Does Your Mind Transcend Limitations?

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations and your consciousness expands in every direction. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. ~Patanjali

Are you inspired by some great purpose? Some extraordinary project? What is it? Or are you not really inspired at all and have no extraordinary projects to work on?? If you don't know or can't say what your great purpose is, that's ok. It's never to late to find your purpose, your extraordinary project. The key is to be searching within yourself to find it. It will not be outside of you. You already have it.

Here's what happens when you do find your great purpose...Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive! Have you ever experienced that? It's so cool when it does. The other thing that happens is that you discover yourself to be a far greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be! When you find that purpose, all that negative self-talk disappears.

Challenge yourself this week to make sure that you are inspired by your great purpose. I dare you!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations and your consciousness expands in every direction. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving.  Here are a few quotes to think about today

“I awoke this morning with a devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.”

~Cicero

“There is no better opportunity to receive more than to be thankful for what you already have.  Thanksgiving opens the windows of opportunity for ideas to flow your way.”

~Jim Rohn

“None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude.  Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”

~Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

 “When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in their humanity.  A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.”

~Elie Wiesel

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

~William Arthur Ward

What Limitations Do You Acknowledge?

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge” ~Napoleon Hill

What limitations are you accepting and acknowledging? How often do we talk ourselves out of doing the thing we want because of our supposed limitations? Too often, we are our worst critic and we constantly sabotage our efforts because we don't think that we deserve it.

Richard Bach said “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours.” How often are you arguing for your limitations? Stop doing that. Now!! Start being who you were meant to be. Stop living life at less than you were designed to live it. It's never too late to be who you were meant to be!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge”

Be Yourself...Everyone Else Is Taken

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”~Judy Garland

Are you a first rate version of yourself or are you a second rate version of someone else? Really, think about it! My feeling is that we start out as trying to imitate someone (a second rate version) and sometimes we break away from that, but sometimes we are stuck in it because we are never able to be as good as the original. What do you think?

While it's good to have role models and people that we can follow, it's imperative that we become who we were meant to be. To bring our unique gift to the world, for the world will never see it unless we each bring it. Too many people have shrunk from who they could have been and are just living to survive or until their "ship comes in." Guess what? That ship is never coming. It's never too late to be who you were meant to be.

Terry Josephson said “Stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities” That's the challenge for us today and from now on. Think in terms of YOUR possibilities! Wow, do you see how empowering that is? Your possibilities are limitless! You do realize that, don't you?

Action:If you're having a challenge in seeing how you can be a first-rate version of yourself, let's talk about that.  Sometimes you just need a different perspective.  Be You, everyone else is taken.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

What's Holding You Back?

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and your reality. If you can dream it you can make it happen."~Belva Davis

Are you afraid of that space? Is that what is holding you back? Afraid of the space between your dreams and your reality?  That space is called "the gap."

There's nothing to fear in "the gap."  Anything that you have thought about being able to cross "the gap" or not, it's all just a story that you are telling yourself.  Are you telling yourself the story of your success or are you telling yourself a losing story?  Most people keep reliving all the losses and never create a story about their successes.

If you are dreaming it, you've already been given everything that you need to make it happen. Did you realize that or are you still focused on "the gap?" Do you believe that you can create your reality? Really?

Do you believe in your dream or is it just a fantasy, a place where you can go and wish? Too many people who say they have dreams, just have wishes, never working on them, just wishing for them.  For these people, the bone that gets the most work is the "wishbone."  If you have a dream and need some help in getting it from the invisible to the visible, from the wish stage to the goal stage, send me a message and we can talk about how to do that.

What is your dream? Start focusing on it now and take the first step toward attaining it. Without taking the steps to attain it, it's just a wish.

Are you dreaming or are you wishing?

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and your reality. If you can dream it you can make it happen."

Everything You Want Is Just Beyond

“We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond.”
~Marcel Proust

Are you afraid to go too far? A lot of people are. They are not content where they are at but fear making a change that could bring them success. So they settle for what they have. Are you settling for what you have so that you can stay safe in your comfort zone? Success lies just beyond your comfort zone! Too many people in their comfort zone who don't want to be there stay there either out of fear or by settling and not taking a chance.

Max Du Pree said "In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining who we are." Wow, "We cannot become what we need to be by remaining who we are!" How powerful is that? Do you realize this? It's called GROWTH! And it takes us out of our comfort zone and allows us to become what we need to become.

Here's another quote about settling:  "The place for what you want is currently occupied by what you have settled for."  Is this you?  Have you settled for things that you know aren't the best for you?  Why?  Stop now and clear out what you have settled for, then you will have the room for what you want.

Action:If you are serious about becoming successful you will need to do two things:
1) Not be afraid of going too far, and
2) Not remaining who you are. That is your challenge for today and from now on!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond.”

Do You Remain Bound?

"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound." ~James Allen

Wow, was Allen right about that!! But I would want to make a slight change to his quote. I would say that people are willing to improve themselves, but they are unwilling to do the work involved in improving themselves. In our society, we want instant answers, instant riches, instant health and most of us are unwilling to do what we KNOW we should do to get those things. Just give me a pill...

For every person who climbs the ladder of success, there are a hundred still waiting for the elevator to show up. Are you a stair climber or are you waiting for the elevator? Be a stair climber. Make things happen, take action, improve your circumstances, improve yourself.

Action:Take a moment today to improve yourself. Then do it every day. You will be amazed at your growth and the positive change it will make for you.  And for your business, spend 30 minutes a day working ON your business before you work IN your business.  You will see the results almost immediately!  If you need some more ideas on improving your business, send me a message.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound."

Interested, Uncommitted People Have No Future

Are you interested or committed?

Most people are interested in their business. Oh, they will say that they are committed to their business but the proof is right there in front of them. Here's the difference between being interested and being committed. If you are interested, you will do what is convenient or easy to do.  If you are committed, you will do what you have to do. There's a huge difference between the two. Think about that...

What do you HAVE to do in your business or in your life? Do you stretch yourself to do what you have to do or do you only do what you can do? Brian Tracy said “Make a total commitment to your company, your job, your career and your life. Uncommitted people have no future.” Wow, "Uncommitted people have no future."

Action:
Realize that it's never too late to make a commitment to your business and your life. Your past does not dictate your future. It's your choice, always.  Here's another thought, "Interested people have no future."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

Are you interested or committed?

Another Success Killer, Focusing On The Problem

"Perceptual blindness sheds much light on why we miss obvious solutions. By focusing on one thing (a problem), we miss something else (a solution)."~Michael McMillan

Another success killer is focusing on the problem rather than the solution. It is a learned behavior to focus on the solution, because our brain just wants to focus on the problem. Yes, you need to look at the problem, but only long enough to start to come up with solutions to that problem. Once you have a few solutions to work on, focus on the solutions!

What we focus on expands and unless we work on metacognition (thinking about what we think about) our focus will not be strong enough to stay on the solutions...our minds will drift back to the problem.  That's just the way our brains are wired.  What are you focusing on?  The problem or the possible solutions?  If you are focusing on the problem, I can imagine that you see the problem getting bigger...however if you focus on solutions, the problem will work itself out.  

Action:

A good thing to work on is when you bring problems up at your work, at home or wherever, in addition to talking about the problem. bring a solution to the discussion. By bringing a solution to the problem, it allows the mind to search for other solutions instead of going back to the problem. Work on that this week.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Perceptual blindness sheds much light on why we miss obvious solutions. By focusing on one thing (a problem), we miss something else (a solution)."

Are You Killing Success?

"The twin killers of success are impatience and greed."

In our current microwave society, we have become impatient, about most everything! If the computer doesn't load fast enough, we complain. If someone ahead of us at a light doesn't go as soon as its green, we get mad. As soon as the power goes out, we are on the phone to APS, demanding to know when the power will come back on. As one of the killers of success, our impatience keeps us from being present in the moment.

Most people lose sight of the fact that when you are present, more things come into your frame of reference.  Being present means not being impatient.  Being present means listening to what someone is saying and not thinking about what you are going to say before they finish what they are saying.

We no longer appreciate delayed gratification. There was a study done with children and they told the kids that they could have a candy bar right away, but if they would wait for 10 minutes, they would get two. What do you think happened? You're right, most of the kids took the candy and didn't wait for the second one. As one of the twin killers of success, impatience has become a major problem. And it's getting worse.

Action:How long should you try? Until. Until. Until it is finished, until you can't go on any more, until it can no longer help you. Jim Rohn said "Some people plant in the spring and leave in the summer. If you’ve signed up for a season, see it through. You don’t have to stay forever, but at least stay until you see it through." See it through.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The twin killers of success are impatience and greed."

Ignore The Mass Of Unimportant Things

“80/20 thinking requires, and with practice enables, us to spot the few really important things that are happening and ignore the mass of unimportant things. It teaches us to see the wood for the trees.” ~ Richard Koch

80/20 thinking. Have you ever done it? Really? For how long? A couple of minutes? Most of us are steeped in the "mass of unimportant things" and never get to 80/20 thinking. You all know Pareto's Principle, but when have you applied it to your thinking? Our challenge is to get away from the "mass of unimportant things" and start concentrating on the 20% of important things. Imagine what you could come up with if you spent time thinking about the important things. Our brain will naturally want to go to what is normal and known. It will take a while to get to that 20% but is it worth it!!

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.” Too often we put the things that matter least in front of the things that matter most. Brian Tracy has a saying, he says "Eat the frog first." Think of what's most important and take care of that stuff first and the easy stuff will get done.

Action:
 Spend some time thinking about the important 20% and what it means to you. Ignore the mass of unimportant things. Then do what matters most first! It's a winning combination.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“80/20 thinking requires, and with practice enables, us to spot the few really important things that are happening and ignore the mass of unimportant things. It teaches us to see the wood for the trees.”

Expect Wonderful Things To Happen...RIGHT NOW!

"Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way." ~ Eileen Caddy

I know that you set your sights high, but are they set the higher the better or are they just set high enough? High enough that it will challenge you a little, but not to much. Not a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), just high enough. Do you expect wonderful things to happen RIGHT NOW??? Everyone expects wonderful things to happen someday. Here's the problem...someday never comes! There's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday. There's no SOMEDAY!

What are you allowing yourself to be stopped by? Only you can stop you. Anais Nin said "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." Whatever is holding you back is in you, not in outer circumstances. We see things as we are!

Most people don't set their sights high enough and don't expect wonderful things to happen. Don't be part of the most people crowd. Don't allow others limited perception of you to define you. Only YOU can define YOU!  

Action:
Set your sights, the higher the better.  Expect wonderful things to happen NOW!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way."

Only You Can Stop You

"If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise." -Robert Fritz

Do you limit your choices to what seems possible or reasonable? Really?? When I ask people what their BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is, they usually answer with something seems possible (20% increase in business) or reasonable. That is not a BHAG! That is a compromise and most people will compromise on what they want.

Why do we do that? Our mind defaults to the negative and so it's difficult for us to create things that seem unreasonable. But reasonable men have never changed the world, only those who were unreasonable made the impossible, possible.

Jeffrey Gitomer said "Obstacles can't stop you. Problems can't stop you. Most of all, other people can't stop you. Only you can stop you." This is so true. You are the only thing that is stopping you. It's not the economy, not your spouse or friends, not anything but you...think about that.

Don't let you stop you.  

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise."

Not Getting? Maybe You're Not Giving!

"If you are not GETTING what you want out of life, maybe you're not GIVING enough to it."

What do you think? Are you giving enough to get what you want out of life? What are you willing to pay to get what you want? Money, time, extra effort? Before you can get what you want, you need to determine what you are willing to pay to get it. Some people decide that they don't want to pay the price to get what they want and they settle for what they can get. I hope that's not you!

Think about your business. Are you giving it enough to get what you want? Or are you only giving enough to make ends meet, keep the boss happy, pay the bills? Think about it. Maybe you aren't giving it what you need to give it to be really successful. Here's the thing about this. You don't have to answer the question...your results have already answered the question for you! You will have results or you will have excuses.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common." Take a look at what you are giving. See the miraculous, and if you don't see the miraculous, look again until you see it. And if you don't see it then, maybe you aren't giving it enough...

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"If you are not GETTING what you want out of life, maybe you're not GIVING enough to it."

Refuse To Accept Anything But The Best

"It is a very funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it."~ W. Somerset Maugham

Here's our challenge, we too often accept anything rather than refusing to accept anything but the best. It comes down to our choices. We have been taught to take what we can get rather than what we want. We're told that "that's the best that you can do, you better take it," and we believe those well-meaning people. So we accept things that are less than the best in our lives.

What would happen the next time you come to this choice and you say "No, I will only accept the best and I'm not settling this time!" Do you think that things might change for you? Do you think that maybe you will get the best or does you mind quickly tell you that "you're not worthy," " you shouldn't have the best" or "you don't deserve it?" DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR DOUBTING THOUGHTS!! You ARE worthy! You SHOULD have the best! You DO deserve it! We ALL do.

Action:
Stop settling NOW. A favorite quote of mine is that "The place for what you want is currently occupied by what you settled for." STOP SETTLING NOW!
Join us this Thursday afternoon for a business changing workshop that will give you the tools to double or triple your business.  Start attracting prospects and clients instead of chasing them!
https://www.facebook.com/events/553459274784315
Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"It is a very funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it."

Stop Taking Things For Granted

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” ~G. K. Chesterton

Do you take things for granted or with gratitude? I hate to say it, but most people take things we have here in America for granted. And then we are only grateful on holidays, for a short time and then we go back to taking things for granted.

Do you realize how lucky we have it here in America? 50% of the world's population doesn't have running water or indoor plumbing. If you live in America, no matter what your economic situation, you are part of the top 3% of wealthy people in the world.

William Faulkner said“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” If you don't show your gratitude, it's like having a present and never taking the wrapping paper off.

Action:
Start taking things with gratitude and not for granted. Start to realize that we who were born here or have come here are the luckiest people on earth. Start showing your gratitude, produce it and discharge it!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”

You Have The Ability

"A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine." ~Og Mandino

Are you frittering away your precious hours? Really? Are you sure? I think most of us have gotten real good at frittering...What could you be doing RIGHT NOW to create the things you want in your life?

"You have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine." Do you realize that? You do have the ability to accomplish so much. But you might need to make a slight change. What could that change be? It will be different for everybody but you need to decide what it is...no one else will be able to tell you.

Jim Rohn said "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day." What are your simple disciplines? Do you know what they are? If you don't, ask...otherwise you will be practicing the wrong ones and not getting what you want.

Action:
Stop frittering away your precious time. Figure out what that small change is and make it RIGHT AWAY! Decide what your simple disciplines are and start practicing them every day.  

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine."

Living Your Life Backwards

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want."~ Margaret Young

Are you living your life backwards? Our society kind of pushes us to live it backwards, doesn't it. We are constantly bombarded with ads that tell us that if we just buy this product, we will get what we want. Buy more products and you will be happy! Easy, right? NOT!! See, happiness doesn't come from things, it comes from who you are and what makes you tick.

First, you must be who you really are. Are you who you really are or are you playing a role that you created or someone gave you? WHO ARE YOU??? Really, who are you...down deep. Are you doing what you were created to do? Are you sure? Most people aren't, they are just playing a role, just existing...really, just taking up space.

Most people live their lives in a Have-Do-Be mentality when they need to be living from a Be-Do-Have mentality. Before you can Do and Have, you need to Be. Who are you???

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want."

Expect More~Execute Better

"Life... It tends to respond to our outlook, to shape itself to meet our expectations."
~Richard M. DeVos
What are your expectations? Are they for your dreams or are they just enough to get by? Unfortunately, we have been taught to not expect too much because if we don't get it, we will be disappointed. We were taught that by well meaning people but guess what? You can't protect people from disappointment!! It's part of life and it allows us to grow. But most people keep their expectations low.

As a Sales Trainer, I always ask my students when they go to meet a client, if they expect to make a sale. Most of them say no. My answer to them is "Why bother going?" You create your reality with your expectations so always be expecting the best. Sure, you might be disappointed some times but more often than not, you will be rewarded for your expectations!

Just 4 words separate the most successful people in the world from those who struggle to just get by: Expect More ~ Execute Better. Are you expecting more and executing better? Sounds simple, but it's not easy. You have to train your brain to expect more and you also have to work on executing better. Those 4 words are what separate the most successful people from those who are struggling. Expect More ~ Execute Better. Start expecting more NOW!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

 

"Life... It tends to respond to our outlook, to shape itself to meet our expectations."

It Really Isn't A "Comfort Zone"

“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” ~Denis Waitley

How often are you out of your comfort zone? Really? Think about it because I would bet that you are in it more than you think. What is your creative vision for your life? Does your creative vision allow you to feel comfortable outside of your comfort zone? If you are stuck in your comfort zone then you aren't growing. And if you aren't growing, you are shrinking. 

There is no middle ground, no status quo, no staying the same.

Here's another thing about our "Comfort Zone." It really ISN'T a "comfort zone." It is a FAMILIAR ZONE, because we are familiar with the pain. And the pain that we know is always less than the pain of something new, so we stay in our Familiar Zone.

Peter McWilliams said “To the degree we're not living our dreams, our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves.” Has your comfort zone taken over your dreams and your life? Too often we don't even realize it until it's too late. Well, it's not too late! GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT/FAMILIAR ZONE!! START LIVING YOUR DREAMS!

NOW! What are you waiting for?

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference

“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.”