Forgiveness: Letting Yourself Out of Prison

                                     

I noticed the scowl on the face of a Vietnamese engineer as I taught about the impact of hardened anger and of the need to forgive. I was sure he wasn't the only one in this room of managers who felt the emotions his face seemed to reflect. After all, the company was about to go through downsizing, and many were unhappy with the edicts that had been handed down from Corporate.

He never spoke up in the group that day, though others were quite verbal. It wasn't until we sat together on the long ride back from the remote retreat location that I learned what he had been thinking.

"I heard what you said today about how grudges make you sick in your heart and body. But I can never forgive the Communists. They don't deserve to be forgiven."

"Tell me more about it," I invited.

"I had dreams," he said. "I left Viet Nam in 1982 in little 30-foot fishing boat with 60 people on board. We landed on Malaysian soil after four scary days and nights at sea. One year later I considered myself and my family very lucky to have been admitted to the U.S. under political asylum status. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You see, the horrible images of the past eight years keep coming back to me. All of my dreams would not have been just dreams if the Communists didn't invade my country.

"What kind of crime did I committed anyway? Were it a crime to be born in a religious family? Were it a crime to attend an American college? Were it a crime to work for a living?

"Unfortunately, it were from the Communist perspective. Religion were considered a tranquilizer to the People's Movement. Educated in American school was enough to qualify me as a traitor to the "people." Working with government-owned Air Viet Nam meant collaborating with the enemy.

"I had such a hard time trying to convince the political officer that I attended an American engineering college because I won a scholarship to have free schooling. I worked for Air Viet Nam just to make a living like anybody else does. I was a Buddhist because I was born in a family that believed in Buddhism for generations. The more I reasoned, the more I appeared not wishing to cooperate with the new government. It was not a surprise to see myself in the "re-education camp" (prison) shortly.

"Four years in re-education camp seemed decades. Days after days, I built the hatred in myself, I hate the Communists so much. They came and took away our future, our hope, our country's prosperity. I look at the guards like looking at monsters. No human would act the way they act... abusing people, treating people like animals, laughing on people's suffering. They tried to weaken our body by hard labor and undernourishing in order to control our mind.

"Out of 1200 prisoners in the camp, four hundred died in one year, average more than one a day.

"After 15 years, the hatred are still boiling insides myself as much as the time I was in the camp. All the years living in the U.S., I never touch a book on Communism. I refused to watch movie about Viet Nam. When I talk to someone who says one word that seems like favoring Communism, I walk away. My wife has begs me to go with her to visit family back in Viet Nam, but I cannot set foot there because of what happened."

This man's experiences are very different from ours...or are they? The setting is different, but the essential elements are the same.

1. LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL.

He was literally in a prison. We can feel that way when "life" or certain people create negative experiences for us against our will.

2. UNDESERVED PUNISHMENT.

This man did not commit a crime, yet he received four years of cruel punishment. Some of the hardest things to forgive are those that are totally undeserved, things we did not directly bring on ourselves by our own choices.

3. LOSS OF THINGS WE VALUE.

The psychological losses were the ones that fueled this man's anger the most - the loss of freedom, the stealing of dreams, the horror of witnessing harm to others. It is also these deeper losses that haunt us. They often convince us that our lives have been snatched from us - and that someone needs to be punished for that.

4. DIFFICULTY LETTING GO.

My friend was still living in the prison from which he had been physically released years before. Are you?

WHAT THOUGHTS KEEP YOU HELD CAPTIVE?

Your thought habits exert a powerful influence on your emotions and behavior. Let's examine some of the "cognitive culprits" - myths that can paralyze you, embitter you, and keep you from moving forward in your life.

1. If I forgive, I'll be letting the person get off scot free.

Truth is, the other person is probably not the one held most captive by this. It's you!

You were already injured. You already had important things stolen from you.

Why perpetuate the harm by keeping yourself trapped in the never-ending reliving of the horror?

Forgive to free YOURSELF!

2. If I forgive, I'll be saying that what happened doesn't really matter.

No way. It DID and DOES matter. What happened was very, very wrong. Choosing to forgive does not make any statement to the contrary.

3. If I forgive, he/she will have won.

When you allow yourself to have an unforgiving spirit, you are always the real loser. The collateral losses continue, as the bitterness causes you to become a less effective worker, spouse or partner, parent, and/or friend.

You couldn't help what happened to you originally. You didn't cause the first losses. However, if you harbor the anger and revenge, you will create more losses than the perpetrator could inflict. It's your choice about whether to continue to inflict pain on yourself.

4. If I forgive, I'll be more vulnerable to harm in the future.

Forgiveness will not prevent your learning the lessons that are essential in your future. What has happened will make you more cautious, true enough.

Yes, your rights were violated. However, the reality is, some of the things we presume are rights are really privileges. Another fact is, some of the assumptions we have about, "This will never happen to me," are unfounded. No one is immune..not even "good people."

The difficult realization is, this world may not be as safe as you had previously assumed. However, with that loss of innocence comes a more mature realization that, though there is danger in relationships, in work situations, and in all of life, you can make the choices that make safer choices without becoming paranoid.

If you free yourself from the bitterness that can distort your thinking, perceptions, and reactions...you'll be able to see the world more clearly. Without the irrationality that accompanies hatred and bitterness, you'll become a wiser person.

I had planned to get to the "how-to" part in this article, but because of the foundation we needed to lay, that essential information will have to wait til the next Magnetizer. See you then!

Dr. Bev Smallwood is a psychologist who has worked with organizations across the globe for over 20 years. Her high-energy, high-content, high-involvement Magnetic Workplaces (r) programs provide dozens of practical strategies and skills that can be put to work immediately to:

1. build strong leaders who influence and develop others through serving;
2. energize, motivate, and retain team members;
3. successfully accomplish important organizational transitions; and
4. impress customers and build their loyalty.

Review a complete list of her programs available for your convention or corporate meeting at the website, www.MagneticWorkplaces.com [http://www.MagneticWorkplaces.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/667

Abundance Prosperity Based on Wallace Wattles and Napoleon Hill

                                     

It is arguable that the definition of wealth is the free and unrestricted use of all of the things which may be necessary for you to advance in the direction of your dreams and aspirations thus attaining your fullest mental, spiritual, and physical prosperity.

You have a right to wealth because it is simply a desire for you to have a richer fuller and more abundant life.

We live for the advancement of body, mind and soul and there is no reason to limit our capacities. Many people see wealth as greed. Ironically, poverty can and will frustrate your relationships with the spirit, people, and those you love. Accordingly, giving is one of the highest forms of love.

If you are complacent, stay where you are and don't exercise your talents. However, if you want more out of life, we will give you some keys to prosperity.

The world is plentiful with resources. You do not need: money to start, special talents, or the perfect business location. Many people become rich without any of this.

Become willing to change. There is plenty of opportunity. Creativity, innovation, and abundance will go to the people who embrace life and not reject it. Nature has an inexhaustible source of riches and soul advancement is vital. Moreover, the last 100 years has shown more life improvements that the last 2000 years of civilization.

We will now show you the first secret of life. This key to success can be yours if you simply accept the following statement. Just take it as fact, and the world will begin to move with you.

THOUGHT PRECEEDS FORM

You conceive of your desire, you believe it will happen, and you retrieve and receive your opportunities from the universe. As a rule, man originates thought that becomes plans of the mind. Man can communicate his focused thought and mental images throughout the universe.

Your mind is the center of being. The presence of the universal spirit can be allowed into your mind, and your thoughts mixed with a thankful heart directed toward your inner presence can project into the world. These ideas will send off into the world like a letter of request. If practiced, the desires you have will be met. Do not focus on or speak of failure or poverty. Your truth is health, riches, success, and happiness.

The universe wants you to have all that your need. Your motives should include helping your self and others and not hurt other people. Your motives should not be colored in greed, ego, pride, lust, competition, hate, resentment, arrogance. Your desires must be propelled by love, gratitude, faith, confidence, mental focus, truth, acceptance, creativity, positive expectation, clear planning, & giving more love and value than you take.

TO BEGIN YOUR PROCESS OF PROSPERITY

Brainstorm and clarify in you mind exactly what you want and how you will achieve it. Hold the picture of the moment you have completed the achievement with positive certainty. Claim it as yours, claim the picture of success as "FACT". Keep your mind conscious of the universal presence by being grateful. If you can not be grateful, begin to think of your ability to walk, talk, see, hear, travel, speak, etc. The simplest of freedoms are easily overlooked. People will soon not recognize your new outlook and serenity. Remember, that you must exercise this mental picturing and thankfulness every day for at least a month. After a month, you will not believe the difference in your attitude.

Do not be scared or ashamed to ask for more than you need. Poverty and self sacrifice are not pleasing to anyone. We believe that there is a universal spirit of which unlimited abundance flows. We make the profound connection to the spirit by developing a strong feeling of thankfulness for the gifts we receive. Can you have happiness with a bitter heart? Can you have real faith when you are ungrateful? If so, good luck. If you want to feel that all is possible, then keep reading.

Remember times when you got what you wanted and became arrogant. After you got what you wanted or got out of a jam, you abandoned your connection to spirit. When good things happen to you is the EXACT time that you should practice having a grateful heart to continue the flow of riches. Gratitude dispels doubt, keeps you connected, and prevents dissatisfaction. Continue to fix your attention on health, love, success, and good fortune. Your faith will be renewed; it may not happen over night, but soon after using this simple 5 minute a day practice, you WILL see and feel results.

If you have trouble with certain negative triggers, then eliminate them or avoid them for a while. You are working on yourself, and it is OK to take care of your well-being first which will please all around you. This is putting your health first i.e. your spiritual health.

Your desires and mental blueprint should be very specific. For example, you may write out on a piece of paper a personal agreement to yourself:

I, John Doe, Jr., will have a million dollar business 4 years from today. I will sell creative WIDGETS. I will give the best service and value to my clients. My products and services have outstanding benefits to my customers. I will do all of these things, work hard, and be persistent. I will not give up. People will be glad to pay me for my services because they benefit the customer. I will gladly accept payment and do what is needed to receive the funds.

July 1st, 2006

John Doe, Jr.

SIGNATURE

Spend each day contemplating the million dollar business. Form a joyful mental image of you being paid in full ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE BUSINESS at that very moment of completing the transaction.

You must engage life to secure each days small successes with faith and action. After mentally picturing your vision and reading your personal agreement, complete the process with the words "THANK YOU FOR THE BLESSING AND THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING ME" This will send it into the universe like a request that must be granted.

You need only use your willingness on yourself and not upon others. You can use willingness to force yourself to think about your dreams. Every thought of doubt or poverty is a waste. Your creative ideas WILL be a success when you have a strong desire that your are willing to go the distance to fulfill.

Do not tell the same old people of your plans. If you tell enough bitter people about your idea, their collective doubt may doom your dreams. Surround yourself with insightful professionals. Do not share about you difficulties or failures (unless in a secure group). Interest yourself in becoming rich in life! Focus on optimistic conversation.

As for your plans, make lists of things to do and begin doing them one by one with faith and action. It may take a year to complete, but we must begin somewhere. Do each days work efficiently without haste. Do it right the first time, and you need not fix it later.

Don't force anything. The creative energies will unfold the correct result for you. You merely need to organize your affairs so that you may receive the success. Overall, action sprinkled with faith is the recipe for success. In sum, put the faith, vision, and purpose behind your every action to accelerate your reaching abundance.

FIND OUT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO AND BE!

Write out a list of 20 careers of interest. Keep adding or subtracting from the list. Over time, you will have a few things left because the supreme power will guide you to your talents. The list over time will become more specific such as: to become the best sports writer. It doesn't matter how you start, just begin. Remember, something you enjoy and are good at doing combined with desire to become the best in this field will guarantee that you become what you love.

Without boast, you must impress on others that you are advancing all that come in contact with you. Speak of your life and business as getting better each day. Act and feel as you are already rich in life. Incorporate humility mixed with poise, faith, confidence, and self-esteem. Only speak when necessary, but your strong character and faithful confidence will attract the best people into your life.

If you can't leave your job, then do what you can in the evenings or weekends toward your dream. Use your job skillfully to move in the direction that you want. Your contacts at work may lead to a better job. You must be able to clarify your dream to others. You must be able to ask for and receive what you want out of life. Your plans and requests are traditionally answered by the universal power in the form of another person being available to assist you. Be READY to tell them what you need, and do not be ashamed to ask for a fair deal!

In conclusion, times are only as good as your perception. Just when you think you are failing is the exact time to continue your gratitude, focusing on your goals, and ACTION! During your moments of doubt is when the best is ready to unfold. Even if the result isn't exactly as you want, something better is very close, and you have only been protected until something better comes along.

Kindest Regards, George

George Mentz, JD, MBA, CEC is a full time faculty member of Loyola College of Business Administration. George is also the CEO of www.icecc.com which is a worldwide organization for ebusiness professionals.

megaabundance@yahoo.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/29738

Don't Mistake Activity For Achievement

                                     

I remember watching an NBA Basketball Game on t.v one night. The Miami Heat were playing the New Orleans Hornets. Miami was all over them yet when you looked at the score New Orleans kept pulling ahead.

Bill Walton made the comment "Don't mistake activity for achievement." I'll always remember that. Just because Miami was playing hard didn't mean they were playing smart.

This can apply to our everyday lives and more directly to our internet marketing careers. As we all work hard to make money online and make money at home you should ask yourself this question everyday, "Is what I'm doing right now going to help me make move my business forward?"

I am as guilty of this as anyone. I check my email over and over clicking on the send/receive button looking for new messages that say something like "Congratulations You Have Made Another Sale."

It is so easy to constantly log into a program and check my stats over and over. What's the point? If they do change it isn't enough to even merit the time it takes to do it over and over.

How about this one. Reading posts in forums until your eyes are blurry. That's o.k if you are involved and making some posts as well. You might as well get your link out there and posting is a great way to learn something as well as do that. But you have to post once in awhile too.

Here's the key to getting yourself past the activity mode and into the achievement mode.

Write down 5 specific things you want to accomplish everyday to help you make money on the internet. Here is an example of this.

1. Make 5 new posts in forums
2. Trade links with 5 quality websites
3. Submit my article to 5 article websites
4. Place my ad in 5 free classified sites
5. Call 5 of my home business prospects

Now what is the key to these 5 things on my list? Well for starters they are written down. Next it is an advertising and marketing driven list.

If you aren't spending 80-90% of your time on advertising and marketing your home business then you have no right to complain when you aren't making any money. It is that simple.

You have to write down action items for the day and the majority of those action items have to be doing something to advertise and market your business.

Every one of us has different amounts of time we can spend everyday working to make money online. It isn't how much time you spend, but how you spend it that will determine your long term success.

"Don't Mistake Activity For Achievement."

Jeff Schuman © 2004

http://www.Team-Schuman.com

Jeff Schuman is a 20 year veteran of sales and marketing and has made over $35 million dollars in sales in that time. His Team-Schuman.Com [http://Team-Schuman.Com] website contains the Top 5 work at home websites, make money fast websites, make money articles, a free classified ad service and more. Vist his website today!

jeff@team-schuman.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/23782

Questions and Affirmations - The Art (and Science) Of Talking To Yourself

                                     

I Hear Voices...

This is not a statement of paranormal; it is a statement of truth. Yes, we all have an inner voice...Is yours an ally or an enemy? Do you realize you say things to yourself you would never let anyone else say to you? Don't let your inner voice tear you down and strip away your confidence.

All outward success first starts with inward success...learn the secret strategies to winning communication with your self.

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"Men ought to know that from the brain and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and sorrows. ...Through it, we think, see, hear and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, the pleasant from the unpleasant...To consciousness, the brain is messenger." -Hippocrates

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Did you know that each day you have more than 50,000 random thoughts flying around in your head? You might find it interesting to note that we all have voices in our head. Sometimes the voice is calm and reassuring providing you with great confidence in your abilities. Other times, this voice is the negative and self limiting voice that calls into question all of your deficiencies. The voice that brings up all of the past failures and shortcomings and reminds you of all of the things you have going against you.

In sports, this voice is the last thing you hear before you take action. In interaction with others, it is sometimes the voice that challenges your worth in relation to others and weakens our own esteem.

Although we are born with this amazing supercomputer, the most complex and incredible instrument known in the universe, it does not come with an owner's manual.

________________________________________

Success principles are not secrets; they are hiding in plain view.

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Famed journalist, Edward R. Murrow remarked, "The obscure we eventually see. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer." They are not reserved for the rich or famous, but to everyone who will apply them. We are inborn by our creator with tools to guide us and protect us and to open the world of abundance to us; if only we will let it.

Like understanding the law of gravity will place you on your bottom if you violate it, principles of success are laws of nature. Every idea you produce consciously produces subconscious activity to fulfill what was first created in your mind.

A farmer choosing what to plant in a field is like the conscious mind. The field itself is the subconscious mind. Whatever the farmer plants, the field grows. The field does not possess a will of its own; it must grow what was planted. It would be ridiculous to think of the farmer planting corn and having beans grow. In the same way your subconscious mind will carry out the actions our conscious mind directs. If the farmer neglects the field and plants nothing, there will still be growth. The growth will be wild and weedy based on whatever was accidentally planted.

Over time the field will be out of control with weeds. In the same way our minds, if not consciously directed, will fill with mental weeds.

There is good news!

The good news is that just like any other skill, you can learn to take greater control of your inner voice and in doing so, create greater control of your life.

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." -William James

________________________________________

Create Your Destiny

with the

Power Of

Questions and Affirmations

________________________________________

The Power of Positive Questions

Most people ask themselves the wrong question which produces a negative subconscious effect. You can learn to program your super computer brain by learning to ask yourself the right questions. The key is to ask yourself solution-based, positive and empowering questions rather than negative, disempowered, problematic questions.

In the past, you may have asked questions like the following. "Why am I so fat?" "Why is my life such a failure?" "Why do bad things always happen to me?" "Why am I so stupid?" These questions and all the ones like it take a terrible toll on you.

First they start with a negative assumption, stated as fact with the question supporting the wrong conclusion. If you ask yourself, "Why is my life in the crapper?" any answer you give provides support to the negative assumption. This can be compared to an attorney taking a witness from the opposing side down the path to prove the lawyer's point.

Next time you find yourself doing this, interrupt yourself with the quip, "Objection your Honor; leading the witness!"

Improving your condition comes through asking yourself better questions. This allows the creative inspiration to work through our subconscious to bring about the conditions or magnetize the conditions we seek.

You not only have the ability, but also all the resources necessary to learn anything you need to learn to fulfill any ambition or achieve any goal you desire. The goal for your questions to yourself in any situation should be outcome or solution based. The assumption is that there is an issue that needs to be fixed. Rather than what was presented above, look at an approach leading to an action conclusion. "What do I need to change about my habits to get to my fitness goal?" "What do I want to do with my life that gives me meaning and satisfaction?" "What do I need to do differently to change this string of results?" "What can I learn and apply from this?" "What is affecting my mood that makes me feel my life is not going the right direction?"

Tony Robbins asserts, "Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential." Probably the single best question you can begin to ask yourself in any situation is, "What outcome do I want from this event/situation?"

You may certainly wish to adapt this slightly, but when you go into a situation, whether it is a business meeting or negotiation or class, knowing your desired outcome is vital. As I began to work on this habit in earnest for myself, I was simply amazed at how many actions I took and how many activities I worked on without asking this clearly up front? I need to research a better mortgage for my house. What is my ideal outcome? Is it lower payments, less interest over time, more house for my money, flexibility? Without knowing the right question, the answers don't help much. What outcome do I desire for my relationship with my spouse and children? Do I know and plan or just let it happen?

We have the power through understanding and training of our subconscious minds to plant the seeds and affirm health, security, happiness, abundance. We also have the opportunity to allow society's programming to plant the seeds of lack, insecurity, fear, doubt, and negativity. I am not speaking about deep hypnosis or anything out of the ordinary.

It takes practice to keep your mind free from worry and insecurity. It takes dedication to constantly feed your mind new information and positive stimuli that will provide positive associations. It takes vigilance to associate with positive people and positive influences. Make sure your questions ask for what you want, not what you don't want.

Remember...your mind is a supercomputer. In addition to the information and educational programming you provide as input to your computer, how you talk to yourself and the questions you ask is the most influential factor in your outcome.

The Simple Power of Affirmations

We need to find a way to control our thoughts to keep them as allies rather than adversaries. In her book, The Secret Door To Success, the late Florence Scovel Shinn talks about having a Watchman at the gate of our thoughts. Her assertion is that we have the power to choose our thoughts. She uses an analogy of a single sheep dog controlling frightened sheep into the pen through gentle determination.

"We cannot always control our thoughts, but we can control our words, and repetition impresses the subconscious, and we are then master of the situation."

Although her book was written in the early 1900s, she hits upon a tool that is one of the best and yet underutilized tool for controlling and programming your thoughts, the power of affirmation.

Affirmation as a mental programming technique is an extremely powerful tool, yet one that is scoffed at by many. Affirmations are tremendously misunderstood and very much underutilized. What you may not realize is that you use them all the time although most time not to your benefit. Affirmations are simply statements of intent. You can develop into all that you desire to be based on what you chose to affirm about yourself.

I Am The Greatest!!

Mohammad Ali is one of the most widely known and recognized sports figures as a former heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Ali is famous for his repeating of an affirmation he used with great effectiveness to convince not only himself, but also his opponents and the rest of the world. "I am the Greatest!" Mohammad Ali's affirmation created his legacy.

Like goals, affirmations work best when they are worded in the present tense as "I am" or "I achieve" type statements. The mind cannot hold a negative. Affirmations are nothing more than affirming the truth as you wish it to be to instruct your subconscious mind to take action in that direction. It is really very simple.

Affirmations help you believe in your dreams and what you wish to be. Belief is essential to convincing your subconscious to act the direction you want to go. Affirmations are like exercise. You will not see immediate results until you create the habit which over time helps you build strength in yourself and in your beliefs. This ultimately affects your actions which affect your results.

An affirmation in some cases might be a lie at present, but you are in a sense trying to convince your subconscious that it can be true to make it a reality in the future.

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"To affirm anything is to state that it is so, and to maintain this as being true in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Repeating an affirmation is leading the mind to that state of consciousness where it accepts that which it wishes to believe."-Ernest Holmes

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Sometimes we inadvertently affirm and reinforce old established beliefs. "I am so stupid." "I'm going to lose this account." "I always flub this shot." "There is no way I can make this deadline." "I gain weight just smelling chocolate." "I need a drink." "I am a horrible golfer." I can't speak in public." "I could never write a book." "I am such a klutz." "I never win." "I'm not smart enough to do that." "I could never do something like that." "I am such an idiot sometimes." "I would lose my head if it were not attached."

Have you ever said things like this to yourself; or worse to others about yourself? Of course you have...we all have done this. This kind of talk while sometimes self effacing and done for positive effect, can actually have negative consequences. If taken to extreme and developed into a habit or pattern of self talk, the message and programming can be damaging. The issue that separates people is their underlying attitudes and beliefs about themselves. How do you respond to setbacks and adversity? Do you take it in stride, or do you take the glum and negative approach of "this always happens to me, I never catch a break, etc."

The other choice is to create and affirm and reinforce our desired positive beliefs. This happens all day long, moment by moment, and takes hold a little at a time. "This is easy." "I only eat when I am hungry." "I feel great when I exercise." "I know I can drop the pounds when I put my mind to it." "What an awesome day!" "I don't run and hide from problems, I attack." "I feel great!" "My life is really working." "I see a lot of opportunities in this situation."

I have one friend who repeats to herself daily an affirmation of, "I feel healthy, I feel happy, I feel terrific!" Every time I see this person, I can tell it is real, applied and working in her life. Another friend of mine, when asked how she is, replies glumly sounding like the always depressed Eyore from Winnie The Pooh, "I'm here."

You make the call which one is progressing faster in their lives. Can you guess which one has more abundant opportunities "luckily" come her way?

The Art (and Science) of Affirmations

When you learn to change and direct your thoughts and your internal communication your life will reflect the change (law of correspondence). Creating affirmations can change your beliefs and change the course of your life. For affirmations and autosuggestion to be effective it needs to have the following six elements. In order to be effective, your positive declarations should embody most or all of the following characteristics:

1. Personal (Usually a statement beginning with I)
2. Positive (The mind cannot hold a picture of a negative)
3. Present Tense (The time is now)
4. Short (Easy to remember and easy apply)
5. Specific (A specific target allows for a specific course of action and most direct route)
6. Emotionally Intense (This is necessary to break through the clutter of the thousands of thoughts and images that you are bombarded with on a daily basis)

The real goal is to imbed this into the subconscious to allow it to do the yeoman's work. The only real obstacle is convincing your subconscious that you are serious and committed and that you truly have a burning desire for what you want. Long-term change will only happen when there is congruency between who you think you are and how you act and behave and the choices that we make.

Affirmations are Catalyst for Success

Positive affirmations mixed with emotional intensity produce amazing results. Music is an amazing mood catalyst. To really get the most out of affirmations and create an incredible Incremental Advantage in their effectiveness in your life, I suggest recording your affirmations to inspiring music.

A good friend of mine challenged me to do just this ten years ago. I purchased an inexpensive karaoke machine, put an upbeat instrumental tape in and recorded all of the affirmations I could create to change behaviors and support my goals.

Unless you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and give this a real opportunity to work in your life, you could never know the simply incredible power and way that this mental programming technique can work in your life. I literally wore my first tape out listening to it, but it created significant leverage and results for me. I know the vast majority reading this will not make the commitment to this habit. It is a shame, but for those of you who do, I promise your results in every area of your life will improve as your internal communication improves. I constantly look for, borrow, adapt and write down affirmations. I cannot claim originality for all of them as they have been collected and changed over the years.

• I turn challenges into opportunities.
• I eliminate debt as dead weight and a YOKE around my neck. I will only be as free as I am free from debt.
• I am a leader and a developer of people!
• I am calm and composed under pressure.
• Stress makes me stonger.
• I utilize my strengths and abilities to benefit everyone I come into contact with.
• I actively pursue excellence in myself and others.
• I get up at 5:00 every morning feeling energized and ready to take on the day.
• I face my fears and conquer them.
• I am empowered by the energy that I feel and that flows through me.
• My daily routines are positive and improving.
• I always increase my value to other people.
• I am flexible and adaptable in every situation. I look for creative alternatives and seek out new ways of accomplishing my goals.
• I have money in savings and a balanced plan for security and income growth.
• I see people, not as they are, but rather for what they can be.
• I am a strong, motivated and extremely dedicated leader.
• I am a great leader and achieve my victories through the victories of those I serve.
• I choose to spend my time with positive and forward thinking life affirming people.
• I am persistent in the pursuit of my goals.
• Solutions and alternative ideas come easy for me.
• I take time each day to play and to enjoy my family.
• I am an excellent role model for others.
• I forget the mistakes of the past and press on to my greatest achievement.

"What a man thinks of himself that is what determines, or rather indicates his fate."

"I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

-Henry David Thoreau

________________________________________

Excerpted from Stack The Logs!

by Frank F. Lunn

for information about "Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams," other valuable success resources or to purchase your copy, please visit www.stackthelogs.com or email tim@kahunaworld.com.

Frank F. Lunn is an expert in leadership, marketing, and small business entrepreneurship. A former military officer and Gulf War veteran, Lunn is the founder of the Kahuna Business Group, a $20 million annual company. Lunn is the author of STACK THE LOGS!: Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams, pledging to donate 10 percent of all sales to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where his son’s life was saved.

tim@kahunaworld.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/29078

When You Attract Negative People, Be Thankful

                                         

Laws of Attraction are clearly defined. What comes back is a reflection of the energy you are radiating. If negative people are being attracted to you, then be self-assured that you are sending out energy that appeared on their radar screen.

Instead of focusing on not trying to attract them. Be thankful you are.

Okay, you say, that might be pushing it a little. Not really. You see, whatever you are attracting is giving you a clear projection of the energy that you are giving off. Or it could be something that you need to heal first in order to clear your energy. Most times, we could not see how we are radiating without this attraction.

The answer is awareness. The key is seeing it quickly so that their negative energy doesn't change or shift your energy and pull you down along with it. However, it's best not to leave until you have a sense of what is showing up. Yet, sometimes, that isn't possible until hindsight mode.

An excellent example of this occurred to me just this week. A quick background in case you don't know me -- I'm very careful of my energy and have practiced the laws. I am also a master practitioner and move with the laws 24/7 which took years to master. Something I'm very proud of and very aware of.

Well, anyway, moving forward to the illustration.

Eating dinner at my favorite restaurant, sitting there writing after a good meal, just finished a marketing story for one of my syndicated columns. Before leaving I thought I would duck into the ladies room. I was sitting on the john -- oops, maybe too much information (TMI) -- when I heard this lady talking to me from the other stall. Actually feeling awkward and caught unaware, it took a few minutes before I could really make out what she was saying. By then, I was walking towards the sink to wash my hands. It wasn't until then did I get the gist of her story, language and negativity. It was a victim story about how the world is out to get her. Let me spare you the details. I know you've heard this before and can easily relate to the energy heaviness created in the room.

I smiled and commented about I enjoy coming to the restaurant. She was too much into her story to hear anything but herself. Yet, she wasn't even hearing herself, I believe. She followed me back to my table and stood over me as I sat down. A few more minutes of this and trying to ignore her and because I was ready to leave anyway, I got up to leave. She walked back to her table and sat. This time I walked to her table and towered over her.

I continued to listen, not getting a word in edge wise for another five minutes or so. I smiled and nodded sideways repeatedly in disagreement. She never paid attention. Finally, I held up my hand in a stop-sign format. This caused a pause. With a deep sigh of thank goodness, I remarked, "I've listened to your story and would like to share with you -- you are attracting exactly what you don't want because that is exactly what you want. Everything that has occurred has been what you have asked for. If you want to change what you are attracting, start by seeing and making new choices. This and only this will change what occurs in your life."

As you suspect, and probably have already experienced yourself, she didn't even hear the message. She continued right back into her story. My immediate and last comment was, "I hope you have a wonderful life and sometime soon learn to see that you're choices are what you are attracting." Not waiting for a response, I quickly turned and left the restaurant.

As I sat in the car, I asked myself, how in the heck did I attract this energy? And in the ladies room of all places? I wasn't radiating anything negative, was I? The answer from the universe arrived immediately. It directed me towards my story that I wrote. When rereading, my attention was drawn to the number of "don'ts" in the article. They were every other sentence it seemed. Then I turned to other articles I had written at earlier in my notebook. The "don'ts" were many. Embarrassingly many.

Tracing my thoughts to when my energy had changed, I realized that it shifted when I started reading other people's ezines that I brought along. I saw it as clearly as the sun rising on this morning's horizon. All the don'ts that people were writing in order to try to sell their products or services. My energy level began to shift with the reading. It continued to spiral into my writing. Their attraction to the negative words moved into my use of negative words. How this and that was hard...finding the target market was hard...and the list went on.

This in turn created me to write in that same tone. My lesson -- be fully aware of what I was reading and its influence on my energy and my writing.

As I look back, I see patterns of where this occurred more than once. And as I continue to trace further, I also remember what I was reading.

If it wasn't for this experience, this negative encounter, I may not have seen this at all. I like to think I would have seen it anyway but in reality, probably not.

Yes, yes, yes. I do wish I had caught it earlier. But let's not go there, huh. That will zap the energy of this story for sure.

The point is, be glad negative people are being attracted to you. Be aware of their appearance. Ask what is radiating from you that attracted them. Be the fly zapper at a picnic and ask why your light was on that attracted the fly. See any patterns and quickly make any adjustments.

Rest assuredly, that when you are no longer radiating negative energy, you will not attract those negative experiences or people. I promise this to you based on experience.

I also always recommend that you share your experience, through writing, speaking engagements, or just with friends and family. There are three people waiting to listen and learn from the valuable lesson.

https://www.facebook.com/catherine.franz

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3184

Transformative Power of Anger

                                     

Remember the last time you were angry. How would your life be different if you could access that energy to inform your actions? Many of us were trained to believe that anger is a negative emotion. It was something to be denied, suppressed, or ignored. We were taught to hide it from others and also from ourselves. It wasn't nice, it wasn't good. Maybe you used the power of anger to justify your expression in the world, regardless of how it affected others. Either extreme has its consequences. Neither one embraces anger powerfully and authentically.

What if it anger held the seed of tremendous power? What if we approached emotions in general as e-motion - energy in motion? What if our bodies, in their immense intelligence, were trying to stir us into awareness and that 'awareness' was information about your passion?

Most of us deal with anger as an effect, instead of examining the cause or the meaningful message that it carries. We're taught to suppress, ignore, hide, or channel it. Sometimes we come up with elaborate coping mechanisms. We've been taught about anger from the perspective of surface information; like the iceberg, you don't have the complete picture. How do we find out what's really going on? How do we get the FULL picture of it?

One of the quickest ways to gain access to this knowing is through your body, it has access to information that you might not be consciously aware of yet. The KNOWING that I speak of is not the intellect. It is an expanded awareness. In this space there's no grasping, no needing, no have to, got to. Everything just IS... it's the dance of energy.

How do you access this awareness? The first step is to suspend disbelief and entertain the following thoughts:

You're not just tiny specks of matter, being tossed in the sea of your emotions. You're actually vast energies of consciousness and creation. Awareness happens in a simple breath and with it comes all that you want to know, do or be. The simple exercise of breathing, relaxing and expanding your energy field will connect you to this space.

Let's further suppose that anger, as well as any other emotion, is - energy in motion. It's our body's innate intelligence telling us that something new is stirring. From this perspective, what if anger is the tip of passion. I mean think about it: Why would you be angry if you didn't care deeply about something or someone?

The major problem that we encounter here is our thoughts and beliefs. These are the energetic boxes that trap us. The good news is that we now exist in a fascinating reality, no one is fully right or wrong. We live in a time where beliefs hold a lot less power over our lives. There is an inborn fluidity to belief systems now; you have the ability to easily adapt and morph into new ways of being. You can choose the perspective that provides an empowering interpretation. You can open up to new ways of perceiving and position yourself to embrace your powerful potential.

Take a moment to think about what angers you most, what gets you really fired up and fuming? Are there any themes, connections or through-lines? Ask yourself, what is really happening here?

If you're angry, you can breathe, relax and expand to go beyond your current vantage point of seeing what it's really all about. You can tune into the greater picture. Most people shrink their energy fields when they get angry. You can choose the path of power and choose to expand and become something more.

What physical or energetic urgings are creating the situation in the first place? What is the bigger picture that it is pointing to? What are you deeply passionate about? Would you say that you are 'living your passion'? Why not, what gets in the way?

Passion is the fuel for your vision. It's the rocket fuel for your dreams. It's what makes things come alive and creates movement. Anger is the film that covers your passion. It's the shadow of it. If your passion is not there it's because you've been constricting your energy field or you may be going through a shift of passion and vision, moving to something completely brand new. Be willing to allow your passion to dance, evolve and grow; allow what WANTS to happen..

The paradigm shift that I urge you to play with is that you are not a small human being with problems to solve but a vast being with incredible contributions to make. You are living consciousness The more you expand, the more present you become. The emotion of anger holds the key to connecting to your passion. Expand, connect and embrace your magnificence. Life yearns to be expressed through you!

Copyright 2005 Adela M Rubio

Adela Rubio is a Joint Venture Strategist who helps coaches and creatives share their message and build their tribe using engaging listbuilding strategies. She is an expert at creating experiential online virtual events that position you to free your Unique Essence, share your Authentic Message and power boost your reach with Joint Ventures. Let Adela teach you how powerful partnerships can be. Download Adela's free audio "Creating Powerful Partnerships" at http://adelarubio.com today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/48605

Successful Change Starts With A Shift In Perspective

                                 

Like so many in corporate America today, Susan needed more balance in her life-but she did not know how to get it. Faced with a 60-hour work week and a lengthy daily commute, Susan was left with little time for outside interests. Her job was literally draining her of energy, and her attitude at work was changing, especially within her business unit. Who is Susan? Susan is a composite of thousands of executives who are pushed to the brink by trying to juggle demands on the job with demands at home. Susan could be you. At work, Susan was accepting extra work and projects and was not able to say "no" to her boss. She became frustrated and drained. 

By accepting everything and not speaking up for herself, Susan became increasingly frustrated and angry. She became more demanding and less flexible with her own team. Her usual encouragement to "think outside the box" was replaced by a controlling "do as I say" attitude. Micromanagement became her style. As a result, her staff appeared less involved in their work. They began to distance themselves from her. On the social front, Susan was also making unhealthy choices-spending time with friends and family that were draining and burdensome and then keeping silent and angry about it. She did not have anybody to talk with about her experiences and frustration, so there was no one who could help her develop the perspective necessary to propel her toward greater personal fulfillment. 

Like so many other executives, Susan believed that if she increased her hours and worked harder, life at work would get better. Are you just like Susan? Do you think that if you become more demanding and micro-manage your employees, the job will get done? Do you think keeping silent makes the problems go away? To anyone who still believes this way, this is your wake up call. It does not work. Change is the answer-change coupled with a shift in perspective. But sustaining meaningful change is never easy. It takes desire, intention, a clear vision, a good plan . . . and commitment. Change also takes time. In our increasingly busy lives we often get overwhelmed with demands on our time. Complacency sets in, and we lose the ability to overcome inertia-the tendency of a body at rest to stay at rest or of a body in motion along a certain path to stay in motion along that path. 

To change, we must create structure that encourages and supports change, and it begins with an all-important shift in perspective. Instead of living in silence and hiding-or being overly controlling in our work relationships-or feeling that we need to leave our job-we can start by considering a more fulfilling alternative. In Susan's case, she looked at what energized her, what she was good at, and what gave her joy. She put limits on the amount of work she was willing to take on and began speaking up to make sure her needs were heard and met. She shifted from being a controlling team leader to one that encouraged risk-taking and "thinking outside the box." The result? Greater group cohesion and less stress for everyone involved. Group members felt less restricted and more empowered. Susan added greater value to her company and the results were visible and rewarded. 

More opportunities-the kind of opportunities Susan wanted-started coming her way. At the same time, Susan developed criteria for what she wanted in her relationships. She evaluated her current relationships and determined which ones needed to be addressed. She began to speak up to make her needs known, and in some cases she ended unfulfilling relationships. As she revised her standards and set limits, she gained more energy to try new activities outside of work-re-awakening areas of interest that she had long ago left behind. Susan's success story can be your success story, too. And it starts with four simple steps. You must . . . 

1. Be clear about your intentions to make a change;

2. Be willing to experiment and to try new strategies to achieve the changes you want;

3. Be willing to learn what works and what does not, and to make adjustments;

4. Not let fear stop you from making these significant changes.

To successfully change-whether on the personal or professional front-you need perseverance, feedback, and support to help achieve your goals. But change you can . . . and sometimes you must. (c) 2004, by Steven Bacharach Psy.D. All rights in all media reserved. This article may be reprinted so long as it is kept intact with the copyright and by-line.

Steven Bacharach, Psy.D. is a personal coach to executives who are seeking more fulfillment in all areas of their life. To learn more about coaching and arrange a complimentary session, contact Steven Bacharach Psy.D. by email at stevenb@onthemarconsulting.com, by phone at (508) 358-9565, or visit his Web site at www.onthemarconsulting.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2637