Staff of Power

How to Forget

2008-04-19T09:50:00.001-05:00

Something that we all do is to allow our past to influence our future. You can see examples of it everywhere you look. Yes, some things do have an effect on your future, but those things do not hold you back, they just change the course you must take.

There are many effective methods of memory training that are currently around and are offered to the public, but, to the best of my knowledge, there is no course teaching one how to forget. So today’s lesson is about how to forget the right way.

Let us build on the statement that it is the memories of the past and the fear of the future which make our present so difficult. We all know we only live in the present; you can not change the past, so why should you allow the past to affect your present? One of the main reasons why it is so hard to maintain positive thoughts in our minds, is our memories of our past hardships and failures. If your life has been a difficult one, you are likely to have a conflict of mental pictures, so when you try to visualize success your memories of the past come flooding in and seriously cripple your efforts. This means that your recalling of unpleasant situations from the past neutralizes the success for your future.

So now you understand why it is so important to develop your faculties of forgetting, but you have to forget in the proper way or you will end up making the mistakes of the past all over again. It is important to develop the ability to remember, you must discover the correct method of recalling so that your present life will not be controlled by events you no longer can control.

Let us examine the statement: You Are What You Think You Are! The impression you have of yourself is the accumulation of your experiences so far acquired throughout this lifetime. Since most people are inclined toward the negative side, it is most likely that you have a negative impression of yourself. In other words, you think of yourself as being destined by fate to live a hard life; and therefore, you do. Because what you think is what you are.
So what we need is a mental eraser. Just think if you had a mental eraser and could remove all of the unpleasant, negative pictures of your life, and then replace them with positive ones, then your future would be successful and happy. Now I know you will lose no time in using your mental eraser, once you have it, however there is one point that must be made clear: The memories and pictures of your past should be erased only as far as they affect your present activities, not completely removed from your memory.

During my life I have had many experiences, some very some bitter, and some very sad, and others excruciatingly painful, and through these experiences learned many things the hard way. Having said that, I wouldn't part with those memories now, they are what I was and did, not who I am and where I am going. These memories serve not as a guide but as a way of judging my progress; I can fully appreciate what I have, by comparing my present with my past.

So we now have this provocative dilemma: We should retain mental pictures of past experiences as a means of comparison; yet at the same time we should erase negative mental pictures so that positive ones may take over. You now ask; “How do we do this?” So let us get to the matter at hand.

Let us start with an overview of the process and then work into some details. The main idea and goal of solving this problem is to take all pictures of former events, unpleasant ones in particular, and place them in a separate memory files for future reference purposes only. We then edit all new pictures seeking admittance into our conscience, and quickly refuse those which might have a negative effect on our lives. An example is the old family album. In it you find pictures of great grandpa wearing what look to be very stuffy clothes and holding a lantern, and great grandmother cooking on a wood stove, or hand washing the laundry. You also find baby pictures of family members now long grown up, wearing cloth diapers, and pictures of children playing, and so on. None of us would like to look the way, or dress the way they did in the “old days" but it is nice to have the pictures as a means of comparing the past with the present.

You gain knowledge through past mistakes, so you must remember only the lesson, and not the pain. The word “If” is an important word here; it is the word that is the catalyst which will join your past experiences with future failure or success. There is no difference in external conditions; the difference is in the mind. If you accept the mental pictures of disaster (and, as you know thoughts are pictures and pictures are patterns) then there is nothing you can do but fail. However if you use your mental eraser, and erase the disaster pictures, taking care to put a copy in your mental album for future reference, and replace them with success pictures then there is nothing you can do but succeed.

So now to the nitty gritty part of the lesson, an exercise; we will begin thinking about thinking. As you think about thinking you will experience a great revelation: You will begin to get a glimpse of the gigantic reservoir of power you have at your command. Start off by examining every thought you have, some use pen and paper to help keep track, do as you will, but you must do this exercise. While examining your thoughts, begin to classify them as negative, positive, destructive, constructive, and so forth. Then the next step is to become very critical about the thoughts you allow to enter your mind. Each time you find a picture coming into consciousness which has any connection at all with failure, illness, or gloom, remove it.

There are two methods of removing these thoughts, find the one that works for you and use it often. The first method is to “fire” it. When a negative thought enters into your consciousness say to it firmly “cancel” (of course there are other more “fun” explicative’s but we cant list them here) and then change your thought to what you do desire. If the same thought keeps trying to come back fire it again and again as many times as you have to. Eventually this thought will no longer return and the new thought you used to replace it will come around often.

The next method requires more effort, when a negative thought enters your mind, capture it and examine it. Look at the details and find out what is false about it, what is silly, what is outrageous, and in so doing remove from it its power to affect your life, then bend it twist and force it to show the correct picture you desire. Bit by bit change its existence from a negative thought to a positive one.

Let us use an example to further illustrate the exercise. Let us say you have an important meeting coming up, a job interview for instance, and you begin to have negative thoughts. In the first method when the thought comes in “they wont hire me because…” and you see yourself walking away dejected and disappointed, you firmly say “Cancel” and then affirm instead that they will hire you as you are the best candidate for the position, and see yourself signing the hiring papers. You do this over and over until you have the correct feeling of confidence that they will indeed hire you. In the second method you when the same negative comes into your mind, you look at the picture, why are you walking away? Why are you dejected? And so on, then bit by bit change the picture to you are walking away exited, elated and happy, you got the job and for better pay than you asked for.

Just because you have failed at the same task in the past does not mean you will fail today, change the picture by using your mental eraser and soon you will find that the past is just that, the past, and your present is happy and your future is now looking brighter.

Think of this lesson as something far greater than just words on a screen, think of this as your newest key to abundance. Think of it as the password to a more enjoyable life. Allow yourself actually to sparkle with enthusiasm, become eager to prove that the principles outlined here will be just as effective for you as they have been for others. Then use the tactics you have just discovered, to do nothing will get you nowhere. You'll end up saying: "I read the article and didn't get a thing out of it," and it will be true.

Things begin to happen when you see them happening. This of course, refers to good and bad things. If you see dismal things happening, you are directing them to come into existence, causing the pictures to become realities. Be thankful, however, that the reverse is true. When you see good things happening, you are directing your forces to make those pictures realities.

Think about thinking! Erase all pictures which might have come into your mind because of the day's experiences. Replace them with mental pictures of the things that you desire to happen. Here we must cover one finale point: Avoid reverse positives. Sometimes a positive affirmation can be negative in results. As an example, assume that you are working a routine to overcome shyness. The mantra: "I will overcome my shyness," is a positive statement, but it creates a negative condition. It gives emphasis to the fact that you are timid and makes your condition all the more real. Instead, affirm that you like people and like to talk to people. There is nothing at all negative about such a statement.

Here is the formula to follow in creating mental pictures that will not react in a negative manner: Picture the condition you desire; not the condition you are attempting to overcome. To say: "I will not fail" is negative; to say: "I am a success" is positive. The thought: "I will not be weak" is negative, whereas the expression: "I am getting stronger every day" is positive.

Practice the exercises given, with the assurance that the results will lift you to whatever heights you choose. You can be and do whatever you will to.

Be Blessed

How to Be Healthy

2008-04-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Have you ever known anyone who when you describe an ailment of any type begins to feel the symptoms and think they are sick? How about the old exercise where everyone cooperates to convince someone they are sick, by asking them if they are ok, as they look like death warmed over? Even though the person is fine he or she gets convinced they are sick and so go home early feeling rather ill. Well this is your mind at work, proving that it is your mind that controls your health.

To state the obvious; today’s discussion will be about health and physical well being. Just to cover the bases; start out by having your doctor give you a thorough examination. If the doctor finds anything basically wrong with you, have it taken care of, and then apply the principles we are discussing today.

There are a lot of people who have an illness consciousness. They continually fear that some new ailment is developing in them. First we must understand there is intelligence in every cell of your body, and because of this, mental pictures of ailments of various sorts will actually transmit the message to your cells with the result that you will always be feeling all the aches and pains you can think of. In short holding mental pictures of illness will, during the process of cell renewal, bring weaker cells into being, causing you to be and stay ill.

So what we need to do is develop our mental picture of radiant health. At first see yourself continually getting better and better in every respect. Add in to your daily routine that you are getting stronger every day, say it, sing it, feel it. Then instead of looking for ailments, notice how much better you are getting. When you wake in the morning your first words should be that you are glad to be alive, then take a second and feel your existence and say you are getting better everyday. Enjoy the great feeling of being healthy. When you go to bed at night pause and think how good it will be to arise and start another challenging day of exciting activity, with your new strength and health.

OK, now you ask “that is all well and good, but what is radiant health?” This is a fair question, the answer is simple, radiant health is what you think it is. If you can not see a picture of radiant health, go to the store and get one of those fitness magazines, look through the pictures until you find one that looks like radiant health to you. Cut out that picture, find a picture of you and tape your face on the picture. Post the picture where you will see it every day. By holding that picture of radiant health in your mind, you will soon grow into it. Soon is a relative term, if you are very unhealthy right now, it may take a year of effort to get to radiant health, and if you are just a bit out of shape it may take only a few weeks or months. Know this, if you hold the picture of radiant health in your mind every day, you will certainly attain it.

By holding the mental picture of radiant health in your mind you command the subconscious to build your body healthy. Your subconscious will take the command and transmit it to your cells and also guide you guide you in thought and action so that good health will be a reality. Understand that good health is your rightful heritage. Along with your other objectives, hold pictures of your physical being as glowing with radiant health. Know with a certainty that your subconscious will encourage your mind and will guide you in thought and action so that you will do the things necessary for good health. You will naturally tend to both diet and physical exercise, and this will have the effect of giving you buoyancy and vitality to carry through on all the other the objectives you are visualizing.

As an example most people, as they approach the seventy year mark, develop an age consciousness. They feel they are too old to start this, or to do that. It seems that we are taught that the normal lifespan is about seventy years, the question is “Why only seventy years?” We see on the news every day of people celebrating a hundred years, the president sends out centurial certificates every day, if they can live to be over a hundred so can you. Determine your own life span, set it for what you feel in fair, and then don’t worry about growing old.

I personally have set my life span for 200 years, and I am living accordingly. Now I feel better, physically and mentally, than I have at any time in my life. Perhaps I may not live to be 200, but I will not shorten my life through fear of old age and death. I personally intend to keep busy, and happy, until the grim reaper comes. When the grim reaper does come for me I intend to wrestle my way out of that situation, not hide and beg, and if the reaper wins it was a fair fight, if I win I might live forever.

So to get back on subject; what you have just learned in this discussion is not for temporary use. What you have discovered and learned is a new principle of life. Something to be used every day for the rest of your life, if you draw breath, then you continue to use the mental picture of radiant health to keep yourself healthy. Again; you have gained some new tools which will make your achievement assured and certain of accomplishment.

There is an old saying; “Knowing is half the battle” and it is. What most do not realize is that action is the other half. Knowledge is of no value unless you make use of it. Make use of this knowledge now, start developing the ability to create mental pictures of what you want and avoid the fear that you'll fail to achieve them. With this knowledge, and a little practice you can be and do anything you will.

Mastering this technique will be like being the heir to a tremendous warehouse that has everything you have ever desired, with the knowledge that all of it is yours; merely for the taking.

Be Blessed

How to Think Correctly

2008-04-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

We all have thoughts that run through our minds, all day long we have them, and we rarely if ever examine them. Today’s discussion will be about our thoughts, and the correct way to control them. Have you ever noticed that your thoughts are like pictures or movies? Take a minute and examine them again, and you will see that your thought patterns are like mini movies running around inside your head.

Once you realize that thoughts are Pictures; then you can accept that theses pictures are patterns. Let us use the example of the word “House.” When you hear the word house, what do you see in your mind? Do you see the letters that spell house? No; you see a picture of a house, and this is the meaning to you of that word. Are you beginning to understand that you think in pictures? The mind does not think in words, it “thinks” in pictures. When you are reading you are continually translating the words into pictures; you see what you read as patterns.

Now of course not all words can be changed into pictures, for those words we associate it to a situation: for example the word love, when we think of a word which does not lend itself to a picture, we associate it with a mini movie that reflects our understanding of the word. Back to the word love, most of us are likely to see in the mind the picture of a situation, being hugged by the one you love, or cuddling a baby, or petting your dog, etc. etc. etc.

On a side note when a person has difficulty in understanding what was read, it is usually because of a bad reading habit. The eyes have been following the words, but they have not been changing the words into pictures. For example you can go to a movie which may run for two hours or more. Later you can describe the film in vivid detail. This is because you have been watching the story in pictures. So think when you read and try to see the picture, the pattern that is being presented and you will grow in your understanding at a much faster rate.

Many magazines have thousands of pictures submitted to them every month, the large majority of them they will never use. On the staff of these publications is a picture editor, this person studies these pictures from the standpoint of possible reader interest. If he or she does not think that a picture will appeal to a large segment of the readers, it will not be used. The picture editor is one of the most important people on the staff. The growth of that publications circulation depends upon him or her. So this means you have to learn how to be the picture editor of your own publication; your own life.

Since thoughts are pictures, the mental pictures you have will be either negative or positive, depending upon your understanding and translation. We will not go into the discussion that what some view as good others view as bad, just realize that it is your interpretation that we are focusing on. Now you should very well know that negative thoughts cause negative reactions; while positive thoughts cause positive reactions. So since thoughts are pictures, does it not behoove you to appoint yourself as a picture editor to evaluate the mental pictures entering your mind? Discard the negative thoughts, and publish the positive ones.

Again let us cover a basic tenant; you understand that the subconscious accepts thoughts of the conscious mind as instructions; therefore it works diligently to reproduce in our beings or affairs whatever we hold in our thoughts. With this information we can now enlarge upon that axiom by adding that the pictures held in the conscious mind will be accepted as patterns by the subconscious. An example is in order here. Have you ever seen one of those player pianos? They have a wide roll of paper filled with small holes and slots that pass over a tracker board, each opening representing a note on the piano. No matter how many times you played a certain music roll, you always got the same tune. So it is with you, if you put in the roll with the song "White Christmas" you will not get the piano to play "Yankee Doodle." To change the tune you have to change the pattern that the piano plays, this translates to you in that to change your tune is to change your life, and to do that you must change the pattern of your program.

This corresponds to mental pictures, they are just as infallible. You cannot hold a picture of failure in your mind and expect it to guide you to success. You can however hold a picture in your mind of success and you will soon experience the picture, the pattern, which you hold clearly in your mind. You have heard people say things about focusing your thoughts, but they have never explained how. So now you are discovering the secret of this great concept. Your focused thought is the picture you keep looking at over and over. It may be a mini movie, or a pattern, everyone’s interpretation is a little different, the point is that as long as you keep recalling that picture, continue to replay that movie, to redraw the same pattern, you are focusing your thoughts.

You can see the benefit of becoming your own mental picture editor. If a negative picture attempts to enter your mind dismiss it, mentally return it to sender or see yourself throwing it in a trash can, see the word “CANCEL” stamped on it. Then immediately replace it with a positive one. At first this may take some effort on your part to do this, as in all things, a little practice and it gets easier, and a little more practice and it becomes second nature.

A phenomenon is a known fact; our description of it is a theory. For example if you hit your fist against the top of your table, a sound will register in your ear. That is a phenomenon. The attempt to explain what happened from the moment the fist made contact with the table until the sound reached your ear; that would be theory. In talking about your mental pictures, I am trying to explain a phenomena, my explanation is the theory.

In a television studio, the cameras are of no use unless there is power to project the image to televisions across the country. In order to project a mental picture, power must also be applied; that power is called enthusiasm. When you have a success picture, and that picture is powered up by enthusiasm, it will be received and acted upon thereby causing your success. In the absence of enthusiasm other emotions will be used for power, literally; the show must go on. Other emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, and so on, are poor substitutes, and as such will cause poor results. So in theory you must change your mental picture, and this will cause the phenomena of your success.

There is a passage in the bible which fits in very well with the subject matter: It will be found in Mark 11:24; "Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." This statement, for many, is hard to understand. What this statement really means is that you should hold mental pictures of yourself enjoying the use of that which you desire. Studying the statement even further, you will find that it does not mean that by visualizing what you desire, that it will come to you instantaneously. The word "shall" signifies that the result of your desire will come, but at a later time, depending on the magnitude of your desire. So what you but need do, is form mental pictures of yourself using and enjoying that which you desire; believe the picture to be true, and you will be guided in thought and action which will make your picture a reality.

Once again it must be emphasized: The principles relating to mental pictures apply equally to negative thoughts as to positive thoughts. Many times you may attempt to hold positive pictures, even think you are doing so; yet the effect of them is destroyed by allowing doubt to come creeping in. As an example, say that you have long wished for a trip to Hawaii. You may not have taken it because of lack of money, lack of time, or both. You have allowed doubt to destroy your desire. Take steps to counteract the doubt; visit a travel agency and ask for brochures describing and illustrating tours to Hawaii. After you have decided which one you like best, begin seeing yourself taking that trip. Do not wish for it, but see it as a reality. As you look at the pictures visualize yourself enjoying Hawaii, relishing the freshly picked fruit, relaxing on the beach, surfing the famous waves, and so forth. Make the mental picture so vivid that, for the time being, you are actually there. While doing this, be careful not to allow any negative elements to enter your picture; not even for a moment! Such as a thought like "I can’t afford this" tries to creep in, chase it out. It will offset the good already built up through your effort. Because of your implementation, the Hawaiian vacation is about to become a reality, absolutely no doubt about it. You are visualizing the experiences you are soon to enjoy.

Make it a point to practice viewing your pictures every evening; relax and then turn on your mental pictures. Again let me warn you: do not see the pictures as wishes; see them as realities. So what will happen? Your subconscious will begin guiding you in thought and action so that ways and means will be opened up to make your mental pictures become a reality. Soon you will find yourself on the plane headed for the glamorous islands.

It is really that simple to make your life the one you desire, you will it into existence by picturing what it is you desire to happen, and it “comes to pass” and the next thing you realize is that this theory is a phenomena that you now master.

Be Blessed.

Helping Your Self to Help You

2008-03-31T19:43:00.000-05:00

Today we will discuss everyone’s favorite subject; yourself. You may have been wondering about a technique that may be used by you to help you to help you. Let us start with the obvious; you want something, perhaps a better job, perhaps a better car, you simply need to determine what it is that you want.

Now for some reason you do not have these things that you want, probably because you may have thought you could never attain any of them. So here is the solution to your problem: Become a guidance counselor. The “trick” of this is you are going to counsel you.

First take a sheet of paper and write down the question which appeals to you most. Such as “I want to start my own business” or in the event you desire a thing such as a new car then write it down as a question, “how do I get a new car?” State your desire as plainly as you can, write it down clearly, then leave the paper on your table or desk and walk out of the room. Take a break, make some coffee, stand outside and watch the clouds move, whatever you decide, do that for at least five minutes. Then after your break go inside and find the piece of paper with the written statement on it and here is the twist.

Think of yourself as a counselor, imagine a client has come to you with the written desire and has asked you to give a solution, to present a plan for achieving this desire. Now as all good counselors do, knowing the objective of the client, ascertain the reasons that are standing between the client and the attainment of the objective. Of course write these things down, remember they are for your client, and so be honest and candid. With this information you are now ready to develop a plan of action which will enable your client to jump the hurdles, and overcome the obstacles and attain the objective.

Answer your clients questions that you would expect to be asked such as “How can I bring it about, How can I afford to live in a better home, How can I become a power in my community?” and so on. Sit there and think about it, then as ideas come to you write them down, no matter how silly or trivial they may seem write them down. You may write a lot so you may want to have a few extra sheets of paper handy.

The next step will involve some work, so sip your coffee, and get down to it. Take all your notes, compare, compile and organize: Then come up with a game plan for your client. Be detailed and specific, step by step make the plan easy to understand and easy to follow. Now lay the paper aside and take a break as before except make it at least an hour.

After your break come to your table or desk and find the detailed plan that has been made for you, read it thoroughly and be prepared to take the actions listed by your counselor for you. You have now helped yourself to help you help you. So with your guaranteed plan in hand go forth and achieve.

As always before taking up mental exercising, make sure you have a calm head on your shoulders, and be free of any effects of alcohol, sleep deprivation, drugs or any other mind altering behaviors. It may seem that you may have thought any one of these questions were beyond practical answers. However by the time you complete this exercise as given, you will have glory in your victory.

With clear, logical, concentrated thinking, it will not be difficult at all to see through any of the problems you may have previously seen as insurmountable. With the aid of your counselor you will be able to use your mind to achieve greatness. Minds can make people into geniuses, so far as personal power and accomplishment are concerned. This is just as true with your mind as it is with the minds of others. Put this exercise to use, and soon you'll find a new you emerging from the one that exists today. You will no longer envy others for their possessions and achievements because you will know that you can do and be more. You can do and be anything you will to, you just have to will to do so.

Goals and Objectives will not be something to wish for; but things to do. Your wish list will soon be your list of accomplishments and possessions.

Be Blessed

How to Become Smarter

2008-03-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

It is a well known fact that muscles not used, atrophy. For example a broken arm, in a cast and carried in a sling for a period of time, will shrink in size and lose a lot of its strength. Then after it is removed from the cast, it will take several days of use to bring it back to functionality and a few weeks of work to bring it back to its former strength. Well your mind is the same thing, it is like a muscle that when used is strong and when not used atrophies. Today’s discussion is about building up your mind.

As we just mentioned; a mind which is not kept active will become less alert and will lose its brilliance and intelligence. So it is logical to assume that you must exercise your mind, as well as your physical body. We are all familiar with the benefits of exercise for the body, but it is rarely touched on about exercising the mind. As to relative importance, of the two types, mental exercise should have the priority, in fact, physical exercises should be coordinated with the mind to achieve the maximum results. Any trainer can tell you that you will gain far greater results from the type of exercise you enjoy, than you will from the exercise you force yourself to do. Biking, walking, tennis, or whatever you choose, will help you far more than following a routine of motions that are boring.

Happiness is relaxing, and muscles respond to exercise more quickly when you are relaxed than when you are tense. So it is with mental conditions which correspond with tenseness and relaxation. If your mind is tense, because of a number of disturbing thoughts attempting to enter, your thinking is not fully developed. You will have difficulty in thinking through your problems, and will be unable to make correct decisions. This little discussion will help you to stimulate and develop your mental faculties, the rewards will be great, and you will find yourself reaching a higher level of delight as you begin developing a quick thinking mind.

The number one emotional crippler among us humans is frustration. Fortunately for us frustration is not an incurable mental disorder. It is simply the product of an uncontrolled mind. If you allow disturbing thoughts to take over and block all rational thinking, you become almost panicked as your imagination sees yourself thwarted by many problems. You become entangled in a self destructive loop of thinking and soon can not see a way out of your troubles.

So the first thing you must do is simple, but so few people actually do it, is writing it down. Pick up a sheet of paper and name your problems, put them in a list so you can see what might be done. You will find that you can easily write down number one, and then it may take a few moments before you can set number two on paper. Then it will take a bit longer to find number three, and some concerted effort to think of and write down number four. Rarely will people be able to think of a number five, and even fewer ever come up with a number six. You will be amazed that the huge amount of problems and troubles you thought you had were actually so few, and some even so minor that they could be cured in an afternoon. You will have discovered that a state of frustration had taken your life away, and had completely occupied your mind, but with a little calm thinking your world was soon made right again.

Next we will discuss “Feeble mindedness”; it is a term that is often misused. When we think of someone as being feebleminded, we think of them as being a hopeless case. This is not always true; usually it is a result of an inactive mind. When you are thinking about plans you are engaging your mind, you are exercising it. This can be from such activities such as puzzles, crafts, reading, painting, gardening, and other “recreational” hobbies that we all have. Every person has a hobby, something you like to do, such as building model ships, growing flowers, etc. Since you like that activity, use it to your advantage and practice it frequently. Also try new hobbies from time to time so that your thinking does not grow stale.

Then there is the common ailment; Forgetfulness. This “condition” is often caused by having a disorganized mind. When our mind is in a state of turmoil, our powers of recall are lessened. Then when we try to remember any fact, it is slow in coming. So we erroneously accept the thought that we are becoming forgetful and, as we encourage such a condition, (by verbally affirming it) and we grow more forgetful. It is obvious that the memories of those with well disciplined minds are much keener than those with confused minds. So to “cure” your forgetfulness you need simple change your statement to “I’ll think of it in a moment” and do some mental exercises.

The symptoms of the three “F’s” (frustration, feeble mindedness, and forgetfulness) are sure signs that your mind is not being exercised. So it is a matter of causing your self to think, and any practice of exercises which causes you to think is of great value to you. You will be absolutely amazed to discover how quickly the mind will respond and that in a very short time you will notice major improvement in your ability to think calmly, quickly, and logically.

Let us discuss now some of those mental exercises. There is the game we learned as kids while in the car, using license plates. Take the numbers of one license plate and add them to the numbers of the next license plate, then add them all together to come up with a “hard” number. For example the first car has the numbers 1 and 4, and the next car has the numbers 3, 6, and 2. 14 plus 362 equals 376, then 3 plus 7 plus 6 equals 16, then 1 plus 6 equals 7, this is your hard number. Then do the next two cars to come up with another hard number, when your hard numbers add up to ten you are done. If you go over ten add those two numbers together to come up with a new hard number and keep going until you end up with ten. For example hard number 7 from the first exercise, is added to hard number 5 from the second exercise for a totally of 12, then add 1 to 2 that equals 3 and this is your new hard number. Continue until you can make a hard total of ten. If the traffic is too light use mile markers, destination and highway signs for the numbers.

The quizzes, and number or word puzzles which you find in newspapers, and magazines also help to stimulate the mind. Crossword puzzles not only add new words to your vocabulary, but also stimulate your mind as you have to think. As you continue to work with them, you will notice that words come to your mind much faster than they did when you first began to do them. Soon you will be looking forward to the daily paper for the new Sudoku, or word jumble, or crossword puzzle. You may even go out and buy those small books of your favorite type of puzzle, my wife likes to buy and work the word find puzzles.

Another great exercise is speed reading. Learning how is good practice for your mind process. There are many methods of speed reading to choose from, and courses can be found ranging from free to major investment. Start with the free courses, and if you choose to later, you can buy a course or two. Reading faster speeds up your thinking, and this of course, tends toward sharpening your mind, and aids you most rapidly in the other areas of your life that you choose to improve.

In association with your mental exercises, be certain to use your mind correctly. Use positive affirmations for the maximum effect. Most people, when called upon to arrive at some solution which requires their concentrated thinking, will immediately say: "Oh, I can't do that." This, of course, is a sure way to block the mental processes. By this verbal affirmation you have just blocked your own thinking so that a logical solution will not be forthcoming. Always speak the positive, say things like: “This will be fun” or “This looks like a fun challenge” and so on. Build on the thought that these mental exercises are easy for you and that you will gain great benefits. Develop the awareness that your mind is becoming more active every day. It is interesting, and enjoyable, to discover your mind is becoming more relaxed, faster, and alert.

To sum up this conversation; exercise your mind and you will become happier and smarter.

Be Blessed

The Secret of Mind over Matter

2008-03-25T18:42:00.000-05:00

Well, let us start out by saying that all humans have a mind, and minds control matter. Matter is controlled by thought vibration, and humans think. All thought is a vibration, and those vibrations when given out with enough force and power will cause matter to react. Today’s discussion is about your mind over what matters to you.

Now in this discussion we will consider only the influence of your mind over matter, in the sense that you control matter through your mental direction. Let us state that the formula is as follows: You get an idea for something you desire to make; so you go out and gather the materials you need, and with a bit of effort proceed to produce the thing which you pictured in your mind. Depending on your level of effort and earnestness you soon have a replica of the object you desired. An easy example is book shelves. People build their own book shelves by following a simple pattern and plan, and this achievement is a simple manifestation of the phenomena of mind over matter.

The second part of this formula is similar to the first part except it is about controlling events. You conceive of an idea that will benefit many others. You work out the details and then tell a lot of other people about it. Then with a continuing effort your thought soon becomes a reality. For example you desire to open a shelter for the homeless. You work out that you need a large building, cots, linen, lockers, and so on. You begin by telling your friends, then your neighbors and eventually you are talking to the people who have the connections to help you get the building and supplies you need. With less than a year’s effort your idea becomes reality and you open your shelter. Good ideas are better than money, because with good ideas it is not difficult to obtain money.

It has been discussed that you are a soul with a body, that your mind is who you are. In other words, the person you are that others like or dislike is not what they see, but what you project from your mind. Your stature, therefore, is not measured in feet and inches, but by accomplishment. To quote Napoleon Hill: "What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve."

Most people think it unwise to attempt to jump from a mediocre existence to the level of a rich capitalist in one leap. It can be done; it has been done; and it will be done many times in the future. Unfortunately, with the average person, the distance from obscurity to fame and riches is so great it is hard to conceive and believe that it can be done.

The universe is always expanding, and you were meant to function this way too. For example if you have a fine top of the line car, your interest will be kept alive as long as you secure new destinations, routes to drive, and things to do with the car. As soon as you stop, your interest wanes and the time will come when you will be bored with the car and start looking for a new one. When you think of a good idea, do not become impatient, and try to rush it through to completion, the only impatience should be in getting started, and once started you can happily enjoy the progress and joyfully survey each completed step. Having this attitude prevents tasks from becoming boring. Your mind is not focused on completion, but only on perfection of each task along the way.

There is an old proverb that says something along the lines of anticipation is greater than realization; it is very true but seldom understood. Think about this for a minute; when a person knows they are on their way to attain a certain objective, like yourself, you are elated. Life is good and everything seems to work wonderfully. When you reach you goal and are happy at your accomplishment, but then what happens is that you stop achieving, and your accomplishment is soon taken for granted and eventually ceases to be a cause of happiness. Success is a journey, not a destination.

Now we must digress for but a moment, do not confuse your mind with your brain. Your brain is not your mind; the brain is that internal organ that acts as a processing station for thoughts and the translation of outer stimulus (like smell, hearing, etc.) for the mind. Your mind is capable of conceiving ideas just as good as the mind of the greatest people on this earth. If your mind is not bringing in good, constructive ideas, it is because of your poor mental habits. Yes we must say it again it is you who has thwarted your mind by holding thoughts of inadequacy, lack, gloom, bad health, and irresponsible behavior. You will always live a commonplace existence until you reeducate your conscious mind to hold positive, constructive thoughts.

Now back to the subject, your idea can be turned into reality with only a little concentrated thought and effort. The key here is once you have accomplished your first goal, you must conceive another. To stop being creative is to stop living and being happy. You must continue your expansion, your growth, your adventure. This is something that so few understand, that to be happy, you have to be doing something. Accomplishing something is what makes the world go ‘round; people doing things to make things happen. If the farmer did not plant seeds, you would not be eating bread. Nothing happens until somebody does something, and that somebody is you.

If you have a task to perform and feel that it is too much for you, and you can't do it, change your thinking. Know that the job is made for you, that you are fully capable of doing it. You can not accomplish it all at once, just one step at a time. You can not drive a car on the freeway without first having started the car, backed out of your drive, and so on until you are on the freeway. You will find that you will tackle the job with a spirit of success and that you can easily do it, if you do it one step at a time.

Life would be boring if we did not have daily challenges, so the universe provides them as incentive to live. If you do not challenge your self, something else will come up, and it usually won’t be to your liking. Again quoting Napoleon Hill: “It is not our problems which disturb us; it is our lack of faith in our ability to solve them." There is no challenge that we can not meet, all it takes is a little thought, and some effort, and soon you can be and do anything you will to.

Be Blessed

How to Make Your Mind Work for You

2008-03-23T19:02:00.000-05:00

So you have finally decided that there is something to this manifesting thing, and you now know that your subconscious mind has a lot to do with it. The next logical step is to learn how to direct and control this phenomenon to your benefit. So what to do next? Today’s discussion we will talk about how one goes about making the universe work for them.

Let us start with an example: If you wanted an errand accomplished for you, you would give that person proper instructions as to what task needs accomplished and what you expect to be done. Let us say that you needed a letter taken to the post office and mailed. You would tell that person to take this letter, go to the post office and put the envelope in the proper mail slot so it will be processed promptly and will get to where it needs to go; and with a certainty that the person you asked to do this errand will do just that, you dismiss it from your mind and think no more about it. You wouldn't doubt their ability to do so; nor would you doubt their willingness. You would instinctively know that the errand would be done.

Well in a similar manner you can give your subconscious mind instructions with the same certainty of accomplishment. Suppose you needed a sum of money for some project, or to pay a bill. You instruct your subconscious mind with words to the effect of; “I will be guided in thought and action toward the solution of my problem.” You can add a few conditions such as “It will be easy, and fun, to get the amount of money needed.”
When you do this you may need to repeat it a few times until you “feel” that it is done. Then when you have taken this action and affirmed it to your comfort level two things happen, (and it will happen quickly) First; you would lose the feeling of doubt as to the ability to obtain the money. There will be a feeling of assurance that by the deadline, the needed money would be available. Then secondly thoughts would begin flowing into your conscious mind not just telling you what to do, but actually inspiring you to take steps necessary to obtain the money.

Here again we must reiterate a conversation from before; your subconscious works best when your conscious mind is pleasantly occupied. So issue the instructions, and then be comforted in the knowledge that your will is being done. Go about your other duties and tasks of the day and do not forget to do something entertaining and relaxing, such as a puzzle, or your hobby. Within a short time you will begin to see results of your instructions beginning to come to fruition.

Whenever you have to make a decision, and the thought will not come to you, give your subconscious the instruction to come up with the right choice and then put the problem entirely out of your mind, you can get a deck of cards and play solitaire for an hour, work on your model airplane, or wash the dishes. After a short while the right decision to make will be crystal clear in your mind. While your conscious is distracted, your subconscious will consider the problem, calmly working out the logical solution.

From this moment on, and for the rest of your life you should begin forming the habit of putting the subconscious to work for you. This creative power is on the job twenty-four hours every day. As you learn to use that great force, you will find that you have more happiness, satisfaction, and enjoyment of life.

Let us crystallize the dominant idea of this conversation: The subconscious does its best work while the conscious mind is either distracted or pleasantly occupied. This gives you the happy news that with this skill you will be more successful in all you do. You now realize that it is essential that you take time for enjoyable diversion. You can work smarter, or you can be working harder and longer. By allowing your subconscious to do your constructive thinking and planning, while your conscious mind does something else, you will receive many good ideas and suggestions. Then simply put into action the results you receive, and soon you will be outrageously successful. People will see the change in you and this may give you the opportunity to teach them this little secret.

Now some of you may ask: "If I work my subconscious twenty four hours every day, won't I be mentally tired?" The answer is a resounding: No! You must understand that right now your subconscious is already working twenty four hours each day and will be working twenty four hours a day until the time you leave this existence. If it is not being directed into positive, constructive use through positive and constructive thinking, it will be working against you by obeying your negative thoughts. Either way your subconscious will obey your commands, so it is time to begin using it to your advantage.

So let us review the important points of this conversation: First off your subconscious, if permitted to, will direct you in your work, making it better, easier, and far more pleasant. Then second you can, at will, direct your subconscious to assist you in the solving of problems, making the right decisions, and to discover ways and means of great achievement for you. In a previous conversation we discussed how you do not become proficient in anything unless you practice, so start today, and for the rest of your life, never stop using your own subconscious mind.

Now a quick discussion of how you can help your subconscious to help you.
Remember that your subconscious is working every hour of the day; and that it is working either for or against you. So with that in mind here is the first step: Be specific in the instructions you give; know that your subconscious will direct you to take the steps necessary and rest assured that your subconscious, with its reasoning faculties, will provide a practical solution for you. Then free your mind from worry, seek distraction, enjoy your hobby, play a board game, do a crossword puzzle. Then expect and have faith that the solution will be presented to you shortly. Make sure you do not worry; worry prevents you from doing the things which would provide the means to prevent the worry. To worry is to doubt the intelligence and power of your subconscious and worrying will not help the problem in the least, it will make it worse. Instead of worrying; take the time which you might use for worry and devote it to constructively working out ways and means of overcoming the problem.

Well I hope you can sense the feeling of self mastery which comes when you fully understand the effect that the conscious mind is the master of the subconscious, and that the subconscious is a true and faithful servant bringing about that which you command. This may seem too good to be true; but with what we have just discussed, the results obtained are only normal and to be expected, by those of us who make use of the subconscious mind.

Be Blessed

The Secret of Pity

2008-03-22T07:31:00.000-05:00

Pity is a feeling of sadness, usually because of a person’s trouble or situation that may be less than desirable. Most pity is self pity, where a person complains about their lot in life, about something that is not making them happy, and so they feel sorry for themselves. We do not know what the percentage is of people that pity themselves, but if we did find out such figures it would probably be a very astonishing amount. Today we will discuss the reason for pity, and provide you with an amazing realization.

Why do people pity themselves? It is amazing how many times self pity stems from a mere lack of observation. An individual will be living under some sort of adverse condition, and instead of taking steps to change it, will pity themselves for what they have to put up with. If one could but realize that they have within their power the means of changing those circumstances, one would actually welcome the existing state of affairs. Pity brings to light the problems that need correcting, and this gives you a base to build on, and with just a little constructive imagination combined with action, it will bring into being a completely satisfying life.

I am sure you have either said or heard someone say; "It is just my luck to have that happen" or "I might have known I would be disappointed"; or "Why do I deserve all of this bad luck?" and so on. These are just a few of the negatives frequently used. When we program our self in such a manner, we will of course bring in to reality that which we focus on. A simple knowledge of cause and effect comes into play; we cause what we want to happen by verbalizing it and focusing on it and giving these words the weight of emotion causing them to vibrate as commands, thus bringing them to life. Quite literally bringing them alive and into our life.

There is a solution, a simple but time consuming way out of pity. First off be glad you are as you are. You are alive, and while there is life there is hope. Look at your pity, and instead of feeling sorry for yourself, see the situation as a giant clue that you have something to do. Yes you are probably cringing right now thinking this means work, and your right; it means just that, you have some work to do. Rejoice and accept your present circumstances, as they are like a foundation on which to build your life.

For example if you have a leaky roof, sitting around and complaining about it will accomplish nothing, but if you investigate, find out where the leak is, then accumulate the materials necessary and then repair the roof; your situation improves and you have less to worry about. This leads us to the next step of this discussion. Now pay attention to this next part as it is important.

Next take all of the negative elements which have been disturbing you and one by one change them to positive. When you catch your self complaining about something, take note of it; write it down, then think of the opposite and write that down. Do you see what you will be doing? You will be developing a series of tasks to accomplish. If you complain that you have the figure of a pear, and then write it down, think of the opposite such as the figure of an hourglass, and now you have a direction in which to focus your energies. Of course this means you will have to expend some effort, but by doing so you will open up new areas of happiness for you to enjoy.

There are two sides to every story, this is a statement often heard by most people; and generally speaking, it is a true statement. Here you must take note that in most cases there an opposite of nearly every condition or situation you can name. If something bothers you, instead of trying to endure and hold a pity party for your self; look for the contrast; look for the condition which would be ideal to you, then, applying the suggestions of this discussion, find the solution and take the action and obtain the improvement you desire.

Hopefully this little discussion has given you much food for thought; see to it that you think about every word of it. When you start to feel pity, instead of expecting sympathy, realize that you have a work list instead, and your life will soon be far more exceptional than you thought it could be. You can be and do what ever you have a will to.

Be Blessed

How to Appreciate Life

2008-03-21T18:26:00.001-05:00

Are you one of those people that are always wondering why other people have it so much better than you? If so this little discussion is for you. The reason you notice that so many other people have things and stuff better than you is to provide you with a destination in with to direct your life.

We all notice differences between what we are and others, we also notice quite readily things we see that are better or worse than we have. For instance we notice the person who is in good physical shape, and compare ourselves to them. We notice that that other person is driving a cooler looking car than we are and so compare what they have to what we have.

What this boils down to is a study in contrasts. Without contrast we can neither appreciate what we do have, as well as develop a desire for things that we could have. This life we have is made up of contrasts, and these contrasts are actually blessings. We easily notice contrasts, and as contrasts are discussed, you will understand what a dull and boring life we would lead if there were none. For example if it has been cold for many months we appreciate a nice warm sunny spring day. Now if all there was is continuously calm and warm weather, then you wouldn't enjoy it because there would be no contrast. In other words you would know nothing of any other kind of weather, and so would not be able to distinguish between nice days and good days as you would never have a bad day.

Would you cherish the light if there was never any darkness? When you see some children behave badly, don't you think all the more of your own well behaved children? If you have pain, don't you feel good when it is gone? You appreciate the value of being well, but would not know it without the contrast of being in pain. There are many contrasts only some we will touch on: Being hungry or being fed; happiness or unhappiness; being rich or being poor, and so on.

You experience contrast so that you can fully appreciate what you have now. As soon as there ceases to be contrasts in your life, your existence becomes bland. No matter how hard we may try we can not avoid contrasts.

So how does one react to contrast? Do you complain that the other person has a better life than you, or that they are luckier than you to have such nice things? What you should realize is that you noticed this contrast so that you can set a goal for yourself to acquire these things. Not by taking it away from them, but by learning what to do to earn it for your self. You can do and be anything you will to, however if you do not know what to will to be then you need an example to follow. If one person can do it so can you.

The purpose of this little discussion is to enable you to see more readily what you can do and have. Let us say you see a really nice house, instead of cursing that owner as being too rich, or by envying, set a goal for your self to someday have a house just like it, or better. Contrast is there to help you lay out your life pattern so that you will be able to maintain your earned happiness. So you will begin to appreciate contrast, other wise life would soon be meaningless to you. When you observe contrasts you should be thankful if your circumstances are better than their, or if the contrast you observed was better than your circumstances it should be seen as a shining example of what you might want to do or have.

When you observe a contrast, and you desire that you should have those circumstances, those possessions, those skills, those blessings, then if you laid out a long range, step-by-step program, extending for many years, you would assure yourself of a continuous satisfaction with life. Once you accomplish a goal or set of goals and having realized your objectives, don’t stop; look for new trails to blaze.

So begin to enjoy the varied continuity of contrasts. You would always be in the enviable position of comparing blessings about to come into being with existing ones.

Begin right now making realities of your desires, when you see a great pianist, do you not also want to be one? Well believe it or not you can, all you need do is set a goal, and take the steps to accomplish it. When you see something you desire to have, set the goal to have one just like it or better, and take the steps needed to acquire it. Find out what you desire from life and let go of the past, look for your direction, it is out there you just need to see it with different eyes, and when you see it know now that you can be or do anything that you will to.

All right! You are being given the green light. Ready; Get set; GO!

Be Blessed

The Guide to Setting Goals

Achievement not Money

2008-03-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

Today we will discuss money. We all see every day where people, including some of us, strive so hard for money. We desire money, wish for money, and want more money. If you think about it for just a moment, in all reality what we are really seeking is the end result; what is really desired is what money obtains for us; mainly food, clothes, shelter, and soon.

We seem to look at money as something real. We take a paper bill and hold it in our hands and feel we have something. In reality, as far as its stable value is concerned, a piece of money is as flexible as a rubber band. This applies to the purchase of everything. The worth of your money depends entirely upon the value which is placed on the commodity you use it to buy. For example a few years ago you could buy milk for about a dollar a gallon, now it is about four dollars a gallon, so your dollar that used to buy a whole gallon, now only buys a quart.

Money is just a myth, to illustrate this myth, let us use this simple example: There were ten people in a room and no one had any money except one person, and he had only $1. Another man in the room has a pocket knife he is willing to sell to for $1, and so this man buys it, giving his dollar to the other man. Now a third man has a book, so the second man buys it, giving his dollar to the third man. This goes on until finally the tenth man has the dollar, and even he does not keep it. He buys something from the first man for a dollar. In this room, ten dollars worth of transactions have taken place with only one dollar in cash.

It is not the intention of this treatise to enter into a discussion of economics; this is only to make a point regarding money. Hopefully you have followed the reasoning and you will agree that money is not a material thing at all, but it is simply a means of exchange. The only thing money ever really pays for is labor.

Consider, for example a house: Think of the materials which enters into its manufacture. The wood, nails, windows, carpet, tile, brick, and so on. You may very well reason that all of these things cost money. Actually the fact of the matter is that all of the raw materials therein contained were given to us by Mother Nature without cost. The metal used to make the nails, the wood planks came from trees, the glass made from fine sand, the carpet made from fibers, and many other materials were first embedded in Mother Earth. Nature did not put a price on the metal-bearing ore. A cost came into the picture to compensate the lumber jacks who extracted the trees from the forest, and to lumber mill that sawed the trees into boards. And all the other businesses that created a usable end product that we desire.

This same condition holds true with all of the other elements entering into the building of the house: the carpenters, electricians, plumbers etc who assemble all these materials into a desirable dwelling, etc… These all use the materials to transform them into further product that we will use.

The same thinking goes for our food we buy, we agree that what we pay for corn and potatoes, and so on. However money is not paid for the products themselves, but for the labor involved in growing and delivering the said commodities to our table.

We all can now reach the conclusion that the only thing we buy with money; is labor. Do not become discouraged, this information is being given for a simple purpose which you will soon understand. In fact, what you are now learning will help to make it much easier for you to gain what you really want in life.

Now we must discuss a bit about ownership. Most of us hold a great misconception regarding ownership. It is natural for us to say: "I own this," or "I own that." in reality, none of us owns anything. You might buy a house and proudly proclaim: "I own this house." What we fail to realize is that it is only yours to use as long as you pay the taxes and upkeep on it. Fail to pay taxes and it will be taken from you, fail to pay for upkeep and soon it rots away from under you. That car you drive may be fully paid for, but it is only yours to use as long as you pay the license fee.

Among those items which you consider as your possessions, none of them is permanently yours. In this life we own nothing, we have the use of various items as long as we pay our taxes and care for them.
So let us review what have we learned so far, and what good will this knowledge do us. We have learned that money buys nothing but labor and that in this life we own nothing, but merely have the use of material things. In fact, we do not even own our bodies. They are loaned to us and how long we keep them depends upon the care we give them.

So you now know that money is merely a means to an end and not the end. Money was and is an established and convenient means for barter. Realize this then it will be easier for you to gain a broader perspective on the many facets of life. A person, who works at a job, in reality, is not working for money which they receive on pay day. No, in actuality one is working for food, clothes and shelter. The money provides a handy means of evaluating the value of your work and allows you to trade your labor for commodities and services.

So the question arises; what do you desire to accomplish? If you are thinking in terms of having dollars, you are thinking incorrectly. Keeping your mind on what you want will put the forces of the universe to work for you and you will have what you will.

Here is the strange phenomenon regarding the attainment of objectives: When your goal is money only, you will not be successful; as you are in reality only trying to acquire an exchange. For example; you can not have a million dollars in the bank and get out of the rain and cold. As long as that money sits in the bank you will remain outside in the rain, wet and cold. You can be dry and warm only if you exchange that money for shelter and heat. A real objective would be to be warm and dry, and a way to do so is to have a home of your own. So, if you become excited about a home, one which will make you happy, your subconscious mind, with its connection to the universal will show you the way to obtain that which is necessary to secure the home.

The greatest satisfaction in life is achievement. Think of great men and women we know about, we know them for their achievements, not for the dollars they accumulated. For example we do not think of Henry Ford in terms of wealth; rather we know him as the man who provided the world with low cost transportation, and the production line. He achieved success by providing a service to the world, not by trying to accumulate money.

So it is with you, start thinking in terms of achievement, not money. Think of the things you desire, dwell on the goals you wish to achieve and soon you will have the achievement, and with it will come all the things you desire, including money.

Be Blessed

How to Benefit from Ideas

2008-03-15T08:13:00.000-05:00

For everything that currently exists; it previously was a thought. Ideas if acted on will produce an effect. This effect will be in accordance with your idea if you have acted upon it.

So what is the difference between a thought and an idea? Let us say you have the thought to possibly double your income. A desire to double your income is not enough, it will get you nowhere. A large income is not a cause, it is an effect. So then, we must ask what the cause is. A large income is the result of ideas; ideas that you put into action.

So, let us talk about ideas. Ideas are the catalyst of success. Entire industries have been started with but a single idea. Businesses, fortunes, and even empires have been built on ideas. Everything you buy is the projection of an idea. Strangely, only a few people ever have any faith in the value of their own ideas. Have you ever had an idea and did nothing about it; Then a few weeks or months later you saw the very same thing you thought of on the shelves?

If you have an idea yet take no action you abandon it to the universe. Then in many cases the abandoned idea will form the basis of an outstanding success only it will be by someone else. When it is time for something to come into existence it is because it has been thought of. The person or persons who thought of this thing may not have the means or ability to make it happen so the universe “sub-contracts” and so you are given the idea. This idea is important, if you do not take advantage of this idea and act on it then the universe will give the idea to someone else, and so on until the item has come into existence.

Every patent in the United States Patent Office is the result of an idea. There is a never ending supply of ideas, and the universe will never run out of new stuff. Each new patent issued opens up avenues for countless more patents. For example the automobile is made up of thousands of different patents, and each year's new models include many more. If something exists it can be improved on, if there is a problem it can be solved.

Now this next part is important so pay attention; Every time you have a problem, you are given an opportunity. Usually there will be a need for this problem to be solved, not by just you but countless others. If you can catch the solution and act upon it you can become far more successful than you could ever imagine.

Countless times it has occurred that a person had an idea, took action and made the idea a reality, often to their own financial gain. Ideas that are acted upon will take form: in other words a foundation on which to build. Look around; every place you look you see ideas which have become realities. Every business is built upon an idea. The clothes you wear; the house that you live in; the vehicle you drive, the appliances you use, all resulted from ideas. Not to mention that the person who took these ideas and made them reality became successful. Want an example? How about Henry Ford? Nuf said…

You can struggle all your life without making much progress, when suddenly a single idea can lift you out of obscurity into the limelight of success and happiness. You can be what you will to be. So to double your income will require that you put forth some effort. So to help you get started here are the steps to bring ideas into reality.

Step 1: The way to create an awareness of any truth is by instructing your mental self, your subconscious mind. The development of ideas is no exception; you must inform your self that you have a fertile mind. In order to have a fertile mind capable of creating new and important ideas, you must see yourself with that type of mind. Whenever you do anything of a creative nature, precede your action with the suggestion “I can be and do whatever I will” and notice that your ideas will flow.

Step 2: Develop within your mind an idea consciousness. Look at problems as your next great opportunity, and develop a curious mind, become happily discontented with things as they are. This state of mind is gratitude for all of your blessings; but you are always alert for ideas. Then you will always be asking yourself the question: "What can I do to improve this, or make it better?"

Step 3: An idea becomes something tangible the moment you do something about it. An idea has its greatest intensity at the time of its birth. Preserve it before it fades away. So each and every time an idea comes into your head, if it is a not destructive; write it down. The very act of saving the idea in writing prevents it from fading from you. Remember when an idea is abandoned someone else will get the idea, and make their personal fortune by acting on it. Another key point is that the more you do in connection with the idea, the bigger it grows

Step 4: Read your ideas frequently to keep them alive in your mind. By reminding your self of the idea you cause it to grow inside you until such a time as an opportunity presents itself, where you will be presented with the chance to take your idea from thought and bring it into reality. Be prepared as the chance is often short lived and second chances are even shorter. So when the opportunity arises, take action immediately.

So, with this we will end today’s discussion. Write down your ideas, review them frequently, and soon you will be living life as you will to, and not as the leaf drifting on the river of life.

Be Blessed

Soon and How it Applies to You

2008-03-12T18:37:00.000-05:00

How long does it take to change from what you are to what you will to be? That is a question that I get a lot, and the answer is interesting and even a bit inspiring.

First let us clear up a huge misunderstanding; your transformation is not going to be instantaneous, it takes a while, and so therefore we have the subject of this discussion. Once you have decided what it is that you are going to accomplish, there is a time lag while the universe conspires with you to bring about the situations that will help you achieve that which you desire.

Said another way; after you gain awareness that you can do the thing you want to do, then you will begin developing the mind set that you will do this thing, and this is quickly followed by technique as you perform your will. As you repeat the effort needed it gets easier, and your skill improves, and sooner than you anticipated you have become a different person.

Is there a set time for such accomplishment? Think about it, the time that it takes is completely up to you. If you vigorously apply yourself, then the accomplishment will come sooner. Conversely if you only use your spare time and a half hearted effort then the desire will take longer. Either way when the change becomes apparent to others, in relative terms, then your change did not take very long at all.

Again I hear you ask; “so how long is soon?” Once you begin to apply your will, towards the results you desire, then the effect you have on your life will not take long. The time it takes from setting the goal to accomplishment is relative to the level of the goal. For example; you desire a cup of coffee, so you go to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee, then pour your self a cup. Your desire has been achieved in only a few minutes as the task was simple. On the other hand if your goal was to build the world’s tallest building then this may take a few years.

Soon means; in a reasonably short time; and therefore is relative to the complexity of the desire. There have been many “over night success” stories, yet if you do but a little investigation you will see that those “over nights” actually took a few years from setting the goal to accomplishment. Many professional athletes seem to spring from the woodwork as automatic success stories. Becoming over night millionaires seems to be the norm for these sport figures. However once again if you check it out, you would find that these men and women have been pursuing this dream since childhood.

So do you have a desire that you are willing to work for? Make sure you are not merely wishing for the change being considered. If you are not willing to put in any effort then your dream will take a very long time indeed. Ponder this for a moment; wishing is negative. When you wish for something it is an indication that you do not expect to get it. The mental state being discussed here is that of knowing you can be anything you will to be.

You are what you think you are. So now comes a question for you; what do you think of yourself? Remember, no matter what you thought of yourself prior to this moment, you can change the entire outlook of your life by simply changing your mind. Once you have made a decision the change has happened, however the outward manifestation of this change may take from a few minutes to a few years. For example if you today decided to be a doctor, you have changed your life by changing its course, but it will take about eight years before you can wear the title “Doctor.”

So do not concern yourself with the time it might take for something to happen, and do not wish you could change, but instead, set a goal and begin to work towards it. You have heard the saying “knowing is half the battle” just remember the other half; is action (sometimes called work). You can not be a great pianist if you never touch the keys. Burn it into your mind; that you are what you think you are, and from this moment onward have a darn good opinion of yourself, and “soon” you will have the results you desire.

Be Blessed

As You Will

2008-03-08T08:59:00.000-06:00

Let us start off with a question! Does a successful mental attitude require hard work and drudgery? The answer is actually just the reverse. You will find that one has to work harder at being a failure than at being a success.

So what are we talking about today? Let us cover some of our former conversations. When one has a positive attitude one begins to enjoy what you are doing. When you know you can do something you just do it, you do not have to try. Furthermore when you realize that you are a mind with a body, and that what you think is what you cause, then you can be and do anything you will to be and do.

So today we are going to discuss why it is actually harder work to be a failure than it is to be a success. When you are firm in your mind what your goal is, what the desired result is, then you approach your problems with a firmness and determination that is evident to all around you. Those to whom you talk to about your plans and actions are impressed by your spirit and want to assist you as they catch a piece of the enthusiasm you have for your life.

With this yet another question comes to mind: Is there anything you can't do? The answer is a firm and solid No! When you change your mind you change your life. Just begin seeing yourself as you want to be, and so you can be as you will. If someone has done something before you and you desire to do the same, and then simply emulate them and your path will be easy. Just do the same, and the change which will take place in their life will happen in your life, and will be just as spectacular as the change which took place in their life.

Now of course you must realize that to change your consciousness is not as easy as going to a movie instead of staying at home. A slightly different process is required. Many people feel they are destined to go through life working hard, doing without, and making sacrifices. To them it seems a like a preposterous miracle that their salvation is so near at hand and that it is simple to get what they want in life. They may hope for a better life, and wish they could have them, but they do not permit the thought to seep into their consciousness that abundance is within easy reach.

Have you ever wondered why some people could have everything, while so many others go through life with just the minimum of necessities? Be happy with the blessings you have, but agree to be discontent to remain happy with them, since you have the right to add to them as you feel is fit.

Let us cover one of the main shackles that bind people without them knowing. That is the sinister emotion of Envy. Envy is a restraining force; to envy indicates a lack of confidence in one's ability to acquire what one envies; therefore it prevents the development of initiative to obtain what is envied.
As has been covered earlier that most people lean toward the negative side, and that this probably includes you. What you must believe, is that even with negative people, there is more inborn positivity than there is negativity, they just do not use it. The reason is people allow their positive self to become obscured by negative thoughts. If you are not enjoying your life and all that you hope for, it is because you are allowing the negative side of you to take over and run your life. A simple change of mind will change your life.

The solution is simple: Train yourself to be positive. To do that required but a little mental discipline; Every time you find yourself holding a negative thought, chase it out with a positive one. Of course this will take a little while to bring forth results, but rest assured that as you change they will be forthcoming. If you plant a seed, it will be several days or weeks before anything shows above the surface. When you first begin holding positive thoughts, and letting go of negative thoughts you may not see anything happening at first, but with persistence, you will soon find your positive "entity" taking over and life will present an entirely new meaning to you. It may take a while like stopping a train and then getting it going in the opposite direction take a fair amount of time, but with effort it is accomplished.

So then comes the question: How can you be positive when everyone around you is negative? Look at it this way; if you were at the airport and had a free ticket to one of two destinations, one would take you to a barren wasteland, and the other to a delightful lush paradise, which ticket would you select? The answer is obvious, and so is your choice of being either negative or positive.
Which one you choose is your choice not the people around you.

Positive thinking has been so well established that it cannot be denied by any coherent individual. It is no longer a theory but a fact. And, best of all, it is a fact very easy to prove. There are still those who will proclaim: "I tried it and it doesn't work." If you question these doubtful people, you will consistently find that they did not try positive thinking at all, instead they merely wished for success and happiness, and then because they did not get the results immediately; they decided that mind has no influence over matter.

So let us bring this conversation to a close by making the statement that every day everyone is making use of the principle of mind over matter, whether they are benefiting from it or not. The ones who keep themselves miserable through failure, poor health and gloom are definitely being influenced by mind over matter. Similarly the person who has health, wealth and happiness, are also being influenced by mind over matter. The only difference is that one chooses to use mind over matter and the other does not.

Hopefully you are beginning to pierce through the fog and get a glimpse of the new life that can and will be yours if you only decide to make up your mind and will it to be so.

Be Blessed

The Formula for a Successful Life

2008-03-05T20:02:00.001-06:00

There is a formula for creating the life you truly desire. If you pay attention to this article you will find it, and in so doing find the key to your true life. When Socrates said: "Know Thyself," this great sage was not referring to the physical. Rather his statement was directed to the mind, and it is to your mind that this instruction is aimed at.

Have you ever noticed that there are way more negative people than positive? Have you also noticed that there are far less successful people than un-successful people? Depending on the researcher the percentage of successful people is about five out of a hundred. The other ninety five percent are unsuccessful. If you dig just a little bit you will find that the majority of people are negative, corresponding to the amount of people who are unsuccessful.

So with a minimum of research we find that negative people are also unsuccessful. The question we now need to ask is: why? The answer is that most people have inherited their negativity, from friends, relatives and teachers. Most often in the form of “can’t. You can’t be a pilot, because… You can’t be a singer, because… You can’t be rich, because… And so on. The reason does not matter, you were told you can’t, and you believed them.

The simple command of “can’t” has limited so many lives it is unfathomable the damage done to the human race because of this one teaching. The “can’t” command has been told to us so many times we just assume it is a natural law or something and so limit our own lives because of it. So we live a negative life; saying things to ourselves like “I can’t have a good job” or “I can’t run my own business” or “I can’t be rich” and so on. We constantly think in the negative by simply saying we “can’t.”

So where is the solution to fix this problem? This formula is an effective and simple way of re-educating your self, and your subconscious mind, making it natural for you to think positively, and constructively. For a full week, say to yourself as often as you think of it: “I CAN be a Success!” When you wake up, and when you are driving to work, and when you are walking to your work space, and every time you take a sip of a drink, constantly, every day for a whole week. “I CAN be a Success!” Say it when you get home, say it again every time your hand touches something electronic, like the phone, or remote, before going to bed at night; let it be your last thought before going to sleep.
This simple exercise creates in your mind the fact that you CAN be a success. You will see certain and unfailing results from this so get started now. Do you agree that unless you know you can succeed, there is little use in trying? So it is imperative that you burn this truth into your mind. You may not believe it at first, this is your negative “can’t” programming, however you must persevere, stick to it and say as often as you can “I CAN be a Success!” After a miraculously short period of time you will begin to feel the truth of the statement. Then soon after you will begin rejoicing in the thought and knowledge that success can indeed be yours.

But, knowing you CAN be a success is not enough. Knowing is half the battle and the other half is action. We all know lots of things we can do, but unless we do something, this positive knowledge is of little benefit to us. So now this brings us to the second part of the formula. As soon as you begin to know you can be a success, change the wording to: I WILL be a success!” Then for at least another full week every time you think of it, repeat it to yourself or out loud: “I WILL be a Success!”

Again; do this many times from waking in the morning until the time you go to sleep at night. Amazingly in a very short time you will see a great change begin to take place within you, you will experience certain uneasiness, and you will want to test your new powers. However you're not yet done yet with your new growth of mental power. One last phase must start, this last phase in a misnomer, for while it is the last step in this process it is not final.

For at least one more week, begin telling yourself: “I AM a Success!” Again do this many times every day. It will be easier now, as you have trained yourself to do this thing, but the words are important. You may think this to be a bit premature, but it isn't. For example: If you have money in the bank, but none in your pocket, you know that, without effort, you can go to the ATM and obtain your cash.

Well, It like this, if you had just won the lottery you would receive a check for a large amount of money, and when you put it in the bank to cash it, the bank has to hold the check a few days until it clears. You have the money but are not able to use it just yet. So it is with this personal power, you have it right now, but you have to wait for it to “clear the bank” so to speak.

You have a success consciousness, and with but a little exercise and practice you will know that you CAN be a success, and that you will have a fulfillment of your desire. This may seem too good to be true, or too simple, or silly, but do not dismiss this formula upon those assumptions. This principle works! If it does not do so for you; it is because you are not giving this formula an opportunity to do so.

If this does not cause you to overflow with enthusiasm, you have missed a vital point or two and should reread this entire instruction. Just telling you about this, gets me excited all over again. I envy you as I know the journey you are about to begin.

Be Blessed

How to Know Who and What You Are

2008-03-04T19:40:00.000-06:00

Who are you? This question has been asked by many people of you, and you have probably even asked your self “Who am I?” So, who are you?

Every person is an individual, and each and every individual has a personality. Each personality is different from other personalities, as each is individual to the person. What most do not realize is that your personality is actually controlled and run by your subconscious mind.

So let’s see here, your subconscious controls whom that you are and thus it gives you a personality, so who controls the subconscious, the answer is; you do. Does that seem like a contradiction to you? It’s not; it is the great circle of “something” that completes who you are.

Let us examine this a little further; you have, within your self, a gigantic reservoir of power, most of which is unused. It can be compared to that of one who controls a powerful thing, but is not the thing. Just as the pilot flies the plane, just as the engineer controls the train, just as you control your own car; you; your conscious mind; controls your subconscious mind and it in turn it will guide you in any direction you select. It is you who can choose to have health or sickness, wealth or poverty, but above all it you, your subconscious in its endeavor to provide you with happiness, that will bring about that which you have chosen.

Let us continue this a little further; we will ponder the mysteries of the human mind. To take away a persons mind would leave nothing but a decaying mess of flesh and bones. You have hair and fingernails that as long as they are connected to your body are “alive.” If you cut them and they fall to the floor you have not ceased to exist, but the hair or finger nail is now “dead.” It is great truth that should be dawning on you now. Before now you may have looked at humans as a body with a mind, but a human is more than the sum of its parts. In short a human is a mind with a body.

It is very important to understand this, as simple as it sounds, one must think about it before understanding it. What it boils down to is this; that body of yours is merely a tool for your mind, and your mind is you.
YOU ARE A MIND WITH A BODY
Your physical being functions for the main purpose to carry out and execute the dictates of the mind, that is controlled by your subconscious that in turn is guided by your conscious mind, and the sum of this combination is who you are...

When learning something new, we are slow because we must think as we act. When eventually the subconscious mind takes over, we become faster and far more accurate in what we are doing. For example when learning the keys as you began to learn how to type you had to look at the keys as you picked them out. Soon after with a bit of practice in between you do not even have to think about where the keys are as you now just make words appear on the screen. In other words, we become good after the act becomes a habit.

So here is how it worked, you chose to learn a new skill, and you took an action, and as you continued to practice the skill became like second nature as your subconscious took over the task that you directed it to accomplish. You have done the same thing multitudes of times without realizing it. Like walking, running, getting dressed, tying your shoes, learning to read, riding a bike, driving a car, and so on.

So then who you are is who you have directed yourself to be. You are a sum of your dreams, experiences, and habits. So then is it too presumptive to say that if you are not happy with your life, it was your choice? No it’s not; it is and always has been your choice. To change your life, you merely have to choose to do so, and then all you must do is to begin forming the habits which conform to the life to which you do desire. You create your reality; if you think of yourself as a failure, or you believe it is your lot to be unhappy. The natural consequences are that of a life of failure and gloom, and a body suffering with aches and pains, which gives you more reason for self pity, that reinforces your actions, becoming habits that are then run on auto pilot by your subconscious as your conscious has directed it to be so.

So in short what we repeatedly do becomes a habit, habits are an assumed job of the subconscious. To break a habit we simply have to change our own behavior, and to do that we simply instruct our subconscious to do something different and then take the steps required to process thought into habit. We exchange the undesirable for what we do desire simply by willing it to be so. What we will to do we do, and as we do it repeatedly it becomes a habit, a skill if you so choose, and this is what helps to make up who and what you are.

Can you change who you are? Yes; but only if you understand what you have just read.

Be Blessed

How To Fight Worry

2008-03-02T09:57:00.000-06:00

Recently I received an E-mail from a reader who requested a more specific method of fighting worry. For her, positive thinking just was not enough, she would get a general feeling of doom, and no matter how many happy thoughts she tried the feeling would keep coming back. She just could not stop worrying about the feeling, and she even worried about the worrying. The worry caused more worry that in turn caused the bad feeling that caused more worry. A vicious cycle if there was ever a definition of one.

So I gave her this method, I can not claim credit for this method as it was taught to me many years ago by my teacher, and taught to him before that, but it works and works well.

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? Where no matter what you tried you kept hearing the song over and over, and not the whole song, just key parts of it. Before reading any further, quick, grab a piece of paper and write the names of those songs, then come back and finish this lesson.

We both know that we all have had this experience, so this is easy to explain; while the song is stuck in your head; you’re not worrying.

Now you’re sitting there saying “It can’t be that easy” and you’re right it isn’t, but it is that simple. The whole concept is this; that when worry begins to rule your life: Fight worry with song.

Now the song can’t be just any random music that you may have lying around, it must be a tune that has formerly been stuck in your head. I can hear you now saying “see I knew it wasn’t that easy” but I must urge you to finish this lesson and learn what it has for you. Music, especially certain songs, has a healing and therapeutic application; there have been studies done that prove this. The songs you need to know about are the ones that have been stuck in your head.

Why is that? The reason is simple you are “tuned” to that song; you have made a vibratory connection with that tune. Something about that tune resonated within in you and while it may have seemed a bit irritating at the time, it kept other thoughts from entering into the fore of your being. The good thing about this that you may not have realized at the time, was that the thoughts you were prevented from having were useless thoughts, in other words; worrisome thoughts were prevented because of that tune stuck in your head.

As an example the song “Holy Night” was stuck in my head, for those that know me this is a most unusual song to get stuck in my head, but there it was going over and over in my head, especially the refrain that has those higher notes. So I studied the song, learned the song, how to play it, the words, etc. And now I can recall that song on command. When I begin to get a worry I remember the song and almost instantly I do not have the urge to worry.

So what songs have been stuck in your head? There have probably been many, and usually only a few key parts. Rediscover those songs and find the one that is most moving to you. It may be that the tune is moving like “Scarborough Fair” or some silly words like the song that goes “Doodah, Doodah” or even a purely instrumental song like the theme from “Star Wars” or the flute solo from “Knights in White Satin” and so on. Spend a minute and remember the songs that have been stuck in your head.

If right now you can’t seem to remember any songs that may have been stuck in your head, then just try to stay aware of your thoughts, and as soon as a tune comes to mind, write it down so you can remember it in the future.

The next part is to go and learn all about the song, If you read music find a copy of the sheet music, find a recording of the song, if there is a version that particularly moves you, find that one. Spend a little time getting to know that song. For some reason you have a connection to that tune, so you may as well become familiar with it. Once you have thoroughly learned that song you can stick it in your brain on purpose, simply remembering the song deliberately can get it stuck in your head.

It takes very little practice, just do it once or twice and then you will be able to automatically on command have the song playing in your head and the worrisome thoughts will simply find no room to come into your thinking to bother you.

So the next time you have a tune stuck in your head, be thankful for the free therapy.

Be Blessed

How to Use Your Thoughts

2008-03-01T09:14:00.000-06:00

There are two methods of gathering knowledge, the first is commonly known as studying, this is the reading, classifying and assimilating facts which have been organized by other people. The other method is through one's own personal experience, where the process of gathering, organizing and classifying facts is more from doing than from reading.

Every day, before going out of the house, repeat to yourself: 'This day will be the best one I have ever lived." By doing this small task you will find that it will work just that way. Immediately after you close the door behind you thoughts will begin to flow and will continue until the clock says it is time to go home.

Many of you have said to yourself that you are “going” to do something like that. However I must caution you against using that word too loosely. The word "going" is a bad word: It is indefinite. You can say you are going to do something, and if you do not do it for ten years you are still telling the truth. So from now on instead of going to do something: do it!

You will never know the power of your subconscious mind until you make use of it. Give it a chance to prove itself to you. Right now it is waiting for your command. Do not approach your subconscious mind negatively; do not say to yourself: "I will try it to see if it works for me." The other bad word "try" indicates doubt. You do not try to do things you know you can do: you do them.

Think of something you would like to have happen. As an example, suppose you had to make an important decision tomorrow. At the moment you are in a quandary; you do not know what to do or when. Right now begin holding a thought, such as: "Regarding the decision I must make, I will be guided to take the steps which will be best for all concerned, with harm to none." Repeat this to yourself several times every time you begin to have the worry pop into your head. Even as you are going to bed, repeat the statement again. Know this for a certainty that by the time you must make your decision, the plan to follow will be clear to you. You will be amazed to find how logical your thinking is and you will instinctively know that your choice is sound.

Once you have seen this work, do not stop there. Give your subconscious another task. This one is a bit more involved but it will prove well worth the time used to learn about it. Let us start with a simple breakdown. There is intelligence in every cell of your body, and this intelligence is an important part of your subconscious. Your subconscious communicates with every cell in your body making it respond in a way you have commanded.

The subconscious mind, as you already know, accepts thoughts of the conscious mind as commands and acts upon them. You have also learned that the subconscious has reasoning faculties independent of the conscious, but relies on the conscious to determine what is desired and then accomplishes those tasks. So what you think is what you get; whether your thought is negative or positive, the subconscious will without questioning put the thought into effect.

When you think in terms of illness and infirmities, your subconscious, which has contact with every cell in your body, will accept your thought as an instruction and will send out the instructions throughout your entire being to make you feel ill and infirm. Then as time goes by you will soon find a reflection of your thoughts in your health. You will slow down; your eyes will lose their sparkle, you will feel the aches and pains, and so on.

So on to the next task you will start on today. Starting today and every day from here on adopt the attitude that you feel good and look good. Say to yourself every time you start to think of aches and pains; “I feel great, I am getting better looking every day, I am getting healthier ever day.” So with what you now know, what will happen? You know the answer to that question; you will feel great and start looking better. In a few short weeks your friends will comment about how you have changed and ask if you are on a miracle pill or diet.

So now is when you should also begin teaching these laws to those you love and care about, as it is a well known fact that the more one tries to teach a subject the more one learns about that subject. If you have a family of young boys and girls, you may so indelibly fix these concepts into their minds that this teaching will change the entire course of their lives. Think in terms of: "I am guided in thought and action to do the things that will be conducive to a better life for all concerned.” Soon you will see your children begin to become better people, if you teach your spouse you will see him or her also become a better person.

I implore you: Do not overlook the importance of this matter. As a matter of course it would make me very happy if you were so enthusiastic about its contents that you reread it before continuing with your day.

Be Blessed

How To use The Law of Success

2008-02-29T11:23:00.000-06:00

Let us start today with a statement of the obvious. You desire to be a success; it is your aim in life to be a success. Of course you want to do this in the easiest and most comfortable manner possible, and unfortunately for you there is no easy way that you can find.

So, we start with a most excellent saying that I have printed on a poster in my house, a quote from Napoleon Hill;
“You may not like the work in which you are now engaged…

There are two ways of getting out of that work. One way is to take but little interest in what you are doing, aiming merely to do enough with which to "get by." Very soon you will find a way out, because the demand for your services will cease.

The other and better way is by making yourself so useful and efficient in what you are now doing that you will attract the favorable attention of those who have the power to promote you into more responsible work that is more to your liking.

It is your privilege to take your choice as to which way you will proceed.”

So what does this mean? In short it means to be able to use the Law of Success, you have to try! You have to exert effort; you have to put forth your intention and your ability to do more than the other person. You have to be willing to do the work that others will not do, to go the extra inch is all it takes, and if you can go the extra mile all the better.

You are reminded of the importance of this, through which you may avail yourself of this "better way" of promoting yourself. The extra things you do will make you stand out, be recognized and then bring on a series of events that will lift you to the levels of success that you desire. This success will not drop into your lap, nor will it be handed to you. You will have to work for it.

Discovery of your success is but a matter of investigation and the use of your imagination. What you are looking for is almost under your nose right now. With this information you may well be pleasantly surprised when you discover that you were standing right over this hidden success, in the work in which you are now engaged.

Success is simply a matter of adjusting your self to the ever changing environments of life, while maintaining dignity, harmony and poise. Harmony is based upon understanding of the forces constituting one's environment. It is therefore, to interpret, understand and make the most of these environmental forces of life.

The successful people on earth have all had to correct certain character flaws before they began to succeed. The most common flaws that stand between people and success are intolerance, avarice, greed, jealousy, miserliness, revenge, egotism, selfishness, conceit, vanity, hatred and the poor habit of spending more money than they earn.

Modify yourself so that you do not display these traits and you will thrive, you will enjoy success. However you must recognize now, rather than later, that you are the one responsible for you, and it is only you that must make the effort. Nobody else, no one else, can take action for you and you enjoy the rewards.

Let us use an example; you probably have a favorite store, probably because they are more pleasing and more attractive to you. In any other part of the city in many other stores you could purchase merchandise of similar nature and price, yet you will find there is always one outstanding store which does more business than any of the others. The reason for this is that in back of that store is a man, or woman who has attended to the personalities of those who come in contact with the public. People buy personalities as much as the merchandise, and the store is successful as the customers are influenced more by the personalities that they come in contact with than they are by the merchandise.

Your business in life, or at least the most important part of it, is to achieve success. Success; your purpose in life is the attainment of your dreams without violating the rights of other people. Regardless of what your definition of success in life may be, you will attain it with much less difficulty after you learn how to cultivate a pleasing personality.

There are but two more points to cover, the first you have probably heard many times but have failed to heed the advice; "You Can Do It if You Believe You Can!" As we have covered before your beliefs influence your actions, and your actions determine your quality of life. It may seem overly simple but you must change your beliefs to change your life. You do deserve a good life, but it will not come on a silver platter delivered to your doorstep, you will have to go out and find it for yourself and with a bit of effort bring it home with you.

The last point for today is the never ceasing concept of having a dream. Without a dream, a goal, you have nothing to aim for, no direction to move in. Like having a plane ticket with no destination you do not know what plane to get on to start the journey. Decide today what your dream is, write it down so you do not forget, and begin your journey to success. With a dream to move you and some personal effort you can have and be anything you desire.

Be Blessed

How to Use the Subconscious Mind

2008-02-28T09:40:00.000-06:00

In the early part of the last century, certain people first began to realize that the mind was duality in its operation. The part we always are accustomed to using was named the conscious mind and the other part mistakenly thought to be the lesser part of consciousness was named the subconscious mind.

It was felt that the conscious mind, with its ability to think and reason, would naturally be the master part of the mind and that the other one would be subservient to it. This is extremely inaccurate and is far from being the truth. As you are about to learn, the subconscious mind is the real intelligence and power. No one has ever had as much intelligence, consciously, as all of us have subconsciously.

The prefix "sub" means under, below, beneath, lower. Since the subconscious mind is the seat of our intelligence and power, why do we call it the subconscious mind? Originally it was thought to be the lesser part of our mind and so it was labeled with the sub prefix. What was not realized is that the subconscious mind can access and use all the knowledge of the universe.

Our thoughts and actions are continually being guided by our subconscious mind, whether or not we are led to success and happiness, or failure and despair. It is the subconscious mind that controls and directs our actions as a direct result of the commands our conscious mind gives. It is our conscious mind that discerns levels of difference; good from bad, poor from rich, sick from healthy, and so on. Our subconscious does not make these distinctions; it only follows our conscious guidance and brings into our reality what we have commanded.

We command our subconscious by the thoughts, and words we use. If we are always speaking of prosperity then we develop a success consciousness, the subconscious mind will direct us in thought and action to success and happiness. Conversely if we are always speaking of how hard we have it and our lack of money and resources, then the same measure is applied and our subconscious will cause us to have a hard life, with a lack of money. Do you see what is happening here?

The following is a very simple description of the subconscious Mind and its relationship to the conscious mind. We will use a large corporation as an illustration. A big corporation, as you know, has a CEO and a general manager. Of course it has all those others too like vice presidents, secretaries, treasurers, etc. However for the sake of simplicity, we will use only the CEO and the general manager. Let us assume that this corporation in this illustration is an automobile plant. The CEO does the planning; the general manager executes the plans. When a new model is being contemplated, the president will make the decision as to all the changes to be made. These changes will be given to the general manager. It is the manager that tells the designers and draftsmen and tool makers etc. as to what to do, soon after the models are made; the plant is tooled up to create the new designs and on and on it goes until finally a new car rolls off the line bearing all of the changes originally planned by the CEO.

The conscious mind is the CEO; the subconscious mind is the general manager. The conscious mind does the thinking, planning, evaluating. The subconscious mind carries out the orders. You, as you sit right now are the CEO of your self. Your subconscious is also part of you but works far differently than the CEO part of you. The subconscious part of you will cause to come into reality anything you command it to.

Let us use an example that more closely applies to you. There is an individual that was just getting by. This person just barely managed to keep food on the table and to pay the rent; but there never was any money left over for nice clothes, vacation, etc. This person was always talking about how hard life was and that the working person could never catch a break.

Then one day; suddenly a powerful thought entered into their mind. That person began to see that there is a better life and it could be theirs for the asking. That person saw their self as a success. That person began to think in terms of "I AM a Success," and began to talk about the good things in life.

So what do you think happens after that simple thought change? That’s right their general manager; the subconscious mind, accepts the thought "I AM a Success" as a command. It is a new model ordered by the CEO; the conscious mind. Now then, just as the general manager of the factory will give out orders to the many department heads, your subconscious mind will begin sending out messages to the various assistants throughout your being. Your general manager knows that to be a success you must look like one. It will make you more alert; it will put a spring in your step; it will put a look of determination in your eye; it will put an expression in your voice which rings of success. Most important of all, your general manager will direct your thinking and actions so that you will be guided to do the things which will make you a success.

Isn't it hard to believe that you have been going through life the hard way; wishing for things without realizing that through the correct use of your subconscious mind you do not have to wish! You now know that you have it within your power to make your dreams come true, by simply commanding your subconscious mind correctly you can have, and be, all that you desire.

Be Blessed

Taking Command of Your Self

2008-02-27T12:13:00.000-06:00

The story of Aladdin and the Magic lamp is an old story about a poor man who finds a way to make all his wishes come true just by asking. This may seem to you a bit on the fantastic side, but there is a way to make all your wishes come true.

Let us get straight to it; your subconscious mind connects directly to creation. It is your link to the universe, to God, by whatever name you use, to the whole of entirety. The subconscious also links to you; it helps to control you and your actions, and takes care of all the auto functions of your body. The part of this that few people know or realize is that the subconscious takes commands from you the conscious being, and works diligently to see that your commands are followed.

That is one meaty paragraph, and if you did not quite comprehend what was said, stop here and read it again, yes it is that important.

So let us start with a few examples of how people command their subconscious. You have probably heard people say “I can’t do that” regardless of the subject or task at hand. The reason they can’t is they have told themselves, in other words told their subconscious, that they can’t do something. The subconscious has taken this as a command and has arranged things so that the conscious individual can’t do it.

Another example is when you say, or have heard other people say, “I can’t remember” again this is a command you have given to your subconscious, and it has followed the command and has prevented you from remembering. Instead of saying you can’t remember, say “It will come to me in a minute” then your subconscious will accept the command and you will remember in about sixty seconds. As you regain control over your memory you will find that the “in a minute” command will be followed to the second every time.

So what commands do you issue to your subconscious? Do you tell yourself that your feet hurt, and so therefore they do? Do you tell your friends you’re a klutz, and so therefore you are clumsy? Do you say you are shy, so therefore you are bashful around other people? These commands you give will be followed, the subconscious will take the command and act on it causing you to be and do as you have said.

This is a wild and strange concept, but if you think about it for a while you will realize the truth of this matter and will start to change the way you talk to your self. It is not so strange that you can not see the revelation of this method of talking to your self to take control of your life. Here is a common area of comment, one you have probably heard all your life: “those rich people…” And it is usually followed by a comment about the speaker of this comment being broke, or not being able to afford it. What has just happened is that person gave their subconscious a command to be broke, and or a command to not be able to afford something. So the subconscious not being able to differentiate between the commands as to what is beneficial, and what is not, will work to ensure the command is followed and that person will be broke, and not able to afford it.

So a few simple rules to implement and your life can be just like Aladdin and his lamp. Well, there won’t be a poof of smoke and there it is, it may take a few days or weeks, but the result will be the same. Speak only the things you desire to happen, as most things you say are commands to your subconscious. So think about what you are saying, and if you find your self saying things that are undesirable, stop, and redirect your words to yourself to be positive. For example if you tell your self, and others, that you are just unlucky, stop saying that, and start saying you are getting luckier every day. Soon you will see the results and you can change your words to the effect that you are a very lucky person, followed by your life getting even better.

There is not enough room here to write all the specific phrases that people say and use every day, so I hope you understand the gist of this concept. In short you get what you say, and what you say is taken by your subconscious as an order, and it does its best to follow the instruction causing you to do what you have commanded. So if you are commanding yourself to be clumsy, poor, sleepless, friendless, loveless, and so on, stop saying that. This includes just thinking it, thinking you are clumsy is the same as saying it out loud, only you are only talking to your subconscious, and we both know what happens next.

Most people complain, and those complaints more often than not are taken as commands by the subconscious and brought into your life. Try this; try to complain about being healthy, complain about having good friends, complain about having spare cash, and soon you will see yourself actually having these things.

So be careful with the words you use to command your subconscious. Change the phrase and the words you use and soon your life will start to become the way you want it. With only a little practice you can see some amazingly fast results; the more practice the faster the results. So start now, give your subconscious the correct commands, and when you catch yourself starting to complain, change the words to make it a proper command that you desire, not the poor command you were about to give.

Be Blessed

How To Have A Night of Sleep

2008-02-26T12:41:00.000-06:00

In our many discussions one thing we have not discussed is ways and means of inducing not just sleep, but restful, peaceful sleep.

Sleeplessness usually results from bad bed habits. Tossing and turning for long periods of time after lying down is frequently psychological than physiological. If, however, you have difficulty in sleeping, you should first go see your doctor to learn whether it is some bodily ailment which is keeping you awake. If it is, be guided by your doctor, if it is not then this discussion will be of excellent use to you.

The thoughts and suggestions given to you from here on out are based upon the assumption that you are in good health. We will not spend be discussing sleep from a psychological standpoint. In fact, you are not interested in knowing what sleep is; you want to learn how to go to sleep and rest peacefully. A fault discovered is half overcome, In other words knowing is half the battle, the other half is action, so, let us begin.

First we will discuss some of the problems common to most people, and the solution. As this will be of limited space we will by necessity have to keep it short.

Worry is probably the Number one enemy of sleep. We lay down and then let our mind worry about things we have no current control over. Things like finances, health, our job, or our businesses. We worry about wars and rumors of wars, natural disasters, the end of the earth, and so on. Another part of this worry causes us to translate sounds into burglars, or just a general “something is wrong” thought. I will wager that if you reflect over the worries which have kept you awake in the past, you'll be able to add many more worries to this list.

Now the Solution to this is to be logical! We have discussed in the past that worry cannot in any way help the condition about which you are worrying. In fact worry often times brings about the very problem you want to avoid. Also a sleepless night will rob you of the energy and stamina which could have helped you to combat the causes of your worry. Most worry is a lie; seldom do the things you worry about materialize.

You will learn that things one worries about are seldom reasons for worry at all. They are challenges; opportunities for us to grow and we can easily find solutions to our problems. So therefore tonight, and every night hereafter, instead of worrying, go to sleep with this thought: When you worry, you are holding mental pictures of things you do not want, instead of things you do want. So, as you go to sleep, visualize the ideal condition you are seeking, the ones you do want, instead of the one you don’t want, and realize that when you are asleep your subconscious mind will work on the problem and present you a solution in the morning.

The next problem is related to worry but is just a little different so as deserve its own mention: Bringing home your work. Many people carry their work to bed with them. For hours they relive the day that just ended; thinking of the things they did do but should not have done; and thinking of the things they did not do but should have done. Then after spending many sleepless hours with the past, they switch to worry about the future.

This solution takes a little different approach. Before going to bed, take a few moments and review the day. Note the word “few” and limit yourself to 30 minutes or less. Have a pad of paper and write down if there is anything not pleasing to you, decide what you will do about it the following day, or sometime in the future. Then say to your self that the job will stay on paper, and you will take the yoke again in the morning, my favorite phrase is “Let the world turn without me tonight” and then go to bed and sleep. If you catch your self trying to think about the past remind yourself that you can not fix, change or undo the past, it is over, you are in bed now, worry about the world tomorrow. Make use of your subconscious mind and permit it to work for you while you sleep. Knowing that a good night's sleep will let you awaken in the morning refreshed and ready to start a day of great accomplishment.

Next is Jealousy: It is pathetic how many hours of sleep the green-eyed monster has taken from men and women. Such hours of sleeplessness are miserable, too. We toss and turn as we imagine our happiness and security being taken away, or our leave us for another. Again this is like worry but needs its own mention.

The solution is Simple. Jealousy usually indicates one of two things: selfishness or inferiority. As you retire at night, realize that refreshing, restful sleep will give you the charm which makes you unafraid of competition. Remember! The more you trust others, the more that trust will be deserved.

Next come a harsh one; Envy. A good number of people, upon hearing of the good fortune of a friend or relative, will stay awake for long periods of time wondering why they never get the breaks. They envy others who have better jobs, better homes, better automobiles, and so on. Envy is negative. To envy someone for a possession indicates that you doubt your own ability to obtain that which you are envying.

Again a simple Solution: Instead of envying others for what they have, understand that you may acquire the same things, a little planning and action can cause you to be able to earn and acquire the things you think you so desperately need, or have better than you originally thought.

The next robber of sleep is the guilty conscience. A guilty conscience does not always indicate that you committed a crime, or a breach of conduct. One's conscience may bother you simply because you may feel that you have been negligent toward those near and dear to you, or if we feel we have been negligent in improving the body, taking care of our self, exercising and eating right, or if we feel we should have done something that we neglected to do. We lay in bed ruminating over the things we did wrong or failed to do. A guilty conscience is caused by something which happened in the past. It is beyond the power of anyone to relive a single day of the past.

The solution to this is simple in theory but hard in practice. Let bygones be bygones and forgive yourself for your mistakes of the past. Forgiveness of ones self is often harder than forgiving others, but you must forgive your self. Learn from your errors and in so doing profit by them, so that you will not make similar mistakes or omissions in the future. Go to bed with the thought that you forgive your self, and will do better in the future. Sometimes it is because we think we are lazy. There is no such thing as actual physical laziness, all laziness is mental. When we do not do what we should, it is because we are not interested in it. Learn to like that which you have to do. Decide you will do it a bit better than it has ever been done before. If laziness has been the cause of your guilt, retire with a promise to yourself that in the future you will find something to like about everything you are supposed to do and that you will take delight in doing it well.

Now comes another giant stealer of sleep: Hatred. In the causes of sleeplessness, it has been noted that one with a heart of hatred never sleeps as well as the one whose mind is at peace. The hater has difficulty in going to sleep and when they do it is a tense sleep more like exhaustion and has little if any benefits of rest. The hater will allow their mind to dwell upon the perceived injustice, the wrong that the object of the hate represents. Hate is a poison and will destroy your life faster and surer than the abuse of drugs or alcohol. Hate is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. Hate is unreasonable and causes many more problems than it is worth. A sure way to destroy all that you love is to harbor hate within you. . If you would but realize the damage which is done by hating, you would know that you cannot afford to hate. Remember: Hatred never harms the one hated. The hater is the
one who pays the penalty, after all who does hatred keep awake at night?

Here is the solution; Hatred is a poison which works on both your mind
and body, understand that hate only harms your self. Ask yourself the question: "Wouldn't that person be glad if they knew this was keeping me awake?" Knowing the futility of lying awake, just hating; whisper a prayer asking that the hated be blessed and then forgive them for the wrongs they may have committed. This act will actually dissolve the hatred, and you will drop off to restful sleep. Again you must forgive, you do not have to trust them ever again, but you must forgive, or you will pay a higher price than the person or things that you hate.

The next area is planning and creating. This is the only constructive reason for sleeplessness given. Progressive, far-sighted people usually spend many of the hours in which they should be sleeping in making plans for the future. As admirable as this trait appears, a weakened physical condition is developed which may later hold one back from doing the things one has planned to do. The inventive-type mind, whether it is concerned with patentable ideas, designs, story material, subjects for paintings, etc., will frequently be most active at bedtime, when ideas seem to come thick and fast.

Now this solution requires only a little self discipline. Retire with the thought such as: I do my best writing early in the morning. As you lay down tell your subconscious mind: "I will sleep peacefully tonight, and as I do so, my subconscious mind will develop a good plan and in the morning, as I write, thoughts will flow to me enabling me to write what I need to accomplish.” Keep a note book next to your bed or readily available nearby, and when you awake you will have to take a little initiative to start writing, but then the thoughts will come, and you will be amazed at what a genius you truly are.

Now this last one; fear, is by no means the least. This is the one most people have. Fear of something, it might be the fear of getting hurt, the fear of losing, the fear of dying, whatever the other part it all boils down to fear If ones health is not good, then you fear death as a result of illness. You can fear death through accidents, fear of being hurt, there are so many types of fear that that whole libraries have been written about the subject. Understand that the fear will grab you and have you imagining all sorts of things, usually all bad. It is a lot like worry but far more sinister as it will actually cause you to not take any action of any kind as you may suffer one or more of the results you stayed awake imagining. Fear will shut down your life and will cause you to stop living even though you are still breathing. You will be torturing yourself and, at night, when everything is dark, and one has a feeling of loneliness, that is the time when one gives vent to such fears.

There is a solution: Love life, and do not fear death, give no thought whatsoever to the day when you will leave this plane of existence. Fear of death hastens death. When we have a pain, instead of looking for the cause and trying to correct it, we worry about it, and associate it with a possible cause of death, we become frantic. This fear will simply cause the situation we do not desire to hasten it’s entry into our life. Live life every day, see the sun come up and know that regardless of what happens today the sun will come up again tomorrow, with or without you, choose to have it rise with you still here, and your fear left behind in yesterday. Live as if you had an average life span of 199 years. Then, no matter what your present age may be, you are young in comparison with the time you have set for yourself.

If there are any unavoidable sounds or noises which may keep you awake, get the right attitude toward the sounds instead of resenting them and they'll no longer bother you. Perhaps you live in a neighborhood where there is considerable street noise. Resenting it will keep you awake. Learn to be indifferent toward the many sounds, and you will soon forget them.
"I just can't sleep with all that racket," you might say. Of course, knowing the mind and how it operates, as you now do, we understand that such a statement literally instructs the subconscious mind to keep one awake.

When I was a younger, I slept on a US Navy destroyer that always made noise, the vents, the engines, and people moving about twenty four hours a day. Because I chose to ignore the noise I became accustomed to it, and whenever it got quiet during night for any reason, the silence would wake me.

Problems, fears and worries are greatly magnified at night. With eyes closed, and in a dark room, your entire attention is focused on that which is keeping you awake. In the daytime, with your eyes wide open, the object of your sleeplessness, when viewed in comparison with all about you, loses much of its importance.

Many people actually prepare for a sleepless night, by commanding them selves to have a sleepless night. You hear then say "Oh, how I dread going to bed. I just know I won't sleep," or they moan that they will toss and turn and worry, and so on. These are commands that you give your self. If you tell your self in such a way that you can’t sleep, them your mind will comply with the order you have given, and keep you awake. .

Look forward to bed time, think how good it will feel to be able to stretch out and relax in a comfortable bed. Tell your self that you are going to have a good night of sleep, and know that soon you'll be fast asleep gaining strength and energy.

Be Blessed

How to Achieve Something

2008-02-24T09:31:00.000-06:00

So you now want to know what it takes to achieve something. First let us find out WHY we want to achieve it. Ask your self this: What motivates us to do something?

Now here is the answer to that great question: When we try to achieve something, more often than not, there is something in it for us. There is in short, a reason that we do things and most of the time it is either to ease discomfort, or to satisfy a need. For example; you have a leaky ceiling over your bed. You want to stop the drops of water that cause you discomfort when you’re trying to sleep. You can achieve fixing it if you possess the motivation to do so, know how to do it, and have the right tools to do it with. It’ll never get fixed properly if you lack any of these three things.

Why did we choose to learn it and what tool do we need to use to achieve this? We want to cause discomfort to cease, if you could achieve fixing this problem, you’ll be able to sleep better whenever it rains. The discomfort was what provoked you to take action, and you now need to know what is involved in fixing roofs, so you ask friends, check out a book from the library, and learn what to do. Then you accumulate the tools and materials, and fix the roof. Soon enough the fruit of your labor becomes apparent when the next rain storm arrives and you can sleep undisturbed.

Now this shows that most of us, in order to achieve something, sometimes we need to be provoked into action. We are great procrastinators and whatever we can put off until tomorrow, we will. There is a consequence and we find ourselves becoming upset that we didn’t tend to a problem earlier when we had a chance. Opportunity knocked, we missed it, now we’re in a little trouble or we’re in a situation which is uncomfortable. In other words most of the time we do not have motivation to do things unless the situation becomes uncomfortable. We only react to pain, so to keep us moving the universe also known as God will continue to provide pain so that we can progress.

Then there are other times when we want to fix something, we are motivated to do so, have the right tools, but cannot do it ourselves. A board might be too heavy to hold into place or we don’t have the strength to move some heavy object. Seeking help is always appropriate, as long as it is assistance, not an excuse to procrastinate.

Are you beginning to see where all of this ties in with what it takes to achieve your goals? You have your wants, needs, and dreams. Which of these do you wish to work toward? You now understand that nothing is achievable without motivation, knowing anything about your goal, and having the proper tools. You also know that sometimes you need help and amazingly enough it is there whenever you need it. When the student is ready the teacher will appear.

The BIG secret to being a happy person is to learn to motivate your self without pain. If you can somehow figure out how to start doing things before discomfort causes you to have to, you will be a most happy and successful person. The answer to this mystery is simple, set and achieve goals.

So now you have a good reason to get started, but how do you set goals?
Every organized business sets goals. Some do it daily, weekly, monthly, and some do it only once every quarter. Setting goals is important because this becomes motivation for any company and its people to produce greater profitability. Goals can consist of achievable dollar figures, higher service standards, production quantity, advertising, and other production related figures to which a company would like to see an increase. Regardless of what these goals are, they all amount to an ideal goal of one thing: Growth.

So it’s time to become active with your goals. Here is a TOOL that will help you achieve your goals. WRITE THEM DOWN ON PAPER! Make them realistic and not too far out of reach. Each goal should be created to help you achieve something. For example, to say “I will be a better person” is too abstract and may involve too many details. Instead say “I will be nice to my co-workers” this gives you a target to actually accomplish.

Create a Goal: The act of writing it down on paper causes something in the universe to stir, and soon the universe will be on your side conspiring to help you in all that you desire to accomplish. Whatever you may do or not do, write your goals on paper, it is the one most vital step in the whole process.

Now that you’ve set your new goals, you’ll need to follow up with them. Post the goal in a visible place where you can see it everyday. A bulletin board over your computer work station, the fridge, the bathroom mirror, someplace you look every day would be ideal. If you are highly motivated, you will not procrastinate and you’ll work toward achieving your goals as soon as you can. Do not wait to have a few free hours during a day off from work or when nothing good is on TV. Do something towards your goal every day, even if it is just to read and re-read it. Work at your goal until you’ve achieved the desired results, then set another goal.

If you only ask God for help when times are tough, you are going to have a lot of tough times, because God likes to talk with you.

Be Blessed

The Three Steps of Success

2008-02-23T08:58:00.000-06:00

Everybody in this world has three things in common with everyone else. The three things are; Needs Wants and Dreams.

Let’s break this down a bit. Your Needs are the basic things which help you make it through every day of living. These things are your food, your clothes, your shelter (house apartment etc) the ability to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Wants are the extra things you want out of life. These are things you probably have to save a few pennies for or wait until tax refund time. Wants are things like a car, television, stereo, furniture, appliance, house, boat, in other words the nice toys of life.

Then last but not least are Dreams. Dreams are the things you wish to achieve, such as becoming a professional football player or a doctor. Some people dream about luxurious lifestyles while others dream about exotic vacations. Most of us have dreams that consist of those things you highly desire but realistically, don’t believe is achievable in this lifetime.

What most people don’t know and need to discover is that nearly anything can be achievable in this lifetime. There are only a few details that stand between your self and the achievement of your dreams.

The first and biggest is Self Motivation. You probably work for a living. So does nearly everybody else. Some people work 2 jobs just to make ends meet and sometimes, some people don’t want to do any more work than they have to even though they’re barely getting by. Motivation is the something inside you that drives you to do what you do. Without motivation nothing will happen. Motivation can be imparted through external pressure, such as getting your child up to go to school requires applied motivation. Then there is self motivation where you move yourself. Such as on the first day of a vacation at Disney; you can’t wait to get to the Attraction Park and are highly motivated causing you to move with purpose and vigor.
The next is Education. Knowing how to achieve something is just as important as having the motivation to achieve it. This does not mean a college education, I know many people who work in areas outside their degree. By knowledge it means the understanding of the subject. Without knowledge, there is no understanding of the process and without understanding, the objective becomes guess-work and failure is often the result. You can of course learn as you achieve, you do not have to wait to be an expert before taking action. You can learn on your own or you can find instruction or a combination of both, either way you will always require knowledge. For example when you learned how to drive you may have had a driving instructor or a friend or parent teach you how to operate the vehicle, but you had to learn the traffic rules and laws on your own so you could pass the written test to get the license. Had you relied on only the instructor you might have failed the written test, and had you relied only on your book knowledge you would have failed the practical test. But through a combination of learning, and practice, you passed the test and are now driving on your own.
Then there are Tools. Tools can be the things you need to accomplish a task. It could be a book, a computer, a hammer, or a set of skills. There is not much success in trying to achieve something if you don’t have the right tools, even if you are highly motivated and are among the smartest people on earth. Can you chop down a tree with a herring? Can you surf the internet without a monitor? Can you boil water without a pot? The wrong tools are almost as unsuccessful. Can you turn a bolt with a hammer? Can you saw a board with a ratchet? So you can see that by having the right tools to accomplish a task are essential to success.

Now you may very well have tools and skills, but for some reason, do not use them to your benefit. If you have the skill of carpentry and hate working outside, so you want to work inside and so you decide to be a secretary, you may be in for a difficult time as you re-educate your self. Re evaluate, maybe you could be a teacher of carpentry, this way you use your skills and achieve your goal of working inside.

Now a bit more about motivation; the other side of motivation is persistence. Persistence is having the motivation and ability to continue to pursue that something. Persistence is perseverance, the quality of continuing on despite obstacles, problems, and challenges. Giving up is easy, also known as quitting, and too many people quit just before they succeed. Not giving up, also known as persistence requires more effort than quitting. Persistence means working through the failed attempts, starting over time and again, spending the time to do it right and sometimes even means hard work. So why be persistent?

The reward of persistence is the achievement of your dream. How well you achieve that goal is measured by your motivation, education, and the tools you’ve used. To be what you desire to be is very rewarding and the success brings happiness.

So decide your dream, pick one of your wishes and determine to make it a reality. Educate yourself on what it takes to achieve it, then acquire the tools, and then the fun part comes, go out and become what you desire and accomplish your dreams. You can be what ever you will to be.

Be Blessed

Why Even You Can be Successful

2008-02-22T09:13:00.000-06:00

Why is it that some people are attracted to success with seemingly no effort, while other people struggle all their lives just to make ends meet? The cause can’t be a physical one otherwise only good looking people would be successful and the rest of the world would be doomed to slave labor. Yet there are countless examples of not very good looking people being insanely successful, so we know it is not a physical ability. Therefore it must be a mental thing.

The difference is in the mind, your mental outlook on the way you live and the way you direct your creative force. This is the true divider of people, their own thought abilities. In other words it is your mind that controls your life and how you live it.

When you finally understand that it is the power of thought that controls your life, and that you can control your thoughts then you will be able to simplify your life and have the success you desire. The mental and spiritual worlds are controlled by laws just as infallible as the physical laws we are governed by. When you learn these laws and with due diligence apply them to your thoughts the effects will seem miraculous.

You must discover for yourself that power comes from within, you and you alone are responsible for the life you have. If undesirable things have happened to you in the past, realize those things are in the past. You live now, you do not live yesterday, you do not live tomorrow, and you live only right now. You determine right now what it is that you will do, will you turn left, or will you turn right, or just stay still, these are choices you make.

When your mind decides that you should do something, you do it. There are only a few automatic functions you do not have to decide on, like your heart beating or your breathing, but the other functions are yours to choose. You choose when to stand, and when to sit, it is you who decides to sip the coffee or to let it stand awhile. All these minor functions you choose mostly from training and habit, yet you do not choose willingly your own life, know now that you do have that choice and ability.

Like all skills choosing your thoughts will take practice, the more you practice the better you become and the easier the task. Once you learn this truth it will serve you well.

The mind creates negative conditions just as easily as it creates positive conditions. Your command of your mind is what creates your reality. By failing to control ones thoughts you allow the life you lead to be lived in default mode, often in conditions disliked and unfavorable. By thinking only of the bad things in life you attract them to you like a magnet; this failure to control your thinking will keep you in a less than successful way of living.

Everything that exists was once a thought. Look around your environment, the place you live was built by someone having a thought, then putting that thought on paper by drawing and writing caused the thought to be understood by others who then directed others to use their skills and bring the building into physical reality. Everything in the building was also once a thought; someone thought of plumbing and brought it into reality. Someone thought of refrigerators, stoves, tables, desks, cabinets, and even the computer, and all these things have gone from thought to reality.

This not only applied to the physical reality, but also to the spiritual reality. If you think that you can’t, then you can’t. Conversely if you think you can, then you can. If you think poorly, then you get poorly, and if you think kindly then you get kindly. What you think is what you create, and what you create you have to live with.

So it is important that you begin to understand that what you think becomes your reality. So study your thoughts, constantly ask your self why you are thinking a certain way and if that way serves you in the manner you desire. If the thought you have will not improve your life then dismiss it promptly and replace it with a thought that will lead to the success you so desire.

Be Blessed

Success Thinking

2008-02-21T08:17:00.000-06:00

There is a big difference between those who are successful and those who are not; it is the thought that first enters your mind in the morning that makes a huge difference in your life. It is not simply positive thing; it is more like positive programming.

Positive thinking will create positive reactions in your inner mind. The difficulty arises in the implementation of the positive thought process. When you wake up in the morning, what is your normal thought? Do you grudgingly slide into consciousness with the thought: "Darn, another day at the grind, I wish I could sleep another hour or two!"
Or, do you rise with vibrancy and the thought: “I feel good! I'm going out and shatter all records today."

This clearly shows the difference between those leading a successful and happy life and those who are not. So why is there such great variation in day-openers?
In the great majority of instances, however, the condition at waking is a reflection of the thought pattern established in the mind the night before. If you go to bed with negative thoughts such as: “Today was a tough one. I will have a hard tomorrow, which I am not looking forward to," etc., etc., etc., then you are commanding your subconscious to give you a hard day and you are apt to be restless all night long. During the night while your subconscious mind mulls over the "tough day" thoughts you gave it, the universe is conspiring to give you what you desire. Since you seem to desire a hard day it is setting up the events so that you will. Is it any wonder you awaken dreading the new day?

Now suppose you go to bed having thoughts such as: "I will knock them over tomorrow!” Or “Today was a good day, but nothing compared to what I'll have tomorrow.” Or “Tomorrow is going to be the best day ever.” And so on. Isn't it easy to understand how such an established thought pattern will help bounce you out of bed with enthusiasm in the morning? You have given your subconscious a command and it will work with the universe to bring about the results you desire. So you see it is not positive thinking that is the big key, it is positive programming that can and will make your life happy.

Whenever a powerful thought seeps into your consciousness, do you get some feeling in the neighborhood of the solar plexus? This is the building within of an urge to get it done. In the words of the great Jedi master; “there is no try, do or do not” just makes you want to go and get it done. Has that feeling caught up with you yet? If you don't feel the urge, then you have not been concentrating on this information. So, for your own sake, take a little break, relax a minute, and then reread this lesson.

You now know that the magic secret password which unlocks the door to a life of great abundance and glorious happiness, a great life can be yours and is yours if you will only take a few minutes at bedtime to command your subconscious, and when you awake reinforce the command with a positive statement. Just do it!

Be Blessed