Growth is a Process

Here is a wonderful video I came across that illustrates it takes time to grow to your full potential. Watch this video closely and examine how it pertains to you or someone you know. Enjoy.

I welcome your comments on this video.

20 Steps to a Meaningful Life

By Herm Allen

Build Your Steps

A life that is meaningful and fulfilling can be yours. All it takes is a little self-knowledge, a plan and some hard work. The work however doesn't seem as difficult if you are doing what makes you happy and allows you to be fulfilled.

Below is a twenty-step plan that will set you on your path to a life of fulfillment. Taking the time to follow this plan step by step will help you reach the life you want a lot quicker than just allowing life to take you where it will. Take a deep breath and get started.

Step 1: Find a purpose for your life.

Step 2: Figure out what bothers you most about the world and do something about it.

Step 3: Determine what is most important to you.

Step 4: Align your new goals around what is most important.

Step 5: Have a healthy perspective of yourself.

Step 6: Replace old beliefs that are no longer useful to you.

Step 7: Create new possibilities for your life.

Step 8: Figure out who you want to be when you grow up.

Step 9: Practice living the life you want now.

Step 10: Figure out what you are passionate about.

Step 11: Align your abilities and your interests.

Step 12: What would a perfect vocational day be for you?

Step 13: Write your autobiography five years from today.

Step 14: Downscale your lifestyle now to create the opportunities that you seek.

Step 15: Strengthen your relationships and support systems.

Step 16: Grow strong emotionally

Step 17: Give yourself permission to follow your heart.

Step 18: Laugh a lot and enjoy the ride

Step 19: Live with integrity as a path towards an authentic life.

Step 20: Eat well, exercise and get plenty of sleep.

But most of all...TRUST GOD!

Loving Life With a Positive Mindset

Loving life means trying to live a fulfilled life. But doing so can be difficult without having a positive mindset. For many people, it can be pretty hard to enjoy living a life full of problems and worries. But even in situations such as this, life can be enjoyed by having a positive state of mind.

Having a positive attitude can help you appreciate life more. It is looking into the good things in life rather than the bad things - we have enough of the latter. Having a positive mindset can help you stay focused on what you need to love and enjoy life. Developing a positive mindset is not as difficult as you may think.

An important point to remember is that the way you think greatly influences the way you act. By thinking on the positive, you are forcing your attitude to focus on what good life has to offer. There are other ways that a positive mindset can be practiced on a daily basis. It is simply a matter of practicing.

One way of creating a positive state of mind is by simply appreciating being alive. Some people may tend to forget that life itself is miraculous. Daily functions - like walking, talking and having the ability to see - that you perform day in and day out tend to be taken for granted.

Just imagine if you could not walk anymore, talk to a loved one or see the beauty that is all around you. What if you suddenly find yourself not being able to do what you normally do? Many people only realize that what they have is valuable only after losing them. So why not appreciate life in general and the many things that you can still do, and thank God for it. Appreciate what you have and are blessed with.

Another way to develop a positive mindset is by focusing on the simple things in life. Life can be so simple and enjoyed more if you only learn to be content with where you are. That does not mean you should settle for where you are. You are at this place in time for a reason. One of my favorite quotes is, “be content but don’t settle.” All that means is that there is something greater out there for you however, until you reach whatever that is be content with today.

One last way to develop (and maintain) a positive mindset in life is to share it with others by helping them to think positively for a change. Just by looking at how good you feel about loving life, they might also follow your example. Helping others develop a positive mindset will not only help them to love and enjoy life but will also be a good way to reinforce your own zest for life.

Develop a positive mindset and you will begin to attract other positive, like-minded people to your inner circle. The more this develops and grows, you will no longer tolerate any negativity in your life.

Smuggle Success and Prosperity into Your Mind for Great Results

Do you ever feel that some parts of yourself are fighting against your best efforts? That they're holding you back from achievement?

The part of self that most people have the greatest problems with is the "border guard" in charge of keeping you within your comfort zone. In fact, it's common to hear some people refer to their guard as some kind of enemy or mindless adversary.

But this “border guard” isn't an enemy. It's just trying to do the job it's been given. It hasn't been very well trained in the past, however, so it's grown a bit intrusive over the years.

It almost certainly needs a bit of re-educating, but is basically a well-meaning friend.

Remember this: every part of your self is a friend, and not an enemy -- ever. It's only YOUR incomplete understanding that leads you to divide up your self into enemy camps.

If you have an immovable block or obstacle that you just can't get past, it's often because of this border guard in your mind, and your testy relationship with it.

Say you need or want a larger income, but every way you turn seems to block that from happening. Nothing you try ever works, and you've remained short of money for as long as you can remember.

Well, you might want to stop trying to figure it out. In fact, stop looking for a solution altogether. Stop straining. After all, nothing in your “outer” life is going to change until something inside your mind changes. Read the last sentence again. Finding a "solution" will remain basically impossible until you find permission to HAVE what you desire. Forget solutions.

HERE'S THE TRICK: INSTEAD OF STRUGGLING, TRY SMUGGLING.

You can stop straining to take a step or two outside your comfort zone. Just use your power of imagination to bring new situations inside the zone. This is a safe, non-threatening way to smuggle in new ideas and effectively brainwash your border guard.

In a surprisingly short time, your border guard starts thinking that all this new stuff is a natural part of "its" territory, and will begin forcing you to stay inside with all this happiness, prosperity and success.

If you have problems that you've been unable to figure out after years of thinking, then more years of thinking probably won't produce significantly different results. This is a glaring indicator that you've been pouring your energies into the wrong activity.

You see, deciding how the problem gets solved isn't really your job. Your job is to mentally imagine a new situation where the "problem" is completely behind you. It has already been solved. Imagine this vividly, often and excitedly.

This is faith in action. Doesn't matter how impossible a situation seems. God has already created resources and connections you and I could never dream of. So your job is to place your order; and you do this by dwelling on your future vision, not the path TO that vision.

The path that leads to what you desire has already been created. Faith will bring you to openings and opportunities that you'd probably never expect nor imagine. But you do have to put in your order. You do that by clearly imagining what you desire and believing that you will receive it.

In effect, you're smuggling in new "facts" about what belongs inside your comfort zone.

In a surprisingly short time, your border guard will allow you to take the steps that have been placed before you.

But when imagining your future vision, just be sure to add the insurance phrase, "do this or something better in ways that are for the highest good for me and everyone involved."

This makes sure you get solutions that are gentle rather than jarring or abrupt.

I want to see you putting your energy into imagining your result, your outcome, NOT your problem. (And not your solution either, only your outcome.)

Start smuggling in your new future vision and allow your faith to build you a path to that exact, specific future.

Do this and see if you don't notice a dramatic change of fortunes.

Your Power Tool to Choose

The Power is Yours

At sunrise (or earlier) you awaken to a loud ringing at your bedside. In an instant before your feet ever hit the floor, you have the opportunity to utilize one of the most powerful tools you have. Other than faith, this tool can take you to heights beyond your wildest imagination; and it can find you at the lowest of lows. So what is this powerful tool?

The power to CHOOSE.

When you hear that ringing at your bedside (hopefully not from a hangover) in the morning, you have the power to choose at that point. You can choose to hit the snooze button for a few more minutes of slumber; you can choose to turn it off, get up and begin your day; or you can choose to turn it off and say, "to heck with it" and sleep in for the day. At this point YOU have the power to choose what action you will take.

This scenario merely scratches the surface of the power to choose that you have at your disposal each and every day that you wake up. Each day you have the power to choose:

Your attitude,
Your words,
Your thoughts,
Your actions,

just to name a few. The power to choose has placed you where you are today.

If you don't like where you are today or you know that you can and should be further than you are, reflect on you life up to now. Identify, from various places in your life, when you used your power to choose; and make note of the outcomes from you choosing. If the outcome was not a positive one, you now have the power to CHANGE how you CHOOSE when similar situations arise.

The power to choose is in your control - not in other people's; not in the economy's; and not in your situation's control, but in yours. You have the power to:

- smile rather than frown
- say thank you
-apologize
- laugh instead of cry

These, among other things, is within your power to choose.

How will you use your power today?

Finding Opportunities in Any Economy

I love sharing life-changing information that helps individuals to become better at what they do and to become better persons. This month's Featured Article is from success expert, Jack Canfield. I am certain, after reading this article, you will experience something new in your thinking. Happy reading.

******************

Your own beliefs and behaviors are great predictors of your success than any fluctuation in the marketplace. Even when the newspapers splash the word recession across the front page, you can write your own success story.

Master the Art of "Inverse Paranoia"

Start by becoming an "Inverse Paranoid". What I mean by this is, believe that every event in your life is the seed for your greater good; something meant to enrich you, empower you or advance your cause.

Imagine how much easier it would be to succeed in life if you were constantly expecting the world to support you and bring you opportunity.

You can easily verify this belief for yourself. Just think about the last time that a terrible event turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

A big blessing for me came during the 1970's when I lost my job. I was working at the Job Corps Center in Clinton, Iowa, pioneering new ways to teach underachieving students. One day the word came down that the center was being relocated - and I was being laid off.

While attending a workshop at the W. Clement & Jesse V. Stone Foundation in Chicago, I shared my predicament with the presenter. He happened to be vice president of the foundation, and he immediately offered me a job working with inner-city black and
Latino kids.

I accepted the offer, and what I got in return was a bigger salary, an unlimited budget, and a laboratory for learning the success principles that transformed my life and launched a new career path.

Ask Yourself: What Opportunity Exists Here?

Take the fast track to inspiration by constantly asking yourself: What's the opportunity here? Make this a habit, and you'll stay calm and centered during any event that seems like a setback.

The beauty of this question is that it triggers your mind to respond with positive suggestions. Compare these to the useless information you get by asking yourself the questions such as: Why did this happen to me? Or, Who's to blame for this mess?

If you get passed over for a promotion or your retirement account takes a hit in the stock market, remember to ask: What's the opportunity here? - or one of its inspiring variations:

• What can I learn from this event?
• What will I do differently from now on?
• Who can I turn to as a mentor or coach?
• What's my next action?

Remember the Three Things You Control

In a way, the economy is just a vague and sometimes ambiguous idea. It refers in a general way to trillions of dollars of goods, services and products by billions of people across the planet. When you face a financial challenge, is it the vast, impersonal economy at work? Or is it your personal economy, which you can directly control?

You can't always count on the economy, but you can always rely on yourself.

Remember, you have absolute control over three things in your life:

   1. The thoughts you think

   2. The images your visualize

   3. The actions you take (including what you say to others)

Your life experience is simply the sum total of the choices you make in these three areas. And you can attract new results at any time by making new choices. Use the ideas and exercise found in this article to do just that!

About the Jack Canfield:

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

What is Purpose? Day Five

Well, here we are...the final day in this series on 'Purpose.' Of course this is a topic that I could speak on for an entire month however, my desire was just to encourage you to see how 'Purpose' is working in your life.

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Side Note:
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If you would like to explore this topic in more detail, I am willing to offer a complimentary consultation. To receive an email consult, send your question/issue with purpose to coaching@hermallencoaching.net. Once I receive your message, I will provide you with a personal response.

Now on to today's post.

In order for you to know what your purpose is, you must consult with the Creator of purpose. To discover how to live with purpose we must return to God, who is the Author of Purpose.

As we are all created for a purpose, it is only fitting that we "ask" our Creator what was purposed specifically for our life. Nothing on this earth was created without a purpose...mosquitoes, whales, plants, trees, and as important you and I.

One way to discover your purpose is to spend some quiet time with the Creator and ask, "What purpose is my life to fulfill with the time you have allotted me on this side?" Then, sit still and listen for the answer. You may be closer to finding your purpose than you think.

I truly hope you enjoyed this series. Now go and fulfill your purpose!

For your complimentary consult, send your question to: coaching@hermallencoaching.net.

Herm
Helping You Reach Your Peak

What is Purpose? Day Four

Purpose permits a view of life that looks beyond the apparent surroundings and the obvious pitfalls.

When you are living in your purpose, it doesn't matter what is going on around you because purpose creates focus; and with this type of focus, there is no time to allow other matters to distract you.

For example, Jesus came with a purpose to fulfill and He did not allow His surroundings to keep Him from fulfilling that purpose. However, don't be naive to think those distractions will not surface. If anything, as soon as you begin living in your purpose you'll probably encounter all kinds of obstacles.

The key in today's post is that "purpose permits a view of life that looks beyond..." To look beyond something means it exists in the first place, but purpose is the factor to not allow those obstacles, pitfalls, etc. to prevent you from fulfilling YOUR purpose.

Another way to put it was captured by Dr. Ben Carson's mother, who said,

"You got to see beyond what you can see."

Until we "meet" again.

Herm
Helping You Reach Your Peak

What is Purpose? Day Three

Welcome to day three of my series on 'Purpose.' I hope you have gotten something that you can apply to discovering and living your purpose. Today's post is an excerpt from an article I came across today.

The author (William Damon, Prof. of Education at Stanford University & the Director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence) is writing about purpose in general, however he has done extensive research on purpose as it relates to adolescents and young adults. Read the following excerpt with an open mind and I am interested in hearing your perspective.

"The road to hope, for both the individual and the society, can only be approached by the path to purpose. Purpose is required to fill the spiritual vacuum that leads to drift, apathy, cynicism, and nihilism. Purpose is needed to sustain the will to strive, achieve, contribute, and continue learning. Purpose provides resilience in hard times, elevation in good times, and confident aspiration all throughout life. It is the key to psychological survival for the individual, economic and civic survival for the society, and a state of thriving and well-being for both."

I look forward to your responses to the above quotation. Please feel free to be open and honest in your responses.

"See" you later.

Herm
Helping You Reach Your Peak

What is Purpose? Day Two

As you may well know, we are finite beings living in an infinite universe. In other words, at some point we will perish from this earth and return to the dust from whence we came.

However, fear not.

Time is always given for the completion of purpose.

That last statement is only true to those who seek and find what their true purpose is. There are many gifts and contributions to this "side" that are six feet under. For this reason, alone, is why it is critical that you find what your purpose is before leaving this world.

Don't waste your time on frivolous activities that neither contribute to yourself nor anyone else. Put another way, "He who has time to burn will never give the world much light. Killing time is not murder, it's suicide."

How many of you feel life (time) is passing by really fast? You probably feel that way because you are focusing on time and not on your purpose. When you are living out your purpose, there is no time to focus on time because your purpose is consuming, yet not of your time.

Let me leave you with this closing thought:

Killing is death before the completion of purpose. Dying is death after purpose has been fulfilled.

Until tomorrow, peace.

Herm
Helping You Reach Your Peak

What is Purpose? Day One

You are here living, breathing on this earth for a reason. Even though our "physical" time on earth is limited - YOU HAVE A PURPOSE TO FULFILL!

The following quotation exemplifies this:

"Your existence is evidence that this generation needs something that your life contains." ~ Myles Munroe

You may believe your life is only yours for the living and this is partly true; only you can live your life however, when you are living in your purpose, others will benefit from your life.

The longer it takes for you to find your purpose and begin living in that purpose...this generation will be missing out on your contribution. Take this to heart and begin your search for YOUR purpose.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.

Herm
Helping You Reach Your Peak

What is Purpose? Series

My intent with this series is to expand your thinking on the topic of purpose and how it fits into your life. I also desire that you will engage in the dialogue and share your thoughts on how purpose is working (or should work) in your life.

To get you thinking, consider the following on what purpose is.

PURPOSE IS...

...the original intent for the creation of a thing,

...the original reason for the existence of a thing,

...the end for which means exist,

...the cause for the creation of a thing,

...the desired result that initiates production,

...the need that makes a manufacturer produce a a specific product,

...the destination that prompts the journey,

...the expectation of the source,

...the objective of the subject,

...the aspiration for the inspiration, and

...the object one wills or resolves to have.

That should be enough to get your wheels spinning. Feel free to share this and future posts.

"See" you next time.

Herm
"Helping You Reach Your Peak"

How to Make Wise Decisions

     Lebron James just made one of the biggest decisions in his, relatively, young life; and I guarantee that it won't be his last. Having scanned online media, conversing with Facebook friends and watching the myriad of television reports regarding his decision, I ask, "did Lebron make a wise decision?" If he addresed the following strategy in making his decision, then one might say that he did. Let me pose this question to you:

Have you ever felt nervous about making a decision that could affect the rest of your life?

Sometimes even seemingly minor decisions can send you into a fit of anxiety when you begin thinking of all the things that could go wrong.

     It's fairly common for people to vacillate back and forth between several choices, whether they are related to career, money, business opportunities, or even relationships.  How do you know which choice is the best one for you in any given situation?  Sometimes the best choice is obvious, but other times they all seem to hold a glimmer of possibility - and the threat of regret.

     The good news is that making wise decisions is a matter of weighing the potential pros and cons of every available outcome.  Below you'll find a simple 3-step process to help you make wise decisions no matter what part of your life they may affect.

1)  What Do You Stand to Gain?

When you've got more than one option to choose from, a great first question to ask of each one is, "What do I stand to gain from choosing this option?"  If the rewards are big, you might be willing to withstand a bit of risk in order to benefit from the opportunity.  Conversely, if the payoff would be small, you might not feel so confident about taking a chance right now.

2)  What Do You Stand to Lose?

The next question to ask is, "What do I stand to lose if this option doesn't work out?"  No one likes to think of the negatives in a potential opportunity, but you could save yourself a lot of heartache with a bit of foresight!

If your losses will be huge with a particular option, you might decide to hold off for a while to see if the odds improve over time.

3)  What's the Worst Thing That Could Happen?

Finally, take it one step further and ask, "What is the worst thing that could happen if I choose this option and would I be willing to accept those consequences?"  It may seem like a very pessimistic question, but it's extremely effective at clarifying the situation!  If you couldn't handle the consequences of making such a choice, then you know immediately that it's not the right choice for you at this time.  If, on the other hand, the consequences
wouldn’t be so bad, you know it’s a viable option for you.

     What do you do if all of your options hold the same potential rewards and consequences?  Go with your gut!  Take a few minutes to think carefully about each possibility, and then choose the one you feel strongest about.

     When it comes right down to it, there are no guarantees in decision-making.  You simply weigh the pros and cons, listen to your intuition, and do the best you can.  In the end, there really isn’t any such thing as a "bad" decision, because you do learn something from each one you make - I hope.  If you keep that in mind you should grow more confident with each choice you make, which will help you make even better decisions in the future.

     So, if Lebron James went through this process and honestly answered the above questions, then he can walk away with a clear conscious about his decision. It is one that he will never be able to take back. Just as you have made numerous decisions over the course of your life...once it is made, you cannot take it back. So I close with one final question:

How have you fared in your decision making?

5 Tips to Grow From Your Past

There are a lot of people walking around today wandering in a "wilderness" experience because of what happened in his or her past. Without taking up a lot of your time, below are five tips to grow from your past and move to your future.

1. PUT it where it belongs...in the PAST!

2. ACCEPT that it happened.

3. SHAKE it off...move FORWARD!

4. THANK God you made it through.

Don't allow your past to be a ball & chain on the journey to your future. Believe it or not, you already possess the key to unlock yourself from the chain. That key is your ATTITUDE. As attributed to Henry Ford..."if you think you can or you think you can't, in either case you're right." Now let go of the past and proceed ahead.

Overcome ANY Obstacle with 3 Simple Questions

This article is from a good friend of mine - well, actually we don't know one another yet however, I value his work and you may have heard of him before. His name is Jack Canfield, the guy from the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. In this artcle he talks about overcoming obstacles. I'm certain you've had a few in your life. Read what Jack has to say and apply it to any obstacles you may encounter.

Overcome ANY Obstacle with 3 Simple Questions by Jack Canfield

What stands between you and what you most desire?

Your answers might relate to a lack of money, time, support from family, or all of these. Obstacles can seem so numerous, so obvious, and so tough to change.

You can relate to obstacles in many ways. Typical responses are to explain them or resist them.

Both responses take a lot of time and energy. And both anchor you firmly in the past, keeping your focus on areas of your life that are not working.

To immediately generate alternatives, remember a simple analogy...

Imagine that you’re driving down a scenic highway. Suddenly you come to a huge rock in the middle of the road.

At this moment you have several options. You could try to explain how the rock ended up there. You could also go into resistance mode, complaining about the carelessness of highway construction or the lack of state funding for rock removal. Or, you could bypass all this negativity and remove the obstacle from your life at once. Instead of explaining the rock or resisting it, just drive around it.

When faced with obstacles, people often respond with questions based on explanation and resistance, such as:

- Why am I so alone?
- Why does this always happen to me?
- Why am I such a failure?

However, you always have another option. You can ask questions that help you drive around any obstacle in your life.

Questions have uncanny power. Questions direct your attention— and along with it, how you think and how you feel. If you want to create different thoughts, feelings, and results into your life, then ask different questions.

Start now by skipping the why questions and begin asking what questions, such as:

1) What’s the lesson here?

There’s an old saying about learning from experience: Beware the person with twenty years of experience. This may consist of one year of learning and nineteen years of repetition.

The point is that experiences do not come prepackaged with empowering lessons. Everything hinges on how you interpret experiences, and your interpretations can change over the years. A single event can take you a step closer to emotional contraction or expansion. It all depends on how you interpret that event.

Psychologist Martin Seligman has made a career by studying how human beings interpret their experience. He notes that each of us has an explanatory style.

People who chronically feel helpless tend to explain events in ways that are:
 
•    Permanent: “I always get confused when trying to learn something new.”
•    Personal: “I’m just no good at meeting people.”
•    Pervasive: “I’m just the kind of person who fails to follow through, no matter what kind of goals I set.”

Optimistic people use a different style. They explain events in ways that are:

1.    Temporary: “When I feel confused, I ask questions that lead me to understanding.”
2.    External: “I find it hard to talk to people in bars, so I invite them to quiet restaurants instead.”
3.    Specific: “I find it challenging to meet long-term goals, so for now I will focus on achieving short-term objectives.”

You should interpret these obstacles as yield signs rather than stop signs. These are signals that the world is expanding to accommodate your growth. Instead of resisting a challenge, just lean into it. Ask yourself: How can I interpret this event in a more powerful way? What’s a positive lesson that’s waiting here to be learned?

2) What’s great about having this problem?

There’s an easy answer to this question: “Nothing!” However, looking beyond that knee-jerk response can quickly open up your perspective.

Tony Robbins offers an example in his book Awakening the Giant Within. He recalls a time when he’d been on the road for nearly 100 days out of 120. Returning to his office, he found a stack of urgent memos and a list of 100 phone calls that he needed to personally return. Before making these discoveries, he was tired. Now he felt exhausted.

Tony managed to shift his internal state simply by asking: What’s great about having this problem? He then realized that just a few years ago he would have been grateful to get calls from twenty people—let alone one hundred people with national reputations.

This insight was enough to break his pattern of frustration. He found himself feeling grateful that so many people he loved and respected were willing to connect with him.

3) What’s my next action?

This question shines a spotlight on solutions. No matter what happens, you can choose what to say and do in response. Rather than manifesting resistance or explanation, you can choose your next action.

Successful people hold a bias for action. Add inspiration and intention to the mix, and you gain an unstoppable momentum.

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Enjoy TODAY Everyday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Yes, I have been blessed to see another one. For those of you who don't know, I'm now 42. Just a babe in terms of living out my dream. I just gettin' started. As my present to you, I want to share something with you I discovered surfing the 'Net that is appropriate for this occasion. It is about the subject of time - a concept that neither you or I have any control. We can't create it. We can't add to it. We all have the same amount alloted to us every day; and it does not discriminate. Take a few moments to absorb what follows:

Each of us has such a bank. It's name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is ticking. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, Ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, Ask a mother of a pre-mature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, Ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE DAY, Ask a daily wage laborer with kids to feed.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, Ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, Ask the person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLI-SECOND, Ask the person who won a silver Olympic medal.

Treasure every moment you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special....special enough to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, which is why it's called the present!! Enjoy your present every day !

The Powers of a Positive Attitude

I am going to ask you to something very weird right now. First of all, I want you to listen to your thoughts. Now tell me, what do you hear? Would you label them as positive, or negative?

Now let's say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who would meet you would be able to tell what’s on your mind?

The answer to the first question is up to you. But, the second answer can be pretty generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling.

Here's another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something

terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?

The answer to all these depend on your frame of mind.

Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too – unless, of course, you are a great actor.

And it doesn't end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you.; the attitude you carry depends on you.

It can be either positive or negative.

A positive attitude can have a filling effect. They are invigorating. The people around the person with positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude; a positive attitude attracts people.

Negative attitudes, on the other hand, can have a sapping effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, a negative attitude can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.

We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you will develop a negative attitude. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely to develop a positive attitude.

You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. Projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.

A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you will also make others around you feel the same way.

If you want to have a positive attitude, you have to develop healthy thoughts. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since, all around us, the media feeds us nothing but negative images. It is said that for every 14 things a parent says to his or her child, only one is positive. This is saddening.

If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to listen to positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could read positive books and magazines, surround yourself with positive people and set realistic goals and pursue them. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promote a positive attitude.

Although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, we can still have a positive attitude by focusing on the good things - the positive things in life.

This new positive attitude you now have can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing most people do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is somebody to sit by them, and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.

You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy, positive attitude. Studies have shown that such an attitude actually retards aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop better stress coping mechanisms, and has a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day. So, what's not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt one today.

How to Expect the Best

Do you ever find yourself getting stuck in negative thought patterns and expecting the worst possible outcome in every (or most) situation?  It’s a common mindset that proves difficult to change when you finally decide you’ve had enough.  Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to breed and multiply on their own – even when you’re not consciously trying to think negatively.

The good news is that turning a negative outlook into a positive one just takes a bit of patience and persistence until the positive thoughts begin to take over.

Below you’ll find three simple steps to begin forming positive expectations on a daily basis:

1) Develop self-awareness to recognize negative expectations.  One problem with negative thoughts is that they often form below your conscious level of awareness; and you get so used to them being in your head that you hardly notice them anymore.  To turn the tide of negativity, you’ll have to develop a stronger level of self-awareness.  One good way to start is by performing self-checks several times a day.  Pay attention first to how you feel.  If you’re feeling positive and productive, most likely you’ve been thinking positive thoughts.

However, if you notice that you’re feeling irritable, pessimistic or stressed, you’re probably focusing more on negative thoughts.  When that happens…

2) Challenge and change the negative thoughts.  Believe it or not, it’s fairly easy to challenge and change negative thoughts with a little willpower and concentration.  For example, if you find yourself feeling doubtful about your ability to finish your work on time, you might engage in a bit of self-talk like this:  “Okay, so I’m feeling a bit worried right now, but really everything is okay.  I’m strong, I’m smart and I’m capable of finishing my work on time.  I’ll do my best and everything will work out fine.”  Even though nothing has changed in your outer circumstances, this type of self-talk can get you thinking and feeling more positive.

3) At the same time, while you’re changing negative thoughts to positive, work daily on developing a general positive expectation habit.  Each day when you wake up, affirm confidently, “Today is going to be a great day!  Everything will go my way and I’ll enjoy plenty of lucrative opportunities and fun!”

When you encounter obstacles or problems, see them as opportunities to learn, grow and strengthen yourself.  Perception is 99% of the game!  If you simply work on shifting the way you look at the experiences of your life, you can easily conquer your negative thought habits.

The more you focus on changing your perspective to emphasize the positive, you’ll empower yourself to create better circumstances in your life.  Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying better and more frequent opportunities and attracting other like-minded, successful people to connect with.

Beliefs 'R Us

The Bible says, "the truth shall make you free." That is a powerful statement...to those who believe it. Before you can even tap into the divine power of that statement, there is one thing that can propel you forward or hold you back. That one thing is...

BELIEF!

Your belief system holds the key that unlocks your present and future success. I can almost guarantee that any failure" you've had or currently in the midst of, your belief system probably had (has) something to do with those "failures."

Think about this: your beliefs directly affect your thoughts which, ultimately, affect your actions/behavior. Here's an example. If you believe the economy will not get any better anytime soon, more than likely your thoughts will say to you, "there aren't any jobs out there, so why look for one?" Not only will you fail to actively look but you probably won't do anything to improve your skills either.

Now the opposite belief, that the economy is on the road to recovery will lead you to think I need to position myself to be ready for opportunities that will become available. In positioning yourself, you are taking action to ensure opportunities don't pass you by. Les Brown, renown motivational speaker and author, said it best:

"It is better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."

So what is a belief? The best definition I've seen is from the book, "Get Off your But" by Sean Stephenson. His definition is as follows:

"A thought is like an acorn. by itself, it is a solid little object that can't do much. If you keep it in a tin can, it will never grow. but if you plant it in soil and give it the right amount of sun, nutrients, and water, it will sprout roots and grow into a huge oak tree.

In order for a thought to become a belief, it has to be nurtured by evidence that proves its own existence. With each piece of evidence, it sprouts a root, and its foundation grows stronger. Soon, that thought (true or false) becomes a sturdy belief planted in your mind, growing stronger every day." (p.93)

This definition can't be more on point. After reading this, you should be able to evaluate your beliefs and determine which ones are limiting and which ones are empowering.

You may be familiar with the saying, "as a man thinketh, so is he." Allow me to build on that by saying, "as a man believes, so he thinks." In either case, you have the power to choose those beliefs (and thoughts) that will have you reaching new heights in your life; or you can continue to choose those that keep you comfortably lacking.

NOW BELIEVE THAT!

Building a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)

Click picture for Napoleon Hill's work

Napoleon Hill, the father of personal development and author of "Think and Grow Rich" postulated five 'Building Blocks' of a PMA. Allow me to share them with you here so that you have something to draw from when you feel a hint of negativity creeping in - that's not too difficult these days.

Building Block #1
Move with definiteness and purpose towards your goal.

Building Block #2
Establish a harmonious cooperative alliance with other people.

Building Block #3
Cultivate the habit of doing more than you are paid, or expected, to do.

[Note: Some of you (or us) may have to dig real deep on this one.]

Building Block #4
Concentrate on the habit of putting enthusiasm into your words and deeds.

Building Block #5
Create an enduring capacity for faith.

On the surface these may seem somewhat simplistic however, with further examination and practice, you might find yourself struggling with one or more of these building blocks. Anyone who has read any of Napoleon Hill's work knows that he does not cater to self-pity or wallowing in your "struggles."

I encourage you to put serious thought into each of these building blocks as they pertain to your life. Find someone you trust to assist you with building your positive mental attitude. While nothing in life is guaranteed, I assure you if you sincerely practice building each one of these, you will see a noticeable difference in your life and in others around you - at least as they relate to you.

The Secret to Success is...

So you really want to know what the secret to success is? I guess you do, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. I...well, John Maxwell can tell you better than I can. Watch the video below:



Whaddya think. Hit me with a comment below.

ABCs of Motivation: The Heart of Personal Development

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunking grades make us realize that we need to study.

Debts remind us of our inability to control our spending. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negatives the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B - Believe in yourself, and in what you can do.

C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people get the best of you. Stay away from toxic people – the kind who hate to hear about your success.

J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K – Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he/she sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.

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Watch this short movie:
Inspiration 365 movie
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L – Learn to love yourself. Now isn’t that easy?

M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn how we can recover from our mistakes.

Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S – Stop procrastinating.

T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self control is synonymous with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood second.

V – Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on dry land.

W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life - like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

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Watch this NOW:
Inspiration 365 movie
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How the 'B' Word Hinders Your Progress

How many times have you (or someone you know) said:

“I would go back to school, but…”
“I would look for another job, but…”

or how about this one,

“We need to start an investment program, but…”

I could go on and on with enough “buts” to...well, never mind.

I am a guilty party to this entrapment of progress myself.

How do I know?

Given my God-given abilities and talents, I should be further ahead of where I am now. No, I’m not in a bad situation however, when I take inventory over my life to this point...trust me, I know.

For you English aficionados out there, you know that “but” is a part of speech that takes what is being said in the opposite direction.

Let me elaborate on that point for a moment. In our daily conversations at work, at home and even in our social circles, “but” interjected will change the flavor of where the conversation was headed--unless, it was planned that way. Let’s go back to my examples:

“I would go back to school, but I can’t afford it.”

“I would look for another job, but who would hire me at my age.”

“We need to start an investment program, but we have too many bills as it is.”

Each of these (and other) scenarios could have a different outcome with a different mindset.

I challenge all of you to remove your “buts” and replace them with solutions, instead of excuses to make progress towards your future dreams, desires and goals.

If you could use a little help with your 'but' click here for a resource that is just what the doctor ordered.

How Do You Spend 86,400 Seconds?

That's the number of seconds in each and every day that you are alive. Have you ever said any of the following:

"I wish there were more hours in the day."
"Where did the time go."
"I don't have enough time to..."

I know I have. With the demands on our lives in this modern age of technology, economic uncertainty and just everyday life, time is our most precious commodity. The good thing about it however, is that we all have the same amount of time - EVERYDAY!

How do you spend your 86,400 seconds?

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To learn how, click here - How to Master Your Time by Brian Tracy
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Believe it or not, we have all the time we need. The problem comes in when we try to do more than we are capable of doing and doing more than we need to do. Don't misunderstand, I know there are things that must get done but how many of you actually prioritize what you must do?

Think of it this way. If you knew that there would be no tomorrow, for you, but what you need to do today will have an impact on those you love...

What would you do in those 86,400 seconds allotted to you for that last day?

Something to make you go, hmmmmm.

How Big is Your Why?

My last post talked about 'dreaming big, living large' but how many of you are stuck in the dream?

You probably have (or had) big dreams for your life however, you don't know HOW you will ever attain that dream and make it a reality. Well, there's your problem - you're too concerned with the HOW; instead, how big is your 'WHY'?

That is, why would attaining your dream make a difference in your life? How much of a difference would it make in the lives of others around you and beyond? These questions will help you determine the size of your 'WHY'.

The size of your why is directly linked to your desire. If you have the desire to see your dream(s) manifested, it will kick you into action to make it happen. If it doesn't, then your 'why' isn't as big as you expected. On the spectrum of dream achievement, your 'WHY' must be larger than your 'HOW' otherwise you'll become despondent because you'll get stuck in thinking that your dream cannot be attained given your current resources and condition.

When you focus on the 'WHY' you'll be amazed at the way in which your mind begins thinking of creative ways to bring your 'HOW' into balance with your 'WHY.'

So, the next time you drift away into your dream, monitor your 'WHY' and you shall soon devlop the 'HOW' to making it a reality.

Click here if you could use a dream motivational moment TODAY!

Dreaming Big, Living Large

"I'm going to be an astronaut." "I'm going to be a movie star." "I'm going to be the President." "I'm going to own a chocolate factory!"

What were your childhood dreams?

We still have the ability to dream big, no matter how old or young, no matter where we live, and no matter what our family believed and taught us to believe. However, most of us need to clear the cobwebs off our imagination. And that's just what we're going to do.

Why is dreaming so important anyway? Dreams play a significant role in determining the grandeur or constrictiveness of life. You've heard of the "glass ceiling." Dreams are the glass ceiling we create for our own life. We can create a ceiling just above our head or somewhere out at the edge of the Milky Way!

When that glass ceiling is very low, it often is because we've allowed our dreams to be created for us, either by others or by our unconscious mind. Who do you know who chose a career because their parents "suggested" it? Who do you know that stays at a job they hate because it pays the bills?

Think about your own life. How much room do you have until you hit your glass ceiling? What parts of your life could use some dream expansion?

Your imagination needs to be used regularly or it will atrophy. In the same way that you keep your heart and lungs healthy by walking, or your biceps strong by lifting weights, you need to exercise your dream muscle to keep it in good shape. But before you can really begin working out your dream muscle, you need to know what gets in the way.

All of us carry limiting beliefs. Some we may be aware of. Others may lie hidden beneath the radar of our awareness. Read through the following list of beliefs slowly. Ask yourself if any of them seem familiar. Notice how you feel when you read each one. If your body reacts with anxiety or fear - fast heart-rate, shallow breathing, tightness in the chest or solar plexus, etc. - you may have discovered a limiting belief that has been hidden within you.

I don't have enough money.
I don't have enough education.
I don't have the credentials.
I'm not smart enough.
It will never pay the bills.
It's never been done before so it probably can't be done.
It's greedy, or selfish.
It's not spiritual enough.
It's too risky.
People will think I'm crazy.
I don't have any extra time.
Some people might be hurt if I do it.
I might mess it up, or do it wrong.

This is just a small sampling of the limiting beliefs available for our use. There are hundreds of them, and thousands of variations. Whatever they sound like, whatever form they take, whatever specific words they use, limiting beliefs have but one purpose and that is to keep you small, to prevent you from dreaming big.

We'll look more at limiting beliefs in future issues but for at least the next few minutes - and hopefully longer than that! - I'm going to encourage you to let go of those beliefs and allow yourself to imagine the biggest dream you possibly can. Let go of all the "yeah buts." Let yourself drift back to that uninhibited dreaming space you had as a child. We're not concerned about whether or not these dreams ever come true. Right now we just want to rekindle the dreaming ability.

Take a moment now and enter your dream-world to imagine your life in 5-years? Let go of the rationalizations. Remember, you're dreaming, tapping into your imagination, creating a vision of your ideal life. So if you want to dream yourself into a vacation home in Hawaii, don't worry about how much it will cost or where the money will come from. If you want to dream yourself into a new career, don't worry about your lack of education, or your age, or an economic downturn. If you want to dream yourself into the perfect relationship, don't worry that you are currently single. You are imagining, dreaming, visioning. Let go of constraints, fears doubts. Let go of limiting beliefs. Have fun. Play!

If you're stuck, some questions to ask about your life five years from now are: Where am I living? What is my vocation? Am I married? Do I have children? What kind of car do I drive? What is my health like? What do I do for fun? Where do I travel?

If you have trouble letting go of the doubts try feeling your dream. In five-years, how do you feel when you wake up in the morning? How do you feel when you are working, playing, traveling. As you feel into your life, you may begin to get glimpses of what this ideal life looks like. If so, let yourself drift deeper into those glimpses. Let yourself explore the scenes that are lit up in your imagination.

Another trick you can try is to imagine someone else's ideal life. You can dream an ideal life for your spouse, or child, or a good friend. You can also try creating the ideal life for a fictional person. Become the author of this character's life. Make it a really juicy life! What would their dream life look like 5- years from now? It's likely that parts of the life you create for them are what you would like to have in your own.

Still having trouble dreaming? Here are some other ideas: Make a dream life collage. Ask a good friend to brainstorm your ideal life with you.

Take some time to write down your five-year dream. Keep the description out and visible so you can add to it, change it, allow it to grow and morph as you settle more fully into your ability to dream big. But keep your dream to yourself, at least in the beginning.

As you start to dream again, your dreams and your ability to dream are fragile. They need to be nurtured and protected. There are very few people that know how to treat dreams. So if you must share them, make sure you do so with someone that you trust will treat your dreams and you with tenderness and love.


Herm Allen, M.S. teaches, inspires and motivates individuals to "reach their peak" and become the person they were meant to become in this life. He shows how each day should get you closer to your dream. For FREE personal development tips & strategies, visit http://hermallencoaching.net and sign-up for Peak Times, A Personal Development Newsletter of Herm Allen Coaching.