How Big Is Your Gap?

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?' "~ George A. Ford

If you ask these questions of yourself, they can be intimidating, scary and challenging. Here's part of the key in answering them...you must have total clarity of what you want and where you want to be. See, must of us have a general idea of what we want, but not a crystal-clear vision of what we want. “If you are clear about what you want, the world responds with clarity."

Decide right now what you want.  Get crystal clear about it.  If you have fuzzy thinking about what you want, that's what you are going to get.  Fuzzy stuff.

"What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be?" Ask and ANSWER that question now. Oh, you can think about it, but until you seriously ask yourself that question, you will never be able to get to where you want to be. It takes steps. Figure out what steps you need to take to get you started towards where you want to be. You don't have to see the whole path, just get started.

The difference between where you are now and where you want to be is called "the gap."  How big is your "gap?"  For some people it's huge...and that stops them.  For others, it's not that big...and that stops them.  The key to bridging "the gap" is to take action!  TAKE ACTION!!!

George Bernard Shaw said "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." Start creating the life that you want, NOW. Remember, it's your choice, no one elses. Stop looking and start creating. It all starts with your thoughts!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?' "

The Amount Of Work Is The Same

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." ~Carlos Castaneda

What are you emphasizing? Are you spending your time on things that matter or things that don't matter? Most people start out working on the things that matter and then are distracted and end up emphasizing the wrong stuff. Then we end up miserable because we don't understand that we are concentrating on things that don't matter. What is it that you are emphasizing?

Susyn Reeve said "When you focus your attention on the people, places, things and activities that you bring you pleasure - pleasure is what you experience." This is part of the reason that we need to doing something that gives us pleasure for our jobs. 75% of workers today HATE their jobs! Is that you? I hope not, because it is a choice. Your choice!

Do you believe in the Law of Attraction?  It works every time.  The challenge for most people is that their focus is on the wrong thing.  They are focusing on what they don't want instead of what they do want.  Is that you?  Start focusing on what you want and you will see the difference.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same."

Do Not Wait!

"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." ~Napoleon Hill

Are you waiting? If you are, what are you waiting for? Why? "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life! But there was always some obstacle, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business." Are you dealing with the obstacles and not allowing life to begin? It's real easy for us to do and we get caught up in dealing with things that before you know it, another year has passed.

Start now with whatever you have. Stop waiting for whatever you think you need and just do it. NOW! As Goethe said there is boldness in beginning!

The week between Christmas and New Years can be the most productive week of the year!  Why?  Because fewer people are working...which means less email, phone calls and interuptions.  Also because the people that are working are usually coasting...nuff said there.  This can be a week of "Reflecting Back and Planning Forward."  Look at what you did well in 2012 and look at what you didn't do well in 2012.  (If you are interested, I can send you a worksheet to do this.)

So, how will you use the most productive week of the year??

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along."

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!
"I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely." ~ Charles Dickens

"Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man/woman has to be himself." ~ Francis C. Farley

Know.  Be Known.  Make A Difference!

Appreciate What You Have

“Appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic good of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even excitement, however stale these experiences may have become to others.”~Abraham Maslow

Do you appreciate the basic good of life? With awe, pleasure and wonder? Really, or are you more caught up in the day-to-day life that only allows you to see the challenges? In our 'microwave society' it seems to always be about the next thing that we have to have or our life won't be complete with out...

Paul Coelho said "You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle." Are you paying attention to the daily miracle in front of you? Do you see it? It might be a new flower, a new friend, a new opportunity to serve others...

Realize that good is present in your life right now and more will be added to you. We have become a society of whiners, complainers and generally grumpy people because we don't see everything as a miracle.

During this holiday time it's easy to appreciate each other and what we have.  Take that appreciation with you throughout the whole year.  Remember, 50% of the world has never used a flushing toilet.  You are part of the top 3% in the world, never forget what you have!

“Appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic good of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even excitement, however stale these experiences may have become to others.”

The Sacred Gift vs. The Faithful Servant

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."~Albert Einstein

Wow, even back then, Albert got it! Think about our society today and how many ways we have done this...

Our government schools train people to be factory workers, robots, all with the same viewpoint. "When everybody is thinking the same thing, no one is thinking." Yet that is the way we are teaching children today, still. We stifle creativity out of kids, make them sit still and memorize answers so they can pass a test that tells us how "smart" they are.

Think about that for a while...

Maybe we've become the "Fantasy Nation." Remember Fantasy Island with Ricardo Montolban and Herve Velasquez? We've become Fantasy Island on steroids, we are the Fantasy Nation.  "Da plane, Boss, Da plane!"

Our society celebrates celebrities simply for being a celebrity. I mean really, how has Paris Hilton affected your life? Really? What about all these "reality shows?" Reality??? They are the farthest thing from reality!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."

Open To Learning?

"If we are not responsible for the thoughts that pass our doors, we are at least responsible for those we admit and entertain." ~Charles Newcomb

We cannot control thoughts that just pop into our mind. We can control those thoughts and decide if they are of value and allow them to stay in our minds. The challenge is that it takes discipline to make sure that we only allow the thoughts that will benefit us and block out those that can be negative for us. Metacognition = Thinking about what we think about. It's challenging but you can do it. You just need to practice your thinking. When was the last time you practiced your thinking...thought so.

Henry James said "Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." This is so true. Realize that the better you get at thinking, the better things will go for you. But it just doesn't happen, you need to work at it. Daily.

Another way to get better at thinking is to attend workshops and seminars.  Other people know things you don't and if you are open to learning (which most people say they are, but really aren't) you can learn from anyone.  Even me!  Join me today!
https://www.facebook.com/events/520986871244773/

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"If we are not responsible for the thoughts that pass our doors, we are at least responsible for those we admit and entertain."

Limitations or Success? Your Expectations Decide

“Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.”~Denis Waitley

What are your expectations? Or better yet, what are your intentions? Have you ever thought of them seriously or are they something you think about in passing? Unfortunately, most people just think about them in passing. What would happen to your life and business if you always had great expectations and intentions?

What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.” And the universe bring about. We've all heard about "what we resist, persists." And we also know that what we focus on we bring about. So, wouldn't it make sense to start having great expectations and intentions? People say, 'don't have high expectations, you will only be disappointed.' So what of that? Have you never dealt with disappointment before? It's not fun, but it's part of life.

Don't let your limitations be part of your expectations! You can create your expectations without limitations. Do it NOW!  You can also "Create Your Success Plan For 2013" this Thursday.  Join us and create new expectations without limitations!
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/520986871244773/

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.”

Stop Selling Yourself Short

"The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short." ~Abraham Maslow

I see this every day. People dragging themselves to jobs they hate because they sell themselves short as to what they really could do. They are stuck in life and afraid to break out. They sell themselves short as to what they could do or accomplish if they only decided to. How many people do you know that are selling themselves short...way too many!

Dr. Seuss said “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Don't ever let anyone make you believe that you cannot do anything you want to. You can steer yourself in any direction YOU CHOOSE! It's YOUR choice, no one elses.

Stop selling yourself short...NOW!
One way to do that will be to join us this Thursday at the workshop "Create Your Success Plan For 2013."  You will learn how to Create Your Success and stop selling yourself short.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short."

Never Allow Others To Define Your Potential

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” ~Anne Frank

YES. Inside you, right now is good news. You don't realize how great you can be, what you can accomplish, what your potential is! You are the Undiscovered Country! Don't fear it, find it! Create it! Be it! The only thing holding your greatness back is YOU. Do you realize that? Sure you say, but I've got to do this and that, the economy sucks and the boss hates me. SO WHAT? You are the one in charge of you, no one else is. You get to decide what to do and who to become, only you!

Marjorie Brody said "Never allow others to define your potential." Too many of us have allowed others to define our potential...our teachers, parents, friends, whoever. Don't let them, only you can define your potential and what you can become. And it's never too late to become who you were meant to be. So start right now!

One way you can define your own potential is to join us at the workshop "Creating Your Success Plan For 2013" this Thursday.  https://www.facebook.com/events/520986871244773/
You will learn how to Create your Sales Plan, Your Marketing Plan and Create Goals that are worthy of you!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” 

Anticipation, Not Apprehension

"The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don’t have it well designed." ~Jim Rohn

Are you facing the future with apprehension? It could be because you haven't really been specific in the design of your life. You might have an idea of where you want to go but without specifics, you end up sidetracked and going down the wrong roads, chasing the wrong things.

It's important to realize that we get to choose the design of our life, no one else does. And even if they have a plan for you, it's not much of a plan.

Jim Rohn also said "If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much." It will always be that way. You have to choose what you want and then go after it.

Look to the future with anticipation and design your own life plan. If you don't know how, join us next Thursday and learn how to Create Your Success Plan for 2013. https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/520986871244773/
It's no one else's responsibility other than yours. Do it now!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don’t have it well designed."

Inspired By Some Great Purpose

“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.

No Limitations To Your Mind

“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 You, 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?

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.”

Don't Be Afraid Of "The Gap"

"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."

Success Lies 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.

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.”

Remaining 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.

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 or Committed?

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 you can 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."

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.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

Are you interested or committed?

Perceptual Blindness

"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.

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)."

Impatience and Greed

"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 day before the finish.

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.

Here's a suggestion. 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."