Secrets to Mindset

As students of personal development and leaders in our industry, Karla and I are sometimes faced with the big question of "ok, how do I get that positive mindset that everyone says is so essential?" and today I want to explore some solutions.

The start is to recognize the steps to take and I will start with the final result first. Our "goal" is to be able to visualize our success at any time and in any place. Goals are a very important facet of visualizing success. To achieve this result we require a list of things we desire and a list of how we want our lives to appear. To this end we must first create a wish list of things.

Not sure what you want or even how you want to live? Then get a stack of magazines about lifestyle (Robb Report is one) and start cutting out pictures of things that look interesting. As you create your stack of photos there will be things that appeal to you more than others. Create a vision board with the photos that display the best of the things that appeal to you (use 20 to 50 photos or even more).

For some people the next step will be critical. See yourself in the photos - either you can add photos of you to each little segment on your vision board or just "see" it in your mind. Both ways work and only you can determine which one you choose. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT.

Next step is easier. Look at your vision board every day for five minutes out of every hour. Seems like a lot? Do it anyway. And remember to turn off any noise in your room - no radio, tv, phone or family while you do this. Concentrate on seeing yourself in the items/places in your photos. Practice this every day for a month.

Voila - you can now make a new vision board and also visualize at the drop of a hat. Congratulations on your new ability.

Are You Uncomfortable Enough?

We often talk about taking different actions to create a different result or outcome. How many of us fail to see the bigger picture and miss out on results because we only change one tiny aspect of our actions? What I mean is to change many things in our daily routine and therefore have a different lifestyle.



What do I mean? We usually wake up at around the same time and in the same manner - some of wake "naturally" (no alarm or other external devices) and follow the same morning ritural - (off to the "room" and get dressed in some fashion - workout clothes for me). Have our coffee, check our email, morning phone calls ... et al. We can look back from day to day and week to week and see a pattern of "sameness" - not just similarity. If we only change the business activity by doing more or differently, we are not really changing much.


My call to action is to create a different life. When we moved to Truckee from Napa we changed our geographic location and this gave us a number of different experiences outside the house. It also gave us a few inside the house changes - furnished house eliminated the familiarity of our furniture - cooking at a higher altitude (6500 ft instead of sea level). How many more changes are there for me/us to make in this new location? The answer is unlimited. Because of listening to Dr Joe Dispenza (http://www.drjoedispenza.com/) I now get up a little earlier and are much more focussed in my visualization. Included is an entire workout (totally in my mind) that has resulted in some physical improvements.

Simple steps to follow:

1. Change Your Daily Routine. Wake up earlier and spend an hour or two in focussed "meditation" - what that means is to visualize yourself with all the things you want in your life. Include your physical appearance and physical "condition" to this. I spend about 20 minutes of my time doing a complete workout in my visualization. The results are astounding (ok - I really expected them).

2. Change Your Schedule. If you want a different result, then you must take different actions. One simple change is to do things at different times of the day than before. This will make you uncomfortable and will gain you the result you desire.

3. Make Life a Game. See yourself as the winner. Pick "prizes" for yourself. Keep in mind that a prize is something that will cost real money. Not just being "even" because that is not creating wealth in your mind.

4. Create a Vision Board. Photos of all the prizes in your game can be obtained on the web in many places. Search for the things you want and put a photo on your wall.

5. Set Goals and Play to Win. Or as Nike said many years ago in their commercials - Just Do It!

Which are You? Pedal to the Metal or Just Coasting?

How do you live your life? Do you always play the game "full out" or find yourself in the "going with the flow" mode? I know from personal experience and from watching other successful entrepreneurs that "full out" is the way to win and have the success.

As an example of the difference I will, once again, draw on the Olympics in Beijing. Michael Phelps (most people know the name by now) has won all the races he has been in, including (or especially) the 100 m Butterfly. Anyone who saw the race knows that he won by the tinyest margin of 1/100 of a second and it was actually by a fraction of an inch. One of the segments in the TV coverage showed the slow motion break down (frame by frame) of his winning effort. As he approached the wall he swam an extra half stroke and stretched his arm out to touch while keeping his head down. His competitor (came in second) had actually been ahead and was shown in this photo sequence as "coasting" and raising his head up to see where he was and what was going on. Simply put, he stopped swimming and was just coasting toward the finish - to come in second.

Examine your life and see if you are playing to win and driving to the finish or splashing in the pool and coasting along. In my own examination I discovered many places where I was not playing the game to win. With this new knowledge I can now resolve these limits and achieve more.

Will you join me at the top? Our game has room for many to be successful.

Success or Lack of Success

How does it happen that two people take the same actions and appear to exert the same effort and still have massively different results? Good question, you might ask? Maybe the answer is as simple. Belief is the key to success. Starting with the belief that you CAN be successful and continuing along each step of the way towards that successful finish.


I was watching the Olympics today, a tennis match between Roger FEDERER (SUI) - Rafael AREVALO (ESA). This was an amazing sight to see between one of the very best in the world and one of the "not very best" in the world (and I do not mean to offer offense to Rafael, he is just not at the same level as Roger). As I watched the play, I wondered at the mindset of each. Did Roger go into the game with certain knowledge of a win and use it to assist a lesser player in his game (thus bringing up the level of play Rafael was capable of) or did he just play the "full out" method and destroy his opponent. In watching this match I got the sense that Roger was playing his serves in his "normal" way and making his best hits with the intention of winning. During the times he was on the receiving end he returned the ball with skill, but not with "kill" and allowed his opponent to make the range of "unforced errors" that would be commensurate with his level of play. So, it seems that Rafael came into the match KNOWING he was going to lose and was able to play without the pressure and even appeared to be enjoying his match with one of the best in the world.


How does all this relate to our success? Simple. Are we showing up knowing we are the best and always going to win or are we coming to play and thinking it is only a matter of time before we are "out of the game". That simple shift in mindset is what can determine our success or lack of success (failure is the result of no longer taking action - not a lack of success). And if the premise is correct, then how can we adopt the mindset of success so that we can be as successful as we desire?


Take your first step by finding someone who is having success and know that "if they can do it so can I" (even if you think you cannot do what they are doing, begin the process by just "buying" the idea that you can do anything someone else can do).


Take advantage of every instance in your daily life that you can call a success and beging to acknowledge them. Include all the "mundane" things you do, from successfully waking up, successfully getting out of bed, successfully getting dressed ... and so on. Also, take advange of things you might have called "failures" in the past like "I successfully managed to spill my coffee on myself today". And please include a good sense of humor in this activity (another thing for some to be successful at).


Enjoy the things you do and do the things you enjoy. If your life is filled with things you have not enjoyed in the past, then find a way to make each more pleasurable. An example could be having a job that keeps you away from your family and knowing that you only have to do this for another fifteen years and then you can retire.

Be - Do - Have. Simply, be the person who has success. Do the same things that person does. You WILL have to results.

Stand Up For the Champions

Here are the lyrics by Right Said Fred -

Right Said Fred:

Stand Up(For The Champions)
I was built to be the best
Number one and nothing less
Leave me to my destiny
I have waited patiently
I have vision' oh I believe
I know I can count on me

(chorus)
So stand up for the champions
For the champions stand up
Stand up stand up
For the champions for the champions
Stand up for the champions
For the champions stand up
Stand up stand up
For the champions for the champions
Stand up
Here we go it's getting close
Now it's just who wants it most
It's just life that's how it is
Cause we have ourstrength and weaknesses
Oh I have vision' oh can't you see
I'm on the move make way for me

(chorus)4x

And when I fall down
I have to pick myself back up
So stand up stand up
for the champions
For the champions stand up
Stand up stand up
For the champions for the champions
Stand up

4x

Stand up stand up
For the champions for the champions
Stand up

Meditation and All

I have heard a number or people talk about meditation lately with respect to their experiences and their methods and wanted to take some time to "weigh in" on it in my fashion.

I first learned about meditation about 35 years ago and it was, at that time, a very difficult exercise. Since that time I have found a number of different methods and learned a few techniques that can simplify it for many people. First thing to remember is there is no right or wrong in meditation and you cannot fail.

The basics of any meditation involve relaxing. While I do not believe in any rules, I find that starting with a basic position and routine will aid anyone in their quest for a meditative state. Start by sitting in a relatively comfortable chair (I will leave that relative thing up to you) with your feet flat on the floor and the usual position of your hands will be up to you. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath (in through your nose and out through your mouth). One breathing technique to learn is to expand your stomach instead of raising your shoulders and expanding your chest. As you pay attention to your breathing, begin to relax your body starting with the toes on one foot. Notice you you can relax your foot by focusing on the relaxation of it. Work your way up that leg and into your hip. Next go to the other foot and repeat the process until you reach the other hip. Take a minute or so for each leg. Now go up your spine and relax each part as you work your way over the top of your head and down to your pelvis. Again, take your time and make this part last at least another minute or more.

Now that you are in a relaxed state, focus on your breathing more and concentrate on expanding your stomach as you breathe. Form the picture of an object on the bridge of your nose (yes, keep your eyes closed the whole time). Your object can be as simple as a "glowing thing" at the beginning.

Now, I want to describe the two different basic concepts I have learned for meditation. One is to quiet yourself and to focus on one thing and the other is quite the opposite, open your senses up to your surroundings and listen and recognize all the sounds around you.

Go and start your meditation. If you like music in the background, then use it. If you like quiet, then have quiet. As you start the process you will find your own path.

Make Sure You Fill Your Dash

Our last event in Hawaii included a couple of very amazing speakers. Sam, as part of his presentation, relayed to us a poem he had been powerfully moved by and I include it here for everyone to be reminded.

Here it is:
======================
The Dash
By Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the begging to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth

For it matters not how much we own;
the cars, the house, the cash
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash

So think about this long and hard
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real
And always try to understand
the way other people feel

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's action to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?

==============

Make sure that you do not miss out on anything as you go through your life and keep your eye on your "visions in motion" and be remembered.

Other Great Quotes and Affirmations

On my office wall are a number of great quotes and affirmations. They are arranged so that I can always see them and they keep my mind fresh. Most I don't know the originator, but a few I have included it.

1. From Albert Einstein: You can't solve a problem with the same quality of thinking that created it.
2. Make decisions you have never made before so that you can have the results you never had before!
3. Focus on the WHAT and not the HOW!
4. Do not let past performance dictate future results.
5. From Shannon Lavenia: I am more powerful than any circumstances in my life. I choose my direction.

Anyone who has more is welcome to send them to me and I will add to the list.

Quoting Edgar Guest

In line with this weeks thoughts is this poem from Edgar Guest -

It Couldn't Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.

'Nuff said? So, just do it!

Your Success Reflects Your Commitment Level

Have you ever wondered why you never really succeeded? The answer is simple, your commitment level is not geared towards your success. OK, what does that mean? There are basically three levels of commitment. We either "try" to do it, give it "our best" effort, or we will do "what ever it takes" and these different levels will determine our ratio of past successes as well as future success potential.

When we "try" to do something we often convinced that we cannot and as a result do not give it the level of effort that would allow us to achieve success. If we use a simplistic example to demonstrate this we will see how it manifests itself. Place a pen on the table in front of you and "pick up the pen". As you hold it in your hand you have a visible proof of your success. Now, putting the pen back on the table "do not pick up the pen". Again we have clear visible proof of the pen sitting on the table. So, the evidence is that "do" and "do not" present visible results to us. Now comes the interesting part. "Try" to pick up the pen. So, did you pick it up? If so, then you did it and not just "tried" to do it. The message here is: "do" or "not do" - there is no "try".

What do we mean by our "best effort" and how does that manifest itself in our lives? Our best effort is limited by the amount of time and effort we want to invest and also by what else we can be distracted by. Most of the time when we say we will "do our best" we really mean we will "do our best until something else comes up" and are willing to stop if it is "too hard".

What Ever It Takes is the level of commitment of the most successful people. People who are able to focus on their goals without exception. We will do "what ever it takes" to succeed.

Which category have you fit into in the past? How will you face your future? Will you "try" to do better? Give it your "best effort" or do "what ever it takes" to become the successful person you dream about.

Two quotes for today: "If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. And if you doubt it, then you will live without it."

And finally, remember the words of Calvin Coolidge. “Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Adding Another's Ideas

A wonderful NLP tool was posted on another site as a link and I wanted to publish the entire message here. Please note that this was "borrowed" from someone else. This exercise is so powerful that I wanted to make sure that it will survive the evolution of the website I found it on.

This is an NLP exercise that can quickly help you to transform a lack of confidence into resourcefullness.

First I'll give you an example to illustrate how it can be used, then you will see a step-by step guide to try it yourself.

I recently worked for about 20 mins with a young man who had a few lines to read aloud in front of an audience. He was very nervous about doing this. He had a memory of a recent event where he had "really messed up" and had been very embarrassed by forgetting his lines.

I had him think about the task he had to do that very afternon. I had him identify where in his body he could feel the nervousness. Then I asked him to "shake that off" meaning literally shake arms and legs for a brief moment and take a deep breath.

Next I had him tell me about sometyhing he is really good at. He started to tell me about a computer game and I asked more questions.

Noticing him become more confident and at ease, I had him focus in on how he feels when he is the "leader of his guild" in his computer game. Good we now have a resourceful confident state and code name it " guild leader "

We were ready to begin. We worked for about 5 mins. doing the actual NLP exercise below. He left very pumped up and full of confidence, went to his presentation and aced his lines!

NLP Exercise

1) Being as specific as possible, choose an area where you would like to experience abundant self confidence. Think of a situation in the future where you would benefit from this type of confidence or resourcefullness.

2) Close your eyes and imagine being in that situation. Notice any feelings in your body. Notice where in your body you feel it. Now shake it off. Give that state a code name.

3) Place a piece of blank paper on the floor with the intention that this represents the coded state.

4) Now, think of a specific time in your life when you felt very at ease. A time when you were the King of your kingdom. You were aligned with what brings you joy, sets you free or makes you passionate. You were happy and confident that all was well in your world.

5) (After reading this paragraph) Close your eyes, and remember that time. Remember what it looked like. take 15 to 20 seconds to really visualize it. Remember what it sounded like. Hear the sounds that happened at that time. What did it feel like? Remember how you felt. Breathe in that feeling.

6) Place a paper on the floor several paces away from the first paper. Intend this one to represent your confident resourceful state.

7) Now stand on the resourceful paper and once again feel what that feels like. Take 15 seconds to really experience it again.

8) When that feeling is strong and the memory is vivid, you may now decide to offer your future self a gift. You can walk over to the other paper, bringing with you all of these qualities and confidence and step right into that future scenario.
When you stepped onto the paper, how did it feel? Did you notice any change in your body? In your emotions?

If you felt any of the same feelings as when you originaly did step 2, then go back to the resourceful paper and repeat steps 7 and 8 again. Take your time.

When you step onto that paper and into that future scenario and you feel all the same emotions and body physiology as you do in step 5, then you have created a shift!

The next time you enter a situation like the one you have been thinking of, a new neuro-pathway is now available to you. You can instantly access the other state. The one of confidence and resourcefullness.

Enjoy and have fun with this NLP exercise !

Credits: http://www.wellness-life-coach.com/NLP-exercise.html
and http://libertyleaguelife.ning.com/profile/WendyMatthews

Massive Power is Available to All

Every weekday morning I get a short email from "the Universe" - a service I subscribe to that has a daily message. Today's is one I wanted to share because it is so amazingly powerful and part of how I think.

The quote:
---
All you have to do is think about what you want often enough that you start talking about it and moving with it, even if you have to fake it.

Your job is simple. Even if you only "attempt" to do it, you will have done it. The slightest effort on your side is leveraged 10,000 times on my side. A nod, a wink, a whisper are sometimes all I need; a demonstration that breaks the ice, beginning a domino effect of happy "accidents" and "coincidences."

If you do this, I'll do the rest. It is that easy. I am that powerful. Life is that magical.

Thinking of your smile, The Universe
---

As you read it, realize the simplicity of this and how much you can have and create in your own life. The only limits to what you can have or are able to achieve are self imposed.

Do you want to be happy? Just have that flashing moment of thinking about being happy and the process begins.

Do you want wealth and abundance in your life? Yours to realize.

There is an abundance of abundance for all of us. It isn't a tiny container that can only hold so much and then is gone. Wealth is ever increasing as more resources are discovered and created.

Be bold and imagine all you can imagine.

The Universe can be found at www.tut.com

Big or Small???? You Get to Choose!

This week’s musings brought me to that interesting choice and the choice that followed it. Which is worse, thinking too big or thinking too small? How many times, lately, have I heard someone say “I don’t want to be greedy” when asked how much money they would like to earn in their future. My gut reaction, of course, is “that’s too bad – don’t you think there is room for everyone to be greedy without running out of resources?”. So the troubling part of this is our societal concept of a “zero sum game” where there is a finite amount of resources and when only the rich people have all the money, none will be left for anyone else. What small minded boob first came up with that lie and how is that the one everyone follows? We live in a world of expanding wealth. The sum of the worlds resources are worth more today than they were yesterday and there are more resources available to us today than yesterday. I mean the basics are more plentiful – oil is pumped out of the ground daily, wheat and staple grains are harvested daily, money is coined and minted it many places on a daily basis. All this amounts to increasing wealth for all.

How do we apply these global scales to individual levels? Easy … each of us can see or visualize increasing abundance and prosperity for ourselves AND take steps to achieve it for ourselves. The really funny part is that all any real success takes is action. How many clichés do we have to describe the results of taking action? A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step … lots of different ones about moving a mountain one shovel at a time … start by starting and go from there is the solution.

Measure your successes on a minute by minute scale not by months or years. From the simplicity of successfully taking a breath to looking out the window to smiling at a wandering thought … each tiny action brings a tiny success. Tiny success build to having a successful morning or afternoon. These build into successful days, weeks months and finally years. As these successes accumulate, you will notice that economic success will become a participant in the game and, while not focusing on it, will become larger and larger as each new level of success is achieved.

When in doubt … choose success.

Isn't That Interesting?

I posted some thoughts about being an entrepreneur and looking for business ideas a few days ago. The reply that I received was from someone who can only see scams and traps in everything. How is it possible in these United States in this 21st Century that there are so many people who want everyone to live within the same limits they place on their own capabilities? My Universe has anyone and everyone being able to think, create and live as large as they can imagine themselves being, doing and having. And yet, I am somehow guilty of something criminal by not doing everything their way.

The really funny part is that the path I follow works for me and anyone who is willing to get out of their own way and take massive action towards success. I'm pretty sure my "critic" cannot make the same claim. What is my real crime? I require people who are interested in the business opportunity that I participate in to "follow" the system. Part of that system is that, to me, amusing function of a web site that gives little information about the opportunity. The intended purpose of this step is to weed out the impatient ones and makes it so the serious inquiries are the ones I get to talk to (and they get to talk to me).

I was reading an article in the news last week that pointed out that most of the people who are happy in the US are the ones who recognize that anyone can achieve success and the ones who are the most unhappy are the ones who think that if someone else is more successful than they are it is unfair.

My "fairness" doctrine says that anyone can play at my level or higher and I applaud anyone who succeeds.Wonder what kind of silly response I'll get this week.

Thoughts from a Successful Entrepreneur

It constantly amazes me how often I see or hear about the "warnings" on the web about home based opportunities and the pitfalls, traps, scams and villains who perpetrate them on “unsuspecting” victims. Are the real “scams” easy to find or is the “voice of doom and gloom” scaring people away from opportunities that can and do provide a future to those who are able to follow in the paths of the teachers and learn how to do it for themselves. I, of course, would never tell someone to “pay for a job”. On the other hand, I don’t know of any real business that will generate real income that does not require capital to operate.

First thing that comes to mind when thinking about “scams” is one of those money deals where you “buy” in and get a daily reward for clicking on web links – now anyone who thinks this is a legitimate business is someone who requires daily care and a guardian.

Most of the time the opportunities that people say “beware of” are real businesses based in network marketing. These businesses have all the necessary parts of a “brick and mortar” without the need to have a building someplace outside of your home to use for your business. All have some variety of fixed business costs, i.e. telephones, internet, web sites … the costs that part of any business you can find. Additional costs are marketing and in some or many cases requirements for product purchase or participation to place you and keep you “in front of the money flow” and allow you to receive the profits. How much or how little is a reasonable amount to qualify and stay qualified is a variable that is up to the individual. In our business the fixed costs are less than two hundred per month and we qualified by a process where our purchases were counted. We are also able to “leverage” the time and efforts of others in our business to increase our income.

How can you tell which one is right for you and whether you can or will be successful? I’d say that starts by asking yourself a series of honest questions.

1. Do you want to have business or a job? Simplistically put a job is where someone else pays all the costs and gives you a small amount for your efforts – it could be commission or “fixed” compensation and you will always be making more for them than you will make for yourself. A business requires your money upfront and pays you the lion’s share of the reward.
2. What is your income goal and what kind of income can you see for yourself? Are you capable of thinking in terms of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year or are simply looking to make a “few extra dollars” to make ends meet.
3. Are you willing to do the things necessary to create your own success? Successful people make difficult decisions that the unsuccessful ones are not able or willing to do.

The first step in taking control of your future is to improve your “best thinking” … Albert Einstein said that you cannot solve a problem with the same quality of thinking that created it. Read books about personal development. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Traveller's Gift by Andy Andrews are two that I like to get started.