Out with the Old, In with the New

As 2009 is drawing to a close, it's time to look back on what we've accomplished this year and what we still wish to do. Personally, my dreams were far grander than what I actually was able to get done. However, some of that was a conscious choice to set aside my personal goals and dedicate my time, talents and energy to supporting my wife as she accomplished some incredible goals this year that have blessed our family in a huge way. I don't regret that one bit because she experienced some major breakthroughs this year in her business and her personal life and the person she desires to be is coming more and more into focus every day.

With 2010 just days away, I am gearing up to make some major changes to my life this year as well. I believe that this year will be the year where I will be able to accomplish some dreams that I have had sitting on the shelf waiting for some time for me to pick them up, dust them off and put them into play. I hope you, too, are ready to change your life in the coming year as well and are just as excited for your own future as I am for mine.

In an effort to assemble a community of dreamers that really want to accomplish something that will be significant to them in the new year, I have issued The 10 for 2010 Challenge. Click here to get more details on how I plan to accomplish 10 significant goals in the coming year that will change and improve my life. I hope that you, too, will take up the challenge and be a participant in our community of dream achievers where your successes will become a resource for people that want to get where you are going as well.

Visit the 10 for 2010 Challenge blog today!

Determining Your Destiny

“It's not what's happening to you now or what has happened in your past that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny.”
~ Anthony Robbins

Expanding the Boundaries of Your Life

"The 'self-image' sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment. It defines what you can and cannot do. Expand the self-image and you expand the 'area of the possible'."
~Dr Maxwell Maltz, Psycho-Cybernetics

You will never be more successful than how you see yourself being. If you see yourself as fat, you will struggle to lose weight. If you see yourself as shy, you will struggle in your interactions with others. If you see yourself as poor, you will struggle financially. If you see yourself as a harried individual living a highly stressful life, that will be your experience day in and day out.

Don't believe me? Take a look at the areas of your life where you struggle. How do you see yourself in those areas? Then compare that to the areas of your life where you are more successful and how you see yourself in those areas. Do you see a difference? I am willing to bet that you don't have a negative view of yourself in those areas that you consistently do well in.

Now, some of you may argue that you see yourself more positively in those areas because you have done well. I propose that you have done well because you saw yourself more positively in those areas. If you don't believe me, give it the following 90 day test:

• Take an area of your life that you struggle and evaluate how you see yourself in this area.


• Create a better image for yourself in that area. The best way of doing this is to look at someone who is already successful in that area and transfer their characteristics to your self-image. (After all, if they did it, so can you!)


• Every morning when you get up and every night when you go to bed, visualize and see yourself as being successful in that area. Really experience the emotion and gratitude of being the success you've always dreamed of. Do this every morning and every night for 90 days!


• Then throughout the day, walk the walk and talk the talk of the success you are becoming!

Compare your life at the end of the 90 days to how it was when it started. I guarantee it will be vastly better!

Suffer Now

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”
~ Muhammad Ali

Unlocking the Secrets of Success

"Nature understands no jesting; she is always true, always serios, always severe; she is always right, and the errors and faults are always those of man. The man incapable of appreciating her, she despises and only to the apt, the pure, and the true, does she resign herself and reveal her secrets."
~ Goethe

If you want success, you must do what other successful people have done. There are no favorites with nature. Whatever you put out, nature will give you back. It's that simple.

The Master Skill of Success

"All successful people are intensely goal-oriented. They know what they want and they are focused single-mindedly on achieving it, every single day. Your ability to set goals is the master skill of success. Goals unlock your positive mind and release ideas and energy for goal attainment. Without goals, you simply drift and flow on the curents of life. With goals, you fly like an arrow, straight and true to your target."
~ Brian Tracy

I have a goal of becoming a successful, published writer. The first step to accomplishing that is to get my first book written. To that end, I have elected to participate in a month of mania known as National Novel Writers Month (NaNoWriMo) where I have accepted the challenge to write a novel of 50,000+ words in 30 days. Please visit my NiceGuyBlogging blog and read the 10/2/2009 post to see how your taking a quick poll will help me get started.

Traitors to the Cause

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might gain by fearing to attempt."

~ William Shakespeare

A Cheerful Thought...

"Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles."
~ Helen Keller

An "Aha!" Moment...

I love it when I have those little "Aha!" moments that give me a little clearer insight into a principle that is important to me, my family, or those people that I am serving. I had just such a moment when I was reading Chapter 6 of Wallace Wattle's The Science of Getting Rich.

One of the first principles that Wallace teaches in his book is that God does not want us to be poor, but actually wants us to be abundantly rich. This is evidenced by all his creations. A tiny seed is planted and grows to be a large tree, shedding hundreds of seeds to create hundreds of more trees that will do the same.

People struggle with the concept that all the wealth of the earth is theirs to enjoy. Some struggle because they feel poverty and self-sacrifice is more pleasing to God. These are those who believe that the scriptures teach that "money is the root of all evil." What they actually teach is that "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim. 6:10) and that "it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32) Others may struggle due to the belief that there is not enough to go around and so some people have to be poor. And so they sit at home at night in front of their T.V. lamenting their lack as they watch those who believe that there is plenty to be had as they accumulate far more than they need through their faith, efforts and persistence.

In the sixth chapter, titled How Riches Come To You, Wallace shares the story of a student that struggled to believe that all wealth was his. He was very poor, living in a rented house and struggling to survive on what he made day to day. He wanted to believe he was meant for more so he decided to follow Wattle's instructions to ask for more than he then had. He didn't feel it was unreasonable to ask for a new carpet for his best room and a small stove to heat the house during cold weather. Following Wallace's instructions, he had both within a few months. It then occurred to him that he had not asked enough. He proceeded to go through his home making a list of all the improvements he would like to make to the home and what furnishings he would like to fill it with. Holding that complete picture in mind, he started to live in the Certain Way and to move towards what he wanted. He ended up owning the home and rebuilt it after the form of his mental image.

The "Aha!" moment in all of this is encapsulated in Jesus Christ's statement to two blind men who sought him for the purpose of restoring their sight: "According to your faith be it unto you." (Matt. 9:29)

The man in Wallace's story had little faith that all wealth was his, but he had enough faith to try for the rug and the stove. When his faith was rewarded it grew to the point that he believed he could create the home that he wanted. And as that was accomplished his faith grew even more and he moved on to get greater things.

What things have you wanted in your life that you never received? Where is your faith in relation to those desires?

If you are not at the weight you desire or don't have the figure you want, where is your faith? Do you have faith that you can have that slim figure? Do you have faith that the exercise is going to pay huge dividends? Do you have faith that when you are slimmer you will be able to enjoy your favorite foods without feeling guilty and still keep your slimmed-down shape? Or do you have more faith that you will never reach that size because the exercise will never work, and why should you put yourself through that torture anyways only to never be able to eat a bar of chocolate again without adding back 20 pounds?

If you don't have the income you desire, where is your faith? Do you have faith that there is more money available to you? Do you have faith that you deserve it? Do you have faith that you can increase your income without becoming a greedy person or without sacrificing your marriage or your relationship with your kids? Or do you have more faith that God never meant for you to be rich, that you will never get paid more than you are right now, or that only workaholics that end up divorced can get the kind of income you want to earn?

If you don't have the relationship you desire, where is your faith? Do you have faith that you are worthy of love? Do you have faith that you will meet the person who is right for you? Do you have faith that the person you meet will find the love you have to offer to be fulfilling and never have any desire for anyone else? Or do you have more faith that nobody will love you completely, that your chances of finding Mr. or Mrs. Right are astronomically not in your favor and, even if you did meet just such a person, they would eventually end up leaving you or cheating on you?

Look to the desires of your heart that haven't been fulfilled and analyze what faith you have, if any, in your achieving that desire. If you have a deep and abiding faith that you will obtain the desires of your heart, I am willing to bet that you are happily working and waiting for your desires to be realized, enduring any challenges or trials that come your way. And those trials will come for all faith must be tried and tested to prove it is strong enough.

If you feel hopeless and despondent when you think of those desires, then consider where you have placed your faith that is not supporting you. Reject those weak beliefs that are holding you back and give yourself hope again! You are worthy, capable, ready and able to receive those desires of your heart! Have faith in that and act on the promptings and inspirations that will open you to receive it!

The order has been placed! Your desire is being shipped direct to you! Have faith that you will receive!

Today...

"Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail."
~ Og mandino

The Formula for Failure and Success

by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher


Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. We do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices. To put it more simply, failure is nothing more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day.

Now why would someone make an error in judgment and then be so foolish as to repeat it every day? The answer is because he or she does not think that it matters.

On their own, our daily acts do not seem that important. A minor oversight, a poor decision, or a wasted hour generally doesn't result in an instant and measurable impact. More often than not, we escape from any immediate consequences of our deeds.

If we have not bothered to read a single book in the past ninety days, this lack of discipline does not seem to have any immediate impact on our lives. And since nothing drastic happened to us after the first ninety days, we repeat this error in judgment for another ninety days, and on and on it goes. Why? Because it doesn't seem to matter. And herein lies the great danger. Far worse than not reading the books is not even realizing that it matters!

Those who eat too many of the wrong foods are contributing to a future health problem, but the joy of the moment overshadows the consequence of the future. It does not seem to matter. Those who smoke too much or drink too much go on making these poor choices year after year after year... because it doesn't seem to matter. But the pain and regret of these errors in judgment have only been delayed for a future time. Consequences are seldom instant; instead, they accumulate until the inevitable day of reckoning finally arrives and the price must be paid for our poor choices - choices that didn't seem to matter.

Failure's most dangerous attribute is its subtlety. In the short term those little errors don't seem to make any difference. We do not seem to be failing. In fact, sometimes these accumulated errors in judgment occur throughout a period of great joy and prosperity in our lives. Since nothing terrible happens to us, since there are no instant consequences to capture our attention, we simply drift from one day to the next, repeating the errors, thinking the wrong thoughts, listening to the wrong voices and making the wrong choices. The sky did not fall in on us yesterday; therefore the act was probably harmless. Since it seemed to have no measurable consequence, it is probably safe to repeat.

But we must become better educated than that!

If at the end of the day when we made our first error in judgment the sky had fallen in on us, we undoubtedly would have taken immediate steps to ensure that the act would never be repeated again. Like the child who places his hand on a hot burner despite his parents' warnings, we would have had an instantaneous experience accompanying our error in judgment.

Unfortunately, failure does not shout out its warnings as our parents once did. This is why it is imperative to refine our philosophy in order to be able to make better choices. With a powerful, personal philosophy guiding our every step, we become more aware of our errors in judgment and more aware that each error really does matter.

Now here is the great news. Just like the formula for failure, the formula for success is easy to follow: It's a few simple disciplines practiced every day.

Now here is an interesting question worth pondering: How can we change the errors in the formula for failure into the disciplines required in the formula for success? The answer is by making the future an important part of our current philosophy.

Both success and failure involve future consequences, namely the inevitable rewards or unavoidable regrets resulting from past activities. If this is true, why don't more people take time to ponder the future? The answer is simple: They are so caught up in the current moment that it doesn't seem to matter. The problems and the rewards of today are so absorbing to some human beings that they never pause long enough to think about tomorrow.

But what if we did develop a new discipline to take just a few minutes every day to look a little further down the road? We would then be able to foresee the impending consequences of our current conduct. Armed with that valuable information, we would be able to take the necessary action to change our errors into new success-oriented disciplines. In other words, by disciplining ourselves to see the future in advance, we would be able to change our thinking, amend our errors and develop new habits to replace the old.

One of the exciting things about the formula for success - a few simple disciplines practiced every day - is that the results are almost immediate. As we voluntarily change daily errors into daily disciplines, we experience positive results in a very short period of time. When we change our diet, our health improves noticeably in just a few weeks. When we start exercising, we feel a new vitality almost immediately. When we begin reading, we experience a growing awareness and a new level of self-confidence. Whatever new discipline we begin to practice daily will produce exciting results that will drive us to become even better at developing new disciplines.

The real magic of new disciplines is that they will cause us to amend our thinking. If we were to start today to read the books, keep a journal, attend the classes, listen more and observe more, then today would be the first day of a new life leading to a better future. If we were to start today to try harder, and in every way make a conscious and consistent effort to change subtle and deadly errors into constructive and rewarding disciplines, we would never again settle for a life of existence — not once we have tasted the fruits of a life of substance!


To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine go to http://www.jimrohn.com/

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

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #6

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Most of us are fairly aware of our conscious thoughts, but it is important to become aware of our subconscious thoughts as well. Our subconscious mind is pretty much running the show, and since most of us have a constant negative tape playing in our heads, we are continually sending out negative messages.

Practically anyone can learn how to reprogram their subconscious mind and transform negative internal thoughts into healthy, positive ones. It can be quite easy actually, and it all starts by looking closely at your beliefs and self-image.

It’s true; you can work on eliminating any limiting or negative ideas. This negative self-talk is like a type of static, or interference on a phone call. It will interfere with, distort, and even block the frequencies of your positive intentions. If not removed, it will reduce your ability to create and manifest the future you desire.

Take a moment and think about trying to drive a car with the parking brake on. No matter how much you try to accelerate, the parking brake will keep slowing you down, but as soon as you release it—you will automatically and effortlessly go faster.

Your limiting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are like a negative type of psychological parking brake. They will drag you down and slow you down unless you make a committed effort to let them go and replace them with more positive thoughts and beliefs.

You must be willing to release your negative mental programming and step out of your comfort zone in order to make room for a positive, healthy self-image and belief system.

This will shift your energy vibration and allow you to more easily and effectively attract the positive energy and experiences that you desire in your life.

Beliefs are just your habitual thoughts, and they can be changed through affirmations, positive self-talk, behavioral changes, and visualizations you make with the help of your Vision Book.

As Dr. Maxwell Maltz once said, “Within you right now is the power to do things you never dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you just as soon as you can change your beliefs.”

Now let’s take a moment to compare and contrast your conscious and subconscious mind.

The conscious mind is the part of you that thinks and reasons—it’s the part of your mind that you use to make everyday decisions. Your free will is within your conscious mind so you can decide just what you want to create in your life. With this part of your mind you can accept or reject any idea.

Although your conscious mind is powerful, it is the more limited part of your mind. The scientifically validated data reveals that your conscious mind has limited processing capacity.

The conscious mind provides you with short term memory (just about 20 seconds). It gives you the ability to manage only 1 to 3 events at a time. Impulses travel at only 120 to 140 mph with an average processing speed of 2,000 bits of information per second.

Your subconscious mind is actually much more spectacular. It is frequently referred to as your spiritual or universal mind, and it knows no limits except for those that you consciously choose.

Your self-image and your habits live in your subconscious mind. It functions in every single cell of your body.

This is the part of your mind that is connected to your Higher Self at a much greater level than your conscious mind. It is your connection to God, your connection to Source and Universal Infinite Intelligence.

Your subconscious mind has a far greater processing capacity than your conscious mind. Long term memory of past experiences, your attitudes, you values, and beliefs all reside in your subconscious mind.

In fact, it has the awesome ability to manage thousands of events at a time with impulses that travel at over 100,000 mph and the ability to process an average of 4,000,000,000 bits of information per second!

Remarkable, isn't it?

That's why I encourage you to make it your goal to “live into” the vast power of our subconscious mind in order to use it to our advantage. We must create room in each day to “check in” with our subconscious spiritual mind. Daily time spent quietly without any external distractions will strengthen our connection to who we really are.

You can connect with our subconscious mind through the utilization of affirmations, prayer, contemplation and meditation, gratitude and visualization through the help of your Vision Book.

Your subconscious mind can take us where you want to go and help you reach more of your goals faster, better and with less conscious effort!

By at last connecting utilizing the amazing speed, power, and agility of your subconscious minds, you can begin to use the Law of Attraction in a more intentional way to more effectively attract and create the results you desire!

ACTION: Think of the last time you tied your shoe. Can you remember when it was? Did you tie your right shoe or left shoe first?

The reason I’m asking you this question is because if you’re like most people who were lace-up shoes, the process of tying shoes is handled by your subconscious mind … you unconsciously competent at it, right?

Now let’s think about what else are you unconsciously competent at? How about talking, reading, driving a stick shift or any other skill you’ve learned and eventually mastered over the years.

What’s interesting is that before you can become unconsciously competent at any new skill, you must first be consciously incompetent … as for tying shoes … that would have been around age 5 or 6.

As a young child, you were incompetent at a lot of things such as tying shoes, walking, reading even speaking … but you didn’t give up, did you?

Of course not!

You’re not still crawling because you gave up, right? I want you to treat any new skill as an adult in the same way. Rather than giving up, or worse, being fearful of ever trying … I want you to keep practicing until you get it right and it becomes unconsciously competent … just like tying your shoes.

BENEFIT: Practice doesn’t make perfect … practice makes permanent and if you choose progress over perfection, you’ll learn more skills, faster, better and with less stress and worry.

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 #6

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #5

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: My simple, yet often misunderstood message to you in this lesson can be summed-up in these 3 words: "Thoughts are things."

Your thoughts are not just wispy little clouds drifting through your head. Your thoughts are things. They are actually measure-able units of energy.

Thoughts are biochemical electrical impulses. They are waves of energy that, as far as we can tell, penetrate all time and space.

Look, every single thought you have is a statement of your desires to the universe. Every single thought you have generates a physiological change in your body. You are a product of all of the thoughts you have thought, feelings you have felt, and actions you have taken up until now.

And . . . the thoughts you think today, feelings you feel today, and actions you take today will determine your experiences tomorrow. So it is imperative that you learn to think and behave in a positive way that is in alignment with what you ultimately want to be, do, and experience in life.

Thoughts affect your body. Albert Einstein noted that thoughts influence the body more than we may give them credit for.

And because our thoughts affect our body it is so important to think as positively as possible. Negative thoughts are toxic, and they affect your body in a negative way.

Negative thoughts actually weaken you … physically! Negative thoughts can make you perspire, create muscular tension, and even create a more acidic environment within your body.

They can increase the likelihood of cancer (cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment) and other disease. They also send out a negative energy vibration and attract more experiences of the same vibration.

Positive thoughts, on the other hand, will affect your body in a positive way. They will make you feel more relaxed, more centered and alert. They stimulate the release of endorphins in your brain, reducing pain and increasing pleasure.

In addition to this, positive, affirmative thoughts send out a positive energy vibration that will attract more positive experiences back into your life and to those you interact with.

Whenever you face the choice to have a positive or negative thought about a specific experience you've had in your past, consider the advice of my good friend Reverend Michael Beckwith who says, "One affirmative thought is hundreds of times more powerful than a negative thought."

ACTION: Okay, now I want you t0 think of one reoccurring NEGATIVE thought you have repeatedly each day. What is it? How did it come to be?

When you have it in mind, think up what POSITIVE thought you could have to replace it. I know it may not be so easy at first, but give it a try because I'm going to ask you to do this little experiment again in about 4 or 5 lessons from now ;-)

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 : 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 #5

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #4

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Right now, I want you to think of yourself as a magnet. You are a living magnet. You literally attract the things, people, ideas, and circumstances to you that vibrate and resonate at the same energy frequency as yours.

And it gets better because your energy field changes constantly, based on your thoughts and feelings, and the universe acts like a mirror, sending back a reflection of the energy that you are projecting.

The stronger and more intense your thoughts and emotions are, the greater the magnetic pull becomes. Now, this is not a process that requires any real effort; a magnet doesn't "try" to attract anything-it simply does, and so do you! You are always in the process of attracting something into your life.

Do you realize that your life at this very moment is the result of everything that you have ever thought, done, believed, or felt up until now? You can start right now to consciously and deliberately attract whatever you desire in this lifetime.

Buddha once said, "All that we are is the result of what we have thought." You are really that powerful!

My friend, you are far more powerful than you realize because whether you want to believe it or not, you really are creating everything in your life. And once you fully acknowledge this, and take responsibility for it, you can do anything that you set your mind to.

Above all, you are truly the author of your own life, and you can choose to take it in any direction you wish. You have the ability to change your life.
You have the ability to create your desired future. And most importantly, you have always had unlimited potential!

If you ever doubt that you hold this power in your mind and in your heart, just remember these words of Ralph Waldo Emerson … he said, "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."

ACTION: I want you to think of one situation at work, at home or with a friend when you felt unstoppably decisive. What was it about that decision that made you feel powerful? What would happen if you were that decisive in every part of your life?

BENEFIT: When you're decisive, you "cut-0ff" opportunities that don't support you. The word "decisive" literally means to "cut off." And it is my wish for you that you "cut-off" possibilities that don't support you. Your true power comes from your decision making ability, so the more decisive you become the more you'll attract what you want.

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 #4

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #3

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Listen to this: You are all made up of the same stuff as the sun, the moon, and the stars. You are a walking, talking bundle of intelligent energy in the form of a human body.

You are made up of cells, which are made up of atoms, which are made up of subatomic particles. What are subatomic particles? ENERGY!

Everything is energy. All matter is energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It is the cause and effect of itself. It is evenly present in all places, at all times. Energy is in constant motion and never rests. It is forever moving from one form to another.

As Deepak Chopra says, "There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle."

So you are connected. You are connected to everything and to the rest of us. You are a completely unique piece of a much greater whole, an integral part of the cosmos. You are a ball of energy in a much larger energy field.

Think of the Internet. You can't see it or touch it but you know that it is there. It is real. It is an invisible energy connection that links us all to each other. You are connected to everyone and everything in the same way.

Have you ever found that with people you are close to, you can sometimes finish a sentence for them, or that you both say the same thing at exactly the same time? This is not coincidence, it's a connection! This is a perfect example of how connected we really are to those around us.

We've all had the experience of starting to think about someone, perhaps someone we haven't even seen or spoken to in years, and then several minutes later the phone rings, and it is them on the other end of the line. "I was just thinking about you," we exclaim in wonder.

We were actually picking up on their intention to call us before they had even acted upon it. Our thoughts travel through time and space at an amazing speed.

Through your connection you were able to pick up on the energy of their thoughts and intentions before they even dialed the number, or perhaps it was your thinking about them that stimulated them to call you.

ACTION: Think of one person who makes you laugh the moment you spend time with him or her. Is it a friend, is it a colleague, is it a loved-one? There are some people in our lives that just make us smile … right now, think of who that person is, ok? What do you both have in common? What is it about him or her that makes you smile, or just feel good.

BENEFIT: When you know who your "feel good" people are, you are one phone call away from experiencing feelings of joy. Those whom we feel most connected to are often the ones who empower us to feel happier.

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 #3

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #2

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: If you are feeling excited, enthusiastic, passionate, happy, joyful, appreciative, or abundant, then you are sending out positive energy. On the other hand, if you are feeling bored, anxious, stressed out, angry, resentful, or sad, you are sending out negative energy.

The universe, through the Law of Attraction, will respond enthusiastically to both of these vibrations. It doesn’t decide which one is better for you, it just responds to whatever energy you are creating, and it gives you more of the same. You get back exactly what you put out there.

Whatever you are thinking and feeling at any given time is basically your request to the universe for more of the same. This is because your energy vibrations will attract energy back to you of the same frequencies, you need to make sure that you are continually sending out energy, thoughts, and feelings that resonate with what you want to become, do, and experience.

Your energy frequencies need to be in tune with what you want to attract in your life. If love and joy are what you want to attract, then the vibrational frequencies of love and joy are what you want to create.

You can learn to manage your thoughts and emotions and maintain a vibrational match for what you want to attract by learning to respond instead of just reacting to the situations in your life. Most of us go through life just reacting automatically and unconsciously to the things and events that take place around us.

Perhaps you’re having a rough day, you’ve gotten a flat tire, or maybe someone has treated you unfairly. Say that you react in a negative way to these situations with your thoughts and your emotions. And you become angry, frustrated, or upset.

In this case, you are unconsciously reacting to the situation instead of consciously responding to it, and your negatively charged thoughts and emotions are automatically placing an order with the universe for more of the same negative experiences. In order to create a more positive outcome, you must learn to consciously respond in a different, more positive way.

The good news is that once you understand the Law of Attraction, and how it works, you can begin to consciously and intentionally create a better life. You can choose to respond differently to the situations that arise during your day.

You can choose to think differently. You can choose to focus and think about the things you want more of in your life. You can choose to experience more of the things that make you feel good.

You can choose to deliberately participate in the creation of your future by managing your thoughts and feelings. And remember what Robert Kiyosaki says, “Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.”

ACTION: In the previous lesson, I requested that you think of one more “vision” word that best describes you and write it down on a piece scrap of paper, remember? Right now, I want you to think of another “vision” word. This time it’s a word you hear your closest friends, loved-one or family utilize when complimenting you. It could be: “Resourceful” or “Happy” or “Brilliant” or “Dazzling.”

Whatever it is, write it down and read it out loud each hour throughout the rest of the day. You embody this word, so make sure you read out loud at least 3 to 5 times today …

BENEFIT: As you read your “vision” word you out loud, you’ll begin to automatically “live into” it … and you’ll find yourself attracting more people, projects and possessions that support you faster, better and easier.

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 #2

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #1

Author: Jack Canfield

Dr. Robert Schuller once said, “You are what you think about all day long,” which is one reason why understanding the law of attraction is the key to creating the life of your dreams.

MESSAGE: You probably understand that the Law of Attraction says that you will attract into your life whatever you focus on.

So, if you stay focused on the good and positive things in your life, you will automatically attract more good and positive things into your life. If you are focused upon lack and negativity, then that is what will be attracted into your life.

You are always in a state of creation. You always have been. You are creating your reality in every moment of every day. You are creating your future with every single thought: either consciously or subconsciously.

You can’t take a break from it and decide not to create because creation never stops. The Law of Attraction never stops working. This is why it is so important to listen to this whenever you can – even if you don’t think you are listening your subconscious is always listening!

So, understanding just how this law operates is a fundamental key to your success. If you want to change your life, and empower yourself to create an amazing future, then you need to understand your role in the Law of Attraction.

ACTION: “Think of one “vision” word that best describes you and write it down on a small piece of paper you keep in your pocket or purse all day long … it could be a word like: “Magnificent” or “Caring” or “Joyful”…

I want it to be a positive word that best describes you … whatever it is, write it down and read it each hour throughout the rest of the day.

BENEFIT: As you read your “vision” word you out loud, you’ll find yourself automatically “living into” it … and you’ll find yourself attracting more people, projects and even possessions that vibrate with your word.

Jack Canfield’s Dream Big System and get a free, 72-minute instant audio bonus: http://www.TheKeyToBetterLife.com

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 #1

The Success of Any Day Begins...

In order to build a successful life, you must have a series of successful days. There is a secret to having a successful day that most people don't know. The secret is knowing when a successful day begins. It isn't at 6 a.m. Nor is it at 5 a.m. or even 4 a.m. The success of any given day begins the night before!

The truth of this statement is illustrated in the following true story:

Around 100 years ago, Charles Schwab, president of Bethlehem Steel, wanted to increase his own efficiency, and of the management team at the steel company. Ivy Lee, a well-known efficiency expert of the time, approached Mr. Schwab, and made a proposition Charles Schwab could not refuse:

Ivy Lee: "I can increase your people's efficiency – and your sales – if you will allow me to spend fifteen minutes with each of your executives."

Charles Schwab: "How much will it cost me?"

Ivy Lee: "Nothing, unless it works. After three months, you can send me a check for whatever you feel it's worth to you."

Charles Schwab: "It's a deal."

The following day, Ivy Lee met with Charles Schwab's management executives, spending only ten minutes with each in order to tell them:

Ivy Lee: "I want you to promise me that for the next ninety days, before leaving your office at the end of the day, you will make a list of the six most important things you have to do the next day and number them in their order of importance."

Astonished Executives: "That it?"

Ivy Lee: "That's it. Scratch off each item after finishing it, and go on to the next one on your list. If something doesn't get done, put it on the following day's list."

Mary Kay Ash writes in her book (Mary Kay: You Can Have It All : Lifetime Wisdom from America's Foremost Woman Entrepreneur):

"Each Bethlehem executive consented to follow Lee's instructions. Three months later, Schwab studied the results and was so pleased that he sent Lee a check for US$35,000. At the time, the average worker in the US was being paid $2 per day.

If Schwab, one of the smartest businessmen of his day, was willing to pay so much money for this advice, I decided I would follow it, too.

Each night, I put together my list for the following day. If I don't get something on my list accomplished, it goes on the next day's list. I put the hardest or most unappealing task at the top of the list. This way, I tackle the most difficult item first, and once it's out of the way, I feel my day is off to a good start."

An Exciting Journey

People who are rich in every sense of the word understand that life is a learning experience. It never stops. Learn to constantly refine your habits. There’s always another level to reach for, no matter how good you are right now. When you constantly strive to improve, you build character. You become more as a person, and you have more to offer. It’s an exciting journey that ultimately leads to fulfillment and prosperity.

Excerpt from The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt

If there is one thing that has really been brought to my attention, it is that the majority of the people I meet live in the land of Good Enough. The job they currently have is good enough to pay the bills. Their weight is good enough that they don't need to exercise regularly. Their level of commitment to living their spiritual beliefs is good enough for now.

The truth is, although they may not admit it, is that they secretly long for something better; something more fulfilling; something more rewarding and worthwhile. They look at the Michael Jordans and the Oprah Winfreys and the other superstars in life and they think "Wouldn't that be nice." No. It wouldn't be nice. It would be AWESOME!!!

You have to understand, though, that the people who live the life that you can only dream about right now are those who have evicted themselves from the land of Good Enough. You can't be the best until you do.

Good, Better, Best!

Never let it rest

Until your Good is Better

And your Better is Best!

You can have the life you dream about if you apply the simple principle of making your good better and your better your best. Someone very close to me just recently did that and is reaping huge rewards from it.

My wife just submitted for Director in Qualification (D.I.Q.) in Mary Kay last month along with 844 other women across the U.S. She has four months to officially qualify as a Director by having 30 active consultants on her team and $16,000 or more in production. In her first month of D.I.Q., she added 11 women to her team and had just over $13,000 in production. Because of this, she placed 7th in the nation out of the 845! The only women who placed higher than her were two who achieved Directorship in their first month and the rest edged her by $200 or less in production.

Do you think she is living in Good Enough any longer? Not a chance!

Way to go, babe!

The White Glove Test of Success

I learned a little nugget of wisdom from one of the wise guys that direct the company I currently work for shortly after I was hired on that I have found has great application in every aspect of my life. We were discussing how we can improve our operations when he made the point that "we can only expect that which we inspect." He was basically saying that by implementing a system and method of monitoring and evaluating performance and giving feedback on what you observe, the performance of the job will improve.

This is the very same reason that athletes and coaches will review recordings of the games they have already played. They are looking at how they or their players acted and reacted in different situations. By identifying their strengths and their weaknesses, they can build on their strengths and improve the areas where they are weak until it, too, is strong.

I have used this same strategy to improve certain areas in my personal life. I created a Personal Accountability Spreadsheet where I have listed a number of daily, weekly and monthly actions that I would like to take on a regular basis. This spreadsheet tracks personal goals such as how often I exercise, pray, read inspirational and motivational materials, plan my days, etc. It also tracks family goals such as reading scriptures and praying together, keeping each other informed of our scheduled activities and spending time together. For my financial goals I track how well I maintain our newly established bill payment system and how often I balance our accounts. I am also tracking how often I engage in fulfilling hobbies such as practicing the piano, writing for recreation and my blogs or practicing my artistic skills.

By doing this I have been able to identify where I am doing well and where I am weak. This includes what times of the day I am most productive, what activities and situations distract me from making progress and what support systems I need to put into place.

All of this enables me to expect better performance on my personal goals because I am inspecting the performance of the daily tasks that will bring me the results I want.

What areas of your life would you like to expect better results in?

Would you like to lose more weight? Inspect the frequency and intensity of your exercise as well as your food choices you make. What situations drive you to make poor eating choices and to skip workouts? Put plans into place to improve these and inspect on a regular basis and you can expect to lose more weight.

Would you like to have more time to work on your goals or to spend in more enjoyable pursuits? Inspect where you are currently spending your time during the week. Identify the people and/or situations that are wasting your time and minimize or eliminate these. Set goals to steadily free up more and more of your time and inspect your progress on a regular basis and you can expect to have more time to do the things you want to do.

I could go on and on, but I am sure you have at least some idea of how important this concept is by now. Setting goals are essential to your success and taking action on them is crucial. But not checking your progress is like taking off in a plane headed from California to Hawaii and never checking to see if you are on course - you could very well run out of gas before you ever see land again!

So, whatever your expectations you have of life, you better start inspecting the daily steps that will bring them to you and make small corrections to make sure you are on target!

An Important Resolution Most People Don't Make

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
~ Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln knew what he was talking about on the topic of resolving to succeed. Just take a look at his résumé:
· Lost job, 1832
· Defeated for legislature, 1832
· Failed in business, 1833
· Elected to legislature, 1834
· Sweetheart (Ann Rutledge) died, 1835
· Had nervous breakdown, 1836
· Defeated for Speaker, 1838
· Defeated for nomination for Congress, 1843
· Elected to Congress, 1846
· Lost renomination, 1848
· Rejected for Land Officer, 1849
· Defeated for Senate, 1854
· Defeated for nomination for Vice-President, 1856
· Again defeated for Senate, 1858
· Elected President, 1860

He could have given up at any one of those failures. I am sure that most of us would have. But he resolved to succeed in his goals and he stuck with it until he did. That resolution carried him all the way to the White House and into the history books.

What will people write about you when you are gone from this earth?

Define your dreams, set your goals and resolve to succeed at them no matter what happens. Failures are not brick walls that stop you. They are merely tests of your resolution to succeed; tests of how badly you want it. And if your resolution is strong enough, those brick walls will be mere speed bumps that can never stop you.