What I learned from 2009 The year 2009 was exciting and rewarding, even though somewhat challenging. I learned a lot – so much in fact, it is very hard to put it all in a few lines. So I will just give a few points which I will carry over in 2010. Here are a [...]
“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.” ~ G. K. Chesterton “There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a [...]
‘I’ll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it’s going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $10.00. ‘Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won’t be long before $1, 000.00 will only buy a used one. ‘If cigarettes keep going up in price, [...]
Dr. Ray Blanchard
Almost everyone has had a situation where they thought they were at the end of the rope or in the jaws of failure, and managed to pull out a victory. Some people only did it once or twice, and they might have chalked it up to luck. They felt relieved and swore to never get themselves in those situations again. They perceived it as a threat. Then there are other people who put themselves in high risk situations as a matter of habit, like an addiction. They live off the adrenalin rush that comes from living on the edge. They need the juice of doing the almost impossible to give life meaning. They live from challenge.
Still, there are people who have stared down adversity numerous times but do not see it as threat nor as a need for challenge. They live from vigor, knowing there may be obstacles when they go for their dreams. They see the opportunity in the situation. In the heat of the moment they go to their next level of genius and find solutions to life’s real problems.
Threat, Challenge, or Opportunity! We have come from all three positions at different times in life. But on which would you make your life stand? Which allows you to be most focused, most often, and is most sustainable?
To live from threat is to live from fear and intimidation. This will ruin your will and destroy your morale over time. It leads you to live life “playing not to lose”. Then you lose. To live from challenge as an ongoing practice is to develop a habit that could lead to emptiness. What happens when there is no challenge? You may be high when in challenge, but the problem with this is that all the other times may be lows. Swinging from highs to lows creates too many mood swings and moments of meaninglessness. Not such a good way to run your life, your company, or anything else.
The other possibility is to operate from “Opportunity”. That is to take every situation as it is, to be present-centered, and in the quick of the moment, to look for the opportunity it poses. This requires you to keep discipline of your mind and not letting yourself go to fear and intimidation and generate a vibration that will only bring forth a matching result. You would be focused in the present, and look for ways to turn any issue into creative new possibilities. If you make this a practice, it will become ingrained into your psyche and behaviors, and it will serve you well in the midst of pressure in all walks of life. This is what athletes and other accomplished superstars do on a more regular basis than the average person. They have done it over and over again, until it becomes their modus operandi, which we call mental strength and clear intention. It is the winner’s edge, and it comes from within. And with practice.
Operating from opportunity, having faith, and knowing that tomorrow is a new day is the kind of optimism that will always make a way. Here are a few thoughts and tips to live by:
1. Be health conscious and take action to make sure you have balanced energy. This gives you a stable foundation and helps you concentrate and focus in present time.
2. Keep your emotions in check and have the presence of mind to not go into negative reaction in the situation. By keeping a positive attitude you generate a powerful vibration that attracts positive energies towards you and allows you to be clear on what works.
3. Reframe a troublesome situation and see the glass as half full rather than half empty. This allows you to see possibilities instead of defeatisms, which give you personal power and energy. That is the cure to depression and it gives you light and lifts you up.
4. Practice gratitude. Live in love rather than fear. Look at each moment as a privilege and be thankful for being alive and in a position to have such opportunities to grow and bring out the best of what you have to offer. In this, you find your true self. Look for the good in people and the situation rather than the disappointments and regrets, which keeps you going forward rather than backwards.
5. Build a solid foundation for your life around a selfless purpose, or something that inspires you and elevates your passion. Always play a game larger than just for yourself, so you have a greater reason for performing at a higher level. It makes life more meaningful and crystallizes your dedication. Be a positive maniac on a mission. It makes you a forced in nature, and it is the “true joy of life”. It makes you do the extraordinary and the miraculous.
6. Always pay attention to the things you did well and celebrate your contributions. It is so easy for a few missteps to cast a shadow of criticism over your accomplishments. There will always be cynics to help you demean yourself if you let them. Don’t listen to the detractors. Surround yourself with people who will remind you of the beauty of your accomplishments and the difference you make. Then keep on doing what average people say can’t be done. Remember your gift, and know that when you use it, it grows. If you don’t use it, you lose it.
(Unknown) As I was cleaning out my files the other day, I came across a story I just love. A very well known scientist who had achieved remarkable medical breakthroughs, was being interviewed by a journalist who asked him what he thought made him different from the other scientists all of whom were equally [...]
“With money you can buy a house, but not a home. With money you can buy a clock, but not time. With money you can buy a bed, but not sleep. With money you can buy a book, but not knowledge. With money you can see a doctor, but not good health. With money you [...]
First realization: If you want to get lots of results be a Great Inviter! Invite a LOT!
The more people you invite, the greater the chances are you will have a full house, or have the results you desire. Invite a lot, but do a proper invitation that works.
Use the ANOLOGY of INVITING TO A PARTY. You need to think about “who” you want at your party to have it work. You need to be clear you really want them there, and make it clear to them, without forcing them.
1. CLEAR INTENTION — TO GET THE RESULT
Get clear that you want to pack the house, get the results.
2. HEARTFELT — COMMUNICATION FROM THE HEART
So the invitation is not a casual invite but it is sincere. Don’t say “stop by if you can.” Say “I REALLY WANT you here with me and for me/us, because it means a hell of a lot to me/us!”
3. PRIDE – TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Let them in on your experience. Tell your own story with pride! Show them what it was like for YOU, so they might see how it can also be for THEM. Don’t keep yourself a secret; don’t cheat them.
4. “SHOW & TELL”
Tell them DETAILS. Like a party, tell them the who, what, where, when, how, why…
Who else will be there…What it’s about and what to wear…Where it will be held…When it is and when it starts…How to get there and how to be there to fit the occasion… Why you doing it, why it is important, and why them (your POWERFUL WHY).
5. WILLING TO HEAR “NO” – to get the authentic “YES”!
Give them space. Don’t twist their arm and force them. They need to feel free, and need wiggle room. A “yes” is not authentic unless there was room for “no”, and they chose on their own, voluntarily.
Have you noticed that what we fear, we tend to create? Well it is not magical how that happens. Take for instance the Stock Market these days. There has been lots of talk about a near-recession or a full blown recession is happening in our economy. Since that conversation began, did you notice how many [...]
