Mar 06 2010
Simply…EMPOWERED!
I have not read Crystal Andrus’ book yet but this video was so inspirational to me I had to share it now. It never ceases to amaze me how things come into our lives at just the right time.
Mar 06 2010
I have not read Crystal Andrus’ book yet but this video was so inspirational to me I had to share it now. It never ceases to amaze me how things come into our lives at just the right time.
Oct 14 2009
I recently came across a story that I had heard before but had forgotten. It’s the story about how Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield got their business off the ground after writing their first “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book. They had a difficult time getting it published and then they had an even more difficult time getting anyone to buy it. But on the advice of a teacher named Scholastico, they developed their “rule of five”. Each day the would do five specific things that would move their business forward to reach their dream of selling books.
They did five things a day, day after day, for over two years. Today they have over 170 titles in multiple languages and have sold millions of copies. That sounds like success.
I began doing the same thing a week ago with some accountability partners. While we have all been working on our businesses, listing 5 things to accomplish and emailing them to each other has made a huge difference. For myself, I am considerably more focused. It’s easier for me to stay on task and I have a bigger sense of accomplishment. I have done lists before but never with this consistentcy nor with others. I can already sense a difference. It will be exciting to see where we all are a year from now.
Do you have the tenacity to do five things a day, every day to realize your dreams?
Oct 07 2009
Affirmations are great tools that can help you overcome fear, build your confidence, develop an abundance mind-set and more. The problem is that many people aren’t sure exactly how to write effective affirmations.
There are plenty of differing opinions on the right and wrong ways to write effective affirmations, but the bottom line is that an affirmation can be considered effective if it works for YOU! The whole point of affirmations is to shift your thoughts and emotions to a more positive place so you feel more confident, happy, secure, abundant, or anything else you’re trying to accomplish.
Take a look at the sample affirmations below for starters and feel free to use them if they resonate with you. If not, try altering them slightly until they trigger the mind-set and emotional state you’re trying to attain.
Affirmations for Healthy Weight and Body Image:
Affirmations for Self-Confidence and Self-Belief:
Affirmations for Abundance and Prosperity:
Affirmations for Life Purpose:
Affirmations for Inner Peace:
Affirmations for Opportunity:
Affirmations for Love:
Affirmations for Healing:
Affirmations for Inner Clarity:
Affirmations for Self-Love:
Sep 24 2009
Years ago when Barbara DeAngelis was doing weekend retreats in Santa Monica, I asked her at the end of this fabulous weekend, “So this is great but how do we stay on track and stay focused once we leave here.” Her answer was to continually read books, listen to audio recordings and get to other events. I’ve done that over the years and it has become an important part of my life. Here’s just a few of the books I’ve come across.
There are obviously many more. What are some books that have had an impact on your life?
Aug 31 2009
I recently listened to a video about a man who had learned that gratitude is not something we can pick and choose the circumstances to apply it to. Rather the key is to be grateful for everything in our lives – both those that we perceive to be positive and those that we perceive to be negative. It is the combination of those opposing experiences that make us who we are, i.e. we would not be the same person if we had not had cancer or a heart attack or lost someone we love. As painful as those experiences may have been, they make us who we are and for that we must be grateful. We have the power within us to shape our responses to tragedies in our lives.
Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Roman Catholic priest, believes that gratitude must be inclusive. We must be grateful for all of our life, not just for favors bestowed. In his book, All Is Grace, he says,
“…how often we tend to divide our past into good things to remember with gratitude and painful things to accept or forget. Once we accept this division, however, we quickly develop a mentality in which we hope to collect more good memories than bad memories, more things to be grateful for than things to be resentful about…. But this way of thinking… prevents us from truly allowing our whole past to be the source from which we live our future. “
“Gratitude is not a simple emotion or an obvious attitude. It is a difficult discipline to constantly reclaim my whole past… It is hard precisely because it challenges me to face the painful moments… When our gratitude for the past is only partial, our hope for a new future can never be full.”
And here is a video of Nick Vujicic who is full of gratitude and lives that each day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4uG2kSdd-4
Are you building your future with gratitude for all things in your life?
Aug 24 2009
If you asked someone if they would rather succeed or fail, they would say they wanted to succeed. Who wouldn’t? But, success involves more than just wishing it was so.
What defines the road to success? –
Total focus is the way to accomplish a goal but what that means for you depends on the goal. For example:
Let’s say that you want to lose weight. At some time in their lives, most people do. So you make a plan to accomplish this weight loss. Your plan might include exercise and eating better. Every time you eat, a conscious decision has to be made that reflects your goal. Do you eat a hamburger with everything or have a chicken breast with vegetables? When you plan your day, does it include exercise?
Focus is not obsessing. Obsession gets you on the scale five times a day. Focus, on the other hand, follows a plan. Your plan is to change your eating habits and increase you exercise to shed extra weight. Your plan can then be broken down into more specifics, as needed.
Focus moves forward always towards the goal you have set. When you are focused, there is always a new path to try when you hit a roadblock. Your eye is always on the goal. You may post pictures or affirmations around the house as continuous reminders.
Success with your goals is not a matter of luck but of looking towards the end result and staying focused on what you’re trying to achieve. Remember, it’s okay to stumble along the way, just don’t give up.
Aug 15 2009
You are not alone in this world. You interact with several different people on a daily basis. It could be family, friends or coworkers but each person offers a unique relationship that can add to your life, if you let it.
It is not easy cultivating relationships. Think of a garden. In order for the plants and flowers to grow well they need love and attention. Turning over the soil, adding mineral nutrients and watering are all a part growing a healthy plan and relationships need that same type of nurturing.
There are several ways to keep the relationships in your life well tended. When they are, you’ll find a wealth of support and knowledge to help you achieve your personal goals.
Relationships will wither away without proper care. It doesn’t take much to start a relationship but keeping it going requires commitment to share yourself with others to the benefit of both of you.
Aug 09 2009
There is no one secret to success, but there are certain things most successful people do. As Aristotle said, “You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence is not an event – it is a habit.”
So fill your days with habits that will help you along the way.
Remember, when you can create a burning desire by imagining your ultimate success, self-discipline will happen. If you do not have a burning desire, you may want to rethink your goals. Unless you feel passionate about your goals, the smallest obstacle will throw you off course.
The path to achieve your goal may be arduous but if the thought of it doesn’t bring you joy, reassess what you’re doing.
Jul 30 2009
Hopefully you have a dream – one that’s so big it scares you. One that causes you to get up every morning so you can begin again the process of running or inching towards that dream. It doesn’t matter – just as long as you’re doing it.
We talk a lot about developing our dream but what about once we have it? How do you sustain that enthusiasm when you’re constantly bombarded with obstacles, frustrations, negative input from “friends”? How do you work through those difficult times?
The first 3 items I do on a regular basis, but I must say that it never ceases to amaze me at how much inspiration I receive from watching people striving for their dreams. Interestingly, those people who are in groups receive a considerable amount of energy from the others in the group. The groups and couples seem to handle disappointment better, as they prop each other up. It’s those who are hanging out on that stage by themselves that seem to be more vulnerable. Their “mental toughness” becomes apparent. What are you doing to build and maintain your mental toughness as you strive to realize your dream?
So once you discover your passion, don’t let go of it. Do whatever you need to keep it fueled, even by using others’ passion to remind yourself what yours means to you.
Good luck – go for it!
Jun 28 2009
I’ve been reading Put Your Dream to the Test by John Maxwell. He addresses the following questions in each chapter but in the forward he has what he calls “The Dream Test”.
He asks pertinent questions for each item to help you determine where you are in the dream process. So any people have quit dreaming maybe because they’ve settled for being content or they’ve been disappointed in past experiences or people have told them their dreams are ridiculous. Some people just lack the confidence to step out and pursue their dreams.
If you’ve lost your dream or just never had one – start dreaming now! Dreams are the things that give your life passion. They’re the reason to get up in the morning; they propel us through life and help us to live life to the fullest and experience all that we can be.