartridge Combo for Epson Stylus CX5000 CX6000 Printers: Two T069120, One of Each T069220, T069320, T069420

Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker

Kworld 4-Channel 120 fps PC DVR Capture Card & Surveillance Software

Lexar Media 1GB JumpDrive FireFly USB 2.0 Flash Drive -JDFF1GB-431

Creative Muvo V100 2 GB MP3 Player White -70PF190509000

Symantec Norton Save & Restore - Complete Product - Backup & Recovery - 1 PC(s) - Complete Product - Standard - PC -10527549

Sony D-NE005BLUE CD Walkman with MP3 Playback (Blue)