The Key to Your Success

The Key to Your Success

Education? It certainly helps but that’s not it.

Connections? Again it helps but that’s not it.

Money? Nope. 

It’s the internal conversation you have with yourself that manifests itself through your thoughts, words and ultimately your actions. It’s the conversation you have with the people around you.  What you think, feel, and believe you can achieve is verbalized constantly. Therefore, if you want to be successful your thoughts, feelings, and language must match that success level as if you’re already there. We create our world with our thoughts and words.

But how do you go about doing that you might ask. You can start by changing your everyday language to become the powerful positive force you wish to become. You may not be aware of it but our language is filled with many negative words which then creates that what we just said we didn’t want.

Our brains are a positive producing organism which means that is doesn’t process negative commands. Your unconscious mind cannot process what is not.  It simply responds to the key words you give it. Children under seven are inclined to respond like the unconscious mind.  Tell a child not to touch something or not to drop something and what do they do, touch it, drop it?  

Here are some examples of what I mean and how to change it.

1. Its hard becomes - It’s not easy – It’s easy.

2. I’m broke becomes - I’m not rich – I’m rich.

3. I’m afraid becomes - I have no courage – I have courage

4. I’m sick becomes - I’m not very healthy – I’m very healthy

Here are some more common expressions that should be changed to more high energy positive language.

No problem – Thank you

Problem – Opportunity

Bad/Difficult – Challenge

Trying –Working on

Failure – Learning experience

If – When

Don’t’ /Can’t – Will

Undecided – Choice

Strange / Weird – Unique

Now let’s see if you can catch yourself in time to change your language to more high energy words.

It starts by changing how you think. Eventually with enough practice your actions will start to mimic your language. As a side benefit, you’ll notice that you’ll start to feel happy about life in general. It’s a win – win scenario for your key to success. 

What Makes a Good Leader?

What Makes a Good Leader?

As populations increase and cultures and people become more diverse, more issues and problems face us more than ever before. Many people assume these problems and important issues will be taken care of by government but this assumption is becoming less and less of a reality. Many of the critical issues and problems are the kind government is least equipped to handle. And some of the issues and problems are caused by government itself.

This is why the world needs strong, competent leaders now more than ever before. Progress can only happen when someone assumes a leadership role – when someone tackles these problems and takes action to solve the problem and correct the injustice.

There are plenty of managers out there but what propels someone to leadership status? What is it that a leader has that a manager or an authority person doesn’t have?

We tend to admire people who can lead-people who can capture our imaginations, turn us on to important ideas, and recruit our energies for great and noble purposes. Progress happens when someone decides that a better way exists and influences others to find that better way.

What is it that these great leaders had while many others try and fail?

There are leaders who are followed because they have authority, they have a formal title or rank and command respect and attention like Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and George S Patton.  People follow them because they are the boss.  On the other spectrum there are people who are leaders who have earned their leaderships status without a title. They are respected and followed for what they stand for like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi.

In all cases, these leaders were individuals who knew how to influence others. They understood people and they knew how to use the tools of authority. Of course the ideal way to influence is to have both formal authority and earned authority. Interestingly, it is common for a person with no formal authority and high earned authority to have greater influence over others than someone who has high formal authority but little or no earned authority. Just look at what MLK, Mother Teresa and Gandhi accomplished. They earned the respect, trust and allegiance of those who followed them. In retrospect, can you say the same thing about the bosses you’ve had, your government officials or even the Presidents of the U. S.?

Today leaders are being asked to provide a new kid of authority; service leadership. This viewpoint suggests that the role of a leader, no matter what type of authority is involved, is to lead by helping or enabling others, not by forcing them. It requires the capacity to lead both with a focus on service to those benefiting from the end result, and to those who do the work achieving the objectives. Such leadership requires working with a spirit and set of values that emphasize worthwhile contributions. Service leaders see their role as enabling or empowering others to accomplish something worthy. They are willing to place empowerment above personal power; contribution above their own ego satisfaction; and the needs of the team above their own needs for credit and acclaim.

With that said, how many people do you know who qualify as a leader? Are you a leader?

Source: Toastmaster International –High Performance Leadership

How Do You Show Up?

What the heck does that mean? Show up. When you need to have a conversation about a possible unpleasant topic, are you already upset about the subject? Do you assume there may be a dispute about it or are you gearing up for a confrontation? How do you enter that conversation then? Are you scared, tense, angry, frustrated, or apprehensive about what may happen? Whatever you are thinking, that is how you will show up. It manifests itself in our language, gestures, and body language. You could be saying all the right words, in your mind, and yet the other person is taking offense or doesn't understand your viewpoint. In essence you are giving mixed signals. If you are expecting a confrontation, your language will indicate that in subtle ways by choosing certain words that heads off a possible disagreement with your viewpoint, all the while standing rigid, arms crossed, and speaking in a cordial and professional voice.

What do you do then? Check in with yourself. Ask yourself what is the goal here. Is it to get your way or is it to accomplish something. Once you have grasped what the ultimate goal is, then you can look at the conversation for what it is, a conversation, nothing more, nothing less. Imagine entering into the conversation without no assumptions, expectations, or judgments. It is what it is.

Woody Allen said that 80% of success is just showing up. He meant physically being there but I think it could also be applied to how you're showing up in your interactions. The success of an interaction is based on how you show up for it. It’s also said that 90% of conflicts are due to your tone of voice while only 10% is for the conflict itself.

How you show up can make all the difference in the world on the outcome you receive. 

Save the Earth

I’ve always wondered why some very healthy people, by all accounts, will fall ill and never recover while some old crusty guy chain smokes and drinks himself into old age without much effect on him.

It doesn’t seem fair, does it?

I think I found the answer.

Mindset

The crusty old guy doesn’t buy into the effects of his bad habits. He doesn’t give them his attention. Instead he believes everything will be okay and that he’ll be just fine, thank you very much. On the other hand, the healthy person “believes” that cancer can kill and some foods are bad for you. Then when something happens to them they believe it will have the effect they believe it will have by what’s been promoted.

Skeptical, it’s the law of attraction at work? You attract what you think about. It comes down to what you believe. When you’re positive it shows up in all that you do from the way you walk, talk and present yourself. It has to. It’s a reflection of your inner mindset.

Need proof?

Check out the Messages in Water videos by Dr. Emoto.  It highlights the effect positive words and intentions have on water at a cellular level versus negative ones. By simply voicing good thoughts, blessing and praying, the chemistry of the water changes. Freaky! If that can happen to water what effect does that have on the rest of the planet? What percentage of plants, animals and humans are made up of water? I don’t know the exact amount but I know it’s a lot and none of us could survive without it.

Imagine simply by praying, blessing or having good intentions about your food will change the cellular structure so much so that what was once seen as unhealthy will only have a good effect on you.

Someone who was concerned about the effect of fracking on water asked the Light collective, channeled by Kathryn Harwig, if it contaminated the water making it unsafe to drink.  Their response was that all water is good. If you believe it is bad for you it will be, but it is all good.

Lesson – if you want to save the earth perhaps having gratitude for what it provides would be a better option. 

It’s More Important to be Right

Is it?  Thank about how many arguments and disagreements, whether personally, professionally or even by governments have escalated and continued on simply because one or more individuals made it more important to be right? Even after the agreement is long over sometimes and individual wants to have the last word by either out right saying or it or by implying that they were right.  Take it for what it is, insecurity.

Instead of looking at the disagreement from a broader perspective and being diplomatic the person is focused on his own viewpoint and insists his way is correct. Of course, if he’s right than you must be wrong and must be smarter than you, none of which is true.  It just makes him better. Instead of taking his emotions out of it and doing what is best for all concerned he’s made his emotions and viewpoint more important.

It takes a wise person to rise above the chaos of disagreements and tactfully convey to those involved to see the broader perspective.  It can’t be achieved in a lecture, shouting, telling tone of voice but in a confident, calm rational and objective voice.  Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa are examples of people who calmly state with conviction their point of view and still got results.

When you find yourself in and argumentative tone, ask yourself what you’re making more important.  Ask yourself, “If I took out my emotions so that I had no involvement in the content of the discussion, would I react the same way?”

It’s something to think about.  However, it’s far more likely that you won’t think to ask yourself that question in the heat of a discussion but likely later when you have time to reflect on it.  That’s okay. That’s how you learn.

Have you found yourself making your viewpoint more important than the broader perspective? If so, please share your experience.

It Takes Courage to be Yourself

It takes courage to live your truth.  First off, what is your truth? Only you know for sure. It can get buried or mixed up with all that you’ve been taught that you’re not sure what part is you speaking and what part is a conditioned behavior.  Your truth is in there somewhere but you need to distinguish what values, passions and beliefs are yours and which are the works of other influences that you’ve picked up along the way.

It’s good when teenagers leave the nest to venture out on their own.  It gives them a chance to see the world from a different perspective.  They begin to discover who they are.  It’s as if the sunglasses come off and they can see clearly see what has influenced every aspect of their lives from their parents, friends and education etc.

It’s a time when they discover their truth.  They figure out what parts of what they’re learned they’re going to keep and which parts they’re going to disregard.  In the process they find their truth.

Your truth continues to evolve as you age because you’re constantly learning through each new adventure.  With every new experience you’re deciding what to keep and make your own and what to disregard.  A new understand takes place.  It’s you evolving.  How exciting! It takes listening to yourself without judgment and outside influences to clearly define your truth.

If you need help, I’m available to open up new realms of possibilities for you. 

Making the Most of What You’ve Got

“As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we’ve been given” ~ Mary Lou Retton

Every day you make choices that determine your future outcome.  Every choice you’ve made, every decision you make has brought you to the place where you are today.  From the friends you chose to hang out with to what you did with the education you’ve received has transformed you in to the person you are today.

Did you study hard throughout the school year or did you decide to cram for the test at the end of the year?  That was your choice and so was the result.  You chose whom to date and possibly to marry. Some of your choices were good and some not so good.  Throughout these choices, you were given the opportunity to learn from your choices, to filter out what you want from what you don’t want.  The choices you make give you clarity to make better choices with the intention of making you a better person.

Has there been a time in your life when everything was clicking, you were operating on all cylinders, you were at the top of your game, in the zone?  How did you feel?  Was it easy?  If so, you were in harmony with who-you-are and using your talents to their fullest.  That’s the funny thing about being who-you-are; you not only get to do what you’re good at but it’s easy.  Sweet!

So many people spend their time working on what they’re not good at, hoping that one day they will somehow become a balanced and therefore a complete person.  The Gallop poll has proven that the most successful people work on their strengths and find someone or something else to cover for the rest.  The best advice is to focus on what you’re good at and let the rest take care of itself.  You will always find someone or something else to cover for your weaknesses.

(This is a snapshot of my book, Pick Me Up – Inspirational messages to make you jump for joy, now on Amazon and iTunes. You can also purchase it from my web site at www.yourtrueheartsdesire.com) 

4 Keys to Creating Joy in Your Life

The 4 keys to create joy in your life are closer than you think.  It’s within you. Yes, you can create the space for it to happen.  All you have to do is bring it out. However, it’s easier said than done.

1)   First you must discover yourself.  By that I mean you need to become consciously aware of what makes you unique, what makes you stand out.  What gives you the most satisfaction?  What is it that you get a kick out of doing?  Could you do it all day long and not get bored? Do you get excited about it? Would you do it even if you didn’t get paid to do it?

2)   The next step is to believe you have what it takes to become who you are born to be.  No excuses.  No fear, just do it.  Accept your divine self for all your known and unknown attributes.  It’s being able to envision yourself doing what you love to do.  This is the hardest step.

3)   The third step is creating your desired goal.  It’s the nuts and bolts of the desired outcome.  It’s the “how”.  It’s bringing into fruition what you desire.

4)   The last step is living your dream.  Sometimes when people achieve their dream they can’t believe they deserve it and end up sabotaging their own efforts.  They go back to step two and start over again from there.  It means step two wasn’t fully completed.  They didn’t truly believe it was possible so that is where they go back to.  When you embrace the last step you are living your true authentic self.  Isn’t that what you want?

You can find out more about becoming who you were born to be by checking out my website at www.yourtrueheartsdesire.com 

What is the Avatar Message?

If you listen closely to the movie you could to with any number of messages. Let’s see, there is the disregard and disrespect of another person’s way of life, how there are more important things than the possession of things, or your way isn’t always the right or best way.  There probably are more but the one I connected with and had the most impact was the message that they were all connected. The trees, animals, plant life and environment were all connected through the source and that source was Eywa.

Eywa to me is like Mother Nature here.  She is always in perfect harmony and that is what they said Eywa did – keep everything in balance, harmony.  But the interesting part is that they were physically connected.  In the movie they used colors and the cord receptors from the Na’vi natives to the animal to illustrate the point.  Through this connection the Na’vi could feel the animal and become one with it. Everything has a life force, not human, but still a life force.

This is interesting because here on earth everything has a life force too. Everything is energy but in a different form.  Energy never disappears, it just changes form.  It always exists. The molecular structure of a rock or wood has movement (energy) within it but at a very slow rate. The same goes for the chair you’re sitting on and the pen you hold in your hand.  Plant life also has molecular movement but it moves quite a bit faster.  The interior of a human being has an even faster energy movement and yet to the naked eye it appears as if all these things are motionless. 

It says in the Bible that we were formed from dust and from dust we shall return.  The same goes for all living things; animals, plant life, even water recycles.

How we here on earth are connected is evidence through the Butterfly Effect which basically states that even one butterfly can have an effect on our world even though it’s thousands of miles away.  You can read more about this effect by doing a search for Butterfly Effect on the internet.

We humans affect water. All you have to do look into the work of Masaru Emoto to know that our thoughts and language effects water at the molecular level as shown in the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know.  But you don’t have to watch the movie just to view the crystal images that were transformed through music and language; you can watch this video and see for yourself.

Messages in Water: 

What I think is interesting is since we are made up of 70% water, how is our language, the conversations we have and the music we listen to effecting our bodies? I also wonder what effect tattoos have on our bodies.

 

According to the Law of One we are all connected, from a single blade of grass to the animals, trees, water, moon, and sky. Not only are we all connected but what happens in LA affects the Middle East but our solar system and into the cosmic galaxies. We are one huge consciousness. That’s pretty wild, huh?

I’d like to know what you think after you watch the Messages in Water video.

What’s the Main Channel of Your River?

Nature provides the perfect example of how we should be.  For example, a river doesn’t have to work at being a river, it just is. When it comes to an obstacle it doesn’t try to force its way through it.  It finds the path of least resistance and goes around it.

Rivers have a channel in them where the water runs faster than the rest of the river.  Sure the whole river continues to flow but you’ll notice that the water along the banks runs slower while the main channel moves faster.  A river might also have outside channels that weave around islands.  As scenic as these may be they’re typically not up to the speed of the main channel.  What does this have to do with you?

You are also part of nature.  Like the river you don’t have to work hard at being you.  All you need to do is find your main channel and get into the flow of who you are.  How do you go about doing that?  By using what you’re naturally gifted at.  You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.  You already have what you need to succeed in your endeavor. Universal law states that “You can’t have a desire without the resources to fulfill that desire, presently” Isn’t that good to know?

If you’re going to work, work at what you’re naturally gifted at.  Don’t be a copy. Be an original.

Please! Try and Keep Up

Try and keep up with where your true awesome self is trying to take you. Seriously, sometimes you can be your own worst enemy.  There are enough people out there trying to stop you from being your true self. You don’t need to buy into it.  It’s just their way of keeping you small so they can feel better about themselves.

Remember when you were young and had a dream.  It was a really big dream.  You could go on and on about it.  The more you talked about it the more grand it became.  Details started to emerge and then you’d add even more to this grand plan of yours. 

And then what happened?  I’ll tell you what happened.  Some well meaning adult likely shattered your dream by throwing their version of reality in front of you. They told you that it wasn’t possible or started asking you how you would go about making it happen thereby forcing you to see all the obstacles in the way. 

The Universe doesn’t work that way.  It takes care of the how.  You just have to think about what you want, believe that it will happen and bit by bit you’ll start taking steps to make it happen.  The Universe provides the tools and contacts for you.  What you have to do is take advantage of the opportunity placed before you. Oh, and it’s not always going to show up all peaches and cream without a hint of struggle.  Sometimes those struggles are what you need to go through to prepare you for the next step.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  Can it be that easy?  You’ll never know unless you try.

So get busy and start dreaming big.  And for Pete’s sake, try and keep up with what the Universe keeps giving you. It’s for your own good.  

Satisfaction Factor 101

Follow your heart. Follow your impulse.

Steve Jobs, Apple Inc Founder has a great quote about this very thing. He says, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice, and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary”

Basically he’s saying to be true to yourself, YOUR heart, YOUR dream, YOUR desire and not someone else’s.  You’ll never find happiness chasing someone else’s vision of what they want and desire for you.  Only when you follow you own vision will you find the satisfaction and happiness that you not only desire but deserve?

You need to listen to you inner voice of wisdom and follow the impulse where it leads.  How do you know if it’s right for you?  That’s easy.  It feels right.  Pay attention to how it makes you feel. If you have even the slightest hesitation or negative gut reaction it won’t make you feel good about yourself. It means you’re not being true to yourself.  Follow your impulse, instinct call it what you will.  Only by following where it leads will the happiness and satisfaction you seek be yours.

Want to Change the World?

Before you go out promoting change in areas you think need fixing, you need to take a good look at yourself.  The first step to making change isn’t “out there” it’s in the mirror that is where real change begins and also what becomes the model for others to emulate. It’s just like what Michael Jackson sang about in, “Man in the Mirror.”

I’m looking at the man in the mirror.

I’m asking if he’ll change his ways. 

And no message could have been any clearer.

If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change.

The lyrics say what’s been said my times before but in a different way. It’s similar to the phrases; “What comes around goes around” and “You reap what you sow” They’re said in different ways to capture the attention of different audiences.  Obviously the song Man in the Mirror captures the attention of our time while the others resonate with everyday life and those who are familiar with the Bible.  I guess we need to keep being reminded of it.

The fact of the matter is you can only control your reaction to whatever is happening around you.  Therefore, you have the power to create peace, kindness, love, hate, rudeness or war.  It’s your choice.  Choose your words and actions wisely for they have more power than you realize. They create your future.

Power is good when it’s used for a good intention. To be super powerful it has to come from a place of love.  History has proven that power from a place of fear like Dictatorship and Monarchy doesn’t last. In contrast, look at how effective Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King were in their peaceful methods for change. They came from a heart centered place to illicit change.  They were so powerful in their peaceful movements that others saw them as a threat.  They had the power of the people behind them and that made those in power fearful, so much so that they were assassinated and imprisoned.

What it comes down to is if you want peace, be peace.

If you want to see more kindness, be kind.

If you want more love in the world, show your love.

Look at the man/women in the mirror. If you don’t like what you see make the change.

Embrace the power you have to change the world. 

Resolution Revolution

How’s that resolution you made holding up so far, such noble intentions that somehow dwindle as time ticks on?  Let’s face it; it’s hard to hold yourself accountable unless you have an absolute, unshakable resolve to see it through to the end.

Of course you don’t need the beginning of a year to make a resolution but it makes a nice starting place.  Spring is also a good time for new starts as it aligns with nature’s new beginnings. But just like nature the seeds of birth didn’t start in spring, they were planted months earlier. You only physically get to see them in spring. They lay dormant in the ground hibernating waiting for just the right conditions to come to life.  It really is amazing when you think about it in the grand scheme of things.

People aren’t so different.  In the winter we may appear dormant but inside growth is occurring.  It’s a time of reflection, evaluation, goal setting and dream making.  Just like nature you plant seeds through the contacts you make, the education you receive and the goals you achieve.  Bit by bit those seeds grow into what you’ve created whether you’re conscious of what you planted or not. Key point here, create by design and not by default.

Losing weight, healthy eating and increased exercise are all high resolutions set at the beginning of the year but only a few will actually see it through.  The ones who plant and nurture the seeds of success will achieve their goal. They cleaned out their cupboard of unhealthy food, made a conscious choice to change the foods they consume, planned and stuck to an exercise routine that fits their lifestyle, sought the support of family and friends who will hold them accountable in achieving their goal and have a celebratory event for each identified milestone.  These are all seeds of success.

If you have a goal that you wish to attain you need to research what it would take to achieve that goal and then go about planting the seeds to achieve it.  It could be a class you need to take; contacts that you need to make or even conversations you need to have with key people. It’s not necessarily blasting out about what you desire but planting the seed of interest and then doing something about it that’s important. Bit by bit, month by month you’ll begin to see the fruits of your labor and before you know it, KA…ZAM you’re there.

Now get busy planting those seeds. 

The Goose and the Horse

The Goose and the Horse

Once upon a time, there was a goose who was plucking grass in a lush green meadow. In the course of her plucking, a horse came along and started feeding nearby. The goose was offended by the horse's actions, and proceeded to put him in his place, saying…

"I am, without a doubt, a more distinguished and complete animal than you, because your body is only good for one thing.

I, on the other hand, have the power to move on the land just as you can; not to mention that I am able to soar above your head as I please; and when I am in need of a bath I can refresh myself in the cool waters of ponds and lakes. 

I can be a bird, fish and land beast depending on my mood."

Upon hearing this, the horse snorted and neighed as though hearing a good joke. He replied, "It's true that you are perfectly ABLE to function in all three elements, but you aren't naturally gifted in any one of them.

You can fly, but you are so heavy and awkward that you could never rival the lark or the swallow for gracefulness.

You can swim on the surface of water, but you cannot survive underwater and glide as smoothly as a fish can; nor can you find your food beneath the waves."

And when you walk, oh… when you waddle your way around, with your flat feet and your long neck sticking out like a sore thumb, hissing and spitting at every other beast, you are truly a laughingstock among the land dwellers.

I admit that I am only able to move on land; but how graceful I am in my element! How well-built are my legs for my purpose! How powerful my entire body! How magnificent my strength! How blazing my speed.

I would much rather be only FOCUSED on one element, and be a GREAT FORCE in that, than be a goose in all!"

****************************************************

So what do you think is the message in this story?

My take is that you should be thankful and appreciate what you’re naturally gifted in. You will always find someone else that is better at something more than you but it doesn’t diminish the blend of talents that you possess.

Any other thoughts?

Mirror Mirror on the Wall who’s the …

Mirror Mirror on the Wall who’s the …

What is it that you see?

Do you like what you see?

If you’re unsure on how to answer these questions a good exercise is to take a look at the people you do and don’t like.

First, think of someone you don’t care for. What is it about that person that you don’t like?  Pinpoint exactly what it is. For me there use to be a person in my life that would always keep tabs on what I was doing at work or reporting it to others, which by the way was none of her business. I did the same thing to her but I brushed if off because I was her boss.  But then I came to realize that the more she kept tabs on me the more I kept tabs on her even if it wasn’t work related.

 

Here I was criticizing her when I was doing the same thing.  That was my own reflection in the mirror coming back to me which I didn’t like in myself.

Second, now think of an attribute you like in someone else.  I have a friend who is always giving me encouraging words and who is basically my cheerleader for my business. I also realized she did this for lots of other people and I really admire and am thankful for her support.

Then one day we were having a conversation and she complimented me on how I’m always encouraging and supporting others to be true to them and what a service I’m providing to them.

Now isn’t that interesting? The same thing I liked about her is what she liked about me.

You could say you reap what you sow here but you can also say what you see in the world is actually a reflection of how you show up in the world. You notice these traits because they are in some form a part of what you do.  Sometimes it’s a nice reflection and sometimes it’s not so pretty.  If they didn’t have an effect on you then you have no emotion attached to it.

When you find yourself liking what someone else does or complimenting them then take notice, you likely have a similar attribute but it may not show up exactly like theirs.

Now the hard part, when you find yourself saying or thinking negative comments about someone else take a good honest look at yourself. Is it possible that you do the same thing in some way or another? That’s what I do and I find myself having less negative thoughts about others.

What does it do for me? It makes me more calm and accepting of other people’s behaviors. I realize they’re just being themselves.

What are your thoughts on this?

Resolution Revolution

Resolution Revolution

How’s that resolution you made holding up so far, such noble intentions that somehow dwindle as time ticks on?  Let’s face it; it’s hard to hold yourself accountable unless you have an absolute, unshakable resolve to see it through to the end.

Of course, you don’t need the beginning of a year to make a resolution but it makes a nice starting place.  Spring is also a good time for new starts as it aligns with nature’s new beginnings. But just like nature the seeds of birth didn’t start in spring, they were planted months earlier. You only physically get to see them in spring. They lay dormant in the ground hibernating waiting for just the right conditions to come to life.  It is amazing when you think about it in the grand scheme of things.

People aren’t so different.  In the winter, we may appear dormant but inside growth is occurring.  It’s a time of reflection, evaluation, goal setting and dream making.  Just like nature you plant seeds through the contacts you make, the education you receive and the goals you achieve.  Bit by bit those seeds grow into what you’ve created whether you’re conscious of what you planted or not. Key point here, create by design and not by default.

Losing weight, healthy eating and increased exercise are all high resolutions set at the beginning of the year but only a few will see it through.  The ones who plant and nurture the seeds of success will achieve their goal. They cleaned out their cupboard of unhealthy food, made a conscious choice to change the foods they consume, plan and stick to an exercise routine that fits their lifestyle, sought the support of family and friends who will hold them accountable in achieving their goal and have a celebratory event for each identified milestone.  These are all seeds of success.

If you have a goal that you with to attain you need to research what it would take to achieve that goal and then go about planting the seeds to achieve it.  It could be a class you need to take; contacts that you need to make or even conversations you need to have with key people. It’s not necessarily blasting out about what you desire but planting the seed of interest and then doing something about it that’s important. Bit by bit, month by month you’ll begin to see the fruits of your labor and before you know it, KA…ZAM you’re there.

Now get busy planting those seeds.

Please! Try and Keep Up

Please! Try and Keep Up

Try and keep up with where your true awesome self is trying to take you. Seriously, sometimes you can be your own worst enemy.  There are enough people out there trying to stop you from being your true self. You don’t need to buy into it.  It’s just their way of keeping you small so they can feel better about themselves.

Remember when you were young and had a dream.  It was a really big dream.  You could go on and on about it.  The more you talked about it the more grand it became.  Details started to emerge and then you’d add even more to this grand plan of yours. 

And then what happened?  I’ll tell you what happened.  Some well meaning adult likely shattered your dream by throwing their version of reality in front of you. They told you that it wasn’t possible or started asking you how you would go about making it happen thereby forcing you to see all the obstacles in the way. 

The Universe doesn’t work that way.  It takes care of the how.  You just have to think about what you want, believe that it will happen and bit by bit you’ll start taking steps to make it happen.  The Universe provides the tools and contacts for you.  What you have to do is take advantage of the opportunity placed before you. Oh, and it’s not always going to show up all peaches and cream without a hint of struggle.  Sometimes those struggles are what you need to go through to prepare you for the next step.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  Can it be that easy?  You’ll never know unless you try.

So get busy and start dreaming big.  And for Pete’s sake, try and keep up with what the Universe keeps giving you. It’s for your own good.  

Follow your heart. Follow your impulse.

Satisfaction Factor 101

Follow your heart. Follow your impulse.

Steve Jobs, Apple Inc Founder has a great quote about this very thing. He says, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice, and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary”

Basically he’s saying to be true to yourself, YOUR heart, YOUR dream, YOUR desire and not someone else’s.  You’ll never find happiness chasing someone else’s vision of what they want and desire for you.  Only when you follow you own vision will you find the satisfaction and happiness that you not only desire but deserve?

You need to listen to you inner voice of wisdom and follow the impulse where it leads.  How do you know if it’s right for you?  That’s easy.  It feels right.  Pay attention to how it makes you feel. If you have even the slightest hesitation or negative gut reaction it won’t make you feel good about yourself. It means you’re not being true to yourself.  Follow your impulse, instinct call it what you will.  Only by following where it leads will the happiness and satisfaction you seek be yours. 

Are we Breeding Responsibility or Dependency?

Are we Breeding Responsibility or Dependency?

People will rise up to the expectations that you set for them.  Ask any good coach, manager or parent and they will tell you the very same thing. Sometimes athletes, employees and children can’t see the potential that lies within them but someone else can.  So the coach, manager or parent inspires and sometimes pushes the individual to aim higher, to be all that they can be.  Isn’t that what we’re here for, to be the best that we can be, to become better than the generation before us, to leave this place better than how we found it?

So what happened that a growing number of people think they’re entitled to government hand outs? What happened to honor, pride and self worth in working to provide for yourself and family? Remember when children were raised to become productive members of society, to give more - expect less, to have a sense of honor and integrity in what you do, to take responsibility for your actions, to strive to live up to your full potential and become a self-supporting adult, to ask what you can do for others not what others can do for you, where conning the system or any other entity was shunned, where being self supporting was respected and a badge of honor?

Oh! There are still people like that around however it’s become more acceptable to see what you can get away with than being a responsible adult. What’s in it for me has become more important than what’s best for mankind.

Now this didn’t just happen overnight.  It’s been brewing for quite some time.  The exact time frame is up for debate.  It was likely a combination of events and a mind shift that changed the core essence of what the US was founded on.

It happened slowing, bit by bit, whittling away a parent’s confidence that they needed to bow to the pressure of the so called professionals.  Parents feared they were damaging their children if they were too strict or disciplined them too harshly.  Worse yet, the children started hearing this type of thinking and used it as emotional blackmail to keep their parent’s from parenting. Some wise parents saw it for what it was while others bowed to their children’s threats and demands.  They were afraid they would lose their child’s love but instead they lost their respect.  Alas there went the best form of education, setting the example.  Let’s not forget that it’s the parents that have the greatest influence in a child’s life.

Now we have a growing number of our society that believes they should be taken care of.  Any slight discomfort is cause to blame someone or something else for their own lack of personal responsibility.  Hey! It’s easier to blame than actually doing what needs to be done. It’s a cop out.  In the long run the person looses out on building their self-esteem and growing as a person. They miss out on feeling good about themselves.

Teaching someone to be responsible is a never ending process. It takes patience and guidance to see it through but the rewards are well worth it. It not only benefits the individual but society as a whole.

My question is, with such a growing number of people believing they are entitled to hand outs, what happens when the number of responsible contributing members of society is outweighed by the entitlement society? Who will provide for what they believe they deserve?

It’s time to raise the expectations of all members of society, to stop asking what the country can do for you but what you can do for your country.