Simple Steps to Quickly Transform Your Life

As we begin 2009, I want to talk about a very important concept that can totally change the way you experience life this year. The idea that I would like you to fully grasp is this: You can jump onto the path of success anytime you want to.

It does not matter where you are in life, and it makes no difference what you want to achieve. The moment you finally make up your mind that things are going to be different, that is the point where your life can completely change direction.

You can create that kind of decisive moment in your life anytime you choose, it is entirely up to you. You don’t need to wait for ideal circumstances to come along before you change your life. You just need to make up your mind that beginning right here and right now, you are going to claim the life that you truly desire.

When I say “make up your mind,” what do I mean?

I am certainly not talking about wishful thinking. Many people approached the new year wanting to make dramatic changes in their lives, but how do things usually turn out? Sad to say, most people slip back into their familiar patterns, and fail to realize any meaningful change. That is because their good intentions were lacking some essential elements. If you want 2009 to be the best year of your life, and the beginning of a whole new you, it’s going to require a commitment. You need to be serious about transforming your life, and you need to be willing to take consistent, focused action toward your goals.

The truth is, if you want a life of exceptional quality it will require some effort. I know there are those who will promise you that an effortless life transformation is possible. That would be nice, wouldn’t it? I think you and I both realize that is not the way things really work. Besides, what is wrong with effort? Effort is fun when it produces the results you want.

I truly want you to have a rewarding and satisfying life. There is absolutely no reason why you to settle for less. If 2008 didn’t turn out quite the way you were hoping, then don’t you think it might be time for a change? If you do the same things you did last year, chances are you will get the same results, is that what you want? [click to continue…]

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Two days before our recent major holiday, I was finishing up an article for Advanced Life Skills, and when I went to close the page something unexpected happened. All of a sudden, my page began to replicate itself over and over again. Within a few seconds, I had 50, 60, and more copies of the same page on the screen, and the process just kept going.
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What’s the best thing to do situation like that?
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Well I don’t really know, but my first instinct was to hit the power button, so that’s what I did, and of course, the computer shut down. I waited a couple minutes, then turned it back on to make sure everything was all right.
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Well, everything was definitely not all right.
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For some reason the computer no longer recognized its own hard drive. I tried for an hour or two to come up with a solution, but to no prevail. So, my computer was down and the whole world was getting ready for a holiday.
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Have you ever noticed how things like this seem to happen at the most inconvenient times? Thankfully, I know a really great computer tech, who I contacted early the next morning. He said he was swamped, but he was willing to try and squeeze me in.

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Have you ever wondered how other people really feel about you? If one of your friends, business acquaintances, or family members were to be completely honest about the way they view you, what do you think they would say?
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The reason I bring this up is because people are inclined to see themselves very differently than others see them. It is a natural tendency to just assume that others view things the same way we do. But in reality this is seldom the case.
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It can be very enlightening to step back and try to analyze ourselves from a “third person” perspective. Here are seven important areas of your life that are worth looking at from the viewpoint of a friend or acquaintance. Let’s walk through them one at a time.
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1) Emotionally: The quality of all your relationships, including friends, family, and business associates, are directly affected by the emotional impression you make on those around you. You may consider yourself to be kind and considerate, but do others feel that way about you?
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Ask yourself these 3 questions:
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a) Are the people I interact with emotionally empowered after being around me, or are they left with a different feeling?
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b) Do others look forward to spending time in my company, or do they try to politely avoid it whenever possible?
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c) Do I enjoy being around people who treat me the same way I treat others?
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If you feel comfortable with your own answers to these 3 questions, here is a way to take it to the next level. You can find someone that you know will be honest and tactful with you, and ask them to answer those questions about you. This takes courage, but if you are ready for it, the answers can be extremely revealing.

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Do you feel like the number of opportunities available to you is starting to dwindle? Does it seem like there are fewer and fewer chances for personal and financial growth because things are contracting all around you?
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Is that reality or just your perception?

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What if I said that each of us is constantly surrounded by limitless opportunities, but that they often go unrecognized. Do you think that could be true in your case?

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What kind of opportunities are you looking for? Do you want to expand your income, find a partner, start a new career, grow your consciousness, or establish some meaningful business or personal contacts? Ask your self this…

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What does opportunity look like?

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That is an important question to ask, don’t you think? No matter what kinds of opportunities you are looking for, if you can’t identify them, then they are very likely to sneak past you unnoticed. When seeking opportunity, most people’s search criteria is so narrow in focus that it can essentially blind them to what is right in front of their face. It’s the old “can’t see the forest for the trees” scenario.

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At other times, the opportunity itself is hidden from view but there are visible clues that we can follow. In cases like this, we need to recognize and follow the clues that will lead us to the opportunity we are seeking.  When looking for gold, miners don’t expect to find it just laying around on the surface of the ground. So how do they know where to look? They search for clues such as favorable rock formations, or deposits of certain metallic ores. When they find the right clues, then they take a closer look.

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Sometimes opportunity is disguised as something else. There’s an old saying that goes like this: “The reason most people fail to recognize opportunity is because it often comes disguised as hard work.”
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Whatever the case, if we broaden our parameters a bit, and use a little imagination, we can train ourselves to see opportunities that were previously hidden from our view. Let’s consider where opportunity is most likely to be found.

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Do you realize that you have at your disposal the power to change the state of those around you in an instant? I am not just talking about people that you know, but also people you have only seen once, and that you have never even talked to. Yes, you can change the state of a complete stranger in a moment, from a distance. That’s a lot of power, don’t you think.

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Before we explore this remarkable source of influence, let’s consider a few basic facts about human communication.
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Some possibilities
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Most of us tend to focus on our verbal communication skills, and that’s reasonable. After all, being able to express yourself accurately, and convey your thoughts in an understandable way, is a very valuable skill. We have all been touched to the heart by well-crafted words, and we highly value that ability.

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It makes no difference whether they come from a great public speaker; a captivating author, or a dear friend, words have the ability to touch our lives. But we are not talking about words today. The reason is, because in order for words to be able to touch somebody’s life, they either need to hear them, or read them. Remember though, I said we could do this from a distance without talking to the other person.

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Here’s a fact: We all go through the goal setting process repeatedly during the course of our day. We often do so without even thinking about it. For example, when you got up this morning, did you have something you wanted to accomplish, or did you just get up and wander around aimlessly? You had a goal, right?
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Maybe it didn’t seem like a goal because it was something that you do almost every day. Even if it was just your normal routine, chances are you had a goal, or a whole bunch of goals to accomplish today. Did you go to work, get the kids off to school, or go grocery shopping? Did you do all three, and then some?
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How were you able to accomplish those things?
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Likely, you planned them out ahead of time, and decided how they would fit into your schedule for the day. You probably made some preparations the night before and determined what time you needed to be up and going.  As the day went on, you kept an eye on the clock and made whatever adjustments were needed.
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Realize it or not, you were setting and achieving goals all day long. That’s what productive people do, and that makes you a successful goal-setter. True, this is goal setting on a very basic level, but what would your life be like without it? How many of the things that you do every day would not happen without your ability to follow through on your goals? [click to continue…]

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What do you think of when you hear the phrase ’self-confidence’? Is it a desirable quality, or is it some kind of ego driven, inflated assessment of one’s own abilities?
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Do you desire greater self-confidence, or do you harbor negative feeling toward those that seem overly confident, or both?
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Seeking balance
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As with anything else, a balanced, healthy sense of self-confidence is what we should strive for. But here is a question worth considering, is it possible to have a realistic view of one’s own abilities, and still have unstoppable self-confidence?
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Yes it is, and that’s where balance comes in. Self-confidence is an inner feeling of certainty about what we have to offer, and what we are capable of accomplishing. It is closely related to self-esteem, which is our personal estimation of our own value and worth as a person.
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Without a reasonable degree of self-esteem, it is impossible to manifest extraordinary self-confidence. So, self-esteem levels are an important factor, and they need to be maintained within certain reasonable limits. Just as an unreasonable level of self-esteem creates an egomaniac, too much self-confidence can also prove to be unrealistic and counterproductive. If it’s unrealistic, then it is also potentially harmful on some level, physically, emotionally, or financially. How can too much self-confidence be harmful?
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Everything has its limits
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While a strong sense of self-confidence will create new opportunities, it cannot change reality. For example, on a physical plain, having complete confidence that you can fly of the top of a 50-story building will not negate the force or gravity. Gravity is a force of nature, and it is not susceptible to your will, that’s reality.
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Here’s an example from the financial world. Dumping your life savings into a falling stock market because you have are complete confidence that things are about to turn around, will not change the direction of the markets. You will either be very lucky, or very broke, that’s reality.
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How about emotionally? Having blind faith (unrealistic self-confidence), as in these two examples will probably have a negative impact on you self-esteem. As a result, doubt will erode your self-confidence and you will experience an emotional set back. [click to continue…]

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I recently posted an article called, Designing a Personal Transformation, on Facebook. I was pleased that several people were motivated to comment on this article, but there was one comment in particular that got my attention. Here’s the comment, “change nothing, just be yourself and experience peace.”
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How do you feel about that statement?
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The more I thought about it, the more thought-provoking it became. It is very true that to experience peace we must be in harmony with our true self. Striving to be something we are not only creates internal conflict and disharmony. So on this level I completely agree with the statement, ‘just be yourself.’
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But which part of ourselves should we be?
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Within in each of us is the capacity to be generous or selfish, understanding or harsh, loving or unloving. It is up to each of us as individuals to choose what aspects of our character we want to nurture and develop. Clearly, if we want to maximize our potential, we need to make wise choices about the kind of person we will allow ourselves to become.
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Prisons are full of people who were just being themselves. The problem is, the aspects of their personality that they chose to express had a negative effect on the world around them. So the philosophy of ‘just be yourself and everything will turn out fine’ seems a little simplistic, don’t you think?
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Who else could we be?
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While it is true that everything we are, or will ever become, is already part of our true self. It is also true that most people do not know how to make the most of their incredible potential. This is where learning the kind of life skills that can open the door to self-discovery and personal growth come in.
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But no matter what kind of personal change we experience, we don’t grow into someone else, we develop into the best possible version of ourselves. Regardless of how it is expressed, we will always be ourselves, after all, who else could we possibly be?

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Did you watch ‘ the Secret’? Have you been trying to manifest the abundance you are convinced you deserve? How’s it working out?

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I thought your Quantum Field might resonate with a familiar voice from the blogisphere.

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As usual, Jonathan Fields rocks the boat with his profound logic and unique perspective on the things that shape our lives. Even though this post is almost a year old, I just discovered it and wanted (okay, I was compelled) to share it with you. It’s controversial title:

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I’ve got a secret: the Law Of Attraction is a lie

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It was at the center of the biggest self-help phenomenon of the last few decades.

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Now, everyone knows the secret was…The Law Of Attraction. The notion that, through cosmic law, whatever you focus on necessarily grows, so, rather than focusing on what you don’t want, hold what you do want in your mind…and watch it blossom.

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But, what if the fundamental basis for the law of attraction was made-up?

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What if it wasn’t a law at all, but really just a theory or hypothesis? What if it wasn’t as provable, self-evident or sacrosanct as Newton’s law or any of the other laws of physics that have been proven through verifiable, scientific study and replication?

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What if it’s effectiveness, if any, was really much more about basic human nature and failing to acknowledge this dramatically limited, rather than strengthened it’s effect?

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As proof of the law of attraction’s “law-ness,” a parade of visionaries appeared…

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Each one was mesmerizing. Captivating speakers, from Joe Vitale to Jack Canfield and Neale Donald Walsch to John Assaraf. Fascinating to watch. They spoke to the impact the law of attraction has had on their lives and the lives of thousands of others. Then, explanations based in “science” were proffered. Because, for us to accept something as law, we need proof. It needs to work all the time, regardless of belief, for all the people.

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It’s all about quantum physics…

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Every thought, we learned, creates a measurable electromagnetic wave that is “perceivable” on a subtle level, by others. At least the first part of this is verifiably true, by modern methodology. And, the latter claim, that others perceive and have the ability to respond to these vibrations, I cannot prove…but, for the sake of optimism, I am open to.

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We were then told that, in nature, like attracts like. So, if you constantly focus your thoughts on what you want to manifest, rather that what you want to avoid, those around you whose thoughts are also resonating at the frequency associated with that same positive intention will be attracted to you. And, the net-effect will be the manifestation of all you desire.

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