How to Cash It In for Success

I was reading the second chapter of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich when I came across a profound truth that reminded me of a financial lesson I learned years ago. Before I reveal the truth, let me share with you the lesson of Realized Gains and Losses:

If you were to take $3,000 and invest it in the stock market at a price of $10 per share, you would have 300 shares of stock. As it sometimes does, the stock price drops to $7 per share. Emotional investors start to panic at this point. After all, they bought the stock at $10 because it had already dropped to this low price and they expected it to shoot back up. But now it dropped even lower and they think they just lost $900 in the transaction.

But what have they really lost? They bought 300 shares and, even though the price dropped, they still have 300 shares. It isn't until they sell those shares that they REALIZE a gain or a loss. And those panicky people that are dumping their shares at $7 a share are kicking themselves at the end of the week when the price rockets back up to $15 a share.

What does all this have to do with Think and Grow Rich?

In the second chapter, Hill writes of the power of Desire. He lists a number of people who have passed through difficulties and disappointment before they achieved anything of consequence. At the end of the short paragraph on Helen Keller, Hill writes:

"...no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality."
Much like the investor in the example above, you have only lost when you accept that reality and decide to cash it in. Nobody ever becomes great or successful without having to experience setbacks, frustrations and adversity. Anybody who tells you otherwise is lying to you. It is only those who continue to believe in their personal value and capability for success that refuse to accept that failure and push on until they reach their success.

What would have happened to Thomas Edison if he had believed the teacher that told him he was too stupid to learn anything and that he should seek a profession where he might succeed by virtue of his pleasant personality?

What would have happened to Oprah Winfrey if she had accepted the judgment that she "had no business anchoring the news in a major market" when she was fired as a TV news anchor?

What would have happened to Walt Disney if he had accepted the assessment that he lacked imagination and had no original ideas" when he was fired by a newspaper editor?

What would have happened to Michael Jordan if he had hung up his basketball shoes when he was cut from his high school team?

What will happen to you if you accept defeat at any stage of your journey? Then nobody will know the real you and the greatness you have to share with the world. Don't let that happen! Do not cash it in until you stand in the winner's circle, triumphant!

Tips for Overcoming Temporary Defeat:

1. Keep your dream firmly fixed in your mind at all times. Create visual reminders like a dream board. Spend a few minutes every morning and every evening visualizing you accomplishing your dream and the benefits that will bring. Really live it!

2. Trust in the value of your dream. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected by 144 different publishers that didn't believe a book of short stories would sell when they tried to get Chicken Soup for the Soul published. But they persisted because they knew people wanted what was in that book. People were asking them all the time where they could read the stories they shared in their presentations. When someone rejects you and your dream, trust that there are people waiting for you to succeed; if for no other reason than to believe that it is possible for them, too.

3. Treat each setback as a learning opportunity. Napoleon Hill said that "every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." Find the lesson in each in every failure and learn from it. It is these lessons that teach you how to become successful.

4. Trust in the power of numbers. Athletes are great examples of the fact that those who are persistent enough to endure failure will succeed. The year that Babe Ruth set the major league record of 714 home runs, he also set another record by striking out 1,330 times. You have to be willing to fail and fail again in order to be successful. This is true in sports, business or any other area of life you are seeking success in. The only people who never fail are those who never try to begin with.

5. Believe and reaffirm your capability of success. I love the quote by Michael Jordan where he says: "I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is precisely why I succeed." This quote may seem to be more in line with the last point, but I use it here because it illustrates the confidence he had in his ability to win. Our egos, our self-esteem can be so fragile at times and they can take a major hit with every setback or failure. When this happens, be like Mike and just keep shooting with full confidence that your shots are going in. Because when you start hitting your shots, you achieve a mind-body-spirit connection that makes you unstoppable!

Are You Being Robbed?

"It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets of yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves that rob us of today. "
~Robert Hastings

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #11

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Abundance is your natural state of being. Anything you wish for can flow effortlessly into your life if you understand, apply and “live into” the Law of Attraction.

We live in a world that seems to emphasize scarcity and lack, and yet the truth is, this is an abundant universe. There is no scarcity, there is no lack. There is more than enough food, money, joy, happiness, spiritual fulfillment, and love for everyone.

If you want to create an abundance of love in your life, then focus on love. Be the love you want to attract. Become more loving and generous with others and with yourself.

By creating the vibration of love, you will automatically draw more love into your life. Focus on whatever it is that you want to create more of in your life, and remember to be grateful for that which you already have.

Gratitude itself is a form of abundance, and the vibrational frequency of gratitude and appreciation will automatically attract even more to be grateful for.

If you want to create financial abundance in your life, then start by focusing on prosperity and money flowing into your life. Envision the checks coming in the mail. Write yourself a check for the sum of money you wish to manifest this year, and post it in a visible location.

Every time you see it, believe that it is possible. Make a donation to your favorite charity, and know that you can afford it. You must be willing to give in order to receive. Imagine just how amazing it will feel to have complete financial freedom.

Envision the various things you will do, the places you will go, and how it will change your life. Really let yourself feel it as though it were already so. Now, think of how you will use your financial prosperity to contribute and give back within your community.

Imagine how good it will feel to help others and to really make a difference in their lives. Remember to take a moment to be thankful for everything that you already have. By doing this, you are creating a vibrational match for the financial abundance that you want to attract into your future life.

The entire universe will support you abundantly in every way when you are moving with this kind of purpose and intention in the direction of your dreams. It will respond to the vibration of your passion and commitment.

So, start paying attention to the many synchronicities in your life and become aware of all the opportunities, ideas, people, and resources that you are attracting. Be open to them, and be willing to think outside the box. New opportunities will often present themselves in surprising ways. Do what you love to do, be passionate about it, and believe in yourself.

If you are willing to invest yourself wholeheartedly in your dreams, then all the necessary resources, including the money, will follow.

ACTION: Ask yourself how you can have more ABUNDANCE with your health. Can you take the stairs instead of an elevator when the opportunity presents itself? Can you drink a few more glasses of water, or perhaps take on a yoga practice?

BENEFIT: When you think and act more ABUNDANTLY about your physical health, you’ll find that other parts of your life automatically improve for the better. You’ll think more clearly, have more energy and do everything you normally do with a little more intensity.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #11

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #10

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Make a conscious decision right now to focus on the positive. The Law of Attraction doesn’t filter out the information we provide. It doesn’t decide what is better for us.

You have free will, and you decide where you want to focus our energy and our attention. The universe just reflects it back to us. If you focus your attention on something (either positively or negatively), it will simply respond with more of it. Doesn’t that make sense?

So, it’s really important to focus on what you do want, not on what you don’t want. State your desires in a positive way. Your mind works in pictures, so if you say “I don’t want to be mad,” you are creating the picture and the vibration of being “mad.”

The universe only receives the frequency of “mad” and responds to that. You must focus on the opposite of what you don’t want. In this case, it would be a better choice to say “I want to be more loving and accepting of the way things are.”

Stop sending mixed signals to the universe and those around you. They will hinder your ability to attract and manifest in a clear and powerful way.

When you claim to be “against” something, you are actually recreating it. You are creating more of the very thing that you want to eliminate! If you want to think “anti-war,” think again.

The operative word here is “war,” and that is exactly what you will get more of. A better choice is to be “pro-peace.” The universe will receive the vibration of “peace” and respond accordingly.

The war on terrorism has created more terrorism. Violence attracts violence, and love attracts more love. Make this simple change in your life.

Make a conscious effort to restructure the way you think and speak, and avoid giving any unnecessary energy to the things you don’t want in your life. Whenever possible, avoid subjecting yourself, your thoughts, and your emotions to the negative people and influences in your life.

ACTION: Think of one reoccurring NEGATIVE thought you have repeatedly each day. What is it? How did it come to be? Okay, when you have it in mind, think up what POSITIVE thought you could have to replace it.

Now I’m not asking you to actually replace that positive thought yet, just practice doing it in your mind as if you were going to do it for real. Just practice now and see how it works for you … how it feels. If it feels good enough, you might want to try a few times for real…

BENEFIT: There’s a profound benefit with the power of substitution, you can quickly and almost effortlessly replace your NEGATIVE thoughts with POSITIVE ones.

If you do this enough times, it may become a habit and maybe even a daily ritual so that pretty soon, you won’t have many NEGATIVE thoughts at all.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #10

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #9

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: The act of forgiveness is a necessary and transformational process. But first, you must be willing to forgive any person or situation that has caused you pain, and release them.

By hanging on to old negative thoughts and emotions you are only harming yourself and attracting even more negative energy. It’s been said that when you are unwilling to forgive someone, it’s like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to get sick!

So, just bless the person or the situation and wish them well. Forgive them, let them go, and be willing to forgive yourself as well, if need be.

By acknowledging your positive past and releasing your negative past—you can make room for a beautiful future. True forgiveness is extremely cathartic—it will cleanse you and set you free.

It is an incredibly powerful process, one that will immediately shift you from a place of pain and anger to a higher vibrational frequency of love.

Nobody else can tell you how to feel. Only you can make that decision. If you find yourself feeling bad, then you need to look at what is creating the negative feelings—it’s not the external things, it’s you, and the judgments, beliefs, ideas, and thoughts you have about those external things.

So, the way you choose to perceive a situation will determine your emotional response, and you can deliberately choose to see anything and everything in a positive light.

You must make a conscious decision to choose happiness. Choose optimism. Choose to live in a place of constant gratitude and joy. Settle for nothing less than magnificence in your life. Your emotions fuel your energy, and your energy fuels your future.

ACTION: You’re going to love what I’m going to request of you right now because it’s about time you started to forgive yourself of something you feel guilty or ashamed of … something you’ve held on to for months or years.

You ready?

Okay, let me ask you candidly … if you can recall of anything from your recent past that you feel guilty or ashamed of doing, saying, or thinking, what would it be? I don’t want you to say it out loud, just think it, ok?

Now, this may sound amusingly simple but it can work if you give it a go so right now all I want you to do is just whisper to yourself 3 simple words, “I forgive myself.” Go ahead … whisper it out loud … “I forgive myself.”

Say it again and then again … and you may want to intensify your emotional level as you keep saying it by shutting your eyes and … smiling. Keep saying it, keep smiling and now aim your face up into the sky with your eyes still shut.

Now, if you’re like most people I know, it’ll be terribly difficult to still feel guilty or ashamed. Wouldn’t you agree? Imagine if you could forgive yourself this easily in the future. How much stress, worry or heartache would dissolve? If you’re like most people I know, the answer is “a lot.”

BENEFIT: The single most important benefit of self-forgiveness is it enhances your ability to forgive others who have angered or hurt you. By practicing self-forgiveness, you can start flexing your forgiveness muscle toward others.

With more ease and less effort, you’ll discover how simple it is to give up the criticisms, complaints and condemnations – toward others – these are the feelings and emotions that stunt mental, emotional and spiritual growth and prevent you from reaching the potential you’ve always deserved.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #9

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #8

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE:Negative emotions such as hatred, anger, jealousy, and fear create the opposite effect. They lower your vibrational frequency and make you feel anxious, tense, and constricted and they can create physical ailments and even disease.

Negative emotions invariably create a sense of separation, a feeling of disconnection. They are like a stone wall—a barrier to the joy that is who you really are. These emotions will effectively block the flow of positive energy into your life and will only serve to attract more negative energy.

So, if you have been holding onto feelings of anger, fear, resentment, or betrayal, now is the time to let them go. Release those old thoughts and patterns of behavior, and start living in the present.

By focusing on your pain or anger, you are only drawing even more negative and unhealthy circumstances into your life. You need to make room for the positive feelings and experiences that you want to attract.

Author Cherie Carter-Scott says, “Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.”

Positive emotions, on the other hand, have a much different impact on your life. You may notice that when you are feeling grateful, happy, or joyful there is a sense of lightness and expansion.

You feel connected. You feel alive!

My friend, this is your natural state of being.

This is what your life was intended to be. Strive to live in a state of joy, wonder, and gratitude. These expansive positive emotions feel good and raise your vibrational frequency.

In this place of love and joy, you are one with God, and you are a magnet for the beauty, joy and abundance that the Universe has to offer.

ACTION:Think of a specific incident within the past week that inspired you to feel more Joy. Got it yet?

Okay, please replay the scene or incident again in your mind right now like a movie? Don’t just watch yourself, but actually step into the movie you’re in it and not on the sidelines watching it. Are you able to do this now?

Okay, let me ask you a very important question … do you feel a little more joyful or happy now than you did 30 seconds ago? If your answer is yes, then I want you to consider playing this same movie anytime you find your emotions heading toward anger or sadness or hurt.

In a moment’s notice, you can summon this mental movie playing in your mind’s eye and you can instantly shift to more empower mental state.

BENEFIT: Your success and happiness is often linked to your ability be emotionally resourceful during times of trouble. Anger and sadness can be paralyzing. Happiness and joy are empowering.

So the next time you have an opportunity to be angry, choose Joy instead and see how that serves you; all you have to do is summon that mental movie I just asked you to remember and you’ll boost your attitude and outlook on the situation by simply choosing a more supportive emotion.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #8

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #7

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Your emotions are a critical component in the application of the Law of Attraction. They are your key that opens the door to the secret passageway to improving every aspect of your physical, mental and spiritual life.

Learn to listen to your emotions because they are an important internal feedback system that tells you of your body's visceral response to the vibrational state you are creating.

You are creating this vibrational frequency with whatever you are giving your attention to-the thoughts you are thinking, the beliefs you are contemplating, the television show you are watching, the music you are listening to, the book you are reading, with whatever activity you are engaged in.

Your feelings are part of your internal guidance system. When you are feeling joy and a sense of expansion, it simply means you are on course-the things you are focusing on, the thoughts you are thinking or creating, the ideas you are entertaining, and the activities you are engaged in are actively moving you in the direction of your purpose, dreams, and desires.

When you are feeling anger, sadness, depression, and hopelessness-any feelings that give you a sense of physical contraction-then you are thinking thoughts and attending to things that are not taking you toward your purpose, dreams, or desires.

This is feedback that is saying that you are off course. Your emotions are telling you that it's time to switch gears. They are telling you that it's time to think a more uplifting thought, change your focus, change the channel, change the topic of discussion, and go do something different that will shift your energy and bring you feelings of joy and expansion.

Since your vibrational state is what attracts the objects of your desire, it is imperative to keep your emotions as positive as possible. So it makes sense to strive to keep your emotions in the positive range-feelings like joy, love, happiness, exhilaration, satisfaction, relief, pride, appreciation, relaxation, and serenity.

Remember: "Like attracts like." So, by deliberately creating the positive emotional states that match the feelings we will have on the completion and fulfillment of our goals and desires, we are creating an energy field that will attract what we want.

The stronger and more intense your feelings are, the more accelerated the process of vibrational attraction becomes.

Researchers are discovering that what you are feeling is actually far more important than what you are thinking or saying. Your emotions never lie.

They are the true indicator of the thoughts you are having and whether or not you are acting in accordance with your personal truth, your heartfelt desires. Don't ignore them or try to reason your feelings away. First, just notice them.

If they are not in the positive range (hope, expectation, acceptance, appreciation, love, and joy), either release them or simply choose a better thought. This means choosing a thought that creates a better feeling, or simply changing what it is that you are doing, and doing something that you enjoy instead.

Go for a walk, put some music on, pet the cat, take charge and do something to shift you back into this positive range of emotions!

ACTION: Think of the last time you shed tears. Go ahead, think of it. Were they tears of joy or tears of sadness? What specific incident motivated and inspired those tears? Was it a person, place or thing? Was it a photograph or a song? Think of it and "live into" that situation now.

Now, if that experience elicited feelings of sadness, do you feel a hint of sadness now? Or if your experience was joyful, do you feel a hint of more joy or enthusiasm now?

BENEFIT: The key to changing any negative feeling is to simply remember specific experiences that have empowered you or made you feel joyful from the past. By doing so, you'll live into those positive feelings again … and this is especially useful when you have a bad day. The point is you're just one joyful memory away from transforming a good day into a GREAT day!

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #7