Daily Motivations

The Number One Sales Currency - By Shane Gibson **

2008-07-02T20:01:00.001-04:00

F.E.A.R. as defined by many personal development gurus (the revered and even the self-proclaimed) is defined as False Evidence Appearing Real. To close big deals, and large clients, especially in turbulent or uncertain times is all about taking the F.E.A.R out of saying yes.

Often the prospect has a dozen good reasons why they should do business with you, they even admit it, but still no deal. There’s a hesitance, a pause, then more questions, a couple stalls and more meetings hesitations and stalls. What are they afraid of? Often it’s an undefined sense of uncertainty. It’s emotional intuitive issue, they don’t trust us, or they don’t trust a number of factors that influence their business that are related to the transaction.

“Sales is about creating an environment where an act of faith can take place.”

This act of faith us based upon trust and credibility. Trust is in my opinion the number one sales currency. Too many people think it’s a product, a pitch, a better deal, or a nice suit. These things are important, but all will fall short without trust.

Recently I surveyed a number of senior investment advisors with one of Canada’s largest brokerage firms and asked them a very straightforward and open-ended question; “What does is take to move a big client (along with their with money) from a competitor to your firm?”

Every single one of them, without exception, said “the relationship.” This relationship was built upon a series of trust building interactions, very few of which were related directly to immediate gains in stock picks or better brochures than the competitors. They described knowing the client personally through lunches, dinners, inviting them the VIP events and being very accessible and transparent in their dealings with them.

I asked “what about your great research, your name in the press, the brand, and of course your track record?” The response: “That will get them to open their account with you and allow you to send them the odd e-mail or prospectus.” To move a large lump sum of money for you to manage they told me “you need trust, a real relationship based upon it.”

I recently landed a fortune 50 client. I knew I was up against bigger competitors. After the RFP and final presentation was done I got the news. The deal was mine. When I asked the Senior VP of Sales for this company why I got the deal his answer was little surprising. He said “I don’t know, the other guys are well branded, they said the right things, but you just made us feel comfortable, you were open with us, I felt that our team would relate well to you.” Relate well? I thought. What about the results I’ve landed for other clients? Our great training modules? Our experience in their sector? Comfortable? They bought comfortable!? What kind if competitive advantage is that?!

What my broker clients and I experienced is the same thing.
Our value proposition, our branding, our stats and track record opened the door for us. To close the deal, and grow the client it was our ability to establish trust that was the deciding factor.

What is trust? Trust from a prospects perspective, is a sense of comfort, a belief that we’ll do what we say we’ll do regardless of a contract or what we’re obligated to do. Seems simple, but so many people today feign concern but don’t deliver. The truly empathetic sales person that is grounded and transparent has a huge advantage in the marketplace. Trustworthiness is a rare commodity, if we focus delivering it as out core value proposition we can lock clients in for a lifetime.

So how do we establish it? Here’s some quick concluding thoughts on the topic:

#1) Know your product and service capabilities, all of it’s applications and all of it’s limitations. Close deals that fit and be willing to walk away or refer them to someone else. Basically take on clients you know you can hit a home run with.

#2) Keep even the smallest commitment always, Even things like being on time are unspoken and implied commitments. If we can’t be trusted with minor details how can we be trusted with business critical issues?

#3) Never talk about other clients to prospects, unless you let them know that you have pre-approval. They’ll enjoy the story but then later wonder what you’ll say about them.

#5) Manage their expectations up front. Let them know what to expect, even in regards to product and service limitations. Our clients are grown-ups, they know there’s no perfect product or service and they’ll appreciate our candor.

#6) Have conversations that are broader and deeper than our competitors are capable of having. Do this by educating ourselves more, researching more, assuming nothing, and customizing every interaction with the client.

#7) This final point is by far the most critical. Be good at establishing genuine rapport. This happens by being totally aware, present and functional and having a highly developed capacity for listening and asking great questions. People will sense our level of empathy and sincerity more from the questions we ask then the stories that we tell.

About the Author:

Shane Gibson is President of Knowledge Brokers International and author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals. With 14 years as a professional speaker Shane is in high demand as a conference speaker and a sales training and sales performance specialist. KBI’s clients include organizations such as BMW, Siemens, Ford, Vodacom, the Vancouver Board of Trade and dozens of professional associations and corporations in Canada, USA, South Africa, South America and the Middle East.

3 Top Tips For Creating A Memorable Unique Selling Proposition - By Barbara K. Giamanco **

2008-07-02T19:58:00.000-04:00

You've been there. At a networking function someone asks you what your company does, and you freeze like a deer in the headlights. You haven't thought it through so what might roll off your tongue is a lengthy speech that says absolutely nothing. Worse yet, you might default to spitting out a feature/benefit dump that also does nothing, except perhaps turn off your potential client! Later, you cringe at the memory and beat yourself up for not doing better.

Learn to tell your story.

The art of great storytelling has existed for thousands of years and recently it's been gaining in popularity in the business world. In "Made to Stick" , authors Chip and Dan Heath talk about creating stories and messages that are "sticky". There is a lot of competition for the average person's attention these days, so what you do must stand out.

Mike Wittenstein of "Storyminers" takes the concept of a unique selling proposition and recommends presenting what you offer as a story. The best experiences we have are when we are hooked by the story, he says. It's that way for your customers and prospects also.

It starts with understanding your uniqueness, the value of what YOU offer to others. Here are 3 tips for building a strong unique selling proposition:

Know why people buy the type of product or service you offer.

Surprisingly a lot of people just don't think this through. You may be one of them. Remember, a great USP showcases your uniqueness and tells people what's in it for them if they buy from you. It focuses on results, not on product features or business processes.

You've got to do your homework! Do some digging to really uncover what's different about you and what you have to offer. Do you know how people describe you to others? What do you want to be known for? What do your current clients like about working with you? Why do people buy what you have to offer? Why will they choose you over some other company? Dig for the answers and you might be surprised by what you discover!

Mine the gaps between your business and your competition.

Unless you make a widget that no one else makes, you HAVE competition. To know your competition, you've got to study them. Check out their website. Study their ads. Find out how they promote themselves. Look for things you offer that they do not. Find out why people buy from them. Ask a prospect who may be using a service similar to what you offer, what they wish their current provider would offer. Use every opportunity to gather information by asking questions. When you understand the gap, creating your USP becomes much easier.

Fill the void.

In every industry there is a business need going unresolved. You have to discover what that is and meet the need or "fix the pain", as professional coaches and trainers say. The void for your prospects may be caused by lack of time, competing priorities, lack of balance in their lives or a myriad of other issues. Whatever it is, find that void and then talk about how your product or service fills the gap. Read blogs, ask your clients what challenges they face or what they believe are the obstacles down the road, watch for trends in business publications, look at what isn't being offered, but whatever you do, be sure to conduct thoroughresearch before assuming that what you plan to offer is something people want.

Regardless of who you are - CEO, Coach, Consultant, Sales Professional - you have products and services that you need to tell people about in ways that engage them and entice them to buy from you. Remember that being able to tell your story -- to articulate your unique sales proposition quickly, effortlessly and with conviction will help you sell more, more often!

About the Author:

Talent Builders CEO Barbara Giamanco capped a corporate sales career at Microsoft, where she led and trained sales teams and coached sales executives, before establishing Talent Builders, Inc. in 2002. She has more than 25 years of experience in selling to enterprise, mid-market and retail accounts and knows what it’s like to walk in the shoes of the sales person. During her career, her accounts have included American Express Worldwide, Motorola, Best Buy, Circuit City, Anheuser-Busch, Target, and Honeywell. Visit us on the web at www.talentbuildersinc.com

Break Through the Illusion of Limitation - By Guy Finley

2008-06-09T15:02:00.002-04:00

Here's a strange paradox of the upward path that runs through Real Life: the more conscious we become of what limits us, the more limitless becomes our reality! So, take as long as you need to understand the following special lesson; it sheds much needed light on a certain dark state that stands between us, and the higher freedom for which we long.

The sole purpose of discouraged feelings is to keep your thoughts on what you can't do. And with your attention fixed in this fashion -- on what seems impossible -- there's no room for discovering what is possible -- for what you can do.

In other words, the only thing discouraged states do is to keep you busy doing nothing except feeling sorry for yourself...which is the perfect guarantee that your situation will remain hopelessly the same. Enough is enough! You don't have to put up with one more discouraging moment, let alone a life limited by its darkness. There's another choice you can make besides falling into those familiar feelings of being a "failure." The next few insights will empower you to start thinking about old discouragements in a new way.

Whenever we suffer over what we aren't able to do, create, or work through, where is our attention in these moments? It's riveted on our own thought-produced reality that's telling us we're stuck! Maybe you can recognize some of these heavy-hearted inner voices that come with being victimized by such dark thoughts. In one way or another, they say...

"I'll never get out of this mess."

"It's too late!"

"I'm too set in my ways to change.

"This is hopeless."

Now on the surface of things, these all-too-familiar whispers of defeat -- that speak to us with our own voice -- seem genuinely concerned about our unwanted condition. But a deeper look tells a much different story. These troubled thoughts are part of an unseen "conspiracy of limitation" taking place in our own consciousness! Follow the next four ideas to their stunning conclusion. They prove that self-illumination and self-liberation are one and the same power.

1. The more these gloomy voices talk to us, the more discouraged we feel.

2. The more discouraged we feel, the more certain we are there's no other choice but to feel that way.

3. The more convinced we are that we have no choice, the less choice we have.

4. The act of identifying with this dark inner dialogue actually produces the dead-end we fear!

And so it goes: now we're convinced of our own captivity! There's no way past the limitations we perceive as being real. The key idea here lies in the word "perceive" because it rhymes with deceive. That's just what this perception is: a secret deception. Here's the liberating proof.

There are no dead-ends in real life.

Of course you must prove this bright fact to yourself, and here's a good place to start: in any given moment there's always something higher to do with your life than sit there and suffer over what you think you can't have, do, or be. Why wallow this way when a small amount of interior work will forever change how you see reality? For instance, see that the "size" of your discouragement is directly proportionate to how strongly you insist life conform to your demands. Verifying this self-imposed limitation empowers you, immediately, to let it go and start over.

Here's another example: maybe you've felt discouraged because you wanted to learn something new -- a higher skill or a difficult lesson -- but felt sure that certain limitations of yours placed this possibility beyond your abilities. Now you can do something much higher than just resign yourself to feeling discouraged.

Instead of falling into those familiar feelings of futility over yourself, deliberately drop those discourage-filled thoughts telling you the limit of your present view is the limit of your possibilities. Who you have been matters only to those dark states that want you to remain that way so that they can continue to rule the day. Refusing to dwell in the world of discouraged thoughts and feelings is the same as opening the door to a new world without limits. Just start working with who you are now!

In other words, do what's in your power and refuse to be discouraged about anything else. Keep repeating this new action one step at a time until you've walked away from the whole false idea that there's no further you can go!

Here are three special key lessons to help you strengthen and then actualize your wish to live in a world without limits:

Any conversation you permit yourself to have with discouraging thoughts guarantees you'll wind up with a good reason for feeling discouraged.

When you know that what you're looking for is what you already are -- and not what you may become -- you stand on the threshold of the limitless life.

The universe itself is actually set up for you to succeed with realizing the limitless life, which means you are made for whatever happens to you!

*****
Adapted from Guy Finley's newest bestseller, "The Essential Laws of Fearless Living," a Red Wheel/Weiser publication. For a limited time, you can order this groundbreaking new book for a deeply discounted price, PLUS, receive over 108 free bonus items including Guy Finley's bestselling 60-minute DVD, "The Power to Never Again Feel Powerless." It's a complete life-changing package! Quantities are limited. Visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/products/essentiallaws.html right now to take advantage of this incredible offer.

About the Author:

Guy Finley is the acclaimed author of more than 35 books and audio programs on the subject of self-realization, several of which have become international best sellers. His popular works, published in 17 languages, are widely endorsed by doctors, professionals, and religious leaders of all denominations.

Finley is the founder and director of Life of Learning Foundation, a nonprofit center for self-study located in Southern Oregon where he gives talks four times each week. Visit http://www.guyfinley.org for a wealth of free helpful information, free audio and video downloads, and to request your free Self-Improvement Starter Kit.

Five Questions That Help You Make the Most of Your Time - By Rodger Constandse

2008-06-09T14:58:00.001-04:00

Questions have the power to instantly change your focus and put you into a productive frame of mind.

These five simple time management questions will immediately direct your attention, your focus, and your thinking toward your top priorities and away from distractions.

Just ask yourself these questions habitually throughout the day, and you will start making better use of your time.

1. What is the most valuable use of my time right now?

This is a slight variation of a question developed by time management expert Alan Lakein.

The purpose of this question is to shift your focus to what is most important and valuable at this moment. It is a perfect question to ask whenever you are unsure about what to do next, whenever you face an unexpected interruption, or whenever you feel that you are not making good use of your time.

For example, let's say you find yourself with an extra 20 minutes of unscheduled time. Asking yourself "What is the most valuable use of my time right now?" will help you find an important task for the time you have available.

2. What am I ultimately trying to accomplish?

The purpose of this question is to focus your thinking on your real objectives and goals -- the real reasons you are working on your projects and tasks.

Asking this question habitually will help you avoid getting sidetracked, drifting into trivia, or falling into perfectionism. You can use this powerful question for all your projects.

For example, while preparing a presentation, you can easily get sucked into less valuable work when you start playing with the formatting, or adding bells and whistles, instead of working on the content.

The work seems important because it is connected to your presentation project, but when you take a closer look, you realize that you are wasting your time on details that don't really matter.

Asking this question will help you refocus your efforts on your real objectives and away from trivial matters. If it turns out that the formatting details are important for this project, you'll recognize this as well and give them the attention they deserve.

This question can also help you find and eliminate useless tasks that don't contribute toward your ultimate goals.

3. What am I giving up to do this?

Whenever you choose to do something, you automatically reject everything else you could have done during that time.

The purpose of this question is to help you realize what you are giving up in order to undertake a task or project. Once you recognize the true cost of an activity, you may decide that it is not how you really want to spend your time.

Asking this question before you take on a new task or project will help you stay focused on what really matters. It will also help you recognize when you should be saying no to that new request.

You should also ask this question about activities that you are already doing on a regular basis. These could be things like volunteering to do some work for your trade association, chairing a committee, or serving on the board of a community organization.

While all of these things may be valuable undertakings, you may be sacrificing something even more important to do them. Asking "What am I giving up to do this?" may turn out to be a real eye opener.

You probably wouldn't consciously sacrifice time with your family in order to participate in a committee you don't care about, but you might be doing it by default if you don't examine your existing commitments on a regular basis.

4. What are my three most important projects or tasks today?

The purpose of this question is to help you make use of the 80/20 rule every day. The 80/20 rule states that 80 percent of the value is contained in only 20 percent of the items. The top two or three projects and tasks in any given day could account for up to 80 percent of your day's value, so give them the time and priority they deserve.

If you practice weekly planning, you can change this question to "What are the three most important projects for this week?"

5. Should I continue doing this?

This is a slight variation of the first two questions, but shifts the focus toward what to stop doing rather than what to start doing.

Deciding to stop doing something that is no longer valuable is often more important than actually deciding to start doing something else.

This is a perfect question to ask whenever you feel you may be wasting time trying to perfect something that should already be done, or when you feel stuck in a commitment that is no longer serving your long-term objectives.

Keys to Success:

* Make it a habit. At first, you'll have to keep reminding yourself to ask these questions over and over again. However, if you keep asking consistently, eventually they will become a habit that will serve you for the rest of your life.

* Use these three steps whenever you have to make a time management decision: pause to think before you react, use questions to put you in the right frame of mind, and do the right thing.

* Keep asking until you get an answer. Sometimes you won't get an answer to these questions right away; just keep asking while you review your projects and task. The right answer will come.

About the Author:

Rodger Constandse is the founder of Goals to Action, a website that helps visitors reach their full potential and connect their daily actions to their mission, vision, and goals. http://www.GoalsToAction.com

Focus Your Efforts - By Kelley Robertson

2008-06-09T09:18:00.000-04:00

In some of the sales training workshops I conduct, people express their concern about prospects who don't seem interested in the product or service that is presented to them. These individuals get frustrated because their prospect fails to make a positive buying decision.

Not everyone wants or needs your product or service even though you may think otherwise. Many companies could benefit from what you offer but some of them will never understand this. That's okay. It simply means you need to redirect your effort. Stop trying to sell to everyone. Instead, focus your energy on people and companies who recognize the value of what you offer.

The best place to start is with companies that are similar in nature to your best customers. During last month's "Cold Calling Made Easy teleseminar, Patrick Kilhoffer suggested that you contact your best customers and ask them why they like your product, service or company. After several calls, you will know exactly why people buy from you. You can then use that information to more closely target companies who have the same need.

Focusing your efforts on high quality prospects will help you generate much better results.

Have a productive and profitable week!

Quantum Leap Thinking - By Dave Carpenter

2008-06-08T16:40:00.000-04:00

Since biblical times, the power of possibility thinking has been documented by innumerable authors. And, over the last century, authors and motivational speakers such as Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Zig Ziglar, Dr. Robert Schuller, Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and many more have extolled the virtues of believing that we, each and every one of us, are capable of achieving things far beyond the ordinary.

More recently, a smaller group of authors have taken to documenting the power of an even more potent way of thinking -- quantum leap thinking. Back in 1981, Fred Alan Wolf wrote a thought-provoking book, "Taking the Quantum Leap." In his book, Wolf suggested that the same force that had revolutionized physics in the early 1900's, the notion of quantum mechanics, could be applied to human behavior. Other authors, such as Dr. Price Pritchett ("The Quantum Leap Strategy") and James Mapes ("Quantum Leap Thinking"), subsequently moved Wolf's work forward with their writings on how quantum leap thinking could be a force more powerful than possibility thinking.

Quantum leap thinking is possibility thinking freed up (1) from the limitations of our assumption that things progress sequentially, and (2) from our fear of significant change.

The essence of quantum physics is that all things do not happen in a sequential or connected way. Those of us who are not scientists frequently view the world -- and therefore that which is possible -- as being very sequential. Most people believe there are limits to how much their income can grow in the next year, or how much revenues in their company could grow in the next year, or how much their golf game could improve, or how much their health could improve, or even how much a relationship with another person could improve.

The fact is that we can have a quantum leap in the results we achieve if we see such as possible and overcome our fears of making such a leap and take action by making the leap.

There are six steps to becoming one who consistently achieves the Quantum Leap:

1. Apply Quantum Leap Thinking Continually - Train your mind to see beyond the immediate and the obvious. Think big and avoid the natural tendency to prematurely conjure up barriers to attaining that which you imagine as possible. As Dr. Price Pritchett says, "Think beyond what common sense would allow."

2. Avoid Succumbing to the Attitude of Instant Gratification - One of the most formidable barriers to consistent achievement of quantum leaps is the desire for instant gratification. Many of the best things in life are not instant, quick "fixes." Attainment of the best things often requires consistent application of effort for which results are delayed -- albeit spectacular when finally achieved. Learn how to avoid developing the Attitude of Instant Gratification -- an attitude that frequently stops the quantum leap before it can even begin.

3. Reign in your F.E.A.R. - As much as we may want the results accompanying a quantum leap, we often fear the actions needed. And super results often create super fears. But risk is not always proportionate to return, for many risks can be covered or hedged. To be a quantum leap thinker, you must come to understand your fear mechanisms. You must be able to differentiate fear of real risks from False Evidence Appearing Real.

4. Take Action; Make the Leap - The world is full of dreamers... the "would haves" and "could haves" who are full of excuses why they did not accomplish that of which they dreamed. Quantum leap embodies action right in the words. Leap... take action! Not reckless action, but action that is planned with diligent attention to dealing with all real risks. Come to appreciate the power of failure when it does occur.

5. See Every Event that Appears as a Setback as an Opportunity - Learn to accept the bumpiness along the road of life. No mortal has a forever smooth road. No one! Because we cannot walk in the shoes of others, it may seem that others have it smooth. But in reality, no one has it smooth. Now, some do manage to make life smoother by learning to deal more effectively with the bumps. And the truly gifted develop the capability to take adversity and to channel adversity into positive experiences.

6. Surround Yourself with other Quantum Leapers - The people with whom you associate have an enormous impact on your life. Make the choice to surround yourself with people who are, at minimum, possibility thinkers. And seek out relationships with those relatively rare individuals who are quantum leap thinkers. How does one find quantum leap thinkers? Look to those achieving extraordinary success in any field.

Quantum leap thinking really can produce extraordinary results for you. And when transformed into Quantum Leverage, your strengths can be magnified many times over.

Open your mind to the awesome potential of quantum leap thinking!

About the Author:

Dave Carpenter's name is synonymous with corporate and personal peak performance. Over a 25-year career in corporate restructuring, Dave became widely recognized as one of the leaders in this field. As a result, he has long been annually recognized as an honoree in Who's Who in Law, and Who's Who in Finance. http://quantum-leap-strategies.com/

Becoming A Master Of Persuasion - By Brian Tracy

2008-06-05T09:43:00.000-04:00

Persuasion power can help you get more of the things you want faster than anything else you do. It can mean the difference between success and failure. It can guarantee your progress and enable you to use all of your other skills and abilities at the very highest level. Your persuasion power will earn you the support and respect of your customers, bosses, coworkers, colleagues and friends. The ability to persuade others to do what you want them to do can make you one of the most important people in your community.

Fortunately, persuasion is a skill, like riding a bicycle, that you can learn through study and practice. Your job is to become absolutely excellent at influencing and motivating others to support and assist you in the achievement of your goals and the solving of your problems.

You can either persuade others to help you or be persuaded to help them. It is one or the other. Most people are not aware that every human interaction involves a complex process of persuasion and influence. And being unaware, they are usually the ones being persuaded to help others rather than the ones who are doing the persuading.

The key to persuasion is motivation. Every human action is motivated by something. Your job is to find out what motivates other people and then to provide that motivation. People have two major motivations: the desire for gain and the fear of loss. The desire for gain motivates people to want more of the things they value in life. They want more money, more success, more health, more influence, more respect, more love and more happiness. Human wants are limited only by individual imagination. No matter how much a person has, he or she still wants more and more. When you can show a person how he or she can get more of the things he or she wants by helping you achieve your goals, you can motivate them to act in your behalf.

President Eisenhower once said that, "Persuasion is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do, and to like it." You need always to be thinking about how you can get people to want to do the things that you need them to do to attain your objectives.

People are also motivated to act by the fear of loss. This fear, in all its various forms, is often stronger than the desire for gain. People fear financial loss, loss of health, anger or disapproval of others, loss of the love of someone and the loss of anything they have worked hard to accomplish. They fear change, risk and uncertainty because these threaten them with potential losses.

Whenever you can show a person that, by doing what you want them to do, they can avoid a loss of some kind, you can influence them to take a particular action. The very best appeals are those where you offer an opportunity to gain and an opportunity to avoid loss at the same time.

There are two ways to get the things you want in life. First, you can work by yourself and for yourself in your own best interest. You can be a "Robinson Crusoe" of modern life, relying on yourself for the satisfaction of your needs. By doing this, you can accomplish a little, but not a lot. The person who looks to himself or herself completely is limited in his or her capacities. He or she will never be rich or successful.

The second way to get the things you want is by gaining and using leverage. Leverage allows you to multiply yourself and get far more out of the hours you put in rather than doing everything yourself.

There are three forms of leverage you must develop to fulfill your full potential in our society: other people’s efforts, other people’s knowledge, and other people’s money.

You leverage yourself through other people’s efforts by getting other people to work with you and for you in the accomplishment of your objectives. Sometimes you can ask them to help you voluntarily, although people won’t work for very long without some personal reward. At other times you can hire them to help you, thereby freeing you up to do higher-value work.

One of the most important laws of economics is called "Ricardo’s Law." It is also called the Law of Comparative Advantage. This law states that when someone can accomplish a part of your task at a lower hourly rate than you would earn for accomplishing more valuable parts of your task, you should delegate or outsource that part of the task.

For example, if you want to earn $100,000 a year, in a 250 day year, you need to make $50.00 per hour. That means you must be doing work that is worth $50.00 per hour, eight hours per day, 250 days per year. Therefore, if there is any part of your work—like making photocopies, filing information, typing letters, or filling out expense forms—that is not valued at $50.00 per hour, you should stop doing it. You should persuade someone else who works at a lower hourly rate to do it for you. The more lower level tasks you can persuade others to do, the more time you will have to do tasks that pay you higher amounts of money. This is one of the essential keys to getting the leverage you need to become one of the higher paid people in your profession.

Management can be defined as "getting things done through others." To be a manager you must be an expert at persuading and influencing others to work in a common direction. This is why all excellent managers are also excellent low-pressure salespeople. They do not order people to do things; instead, they persuade them to accept certain responsibilities, with specific deadlines and agreed-upon standards of performance. When a person has been persuaded that he or she has a vested interest in doing a job well, he or she accepts ownership of the job and the result. Once a person accepts ownership and responsibility, the manager can step aside confidently, knowing the job will be done on schedule.

In every part of your life, you have a choice of either doing it yourself or delegating it to others. Your ability to get someone else to take on the job with the same enthusiasm that you would have is an exercise in personal persuasion. It may seem to take a little longer at the beginning, but it saves you an enormous amount of time in the completion of the task.

The second form of leverage that you must develop for success in America is other people’s knowledge. You must be able to tap into the brain power of many other people if you want to accomplish worthwhile goals. Successful people are not those who know everything needed to accomplish a particular task, but more often than not, they are people who know how to find the knowledge they need.

What is the knowledge that you need to achieve your most important goals? Of the knowledge required, what knowledge must you have personally in order to control your situation, and what knowledge can you borrow, buy, or rent from others?

It has been said that, in our information-based society, you are never more than one book or two phone calls away from any piece of knowledge in the country. With on-line computer services that access huge data bases all over the country, you can usually get the precise information you require in a few minutes by using a personal computer. Whenever you need information and expertise from another person in order to achieve your goals, the very best way to persuade them to help you is to ask them for their assistance.

Almost everyone who is knowledgeable in a particular area is proud of their accomplishments. By asking a person for their expert advice, you compliment them and motivate them to want to help you. So don’t be afraid to ask, even if you don’t know the individual personally.

The third key to leverage, which is very much based on your persuasive abilities, is other people’s money. Your ability to use other people’s money and resources to leverage your talents is the key to financial success. Your ability to buy and defer payment, to sell and collect payment in advance, to borrow, rent or lease furniture, fixtures and machinery, and to borrow money from people to help you multiply your opportunities is one of the most important of all skills that you can develop. And these all depend on your ability to persuade others to cooperate with you financially so that you can develop the leverage you need to move onward and upward in your field.

There are four "Ps" that will enhance your ability to persuade others in both your work and personal life. They are power, positioning, performance, and politeness. And they are all based on perception.

The first "P" is power. The more power and influence that a person perceives that you have, whether real or not, the more likely it is that that person will be persuaded by you to do the things you want them to do. For example, if you appear to be a senior executive, or a wealthy person, people will be much more likely to help you and serve you than they would be if you were perceived to be a lower level employee.

The second "P" is positioning. This refers to the way that other people think about you and talk about you when you are not there. Your positioning in the mind and heart of other people largely determines how open they are to being influenced by you.

In everything you do involving other people, you are shaping and influencing their perceptions of you and your positioning in their minds. Think about how you could change the things you say and do so that people think about you in such a way that they are more open to your requests and to helping you achieve your goals.

The third "P" is performance. This refers to your level of competence and expertise in your area. A person who is highly respected for his or her ability to get results is far more persuasive and influential than a person who only does an average job.

The perception that people have of your performance capabilities exerts an inordinate influence on how they think and feel about you. You should commit yourself to being the very best in your field. Sometimes, a reputation for being excellent at what you do can be so powerful that it alone can make you an extremely persuasive individual in all of your interactions with the people around you. They will accept your advice, be open to your influence and agree with your requests.

The fourth "P" of persuasion power is politeness. People do things for two reasons, because they want to and because they have to. When you treat people with kindness, courtesy and respect, you make them want to do things for you. They are motivated to go out of their way to help you solve your problems and accomplish your goals. Being nice to other people satisfies one of the deepest of all subconscious needs, the need to feel important and respected. Whenever you convey this to another person in your conversation, your attitude and your treatment of that person, he or she will be wide open to being persuaded and influenced by you in almost anything you need.

Again, perception is everything. The perception of an individual is his or her reality. People act on the basis of their perceptions of you. If you change their perceptions, you change the way they think and feel about you, and you change the things that they will do for you.

You can become an expert at personal persuasion. You can develop your personal power by always remembering that there are only two ways to get the things you want in life, you can do it all yourself, or you can get most of it done by others. Your ability to communicate, persuade, negotiate, influence, delegate and interact effectively with other people will enable you to develop leverage using other people’s efforts, other people’s knowledge and other people’s money. The development of your persuasion power will enable you to become one of the most powerful and influential people in your organization. It will open up doors for you in every area of your life.

About the Author:

Brian Tracy is the most listened to audio author on personal and business success in the world today. His fast-moving talks and seminars on leadership, sales, managerial effectiveness and business strategy are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that people can immediately apply to get better results in every area. For more information, please go to www.BrianTracy.com

The Perfect Fitness Schedule - By Joey Atlas

2008-06-04T09:56:00.001-04:00

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding fitness scheduling is, "What's the best time for me to work out?" You hear and read so many different 'opinions' on this topic -- it's enough to drive you nuts. The truth is there is only one good answer to this question. Most people find that it's an answer they cannot only live with, but make great progress in both short- and long-term fitness goals. Read on to find out your best time to exercise.

Lots of confusion has come about in the past few years with many fitness pros endorsing the 'exercise in the morning' is the best. This concept is rooted in a fat burning technique that is supposed to help you lose body-fat while exercising on an empty stomach. There are a few other 'hypothetical' reasons why certain people may promote the 'morning workouts are best' theory. But, to simplify matters, I'm going to quickly get to the point and the truth about this misunderstood fitness issue.

The best time for you to work out is when you can most comfortably fit it into your schedule. The supposed 'time of day' differences in exercise effects on the body should be a distant second or third when you are planning your ideal workout routine schedule. Your number-one priority should be to plug your workouts into your schedule when it is most fitting for your lifestyle. And this can change on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis.

Career and family present various scheduling challenges at various times, and because of this, you want to factor in a degree of flexibility into your 'fitness planner'. In a previous article, I wrote about writing (or typing) your fitness activities into your daily/weekly/monthly schedule... of course, doing this with the foresight that you can move and shift your workouts around to fit into your overall life routine.

Shifting your workout 'times of day' does not take anything away from your progress and long-term success -- this is natural and perfectly fine -- and is actually one of the main reasons why certain people do experience fitness success.

Another issue is the 'duration of workout' challenge. Let's say you usually spend an estimated 50 minutes on exercise during your workouts. But you know on certain days of the coming week you only have 20-30 minutes to devote to your workouts. Instead of throwing in the towel and skipping the workouts (because you think it's not worth exercising for half of your normal time), you make the most of that 20-30 minutes -- by modifying your workout to fit the time you can devote to it.

For example, instead of doing 30 minutes of cardio activity and 20 minutes of resistance training -- you do 20 minutes of mixed cardio/resistance cross training and a quick 5-minute stretch. Or maybe you just pick one thing, such as getting on treadmill for 20 minutes at a higher than normal intensity (increased speed and/or incline) or strength/resistance training for 20 minutes.

Here's my point -- 20 minutes of something is a million times better than nothing, maybe even more than that!!

Another way to work your workouts into a tight schedule is by breaking them up into segments. For example, let's say your total workout time is 55 minutes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing 30 minutes of it first thing in the morning -- and then doing the rest at lunch time or in the evening.

The concept of fitness habits being so structured and regimented is one of the biggest reasons many people never even get started -- and it's also a big factor that 'gets people off their programs'.

Have a general schedule and program in place, but be sure to factor in time when you'll have to bend your fitness program to fit your life and all that goes with it. Giving some slack to your schedule does not mean you are slacking off -- but rather you are implementing the kind of creativity and forethought that is common amongst all successful fitness followers.

About the Author:

Joey Atlas is the author of "Fatness to Fitness," which was recently released on Amazon.com. To celebrate the launch, Joey is giving away almost $300 worth of bonuses with each book purchase, including a full body, home fitness DVD. Visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/products/yourfitnessbook.html for all the details.

Is "Earning a Living" Stopping You? - By Stacey Mayo, MCC

2008-06-02T20:39:00.000-04:00

Every year, people resolve that this year will be different: "This will be the year that I write that book, start that new venture, double my income, take more time off to spend with my family," and the list goes on and on. However, when people think about pursuing their dreams, they often squash the idea because it doesn't seem practical.

Does this sound familiar? You have a dream, but are afraid that if you pursue it, you would risk giving up what you already have. It is easy to put it off to a later date -- a time when there will be more money, more time, and/or when the kids have graduated from college.

However, there is never a time when everything in your life is perfect for carrying out your goals. Don't wait for everything to be lined up. Once you actually commit to your dream, things will begin to fall into place. Know that is possible to live out your fondest dreams AND make a great living!

After supporting thousands of people across the globe in making their personal and professional dreams a reality, I have found the following strategies to be most effective:

* First, design your life around your priorities. Many people try to fit their dreams into their life and complain there are not enough hours in the day to make it happen. If you want your dream to become a reality, make it a priority.

For example, Stacy Allison, the first American woman to climb Mt. Everest, chose to live just outside of Zion National Park, so she could climb rock cliffs in her own backyard. Climbing was her priority for many years, and she made choices in alignment with that.

* Second, handle the basics (food, clothing, and shelter), then reach for fulfillment and self-actualization. If you can't stand your job any longer or have been forced out and you need a source of income, get a low-stress interim job to pay the bills while your pursue your dream.

* Visualize every step of your dream and watch the magic unfold. For example, an experiment conducted by Australian psychologist Alan Richardson found a 23 percent performance improvement among subjects who visualized every day for 20 days.

Mary Youngblood went from welfare mom to Grammy-award winner. Mary visualized herself out of welfare. She did this by writing a short story about a young welfare mother. It was her story, basically, and how she was discovered having great talent and was able to get herself up and out of welfare. She pictured it happening in her head and then took action in alignment with that picture.

* Laser in on one idea, business, or income stream at a time. One of the mistakes people make is diversifying too quickly. This is true whether you are trying to build multiple streams of income or are just working on several different ideas at one time. The key is getting the first stream or idea up and running and having systems in place so it will keep running without you before going on to the next unrelated stream.

This is one of my biggest lessons, as it is for many entrepreneurs and creative people. When I was writing, "I Can't Believe I Get Paid To Do This!" I was also looking for real estate investments, which was a new venture for me. I wasn't making much progress on either count. When I put the real estate to the side and committed to finishing the book, it happened quite easily.

* And last but not least, develop your resilience muscle by bouncing back from setbacks. You will very likely have setbacks along the way. Don't get stopped by these bumps in the road; learn from them.

About the Author:

Stacey Mayo established the Center for Balanced Living to carry out her life's work. She and a team of powerful coaches have counseled thousands of people to clarify and make their dream a reality. She is a Master Certified coach and has been featured on the CBS Evening News and Forbes. She is author of the award-winning book, "I Can't Believe I Get Paid To Do This" and "Is Your Ladder Leaning Against the Wrong Wall?" Visit http://www.balancedliving.com to subscribe to her FREE ezine, Living Your Dreams, and receive a free self-assessment.

Creating and Recognizing Opportunity - By Keith Matthew

2008-06-02T20:21:00.001-04:00

The ability to create and recognize opportunity is very important for us if we want to start growing our personal lives, deepening our connections with people, as well as, of course, the money that's in our pockets. In fact, if you just focus on what we're about to talk about, and focus on no other part of this success system, you'll definitely get your worth out of it.

Get into the mindset of making sure that you get a return on your investment.

If it's an investment of energy into a relationship, an investment of your time into a project, or your money down on a personal development product, start expecting of yourself that you're going to get a return on your investment.

I went to a seminar and paid a couple thousand dollars just to get in. That doesn't even take into account airfare, meals, and all the other expenses incurred. I formed new relationships with people that could be very beneficial to my business -- to grow it.

When the seminar had ended, I returned home and the busyness of my life took over again. I have to be here, I have this appointment, I have these clients to work with -- you know how it is.

Two weeks...three weeks...a month went by. The bottom line is: I put several thousand dollars down as an investment in my business and in my position in my life, to better it, and I didn't take ACTION on it, so I basically threw the money away. Make it a mantra that when you do something, you're going to make a commitment and have the expectation that you're going to get a return on your investment (ROI).

Going along with that idea, of course, you're going to have to take action and have a plan, so you can make sure to have this ROI. It doesn't have to be money. If you have energy invested in a relationship and you're not getting your "ROI," you have to take a look at why. Is it because you're not putting something in that needs to be there to get the return back? Does the relationship have to be changed? Start expecting this. In talking about "Creating and Recognizing Opportunity," how do we prepare for something like this? We don't know where opportunity is, when it's going to show up, or what is going to be expected of you in order to take advantage of the opportunity. You don't know what the outcome is going to be if you do jump on and take advantage of an opportunity.

You also don't know if it's going to be worth your time or worth the risk involved, so there are a lot of unknowns with opportunity. You can't even see it, let alone quantifying whether it's going to be worth it for you. Yet, finding opportunity in your life and around you is very vital to your success.

Really good opportunities, a lot of times, come and go quickly. Either somebody next to you jumps on it, or it just passes by like a moment and then you're still in the same spot you were in before, which is not why we're here. We're here to learn how to move from spot A to B to C. The truth of the matter is, opportunity is everywhere. It's everywhere in your life right now -- all over the place. It's incredible how much it's in your life, but most of the time we don't see it. Why do you think we don't see opportunity?

We each have a perspective on our lives. Whatever your perspective is, is pretty much consistent from day to day because that's how your world is shaped, that's how you have shaped it. So we have this perspective, and we really have to work on changing it.

When you work on and start to be able to change your perspective, and you can see things in a different light or from different angles, different viewpoints, then you're starting to get on the right track to seeing opportunity. When you open up your mind and allow for these other possibilities, you start to see that they are all around you.

About the Author:

Keith Matthew has been teaching Law of Attraction and wealth-building techniques for 18 years. Visit http://www.selfmasterysecrets.com/ns-freecourse.html to sign up for a Free 7-Day Success Workshop or go to http://www.selfmasterysecrets.com/ns-freecd.html to get a Free 'Limitless Wealth' CD.

You ar Blessed - By Abraham-Hicks

2008-06-02T10:28:00.001-04:00

You are blessed...

All the resources you will ever want or need are at your fingertips. All you have to do is identify what you want to do with it, and then practice the feeling-place of what it will feel like when that happens. There is nothing you cannot be or do or have. You are blessed Beings; you have come forth into this physical environment to create. There is nothing holding you back, other than your own contradictory thought. And your emotion tells you you're doing that. Life is supposed to be fun—it is supposed to feel good! You are powerful Creators and right on schedule. Savor more; fix less. Laugh more; cry less. Anticipate positively more; anticipate negatively less. Nothing is more important than that you feel good. Just practice that and watch what happens. There is great love here for you. We are complete.

Abraham-Hicks

Enough About Me - By Kelley Robertson

2008-06-02T10:22:00.001-04:00

What's the one thing most people like to talk about?

Give yourself a gold star if you said themselves.

Unfortunately, this concept prevents many sales from moving forward. In most sales conversations the sales person spends most of his time talking about his product, service, or solution which means he is essentially talking about himself. However, the prospect has the innate desire to talk about her situation, business, or circumstances. The longer the sales person drones on about his solution, the more likely the prospect will lose interest in the conversation.

The most effective sales people understand the importance of getting their customers and prospects to open up and they spend the bulk of their time listening to their prospect talk about their specific situation. They ask questions that encourage open conversation. They probe when they hear something vague. And they resist the temptation to talk about their product or service until they know as much as possible about each prospect.

The challenge is that most sales people feel that they aren't selling if they aren't talking. But remember, the more someone talks about their situation, the more information you will gain which will help you better position a solution.

Have a productive and profitable week!

Easy Living -- Good or Bad for Brain Fitness? - By Dr. Simon Evans

2008-06-01T15:08:00.001-04:00

If you talked to a person from the 1950s about all the modern marvels we have today, they'd likely drool at the mouth. What? You don't have to get up to change the TV channel? You can reheat leftovers in 1 minute? You can access any information at any time without leaving your house? No way!

Be Careful What You Ask For

But are our lives really getting any easier? Do all these time-saving devices allow us to work less? Well, sort of. It certainly takes less work to do any specific task. When I was in graduate school writing my thesis, I thought of the poor slobs who had to do that without the aid of a computer or the internet. It must have taken people an entire day to go to the library to find references that I can now get in 10 minutes (God bless Google). The trade-off is that we are expected to do a lot more tasks as part of our normal day.

I was reading an interesting paper by Kelly Lambert recently that put some of this into perspective as it may relate to rates of depression in our modern society. Even with all our modern conveniences, high-end medical care, and plethora of designer drugs, we have a huge mental health crisis. In fact, today mental health accounts for about 15% of disease burden worldwide. So why are we so unhappy?

The Thrill is in the Chase

Dr. Lambert argues that one factor in our overall societal unhappiness is the fact that we have it too easy, especially when it comes to feeding ourselves. Years gone by, dinner was more than a phone-call away. We actually had to track our food across the tundra and risk death by saber-toothed tigers or violent weather, in order to feed ourselves. Even if we were successful, we had to do it again the next day. As time drew on, we learned it was much easier to plant food in the ground. But this still required intensive labor and patience to bring our sowing efforts to the fruition of harvest.

All of this effort made the reward that much more enjoyable. The magnitude of the reward may actually depend on the magnitude of the effort required to achieve it. Meaning the harder we have to work for something, the more we enjoy it when we are successful. Since successfully finding food is a major factor in our survival, and we used to work very hard to stay fed, we had ample opportunity for regular high intensity rewards.

Appreciate What You Have

Today, however, we take for granted this major facet of our lives. Finding food does not require much effort at all, at least for most of the lucky people living in our society. Because we don't need to put out effort, we don't activate reward centers in our brains that our ancestors activated on a regular basis. We are essentially robbing ourselves of a major 'happiness factor', and this, argues Dr. Lambert, may be a problem. It may be that today's lack of regular reward, due to lack of necessary effort, may be a factor in high rates of depression.

Whether or not she is right, I don't know. She provides many examples and scientific studies to back up her argument, and I thought it was a very interesting point worthy of a post. In fact, I have two cats that seem to agree with her. They are not content just eating their chow out of a dish. Instead, they enjoy scooping out one nugget at a time, batting it across the kitchen floor, and then pouncing on their prey before eating it.

There's not really much we can do about this unless you want to pull a Grizzly Adams and drop out of society, move to the hills, and live off the land. Alternatively, you could do all your grocery shopping in full camouflage, crawling around on your belly through the frozen food aisle. Or, maybe we can be more appreciative of what we have and not take all our modern conveniences for granted.

Reference: Lambert, K.G. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 30 (2006) 497-510

About the Author:
Dr. Simon Evans holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology with 15 years research and teaching experience in neuroscience, and is a current faculty position in the Psychiatry Department at the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, the American Society for Nutrition, and the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center, with expertise in neurochemistry and nutrition. He is the author of dozens of scientific publications on stress, depression, and brain function, as well as the public book, "Brain Fitness," published in the spring of 2007.

Dr. Evans also holds a national coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation and over two decades coaching experience, which enables him to help athletes find and use their full potential. Dr. Evans has merged his interests in brain function, health, and performance coaching in public seminars and workshops designed to educate audiences about brain health and motivate them to take action to achieve it. Visit http://www.BrainFitForLife.com

THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER CHOICE

2008-06-01T15:05:00.000-04:00

You don't have to buy from anyone. You don't have to work at any particular job. You don't have to participate in any given relationship. You can choose.

You alone steer the course you choose in the direction of where you want to be today,
tomorrow or in any distant time to come. You hold the tiller.

You can decide to alter the course of your life at any time. No one can ever take that away from you. You can decide what you want and go after it. It's always your next move.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com
Reproduce freely but maintain Copyright notice.

The World and the Animals - By Cara Leanne Hughes

2008-05-31T12:37:00.001-04:00

We are all living on this World. All the plants, trees, animals, water, and humans are all part of it.

We, alone, create our World. When we are experiencing negative emotions such as Anger, Sadness or even Fear, the World around us also appears negative. Yet when we are happy and peaceful, the World appears to be a wonderful place. If you love the World then you should love everything in it.

If you do, why is it in the Summer everyone gets the Ant Killer out and put it on the path? Ants are Animals, right? They live in the Garden. You wouldn't get a powder out and start feeding your children with it.

I was just meditating on the path in our beautiful garden, listening to the birds singing, the warmth of the sun, the smell of freshly cut grass and experiencing deep relaxation when an Ant crawled up my arm.

What's your the instinct response? Flick it off? Stamp on it? Have you ever actually sat and watched them? I let him crawl over my hands and arms.

I just felt pure bliss watching him. I had this sudden emotion of compassion and love.

Why can't we all do that? Accept everyone and everything as they truly are? When I see creatures such as Spiders or Ants I see them as a Spiritual Guide. I imagine them to be my own Mother or Father. I develop love and compassion towards them. They are an opportunity to help us develop our Spiritual faith and Inner Peace.

If we love the Insects, we love the plants, and the trees, and others around us. We create a positive environment. Our World. Our Universe.

It is all in the Mind. Ripple Out Love and Compassion, my dear friends.

- By Cara Leanne Hughes

LOOK AT THINGS AS THEY CAN BE

2008-05-31T10:40:00.000-04:00

LOOK AT THINGS AS THEY CAN BE

Your range of available choices right now has no limits.
The only limits you have are in your mind.
You've got it in you to succeed.
Just make up your mind and stick with it.

You werent born with any limits on your powers
or any set limits to your capacity.
At any moment, you have more possibilities than you can act upon.

Imagine your possibilities and your vision expands.
Capture your dreams in your mind and your life becomes full.
Reach out and touch the limits of your being in your mind.

You can, because you think you can.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com
Reproduce freely but maintain Copyright notice.

FLIPPING - By Charles Price

2008-05-30T10:17:00.001-04:00

I have always been a fish, when it comes to swimming. I've been swimming since I was two and a half years old. I was fortunate to have a pool in my backyard growing up. My older sister, Veronica, was also a fish. She would get up on the diving board and do double front flips and double back flips with relative ease.

Needless to say I was quite amazed by her acrobatic feet. I really wanted to do a flip badly. Except for some reason I was afraid of our diving board. It took me a few summers to get over that one.

Six years later my sister had stopped doing her amazing double flips, but my dream to do a flip still stuck in my mind. I had a constant reminder in my backyard, even during the winter months.

I started becoming very adventurous on the diving board, turning my body in various ways before I hit the water. The sting of the water when you are spinning uncontrollably almost knocked me out on multiple occasions.

I really put my effort into doing flips when I was thirteen years old. I would begin my flip, only to get scared in the middle of it, and have a long fall to land on my back. This was my regular routine for three years. I'd have it and then get scared and hit my back, but I never stopped trying.

I got really good at absorbing the pain of landing on my back or my side. My best friend, Kevin, had gotten the flip down the previous summer. Needless to say I did trust myself. I didn't truly believe I could do it. Yet no matter the countless tries attempting to fulfill this dream my focus to accomplish it never waned.

One day while watching Kevin flip, it suddenly clicked for me. I lowered my left shoulder and did a very awkward looking flip. I was so ecstatic that I did this odd looking flips over and over again. It was all worth it.

After that I perfected my flip and started doing one and a half flips. I have flipped off of ten-foot roofs (Don't try this at home kids); thirty-foot cliffs and a forty-five foot cliff.

I tend to forget the accomplishments I've done in my childhood because I've thought it's all about growing up. But the dream that kid had still lives inside me. So next time you have a project to do or a dream to accomplish think of all the amazing things you have accomplished before that. Celebrate your victories and go after your dreams. If you have never done your flip in life, all it takes is the dream to do it again one more time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles Price is a MDI subscriber who has appreciated the inspiration he has received over the years from MDI. He created wristbands that say "REDEFINE WHAT"S POSSIBLE" as a reminder for us all that dreams do come true. Charles can be contacted at yabish@yahoo.com

A Sense Of Giving - By Tony Grant

2008-05-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

Over the past two weeks, I have seen (and indeed created) a situation that has provoked much reaction. It is not my intention to expand any further on the actual details of that situation but would instead like to consider some resultant thoughts.

Throughout my life, I have had a tendency to be generous in my actions. This generosity has not necessarily always been mine to offer and I have perhaps sacrificed some future stabilities for those moments of giving. However, as one man is willing to give, another is willing to accept and soon a life can become biased towards giving or accepting rather than attaining a more reciprocal balance.

As I seek meaning in my life, I have reviewed many and varied written and audible offerings on abundance or personal growth. Throughout these readings, one message appears to be clear, that an open heart and a giving mind is the key to receiving your just rewards. This teaching also appears to extend to a nature of generosity and selflessness.

However, could it be that a giving nature in fact serves to attract taking by others, is generosity juxtapose to receiving. The readings did seem to suggest that one should progress through life with the sense that money would be attracted to an abundant spirit and that this spirit should not be stifled by thoughts of financial shortage, as this would merely attract more of the same. However, as a wallet opens, the opportunities to dispense of its contents increase, yet there does not appear to be any direct correlation to increased income to replenish those diminishing resources.

Of course, the books could be talking about richness of mind and spirit rather than in purely financial terms but unfortunately, the scene appears to be the same. You open up your emotional bank and commence the dispensing of good will. Very soon, you can find that those emotional reserves have depleted in the same manner as with your financial well being! At this time, you might turn to those who have made withdrawals and request some advance from their very own reserves, only to find that their bank is closed for your business.

This might be painting a bleak perception of human nature and not entirely how I would wish it to be portrayed. Whilst it is inevitable that some people will drift (or be pushed) from your life when your demands or actions become extreme, others will unselfishly raise their levels of support and show examples of true friendship. I know that survival through my recent journey has placed pressures upon those close to me and in most cases, I have received a level of support that is beyond any I could have expected. Having said that, I do believe that those most willing to give are often those least willing to take. In some way this then puts me on the other side of my very own analogy, being an inadvertent depleter rather than the giver as was my nature.

Perhaps the ultimate destiny is therefore to attempt to be more balanced in generosity, become grateful to receive yet equally open to giving. Accept that it is generally not the intention of any person to merely take as self-satisfaction is more commonly derived from acts of selflessness. Maybe I cannot turn the tables on my past actions but hopefully I will continue to learn from my life and seek to attain a balance that is fairer to those closest to me or indeed any that might have chance to know me.

For this occasion only, might I suggest that as with yours...

My future deserves!

Tony Grant
www.apassionforsuccess.com

Author's Bio

Tony Grant is a UK based Consultant focussing primarily upon employment and self employment with a motivational and personal empowerment bias. Tony seeks to deliver an understanding of success in a clear and concise manner, without the mysticism and frills of so many current offerings.

Positive Attitude - Choice Or Chance? - By Karen Wheeler Hall

2008-05-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

Play along with me for a moment…

What would your reaction be if you just won $25,000 on a game show?

You’d probably say you felt thrilled, elated, or excited.

You would, huh? What if I told you more about the circumstances involved…

You were doing great and had progressed to the last round. You had already won $500,000, but you chose to risk that amount to go for the million dollar question. Unfortunately, you got it wrong and ended up with “only” $25,000.

Now how would you feel? Disappointed, mad at yourself, and just plain awful, right?

So why do you feel so bad if you are walking away with $25,000 more than you had before?

You feel awful because of how you interpret that event. If you focus on what might have been, you will feel very unhappy. But with conscious effort, you can choose to focus on the $25,000 you won rather than the $475,000 you lost.

Here is a great truth of life – what determines our happiness is not so much what happens to us as how we feel about it. Our reaction determines whether we interpret events as positive or negative.

I read an interesting article about a study showing that Americans tend to be happier than people in countries such as Japan and Korea, but are also more likely to be unhappy when negative events happen. Apparently many Americans have gotten so used to being well-off and happy that they get upset at even everyday hassles and troubles.

This is where positive thinking can be so powerful. You can train your mind to stay positive in every situation, provided you are willing to look at situations differently.

With practice and determination you can change your old, negative way of thinking. So if you want to be happier choose to start thinking more positively today!

© Karen Wheeler Hall – All Rights Reserved

Author's Bio

Karen Wheeler Hall is the author of The Mental Diet Pyramid(SM) – A Simplified System to Beat Stress and Live in Joy, Illumination – Inspiring Stories about Finding the Silver Lining, and co-author of 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, vol. 3, all available from http://www.FindMoreJoy.com/. Find More Joy! is dedicated to helping you overcome stress & anxiety so you can be incredibly happy. Download your copy of Karen's FREE eBook Positively Incredible! by visiting http://www.FindMoreJoy.com/.

IT'S NEVER OVER UNTIL YOU SAY IT'S OVER

2008-05-28T06:10:00.000-04:00

The power to hold on in spite of everything, to endure, this is the quality of a winner. Your greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time you fail.

It's your constant and determined effort that will eventually break down all resistance and sweep all the barriers before you. Persistence means taking pains to overcome every obstacle, to do all that's necessary to reach your goal.

All great achievements require time. Endurance is the crowning quality of success.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

When Nagging Gets in the Way - By Gina Gardiner

2008-05-27T16:45:00.000-04:00

Whether you are working with your partner, your teenage children, or a work colleague, the principle is the same. What you say and the way in which it is said, the tone of voice, the words you use, and the timing of when things are said all have the capacity to widen the gap between you and the other person, to let them off the hook as they can rationalize your nagging as unreasonable, or to make them think.

If you want things to be different, you have to change old patterns of behavior. Listening to yourself and understanding what that triggers in the other person is a vital step to creating a different future. This article uses the relationship between workaholics and their partners as the focus, but you can use the principles when dealing with any relationship.

Most partners of workaholics feel neglected; they see themselves taking second place to their partners work. Clients often describe how their partner will take the time and trouble to listen to a member of their staff far more readily than they do them or their children. "If they loved me enough they would want to spend time with me." They make the assumption that it is lack of love which causes their partner to spend long hours away from them. Their frustrations and sense of loneliness take over, and as soon as their partner gets home, the frustrations spill over and they share how they are feeling and the recriminations begin.

Like so many of the strategies we use when we are feeling un-resourced, it is incredibly unproductive. Despite the fact that the strategy rarely works, many partners (and parents) find they go into nag mode knowing it is destined to fail and make them feel bad into the bargain. Einstein's definition of madness is to carry on doing the same thing even though we know it doesn't work. Yet millions of us continue to behave in a set way long after we know it is failing. This is not about blaming. We do the best we can given the personal resources at our disposal. What we want to do is to help you feel you have a wider range of resources at your disposal and the choice when to use them.

To understand why it fails so often, you need to take a step back and take a long hard look at what is really going on. Understanding what is actually happening can also give you the opportunity to behave differently.

Most workaholics are workaholics because of some deep seated need within themselves. Many are driven to succeed on terms which only they can define as they push themselves long after most people would feel highly successful. For some, it is the dread of failure rather than the pull of success which drives them. A poor sense of self-worth developed in childhood, the need to feel significant by doing things for others, or having external verification of worth are all common reasons for people feeling more secure in their working life than in their personal life.

You know your partner well. Consider what is driving them. Think about the relationship they had with their parents, siblings, or at school.

Partners will often respond disproportionately to a particular tone of voice or to being told that they have failed. It often hits a deep seated raw nerve which has been created during their formative years. The nagging becomes synonymous with a parent telling them how useless they are or a teacher or class bully belittling them.

Over the next few days, just listen to yourself. Put yourself into the shoes of the other person and consider how you would respond.

Be honest with yourself, but be constructive. This is not about blaming. It is about seeing more clearly why things have gone wrong and doing your best to find a productive way forward for you and your partner. Finding a win-win solution is always best. Making it a competition between you and their work is a risky business.

Over the next few days, think about how you handle yourself when dealing with your partner. You are the only person you can truly control. Think about what you truly want. If you want to change the relationship you have with your partner for the better, then simply waiting for them to change is unlikely to give you the result you want. To change things for the better, you have to make the decision to change the one person in your power. That is YOU.

Think about the way in which you speak, when you choose to bring things up, and how you couch things. Pouncing on your partner as soon as they come in tired and irritable from work is probably not the most productive time to talk about how unreasonable you think they are, at least not if you want them to truly listen to you. Run the conversation in your head and plan to do it differently. As a general rule of thumb, make a distinction between how you feel about them and their behavior. "I love you very much, but I find ------ really difficult." Keep calm and try not to see it as a point scoring exercise.

Making a change to your approach can make a difference over time. Be realistic; if your partnership has been rocky for an extended period of time, it can take time for a new strategy to work.

About the Author:

Gina Gardiner is one of the UK's leading Leadership Coaches. Gina supports people at individual or organizational levels to develop confidence, leadership, and people skills. Gina is the author of two books, "Kick Start Your Career" and "How YOU Can Manage Your Staff More Effectively," and is also a Neuro Linguistic Master Practitioner and a qualified coach. To download her free management ecourse, go to http://www.graduatesolutions.co.uk

Having a High "Havingness Quotient" - By Lynn Scheurell

2008-05-27T16:42:00.001-04:00

"You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." - James Allen

Imagine that you've gotten everything you ever wanted -- the life partner, the house, the car, the clothes, the physique, the friends, the money, the lifestyle...

Now what?

If you're like most humans, it's likely that you'll sabotage yourself in "having it all." We here in the Western world are actually socialized to be in continuous striving; that is, we don't know how to have and enjoy everything we've worked for and received because if we have it, our culture says we're not working hard enough, or infers that we don't know what to do if we don't have tangible goals.

Imagine a train chugging up a steep incline, with its engine working hard... when it gets to the top, what does it do? It goes down -- logic says that there's no other way to go. But what if there WAS another way? What if when the train got to the top, it got to cruise along a plateau rather than drop down? If you can now put yourself in that picture as the train, you'll see that you naturally keep working hard (going up) or know how to cope with not having the top (going down); however, you likely don't know how to cruise the topmost plateau you've attained. I call this the "Havingness Quotient." It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but it is descriptive.

The higher your "Havingness Quotient," the easier it will be for you to hold on to and enjoy your achievements -- and vice-versa. You might even think of this as "abundance self-esteem." If you have a low "Havingness Quotient," you will proportionately experience the "downside" of what you want and work toward. In that case, you will find yourself comfortably in discomfort as you "re-tread" what you've always done. So how do you increase your "Havingness Quotient"?

Three Things You Can Do Today:

1. Ask for more than enough. Often people don't think big enough in terms of their own abundance (including fees for their services!). Our limited thinking and expectations will keep us in the work hard mode, chugging up our personal hills. Ask for the most you think you can have -- and then double it! The first time you do that, it can be mind-blowing... one of my clients asked for $4,000 in income monthly, which when doubled, became $8,000. This was inconceivable to her, until she reconciled her books the next month -- she discovered she actually generated $9,000 that month for the first time in her life!

2. Watch where you are giving. We cannot enjoy our own "Havingness Quotient" if we give away all the good stuff. Part of the reason that we are here is to ENJOY what we are creating. Now, that's not to say you shouldn't share -- I'm all about that! However, if you are a chronic over-giver (and I know that one personally!), you need to consider where you are leaking what you have because it could be draining your "Havingness," which keeps you in overwork and less joyful for your own benefit.

3. Look at your self-sabotage patterns. The good news about being human is that we can be our own observers. We can actually see where we are tripping ourselves up if we look closely enough because it's a familiar pattern. I see clients who go into "drama" or focus on external "noise" because they don't know how to handle abundance. Others will go 90 percent of the way and then quit on a nearly successful project, and I've seen others yet who stay in the preparation for the preparation of the preparation... you get the idea. They're not moving forward. It could be that people don't know how to be if they're not striving anymore -- they just don't know what to expect if they have it all. Look at where you are potentially sabotaging your own "Havingness."

My intention is that you receive and enjoy all that you want and more... because if you increase your "Havingness Quotient," you are living on purpose and you're setting a positive example, which will ultimately benefit everyone around you.

About the Author:

Lynn Scheurell, Creative Catalyst, works with soul-driven entrepreneurs to create a livelihood from their true purpose. This type of business development requires extreme personal clarity in combination with innovation and active implementation of proven business practices. Download a free report to learn "The Seven Deadly Mistakes That Keep Soul-Driven Business Owners from Making Money" at http://www.mycreativecatalyst.com

YOUR ASPIRATIONS ARE YOUR POSSIBILITIES

2008-05-27T00:29:00.001-04:00

The first ingredient of your success is to dream a great dream. You must dream big and think big to be big. High expectation always precedes high achievement.

You're as small as your controlling desires, or as great as your dominant aspirations. Once your mind stretches to a new idea it will never go back to its original dimensions.

If you dream of little goals you can expect little achievement. Dream of big goals and you'll win big success.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

Finding Happiness - By Melissa Zollo

2008-04-15T09:16:00.001-04:00

Imagine being able to handle a challenge, problem, or overcome an obstacle in your life without being in a constant state of distress, panic, rage, or depression.

Would you be happy then?

And does being able to meet, deal, and/or attempt to overcome problems, conflicts, and difficulties have anything to do with increasing your levels of happiness?

Recently, I met a woman who had the luxury of someone else supporting her so that she could stay home, rest, renew, and recharge herself.

Instead, she spent her time worrying about what might go wrong. She was unable to appreciate and enjoy the gift of time. Her thoughts actually reduced her sense of pleasure and fulfillment.

Based on our conversation, she soon realized that her level of awareness repelled happiness. Therefore, the beautiful gift had not acted as a cause or stimulant to increase her sense of self-joy.

I then encountered a man who had been helped through many hard times, unhappy relationships with family members, a financial crisis, and many difficult days with his employer and co-workers.

One would think he'd be so happy and grateful, yet his behavior and conversations mirrored a dampened spirit rather than a happy, grateful spirit.

He lived in a state of distraction and injury. He felt comfortable focusing on crisis.

Again, he had received gifts, but his lack of recognition of them coupled with his misuse of emotion and awareness left him unable to connect with his many positive experiences.
I believe that many of us would deal with the unfinished business of our past and develop emotional resilience if we knew for certain that our body produces a chemistry that is a perfect match to our beliefs.

Science is now documenting what healers and mystics have known for centuries: We are greater than any beliefs we have learned or acquired.

Our awareness of being along with each cell of our body holds the power to heal us.

It is up to the individual to make time to recycle such life-denying emotions such as anger, jealousy, worry, guilt, and hatred into life-affirming feelings of happiness, joy, hopefulness, and love.

Regardless of our family tree, color of our skin, education, religion, or lifestyle, when conditions are right, many limiting and negative memories can be triggered and unwanted mental influences released, igniting us into actions we really do not want to take.

Unless we understand that thought is creative and manifests itself, we will not be inspired to change our mental blueprints, thought patterns, and emotional moods in the moment.

Once we understand the language of our feelings without shame and decide to keep on growing in the direction of honesty, clarity, and joy, we can eliminate many negative expressions from our lives; gain better health; experience peace of mind; find happiness and freedom from enslavement to false error patterns and habits.

It seems that many of us take the long route around the mountain of self-acceptance and self-approval because we have been programmed to live in a toxic sea of mental and emotional poisons.

For some, the cure for being miserable is as simple as resolving what is bothering them.

Through understanding and acceptance of some previously hidden memory or fixed belief, they are restored. They are free to deal, feel, and heal.

Taking inner action opens the door to the present moment, and the journey to joy and happiness begins.

For others, focusing on memories of happiness simply increases their happiness levels.

The best tip I can share and the most valuable thing you will ever do while on your quest for happiness is to take complete control over all of the suggestive elements in your life.

* What are you listening to?

* What are your conversations with others about?

* Is your self-talk success talk?

* Or is everything that makes up your personal environment acting as an excuse for you to perpetuate self-condemnation and pain?

The author John Dryden once said, "First we make our habits and then our habits make us."

Are you in the habit of feeling frustrated and unhappy, or calm and peaceful?

Our level of happiness does not depend upon our possessions or anyone outside of ourselves. It depends entirely upon our inner blueprints, desires, decisions, focus, and connection to our deeper self.

Happiness is directly linked to the thoughts we choose to entertain and how we respond to people and situations we encounter, moment by moment.

If each of us decides to cut short our visits into fearful, angry emotional moods, we will easily shift our attention out of conflict and into resolution.

In time (and with practice) we will prolong our happiness responses, strengthen our identification with uplifting emotional moods, expand our mind, and move into joy-producing energy fields.

There is no one to change but ourselves.

It is up to each of us to enhance our ability to live happily ever after in the here and now and influence the quality of our lives.

Never close a door on a dream -- your dreams are calling you!

About the Author:
Melissa Zollo, imagination and self motivation specialist, is the author of "Discover the Power of Imagination" and "How to Unleash the Power Within and Attract Money" CD audio programs. FREE daily tips and newsletter available at http://www.PresentMemory.com

Book Excerpt: Twenty Something in the Twenty Something's - By Jeffrey Moore

2008-03-27T08:02:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's the second cup of fabulous Tim Horton's coffee, or maybe it's because I just watched "Evan Almighty" (that movie always chokes me up), or maybe it's both. But right now at this very moment, things are very clear to me. I write this today not in a perfect world, but with a perfect understanding of my world. There are things right now that weigh on my heart, trusts that have broken and yet, as Biggie Smalls would say, "It's all good baby baby" especially after taking time to reflect on the following quote from Morgan Freeman, who plays God in "Evan Almighty":

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does He give him an opportunity to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does He give them opportunities to love each other?" --Morgan Freeman as God in "Evan Almighty"

This quote alone has reshaped my life and always brings a tear to my eye because of the honesty and self-reflection it provides. If we dare to live our vision, if we dare to create our dreams and reach our potential, then we must be able to see the opportunities that we asked for, and learn the lesson we need. We must learn to let go and allow our own greatness to take over. I know every day I am tested; I know every night I go to bed asking for an ability to reach a new level of success. I have come to realize that this doesn't always come in the form I want it to.

Sometimes it comes in challenges I hate, sometimes it comes in painful break-ups and things I don't want to experience, and sometimes it's great. My message for this chapter is simple -- sometimes in life we get so wrapped up in losses and pain that we can't see the forest for the trees. As Viktor Frankl talks about in his life-changing book, "Man's Search For Meaning," "To invoke an analogy, consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning, yet the meaning of the whole film cannot be seen before its last sequence is shown." This is a classic painting of big-picture vs. small-picture.

I know that every night I ask to become more successful; I ask to grow and gain experience in life to reach my fullest potential. I understand that what I am actually asking for is an opportunity; I understand that opportunity usually comes in the form of a test, whether it's an opportunity to work on my book and then the phone rings and it's a bunch of friends asking me to come out, or a relationship that fails and leaves me lost. These are opportunities to grow, learn, feel, and experience. Do I always enjoy these opportunities? Of course not! Some of them hurt and push me further than I am willing to go. Opportunity does not always come as you're walking down the street and someone decides you should be a model; opportunity usually comes when we say hi to all the possibilities and use large picture thinking.

About the Author:

Jeff Moore is the author of the books "Twenty Something in the Twenty Something's" and the newly-released "The World is Yours: Turning Vision into Reality."

Jeff started his career by asking himself one question: "How do we teach the youth and adults the most important lessons in life?" The answer was clear -- we teach by inspiring them. Since that time, Jeff has gone on to become an author and professional speaker, working in colleges and corporations teaching audiences goal setting and self-communication techniques. For more information on Jeff Moore, go to http://www.motivatingfutures.com

Why The Elephants Don't Run - by Jim Donovan

2008-03-21T06:08:00.000-04:00

A number of years ago, I had the rather unique experience of being backstage in Madison Square Garden, in New York, during the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. To say the least, it was a fascinating experience. I was able to walk around looking at the lions, tigers, giraffes and all the other circus animals. As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They think the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."
I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they could not, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? How many of us are being held back by old, outdated beliefs that no longer serve us? Have you avoided trying something new because of a limiting belief? Worse, how many of us are being held back by someone else's limiting beliefs? Do you tell yourself you can't sell because you're not a salesperson?

Particularly in starting or running a business, we are cautioned not to take risks, usually by well intentioned friends and family. How many of us have heard, "You can't do that?" These are the dream stealers who, due to their own limiting beliefs, will attempt to discourage you from living your dreams. You must ignore them at all cost! I am not suggesting that you should not seek advice from qualified individuals and mentors, but that you avoid like the plague, being swayed by the limiting beliefs of others, especially people who are not in their own business.

Challenge your own limiting beliefs by questioning them. If you begin to question a belief, you automatically weaken it. The more you question your limiting beliefs, the more they are weakened. It's like kicking the legs out from under a stool. Once you weaken one leg, the stool begins to lose its balance and fall. Think back to a time when you "sold" someone on yourself. We are selling all the time. You have to sell your ideas to your spouse, your children, and your employees - even your banker. Maybe, as a child, you sold Girl Scout cookies or magazine subscriptions to raise money for your school team. That was selling too!

Once you realize you are, in fact, a capable salesperson, you have weakened that old belief and began to replace it with a new, empowering one. Look for references to support the new beliefs you want to cultivate. As in the example of the stool, you want to reinforce your beliefs by adding more and more "legs" to them. Find people who have accomplished what you want to accomplish, discover what they did and model their behavior. Remember back to times in your past when you were successful and use that experience to propel yourself forward. If your challenge is in sales, read sales books and listen to tapes or attend sales seminars. This is a critical area of your business. One that cannot be undermined by limiting beliefs.

There is a technique called "fake it until you make it" that works well. I am not suggesting you live in denial, just that you begin to see yourself succeeding. Visualize your successes. See yourself vividly in your minds eye making the sale and reaching your goals. Affirm, over and over, that you are succeeding.

Write your affirmations daily. Of course, make sure you take the appropriate action. As it says in the Bible, "Faith without works is dead."

Remember that your subconscious mind does not know the difference between real and imaginary. Before you go on a sales call, take a moment and mentally rehearse the scene, just like actors and athletes do. Tell yourself, "I'm a great salesperson." Do this over and over, especially just before a sales call. See the sale being made. See and feel the success. You will be pleasantly amazed at the result. Don't take my word for it. Give it a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

It has been said throughout history that what ever you believe, with conviction, you can achieve. Don't be like the poor elephant and go through your life stuck because of a limiting belief you were given or developed years ago. Take charge of your life and live it to the fullest. You deserve the best!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Donovan is the author of the International bestsellers, Handbook To A Happier Life and This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal. He is also the founder and CEO of www.FreelanceHelp.com, an Internet network for creative professionals. His articles, books and a free subscription to his newsletter are available from www.jimdonovan.com.

Success Can Be Learned...It's Not Just For The Gifted! - by David Mason

2008-03-18T06:19:00.001-04:00

Are you one of those people who think that success is only for the gifted? Or better yet, that really successful people are lucky? Or that everything they have today was given to them on a silver spoon?

Here's the deal -- while that may be true in some cases, it would be a very few. Success is not about luck or gifts or handouts. I have been saying for years that "success is based on persistency and consistency, not magic."

What this means is that success comes from persistently doing those things we choose to do, on a consistent basis. We all have the potential to be more successful, to accomplish more with our lives. It is not so important what you choose; it is that you choose that makes the difference.

We all experience this world, this life, filtered through our own eyes and our own files that we call morals, ethics, principles, and core beliefs. We may experience the same event, but what we saw, heard, or felt will be different for each person. The reason is that we are all individuals. This is what makes the world such an interesting place. The interpretations of events, the opinions, ideas, ideals are all based on individual interpretations of the unfolding of events before us.

Now I could write an entire book on this subject, but that is not my intention here. What I want to establish is that, ultimately, what we experience in life is the result of how we decide or choose to interpret events.

Did you catch that? I said our decision or choice of how to interpret events. You see life is based on decisions or choices. I am sure you have heard one or several of the analogies about the two siblings that experienced some traumatic event in their youth. One grows up to be a criminal and the other a very successful member of society. They grew up so differently because of how they chose to interpret and internalize the event from earlier in life. We, just like the siblings I just mentioned, are all the products of our decisions and choices.

You do want to be successful, don't you? I'll give you a hint; it starts with deciding or choosing to be successful.

Now like I said earlier, I don't think that success is based on magic. So I am not about to tell you that all you have to do to become successful is decide you want to be successful and boom, you will be. I wish that was how it works, but the truth is... it's not. It takes more than that; it takes work. I hope I didn't scare you off with the "W" word. But anything worth having is worth working toward.

For example, when I left my career as a Research Biologist to start a business, I didn't give myself the luxury of failure. You see, close to 90% of small businesses go out of business within the first five years. I was not about to give myself this crutch, that if things didn't work out I could fall back on that statistic to justify why I didn't succeed. I put everything I had into making it work. I spent my first year making sure everyone in my industry knew my name and my company name. I wanted and I achieved 'top of mind' within my specific area. It was tough in those early years, I mean really tough. But I went on to build a very successful business, I mean really successful. I was able to sell that business for a very respectful amount in that industry, something that others struggle to do.

Walt Disney said, "While the worriers are worrying, the planners are planning, and the accountants are figuring out why we can't afford it, I'm busy getting it started." I am sure you would agree that he was an extremely successful person, who knew the value of making the decision to get started and was not afraid of work.

It's important to understand that success can be learned; we are not born successful, and we know it's not just for a chosen few.

Any human behavior expert will agree that most people operate at only a small percentage of their true potential. As a result, they realize only a small percentage of their potential success. You've probably heard this yourself.

Through personal and professional performance development, it is possible to increase your successes, and in turn, your quality of life.

For instance:

* When you focus on developing and growing your business, your income grows.

* When you work smarter and not harder, you can accomplish more in less time.

* If you have more free time, you can spend it with your family and friends; in turn your relationships blossom.

* Now you can start to focus on your health and fitness, and improvements are not far behind.

* As a result, your self-esteem and your self-confidence will increase.

You can obviously see how this cycle repeats itself and the results start compounding. This is Performance Development.

Toss that around in your head for a bit and you'll agree with me that by focusing on improvements in one area of your life, you can, and surely will, see improvements in other areas of your life as well.

A few years ago, I decided to spend more time focusing on my own personal and professional development than I ever had before. I attended more seminars. I took more courses and certifications. I invested in my own professional coach. I was able to take off more time with my family than I ever had before. We even bought a cottage on the Northumberland Strait in Nova Scotia, and we spend a great deal of time there throughout the summer and fall each year.

All of this was done during normal revenue-generating time in my business, yet I was still able to significantly increase my business revenues.

I think you will agree with me when I say that performance development makes a huge difference in both your personal and professional lives. Let's not forget that none of this has to be complex but can be very simple. Consistent tasks performed over time add up to positive results in your personal life or business.

On the road to success, we must repeatedly do things that motivate us and create an impact. Ongoing support is also necessary because it is what drives us to keep moving forward...to grow and to do those things we may not have done because we just didn't feel like it, or were uncomfortable doing.

Don't let procrastination, hesitation, or fear stop you from improving your life and hold you back from your success.

Make the decision to start improving your personal and professional lives. Decide right now that you are going to do what it takes to grow personally. Get excited about taking your business or your career to a new level.

Make a commitment to continuous learning. Spend at least one hour every day doing something that nurtures your heart and nourishes your mind.

To your success...

About the Author:

David Mason is president of Mason Performance Development Inc., a Speaker, Trainer, Performance Development Coach, and internationally best-selling author.

Find out more about David and how he can improve your results at http://www.YourBigProfits.com

GRATITUDE AFFIRMATIONS - by Tamara Theresa Mosegaard

2008-03-16T13:31:00.002-04:00

• I am grateful.

• I am attracting good into my life.

• My daily attitude is one of gratitude.

• I am seeing greatness all around me.

• I am feeling that I have a grateful heart.

• I am a magnet for good and for that good… I am grateful.

• I see abundance all around me. I am grateful.

• I am filled with happiness and gratitude.

• I am learning each day to be grateful.

• I just feel grateful each morning.

• Abundance comes to me because I am grateful.

• I am learning to appreciate all I have.

• I am grateful and thankful for all goodness God has given me.

• I give thanks daily for blessings that flow into my life.

• I am grateful for my health.

• I feel profound gratitude for all I am and all I have.

• I know gratitude is a daily choice and I choose to be grateful.

• I am blessed in so many ways and am deeply grateful

• I am grateful for my life and growing consciousness within it

• I am profoundly grateful for the power granted me to command the formless intelligence all around me.

• The more grateful I am, the more my soul may live in close touch with God.

• My soul continuously rejoices and unites with my experience as I engage in gratitude.

• Gratitude opens the door for my essence to flow through my life, and spirit blessings to pour into all that I choose to create.

• Gratefulness is how I return energy to the universe for the bounty I am blessed with.

• The more grateful I am, the more blessed I am.

• The more grateful I am, the more connected I am to the source and power of creation.

• I am deeply grateful to the Creator who wants me to thrive in life.

• I now immerse in gratitude and cultivate it as a habit.

• In profound gratitude, I am in a harmonious relationship with the formless Substance out of which my life emerges.

• By my gratitude, I am close to the source of abundance.

• My subconscious mind is continually finding things that I am grateful for.

• In my sleep, I am continually fed inspirations to support me to develop a habit of gratitude in life.

• I am able and willing to embrace all experiences and derive the gifts they hold for me.

• I am grateful for life hugging me in a perfect reflective way.

• I release all resistance to any part of my life and accept it all, knowing it is there as ‘love in action’.

• I release all bitterness, resentment and dissatisfaction that I may see the blessings I’ve missed.

• In gratitude I am at peace with my life and able to withdraw from non-serving energies and focus wholly on creating wonderful things in great joy and expectancy.

• In gratitude I am fluid energy able to move easily with life and direct it according to my desires born of love.

• In gratitude I am inwardly free and unattached to specific outcomes; everything that comes to me is imbued with divine wisdom.

• With a grateful heart I see opportunities for growth and joy everywhere.

• My gratitude reaches God and God moves towards me.

• My gratitude reaches the source of abundance and the source rushes towards me.

• In gratitude, I love unconditionally and become infinite being with infinite potential.

• I am capable of doing what I do because others have come before me. I am grateful for the world I see.

• I engage and enjoy the luminous divine Essence in all who enter my life.

• I am grateful for all the players in my life. Everyone in my life is “love in action”.

• I appreciate all people in my life, for each one brings an opportunity for learning to me.

• I now experience being fully supported by everyone in my life.

• I am strongly and constantly grateful for all that is in my life.

• Gratitude keeps me connected to the power of the universe.

• Gratitude is love, and my heart opens to receive all the blessings coming my way.

• The grateful mind focuses on the best.

• I focus on the best in everything and everyone, and the best appears abundantly for me.

• My life is the image of what I give attention to. What a wonderful experience!

• I am thinking Substance taking the form of what I think about.

• I am a lucid dreamer, dreaming wonderful possibilities and potentials.

• The grateful mind expects the best.

• I continually expect the best in everything and everyone who enters my life.

• I am profoundly connected to the source and power of life through the love that I am.
• I am profoundly connected to the source and power of life through continual gratitude.

• I breathe in the beauty, abundance and goodness of life; it abounds.

• I see only abundance and supply all around me; how wonderful to be alive.

• I am loved my God and in deep gratefulness, I allow myself to take this love in deeply.

• Before going to sleep, I release all idle thoughts and focus on all my blessings.

• As I count my blessings, my blessings grow.

• As I am grateful to others, they are gracious to me.

• In gratefulness, I give back to the universe and I am fulfilled.

• Being in gratitude is heavenly.

• In gratitude I am in harmony with the creative energies of the universe.

• By continual gratitude, I am open to receiving God’s grace.

• I am deeply and continuously grateful, and thereby I align to the outcomes of greatest blessing.

• I am grateful and thereby allow more supply into my life for which to be grateful!

• I release all concern as to how to feed, clothe, or supply my world, and turn all my thoughts to expressing the love that I am in freedom and joy.

• The grateful mind expands to embrace even more of the blessings of life—I am continuously grateful and expanding.

• I dwell only on the best and the blessings, and I become the best, blessed, and a blessing unto others.

• Faith is born of gratitude; I have faith and am filled with joyous expectancy.

• I continuously expect great things and am deeply grateful in advance.

• I am so grateful to be alive!

Why Good People Do Bad Things - By Debbie Ford

2008-03-11T06:16:00.001-04:00

Our headlines are full of stories of good people gone astray. They show up on the evening news, on the front page of newspapers, and splashed across the weekly tabloids. In many ways, these sad stories have become a national obsession. We're all so busy projecting on these people we see in the media. We think, "She's out of her mind," "He's an idiot," "Why would he risk everything?" We think we are judging the people whose fall from grace occurs in the heat of a national spotlight, but in reality we're just seeing ourselves. Countless acts of self-destruction and sabotage take place in our families, in our communities, in our circle of friends.

Most of us were taught that if we just wrap ourselves in enough layers, create a convincing enough persona, or hide behind an attractive enough mask, people won't discover (or, even more to the point, WE won't discover) that we are flawed, imperfect, and insecure. It's downright exhausting to keep hiding and denying parts of ourselves. Eventually, like a beach ball held under water, they pop up and snack us in the face. The act of hiding who we truly are and shaming the parts of ourselves that are less than perfect is what causes us to shut down, to disconnect, to be able to see our dreams but not be able to reach them. This is the birth of self-sabotage.

The Shadow Process is dedicated to helping people come into complete alignment with all parts of themselves. It is based on the understanding that each of us is a human being, and each of us is a divine being. We all have a multitude of different aspects -- some we love and some we hate -- but most of us were taught as children to hide and deny the "bad" parts of ourselves, to reject them, and suppress them. Let me give you an example.

Imagine that as a child I acted selfishly, eating all the cookies on the plate or wanting all the toys in the store. Depending on the reaction I received from those around me, I may have decided that my selfish self is bad. If, as an adult, I am uncomfortable with this side of myself, I will continue to try to hide, suppress, or camouflage this part of me. Maybe I decide it would be better to become a selfless human being who is always giving. Inside the restrictions of this belief, I can never say no because if I do, someone might discover that I'm selfish. So I'm a prisoner of my shame around being selfish. I have no freedom. Then I wind up being a people-pleaser, a caregiver, giving away my time and my energy, even when doing so compromises my health, my relationships, or my long-term goals. Then, when an opportunity arises that requires me to focus exclusively on myself, I find that I'm locked inside the persona that I created.

We all have aspects of ourselves that we run from. We say, "I don't want to be selfish like my mother. I don't want to be angry like my father," but the fact is, we are all angry and selfish at times. My work is about showing people how to come to terms with all aspects of their humanity, how to love the aspects of ourselves that we've hated so we are free to be who we are each and every moment of every day. At the crux of this journey is self-love. When we love and accept all parts of ourselves, we establish inner alignment. And of course, when we have alignment in our inner world, everything shifts -- the way that we see ourselves, the way that we see other people, the way we treat people in relationship, and the way we relate to the global world.

Three things are guaranteed when you make peace with your shadow: The first guarantee is self-confidence. Most people are riddled with doubt and a feeling that they are not good enough in some area of their lives. The moment we find the gifts and the blessings of the so-called flawed parts of ourselves, we lift them out of the darkness of our shame body and use them to move us forward. The second guarantee is peace, a deeply quiet mind, and liberation from the internal noise that most of us listen to day in and day out. And the third thing I can promise that you will receive when you embrace your shadow is the freedom to be yourself, to set boundaries, to say no instead of yes when you don't want to do something. When you no longer have to hide parts of yourself out of fear, you'll have the license to be fully self-expressed and to follow your heart.

About the Author:

Debbie Ford is an internationally recognized expert in the field of personal transformation and the creator of world renowned Shadow Process. A pioneering force in incorporating the study and integration of the shadow into modern psychological and spiritual practices, Debbie's work is based on the core belief that outer transformation occurs when we experience an internal shift in perception.

Debbie is the founder of the Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching at John F. Kennedy University. Since its inception in 2000, the Ford Institute has trained and certified over 500 coaches worldwide. Debbie is a #1 New York Times best-selling author whose books and programs have sold more than 1,000,000 copies and are translated into thirty-two languages. Her newest book is "Why Good People Do Bad Things."

6 Simple Energy Shifts to Relieve Stress - By Barbara Schiffman, C.Ht.

2008-03-11T06:10:00.001-04:00

"Stress is the trash of modern life" according to writer Danzae Pace. "We all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life."

For 21st century humans, it's nearly impossible to live a stress-free life. Even if you're doing what you love and have a fulfilling relationship, stress piles up like daily trash whether we notice it or not.

It's natural to feel stressed out by life-changing events like serious illness, divorce, marriage, graduations, or new babies. But it's the gradual accumulation of pressures, delays, and unexpected demands that usually causes us to explode or implode. As our to-do lists grow longer, our email and voicemail boxes overflow, our loved ones demand more attention, and our goals get bigger, stress relief can seem like an impossible dream.

Authors Susan Mitchell and Catherine Christie ("I'd Kill to Have a Cookie") commiserate that "sometimes it seems your ever-increasing list of things to do can leave you feeling totally undone." It's no surprise that few people regularly take actions to relieve stress until they reach their breaking point.

So it helps to experiment with simple stress management techniques when you're not already stressed out. As a Life Balance Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist, I've learned that reducing stress is an essential part of ongoing Self-Care for my clients. Taking baby steps on a regular basis relieves their stress and helps them handle the inevitable new stresses of daily life far more easily and quickly.

My favorite Stress Management Techniques include:

* SHIFT Your Perspective: When you feel "infowhelmed" after working at a computer for hours or talking non-stop on the phone, changing your environment will instantly relieve both physical and mental stress. If you're inside, go outside and take a walk around the block. This stimulates blood flow and deeper breathing which naturally relieves stress and also creates new brain synapses to boost your creativity.

* TOUCH the Earth: Most people spend the majority of their waking hours inside these days, so we rarely make direct contact with the Earth anymore. We're all running on Electronic energy which moves faster and more continuously than Earth energy. The energy of the Earth ebbs and flows, and is more in tune with human energy rhythms. So managing stress by gardening, hiking, swimming, or just sitting in a park near trees and flowers can renew us quickly when we feel drained. Tuning into Earth energy rhythms -- like the gentle flow of water, the slow growth of trees and plants, the peaceful movement of stars or clouds -- recharges our physical energy plus gives us emotional balance and mental clarity.

* RELEASE Negative Thoughts, Tension, and Expectations: Releasing physical tension and unrealistic expectations about ourselves, others, and life in general can shift our thoughts and emotions from negative to positive in an instant. Doing any type of meditation, deep breathing, stretching, or yoga (especially Laughter Yoga) erases physical and mental stress like magic. Hypnosis or guided imagery works well for people whose active minds are "too busy" to "calm down and float away" through Zen or Eastern-style meditation techniques. Listening to music -- soothing tunes that calm you down or ones with an energizing beat that makes you want to dance -- can also shift your state of being from drained to dynamic.

* EAT to Boost Energy: Eating more protein and fresh veggies when you're stressed out helps maintain strong muscles as well as clear your thoughts. High sugar or carbohydrate snacks can create drops in most people's blood sugar levels, which in turn creates the physical sensation of anxiety followed by the emotional/mental feelings of overwhelm. Frequent snacks of high protein foods like yogurt, cheese, sliced turkey or chicken, and almonds not only boosts physical energy but also erases anxiety. So if you feel anxious, eat something to boost your blood sugar in a healthy way and then notice how quickly your anxiety evaporates.

* SLEEP Soundly and Deeply: When we work and play hard, we tend to naturally sleep well at night. But when we're running on Electronic energy and eating foods that spike our blood sugar levels, especially in the hours before bedtime, it's often hard to fall asleep much less slumber peacefully throughout the night. Since our minds and emotions "clean house" -- i.e. relieve stress -- via our dreams whether we remember them or not, getting at least 6 hours and preferably 8 of deep sleep is critical to feeling calm and balanced when we're awake. Creating the habit of thinking positive thoughts or visualizing your goals as you drift off to sleep also helps your dreams strengthen your positive energy plus your commitment to fulfilling your desires.

* SPEND Time with Positive People: As I get older, I'm drawn only to people and things that are fun and positive. If someone's complaining all the time, I can't afford to let them drain my energy anymore. Spending time with positive people actually relieves stress and raises your energy, especially compared to being around people who are energy-drains. Doing things that are fun with positive people who also enjoy them naturally gives you a double dose of energy plus stress relief.

Trying these easy energy shifts to reduce stress can transform your body, mind, and emotions from the inside out. But if they work quickly and seem "too easy," please don't discount them. That's just a sign that stress management techniques like these are working for you. Keep in mind that stress relief isn't about being calm all the time -- it's about becoming more centered so you bounce back from life's challenges quickly and easily.

As Dr. Hans Selye, the psychologist who coined the term "stress" in 1950, reminds us, "Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one." Shifting your attitude any way you can is the best first step to relieving stress.

About the Author:

Barbara Schiffman, C.Ht., is a Life Balance Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She's also the host/producer of the Internet radio show
LIVING IN BALANCE at BigMediaUSA.com and a Certified Leader of Simple Abundance® Workshops. She is the creator of the Life Energy Tune-Up Workbook/CD Kit and the New Moon*New Beginnings Meditation CD Kit which are based on her life balance teleclasses. Barbara works with groups and individuals all over the world in person and by phone. Visit her website at http://www.HypnoSynergy.com for info on her programs, services, products, and resources.

SLOW DANCE

2008-03-10T06:54:00.004-04:00

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

- This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital.

Is Love Like This? - by Jane Monica Tvedt

2008-03-09T08:56:00.002-04:00

I live between green hills
the ocean is far away
Not within my reach
Nor can I smell the fresh ocean so blue.

Searching for some unspoken words
Never said between me and you
A longing for the acknowledge of the truth
The vision to trust the love so pure
Sometimes so close, yet so far away.

Why have I been given this wonderful pleasure
Of this mysterious journey?
Nor do I fully understand the unpredictable
Of living in every days life
Nor do I fully understand you.

So many hidden tears has been shed
Never in front of anybody But myself
Looking around,
Searching for help
But the time was beyond my vision
Just an empty place
Between hopes and desires.

Forgotten passion
About what really counts?
Trying to reach in to you
Caress the soul I know
If only the past Could let go.

A challenge one more time
I know it’s the last meeting
Between kindred soul mates
Before you and I Flies into the sunrise
like butterflies.

My wishes was heard, speeches from above
For Never to returned speechless
To my hiding place again.

Only I can change my thoughts
I alone can`t make it come true
To see and live the love
About this so pressures life
With you
The silent understanding
Of the language
From soul to soul.

Unconditionally, Just so pure
My hearth within yours
Meant to be sheared
For as long as love exist
In this journey Towards eternity
That’s called love.

TO LET GO.... - by Unknown Author

2008-03-09T05:57:00.001-04:00

To let go doesn't mean to stop caring; It means I can't do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off...It's the realization that I can't control another...

To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To let go is not to try and change or blame another, I can only change myself.

To let go is not to care for, but to care about.

To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own outcomes.

To let go is not to be protective, It is to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to deny, but to accept.

To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish the moment.

To let go is not to criticize and regulate anyone, but to try to become what I dream I can be.

To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is to fear less and love more

From My Heart to Your Heart - by Jane Monica Tvedt

2008-03-08T06:12:00.001-05:00

Between me and you there is an ocean of time and space, but within me and you we can reach out and touch one another faster than the shooting star. Time is boundless, time has no limits, and it has no border. Nothing can hold me away from reaching into you, not even thousand miles.

How wonderful to think about, because if I really want to, the only thing I have to do, is to think about you, and I will be there with you. In my thoughts, I will share the love, and I will send you some light from my hearth to your heart, and I know you can feel it.

The light of love is one of that precious ability we as humans have within us, all of us. Have you ever tried to send someone your love from your heart?

If you are worried for your loved ones, it could be someone you hold dear or your little pet. Within you, your thoughts could surround them in love and light, send them comforting thoughts, send them loving words silent spoken just within, a prayer from love and light all for the highest purest good, and be sure of that they will receive your love, because when you think about them, you are there with them right there and then. Just try?

The Five A's to Value Beauty in You as Well as Others - by Karenann Whelan

2008-03-07T20:30:00.002-05:00

A concept I have used for years that has both impacted my life and paved way to changing altered negative states is applying this strategy called the 5 A's. Needless to say, I have worked it to perfection. It is based on how we treat ourselves and others daily. They act as daily guidelines to remind me to encourage myself and others in a positive way. Applying and incorporating this concept into your daily life will teach you how to value the beauty in you as well as others.

Today I CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU to attempt these 5 A's for a 7 full days -- at least as a start! Correspond here with your daily results, struggles, findings etc. and let this be the gateway to "BEING" the change we want to see and feel around us! We can learn things about ourselves and others through applying these daily 5'As, so challenge yourself as I challenge myself.

Attention: to ourselves and to others
Acceptance: to ourselves and to others
Appreciation: to ourselves and to others
Affection: to ourselves and to others
Allowing: to ourselves and to others

In order to fully receive others feelings and have them be comfortable with their emotions we must have all these aspects present in all our relationships and interactions daily, coming from us! NOT the other person, from us! How we choose to react will in turn transcend it self onto others. We must let go of our mindsets of ego, fear, control, attachment, judgments, complaints, contempt, blame or criticisms and stop feeling we have to prove ourselves to each other.

IF we have these mindsets, how could you possible let another into your life or how could they let you into their life, even if it is for a brief moment? How could we not want to change another or change who we are if we carry these mindsets? So let go of your egos, fears, complaints, alternative blame, bitterness!

REMEMBER soon as we throw in the factor of changing who we are or changing someone around us --none of us are just being with each other or being with us alone, we are now "pretending" to be us and to others! Intimacy with another means support given to us and to others for all the good and the bad we see or believe! In my experience soon as you try to prove the opposite of what someone feels you are or what someone else feels, you doubt yourself and who you are. Taking away the biggest lesson we need to learn, "owning who we are!" So I challenge you to stop doubting who you are!

-------HOW DO YOU APPLY THE 5 A's ------

1- Wake up each morning and go through the check-list of these 5 A's.

Look around you and find something for you to APPRECIATE in your life now, at this moment. Each day find a new appreciation and hang onto that "one" appreciation all day, use it as a source of something to lift you if you feel beaten for a even a moment! Telling yourself, it is okay because I have this at the end of the day to be proud of. Do not cloud your thoughts with more then "one" aspect to appreciate. You want to start with only this one aspect of appreciation.

2- Give yourself what you need today! Take ATTENTION for yourself this new, beautiful morning. For me it is simply to have vanilla cream to put in my coffee. This simple vanilla cream each morning sets the stage of not forgetting what it is I need to make me happy to start my day. So I give it myself!

3- Give yourself AFFECTION this morning. Remind yourself to do it throughout the day. Do not depend on others to give you affection, depend on yourself to make you feel good. Sometimes it is simply to stay in bed for an extra 5 minutes before I begin the hustle & bustle of my day...giving myself extra time and setting the terms for me to guide. Sometimes it giving myself something to make me feel good, like a manicure or buying a gift for me, from me! Just show yourself personal affection.

4- ACCEPT you are an amazing person as you carry yourself through the morning and no matter what happens today you are still amazing! Accept you have something to offer to each person today because you are an interesting person, because you are amazing regardless of what you have done in the past -- you are amazing today! Nothing can get in your way or bring you down because you ACCEPT you are amazing and nobody can take that away from you!

5- ALLOW yourself to be you today. Be free to show who you are and what you are feeling today. If you do not feel like putting on make-up then don't do it. If you do not feel like going to dinner with a friend because your tired then say it. Be all you are, the silly, the strange eccentricities that make you, you! Speak from your heart, for yourself speak your heart. This is the one aspect that allows you to be you. You can own in being you. Dress to impress you, not others! Just be you and do not be afraid to ALLOW yourself to be the person YOU want to be -- because you already know your an amazing person, for you ACCEPTED IT today already!

Sometimes when I wake up and I feel bland, unmotivated I put on a song that gives me energy to be me and let loose. I take those extra 5/10 minutes and dance around the house, sing on the top of my lungs...give myself the attention I NEED to make me fee good! Whenever I feel this lack of motivation again during my day, I sing the song in my head, remember this wonderful feeling I had this morning and let it travel through my being. I tell myself, its okay...days not over, let's start again with this good feeling renewed.

----NOW FOR OTHERS ----

1- To apply the 5A's to people you meet you need to use them all together as one unique meaning. Attention, Appreciation, Acceptance, Affection and Allowing.

You need put aside judgment of others. You need to APPRECIATE people and ACCEPT them for who they are regardless of their own eccentricities, silliness, behaviors or styles. You need to ALLOW yourself to show ATTENTION to others -- even when it deems hard to do so. You need to show people AFFECTION regardless of what you feel inside or the bitterness you may feel at "any" given moment because your affection to them, will actually bounce back and give you the affection you need in return for your ACKNOWLEDGMENT. It becomes a dual reward!!!!

2- EVERY person you meet today, give them a smile and a compliment. Put aside what they look like, who they are in your life, superior or not. Put aside what you think they are, what their race is, their clothing is, there hair looks like, their verbal bark, their angry presentation, what age they are. A child bend down and ask them their name. And please REMEMBER to NOT care about what they think, because you ACCEPT you are an amazing person no matter what happens today!!!

****Each person you meet has a thought at the moment of interaction or presence. Sadly, normally it is a negative thought. You want to change that thought into something positive. You create the reflection, be the change you want around you!!!

A simple smile and a compliment together or separate will do this! Sometimes just being noticed by a person makes another feel good inside. A compliment will have them thinking of it all day long because you gave it to them, especially for they do not know you! If you often feel you are not noticed, make yourself noticed. Make people see and realize it does not matter who or what you look like...there is good underneath appearances and judgments. Give that to yourself because you deserve to give it to yourself! Give it to others as this will alter their mindset for a period of time and the next person they meet, they might just give them the smile or compliment they need. ****
Good luck on Challenging youself as I do today. Do it for 7 days, then extend it to another 7 days etc. Share your results, your situations and give everyone here the encouragment they need to follow through these 7 days.

TAKE A SHOWER - by Simon Ramaabya

2008-03-07T06:17:00.001-05:00

Some few years ago I was attending a local university, the University of Botswana. Because I was living on campus, every evening I would go jogging to keep fresh and myself fit. There was a park behind the university and this was a perfect place for an evening jog.

As it sometimes happens in our lives, either triggered by an event or just comes from nowhere, it came at a time when I was just tired. I was tired of my faith, tired of studying, tired of my life and just tired of almost everything. Normally when in this state, we as human beings like finding more reasons to stay in this state, and wisdom tells me that this is the worst time to make any major decision. If you are used to praying it becomes difficult to pray, to read scriptures, life looks hopeless.

One winter day, this "hopeless" day came. On that day I did not even want to take a jog as usual. But late at night I just decided to go. It was dark and dangerous to do so. I started putting on my jogging gear with an "I don't care what happens" attitude. I jogged, and came back to the hostels, safe and sound, but still psychologically and spiritually empty. I went straight to the hostel bathrooms to take a shower. As if what I was going through that day was not enough, the water was very cold. "I don't care I will just shower" I concluded, and I jumped in.

The chilling water ran through my body; imagine the combination of cold body with mental vacuum. The more the water hit my body, sadness and despair accelerated. Suddenly, the temperature of the water started changing. It became lukewarm, and then warm and suddenly I had to turn on cold water to keep a reasonable bathing temperature.

Amazingly, as the water temperature changed, something started changing in me as well. There was hope where there was hopelessness, happiness and a sense of purpose was restored in me. The desperation, loneliness and all bad thoughts started disappearing as if they were flushed down the drain by the warm shower. I started singing! I learned right then in life that God can use anything to restore us to a place of freshness and purpose.

So if you going through a rough time; just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just take a shower!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Simon Ramaabya from Botswana, Africa
simon.ramaabya@Orange.co.bw

LAW OF THE SEEDS - by Clara Lucia Revsbech

2008-03-04T20:47:00.003-05:00

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds!

We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."

This might mean:

You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job. You'll interview forty people to find one good employee. You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend .

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.

Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL

Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When Things Are Beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to be happy: You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be. You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave. Many times, such thoughts can bring you spiraling down into more unhappiness.

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:

Friends SHOULD return favours.
People SHOULD appreciate you.
Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
Everyone SHOULD be honest.
Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen! So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences! For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:

"I WOULD PREFER "A", BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT'S OK TOO!"

You prefer that people are polite.. but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day.

You prefer sunshine.. but if it rains, it is ok too!

To become happier, we either need to:

a) Change the world, or
b) Change our thinking.

It is easier to change our Thinking!

IN A NUTSHELL

It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem. It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness but rather how you think about what happens to you!

Finding Your Dreams by Leaving Your Comfort Zone – by John Seeley

2008-03-03T23:03:00.002-05:00

What do you desire that you don't have now? A new job? A new relationship? A new home? Make a list of all the things you want in every category you can think of. Everything you desire that you don't have is outside of your comfort zone. Do you want to release some weight or be in better shape? If you do, then you just got your answer on how to find everything else on your list. Einstein said, "To continue doing the same thing, expecting different results, is insanity." The implication is if you want different results, you have to do something different.

That is where most people stop. They either feel that they can't change, or they come up with reasons not to change. Either way, nothing new happens. Change is scary for many people. Men might not admit it, but it scares them too. Change usually represents the unknown. Fear of the unknown is a big cause of stuckness. If we can recognize the fear and push through it, we usually find that whatever we were afraid of isn't as bad as we thought. Sometimes it's not only pleasant but down right exciting!

Change happens instantly. Deciding to change usually takes time, sometimes years. The easiest way to change is the baby step process. Set your goal, but then break it down to very small and very doable tasks. Begin by choosing something you can definitely complete today. It could be as easy as looking up a phone number. You don't even have to place the call. Just look up the number. You may find that you will place the call, but the goal was only to look up the number. When you complete your small goal, you are retraining your subconscious mind to work with you. Since the majority of our lives are run by our subconscious mind, it's best to get it to align itself with our conscious mind.

Sometimes we don't want to choose for fear we might make a mistake. Not choosing is a choice. It's another way we stay stuck. Procrastination is putting off the inevitable, which usually makes it worse. Why not empower yourself by taking the time to evaluate your choices, choose the best one, and take action? If it's something that involves something unpleasant, why not get it out of the way, which allows the healing to begin to take place?

Sometimes it helps if you have support while going though your changes. So build a support team. Find people that will be supportive of the changes you want to make. Oftentimes the people closest to you are actually the ones that oppose you changing. So be careful who you choose. A professional has your best interest at heart. Whether a coach, a trainer, a therapist, or a friend or family member, be sure they know how you want to be supported. We each like support in our own way. Once you have a plan and a support system in place, dip your toe in the water outside your comfort zone and see what you find. Chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised.

About the Author:

John Seeley, MA is the author of "Get Unstuck! The Simple Guide to Restart Your Life." In this thought-provoking book, John is showing people the steps to take to get their lives moving and create the life they really want. For a limited time, John has partnered with a team of the finest in the personal growth movement who are each offering a valuable free gift when you order this life-changing book. These are people that have dedicated themselves to helping others achieve their highest potential in life. Order your copy today and receive your valuable gifts by going to http://www.GetUnstuck.com/Get-Unstuck-Special-Offer.html

Is the Truth Always True? - by Bruno Gideon

2008-03-02T00:50:00.001-05:00

We are bombarded with information. It comes at us from all-day radio and TV news programs, daily newspapers, emails, podcasts, blogs, and, of course, that ever-expanding external brain, the Internet. The problem is that many of us believe everything we read and hear. Why is that a problem? Because most information is biased and much of it masks a selfish motive. Today, as never before, we need the courage to evaluate what's coming at us and to develop our own interpretation. If we don't do that, we risk falling into the trap of hearsay. And that will keep us from developing an outlook on the world that is right for us.

We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us.
- Rabindranath Tagore

The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best
- and therefore never scrutinize or question.
- Jay Gould

Bruno's commentary

We should always ask ourselves, "Who will benefit from this?" You're having dinner out with some friends and the waiter suggests a special wine. Is it any coincidence that it's from the most expensive bottle on the list? Somebody wants you to invest, promising higher returns than anyone else in the finance industry. If the person is that good, he shouldn't need your money. "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days" sounds good, but it only serves to add weight to someone else's bank account. I like a statement made by Stanislaus of Poland in the 18th century: "To believe with certainty we must begin with doubting."

When somebody is trying to convince you of something, ask a few questions.

The Sands of Forgiveness - by Unknown Author

2008-02-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

Saint Theresa's Prayer - by Unknown Author

2008-02-28T06:10:00.000-05:00

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilitie s that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

I Wake Up Today Grateful - by Grant Cardone

2008-02-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

I wake up today grateful to be alive and grateful to have this one day that lies ahead of me.

I wake up today grateful to have opportunities and commit myself to making the most of them.

I wake up today grateful to be able to work and will do everything possible to get results today.

I wake up grateful for my mental capabilities and will use my mind to solve problems.

I wake up today grateful for problems and will put attention on solving them, not causing them.

I wake up today grateful for my attitude and will use it to make others smile and commit to spreading good news, not bad news.

I wake up today grateful for the power of choice and use that power to choose how I act today.

I wake up today, grateful for even being grateful. Pass this on to others- It might make someone grateful!

- Grant Cardone

www.grantcardone.com

Becoming a Force of Nature – By JK Ellis

2008-02-26T22:55:00.002-05:00

There are people who live their lives as if they were a force of nature. They seem to always get what they desire and be unaffected by the events around them. Around these people others make it a rule to follow them or get out of their way. These "forces of nature" can be violent and demanding, or seductive and compelling, or both. They often personify an energy. This energy may be specific or undefined in nature.

An example is the fictional Darth Vader who personifies an energy of sheer will.

A living example of this type of persona is Playboy magazine founder, Hugh Hefner, who is the personification of the power of hedonistic fulfillment and Eros.

Napoleon Bonaparte, Salvador Dali, Gambino crime boss John Gotti, and former president Bill Clinton are others to name a few. Not all of these "forces of nature" seek fame. Many aspire only to live their lives as they wish.

Have you ever met someone who lives life as if they are force of nature?

When you've taken the opportunity to speak with them, what you'll learn is that they can tell you exactly what they are going to accomplish. They will tell you this with a calm and unshakable sense of certainty. They may even seem as if they have already accomplished it or as if they have seen the future and have come back to tell you what will happen.

Because they have thought so thoroughly about what they want and how they want to live as they go after it, unforeseen events are rare and of little consequence.

The worst thing an unforeseen event might do is delay the inevitable attainment of their goal.

When the unforeseen occurs, they have a plan on how they will respond. That is the depth of their self-understanding.

Anyone who is within the presence of these rare people will feel both a soothing calmness and an unstoppable force emanating from their character.

Upon first evaluation, one might conclude that these living monoliths of achievement are motivated by endless ambition, but that would be inaccurate. Rather, they are moved by an unshakable sense of destiny.

While these people appear human in every way, they seem to move through the world more like a force of nature in and of themselves. Life is an adventure, and their goals and accomplishments are landmarks and milestones of their journey. They view success and failure with an unwavering detachment.

Their intent is so firm that all they know is their goal will be accomplished. Time is of no consequence to them because, like a god looking down from Mount Olympus, eventually all will transpire as they have laid it out and neither the winds, the waters, nor the wills of man can stop them.

They make their achievements seem easy and cause us to ask, "Why shouldn't I be able to do what they do?"

This is the life YOU could live; all you must do is choose it.

* Your Outward Appearance

This section is not about dressing for success because even an idiot can do that. This is about your presentation as a person and how you move and interact with those around you.

The first advice is simple: Move as if you have a purpose. Moving as if you have a purpose means moving as if you are not just pulled though space but also through time. You are being pulled in the direction of your goals.

This is important for two reasons. The first is you do have a purpose, and even though you may never discuss it outwardly, it is through your purposeful actions and movements that others will take note and either assist you or move out of your way.

The second reason is more subtle and internal. When you move as if you have a purpose, you are intentionally affecting your physiology. Any actor trained in "method acting" will tell you that if you do enough outward expressions of an emotional state, you will begin to feel that emotional state take hold of you.

Moving with a purpose will strengthen every aspect of your purpose.

During the early part of the last century, a young reporter was instructed to visit Mohandas Gandhi at a hospice for the dying in India and ask to observe Gandhi as he went about his daily routine. What he observed seemed unapparent at first but quickly became obvious. Gandhi moved as if he was being pulled by some greater force. That force was his sense of purpose.

* Create a Mythology

One way to strengthen your sense of purpose is to create a mythology that describes your life and then live to fulfill it.

Many people have created their personal mythology from thin air and have often been revealed as frauds. To avoid this, remember that almost every good hero of mythical greatness begins with a humble origin. This holds true in the stories from the biblical Moses to the fictional Luke Skywalker. Start your mythology where you are at and build on it. By asking yourself, "What would the very best me do?" you can direct your course with acts that seem as though you are pulled in the direction of your greater purpose.

* Your Internal State Of Mind

There is a constant force that is created when we have a goal and make a plan to go after it. The force is that not everything will go our way, the difference between what we plan and what actually occurs. This is often referred to as "Friction." This Friction is a constant component of life; we plan one thing grandiose, and some unforeseen event stalls our progress.

Friction is not an enemy but a natural element which, like the weather, we can sometimes predict but seldom control. Fighting the friction of life is as futile as fighting a hurricane, so instead, let it become your teacher as you become it's most dutiful student.

What it teaches is the endless value of flexibility and being able to adapt to changing situations. There will always be friction; therefore, there will always be lessons to learn.

Friction cannot be pleaded with or manipulated. Friction is as cold and uncaring as the winter sea, but it can be a teacher as wise as Aristotle.

To become a Force of Nature, you must abandon whatever doubt you have, whether or not we each deserve to have what we deeply want. What is proposed is that you should get what you want -- if you know in precise detail what you want, if you know in precise detail the steps to getting it, if you are absolutely willing to do each step, and if you are flexible enough to embrace and adapt to the friction of life.

About the Author:

JK Ellis is a writer and occasional public speaker. He writes on the topic of mind control and has published two book on the subject: "Perfected Mind Control - The Unauthorized Black Book of Hypnotic Mind Control" and "Mind Control 101 - How To Influence the Thoughts and Actions of Others Without Them Knowing or Caring." Because of the controversial nature of his work, he seeks to maintain his anonymity and make very rare public appearances.

STAY IN THE GAME IF YOU WANT TO WIN

2008-02-26T06:12:00.001-05:00

The more you try, the greater your chance of succeeding. The law of averages is on your side.

Taking a risk is often your first necessary step toward success. If you don't take some risks, you won't get the chance to succeed. While you are trying, you are winning.

Never get discouraged.

Every wrong attempt is another step forward. People that make no mistakes usually don't make anything.

Make up your mind not merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand defeats. Your mistakes are stepping stones to success and your installment payments to victory.

You can't be a winner and be afraid to lose.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

A Letter to God - by Eduardo Dancel

2008-02-24T22:29:00.001-05:00

Dear God,

I know that you hear me because I talk to you often. I know that you speak to me in the form of inspiration. I have a lot that I desire- mostly to make a contribution in this life. I just want to serve the many for in doing so, I believe that I will get what I desire. I desire joy, peace, happiness, success and love. I desire to teach and inspire people. I desire to be able to attain and share your great wisdom to a large audience. I have been inspired. I now know and believe that I am not a human having a spiritual experience but the other way around. I am spirit having a human experience. Thank you God for giving me this divine insight. I will continue my education, I will have faith and with passion I will persue my dreams. Thank you again God. I am so grateful for all the wonderful experiences that you have given me in life. I am even grateful for the not so wonderful moments in my life for they have taught me how to be who I am today. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You God.

Eduardo Dancel

Let the Blame Game ... End - by Bruno Gideon

2008-02-24T00:34:00.002-05:00

Perhaps a friend has betrayed you, an investment has gone sour, or a neighbor is driving you crazy. Perhaps your family is not giving you the support you think you deserve, or your children are not turning out as you had hoped. "Poor me," you sigh, and the blame game begins. Before long, disappointment and frustration turn into anger. You know of course that you can't change what has happened, yet you hold on for dear life and your resentment boils over, day and night. Wake up! The angrier you become, the more urgent it is for you to let go.

We must learn to let go to make room for the things
we have prayed for and desired.
- Charles Fillmore

There's an important difference between giving up and letting go.
- Jessica Hatchigan

Bruno's commentary

Letting go of our bad experiences, our frustration, our anger, and especially our lust for revenge is nothing other than an act of self-protection. If we don't let go, we hurt ourselves. But beware: letting go is not the same as forgetting. Forgetting is passive and often involves ignoring reality. Letting go is active and involves separating personal issues from factual ones, a process that protects us from the knee-jerk reaction of blaming others or even ourselves. Only when we let go can we grow and accept the lessons that we have learned. Only then can we move on to a new task, a new experience, and a new, positive way of living.

Want to get rid of the negativity in your life? Learn to let go, and remember: we are a work in progress; the future is still under construction!

http://www.brunogideon.com

Success is Within You

2008-02-24T00:31:00.000-05:00

How things look on the outside of you always depends on how things are on the inside of you.

Your thoughts have brought you to where you are today. Your actions always mirror your thoughts. Take a good look at where you are and what you're doing, and you can understand what you've been thinking. Your mind is your true essence.

Your behavior is the perpetual revealing of yourself. What you do, tells everyone who and what you are.

Change your thoughts and you can change your position in life. You can start this process at anytime. Why not start today!?

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

SUCCESS IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

2008-02-23T06:18:00.000-05:00

Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity. But you have to act on them if you're going to be successful.

Distant pastures always look greener than those close at hand, but real opportunities are right where you are. You must simply take advantage of them when they appear. You can start where you are at any time.

Success is all around you. It's not in your environment, it's not in luck or chance, or in the help of others. Success is in yourself alone.

You don't need more strength or more ability or greater opportunity. What you need is to use what you have. Learn to seize good fortune, for it is always around you.

You must go to success, it doesn't come to you. Open your own doors to opportunity.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

Trust Your Gut - by Brian Kim

2008-02-22T06:59:00.002-05:00

Trust your gut. Trust your instincts. Trust your intuition. They’re all saying the same thing, namely “Trust your subconscious.”

We probably first experienced this in school. We would mark an answer that we somehow knew was the right one, only to change it, and then realize after we get our test back that our first answer was correct.

Interviewers have trusted their gut on hiring people, even though logic screamed otherwise. Detectives have relied on their gut feelings or “hunches” to break cases. Police officers were able to sense bad vibes from people they’ve pulled over on routine traffic stops, only to realize that they just caught a serial killer (like in the case of Ted Bundy). Firefighters have trusted their gut to know when to evacuate in the nick of time before the building collapsed.

But for some reason, many people seem to suppress this gut instinct simply because they don’t understand it, more specifically, don’t understand how it works.

Remember, your subconscious is storing vast amounts of information at lightning speeds and processing all that as well in the background. The information your conscious mind is taking in and analyzing pales in comparison with that of your subconscious. Your subconscious is picking up on body language, tone of voice, sounds, sights, smells, etc. that you don’t even register consciously half the time and it’s processing all that at enormous rates of speed and spitting back the finding that we like to label as the gut feeling.

Which conclusion would you likely trust? From a scientist with limited information and analysis or from another scientist who has access to mounds of information and the latest technology in computer analysis? Clearly, the winner is the latter, namely the subconscious.

So if the subconscious can do all that, then why is it our gut reaction is sometimes wrong?

This is where the amount of data comes into play. You’ll notice that people who utilize their subconscious (gut) coupled with vast amounts of relevant data have a greater winning percentage with it. By winning percentage, I simply mean the percentage of the time their gut was correct. As you gain more information and experience, your subconscious has more data to compare and contrast with in order to evaluate your future experiences.

For example, the more people you interact with, the more your subconscious mind can store data on human interaction, body language, conversational signs, etc. Add to that any data you read from books and articles and you get a nice big reservoir of information to analyze with. People who are people persons are people persons simply because they habitually interact with people. Their subconscious starts absorbing all the information from interactions and soon enough, that person seems to have a gut feeling signaling to them when to stop talking or when to leave a conversation, when to continue, what to say in a certain instance, what not to say, etc in order to have harmonious conversations with others. He/she instinctively knows what to say and how to say it.

You will discover in the beginning, that person finds themselves doing all the wrong things, but as they get more and more experience, the data they get from each successive interaction can be put against previous data and the results will be more accurate. More data sets to compare against leads to greater accuracy in the analysis.

So is it any wonder why veteran detectives are the ones who get the “hunches” and are able to break the cases? Is it any wonder why the firefighters who have been with the department for several years know the correct decision to make in a split second life or death situation?

Going along the lines of that, it would appear that trusting your gut on decisions where you have ample experience on the matter would be wise. For example, if you’ve been driving for quite some time (years) and you get a gut feeling that you should put some distance from the car in front of you, do it. Trust your subconscious. It would’ve probably saved you from a car accident, or more importantly, your life. I can’t tell you how many times this has helped avoid numerous accidents on the road. If you’re a programmer and you have a lot of experience in that area, and you’re torn between writing a program two different ways, trust the gut and write it the way it tells you too. If you’re a veteran salesman and you’re talking with a prospect, and you get that vibe he/she is going to buy, act on it.

So how can you tell if what you’re feeling is your gut feeling? I can’t articulate the feeling (probably because I’m trying to use my conscious mind to articulate the subconscious) but all I can say is you’ll know it when you feel it. Trust it and act on it. It’s one of the best analytical computers out there so you might as well use it. Chances are, if you have enough information and experience in the matter and you need to make a decision, your gut feeling is probably always the best one to go with.

The Seven Wonders of the World - by Author Unknown

2008-02-22T06:55:00.003-05:00

Junior high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.

The room was so quiet; you could have heard a pin drop.

May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.

Enjoy your gifts!

Why Getting Dumped Could Be The Best Thing That’s Ever Happened To You

2008-02-21T07:52:00.000-05:00

- By Brian Kim

For some odd reason, the 2nd most popular request for articles to write that I get come from 20 something males regarding the subject of dating and getting over breakups. On that note, I wanted to write an article that will hopefully put a stop to these flow of requests – and it’s not that I don’t like getting those emails, it’s just that I find myself saying the same thing over and over again so I hope this article will put an end to those types of questions.

I’m going to describe a typical scenario that I’m sure most guys can relate to. If you find that you don’t, you may know somebody who will.

Boy meets girl.
Boy falls head over heels in love with girl.
Boy spends every waking minute with girl.
Boy forsakes his friends, family, dreams for girl.
Girl dumps boy.
Boy’s heart is broken in half.

Probably one of the most vulnerable points in any man’s life (or woman’s for that matter), is when they are dumped. And nobody likes to get dumped. Nobody. It hurts. And it hurts pretty bad. Everybody takes it personally as a sign of rejection of who they are as a person and what they’re all about.

Then comes the playing of sad love songs, reminiscing about the girl, thinking about her all the time, wanting to get back together, depression, no appetite - the whole works. Everybody deals with rejection in their own way but whatever the recovery process is for that person, it’s very painful to see it from the outside.

What will most likely happen next is that he will get over it, but will repeat the same process again with another woman, and another, and another until this realization finally hits him.

That the problem does not lie with the women; it lies with him.

And it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Specifically, he is placing his happiness and self worth, in effect his world so to speak, onto the girl and the relationship. He is not happy unless he has the girl and the relationship. He is hoping the girl and the relationship will solve his problems. You take that away and he becomes a mess.

But you can’t blame guys for thinking like that because a relationship does bring happiness and good times. It’s a good thing and I’m certainly not advocating one to become a monk and abstain from women.

What I am advocating here is to become happy, to create your own world independent of the woman and of the relationship, in short to not need it as much.

Why? Because women can smell needy guys and desperation a mile away and more often than not, guys will cling to a woman like a life preserver reeking of neediness and desperation, as she has become their entire life, leaving behind anything else and it’s because of this neediness and desperation that women dump men like a sack of potatoes.

What the great thing about getting dumped is that it’s probably one of the few ways that will bring about this crucial realization upon a man. That women and relationships will not solve his life. That he must solve his own life first. That he must solve his own problems, to get his own act together, and that no woman or relationship can do it for him.

And once he realizes this, it will cause him to strive to become more than he ever was.

He will solve his problems, pursue his dreams, become the best man he can possibly be, strengthen the bonds between his friends and himself and his family, in short, he will get his life in order FIRST. He will have effectively created his own world, one that he is happy living in, independent of women.

And the catalyst for this change in his life usually comes from the “I’ll show her what she’s missing out on” anger caused by the dumping, and while that’s great fuel to start with, it won’t last. What will happen next is that all that anger will morph into gratitude. As they see the life they envision in their mind becoming a reality before them, they become grateful for the breakup, grateful that she had broken his heart because if it were not for her, he would not have been so motivated to initiate such great change in his life.

When he does all this, women and relationships will take care of themselves. He will find women that will fit into the world he has created and they will flock toward him.

I’ve seen this happen so many times. A guy who thinks he has found the love of his life gets dumped and he gets super depressed but afterwards, realizes the problem was with him the entire time, that he was relying on the woman and the relationship to create a world of happiness, so instead, he works on himself and he gets his life in order and when he does, the ex always comes back, realizing what she has missed out on, not to mention a flock of other women.

So the focus should be not on the woman and the relationship so much as on yourself, to be the best person you can be, to invest in yourself and to not place your happiness and your world onto the woman and the relationship. To become more than you were before and to begin focusing on creating your own world, on improving your own life because when you do that, you start to naturally exhibit all the qualities that women desire – confidence, purpose, drive, ambition, etc.

Other guys will create their world based on the women and the relationship, and when the woman is gone, so is their world and they will have nothing to hold onto.

It’s important to focus on becoming the best person you can be and creating the life you want to live because by doing so, you will find a woman that will fit into your world naturally.

So let’s say for example, your passion lies in building houses for homeless people. You volunteer to work on projects not because you hope you will meet women there, but because that’s what you love to do. And as you start volunteering at these places, you will find someone who shares the same values as yourself, someone who can easily fit into your world and can easily share it with. It will all come about naturally as a result of you creating your ideal world and living in it.

What you’ll find is that most people will feel as if they’ve dodged a bullet after they got dumped because had they continued on with that relationship, they would never be at where they are today.

A man is usually at rock bottom from getting dumped, but the greatest thing about that is it gives him an opportunity to change his life.

It’s a great wake up call – to become more than you were before, to follow your dreams, and to create the world that you wish to live in, and to share it with the woman of your dreams.

How to Stop Worrying All the Time - By Brian Kim

2008-02-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

Worry seems to be one of those human emotions that people feel trapped and frustrated by. When people worry too much, they become afraid that their very act of worrying can lead to the exact realization of their worries. In other words, they fear that worry can help lead to a self fulfilling prophecy which just causes more worry which makes them worry that much more which just puts them into a viscous worry cycle.

It seems like once worry sets in, it begins to snowball automatically by the very act of constantly thinking about what you’re worrying, which just gives it that much more power which then begins to influence how you perceive your reality of the environment in order to seek confirmation of what you’re worrying about which you will begin to find, which then feeds the worry that much more, which then continues the cycle.

The mind is a very powerful thing as it can influence your perception of reality which can then influence any future decisions and actions you choose to make which can help bring about your worries to reality as a result, so it’s no wonder why people get so stressed out about worrying in the first place.

So what to do? How to break yourself free from this cycle?

First off, it’s just to distract yourself from the situation when you start to worry. Obviously this is not a long term solution. It’s just meant to cut you off from the worry flow you’re currently engaging in - to stop the worry “snowball” if you will.

Exercise, pick up a book, play a sport. Do something constructive and positive with your time. Whenever worry comes up, distract yourself from it.

Once you stop the flow, realize that there’s only today left. The past and all its mistakes are finished. The future is yet to come. You only have today to work with and the future is not written in stone.

Realize that worry tends to embellish the very worst case scenarios of the future and this is where our active imagination can sometimes work against us. We tend to project the worst case scenarios of the future when we don’t even know what the future will hold. What you worry that might happen in the future may not (and probably will not) even happen because you don’t even know what the next day holds in store for you, let alone the next month or year.

It makes absolutely no sense to assume that what you worry about will come true when you don’t even know what’s going to happen for sure in the time between now and that future time period.

Realize that you have only today to work with and then make the most of it to alleviate your worry. Take in as much information as you need regarding the issue you’re worrying about. People tend to fear the unknown so the more you learn about what’s worrying you, the more light you can shed on the matter. The more information you have on what you’re worrying about, the more capable you become in terms of taking the necessary actions to alleviate it and the more action you take, the less of a foundation of whatever you’re worrying about has and the more “holes” you punch in it.

Seek out others who were once in your current situation. Ask for their help. It helps to have somebody to talk to who faced a similar situation as they can give you advice on what to do and it’s also a huge helping factor in the sense that you realize you were not alone and more often than not, that you were never alone in the first place.

When you begin to see progress after doing all this, you get reassured because you see things aren’t totally out of your control and that you can do something about it.

But some people may find themselves constantly worrying about the things they cannot change in their lives and there ARE things in life we can’t change. But worrying about the things we can’t change serves no purpose. It’s wasted energy. Better to accept the things you can’t change as that will free you to focus your energy on the things you can.

Another great way to combat worry is faith. Everybody has their own faith and whatever faith that may be, it all involves some sort of reassurance, that everything will turn out ok due to whatever the faith is based upon. That kind of faith starts to “open” your eyes to the environment, and influences your perception to find the opportunities that can help alleviate your worries. And let’s not forget about having faith in yourself as well. It can instill in you the confidence to handle anything thrown at you.

It’s easy to worry all the time with all the pressures and events that life tends to throw at us but it’s better to realize that we have the power to stop the worry flow. The power to seize the day. The power to take back control. The power to learn. The power to ask. The power to act. And to stop worrying about the things we can’t change in our lives. And to start working on the things we can.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN

2008-02-20T00:04:00.002-05:00

You're not finished when you're defeated, you're only finished when you quit. The most important quality essential to success is perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.

Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is. Success is connected with continuous action. It's largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

You can have a fresh start any time you choose, for your "failure" is not in the falling down, but in the staying down. It's not over until it's over.

If you've got the courage to stick it out, you can win.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

The Self-Hypnosis Diet

2008-02-19T19:58:00.002-05:00

Use the Power of Your Mind to Reach Your Perfect Weight
– By Steven Gurgevich, Ph.D. & Joy Gurgevich

The Self-Hypnosis Diet: The Essential Ingredients

You control the essential ingredients that make self-hypnosis work for you. Actually, these are the same ingredients that create your experience of success in any goal you choose. Let us look at each element and how you may use them to perform for you.

Motivation is the energy of your desire, of what you want. Wanting is a feeling that you can control. For most of your life you have mainly controlled your desire or wanting by limiting it or denying it. You may be very good at controlling your desires and wanting in some areas and weak or unpracticed in others. Since this is a "diet" book, you may have already prepared yourself to hear that this "diet" will be like the others that have told you what you must deny or limit. That is, the other diets have told you what not to want, and the emphasis may have been about "not wanting" some foods that you have grown to love. Welcome to a new way of treating yourself; we will encourage you to get even better at "wanting." Denial is not included in "The Self-Hypnosis Diet." Your motivation is a key factor, one of the basic and essential ingredients. We want you to focus your energy of WANTING, not toward food but toward the motivation that clearly tells your mind-body what you want it to create: perfect weight. We encourage you to get really good at wanting your perfect weight. Here is an example. Let us say that you are in a swimming pool and suddenly you breathe in a mouthful of water. In that moment you only want one thing, a breath of air. It feels like life or death, and a breath is the only thing in your mind at this time. The wanting is so intense and powerful that it overshadows all other thoughts and propels you to do whatever it takes to get that breath of air. That is how much we want you to want the weight and body image that you desire.

Beliefs are those thoughts and ideas that are true for you. They do not have to be scientifically proven for you to know them to be true for you. Whether you are aware of it or not, your actions, both consciously and subconsciously, are based on your beliefs. Even though your beliefs are in the form of thoughts and ideas, they shape your experience by affecting your actions in life. If you believe that animals make good companions, you probably have a cat, or dog, or parrot, or ferret or two. If you believe that coffee keeps you awake at night, you probably do not drink coffee before bed.

The power of believing lets you influence your body in ways that might seem astounding. Placebo responses, where individuals respond to an inert substance as if it were the real medication, are common examples of how beliefs are experienced in the body. If a person really believes that they will get well when they take a certain medication, it will happen whether the tablet contains medication or is simply inert. In the same way, if a person really believes that they can achieve high grades in college, they will.

If a person really believes that they can have their perfect weight, they will. As we asked you in the introduction, remember your make-believe games as a child. Your ability to pretend is just as good now as when you were very young. It may be a little rusty and you may need a bit of practice, but when you allow yourself to pretend and let yourself believe in what you are pretending, you will discover a very powerful tool. You will discover that this is a wonderfully effective way to deliver your intentions, those messages of what you want, to all of the cells and tissues and organs of your body, which respond to bring that intention about for you. We can't say this enough -- thoughts are things. The thoughts, the pictures, the ideas you put in your mind, become the messages your self-hypnosis conveys to your mind-body, ultimately turning your perfect body into a reality. Pretending is choosing what to believe and becoming absorbed in those ideas. Just as a magnifying glass can focus the rays of sunlight, you can focus your mental energy to make your thoughts, ideas, and beliefs real for your body.

You may not always get what you want, but you do get what you expect. Expectations contain the energy of beliefs and become the results of what is believed. Here is an example of how to "expect." When you sat down to read this book, you did not examine the chair or sofa to test its ability to hold your weight. You just sat down without thinking about it. You did not have to think about it, because a part of you is confident, and has so much faith in the chair that you just "expected" it to hold you. That is how to expect the perfect body weight you desire. Be mindful of what you say to yourself and others regarding your body weight expectations. "I always gain weight over the holidays." "Last night I ate two pieces of cake, and this morning I was two pounds heavier."

Each of these essential ingredients can produce powerful results when focused within the mind-body. However, when these ingredients are aligned properly within the process of self-hypnosis, their effectiveness is magnified a hundredfold. It is a process for creating your reality. You might think this sounds magical or too good to be true, but that is relative to what you have experienced up to this point in your life. These ideas may be very new to you. Here is an example of the "relative" nature of new ideas. Imagine that you are given a private jet airplane which is beautifully outfitted with luxurious appointments and a well-trained crew. It is a wonderful gift, and you get to show this engineering marvel to some individuals that have never seen anything like this. Let us say that your pilot flies you back in time just before December 13, 1903 to the time before the Wright brothers announced their first flight with the "Kitty Hawk." You are eager to show this wonder of engineering to the Wright brothers that greet you. What might happen? Perhaps they would be scared and not believe that it is possible to fly in a metal bird. You could offer them a ride, and they might choose to run from you. People can resist or
reject new ideas, even when they are wonderful. The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said, "Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world." Stretch your view and allow yourself the opportunity to become familiar with the ideas of self-hypnosis.

In "The Self-Hypnosis Diet," we are offering you ideas that may stretch your imagination and shrink your clothing size. To say that self-hypnosis is a process by which you create your reality. This may seem too good to be true or even unbelievable right now, maybe as fantastic as a time machine for some. That is fine, for right now, but open your mind and imagination to the possibilities that this gives you to have your perfect body weight. Let yourself believe that this process is real and true, because it is and it relies upon your belief to become true. Your subconscious (mind-body) uses the combination of what you want (motivation), what you believe, and what you expect as a blueprint for action. The results are achieved by your mind-body (subconscious), and not by "thinking" or analyzing. If a person touches a cold surface which they believe is very hot, they can produce a blister or burn response. Conversely, a person touching a very hot surface thinking that it is cool may not produce a burn response. Much like individuals who walk over hot coals while believing in imagination that they are cool, they may have a thermal injury (some minor scorching on their soles), but their immune system does not respond with a burn (blistering, pain, etc) because their mind is telling their body how to react. Again, it is the alignment of all three of these essential ingredients that make this possible:

* wanting to do it
* believing it possible
* expecting to be successful

This is the key to success. Your body carries out your beliefs -- your beliefs direct your actions -- which, in turn, shape your experience. Some describe this process as creating your success or creating your experience in life. In our culture we see this described within the motivational and positive mental attitude literature. It can be seen in many areas of metaphysics. You can also look back to the ancients and see it described in terms of the respective historical period. A person much wiser than us said, "It will be done unto you according to your belief." In the present age of integrative medicine and psychology we call it self-hypnosis or mind-body medicine. There are now numerous scientific studies that demonstrate amazing results for pain control, wound healing, physical alteration, and much more that we previously thought were impossible.

About the Author:

Steven Gurgevich, Ph.D. is a health psychologist specializing in mind-body medicine. He is a faculty member at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, where he teaches mind-body medicine to physicians at Dr. Andrew Weil's Program in Integrative Medicine, and he is a Fellow and Approved Consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Joy Gurgevich is a behavorial nutritionist, specializing in helping people make wholesome food choices for a healthy lifestyle. She is a preceptor at Dr. Andrew Weil's Program in Integrative Medicine and the Behavioral Nutrition Expert at both of Dr. Weil's websites.

Being Happy is a Decision

2008-02-18T22:31:00.002-05:00

11 Ways to Change Your Life NOW! - By Larry Crane

Almost everyone has heard the hit single "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferrin's simple message surely made a lot of people focus on happiness by simply telling them not to worry or fear, and just BE happy.

Living a happy, resilient, and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress (anxiety and fear) is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. It is also what is keeping you from having total abundance on every level.

One of the better things ever said is "The only thing in life that doesn't change is change," and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation, we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too invariably must and will change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different. The key is accepting people for who or what they are, avoiding clashes and constant arguments, and LETTING GO of all of your resentments, fears, and negative habits that are holding you back.

To be happy is relatively easy; it begins with a decision. Simply decide to be a happy person.

Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really; choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this:

11. Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner, and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mail, thank the police officer for making your place safe, and thank God for being alive. Whatever you can find to be grateful for, find it.

10. News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can't start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it -- 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad, fearful news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do, does it?

9. A religious or spiritual connection is also recommended. Being part of a spiritual or religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers, and meditations foster inner peace.

8. Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do, and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine-tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

7. Laugh and laugh heartily every day. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say, "Laughter is the best medicine."

6. Express your feelings, affections, friendship, and passion in healthy ways to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Let go of pent-up anger and frustrations, as this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

5. Working smart instead of hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives us a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us; they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel are worthy of your time. And don't forget to celebrate them once they are completed!

4. Learning is a joyful experience. Try and learn something new every day. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons...and could also give us more opportunities in the future.

3. Physical exercise. Run, jog, walk, and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.

2. Positive attracts positive. Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins, and hazardous places.

And the Number One Way to be Happy:

1. LET GO, LET GO, LET GO! Letting go of the layers and layers of negative emotions, feelings, and habits is the number one critical key to being happy all the time. There is no way around this. Fortunately, there is a simple, all-natural way to do just that, quicker than you ever dreamed. It's called the Abundance Course, and you can find out more at the link below.

These are the few simple things you can do every day to be happy.

And always remember Abraham Lincoln's wise words: "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Decide to let go and be happy all the time right now. You can do it!

About the Author:

Larry Crane has been teaching The Release® Technique to executives of Fortune 500 companies for years. He has personally trained businesspeople, psychiatrists, psychologists, sports and entertainment celebrities, salespeople, managers, and housewives in the art of letting go of problems, emotions, stress, and subconscious blocks that are holding people back from having total abundance and joy in their lives. Discover for yourself your own ticket to happiness and freedom: http://www.releasetechnique.com

BIG THINKING PRECEDES BIG ACHIEVEMENT

2008-02-18T06:09:00.001-05:00

High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation. You'll always hit what you aim for in the long run. So why not aim high?

Have the courage to follow your dreams. It's the first step towards attaining your destiny.

If you can dream it, you can do it. If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make it come true?

In order to succeed beyond your wildest expectations, you need some wild expectations.

Copyright 2008 www.maxsteingart.com

Acres of Diamonds - by Will Edwards

2008-02-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of the classic self help book Acres of Diamonds? It was written by Russell H Conwell (1843 - 1925) who was an American Baptist minister and founder of Temple University in Philadelphia.

Acres of Diamonds was originally a speech which it is estimated he delivered over 6,000 times to various audiences throughout the world. It was later published as a book; and remains a classic Self Improvement text.

Looking for Diamonds

Albert Einstein said, "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." Once discovered, such opportunities are like valuable diamonds hidden in the sand.

Several years ago I spoke at church about how we are surrounded by "diamonds," if we could only recognize them. A man stopped by to see me. I remembered him as somebody who had suffered through a painful divorce and was examining his life's priorities. His outstretched hand contained a small, plastic gem stone.

"I stepped on this gem stone when I was leaving church last Sunday," he explained. "It became lodged in the sole of my shoe. You had spoken about recognizing opportunities - diamonds. I put the plastic stone in my pocket to remind me to look for those diamonds that I need.

"I have been trying to sell my business," he continued. On Monday morning, a man stopped by who seemed interested in purchasing some of my stock. I thought, 'Here's my diamond - don't let it get away!' I sold the entire stock to him by noon.

"Now," he said through a broad smile, "my next diamond is to find a new job!"

Not long afterward, he did find a new - and better - job. He resolved to keep his gem stone with him from then on as a reminder to look for diamonds as he digs through the difficulties of life.

Richard DeVos is accurate when he points out, "This is an exciting world. It is cram-packed with opportunity. Great moments wait around every corner." Those moments are diamonds that, if left unrecognized, will be forever lost.

Are you looking for diamonds every day? If not, you may easily pass them by! Perhaps there is a diamond of opportunity hidden in that difficulty you're experiencing now.

__________

Steve Goodier's books & Newsletter: http://LifeSupportSystem.com.

Insurmountable Opportunity
Diamonds in Disguise

It's an interesting message isn't it? We truly are surrounded by opportunity - the problem is that many of us fail to recognise it when it is staring us in the face! The truth is that many of us don't really know what a diamond actually looks like in its raw state!

Remember - diamonds do not come all nicely cut and polished, the way we usually imagine them, when taken directly from the Earth!

That is, of course, why it is important to get those goals clearly quantified and written down somewhere you can regularly see them. It will keep your subconscious mind working on the most important things.

That's it for this week. I do hope you have enjoyed the Newsletter.

With every good wish,

Will Edwards.
The White Dove Partnership

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAKE DECISIONS

2008-02-15T00:32:00.000-05:00

To control the outcome of anything, you control the action at the point of decision making. If you let others make decisions for you, you give up control. When you control the decisions, you control the actions.

It's your life. You decide what you're going to do with it. If you don't run your own life, someone else will. You're in control of your life to the degree that you make decisions.

Take charge of your life, so there is no longer a need to ask permission of others. When you ask permission, you are giving someone veto power
over your life.

Take control and start making those decisions. Only you are responsible for your life.

Copyright 2008 maxsteingart.com

Valentine Treasures - by Zmurod Moukadem

2008-02-14T06:13:00.000-05:00

Valentine treasures are people who have often crossed your mind, family, friends and others, too, who in your life have shined the warmth of love or a spark of light that makes you remember them; no matter how long since you’ve actually met, each one is a luminous gem who gleams and glows in your memory, bringing special pleasures, and that’s why this Valentine comes to you: You’re one of those sparkling treasures! Just by Being You!!

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.

2008-02-12T06:10:00.001-05:00

You determine your attitude. You can respond positively or negatively to any situation. Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to your circumstances.

Any challenge facing you is not as important as your attitude towards it, for that will determine your success or failure.

It's how you react to events, not the events themselves, that determines your attitude.

Copyright 2008 www.maxsteingart.com

Lasting Love

2008-02-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

– By Dr. Charles D. Schmitz and Dr. Elizabeth A. Schmitz

Lasting love, 'til death do us part. Married couples repeat this stanza or some variation of it in most marriage ceremonies. In its essence, two people commit to each other their love, their faithfulness, and their sacred honor for the rest of their lives. Many times, it works out just that way. Other times, the promise falls short. But in the case of Sandy and Pris, love is alive and well and will be sustained for a lifetime.

Over the past 25 years we have interviewed couples that have been successfully married for as few as 30 and as many as 60 years. We have shared 41 wonderful years together ourselves. But of all the interviews we have conducted, no love seemed greater than the love between Sandy and Pris.

We interviewed them in their home about a year and a half ago. Sandy has retired as CEO of a large American corporation. He is now investing his time and money in philanthropic causes across the USA, particularly in character education. Pris has always been interested in the arts and is a big supporter of opera theatre, in particular. Their passion for their philanthropic causes was amazing, and their commitment to their work was heartwarming. If you ever wanted to spend an evening with two of the most generous, endearing, enchanting, and wonderful people you could meet, these are the two that you would want to be with.

Before we interviewed Sandy and Pris, we thought we knew a lot about love and relationships. That evening, however, we got an education for which we will be eternally grateful.

Sandy loves Pris absolutely and completely. He loves her without conditions. He has loved her since the first time he saw her on the ski slopes near Santa Fe, New Mexico. During our interview, he looked at his bride of nearly 60 years and said, "She is still the same beautiful woman I married 60 years ago!" He had tears in his eyes. Pris choked back the tears, as she looked deep into his eyes. These were the faces of love.

Pris responded that she fell in love with this handsome, dashing man with his white skis as soon as she saw him glide effortlessly down the snow-covered mountain.

Sandy and Pris love each other from the bottom of their respective hearts and both say this today, "We have been married for more than 60 years and are more in love now than ever." Everything they said to us during the interview reinforced their unqualified love for each other.

There are many lessons to be learned from Sandy and Pris. We want to share with you what they believe to be the most important.

First, they share a mutual admiration society. They always support and encourage each other.

Secondly, they love each other very much and say so many times during each day of their lives.

Thirdly, they are totally honest with each other. They show integrity in their interactions, have undying trust in each other, and demonstrate their character by their words and by their actions.

And finally, their most important lesson of all: "Never go to bad mad at each other."

Sandy and Pris have great admiration and respect for each other. It shows in their words, their actions, their expressions, and in Sandy's case, in his voice as he sings love songs to her every morning -- off key sometimes, but always full of love and emotion.

As we concluded our interview with our usual question, "Can you imagine life without each other?" we got the answer we expected, but not a word was spoken. Their eyes welted up with tears, they gazed lovingly at each other for an extended period of time, and then they looked at us and smiled. No words were necessary. We knew their answer as well as we knew our own -- lasting love 'til death do us part.

We know you will agree -- Sandy and Pris are an inspiration to everyone. Their wonderful 61 years of marriage attest to the power of their relationship and the depth of their love. There is much to learn from these two lovebirds who have found "Lasting Love."

MAKE YOUR DREAMS A REALITY

2008-02-11T06:35:00.001-05:00

You have the power and the opportunity to change your life. You can make anything you want of it. It's not difficult, it just takes some effort.

See things as you would have them be instead of as they are. Develop a personal plan that focuses on what you want, not on what you have.

Your imagination will show you how to turn possibility into reality. Visualize your goals and your subconscious will work toward making those mental picture come true.

When you picture yourself as vividly winning, that alone will contribute immeasurably to your success.

Knowing your destination is all you need to get there.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

What Do You Desire Out of Life - by Eduardo Dancel

2008-02-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

What do you desire out of life? Is it more money, better relationships, or just to have more confidence and to feel good about yourself? Well, whatever it is that you desire, all is attainable. You have it within you to accomplish all that you wish. It's like a Genie in a magic lamp. All that you can ever want no matter how inconceivable it may seem to achieve right now, you can attain and accomplish. I believe that we all have within us the power to be what ever we want to be and to accomplish any goals we set our minds to. We are all born with unlimited potential. We just have to know how to unleash the power within our own minds. Refuse to believe that you have limits. You are unlimited. What your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve. You must continually be on a path of educating your mind the right way. Only feed it with the right kind of information that will lead you to success. Your mind is like the magic lamp. Just rub it and make your wish. They will come true if you believe and start to take action on your dreams right now.

The first step is to change your mind. You must reprogram your mind the right way so that you can begin to attract all that you deserve in life. Start feeding your mind with positive thoughts and feelings of abundance and prosperity.

At first it will be very difficult to reprogram your mind because you have a lot of junk that has to be removed. All the negative thoughts and false self beliefs must first be deleted. This will not be easy though without some help. You will need the guidance of professional success coaches- mentors who are experts at whatever it is you need improvement on.

Once again we are all born with unlimited potential. We just have to know how to unleash the power within our own minds. Take action right now and decide to change your mind so that you may start your journey to a life of prosperity and abundance.

A Question of Courage - by Bruno Gideon

2008-02-10T07:34:00.000-05:00

It was my good friend Vicky on the other end of the line. "I heard about your birthday party next week," she said. "I just wanted to let you know I'm free that evening." The moment she began talking, I realized that I had forgotten to invite her. I apologized, assuring her that she was most welcome to attend. Hanging up the phone, I was mortified by my mistake. But I was impressed with Vicky's reaction. Would I have had the courage to make such a call?

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment
that something else is more important than fear.
- Ambrose Redmoon

We should not let our fear hold us back from pursuing our hopes.
- John F. Kennedy

Bruno's commentary

I probably would have asked myself endlessly why I wasn't invited, building up resentment over being left out. I would have been hurt, failing to realize that such situations are common in today's hurry-up, high-tech days. Emails get lost in cyberspace and voicemail messages accidentally get erased. It's much better to be like Vicky and approach these situations head-on but nicely. It keeps negativity out of life. But what if the call reveals that the lack of communication was intentional? That would open the door for further clarification about the relationship ... and isn't that a good thing, too?

Is something bothering you? Make that phone call now and clarify the situation.

About the author:

"Bruno's Minutes" are presently enjoyed by over 50,000 readers in 26 countries. What started as an experiment in 2001 quickly grew to this phenomenal number, mostly by word of mouth. Please forward this issue to those you care about and invite them to join. You can do so here and I would love to welcome your friends.
http://www.brunogideon.com/bgthoughts

Mining the Moment for Something that Feels Good

2008-02-08T07:58:00.000-05:00

Mining the moment for something that feels good, something to appreciate, something to savor, something to take in, that's what your moments are about. They're not about justifying your existence. It's justified. You exist. It's not about proving your worthiness. It's done. You're worthy. It's not about achieving success. You never get it done. It's about "How much can this moment deliver to me?" And some of you like them fast, some of you like them slow. No one's taking score. You get to choose. The only measurement is between my desire and my allowing. And your emotions tell you everything about that.

Excerpted from an Art of Allowing workshop in San Antonio, TX on Saturday, April 20th, 2002

FEAR IS OVERCOME WITH ACTION

2008-02-08T00:21:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest surprises you'll experience, is when you discover that you can do
what you were afraid you couldn't do.

Your obstacles will melt away, if instead of cowering before them, you make up your mind to walk boldly through them.

Do the thing you fear and fear disappears. Confront your fears, list them, get to know them and only then will you be able to put them aside and move ahead.

When you face the things that scare you, you open the door to freedom.

The only thing you have to fear, is fear itself..

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS.

2008-02-07T00:08:00.001-05:00

The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses, that's the day you start moving down the road to success.

No one else can do it for you. Only you can make it happen. You're the only one that has to live your life.

Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. It's up to you to choose the thoughts and actions that will lead you to success.

Your life will be what you make of it. Nothing will ever happen by itself. Success will come your way once you realize that you have to make it come your way by your own actions.

The power to succeed is yours alone.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

Life is a Balance - by David Locke

2008-02-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

At times it can be hard, yet often necessary, to avoid the constant fight for control. Yes, it's important to remain in charge of our lives, but not everything lays soley in our own hands.

At times we need to rely on fate and destiny to have a say. If things don't always go 'according to plan', allow the wrongs and upsets to be put down to life and experience.

Failure in faith and self belief in the turn of events will lead to negativity. Believing that any bad situation carries the prospect of good fortune will allow us to remain prepaired for any uneventuallities and changes we may face. If we only take a moment to accept what was, what is, and remain focused on what can be, our paths need never be rocked in a way that unnverves us.

Life is a balance. We are all going to experience good things and bad alike. With strength and courage we have the power to face more than we give ourselves credit for. With courage and belief, we can embrase change as good thing with great possibilities that lay in wait for us.

© David Locke 2008

How to Give a Killer Compliment - by Brian Kim

2008-02-06T21:42:00.000-05:00

Who doesn’t like a great compliment every now and then? It’s one of the few things on this earth that can instantly shoot our self esteem sky high.

But you know what’s even better than getting a great compliment?

Giving one.

And not just any old compliment.

I’m talking about the killer compliment.

The one that will instantly brighten a person’s day.

The one that people will write down in their journals once they get home.

The one that people will draw strength upon when they’re down.

And the one that people will remember for years to come.

That’s the one I’m talking about.

Learning how to give such a killer compliment is one of the best things to have in your social tool belt. It can do wonders for relationships. It can take them to the next level and open doors you never dreamed possible.

How can you do that?

Here are 10 steps you can take in order to give a killer compliment.

1. Really, truly, desire to give a killer compliment

Don’t compliment someone just for the sake of it. Don’t think of it as a chore or a necessity. Really want to give it to the person. Have it burn inside of you wanting to get out. If you really feel this way, then the person that you want to compliment truly deserves it.

If you really don’t want to give somebody a killer compliment, don’t even bother trying. You’re just going to sabotage yourself.

2. Prepare it

Anything of real value and quality takes time to make. Don’t just use the standard compliments.

Really dig deep and think about the person. Apart from truly desiring to compliment the person, coming up with that killer compliment is the most important thing to do. You can do so by…

3. Observing and coming up with something specific

Nothing screams insincerity louder than vagueness and clichés.

You want to choose something that is unique about that person. Make observations on any quality, mannerism, or habit, that makes them stand out from everybody else.

Make a list of the positive qualities you like about him/her.

What is it about this person you admire the most?

What separates him/her from most people?

What is the unique quality or X-factor that this person possesses that makes him who he/she is?

What would you want to tell this person about themselves if they were to embark on a 10 year journey?

Try thinking of something very little or unique, that nobody else has complimented them on before and expand on it.

Appreciate the little things the person has does.

When you find that something, make it descriptive. Be specific. Expand on it and make sure you’re able to….

4. Justify why you think it’s great

Ok, so you’ve got your killer compliment. When you lay it on them, they’re either going to be blushing or grinning from ear to ear. Don’t stop there. Justify why you think it’s great.

For example, if you killer compliment is: “I noticed that you never talk trash about people behind their back.”

Your reason can be: That’s an extremely rare quality nowadays and I think it speaks volume towards your character and integrity.”

Coming up with the reason will be a cinch. If you can come up with the compliment, you can easily come up with the reason. So don’t leave them hanging on the killer compliment. Justify it.

5. Give real life examples to back it up

Think back to the times where the person exemplified that great quality. Transport them back to that time and tell it from your perspective. In keeping with the above example, you might say something like this.

“I remember that time when everybody in the group was trash talking Jim and taking turns and having a blast. You didn’t trash talk him though. Instead, you stood up for him and backed him up when he wasn’t there. I think you gained a new measure of respect in everybody’s eyes that day.”

Having an example from the past that you remember in detail will seal the deal and remove any doubt that you’re full of….But you have to remember to…

6. Time it right

Do it when it’s just you and the other person. Don’t do it in a group. People remember one on one encounters more vividly because there’s nobody else to compete for attention.

Also, don’t just greet the person and deliver your killer compliment.

Do the standard greeting, how are you, how’s the job, and just let the conversation flow. When you are in a deep state of rapport and you’re both comfortable, that’s the time to unleash it, but don’t deliver it raw.

7. Set it up for the home run

Set it up with questions such as:

“You know what I noticed about you?”
“You know what I like about you?”
“You know what I admire most about you?”
“You know what I think is great about you?”

This is the ultimate hook. Everybody is always interested in themselves.

When you ask them these questions, you will see them snap to attention and their eyes will light up and all their attention will be focused like a laser squarely on you, which is exactly what you want.

You want them to be 100% focused on the next thing coming out of your mouth.

Deliver the killer compliment and…

8. Really believe what you say

People, especially women, are equipped with the greatest BS detectors in the world, even more advanced than the ones they have at Langley.

If you really don’t believe what you are saying, they’ll instantly pick up on the insincerity and you’ll do WAY MORE harm than good. All your future compliments will now be in question of authenticity and sincerity.

Look them dead in the eye. Lean forward. Use your body. Stress your voice when you give your killer compliment.

9. Give them sparingly

Don’t dish them out every time you have a chance. If you keep on doing it, each successive killer compliment will lose its respective value. It’s just based on the scarcity principle. Bring out the big guns when you really want or need to.

10. Don’t expect anything back

When you give the killer compliment, don’t follow up with a favor to ask. It will seem as if you were just buttering him up for something else in return.

This will negate all the effort you put into the killer compliment. Give it to them when you are not asking for anything in return.

Give freely and expect nothing in return.

You will find that when you lay this killer compliment on a person, they won’t know what to do with themselves. They’ll either be blushing furiously or just basking in their own pool of euphoric glory.

For the fortunate people who experience this, simply say “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

And don’t try to come up with a compliment of your own to give. You won’t be able to come up with one on the spot that can top the one you just got.

If you take the time to prepare and deliver killer compliments, you will find your relationships get stronger and grow to the next level. You will alo find that people will remember your compliments for years to come, draw upon it for strength, and they will never, ever forget who gave it to them.

- by Brian Kim
http://briankim.net

MAKE CHANGE A POSITIVE PART OF YOUR LIFE

2008-02-06T00:02:00.000-05:00

You must avoid breaking when things don't go your way. You'll always be secure to the degree that you accept change. True security comes from being able to bend your insecurities.

Recognize and accept that change will inevitably take place. You'll become secure, not by standing still, but by growing, moving, and staying energized. Be secure in the knowledge that you can deal with anything that happens to you.

Have the courage to bet on your ideas. Take some calculated risks and act on your dreams. There is no permanent security on this earth, there is only opportunity.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

YOUR SUCCESS DEPENDS ON YOUR ENJOYMENT

2008-02-05T06:16:00.001-05:00

YOUR SUCCESS DEPENDS ON YOUR ENJOYMENT

You'll never achieve real success unless you like what you're doing. What you do is more important than how much money you make. How you feel about what you do is more important than what you do.

The more you love what you're doing, the more successful it will be for you. Don't set compensation as your goal. Find the work you like and the compensation will follow.

You don't pay the price of success, you enjoy the price of success.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

Have a wonderful day.

Virtue and Values Will Never Go Out of Style - by Joshua Stein

2008-02-04T05:38:00.000-05:00

"Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still lead
the same life."
~Aristophanes

What do you do when no one is watching?

What do you do when the boss is away?

Character, virtue and values will never go out of style.

Live Victoriously,
Joshua Stein

www.thepositivewebsite.com

THERE IS ALWAYS A GOOD SIDE

2008-02-04T05:28:00.000-05:00

Be an optimist and try to see the opportunity in every misfortune, not a pessimist that sees misfortune in every opportunity. The optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole.

You can develop success from every failure. Discouragement and failure are two stepping stones to success. No other elements can do so much for you if you're willing to study them and make them work for you.

View every problem as an opportunity. When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

Don't Be Afraid that your Life Will End - by Hagar Ben Israel

2008-02-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin!

Send this to all of your friends in the next 5 minutes and a miracle will happen tonight

LIFE RESPONDS TO YOUR OUTLOOK

2008-02-03T00:57:00.000-05:00

The dreams you choose to believe in come to be. When you feel in your innermost being that you will achieve what you set out to do, you open the way for miracles.

Choose to believe something good can happen. Expecting it to happen energizes your goal and actually gives it momentum. What you expect to happen, happens.

If you expect to succeed, you'll succeed.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

Love and Peace Will Change This World - by Darryl MacPherson

2008-02-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

A message to all my amazing friends. You all understand how love and peace will change this world. As you go out into the world your positive vibrations will attract all things positive to you. Fake smiles and pretending to be happy does not count, you must truly feel peace and love for yourself and your life. Take a look around you and find all the good things in your life and concentrate on them. Be grateful for all the good things in your life. NEVER concentrate on the negative, just confront them and be done with them. Get rid of those negative situations, all of them. You can do it because you know there is no room for them in your positive life. Once you are cleared from negativity start attracting all things positive into your life. You can also force those who feel negative to feel your positive energy by simply smiling at them and wishing them a good day, truly feel happy for that person and they will see it.

You choose how you react to every situation and that choice will always determine the outcome of that situation. Positive vibrations will always over power the negative vibrations because you can choose to be positive at anytime and you should never be choosing to be negative; why would you?

Continue being you, and staying positive. Make people see that it is a good thing to smile because if everyone could just smile, the world would feel love & peace.

FREEDOM MEANS RESPONSIBILITY

2008-02-02T00:09:00.000-05:00

Freedom is the right to live as you wish. If you wish to free yourself from enslavement, you must choose freedom and the responsibility it entails. There's a price for every freedom, something to be given up for every liberty.

It's up to you to weigh the price you must pay for each of your freedoms. And everything you want has a price.

Freedom is the opportunity to make decisions. It's the capacity to take a hand in your own development. Freedom is the right to choose. It's the right to create for yourself the alternatives of choice.

No one is free who is not master of himself. You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences of your actions.

Copyright 2008 yourdailymotivation.com

YOU CAN MAKE IT IF YOU TRY

2008-02-01T05:22:00.000-05:00

You can't be beaten at anything, until you quit in your own mind. There is no failure except in your not trying. There is no defeat except from within.

You have no really insurmountable barrier except your own inherent weakness of purpose. The odds are with you if you keep on trying.

Consider yourself on a very long journey. Sustain your personal vision of success until you achieve it. In the end, you can fail only if you don't try.

Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is. Success is a road that's paved with perseverance.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

The Tree of Life - by Debra Morrison

2008-01-31T22:13:00.000-05:00

The Native Americans had a very profound statement that says that no tree has branches so foolish enough to fight amongst them self.

We are all connected and our thoughts, decisions and actions have the possibility to affect more people than we can imagine.

We, therefore, have a responsibility to ensure that the affects of our thoughts, decisions and actions will benefit other people and make their lives easier.

We also need to understand that any action that we take that causes conflict or harm to anyone will, ultimately, affect us negatively.

Today, try to live with this statement at hand. Visualize yourself as one of the branches on this tree and ask yourself if your thoughts, decisions and actions will positively or negatively affect those around you.

THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO SUCCESS

2008-01-31T00:16:00.000-05:00

Whatever you want in life, you must give up something to get it. The greater the value, the greater the sacrifice required of you. Everything has a price.

There's a price to pay if you want to make things better, and a price to pay for just leaving things as they are.

Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. Work, continuous work and hard work,
is the only way to accomplish results that last. Use your imagination more than your memory to achieve success.

The highway to success is a toll road. There is no success at bargain basement prices.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

ALWAYS TRY TO THINK AHEAD

2008-01-30T00:07:00.000-05:00

When you think ahead of any approaching action you'll always have the advantage. You'll be the winner.

Keeping a little ahead of conditions is one of the secrets of business. The time to repair your roof is when the sun is shining. Try to do things before they need to be done.

Let your advance worrying become advance thinking and planning. Position yourself ahead of time in the best place for you.

When you do what is necessary, all the odds are in your favor. Do the next thing..

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

How To Work Out The Mind - by Brian Kim

2008-01-29T20:58:00.000-05:00

In our last issue, we've learned that we need to be careful when it comes to what we feed our minds. Now that we've fed it with nutritious food, it's time to work out the mind. Your mind is like a muscle and the more you work it out and feed it, the more it will grow. So how can we work out the mind?

Problem Solving

Solving problems is one of the best ways to work out your mind because it forces you to think with both sides of the brain, the logical side and the creative side. Take some time everyday and think of how you can solve some of the problems that you're facing when it comes to achieving your goals. Write the problem down in the form of a clear question and start writing down up to 20 answers. This is a simple, yet powerful way to solve problems. I know it sounds too simple, but I guarantee when you actually sit down to do it, you'll be very surprised at the results. It's powerful because as you write, you "empty' what's in your mind and allow new ideas to form and as you look at the ideas you've written down, your mind starts to build tangents off those ideas to create new ones.

Journaling

Writing in a journal is another way to work out your mind. Rather than let your thoughts "stagnate" inside your mind, let them flow out from your mind onto paper. This will give your mind in essence "fresh air" to breath everyday. Writing exercises the mind because it takes out whats in your mind and forces you to come up with more. Keep a journal of your daily thoughts, feelings, what you've accomplished this day, what you're moving toward, etc. in order to work out your mind. You'll often find that while journaling, you'll find yourself thinking of new ideas to implement.

Debate

Whenever you come across new information, try to play Devil's advocate. Ask reverse questions to cover the entire angle of something. Learn to use the words "why" and "how". Why is what I just read true? Using the word why is a good test to see how much you understand the information you came across. How can I apply it in my life? How is one of the best ways to work out your mind because the word how forces you to think. By using the word how, you assume that it CAN be done. Now it's just a matter of finding out how.

Pretend You're Teaching Somebody

Along the same lines of whenever you come across new information, pretend that there is a person right next to you who is clueless on the subject and imagine it's your job to teach that person what you just learned. This forces you to actually comprehend the new material to the degree that you can make another person understand it. If you understand it well enough to explain it to another person, that knowledge becomes more "ingrained" within you.

Follow Through On Tasks

This is a powerful way you can strengthen your mind. Whenever you are doing a task, be conscious of it and follow through. If you are making dinner, make it all the way. Don't stop in the middle to watch TV. If you are brainstorming and need 20 ideas, finish it with 20 ideas. Don't stop at #19 to check your email. If you told yourself you're going to walk 1 mile, then walk 1 mile. Do this to condition your mind to follow through because when you start following through on little things, the big things become a piece of cake. To make it easier the first time around, try breaking down big tasks into smaller ones and finish those off by following through on them.

Visualize

I know I've talked it before but try visualizing every day for at least 10 minutes. 5 minutes when you wake up and 5 minutes before you sleep. By doing so, you exercise your visualization muscle. You always get better at something if you keep on practicing. The more you visualize, the more clearer the picture in your mind becomes, the more vivid the emotions feel and the more certain you become of attaining your goal. You will get better at it if you keep on doing it.

Exercise

There is no doubt a psycho somatic link between mind and body. If you have a strong body, you'll have a strong mind. If you're fit enough to lift weights, I highly encourage you to go on a regimen of weight lifting. It doesn't always have to be weights though. Running, walking, biking, any sort of cardiovascular activity will help sharpen your mind. Please consult your doctor before going on any exercise regimen.

Things That Weaken Your Mind

On the topic of strengthening your mind, it's also prudent to list things that can weaken your mind in order to avoid them.

The fact is that YOU are your own worst enemy. YOU are the greatest thing that can weaken your mind.

When you focus on your fears and doubt, YOU are weakening your mind because that paralyzes you and you tend not to take any action because of that. When you talk negatively to yourself, YOU are weakening your mind because you allow those negative thoughts to reach your subconscious mind. When you watch TV and allow your brain to effectively shut off for hours everyday, it is YOU who is weakening your mind. When you cease to avoid destructive negative influences from the people around you, it is YOU who is weakening your mind.

In essence, it is all up to YOU to strengthen your mind and it is up to you NOT to weaken your mind. Everything begins and ends with you.

We've covered a lot of ground here so the next installment will give you a brief summarization of what's been discussed.

To the inevitable achievement of all your hopes and dreams,

Brian Kim
http://www.briankim.net

The Secret to Relationships -by Winsome Coutts

2008-01-29T00:19:00.000-05:00

Can we learn from THE SECRET to help our relationships?

How's it going with your relationships? Having any problems?

Well, a lot of people do, but it really doesn't have to be that way. Trust me, I know!

I'm not just talking about romantic relationships here. I'm talking about ALL your relationships - your family, friends, business colleagues, and yes, even the boss who doesn't want to give you a raise. At this stage you may be thinking that all you need to do to improve your relationships, is to give these people MORE of your own time and attention. But let me tell you a little secret...

YOU HAVE TO LOVE YOURSELF FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN LOVE ANY ONE ELSE!I can already hear you asking "But isn't this a bit selfish?" Actually, the answer is no. That's not the case at all. Let me explain,...

To love yourself first, means that you should:

have a healthy respect for yourself

give yourself some quality time and

start loving who you are

Maybe it is time to give yourself some credit for the things you do, and for the person you are. John Gray (bestselling author of "Men are from Mars, Women are From Venus") says something really interesting in THE SECRET DVD. He says: "Take time off to give to yourself. In a sense, to fill yourself up to fullness so now you can overflow in giving." In other words, if you don't have any love inside for yourself, how can you expect to give any love to anyone else? Consider this,...

Do you always put yourself last? or...

Do you sometimes neglect to ask what YOU really want? or...

Do you often do things for other people all the time at the expense of your own rest and pleasure?

You know, it is actually good and healthy for you to pamper yourself a bit. I don't mean to be self-indulgent, but to give yourself a little treat - go to the movies, lie on the beach for a day, buy a special book, swing in a hammock - just because you feel like it.

Once you start doing this, you will notice that magically, you will have a lot more
energy to deal with other people and to provide them with a lot more than you used to be able to. Just remember, the more you have, the more you can give. But, to be able to have more, you need to invest more time in yourself first. That is the secret! Here's another helpful hint from THE SECRET DVD that will help you.

Appreciate others and get the most out of them:

"Concentrate on only the positive aspects of those around you" Here's an easy way to do it...

Buy yourself a nice notebook

Then, make a list of ALL the positive aspects of the person that you are dealing with

And finally, keep focusing on those positive aspects for as long as you are in contact with that person

Pretty soon you will discover that your relationship with them will be even better than before (even if it was not all that great to start with). Do this with all the people you spend a lot of time with and you will save yourself a lot of heartache and despair. Believe me, ...... magic happens with this process if you practice it diligently. The people in your life will seem to be friendlier, more loving, and you will start feeling the same way about them. Somehow, this process is very contagious. And over time you will find that you will feel increasingly more loving towards yourself. Learning to love yourself first is often the hardest thing to do, but you need to remember that you can't show anyone else any real love if you don't have any love for yourself first. James Arthur Ray says it best... "How can you ever expect anyone else to enjoy your company if you don't enjoy your own company?"

http://www.the-secret-dvd.net/

ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR SUCCESS

2008-01-29T00:13:00.000-05:00

There is no shortage of opportunity. Everyday you're presented with countless opportunities to be, or do whatever you desire. Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. Don't miss out on an opportunity because you're not prepared.

Your preparation is absolutely essential. To achieve success, you must have self discipline. You must increase your knowledge and develop your skills.

You're always at the right place at the right time when you're prepared.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

What Is Your Story? – By Debra Berndt, CHt

2008-01-28T23:40:00.000-05:00

I hear many stories throughout the day. My clients tell me stories of their childhood, recent break-up, new love interest, or the latest tragedy in their lives. We are surrounded by gossip and tales from our family, friends, and even the media. The stories we share are simply an opinion based on past subconscious programs, but usually perceived as conclusive fact. If we are not careful, they will define us. Describing ourselves through a life situation or by what others think about us can become a dangerous trap that we cannot escape.

Our stories also describe how we see ourselves by social status or occupation. We even make statements about our physical or emotional conditions such as "I am a cancer survivor," "I am depressed" "I am shy," or "I am fat." When we limit ourselves by our stories, we do not have the freedom to be anything else.

In order to find our true selves, we have to look beyond our story. Stating that we are married, single, or childless is a temporary condition because our title changes throughout our life. One day I drove to work as a Marketing Director and two hours later, I found myself laid off, and my title vanished. These temporary life situations can never define us. We look in the mirror and see who we think we are, identifying the person in the reflection as "me." When we were five, we saw a different reflection, and we did not have the same stories. So, who are we?

After a while, our stories become like a rerun of "Gilligan's Island." The castaways almost get rescued in every episode, but something happens, and they continue to be stuck on that darn island. How can we escape the old storyline of our lives? A person can choose to remain in their victim stories and attract more of the same experiences into their life, or they can let go of the past and create a new future for themselves. Imagine refraining from giving that old part of you fuel and start living into something new every day. You may not have your parents or ex-husband to blame anymore, but you can be free to create whatever life you choose.

When bad things happen, there are some who continue to tell their story to get pity, attract attention, or feel special. There are others who try to justify so-called negative experiences by saying that "everything happens for a reason," just creating another story! All situations in life are temporary and will change. The only constant in life is the energy inside that nothing outside can change or take away. In hypnotherapy sessions, I help the client distinguish their stories (or subconscious patterning) from their true, unlimited selves. Once exposed to new possibilities, they avoid being boxed in to a predictable future that looks just like the past.

The lovable castaways eventually get rescued, and they have a reunion television special. Sadly, they end up back on the island never really escaping their old story. To avoid a similar fate, stop yourself from telling old stories and live in the moment. You have the power to turn off the reruns of your life. They are never as good the second time around anyway.

About the Author:

Debra Berndt is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners, The International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association, and a member of the Colorado Association of Psychotherapists. She is the host of The Hypnotic Dating Show on Real Coaching Radio and creator of Attract Love Today™, a self-hypnosis system developed to remove blocks in the subconscious from attracting true love. Berndt has been featured internationally on television and radio discussing the power of hypnosis and the subconscious mind.

Visit http://www.attractlovetoday.com

The Natural Process Of Renewal. - by Diane Pauley

2008-01-28T00:57:00.000-05:00

Over 400 years ago William Shakespeare recognized and shared many great secrets to living a rich and happy life. These same secrets ring as true today as they did when Queen Elizabeth reigned over the American Colonies.

At a recent production of "Romeo and Juliet" we were treated to an extra measure of Universal Truths through the character of the Friar in conversation with Romeo.

Romeo was dwelling on his misfortunes, focusing on his loss rather than his gain. As punishment for killing a man, Romeo, was banished from Verona. The Friar forcefully reminded him that he could easily have been sentenced to death. The Friar reminded
Romeo to be patient and soon Juliet would be by his side. Romeo had ever so much to be thankful for. His banishment was really a blessing.

We all reach points in our lives when we feel all is lost. Nothing seems to go right. Even our greatest successes will sometimes vanish into thin air. This is especially difficult after we believe we have attained a healthy degree of enlightenment and spirituality, but of course, there's always more growing to do.

What we're really experiencing is the Natural Process of Renewal.

Many refer to this phenomenon as chemicalization. It feels like endless storms, forest fires, floods, the heavy darkness just before dawn - all natural occurrences that signal dramatic change. It serves to clear out the old deadwood and revive the new and fresh. It provides the preparation time for the great things to come, like rainbows and new plants.

Major change requires major revision. A reordering of habits, ideas, priorities, maybe even a major shift in values. In order for a seed to grow, it needs sunshine and food but also rain. Rain often comes to our world in a storm.

These times of chemicalization need to be welcomed. They will pass in time and you can be assured that eventually the clouds will part and the sun will shine again.

The most important thing you can do when the storms come is to remember to be grateful for what you do have. Just as the Friar reminded Romeo of all his blessings, you need to remember all you have that is good. Especially during a storm. Thank the Universe for being allowed to grow and change and welcome the shifts that come.

For in time the Lord of Wealth will visit you. It's a sure thing.

- Diane Pauley
www.richdreams.com

BEFORE YOU GET, YOU HAVE TO GIVE

2008-01-28T00:10:00.000-05:00

When you give to others, you'll find yourself blessed. The more you sow, the more you reap.

It's a universal law: You have to give before you get. You must plant your seeds before you reap the harvest. The law works to give you back more than you have sown.

He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.

Nature does not give to those who will not spend. You only get to keep what you give away.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

YOU CAN GO ANYWHERE WITH A GOAL

2008-01-27T15:36:00.000-05:00

A life without purpose is like a ship without a rudder. Goals are dreams that are written down.

The purpose of a goal is to focus your attention. Your mind will reach toward achievement only when it has a goal.

There is no achievement without goals.

Establish a goal worth working for. Your goal will keep you going in tough times.

Always have something ahead of you. Continuously visualize your next step. Keep moving after you achieve your goal
and set another.

Momentum is maintained by always having something to look forward to. Constantly give yourself something to work for.

Do what you can do well, and do well whatever you can do and you'll achieve any goal that you set for yourself.

You can plant your dream with a goal.

Copyright 2008 http://www.yourdailymotivation.com

Get A Grip on Your Thoughts - by Brian Kim

2008-01-26T06:28:00.000-05:00

Last time Eduardo, we discovered the structure of our mind and realized how powerful our subconscious mind was in subtly influencing our actions and perceptions. We also realized that we needed to zero in on the conscious mind because it's the gatekeeper of the subconscious mind. This issue will go into that aspect in greater detail.

Remember: control your thoughts or they will control you. If you don't control your thoughts, you'll do what a lot of people do and that's crash. Imagine you're in a BMW and you press the accelerator but don't make an effort to control the steering wheel. What happens? Sooner or later, you're going to crash because you didn't take control of the car. How much more control should you take of your own mind?

To illustrate this point, I want you to read the following sentences aloud.

Sentence 1: Eduardo, you're the happiest guy on earth. Everybody loves you because you're so nice and sincere. You're dependable, trustworthy, and you're what every person would want in a true friend. Nobody has anything bad to say about you.

Sentence 2: Eduardo, you're a total loser. You're nothing. You're a joke. Everybody dislikes you and stays as far away from you as possible. Nobody cares about you. You don't make a difference at all.

Notice the shift in your attitude and how quickly your smile turned upside down after reading the second sentence.

Let's break down what happened in your mind as you read both sentences. When you read those sentences, you thought of pictures in your head and those pictures evoked feelings which then went straight into your subconscious mind, which then resulted in the corresponding shift in attitudes and actions. Note that the sentences were colored with emotion. This is important because emotion penetrates to the subconscious mind like no other. If you emotionalize your thoughts, you can reach the subconscious that much faster. Think back to all those stories of people who've achieved great goals. They had thoughts of what they wanted to do and they colored those thoughts with emotion, powerful emotions such as desire.

But you know what the sad thing is Eduardo? Most people are constantly thinking in terms of Sentence #2 (hopefully not as severe though). They are always thinking in terms of negative thoughts and as a result, their attitudes and actions match those thoughts accordingly. How can we reverse this process?

On any given day, there are probably a million thoughts that go through your mind. The first thing I want you to do is just become aware of them. Really become aware of just how powerful they are. (You probably do know just how powerful they are now from just doing that example and from reading the previous 2 lessons.)

Now that you're aware that your thoughts hold great power, the next thing I want you to do is just listen. Really listen to what's going on there. You might be surprised as to what you find out. Some of you might find that you've been thinking in terms of Sentence #2 (hopefully not as bad as that), but something to that degree.

"I'm not smart enough."
"I can't do that."
"That's impossible."

Your subconscious mind is listening to all that and it's saying: "Ok. Got it. Now I'll just influence your attitudes and actions to prevent you from achieving any goal from now on because you think it's impossible. Because you think you can't do it. Because you think you're not smart enough."

Remember, your subconscious mind is just following the orders of your conscious mind. Some people think thoughts like that on a continuous basis and it's because they think those kinds of thoughts that they automatically dismiss any notion of trying to achieve anything. You know who these people are. You bring up an idea and they'll say:

"That'll never work."
"There's too much risk."
"It'll never happen."

So I want you to really listen and see what you're thinking. One way to keep track of your thoughts is to write them down, preferably 3 times per day. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once before you go to sleep. Just transfer what's in your head on to paper. Don't try to change the thoughts in between because you'd just be defeating the whole purpose. Just let it out. That way, you can get a true snapshot of what's going in there. Many people who've tried this were surprised as to what was actually going on in their minds.

Now that you're aware of your thoughts and have listened to them, what I want you to do now is catch the negative thoughts that come into your head. Don't let them slip by. They're very sly so catch them in the act. For example, many students in school may think:

"I'm not smart enough".

Catch that thought in the act, choose a replacement and back that replacement up.

"I may not have the highest GPA, but I'm smart in the sense that I know when I need to go and ask for help as well as how to gather the correct resources to help me better understand the material."

Ideally, you want to do this automatically, but it won't happen overnight. It'll take some time. That's why optimistic people are so happy. They've already gone through that process several times so they habituated it so it's like there's never any negative thinking to begin with.

Keep it simple.

Aware
Listen
Catch
Replace

Soon enough, it becomes:

Listen
Be Pleasantly Surprised.

Most people are oblivious to the fact that they can change their thoughts. You have the power to choose what to think. You're not an animal that automatically reacts to its environment. You have the ability to choose what to think which leads you to actions that correspond to those exact thoughts you've chosen.

It's really easy to think negative. Standards imposed by society tell us how we should look like, what we should eat, wear, do with our lives, etc. You are getting impressed from people from all over so it's really eas for others to do the thinking FOR you. It's always an uphill battle until you develop the habit of thinking for yourself. Once you do that, it's a great liberating feeling.

Think of your mind as a hose out of control spraying every which way. You want to grab control of the hose, turn off the negative thoughts that are spewing out, and hook up your hose to positive thoughts and spew those onto your subconscious mind to influence your future thoughts and actions to be conducive to them.

In our next issue, we'll find out what we can feed our mind to nourish it.

To the inevitable achievement of all your hopes and dreams,

Brian Kim
http://www.briankim.net

IT'S NEVER OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER - by Max Steingart

2008-01-26T00:13:00.000-05:00

Take Action - by Brian Kim

2008-01-25T06:08:00.000-05:00

Take action.

It’s so cliché. We hear it all the time till our ears bleed. It’s great advice, sound in theory, yet rarely applied in reality.

For one reason or another, people can’t seem to cross the bridge from knowledge to action toward their goals. They read, read, read, but never take action. This article is for those who can’t take action. They just can’t. So I want to provide an easy step by step solution that will help bridge the gaps between inaction and action.

It seems like the first gap is one of perfection.

Gap #1: Perfection

Perfection of circumstances, perfection of timing, perfection of that moment in our lives we wait for, in which we tell ourselves, when that time comes, then we will start. We’re great at giving excuses for that. When I get that raise, when I pay off my debt, when things settle down, and as a result, nothing ever gets done. Ever. Why?

Because the perfect tomorrow that contains the perfect circumstances you seek in order for you to get started does NOT exist.

There will always be something that will have to be done before you tell yourself that you’ll get started.

Realize there will always be another hill to climb, another factor that needs to be fulfilled, another objective that has to be met. You’re chasing your tail with that type of mentality.

I’m not telling you to drop everything and pursue your goal. All I’m saying is start. Do one thing.

What’s closely correlated with this type of attitude is that you’re probably thinking along the lines of this:

When the perfect situation arises, THEN I can achieve my goal perfectly.

But this presents another problem. You want to get your hands on all the knowledge you can, so you can get it perfect the first time, so this leads you on an endless quest of knowledge, which puts off starting even further.

Give yourself permission to be imperfect.

Let me save you some trouble. You’ll usually get it wrong the first time. You’ll get it wrong. And here’s the beautiful part.

You don’t have to get it right in the beginning.

You don’t.

What’s more important is that you start, because starting will pave the way for you to get it right.

Trying to avoid the pain of getting it wrong the first time tends to stop us from taking action and what I’m saying is that you WILL get it wrong the first time. But that’s ok. Because you don’t have to get it right.

Nobody gets it right the first time.

Very few people learned how to perfectly ride a bike the first time. The important thing was that they got started. A couple of scraped knees and elbows later, riding a bike became second nature.

Nobody drives perfect the first time. Ever seen a baby walk normal the first time? Who plays a flawless 6-0 game in tennis the first time?

Starting shows you the areas you need to focus on to get it right.

And you start by telling yourself in the beginning that you don’t have to get it right.

Gap #2: Too Much To Do.

We get overwhelmed because we picture all the things we need to do. This is where we have to stop looking at the entire forest and step forward to look at the individual trees.

Start by focusing on doing one thing at a time among a small group of things to do.

In other words, list everything you need to do, transfer five items from that list, and start focusing on doing the first thing on that list.

If you don’t transfer the five items and try to start on the first item on that list, you’ll still feel overwhelmed because you see ALL the things you have to do. You have to take a small portion of that list and create a new list to give you the illusion of having a smaller set of things to do.

Focus on one thing at a time and ask yourself what you have to do to start on it. In other words, what is the next action you must take to get started on that item?

It shouldn’t be too overwhelming then.

Gap # 3: Just Don’t Feel Like It.

There are days where you just don’t feel like it. You’re in a rut, have low energy, just feel blah.

Watch your calorie inktake. If it’s too low, you won’t have the energy to do anything and you’ll feel like doing absolutely nothing.

Exercise. Clean the house. Take a walk. Get off your butt and do something physical to get your heart pumping and your blood moving.

With your new burst of energy, start tackling what you need to do, one thing at a time.

Ultimately, when people hear the phrase “take action”, it’s seems to create images of doing a whole bunch of things over a long period of time. Instead of taking action, I say get in the habit of starting.

Starting implies a shorter amount of work.
Starting creates the image of an explosive catalyst.
Starting gives you permission to be imperfect.
Starting focuses in on a small number of tasks.

Take advantage of Newton’s first law of motion. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion.

If you’re stuck, it’s because you’re thinking of all that action you have to take.

You don’t have to get it right in the beginning.
Focus on one thing at a time.
Make sure you have the energy to start.

Then, just start.

It will naturally morph into “taking action”.

- by Brian Kim
http://briankim.net

FEAR IS OVERCOME WITH ACTION

2008-01-25T00:13:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest surprises you'll experience, is when you discover that you can do what you were afraid you couldn't do.

Your obstacles will melt away, if instead of cowering before them, you make up your mind to walk boldly through them.

Do the thing you fear and fear disappears. Confront your fears, list them, get to know them and only then will you be able to put them aside and move ahead.

When you face the things that scare you, you open the door to freedom.

The only thing you have to fear, is fear itself..

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

How Full is your Glass? - by Sheryl Walters

2008-01-24T23:09:00.000-05:00

Do you see the glass half full or half empty? Personally, I am a half full type, who has moments half emptiness that I work hard to overcome through natural therapies, yoga, meditation and a range of potions We now have proof that positive thinking will add years to our lives.

A study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings has revealed the difference between optimists and pessimists is around 12 years of life! The Mayo team began by examining personality tests performed in the 1960s. Then they followed these individuals for around 30 years to find out how their lives played out to scientifically measure the relationship between attitude and longevity.

The conclusion: optimists are far more likely to live longer than pessimists.

Dr. Toshihiko Maruta, the chief researcher of this study stated, “The important thing is that we’ve proven the relationship scientifically, and made a correlation between how people see the world when they’re young and how they turn out 30 years later.”

The other piece of valuable information taken from this study is that being an optimist or a pessimist is not always dependent on one’s environment, circumstances and stressors. While of course these factors play a role, there are many people in fantastic situations with plenty of money and no recognizable stress that are miserable. Then there are those whose lives are profoundly stressful that seem to be incredibly happy and optimistic.

Being optimistic is not just about living a long life. It is about enjoying life and living it to the fullest. Having an optimistic outlook is imperative to feel young and free.

So what is the difference between an optimist and a pessimist?Optimists see positive things that happen to them as

Optimists see setbacks as temporary, changeable, and even a chance to learn and grow. They are motivated to take action. Non-optimists tend to look at setbacks as permanent and hopeless.

Optimists explain positive events as having happened because of them…if they get a new job it is because they are good at what they do. A pessimist view good things that happen to them as lucky breaks or a fluke.

Optimists look are not self deprecating. For example, if they didn’t follow their diet for a week, they might say, “I had a lot going on this week. I didn’t plan my time too well. I’ll have to do better next week.” A pessimist blames him or herself for everything and never gets away with anything. If they missed out on their diet for a week they might say “I have no self-discipline and will never be the weight I desire. I am a loser!”

If you are one of those self blaming, negative pessimists…don’t worry. You won’t fall dead tomorrow and you can become an optimist with a little belief and work!

Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania has done many studies on optimism and says that people can learn to adopt more optimistic outlook. Here are a few ways to make that change…

When something positive happens in your life, ask yourself whether you are giving yourself credit for making it happen? Think of all your strengths that have contributed to your success

When negative events occur, think of the extenuating circumstances that could have contributed to this happening. Don’t be so quick to blame yourself. And if you realize that you have created this event, think about what you can do differently next time. See this as a way to learn a lesson.

Imagine what future possibilities could be on there way. There are infinite possibilities in life and you should expect the best!
Learn more about the Law of Attraction. It has helped me become so much more optimistic and positive.

About the Author:

Sheryl Walters is the founder of Defy Age Naturaally blog site. The purpose of this site is to combine the world’s most up to date scientific research on how to stay young naturally in both mind and body with a heartfelt, personal touch. When we have the right information and take some dedicated action, we can be in charge of our health and our aging process.

http://www.younglivingguide.com

Money Is Only A Means - by Tom and Penelope Pauley

2008-01-24T22:17:00.000-05:00

Most everyone obsesses about money. We all watch the stock market even if we don't own many stocks. We worry if the Real Estate market goes up or down, depending on whether we own real estate or want to buy it. We are overwhelmed with ads for all
kinds of financial experts who tell us to put the first 10% of our income away for ourselves first. One friend said, "I guess that's so I can pay the light bill next month." And of course we all think we pay the IRS way, way too much.

In the book "I'm Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams. I am. I am. I am." Tom and Penelope say, "Never, never never ask for money." How can that be if the world runs on money?

Well it doesn't. Money is our means of exchange. It isn't a cure for unhappiness or ill health or loneliness. We trade money for things. That's all. Sometimes you don't even need money.

In fact, with the Rich Dreams system you get what you ask for by MEANS over which you have no control.

Here's an example:

Shelly lives in Austin, Texas and was in the process of selling her house. She had a buyer, but the process had taken several strange twists. As a result Shelly was practically homeless. She put all her furniture into storage and moved her family into their travel trailer waiting for her house to close. That was two months ago.
They're over the travel trailer, but they need the house to sell to get the funds for a new place.

Using the Rich Dreams Success System she wrote the following parameters for her new home.

My new home is a two story house.
It is in a good neighborhood.
It is made of Austin stone.
There is a separate guest house for my son.
(He's 15.)
It has a beautiful view.
It is secluded.
It has lots of windows.
My new home has the proper energy for me to finish my novel.
It is easily paid for.
My house finds me.
I write many books in my house.

OK, now here's the part that may shock you to your core.

Four days after she wrote that list Shelly moved into that exact home.

WOW! Four days.

And listen to this...it literally found her!

Without Shelly's knowledge a friend was talking to another friend who said, "Oh, I wonder if Shelly would move into my spare house. I'd feel much better if somebody was in it."

It is a secluded, two-story house in an upscale neighborhood, with a magnificent view, Austin stone, and one whole wall made entirely of glass. In back is a servants quarters for her son and now for the kicker...I couldn't believe this one.

The owner is a woman author who wrote two very successful books in that house. So Shelly will certainly have the right energy for writing books.

Plus...are you ready for this... not only is the house furnished, it does not cost her one red cent. It is totally FREE.

Shelly didn't need money. All she had to do was ask and be willing to receive.

What do you want? Use this system and you can have everything you want.

Good Luck and Great Adventures

Tom & Penelope
richdreams.com

POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH

2008-01-24T08:06:00.000-05:00

Words have the power to motivate or destroy, energize or deflate, inspire or create despair. Many successful executives can remember the time their father failed to give affirmation to them as a child. The result was either overachievement to prove their worth, or underachievement to prove he was right.

Many a wife has lost her ability to love because of a critical husband. Many a husband has left a marriage because of words of disrespect and ungratefulness. Stories abound regarding the power of words. There are just as many stories of those who have been encouraged, challenged, and comforted with words that made a difference in their lives.

Jesus knew the power of words. He used parables to convey His principles of the Kingdom of God. He used words of forgiveness and mercy. He used words to challenge. He used words to inspire His disciples to miraculous faith.

Do your words give life? Do they inspire and challenge others to greatness? Who does God want you to encourage through your words today? Affirm someone close to you today.--author unknown to me

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21

ALL KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

2008-01-24T00:16:00.000-05:00

You build the power to accomplish your goals when you educate yourself. This power comes from knowing how to do something. Power is the product of understanding.

The most successful people in life are the one's with the best information. People with power are people who know how to get things done. Knowing how to do something is sometimes virtually the same as having done it.

Knowledge will come to you by having your eyes and mind always open. There is no knowledge that is not power.

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

Excuses! - by Joshua Stein

2008-01-23T21:22:00.000-05:00

I have often heard variations on the idea that excuses are simply reasons for failure.

Personally, I'd rather succeed than have a bunch of excuses for why I didn't.

However, failure is an important component of growth and when we fail wouldn't it be best to simply acknowledge what went wrong and then pick ourselves back up and give it another, more educated and experienced try?

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else." ~Benjamin Franklin

Do you know anyone who is great at making excuses?

Today, let's not let it be! Live Victoriously!

Joshua Stein
www.thepositivewebsite.com

QUALITY OF LIFE BEGINS IN YOUR MIND

2008-01-23T06:15:00.000-05:00

It's not what you have, but what you enjoy that constitutes your abundance. Your real riches are riches in your head and heart.

Wealth without enjoyment is little consolation. True satisfaction comes from appreciating what you have.

There are two ways of being happy: you must either diminish your wants or augment your means. It's always better to appreciate things you cannot have than to have the things you cannot appreciate.

Your riches will always lie within you, not in your material possessions..

Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com

Time and the Mind -by Deepam Chatterjee

2008-01-23T05:59:00.000-05:00

Energy pervades the whole of creation. Creation is made up of space, time and matter. The same energy appears in various forms, such as light, sound, heat or matter. It is difficult to recognise that matter is energy. But once we realise the fact that energy is changing form constantly, our understanding of everything shifts. We realise that the universe is complete in itself. Energy can neither be created, nor destroyed. It only changes form. The moment we realise that form is impermanent, the way we relate to events transforms…

Mind recognises time only through the changing world. The mind senses a change in the outer world and labels it as an event. Thus the mind perceives time in terms of events and change. The moment the mind stops perceiving change, it stops perceiving time. This can happen in meditation, deep sleep, or, in a state of shock.

We humans have five senses through which we perceive the world. How we relate to the universe totally depends on how we perceive it. The mind receives information of the outside world through the five senses (sight, hearing, etc.). The senses have no intelligence they just relay information to the mind. The mind is the faculty of perception. In meditation and sleep, the senses withdraw from the world, while in a state of shock; they get disconnected from the mind. Either way the mind ceases to perceive events and change. It is in a state of timelessness.

Time does not exist for the enlightened in this usual sense. They remain in the present moment, witness to all that is happening.

Time is the distance between two events. It is a concept created by the mind.

Time and the mind are linked. The mind divides life into parcels of time. We are unaware that we are living within these parcels. Most of us see life as moving from one event to the next. We thus believe that there is 'cause and effect' relationship between the events.

***Time is Mind

Since our perception of time is created by the mind, is it possible to move towards a life free from the illusion of time? Is it possible to live beyond the concept of time?

Very young children live in the moment. They have no concept of time. When they are hungry they cry for food; when fed, warm and secure, they sleep. As they grow they become impatient, eager or expectant. Suppose they are going to a friend's house or to the park, they ask every few minutes, "Is it time, yet?" And when they go on a trip, they constantly ask, "Are we there yet?”

To children, time is not a sequence of events. They move from one activity to the next as it comes to them. They have begun to anticipate the future. Do you remember waking your parents early on a holiday or picnic? To them it seemed early, for they may have only slept a couple hours.

Adolescents have a different way of perceiving time. This is the period of most physical and emotional change. The mind is maturing but the emotions are turbulent. They may hold onto past hurts, or want to become grown up. The emotional turbulence sweeps them from past angers to future anxiety. They cannot relax and rarely experience the stillness of being in the present moment. Have you noticed that they feel the necessity to be competitive amongst their peers? Adolescents fear being judged or criticised. Performance anxiety is a sign of fear of the future.

Depression is a sign of being stuck in the past. Holding onto past disappointments create a sense of failure, leading to despondency. Adolescents also can spend a lot of time daydreaming and romanticising about the future. Most of us remain in this state of mind all our lives! (Maybe our society as a whole is going through adolescence!)

As we become older, we begin to plan and organize our lives. We make decisions about whether we have enough time or not. Ultimately schedules, timetables and to-do lists, start taking over our lives.

Children never feel they don't have enough time. They feel they have all the time in the world. Look how resistant children are to going to bed, or to putting away their toys, or to coming in to eat dinner. Their mind is completely engaged, whatever activity they are involved in.

Just the opposite is the case with older people. Insignificant events of the day start taking on more prominence. Because the mind perceives events as signalling the movement of time, for many of them, time moves very slowly. This is particularly true if they are bedridden or feel they have little control over their lives. So, they may complain, "Its 10 o'clock. Why hasn't the nurse come to give me my medicine, yet?" Or "Its dinner time, why isn't dinner ready?" Time moves slowly if there is nothing to do.

When we are waiting for something to happen, the mind tells us that time is moving too slowly. We may look at our watch frequently, or go to the mailbox more than once to see if the mail has arrived.

Most people want instant gratification. When desires are not immediately indulged they become unhappy. Over ambition creates feverishness in the mind. Ambitious people rarely enjoy the present; they are constantly focused on achieving something more in the future. This causes restlessness, worry, stress and ill health.
When we are happy, time seems to move quickly. Have you noticed that when you are doing something you really enjoy, time flies? However, if you are working on something you do not particularly like, time seems to move incredibly slowly. When we are sad, too, time appears to move slowly. Changes in the emotional state cause the mind to perceive time differently - that time has slowed down or speeded up.
Sometimes time seems to stand still. This happens when we are totally absorbed in an event. Have you watched a sunset or looked into the eyes of a newborn baby? The whole world disappears in that moment. It is meditation.

In meditation one has to drop the mind. Letting go allows the mind to withdraw into its source, beyond itself. Haven't you been surprised to see how much time has passed when you come out of meditation? Real meditation transports us beyond time.

***Different Views of Time

Earlier cultures had a different view of time. Agrarian, nomadic and tribal cultures began their day when the sun rose and people rested when the sun had set. There was a natural awareness of the cycles of time. These were daily cycles, seasonal cycles or bodily cycles. They were aware that life had a natural rhythm. They lived in tune with nature.

In modern times, the day begins and ends irrespective of when the sun rises and sets. Isn't this so? People get up when they have to go to work or to school, and go to bed late at night when they have finished all their activities, not getting enough rest. They rush from one thing to the next. All this creates stress.

Punctuality and progress have become all-important today. Projects must be completed, irrespective of the rising and setting of the sun. This type of thinking has led to technological advancement and modern comforts. But at what cost? High blood pressure, heart attacks and other stress related diseases are on the rise. The more entangled one is with time, the further away they are from a healthy lifestyle.
The mind relates one's capacity for work with time. Our mind assesses the task in front of us with the amount of time we have. We say, "I do not have enough time to do this" or "I have all the time in the world!"

Have you ever been told to 'act your age'? Usually this is said when you are not behaving your physical age. The mind has a concept of how people of a particular age should act. Usually this is said to you when you are enjoying yourself in the present moment. If we all only 'acted our age' life would be so predictable and boring. When we identify with the amount of time we have been alive, we believe we are either too old or too young to do something. Our physical age has nothing to how old or young we feel.

Youth is the ability to enjoy life and appreciate beauty. Anyone who retains this ability is forever young. In fact, youth is transcendence of time.
Have you ever asked yourself, what is time? Are we bound by time, or does time bind us? Perhaps, time does not even exist.

When you wake up at 6 AM Monday morning and you are going to work, how do you feel? "Oh", the mind tells you, "it's too early to get up." Sunday, you suddenly wake up at 6 AM in the morning, you realise you don't have to go to work. You feel different. The mind says, "Oh, I am going to lie at home watching TV, go for a walk, or be with friends". The time is the same, the attitude has changed.

The mind likes or dislikes activities, and labels the time when they take place as pleasant or unpleasant. When we look back on our life, we remember it as a series of good or bad times. Isn't it so?

Often, an event is interpreted as good or bad depending upon when it has occurred. We say, "This isn't the right time to start a business, or, to get married". The mind associates certain consequences with certain patterns in life. This is the basis of superstition. Similarly, we relate to good things happening to us at certain times. This is the basis of faith. All of this is in the mind.

***Beyond Time and the Mind

Enlightened people are not bound by time. They live in the present moment, witness to all that is happening. There is no past or future for them, only an infinite present.

Most of us vacillate between the past and the future. There is regret about the past. Our past experiences shape the way we move towards the future. We anticipate the future. We look forward to it or worry about it.

We are expecting something from the future whether our attention is on the past or the future. When we step beyond expectations, into the moment, we transcend time. Life is no longer seen in terms of cause and effect. That is, one event does not trigger the next. Every event is independent. Another way of looking at it would be that there is only one continuous event. It is the mind that fragments this continuum into seemingly separate events. These appear related through cause and effect.

An example can help us see this more clearly. When you go to a movie, the story on the screen appears continuous. But it is actually made up of many frames. It is only because the film is moving that the story seems continuous. In life, the apparent events are like these frames. The mind strings these events together to create an apparent reality. This continuous stream of events in time creates an illusion of past, present and future. Because the mind has a tendency to attach itself to events, it moves away from the present.

The enlightened mind is unattached to events, and so has transcended time. The enlightened realise life is not events connected in time and space, there are only situations rising and falling. One has realised, "I am not the doer." Events are rising and falling like waves in the ocean. "I am the witness…..I am not part of the rise and the fall; I am beyond that, infinite and unbounded".

When we are bound in time, we remain unhappy and stressed. The mind limits itself by getting caught up in concepts of time. But once we realise that the mind has created our perception of time, we experience a new reality. When we go beyond the mind we know everything is possible.

Enlightenment is realising your limitlessness.

Love and Blessings,
Deepam

Is The Glass Half Full or Half Empty? - by Leah Williams

2008-01-23T05:54:00.000-05:00

" Is the glass half full or half empty? Neither; I just keep filling it up. Be happy. Think positive. Life is a great experience for all to enjoy. When the glass loses water, it's up to you to fill it up. Put some flavor in there and enjoy the taste. It's FANTASTIC!!"