We often talk about "going with the flow".
Why?
Because that is what you were created to do!
Think about this...everything that has been created has a natural flow
and when it operates in that flow there is no struggle.
*Water does not struggle to flow.
*Grass does not struggle to grow.
*Wind does not struggle to blow.
*Rain does not struggle to fall.
*Sun does not struggle to shine.
*Earth does not struggle to rotate.
*Flowers do not struggle to bloom.
What does this tell us?
Struggle is unnatural.
Why sentence ourselves to a life of struggle when it is clearly unnatural?
In short,STRUGGLE is a "Learned Response" that has been taught to us since childhood by those people who are also in a trance of STRUGGLE.This "Learned Response" has
has become an UNCONSCIOUS HABITUAL PATTERN.
Awareness is the first step to making any change in our lives.If you are aware that struggle is "NOT NORMAL" and it is a learned UNCONSCIOUS HABITUAL PATTERN,you can
CONSCIOUSLY make the choice not to live your life paddling upstream.
Focus your attention on this : NOTHING YOU WANT IS UPSTREAM.
Everything you want is availaible DOWNSTREAM.This means that you don't need to STRUGGLE [paddle upstream] to have it.All you need to do is put your boat in the stream and let it carry you.Infact you don't even need to paddle at all.Even if your boat is pointing in the wrong direction [upstream],as soon as you stop paddling the
stream will turn your boat around without any effort on your part.Then you will start going in the right direction where everything you desire takes place.
It is a simple yet powerful Metaphor.Give up the STRUGGLE once and for all.Let go of the paddles,trust that source energy will guide you downstream to your desire and start enjoying the trip.Life becomes a heck of a lot easier.
Today will bring you a new awareness,a lesson or a manisfestation that you are making progress -- IF YOU LOOK FOR IT !!!!
20 September, 2010
28 August, 2010
People And Things
A Friend Sent me this EXTREMELY TOUCHING Story Which I wanted to share with YOU !!!!
.....While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 years old son picked stone and
scratched lines on the side of car.
In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times, not realising he was
using a wrench.
At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the
child saw his father...with painful eyes
he asked "Dad when will my fingers grow back?" Man was so hurt and speechless.
He went back to car and kicked it many times. Devastated by his own actions..
sitting in front of the car he looked at the scratches, child had written
'LOVE YOU DAD'.
Next day that man committed suicide...
Anger and Love have no limits...!
Always remember that - Things are to be Used and People are to be Loved,
but the problem in today's world is that,
People are Used and Things are Loved....!
.....While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 years old son picked stone and
scratched lines on the side of car.
In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times, not realising he was
using a wrench.
At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the
child saw his father...with painful eyes
he asked "Dad when will my fingers grow back?" Man was so hurt and speechless.
He went back to car and kicked it many times. Devastated by his own actions..
sitting in front of the car he looked at the scratches, child had written
'LOVE YOU DAD'.
Next day that man committed suicide...
Anger and Love have no limits...!
Always remember that - Things are to be Used and People are to be Loved,
but the problem in today's world is that,
People are Used and Things are Loved....!
29 July, 2010
Re-Program The Mind
Brainwashing is a term perceived in a negative way by most people. But you know what, I think our brains could actually do with a bit of a washing sometimes!
You see, everyone comes into this world with a clear mind, and a belief that everything is possible. All is positive and well. Remember as a child, you could do and become everything, without any boundaries!
As we grow up however, we pick up beliefs, fears and limitations from our surroundings and peers that gradually form the person we are today. A lot of these beliefs unfortunately are negative and as we build our lives they limit us in our actions and being. Very often they therefore contribute to unhappiness or feeling unfulfilled in our lives and business.
It can be the smallest -- seemingly harmless -- remark from a mother like "just let me handle that, you are no good at that" that can convince you that you are not good at a certain task. A teacher who calls a pupil "the clumsy one" can do more harm with this remark than he realizes when repeated often enough. With every remark the belief is harnessed further in the child that it indeed is clumsy. Even though a remark is said with a smile or with the intend to be funny, it still leaves a legacy in the belief system.
This programming of course doesn’t stop at adulthood, it keeps influencing people in all stages of life. We are being influenced by our parents, kids, partner, friends, colleagues, television, newspapers, magazines and so on. Sometimes positive, but very often in a negative way. No wonder we limit ourselves in so many ways! Belief is the key to your success. If you belief you can do something, you can. If you belief you can’t do something, you will be right too.
The good news is: we can "reprogram" our mind and replace our negative, limiting beliefs for positive contributing ones. Positive brainwashing is what I like to call it! This can be done by the use of so called "affirmations". An affirmation is a positive self talk statement, stated in the present tense that covers a goal you want to achieve and that ‘overrules’ negative beliefs towards that goal.
An example is "I easily do 10 sales calls a day". Or "I am an excellent negotiator". By stating this positive affirmation regularly during your day, you will achieve the goal you have set for yourself easier. This positive self talk helps your mind to overcome beliefs that you have about yourself, that limit your success and actions. Compare our mind with a computer: when you change the input, the output will change accordingly.
So if you have the limiting belief that you are no good in public speaking (probably because of negative experiences in the past) you can actually reprogram your mind by stating the following affirmation: " I am an excellent public speaker. I love to speak for huge audiences and people love to hear me talk". By affirming this belief over and over, you actually start to believe it and your mind will find a way to make this statement a reality. At some stage, you might decide to do a course in public speaking, or someone might ask you to speak at some kind of seminar, which forces you to work on your speaking skills. Somehow, this positive affirmation help you to reach the ‘goal’ you have set for yourself, and open doors for you that would normally would have been kept closed. And this works for virtually everything. Belief, and it will happen.
Imagine standing for a big river, with a heavy stream. You have to cross it, but you don’t think you can actually do it. Your belief is keeping you from crossing, although you physically should be able to do it easily. It just looks too hard! Then someone else comes up from behind you, and without thinking starts crossing the river and gets to the other side. His belief was positive, and he knew he could do it. The interesting thing is that this will probably influence your belief: "if he can do it, I can do it too" and you will then cross the river without any problem at all. Similar things happen when a group of people is introduced to the phenomenon of fire walking. At first a big group of people will say that there is no way they will walk on fire. Until…other people with higher beliefs go first, then all of a sudden everyone else rushes over to do it as well.
So think about YOUR beliefs, and try to discover which belief are actually holding you back from reaching your full potential in your life. Then, one by one, start eliminating these beliefs from your system. Formulate a positive affirmation that counters your negative belief, and re affirm it daily. Write them in your diary, on your bathroom mirror, next to your computer; anywhere you see it often and say the affirmation out loud as often as possible. You will be happily surprised by the results!
You see, everyone comes into this world with a clear mind, and a belief that everything is possible. All is positive and well. Remember as a child, you could do and become everything, without any boundaries!
As we grow up however, we pick up beliefs, fears and limitations from our surroundings and peers that gradually form the person we are today. A lot of these beliefs unfortunately are negative and as we build our lives they limit us in our actions and being. Very often they therefore contribute to unhappiness or feeling unfulfilled in our lives and business.
It can be the smallest -- seemingly harmless -- remark from a mother like "just let me handle that, you are no good at that" that can convince you that you are not good at a certain task. A teacher who calls a pupil "the clumsy one" can do more harm with this remark than he realizes when repeated often enough. With every remark the belief is harnessed further in the child that it indeed is clumsy. Even though a remark is said with a smile or with the intend to be funny, it still leaves a legacy in the belief system.
This programming of course doesn’t stop at adulthood, it keeps influencing people in all stages of life. We are being influenced by our parents, kids, partner, friends, colleagues, television, newspapers, magazines and so on. Sometimes positive, but very often in a negative way. No wonder we limit ourselves in so many ways! Belief is the key to your success. If you belief you can do something, you can. If you belief you can’t do something, you will be right too.
The good news is: we can "reprogram" our mind and replace our negative, limiting beliefs for positive contributing ones. Positive brainwashing is what I like to call it! This can be done by the use of so called "affirmations". An affirmation is a positive self talk statement, stated in the present tense that covers a goal you want to achieve and that ‘overrules’ negative beliefs towards that goal.
An example is "I easily do 10 sales calls a day". Or "I am an excellent negotiator". By stating this positive affirmation regularly during your day, you will achieve the goal you have set for yourself easier. This positive self talk helps your mind to overcome beliefs that you have about yourself, that limit your success and actions. Compare our mind with a computer: when you change the input, the output will change accordingly.
So if you have the limiting belief that you are no good in public speaking (probably because of negative experiences in the past) you can actually reprogram your mind by stating the following affirmation: " I am an excellent public speaker. I love to speak for huge audiences and people love to hear me talk". By affirming this belief over and over, you actually start to believe it and your mind will find a way to make this statement a reality. At some stage, you might decide to do a course in public speaking, or someone might ask you to speak at some kind of seminar, which forces you to work on your speaking skills. Somehow, this positive affirmation help you to reach the ‘goal’ you have set for yourself, and open doors for you that would normally would have been kept closed. And this works for virtually everything. Belief, and it will happen.
Imagine standing for a big river, with a heavy stream. You have to cross it, but you don’t think you can actually do it. Your belief is keeping you from crossing, although you physically should be able to do it easily. It just looks too hard! Then someone else comes up from behind you, and without thinking starts crossing the river and gets to the other side. His belief was positive, and he knew he could do it. The interesting thing is that this will probably influence your belief: "if he can do it, I can do it too" and you will then cross the river without any problem at all. Similar things happen when a group of people is introduced to the phenomenon of fire walking. At first a big group of people will say that there is no way they will walk on fire. Until…other people with higher beliefs go first, then all of a sudden everyone else rushes over to do it as well.
So think about YOUR beliefs, and try to discover which belief are actually holding you back from reaching your full potential in your life. Then, one by one, start eliminating these beliefs from your system. Formulate a positive affirmation that counters your negative belief, and re affirm it daily. Write them in your diary, on your bathroom mirror, next to your computer; anywhere you see it often and say the affirmation out loud as often as possible. You will be happily surprised by the results!
12 July, 2010
To Do Without Doing
ACTION -- Least Required
One of the mistaken certainties or misconceptions most people operate under is that
you get what you want in life by what you DO, or through the actions you take. Most
people believe that the DOING or action part is what makes things happen. However,
this causes you to create in reverse.
Let me explain..
The reason we put a lot of emphasis on action is
because we do not understand the power of our thought.If you analyze it, 90% of most
people's actions are spent trying to compensate for in appropriate thought.
The Chinese philosopher Lao-tsu said that, "In the practice of the Way, every day
something is dropped.Less and less do you need to force things until finally you
arrive at *non action* When nothing is done, nothing is left undone". What he is
talking about is *doing without doing* The problem is that most of us are
preoccupied with "doing". Unfortunately most of our doing usually involves struggle.
In the western world we are conditioned to be action-oriented, so we place a
tremendous value on doing. We are so busy doing that we do not realize that all
this "doingness" causes us to create in a reverse fashion. Most of our actions are
out of fear, worry or doubt because we believe nothing will get done unless we DO
something. In other words, we are trying to force our desire into manifestation
through action. If your decision to DO is dominant, then you will not focus on what
you want to BE in the present moment.This causes you to miscreate because BEING is
the first and most important step in the creative process.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~Here is the secret:~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
It is not your action that makes things happen, it is your intent. You can reduce
the need for action to a very minimum by allowing yourself to focus on what you
desire until you feel the positive energy begin to move within you. This energy is
not based on doubt,fear, anxiety, worry or need. If you focus on what you want
instead of what you don't want, you will know when it is time to take action. And
when you do, it will be effortless. Doors open and the entire universe will conspire
to assist you in your desire. Put simply, you should take no action on anything
until you have visualized your desire and made it real enough in your mind that your
next action (step),whatever it is, seems like the most logical step. How can you
know the next logical step? Here is the test that you can give to yourself before
taking any action. If you focus on what you desire and still feel overwhelmed or
anxious, then you are not ready for any action. You know you are ready when it feels
like the next logical step is effortless. There is no effort,no strain, and no pain.
What we want to do is to use the leverage of energy,the same leverage of energy that
creates everything in the universe. However, we are so caught up in the reality of
WHAT IS, that we feel we must create everything through mental effort and physical
activity. Have you ever seen people who seem to have all the wonderful things in
their life without much effort? It almost seems like they have an advantage over
everyone else. Then you see the people who work the hardest usually have the least.
That doesn't seem fair does it? But that's the way the universe works.
Unfortunately, those who work the hardest usually have the least because they
haven't learned the leverage of aligning their energy. They are going about creating
their lives the hard way. They are trying to use their actions to create what they
want. We have also been programmed that in order to have what we desire we must work
hard. How many times have you heard - "No pain, no gain." The implication is that if
you want to make something of yourself, you must work hard. The message is clear -
if you are not hurting or struggling, you are not moving forward.
But here is the truth -
anytime you are struggling you are miscreating. Anytime you feel pain or struggle,
your magnetic point of attraction is directed to that which you do not want, rather
than to that which you desire.
Read it again! Actions are necessary, but they are
the last component of the creation processes. Actions cannot be used effectively to
initiate results, because initiation is the function of BEING, then thought,then
action. Remember, the creation of anything is through your vibration. Everything
vibrates, and it is by that vibration that we harmonize and attract experiences to
ourselves. So before you act or do anything, first ask yourself, how am I vibrating?
How do you tell? You tell by how you FEEL. Your feelings show you your vibration.
How you feel determines what you attract. When you use the process of creating by
only focusing on what you want instead of what you don't want, you will see that the
universe will provide a different set of circumstances for you that requires much
less action. This puts you in a state of "doing without doing" or
action without effort.
One of the mistaken certainties or misconceptions most people operate under is that
you get what you want in life by what you DO, or through the actions you take. Most
people believe that the DOING or action part is what makes things happen. However,
this causes you to create in reverse.
Let me explain..
The reason we put a lot of emphasis on action is
because we do not understand the power of our thought.If you analyze it, 90% of most
people's actions are spent trying to compensate for in appropriate thought.
The Chinese philosopher Lao-tsu said that, "In the practice of the Way, every day
something is dropped.Less and less do you need to force things until finally you
arrive at *non action* When nothing is done, nothing is left undone". What he is
talking about is *doing without doing* The problem is that most of us are
preoccupied with "doing". Unfortunately most of our doing usually involves struggle.
In the western world we are conditioned to be action-oriented, so we place a
tremendous value on doing. We are so busy doing that we do not realize that all
this "doingness" causes us to create in a reverse fashion. Most of our actions are
out of fear, worry or doubt because we believe nothing will get done unless we DO
something. In other words, we are trying to force our desire into manifestation
through action. If your decision to DO is dominant, then you will not focus on what
you want to BE in the present moment.This causes you to miscreate because BEING is
the first and most important step in the creative process.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~Here is the secret:~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
It is not your action that makes things happen, it is your intent. You can reduce
the need for action to a very minimum by allowing yourself to focus on what you
desire until you feel the positive energy begin to move within you. This energy is
not based on doubt,fear, anxiety, worry or need. If you focus on what you want
instead of what you don't want, you will know when it is time to take action. And
when you do, it will be effortless. Doors open and the entire universe will conspire
to assist you in your desire. Put simply, you should take no action on anything
until you have visualized your desire and made it real enough in your mind that your
next action (step),whatever it is, seems like the most logical step. How can you
know the next logical step? Here is the test that you can give to yourself before
taking any action. If you focus on what you desire and still feel overwhelmed or
anxious, then you are not ready for any action. You know you are ready when it feels
like the next logical step is effortless. There is no effort,no strain, and no pain.
What we want to do is to use the leverage of energy,the same leverage of energy that
creates everything in the universe. However, we are so caught up in the reality of
WHAT IS, that we feel we must create everything through mental effort and physical
activity. Have you ever seen people who seem to have all the wonderful things in
their life without much effort? It almost seems like they have an advantage over
everyone else. Then you see the people who work the hardest usually have the least.
That doesn't seem fair does it? But that's the way the universe works.
Unfortunately, those who work the hardest usually have the least because they
haven't learned the leverage of aligning their energy. They are going about creating
their lives the hard way. They are trying to use their actions to create what they
want. We have also been programmed that in order to have what we desire we must work
hard. How many times have you heard - "No pain, no gain." The implication is that if
you want to make something of yourself, you must work hard. The message is clear -
if you are not hurting or struggling, you are not moving forward.
But here is the truth -
anytime you are struggling you are miscreating. Anytime you feel pain or struggle,
your magnetic point of attraction is directed to that which you do not want, rather
than to that which you desire.
Read it again! Actions are necessary, but they are
the last component of the creation processes. Actions cannot be used effectively to
initiate results, because initiation is the function of BEING, then thought,then
action. Remember, the creation of anything is through your vibration. Everything
vibrates, and it is by that vibration that we harmonize and attract experiences to
ourselves. So before you act or do anything, first ask yourself, how am I vibrating?
How do you tell? You tell by how you FEEL. Your feelings show you your vibration.
How you feel determines what you attract. When you use the process of creating by
only focusing on what you want instead of what you don't want, you will see that the
universe will provide a different set of circumstances for you that requires much
less action. This puts you in a state of "doing without doing" or
action without effort.
13 June, 2010
Overcome The Greatest Obstacle To Happiness
The Greatest Obstacle to Happiness... and How to Overcome It!
YOUR POINT OF POWER
Think of your present moment as your Point of Power, because it is the only point where you can exercise your full power. For most of us the present moment exists only as mental concept. If there is such a place where all the creative forces of the universe come together, how do we know it is the present moment? What evidence is there that this is true? Consider this; all your hopes for the future and even your memories of the past can happen only in the present moment. The present moment is that one point where everything comes together.
When does life start? When does it end? When do cause and effect take place? When is it that we meet every challenge? When are problems born and when are they resolved? When do we feel pain? When are we healed? This all happens in the present moment.
We have been taught that those moments are separate from each other, but in truth, they all take place in the now. No matter what happens in life, it is always now, then now, then now - always in the present moment.
Nothing exist outside of the NOW
Nothing ever happened in the past. – It happened in the Now.
Nothing will ever happen in the future – It will happen in the Now. When you think of the past it is stored in the mind as a former now. And, when you think about the past, when do you do it? – You do it now! When the futures comes – it comes in the now. And, when you think about the future, when do you do it? – You do it now!
The past and the future have no realities of their own. Their realities are “borrowed” from the now.
THE INSANITY OF FUTURE TIME
All unhappiness is caused by denial of the present. We think problems are caused by our situations in life, but attachment to the past and future and denial of the now is the real problem. Ultimately then, there is only one problem in life – not living in the now.
You cannot be unhappy and fully present now. It is impossible to have a problem when your attention is in the now. When you live in the now, a situation is either dealt with or accepted now. A problem means you are dwelling on a situation mentally without having a true intention or possibility of taking action now.
ANSWERS COME IN THE NOW
Perhaps you are seeking answers to your questions or problems. Notice that sometimes you receive your answer, but most of the time you don’t. Why? Because you are not in the present moment when the answer arrives! Anytime your mind is out of the present moment you cannot receive the answer you need from Higher Intelligence.
The answer can come in many ways and at any time, but it will always come in the present moment. If we spend most of our time regretting and living in the past or worrying about the future we place ourselves out of the present moment where all creativity and answers take place.
Does it make any sense at all to desire, request, yearn and pray for that which is closest to your heart and necessary to your life and then not be paying attention when the answer arrives?
Our Point of Power can only exist in the present moment. We create from this moment whether the materialization appears instantly or later as a complex event. However, all creation takes place in the now. If we really understand this truth, we will have an inexhaustible supply of usable energy at our command.
It is only our thoughts, attitudes and emotions in the moment that have power. It is not what occurred to us in the past that will force us on a path that we would rather not be on. It is how tightly we hold on to that past by reliving its trauma and drama in our present moment. When we constantly worry and re-examine the past in order to discover what’s wrong with the present, we reinforce the building materials that will create exactly that which we are trying to escape.
VIBRATIONAL ENERGY OF THE NOW
Understand that in every moment you are sending out a vibrational energy through your thoughts. This vibrational energy is magnetizing and attracting everything to you. If you send out a vibrational energy that you don't have what you want, you will end up with more of the same - having what you don’t want.
If this is true, (and it is) then what could be more advantageous than using this moment to send out a vibrational energy or thought that is in alignment with what you want in your life? The answer is nothing is more important!
I am talking about the power of FOCUS. Ask yourself, "Am I activating what I want in this moment or am I focusing on something that doesn’t allow me to have what I want?"
Energy is tied into DESIRE. Anything that feels opposite to that energy or desire creates a situation that prevents us from having what we desire.
WHY WE HAVE TROUBLE LIVING IN THE NOW
Why does the mind habitually resist the now? It is because the mind cannot function and remain in control in the present moment. It only knows about your past personal history and the cumulative mind-set you inherited. In order for the mind to remain in control, it must continuously seek to cover up the present moment with the only thing it knows – the past.
Let me ask you a question – can you be free of your mind whenever you want to? Have you found the “off” button? If you are constantly focusing on the past or future, you are not using your mind; your mind is using you. You don’t even know that you are its slave. It is almost like being possessed without knowing it.
WATCHING THE THINKER
If you find it difficult to live in the NOW, try this: Stand back and just observe the habitual tendency of your mind wanting to escape the now. You will observe that the future is usually better or worse than the present. If the imagined future is better, it gives you hope, pleasure and anticipation. If it is worse, it creates anxiety. Both are illusions.
Don’t judge or analyze what you observe. Watch the thought – feel the emotion, observe the reaction – become the silent watcher. This will help you to focus on the moment, because the moment you realize you are not present, you ARE present.
FREEDOM FROM UNHAPPINESS
Problems of the mind cannot be solved with the mind. Studying the mind might make you a good psychologist, but doing so won’t take you beyond the mind just as studying madness isn’t enough to create madness.
When you create problems you create pain. All it takes is a single choice – a simple decision that no matter what happens you will not longer create pain by trying to live in the future or the past.
Are you worried? Do you have many “what if” thoughts? Ask yourself what “problem” you have right now, not tomorrow, not five minutes from now. What’s wrong with this moment?
Is your goal is taking up so much time and attention that you reduce the present moment as a means to an end?
Are you waiting to start living? If you develop such a mind-pattern no matter what you achieve or get the present will never be good enough.
The future will always seem better. This is a recipe for permanent dissatisfaction and non-fulfillment – don’t you agree?
Are you a habitual “waiter”? How much of your life do you spend waiting for the next holiday, better job, your child to grow up, success, make money, be important, and become enlightened?
Waiting is a state of mind. Basically it means you want the future. You don’t want the present. There is an inner conflict between your here and now, when you don't want to be here and a projected future is where you want to be.
The key is to break the old patterns of present moment denial and present moment resistance. We must learn to withdraw our attention from the past and future whenever they are not needed.
Should a situation arise that you need to deal with now, your actions will be clear and decisive if they arise out of present moment awareness. Your response will not be a reaction coming from the past conditioning of your mind, but from an intuitive present moment awareness of the situation.
YOUR INNER AND OUTER PURPOSE
Your journey has an outer purpose and an inner purpose. The outer purpose is to arrive at your goal destination – to accomplish what you desire, to achieve what you want, which of course, implies the future.
But if your destination or the steps you are going to take in the future take up so much of your attention that they become more important than the steps you are taking now, then you completely miss the inner journey’s purpose. Your inner journey’s purpose has nothing to do with WHERE you are going or WHAT you are doing, but everything to do with the now. It has nothing to do with the future.
If you don’t understand your inner purpose you will fail at your outer purpose. Keep in mind that the outer purpose is just a game that you may continue to play because you enjoy it. And often you may fail, but so what.
Ultimately EVERY outer purpose is doomed to “fail” sooner or later because it is subject to the law of impermanence of all things.
The sooner you realize your outer purpose cannot give you lasting fulfillment the better. When you have seen the limitations of your outer purpose you can give up the unrealistic expectation that it can make you happy. More importantly, you make it subservient to your inner purpose.
Have your dwelling place in the NOW and pay brief visits to your past and future when required. Always say “yes” to the present moment. Surrender to what is and see how life suddenly starts working for you instead of against you.
The key is to LIVE in the present moment, but know that you are creating your future in this moment. What you are looking for is balance in your thinking. In other words, living in the present moment while giving thought to something you desire and expecting it.
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
We discussed the idea of choosing what we desire and following our dreams. What stops many people from following their joy is that they are afraid that their way of doing something it will not be good enough or accepted. They compare what comes from them naturally with what is considered the norm. That whole process of conformity starts in school. They ask you to write a poem and then it is compared to another poem and if it is in the same form then it gets an “A”. If it is different and has a form of its own then it gets a “D.” When I was in first grade the teacher asked us to draw a picture of a cat. When I was finished my picture was considered so poor that I was told I have no talent as far as art is concerned. I never drew or participated in any art form after that.
Perhaps you decided that you couldn’t paint because you are comparing your form to another form. But the truth is you could no more paint like Van Gogh then Van Gogh could paint like you. The difference is that Van Gogh believed in himself and in his style of painting. That’s the magic.
No one can do what you do exactly the way you do it. This includes business, the arts or any area of life. A person’s self expression cannot be judged other then by a total fool. What you do, whatever makes you feel alive and joyful, is your unique expression. And it is probably the only thing that will bring you true joy and excitement.
THE UNHAPPY MAJORITY
Unfortunately, for many of us, we spend much of our days following and doing what we have come to believe we need to do, rather than what truly excites us and what would, for that very reason, end up bringing us the joy we seek.
Can we truly expect to experience enormous joy and happiness in our lives if the first concern we have in the morning upon wakening is to be on time to a job that does not bring us joy and excitement? If seventy percent of our days are filled with activities that do not bring us joy, excitement and love, then the remaining thirty- percent cannot compensate for that. All the seminars, books, meditation, and affirmations are not going to help.
Yet the more time we spend doing things that do not truly bring us joy and excitement, the more money we spend on other things trying to compensate for our growing unhappiness, and this ends up bringing us more debt. So the end result is that we are tied even more into working at what we dislike. It is a self-defeating circle.
Have you ever been in a room with many unhappy people? How did it feel in there? Now imagine what billions of unhappy people are doing to the world. Unfortunately we have become so accustomed to this energy that we don’t even notice it anymore. It’s as thick as molasses everywhere with the exception of a few pockets of joy now and then.
What we fail to understand is when we have billions of people doing things that they do not want to do, it creates unhappiness, That unhappiness creates a collective energy that goes into the environment and causes more damage to the environment than everything else combined. It is like anger causing an ulcer. The anger created the ulcer and people’s sadness creates the negative result in the environment.
There are many people concerned about the environment of the planet. They want to save the rivers, oceans and the forest. While that may be commendable, I can tell you that the energy from so many unhappy people on this planet is what is poisoning the environment more than everything else combined.
We will not solve our environmental problems until we solve the sad energy problem. What we don’t realize is that our physical environmental problems are created from the negative energy that comes from billions of unhappy people. Instead of trying to clean up the environment, we need to clean up the thinking and unhappiness of the people who are cause of our environmental problems.
OTHERS MAY NOT LIKE IT
We know that all change comes from the inside. Trying to change things using the outside-in approach is always doomed to failure. On the surface this looks selfish, but you know by now that we can only change the planet one person at a time.
As you begin to search for and follow your joy and excitement you may feel this process appears a bit selfish. There may be other people around you that feel you are being selfish, but that is only because they cannot understand that by allowing you the freedom to find your joy and excitement that this will in turn make it easier for them to find and follow their joy also.
In the beginning having family around you and also having children can at times make following your joy and excitement more challenging. Sometimes following your joy may feel like you are not being practical or looking after your responsibilities. You could subconsciously be afraid that you will end up playing away your time, or indulging yourself, rather than looking after your family. In the beginning it can be a delicate balance, but as time goes on you will be much happier and the quality of time you spend together will improve considerably. Also, other things that need to be done will seem more enjoyable when you allow yourself to do them when it feels right rather than when you thought you should be doing them.
As you follow your joy and excitement people will automatically see how much happier you are and how much more you are enjoying life. This gets their attention and will slowly rub off on others around you. So in the beginning you could possibly receive some resistance from those close to you, even some resistance and fear from yourself. This will pass as you become happier and more excited to live each day. Joy is very addictive and draws people towards you. As people see that it is okay to follow your joy and excitement and that it is creative rather than destructive, they will very quickly attempt to bring this process into their own lives.
A STEP AT A TIME
Following our joy is not one large step, like quitting our job and spending our days sitting under a tree. That is not following our joy - that is escaping. There is a big difference between following the things that truly excite us and doing things to escape from a life that does not bring us joy.
The trick is to find, in the present moment, the things that would bring us the most excitement, and then do whatever we can to follow that excitement, even in the smallest way. This causes a chain reaction that brings us more opportunities to do what we love to do.
I think that the hardest time people have with following their joy is trying to make a living and at the same time trying to follow their joy. I have noticed that one of the very first things we fear is our financial concerns. That’s why we start off slowly following the path little by little and letting things build upon themselves slowly.
However, I will tell you this, whenever I followed my joy it always turned out to be the most financial rewarding thing at the end. When you follow you true joy, wherever that leads you, and even if it changes from time to time, then the details will work themselves out on their own. If you try to work out all the details and debate them to death, you will go insane before you find the right answer. But if you just follow your joy and what brings you excitement then you will end up doing what is best for you and everyone.
Whatever we desire is waiting for us to claim it. You have already learned you do not have to know the details or how do anything. All you have to do is focus on what you want. I can't take away your fears and doubts no matter how many pages I write. You will just need to trust yourself and the Power within you that you can truly follow your joy and do things in a way that bring you joy and have it all work out.
The greatest obstacle to happiness is not living in the present moment and not following your joy. The solution is to do just the opposite. If you find yourself focusing on the past or the future, remind yourself that the present moment is all there is, and then surrender to what is and see how life suddenly starts working for you.
If you put the same amount of effort into finding what gives you joy as you put into going to work at a job you dislike, you will end up with results that will make you think, “Why did I wait so long to do this?”
THE WING OF INFINITE POWER
I have come to understand that when we enter this world we all do so with two wings. One is the Wing of Infinite Power. This is your connection with the Universe. And whether you know it or not, that wing is flapping by your side supporting you twenty-four hours a day 365 days a year from now to eternity. The other wing is that which you have consciously activated. This is the Wing of Self-Effort. This wing has to fly equally as hard as the Wing of Infinite Power. When it does you will have flight into the world of unlimited possibilities where anything and everything is possible for you. Then and only then will you understand how truly powerful you are and that you have all it takes within you to create what you desire.
So follow your joy whatever it may be; in whatever form it may come; let it come forth as it may; to be as it may. Let your joy, excitement and uncensored creativity carve you into the image of the Creator. For the crevasses and lines on our faces show not our age but how much we have dared to be true to ourselves.
YOUR POINT OF POWER
Think of your present moment as your Point of Power, because it is the only point where you can exercise your full power. For most of us the present moment exists only as mental concept. If there is such a place where all the creative forces of the universe come together, how do we know it is the present moment? What evidence is there that this is true? Consider this; all your hopes for the future and even your memories of the past can happen only in the present moment. The present moment is that one point where everything comes together.
When does life start? When does it end? When do cause and effect take place? When is it that we meet every challenge? When are problems born and when are they resolved? When do we feel pain? When are we healed? This all happens in the present moment.
We have been taught that those moments are separate from each other, but in truth, they all take place in the now. No matter what happens in life, it is always now, then now, then now - always in the present moment.
Nothing exist outside of the NOW
Nothing ever happened in the past. – It happened in the Now.
Nothing will ever happen in the future – It will happen in the Now. When you think of the past it is stored in the mind as a former now. And, when you think about the past, when do you do it? – You do it now! When the futures comes – it comes in the now. And, when you think about the future, when do you do it? – You do it now!
The past and the future have no realities of their own. Their realities are “borrowed” from the now.
THE INSANITY OF FUTURE TIME
All unhappiness is caused by denial of the present. We think problems are caused by our situations in life, but attachment to the past and future and denial of the now is the real problem. Ultimately then, there is only one problem in life – not living in the now.
You cannot be unhappy and fully present now. It is impossible to have a problem when your attention is in the now. When you live in the now, a situation is either dealt with or accepted now. A problem means you are dwelling on a situation mentally without having a true intention or possibility of taking action now.
ANSWERS COME IN THE NOW
Perhaps you are seeking answers to your questions or problems. Notice that sometimes you receive your answer, but most of the time you don’t. Why? Because you are not in the present moment when the answer arrives! Anytime your mind is out of the present moment you cannot receive the answer you need from Higher Intelligence.
The answer can come in many ways and at any time, but it will always come in the present moment. If we spend most of our time regretting and living in the past or worrying about the future we place ourselves out of the present moment where all creativity and answers take place.
Does it make any sense at all to desire, request, yearn and pray for that which is closest to your heart and necessary to your life and then not be paying attention when the answer arrives?
Our Point of Power can only exist in the present moment. We create from this moment whether the materialization appears instantly or later as a complex event. However, all creation takes place in the now. If we really understand this truth, we will have an inexhaustible supply of usable energy at our command.
It is only our thoughts, attitudes and emotions in the moment that have power. It is not what occurred to us in the past that will force us on a path that we would rather not be on. It is how tightly we hold on to that past by reliving its trauma and drama in our present moment. When we constantly worry and re-examine the past in order to discover what’s wrong with the present, we reinforce the building materials that will create exactly that which we are trying to escape.
VIBRATIONAL ENERGY OF THE NOW
Understand that in every moment you are sending out a vibrational energy through your thoughts. This vibrational energy is magnetizing and attracting everything to you. If you send out a vibrational energy that you don't have what you want, you will end up with more of the same - having what you don’t want.
If this is true, (and it is) then what could be more advantageous than using this moment to send out a vibrational energy or thought that is in alignment with what you want in your life? The answer is nothing is more important!
I am talking about the power of FOCUS. Ask yourself, "Am I activating what I want in this moment or am I focusing on something that doesn’t allow me to have what I want?"
Energy is tied into DESIRE. Anything that feels opposite to that energy or desire creates a situation that prevents us from having what we desire.
WHY WE HAVE TROUBLE LIVING IN THE NOW
Why does the mind habitually resist the now? It is because the mind cannot function and remain in control in the present moment. It only knows about your past personal history and the cumulative mind-set you inherited. In order for the mind to remain in control, it must continuously seek to cover up the present moment with the only thing it knows – the past.
Let me ask you a question – can you be free of your mind whenever you want to? Have you found the “off” button? If you are constantly focusing on the past or future, you are not using your mind; your mind is using you. You don’t even know that you are its slave. It is almost like being possessed without knowing it.
WATCHING THE THINKER
If you find it difficult to live in the NOW, try this: Stand back and just observe the habitual tendency of your mind wanting to escape the now. You will observe that the future is usually better or worse than the present. If the imagined future is better, it gives you hope, pleasure and anticipation. If it is worse, it creates anxiety. Both are illusions.
Don’t judge or analyze what you observe. Watch the thought – feel the emotion, observe the reaction – become the silent watcher. This will help you to focus on the moment, because the moment you realize you are not present, you ARE present.
FREEDOM FROM UNHAPPINESS
Problems of the mind cannot be solved with the mind. Studying the mind might make you a good psychologist, but doing so won’t take you beyond the mind just as studying madness isn’t enough to create madness.
When you create problems you create pain. All it takes is a single choice – a simple decision that no matter what happens you will not longer create pain by trying to live in the future or the past.
Are you worried? Do you have many “what if” thoughts? Ask yourself what “problem” you have right now, not tomorrow, not five minutes from now. What’s wrong with this moment?
Is your goal is taking up so much time and attention that you reduce the present moment as a means to an end?
Are you waiting to start living? If you develop such a mind-pattern no matter what you achieve or get the present will never be good enough.
The future will always seem better. This is a recipe for permanent dissatisfaction and non-fulfillment – don’t you agree?
Are you a habitual “waiter”? How much of your life do you spend waiting for the next holiday, better job, your child to grow up, success, make money, be important, and become enlightened?
Waiting is a state of mind. Basically it means you want the future. You don’t want the present. There is an inner conflict between your here and now, when you don't want to be here and a projected future is where you want to be.
The key is to break the old patterns of present moment denial and present moment resistance. We must learn to withdraw our attention from the past and future whenever they are not needed.
Should a situation arise that you need to deal with now, your actions will be clear and decisive if they arise out of present moment awareness. Your response will not be a reaction coming from the past conditioning of your mind, but from an intuitive present moment awareness of the situation.
YOUR INNER AND OUTER PURPOSE
Your journey has an outer purpose and an inner purpose. The outer purpose is to arrive at your goal destination – to accomplish what you desire, to achieve what you want, which of course, implies the future.
But if your destination or the steps you are going to take in the future take up so much of your attention that they become more important than the steps you are taking now, then you completely miss the inner journey’s purpose. Your inner journey’s purpose has nothing to do with WHERE you are going or WHAT you are doing, but everything to do with the now. It has nothing to do with the future.
If you don’t understand your inner purpose you will fail at your outer purpose. Keep in mind that the outer purpose is just a game that you may continue to play because you enjoy it. And often you may fail, but so what.
Ultimately EVERY outer purpose is doomed to “fail” sooner or later because it is subject to the law of impermanence of all things.
The sooner you realize your outer purpose cannot give you lasting fulfillment the better. When you have seen the limitations of your outer purpose you can give up the unrealistic expectation that it can make you happy. More importantly, you make it subservient to your inner purpose.
Have your dwelling place in the NOW and pay brief visits to your past and future when required. Always say “yes” to the present moment. Surrender to what is and see how life suddenly starts working for you instead of against you.
The key is to LIVE in the present moment, but know that you are creating your future in this moment. What you are looking for is balance in your thinking. In other words, living in the present moment while giving thought to something you desire and expecting it.
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
We discussed the idea of choosing what we desire and following our dreams. What stops many people from following their joy is that they are afraid that their way of doing something it will not be good enough or accepted. They compare what comes from them naturally with what is considered the norm. That whole process of conformity starts in school. They ask you to write a poem and then it is compared to another poem and if it is in the same form then it gets an “A”. If it is different and has a form of its own then it gets a “D.” When I was in first grade the teacher asked us to draw a picture of a cat. When I was finished my picture was considered so poor that I was told I have no talent as far as art is concerned. I never drew or participated in any art form after that.
Perhaps you decided that you couldn’t paint because you are comparing your form to another form. But the truth is you could no more paint like Van Gogh then Van Gogh could paint like you. The difference is that Van Gogh believed in himself and in his style of painting. That’s the magic.
No one can do what you do exactly the way you do it. This includes business, the arts or any area of life. A person’s self expression cannot be judged other then by a total fool. What you do, whatever makes you feel alive and joyful, is your unique expression. And it is probably the only thing that will bring you true joy and excitement.
THE UNHAPPY MAJORITY
Unfortunately, for many of us, we spend much of our days following and doing what we have come to believe we need to do, rather than what truly excites us and what would, for that very reason, end up bringing us the joy we seek.
Can we truly expect to experience enormous joy and happiness in our lives if the first concern we have in the morning upon wakening is to be on time to a job that does not bring us joy and excitement? If seventy percent of our days are filled with activities that do not bring us joy, excitement and love, then the remaining thirty- percent cannot compensate for that. All the seminars, books, meditation, and affirmations are not going to help.
Yet the more time we spend doing things that do not truly bring us joy and excitement, the more money we spend on other things trying to compensate for our growing unhappiness, and this ends up bringing us more debt. So the end result is that we are tied even more into working at what we dislike. It is a self-defeating circle.
Have you ever been in a room with many unhappy people? How did it feel in there? Now imagine what billions of unhappy people are doing to the world. Unfortunately we have become so accustomed to this energy that we don’t even notice it anymore. It’s as thick as molasses everywhere with the exception of a few pockets of joy now and then.
What we fail to understand is when we have billions of people doing things that they do not want to do, it creates unhappiness, That unhappiness creates a collective energy that goes into the environment and causes more damage to the environment than everything else combined. It is like anger causing an ulcer. The anger created the ulcer and people’s sadness creates the negative result in the environment.
There are many people concerned about the environment of the planet. They want to save the rivers, oceans and the forest. While that may be commendable, I can tell you that the energy from so many unhappy people on this planet is what is poisoning the environment more than everything else combined.
We will not solve our environmental problems until we solve the sad energy problem. What we don’t realize is that our physical environmental problems are created from the negative energy that comes from billions of unhappy people. Instead of trying to clean up the environment, we need to clean up the thinking and unhappiness of the people who are cause of our environmental problems.
OTHERS MAY NOT LIKE IT
We know that all change comes from the inside. Trying to change things using the outside-in approach is always doomed to failure. On the surface this looks selfish, but you know by now that we can only change the planet one person at a time.
As you begin to search for and follow your joy and excitement you may feel this process appears a bit selfish. There may be other people around you that feel you are being selfish, but that is only because they cannot understand that by allowing you the freedom to find your joy and excitement that this will in turn make it easier for them to find and follow their joy also.
In the beginning having family around you and also having children can at times make following your joy and excitement more challenging. Sometimes following your joy may feel like you are not being practical or looking after your responsibilities. You could subconsciously be afraid that you will end up playing away your time, or indulging yourself, rather than looking after your family. In the beginning it can be a delicate balance, but as time goes on you will be much happier and the quality of time you spend together will improve considerably. Also, other things that need to be done will seem more enjoyable when you allow yourself to do them when it feels right rather than when you thought you should be doing them.
As you follow your joy and excitement people will automatically see how much happier you are and how much more you are enjoying life. This gets their attention and will slowly rub off on others around you. So in the beginning you could possibly receive some resistance from those close to you, even some resistance and fear from yourself. This will pass as you become happier and more excited to live each day. Joy is very addictive and draws people towards you. As people see that it is okay to follow your joy and excitement and that it is creative rather than destructive, they will very quickly attempt to bring this process into their own lives.
A STEP AT A TIME
Following our joy is not one large step, like quitting our job and spending our days sitting under a tree. That is not following our joy - that is escaping. There is a big difference between following the things that truly excite us and doing things to escape from a life that does not bring us joy.
The trick is to find, in the present moment, the things that would bring us the most excitement, and then do whatever we can to follow that excitement, even in the smallest way. This causes a chain reaction that brings us more opportunities to do what we love to do.
I think that the hardest time people have with following their joy is trying to make a living and at the same time trying to follow their joy. I have noticed that one of the very first things we fear is our financial concerns. That’s why we start off slowly following the path little by little and letting things build upon themselves slowly.
However, I will tell you this, whenever I followed my joy it always turned out to be the most financial rewarding thing at the end. When you follow you true joy, wherever that leads you, and even if it changes from time to time, then the details will work themselves out on their own. If you try to work out all the details and debate them to death, you will go insane before you find the right answer. But if you just follow your joy and what brings you excitement then you will end up doing what is best for you and everyone.
Whatever we desire is waiting for us to claim it. You have already learned you do not have to know the details or how do anything. All you have to do is focus on what you want. I can't take away your fears and doubts no matter how many pages I write. You will just need to trust yourself and the Power within you that you can truly follow your joy and do things in a way that bring you joy and have it all work out.
The greatest obstacle to happiness is not living in the present moment and not following your joy. The solution is to do just the opposite. If you find yourself focusing on the past or the future, remind yourself that the present moment is all there is, and then surrender to what is and see how life suddenly starts working for you.
If you put the same amount of effort into finding what gives you joy as you put into going to work at a job you dislike, you will end up with results that will make you think, “Why did I wait so long to do this?”
THE WING OF INFINITE POWER
I have come to understand that when we enter this world we all do so with two wings. One is the Wing of Infinite Power. This is your connection with the Universe. And whether you know it or not, that wing is flapping by your side supporting you twenty-four hours a day 365 days a year from now to eternity. The other wing is that which you have consciously activated. This is the Wing of Self-Effort. This wing has to fly equally as hard as the Wing of Infinite Power. When it does you will have flight into the world of unlimited possibilities where anything and everything is possible for you. Then and only then will you understand how truly powerful you are and that you have all it takes within you to create what you desire.
So follow your joy whatever it may be; in whatever form it may come; let it come forth as it may; to be as it may. Let your joy, excitement and uncensored creativity carve you into the image of the Creator. For the crevasses and lines on our faces show not our age but how much we have dared to be true to ourselves.
26 May, 2010
Manifestation Block
If you feel stuck in any area of your life it could very well be due to a lack of
forgiveness. Perhaps you are having trouble forgiving someone else or yourself. It
doesn't matter. Holding on to past memories or "stories" is guaranteed to tie up
your energy and block your ability to attract what you want. I struggled with
forgiveness for many years because I believed that if I forgave someone they would
not receive the "just punishment" they deserved for what they had done to me. But as
I looked at that belief I realized it was just that, a belief. In fact, it was just
an assumption and an illusion. What I learned is that the universe will always seek
balance and it will deal with that person or situation in the appropriate way, even
if it that means letting them off the hook. The outcome in their life has nothing to
do with the outcome in my life unless I choose to keep myself tied to it. If you
think about it, when you choose to forgive someone, it is nothing more than an ego
trip. When you say "I forgive you", what you are really saying is you have some sort
of hold over them. By saying "I forgive you", you decree that you are pronouncing
them "free" of your resentment. That isn't forgiveness. That's an ego trip. There
is really nothing to forgive. What we call forgiveness is simply letting go. It is
not placing judgment on other people or yourself. When you are truly conscious you
realize that nothing "bad" or "wrong" happened. You may judge it as "bad"
or "wrong", but from the view of ALL THAT IS what occurred is simply what occurred.
It's over. It's done. It's history. Because we believe something "bad" happened, we
still think of ourselves as being victimized no matter how much we try to forgive.
So we are caught up between two conflicting energies. One is to condemn and blame
and the other is to forgive. This is why we struggle with forgiveness. However, when
we are truly conscious we realize nothing "bad", "negative" or "evil" happened at
all. In fact, what happened didn't happen TO you but FOR you. It happened to help
you to awaken and grow. It was part of your life lesson to bring you to where you
are right now and to allow you to let go of your "story" of victimization. So if
you are stuck in any area of your life, take a look at your unwillingness to forgive
yourself or others and just let it go! Realize there is nothing to forgive. You just
have to release it and move on. Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a
manifestation that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT! No matter how large
or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal. It will only take a few moments
and will AUTOMATICALLY put you in the Flow.
Truly Caring for Your Success!
forgiveness. Perhaps you are having trouble forgiving someone else or yourself. It
doesn't matter. Holding on to past memories or "stories" is guaranteed to tie up
your energy and block your ability to attract what you want. I struggled with
forgiveness for many years because I believed that if I forgave someone they would
not receive the "just punishment" they deserved for what they had done to me. But as
I looked at that belief I realized it was just that, a belief. In fact, it was just
an assumption and an illusion. What I learned is that the universe will always seek
balance and it will deal with that person or situation in the appropriate way, even
if it that means letting them off the hook. The outcome in their life has nothing to
do with the outcome in my life unless I choose to keep myself tied to it. If you
think about it, when you choose to forgive someone, it is nothing more than an ego
trip. When you say "I forgive you", what you are really saying is you have some sort
of hold over them. By saying "I forgive you", you decree that you are pronouncing
them "free" of your resentment. That isn't forgiveness. That's an ego trip. There
is really nothing to forgive. What we call forgiveness is simply letting go. It is
not placing judgment on other people or yourself. When you are truly conscious you
realize that nothing "bad" or "wrong" happened. You may judge it as "bad"
or "wrong", but from the view of ALL THAT IS what occurred is simply what occurred.
It's over. It's done. It's history. Because we believe something "bad" happened, we
still think of ourselves as being victimized no matter how much we try to forgive.
So we are caught up between two conflicting energies. One is to condemn and blame
and the other is to forgive. This is why we struggle with forgiveness. However, when
we are truly conscious we realize nothing "bad", "negative" or "evil" happened at
all. In fact, what happened didn't happen TO you but FOR you. It happened to help
you to awaken and grow. It was part of your life lesson to bring you to where you
are right now and to allow you to let go of your "story" of victimization. So if
you are stuck in any area of your life, take a look at your unwillingness to forgive
yourself or others and just let it go! Realize there is nothing to forgive. You just
have to release it and move on. Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a
manifestation that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT! No matter how large
or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal. It will only take a few moments
and will AUTOMATICALLY put you in the Flow.
Truly Caring for Your Success!
20 April, 2010
Leadership # 11
Let's do one more concrete example.
>> 'My products are too expensive.
Nobody wants to pay that much.'
Sound familiar? Does this sound like distributor
thinking to you?
Distributors believe that prospects make their
buying decision based on price. Will it be hard to
change their thinking?
Not if we use stories and examples.
So let's imagine that I'm a potential leader, but
my belief that the products are too expensive is
holding me back. You want to change my thinking
from:
'the products are too expensive'
to
'the products are affordable because prospects
really want what they have to offer.'
You take note of my distributor thinking and
attempt to change my thinking not with a lecture,
but with the following story:
'I know you think that the products are too
expensive. You could be right. But I think a lot
of people buy for convenience, quality, comfort,
extra features or prestige. Most people will pay
more for products when they can get this extra
convenience, quality, comfort, extra features or
prestige.'
But I reply:
'No. I don't believe you. Prospects buy because of
price. They want to save money and will buy the
least expensive products they can.'
So you tell me:
'You could be right. Maybe a lot of people go
out and buy the least expensive products. I don't
know. Let's go and find out, okay?'
You take me outside and we stand on the street
corner. You ask me:
'What's the cheapest automobile you can
purchase?'
I think for a minute and say:
'A Maruti 800. That's the least expensive car you can
get. It has four wheels and a steering wheel and
will get you from Point A to Point B.'
And then you say:
'Let's stand on this street corner. Since people
buy on price, I'm sure most people will purchase
the least expensive automobile that they can get -
a Maruti. I bet we'll see a lot of Maruti 800 drive by.
In fact, I think over 50% of the cars that will
pass by us will be Maruti 800.'
As we stand on that street corner, what types of
automobiles pass us by? Well, first there is a
Chevrolet, then a Ford, then a BMW, then a Toyota,
then a Dodge, another Ford, a Cadillac, a Lexus,
another Ford, a Volkswagen . . . and we don't see
a single Yugo!
You turn to me and say:
'Is it possible that people buy automobiles for
prestige, comfort or quality - and not on price? I
haven't seen a single Maruti 800 yet. I don't think
anybody purchases automobiles just based on price.
People want image, comfort, special features, more
speed, or prestige. But, hey - I could be wrong.
Tell you what, let's go to another street corner.
This just could be a bad location.'
We walk to another street corner. What do we see?
We see Nissans, Toyotas, Fords, Chevrolets, BMWs,
Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, and not a single Maruti 800. You
turn to me and say:
'Gee, it doesn't look like anybody purchased an
automobile based on price. Everybody purchased
comfort, color, convenience or prestige. Let's go
to another corner and look at some more
automobiles.'
I say:
'No, no, no - I get the point.'
Again, you've changed my thinking. No longer do I
believe that prospects purchase solely on price.
And did my thinking change from distributor
thinking all the way to leadership thinking with
this one story or real life adventure?
No. That would be too easy, wouldn't it? But you
have changed my thinking at least a little bit.
You'll have to tell me more stories or examples
over the next few weeks to gradually get my
thinking all the way to leadership thinking.
In Lesson 12 I'll give you another story (the
Pizza Story) to change your thinking about price.
Then we'll be finishing the third big step in
developing leaders: 'Changing how they think.'
>> 'My products are too expensive.
Nobody wants to pay that much.'
Sound familiar? Does this sound like distributor
thinking to you?
Distributors believe that prospects make their
buying decision based on price. Will it be hard to
change their thinking?
Not if we use stories and examples.
So let's imagine that I'm a potential leader, but
my belief that the products are too expensive is
holding me back. You want to change my thinking
from:
'the products are too expensive'
to
'the products are affordable because prospects
really want what they have to offer.'
You take note of my distributor thinking and
attempt to change my thinking not with a lecture,
but with the following story:
'I know you think that the products are too
expensive. You could be right. But I think a lot
of people buy for convenience, quality, comfort,
extra features or prestige. Most people will pay
more for products when they can get this extra
convenience, quality, comfort, extra features or
prestige.'
But I reply:
'No. I don't believe you. Prospects buy because of
price. They want to save money and will buy the
least expensive products they can.'
So you tell me:
'You could be right. Maybe a lot of people go
out and buy the least expensive products. I don't
know. Let's go and find out, okay?'
You take me outside and we stand on the street
corner. You ask me:
'What's the cheapest automobile you can
purchase?'
I think for a minute and say:
'A Maruti 800. That's the least expensive car you can
get. It has four wheels and a steering wheel and
will get you from Point A to Point B.'
And then you say:
'Let's stand on this street corner. Since people
buy on price, I'm sure most people will purchase
the least expensive automobile that they can get -
a Maruti. I bet we'll see a lot of Maruti 800 drive by.
In fact, I think over 50% of the cars that will
pass by us will be Maruti 800.'
As we stand on that street corner, what types of
automobiles pass us by? Well, first there is a
Chevrolet, then a Ford, then a BMW, then a Toyota,
then a Dodge, another Ford, a Cadillac, a Lexus,
another Ford, a Volkswagen . . . and we don't see
a single Yugo!
You turn to me and say:
'Is it possible that people buy automobiles for
prestige, comfort or quality - and not on price? I
haven't seen a single Maruti 800 yet. I don't think
anybody purchases automobiles just based on price.
People want image, comfort, special features, more
speed, or prestige. But, hey - I could be wrong.
Tell you what, let's go to another street corner.
This just could be a bad location.'
We walk to another street corner. What do we see?
We see Nissans, Toyotas, Fords, Chevrolets, BMWs,
Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, and not a single Maruti 800. You
turn to me and say:
'Gee, it doesn't look like anybody purchased an
automobile based on price. Everybody purchased
comfort, color, convenience or prestige. Let's go
to another corner and look at some more
automobiles.'
I say:
'No, no, no - I get the point.'
Again, you've changed my thinking. No longer do I
believe that prospects purchase solely on price.
And did my thinking change from distributor
thinking all the way to leadership thinking with
this one story or real life adventure?
No. That would be too easy, wouldn't it? But you
have changed my thinking at least a little bit.
You'll have to tell me more stories or examples
over the next few weeks to gradually get my
thinking all the way to leadership thinking.
In Lesson 12 I'll give you another story (the
Pizza Story) to change your thinking about price.
Then we'll be finishing the third big step in
developing leaders: 'Changing how they think.'
06 March, 2010
Leadership # 10
How about another problem?
Let's go through another concrete example of
exactly how to use this method.
Let's say that my sponsor lives too far away. I
can't become successful because my sponsor doesn't
come to help me. How are we going to move my
thinking from distributor thinking to leadership
thinking?
Here's a story you could tell me.
You: Tom, I know you think that you can't become
successful because I live too far away. I can't
help you do local meetings and I can't come to
Houston to help you do two-on-one presentations.
However, let's imagine that you're taking a flight
home to Delhi . There is another passenger
sitting next to you on the airplane. Your casual
conversation goes like this:
Tom: Hey, what do you do for a living?
Passenger: I am the president of a local
entrepreneurs' club. We have 10,000 members and
they're all entrepreneurs. We meet in the evenings
because we all have regular jobs, but our club is
looking for a part-time business to get into.
Tom: Oh really? What kind of business?
Passenger: Well, we don't want to have stores
because that would be boring. We'd be tied down to
one location.
We're outgoing people and we're interested in
sales and marketing. We enjoy meeting, networking,
and working with other people. We don't have a lot
of money to invest - maybe only a couple thousand
dollars each.
But we're willing to work as hard as we can to
build successful businesses.
But you know what? I haven't been able to find any
part-time business for our members yet. And if I
don't find something pretty soon, they're going to
throw me out of office. I'm pretty worried.
You: So what are you thinking, Tom? You're
thinking, 'Oh, man, I've hit the mother lode! My
business opportunity is going to be perfect for
them. She's going to thank me.' And then Tom, you
ask:
Tom: Oh, by the way, where do you live?
Passenger: I live in Goa.
You: And now Tom, you're going to throw up your
hands in despair and say:
Tom: Oh no! That's too bad. I could never sponsor
you because I wouldn't be local.
At that point, I change my thinking. I understand
that if I keep believing that the sponsor must
live locally, I'd pass by many great
opportunities. In fact, if I keep that distributor
thinking, that would mean that I could never
sponsor someone more than ten miles away from my
house!
After you tell me that story, will my thinking
move from distributor thinking to leadership
thinking? Maybe not all the way, but I'm getting
closer, right?
Let's go through another concrete example of
exactly how to use this method.
Let's say that my sponsor lives too far away. I
can't become successful because my sponsor doesn't
come to help me. How are we going to move my
thinking from distributor thinking to leadership
thinking?
Here's a story you could tell me.
You: Tom, I know you think that you can't become
successful because I live too far away. I can't
help you do local meetings and I can't come to
Houston to help you do two-on-one presentations.
However, let's imagine that you're taking a flight
home to Delhi . There is another passenger
sitting next to you on the airplane. Your casual
conversation goes like this:
Tom: Hey, what do you do for a living?
Passenger: I am the president of a local
entrepreneurs' club. We have 10,000 members and
they're all entrepreneurs. We meet in the evenings
because we all have regular jobs, but our club is
looking for a part-time business to get into.
Tom: Oh really? What kind of business?
Passenger: Well, we don't want to have stores
because that would be boring. We'd be tied down to
one location.
We're outgoing people and we're interested in
sales and marketing. We enjoy meeting, networking,
and working with other people. We don't have a lot
of money to invest - maybe only a couple thousand
dollars each.
But we're willing to work as hard as we can to
build successful businesses.
But you know what? I haven't been able to find any
part-time business for our members yet. And if I
don't find something pretty soon, they're going to
throw me out of office. I'm pretty worried.
You: So what are you thinking, Tom? You're
thinking, 'Oh, man, I've hit the mother lode! My
business opportunity is going to be perfect for
them. She's going to thank me.' And then Tom, you
ask:
Tom: Oh, by the way, where do you live?
Passenger: I live in Goa.
You: And now Tom, you're going to throw up your
hands in despair and say:
Tom: Oh no! That's too bad. I could never sponsor
you because I wouldn't be local.
At that point, I change my thinking. I understand
that if I keep believing that the sponsor must
live locally, I'd pass by many great
opportunities. In fact, if I keep that distributor
thinking, that would mean that I could never
sponsor someone more than ten miles away from my
house!
After you tell me that story, will my thinking
move from distributor thinking to leadership
thinking? Maybe not all the way, but I'm getting
closer, right?
02 February, 2010
Leadership # 9
Everyone has problems.
Leaders and distributors face the same problems
every day. Leaders don't become leaders because of
a lack of problems. They become leaders because of
how they think and handle problems.
>> Leadership thinking.
How would a leader think when confronted with the
exact same backorder situation? A leader might
think:
'Whoa, the product's backordered. These products
are so much in demand that even if my customers
give me money, they still can't get the product.
It's so exclusive and selling so well, the company
can't keep the products in stock. My new customer
is going to be so impressed, he'll probably order
two or three times more product to make sure he
can get some. That means two or three times more
product volume for me, and two or three times the
bonus check. Wow! I hope they bring on some more
backorders - yes!'
Would you characterize this as leadership thinking
or as distributor thinking?
It's obvious - this is leadership thinking and you
would get leadership results because of this
thinking.
>> Here is what distributors don't know.
It doesn't cost anything to change your thinking.
Most distributors think:
'Well, I'm stuck with one kind of thinking.
There's no way that I can change it. This is the
only way to look at situations.'
This 'I can't change my thinking' viewpoint comes
from years of conditioning from parents, teachers,
friends, and employers. But this viewpoint isn't
true.
Of course, we can all change our thinking - if we
want to. But how do you convince your potential
leader that he can change his thinking?
>> With a story.
Stories are the best way to change people's
thinking. They are easy to remember, and your
potential leader can see himself in the story. He
can identify with the story.
To help your potential leader see that changing
one's thinking is possible, try sharing a story
similar to this:
Imagine that you're driving along one day and a
green Mustang automobile almost forces you off the
road. The driver appears to be a young teenager
and he is obviously speeding. How do you feel?
What do you think about the driver?
If your potential leader answers honestly, he'll
say:
'I don't like that teenager. He's reckless and I
almost had an accident. Someone should report him
to the police and have him arrested.'
Later that day you get a call from the hospital.
It's from your son. Your son says, 'Hi. Just
wanted to let you know that the doctors said that
I'm going to be okay. I fell off my bike and
suffered a serious cut. I could have bled to death,
but fortunately a teenager in a green Mustang was
driving by. He picked me up and raced me to the
hospital just in time.'
Now, ask your potential leader this:
'What do you think about that teenage driver now?'
If your potential leader answers honestly, he'll
say:
'You're right. I did change my thinking, and it
didn't cost me anything. The situation was the
same. And you know what? I could have chosen to
change my thinking about that teenage driver even
if I didn't get that additional information.
You're right. I can change my thinking any time I
choose.'
Now that your potential leader understands that he
can change his thinking, you'll want to teach him
this.
Point out that there are two ways of thinking -
leadership thinking and distributor thinking. If
you think like a leader you'll get leader results
and if you think like a distributor, you'll get
distributor results.
Then give your potential leader a big dose of
personal responsibility. Tell him:
'I'm not going to change your thinking. That's up
to you. If you want distributor results, think
like a distributor. If you want leadership
results, think like a leader. It's strictly up to
you which results you want. Pick the results you
want in your life, and then you'll know which type
of thinking to choose.'
This is a big step -- but this is the only way you
effectively build a leader. Because if you don't
do this, you're going to spend a lifetime fixing
all their problems, answering all their questions,
holding their hands, and trying to re-motivate
them after every challenge.
>> Okay, okay. So what exactly will I teach them?
Let's make this concrete here.
First, write down all the everyday problems you
encounter in your business.
Second, for each problem, write down what would
represent leadership thinking and what would
represent distributor thinking.
And third, write down any appropriate stories that
you could tell your potential leader to help him
change his thinking from distributor thinking to
leadership thinking.
That's it. That's what you're going to have to
teach them.
Let's write down some common problems and how
we'll teach our potential leader to change his
thinking.
Write quickly, because . . .
I will be sending you Lesson #10 in a few days.
Leaders and distributors face the same problems
every day. Leaders don't become leaders because of
a lack of problems. They become leaders because of
how they think and handle problems.
>> Leadership thinking.
How would a leader think when confronted with the
exact same backorder situation? A leader might
think:
'Whoa, the product's backordered. These products
are so much in demand that even if my customers
give me money, they still can't get the product.
It's so exclusive and selling so well, the company
can't keep the products in stock. My new customer
is going to be so impressed, he'll probably order
two or three times more product to make sure he
can get some. That means two or three times more
product volume for me, and two or three times the
bonus check. Wow! I hope they bring on some more
backorders - yes!'
Would you characterize this as leadership thinking
or as distributor thinking?
It's obvious - this is leadership thinking and you
would get leadership results because of this
thinking.
>> Here is what distributors don't know.
It doesn't cost anything to change your thinking.
Most distributors think:
'Well, I'm stuck with one kind of thinking.
There's no way that I can change it. This is the
only way to look at situations.'
This 'I can't change my thinking' viewpoint comes
from years of conditioning from parents, teachers,
friends, and employers. But this viewpoint isn't
true.
Of course, we can all change our thinking - if we
want to. But how do you convince your potential
leader that he can change his thinking?
>> With a story.
Stories are the best way to change people's
thinking. They are easy to remember, and your
potential leader can see himself in the story. He
can identify with the story.
To help your potential leader see that changing
one's thinking is possible, try sharing a story
similar to this:
Imagine that you're driving along one day and a
green Mustang automobile almost forces you off the
road. The driver appears to be a young teenager
and he is obviously speeding. How do you feel?
What do you think about the driver?
If your potential leader answers honestly, he'll
say:
'I don't like that teenager. He's reckless and I
almost had an accident. Someone should report him
to the police and have him arrested.'
Later that day you get a call from the hospital.
It's from your son. Your son says, 'Hi. Just
wanted to let you know that the doctors said that
I'm going to be okay. I fell off my bike and
suffered a serious cut. I could have bled to death,
but fortunately a teenager in a green Mustang was
driving by. He picked me up and raced me to the
hospital just in time.'
Now, ask your potential leader this:
'What do you think about that teenage driver now?'
If your potential leader answers honestly, he'll
say:
'You're right. I did change my thinking, and it
didn't cost me anything. The situation was the
same. And you know what? I could have chosen to
change my thinking about that teenage driver even
if I didn't get that additional information.
You're right. I can change my thinking any time I
choose.'
Now that your potential leader understands that he
can change his thinking, you'll want to teach him
this.
Point out that there are two ways of thinking -
leadership thinking and distributor thinking. If
you think like a leader you'll get leader results
and if you think like a distributor, you'll get
distributor results.
Then give your potential leader a big dose of
personal responsibility. Tell him:
'I'm not going to change your thinking. That's up
to you. If you want distributor results, think
like a distributor. If you want leadership
results, think like a leader. It's strictly up to
you which results you want. Pick the results you
want in your life, and then you'll know which type
of thinking to choose.'
This is a big step -- but this is the only way you
effectively build a leader. Because if you don't
do this, you're going to spend a lifetime fixing
all their problems, answering all their questions,
holding their hands, and trying to re-motivate
them after every challenge.
>> Okay, okay. So what exactly will I teach them?
Let's make this concrete here.
First, write down all the everyday problems you
encounter in your business.
Second, for each problem, write down what would
represent leadership thinking and what would
represent distributor thinking.
And third, write down any appropriate stories that
you could tell your potential leader to help him
change his thinking from distributor thinking to
leadership thinking.
That's it. That's what you're going to have to
teach them.
Let's write down some common problems and how
we'll teach our potential leader to change his
thinking.
Write quickly, because . . .
I will be sending you Lesson #10 in a few days.
06 January, 2010
Leadership # 8
I bet you have been thinking about what to teach
your potential leaders, haven't you?
>> Could we be teaching the wrong things?
In order to know what to teach distributors to
build them into leaders . . . we first must
identify the true difference between leaders and
distributors.
What is the difference?
* Are leaders taller?
* More handsome or more beautiful?
* Live in better neighborhoods?
* Drive different types of cars?
* Memorize presentations more accurately?
* Have outgoing personalities only?
* Self-starters?
* More focused and driven?
>> Here is the real difference.
The only difference between leaders and
distributors is how they think. In every situation
or problem, a leader will think differently than a
distributor.
Aha! So if we can train our distributor to think
differently when problems, challenges, or
situations arise . . . then we'll have a fully
trained leader. Great!
How are we going to do this?
We will make a list of problems, challenges, and
situations and write down:
1. How a distributor would think, and
2. How a leader would think.
Once we've completed our list, we'll start training
our potential leader, the person who passed the
eadership test from last issue.
When a problem, challenge, or situation arises,
we'll take our potential leader aside and say:
'There are two ways to think about this - as a
leader and as a distributor. Let me show you the
difference.'
Then we'll methodically explain the difference
between the two ways of thinking. A potential
leader can't learn what he doesn't know. We must
give him the knowledge so he can learn this new
type of thinking.
If we don't do this, your potential leader will
never develop, will flounder aimlessly, and will
attempt to learn and memorize all kinds of nice
information that won't help him to become a
leader. Your potential leader will become
frustrated!
Here's what happened to me. Back in 2003, I'd been
in the business a couple of years and desperately
wanted to be a leader. A famous leader with our
company came to town and said:
'I'm going to show all of you how to become
leaders.'
Now, I'm excited. So there I'm sitting in the
front row - well, actually I'm in the second row
because I don't want to be called on or
volunteered for anything.
The famous leader tells our group this:
'If you want to be a leader, be more positive.'
I'm sitting there thinking:
'Could you be a little more specific? That doesn't
help me at all. There's nothing tangible that I
can grasp. I've been trained to be a good employee
all my life. My teachers told me to get a good
job. My employer says to work hard and I can get
promoted to a better job. I think like an employee
and you have to tell me exactly what to do.'
I left that meeting pretty frustrated. I didn't
get the knowledge and information I needed to
change. The worse part was that I didn't know what
to change in order to become a leader.
>> Do your potential leaders suffer the same
frustration?
If they do, let's solve their frustration and
teach them exactly how and what to think in every
problem, challenge, or situation.
The best way to show you how this works is to
give you some practical, everyday examples that
you can use right away. Let's get started.
Imagine that you sell a product. You go next door
and sell some product to your neighbor. You come
back home, order the product from the home office
and . . . it's on backorder!
If this happened to you, what would you think?
Would you think:
'This is terrible! I took my neighbor's money and
didn't deliver his products. He is really going to
be mad at me. And then he'll tell everyone in the
neighborhood that I am dishonest. My reputation
will be ruined. I'll never be able to show my face
again. Everyone in the neighborhood is going to
laugh at me. My company can't even keep the
products in stock. That's a simple job. If the
company can't even keep products in stock, well,
they probably won't be able to pay bonus checks.
They probably can't even hire and fire employees
properly. In fact, I bet they don't even have
employees - just a bunch of answering machines.
The company is going to collapse. And Western
civilization as we know it will collapse! This is
terrible - I quit!'
>> Would you characterize this as leadership
thinking or as distributor thinking?
It's obvious - this is distributor thinking and
you would get distributor results because of this
thinking.
So just what would a leader think about this?
your potential leaders, haven't you?
>> Could we be teaching the wrong things?
In order to know what to teach distributors to
build them into leaders . . . we first must
identify the true difference between leaders and
distributors.
What is the difference?
* Are leaders taller?
* More handsome or more beautiful?
* Live in better neighborhoods?
* Drive different types of cars?
* Memorize presentations more accurately?
* Have outgoing personalities only?
* Self-starters?
* More focused and driven?
>> Here is the real difference.
The only difference between leaders and
distributors is how they think. In every situation
or problem, a leader will think differently than a
distributor.
Aha! So if we can train our distributor to think
differently when problems, challenges, or
situations arise . . . then we'll have a fully
trained leader. Great!
How are we going to do this?
We will make a list of problems, challenges, and
situations and write down:
1. How a distributor would think, and
2. How a leader would think.
Once we've completed our list, we'll start training
our potential leader, the person who passed the
eadership test from last issue.
When a problem, challenge, or situation arises,
we'll take our potential leader aside and say:
'There are two ways to think about this - as a
leader and as a distributor. Let me show you the
difference.'
Then we'll methodically explain the difference
between the two ways of thinking. A potential
leader can't learn what he doesn't know. We must
give him the knowledge so he can learn this new
type of thinking.
If we don't do this, your potential leader will
never develop, will flounder aimlessly, and will
attempt to learn and memorize all kinds of nice
information that won't help him to become a
leader. Your potential leader will become
frustrated!
Here's what happened to me. Back in 2003, I'd been
in the business a couple of years and desperately
wanted to be a leader. A famous leader with our
company came to town and said:
'I'm going to show all of you how to become
leaders.'
Now, I'm excited. So there I'm sitting in the
front row - well, actually I'm in the second row
because I don't want to be called on or
volunteered for anything.
The famous leader tells our group this:
'If you want to be a leader, be more positive.'
I'm sitting there thinking:
'Could you be a little more specific? That doesn't
help me at all. There's nothing tangible that I
can grasp. I've been trained to be a good employee
all my life. My teachers told me to get a good
job. My employer says to work hard and I can get
promoted to a better job. I think like an employee
and you have to tell me exactly what to do.'
I left that meeting pretty frustrated. I didn't
get the knowledge and information I needed to
change. The worse part was that I didn't know what
to change in order to become a leader.
>> Do your potential leaders suffer the same
frustration?
If they do, let's solve their frustration and
teach them exactly how and what to think in every
problem, challenge, or situation.
The best way to show you how this works is to
give you some practical, everyday examples that
you can use right away. Let's get started.
Imagine that you sell a product. You go next door
and sell some product to your neighbor. You come
back home, order the product from the home office
and . . . it's on backorder!
If this happened to you, what would you think?
Would you think:
'This is terrible! I took my neighbor's money and
didn't deliver his products. He is really going to
be mad at me. And then he'll tell everyone in the
neighborhood that I am dishonest. My reputation
will be ruined. I'll never be able to show my face
again. Everyone in the neighborhood is going to
laugh at me. My company can't even keep the
products in stock. That's a simple job. If the
company can't even keep products in stock, well,
they probably won't be able to pay bonus checks.
They probably can't even hire and fire employees
properly. In fact, I bet they don't even have
employees - just a bunch of answering machines.
The company is going to collapse. And Western
civilization as we know it will collapse! This is
terrible - I quit!'
>> Would you characterize this as leadership
thinking or as distributor thinking?
It's obvious - this is distributor thinking and
you would get distributor results because of this
thinking.
So just what would a leader think about this?
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