Today just feels like a Jim Rohn kind of day. It’s been a little over 2 years since the world lost this exceptional man. I urge you to consider this your mandatory self-development assignment. Pick up a Jim Rohn book, or better yet an audio-presentation that can be popped into your car’s media system and absorb the down-to-earth philosophy that this man promoted.
“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure.”
Spend the money if needed: “Never begrudge the money you spend on your own education.”
Make use of what is available: “Everything you need for your better future and success has already been written. And guess what? It's all available. All you have to do is go to the library. But would you believe that only three percent of the people in America have a library card. Wow, they must be expensive! No, they're free. And there's probably a library in every neighborhood. Only three percent!”
The man knew how to tell it like it is and phrase it in a way that really left you thinking:
“There are no new fundamentals. You've got to be a little suspicious of someone who says, "I've got a new fundamental." That's like someone inviting you to tour a factory where they are manufacturing antiques.”
“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of. “
In the Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle, Jim breaks down what you need to know to succeed into: • Philosophy - how you think • Attitude - how you feel • Action - what you do • Results - measure often to see if you are making progress • Lifestyle - the kind of life you can make for yourself out of the first four pieces
The first 3 are choices you make, the 4th is tracking, and the final piece is enjoying what you created.
What? You thought I was going to tell you what they were? That’s not the way this works. If you’re like most people I know, even after you’ve gone through the exercises to recognize your roles, goals, and values you still have multiple projects, tasks, and to do lists. Remain calm, this is normal.
Your roles, goals, and values provide structure to planning your day. That doesn’t necessarily mean it lessens the number of things that need to be accomplished. In fact, if you’ve only started the day with an unsorted list that you keep adding to as things come up prior to this, taking time to plan instead of digging right in to accomplish and cross off tasks might seem counterproductive. I assure you that it isn’t.
In simplest terms, The 6 Most Important Things To Do Today is a methodology that encourages you to review your To Do list every day and pick the 6 items that will bring you closer to your ultimate goals. Listing these out, whether on a white board, in your planner, or just on a blank piece of paper gives you a focus that is lost when these items are just buried in with everything else on your list. Then you work on those till completed. After that you can return to attacking the other items on your list knowing you’ve accomplished what you truly needed to for the day. The next day, you just do it again.
It’s a very flexible open-ended system. Don’t like doing the planning in the morning, fine, finish before you go to bed at night. Don’t like the number 6, pick a number of items that works for you. Does it all seem to easy or do you want more structure, I’ll save writing about those for another day. For now, I’m crossing this blog off my list and I’m down to the 5 Most Important Things I need to do today.
At the end of December, we welcomed 2 of the cutest 8-week old Labrador/Pit Bull puppies into our family. They are loving, cuddly, and will eat anything not sealed in a lead chest. Like so many people, I have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine. Understanding that they are still puppies 16 weeks, I felt that I remained very calm when I found out that they had managed to get upstairs into my bedroom and eat my CPAP mask.
I must admit that when I use the machine, I feel much more wide awake the next day. That does not always mean when I'm ready to lay my head down at night that I really want to put the plastic mask over my face or be attached to a hose no matter how long or flexible it is. I didn’t rush to make the call to replace the mask. When I finally broke down and ordered the new mask and supplies, I compensated for the mixed feelings by treating myself to the sampler package of aroma therapy essential oils that was advertised the last time I got the notice about ordering new supplies.
I'll leave it to each of you to figure out what caused the events of this morning, me, I have my own ideas.
February in Buffalo is known for being gray and cold. The normal temperature doesn’t even hit 45 degrees F. Yet this morning when I got up to take the dogs out, it was a balmy 40-something and beautifully sunny. I was so proud of my puppies this morning. They did all their business outside with very little coaxing.
I headed off to work and actually found my sunglasses in the car where they belonged. That was another surprise since they haven't been needed for a while. With the heater turned off and the window cracked open, I was keenly aware of everything around me, as well as all the blog topics my surroundings generated. (Hey that guy that just cut me off, maybe he was on the way to the hospital for the birth of his first child.) Before I realized it, I was 2 exits past where I should have gotten off and ready to keep going.
I made it into the office with the ideas still bubbling around in my head. Before I could get any serious work done, I needed to make a list of all the subjects to clear my mind and move on to the day's agenda.
Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that when you woke up, you thought the dream was your reality?
The reason this happens is because the mind does not understand the difference between reality and imagination.
In other words, it cannot distinguish the difference between what you visualize in your mind as opposed to what you actually experience in life.
This is extremely powerful knowledge.And the reason I say this is because all things in life are nothing more than energy in vibration.And energy attracts energy of the same kind.Therefore, if you can effectively visualize yourself doing something, you will at some point attract that reality into your life.
Have you heard the term before, but wondered why anyone would link those words together?Perhaps someone has introduced you to the concept or demonstrated a technique that left you wondering what benefit it could provide to you?Maybe you saw my signature or another coach’s where we listed NLP as one of our skills and grew curious.
First and foremost NLP is a unique model that shows how people learn, how they motivate themselves and how they can change their behavior.It is all based on striving for excellence.
NLP is an integration of neurology, psychology, linguistics, cybernetics, and systems theory.Originated by John Grinder (Linguist) and Richard Bandler (Mathematics and Gestalt Therapy) in the '70s for the purpose of making explicit models of human excellence, its development has a rich history and includes work by Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybsk, David Gordon, Leslie Cameron-Bandler, Steve and Connirae Andreas, and Robert Dilts.
If we break the title down into its components, NLP encompasses the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming
Neuro: All of our experiences, both conscious and subconscious, are experienced and processed through our 5 senses and central nervous system.
Linguistic: Our mental processes are given meaning, coded, organized, and, then transformed through language.
Programming: The ability to organize our communication and neurological systems to achieve specific desired goals and results in which experience and communication are composed of sequences of patterns or ―programs.
The applications of NLP are varied.It can be used to study and organize human behavior.Techniques can be used to generate new behaviors, eliminate old beliefs, and model excellence to new but a few options.
I'm truly honored and excited to be able to present to you over the next 6 days a series of articles with major contributions by my friend and mentor, Steve G. Jones, that will show you how the concepts of NLP can be put to use in everyday life. Please let me know if you enjoy them and what you gain in new skills.
Just the other day I had the honor of bringing you the article Intuition: The Language of Love by Sherrie Dillard, author of the bestselling Discover Your Psychic Type. Today I received this offer for the FREE report: "Unlock Your Intuition."Coincidence?
I believe strongly in the concept of inspired intuition. I’ve learned to listen to the little voice when I set goals and look for guidance on the next step. "Unlock Your Intuition" presents a possible explanation on how it works (something I can’t explain to you) and offers ways to hone this skill.
Did you know that you have a magic wand in your pocket?
An inner compass that will align you to your highest path and potential, that you can consciously access and apply?
It is your ultimate ally!
Find out how you can unlock it in this awesome FREE report!
This magic wand is the gateway to your unlimited self, and all the wisdom, love and guidance you need to craft your life optimally!
It is the innate tool within you that swings wide open the doors to True Success; success that reflects and expresses your inherent gifts, talents and soul's calling.
This mysterious power will give you access to higher realms of awareness beyond five-sensory perception.
It is your most treasured resource, and lies latent and untapped, waiting to be unleashed within!
Discover how in this transformational FREE report: "Unlock Your Intuition" >>
I'm introducing 2 new topic specific blog pages. The first one will cover my adventures with Simpleology. This may be something you want to consider trying. The second page will cover book reviews of some new releases that you might be interested in.
These pages are available in a drop down menu under BLOGS in the main menu.
Does that title sound a bit over the top?Let me explain and maybe I can raise your level of enthusiasm too.
As many of you know, I’m taking part in David Wood’s Get Paid University based on his book Get Paid for Who You Are.This week we had an extra lesson and homework assignment.Ezra, the head trainer, posted two videos, A Secret Visualization Technique + Homework and Learn to Make Your Own in the Video Below.
The first video went over the importance of using visualization techniques as part of your success strategy to move forward in your life.He showed us a short video he had created several years ago.The goals he had set in the video have all since come to pass.I wasn’t surprised to find that out.I’ve been a long time believer in vision boards and goal posters as visual reminders of what you are working towards.I was intrigued by the idea of turning my goal poster into a video but had no idea how to do it.
Ezra to the rescue.The second video showed us how to do just that using an online tool called ANIMOTO.A 30 second video is free or you can buy one full length video for $3. That’s what I did.(There are also two subscription packages.)It looked easy enough.I set out to create my video figuring that I would just have one more tool in my toolbox.Not bad, but nothing special.
I was totally unprepared for my own reaction to seeing my video.
I included my entire annual goal poster in my video. I’m watching it every day (and making family and friends sit through because I’m just so pleased with the way it turned out.)
Plus, Animoto has an affiliate program. When I showed my manager at my corporate job what we could do with it, he authorized the purchase and I made a commission.
I still have my goal posters and always will. The video is a wonderful addition and makes me smile every time I watch it.
I recently saw an NLP trainer use the NLP acronym to stand for Now Let’s Play.What a thought.Neuro Linguistic Programming can be used to study excellence, learn new skills, and have fun.I was hoping that I could convince my daughter, a 15-year old soccer player of the alternate meaning.So far she had been resistant saying that she really didn’t want to step outside her box.
Several years ago I had read an article by Carmine Baffa where he described using a circle of excellence to help the players on a little league team.Around the same time I read another article by Win Wenger, Ph.D. on borrowed genius.I was convinced that combining the two techniques she could gain an immense boost to her game.
Finally, riding in the car on the way to the first regular season game of the summer travel league I convinced her that there was nothing to lose and a great deal to gain by humoring me.
Since we were in the car, we did need to modify the circle of excellence so that moving in and out of it was all in her head, but I wasn’t concerned about that.I keep one of my own “packed” in the glove compartment.Getting the whole family out the door at one time to attend an event tends to be stressful.I need an attitude adjustment so I can let go of all that enjoy the ride and event.I wasn’t worried about Jen being able to do the same thing.
It turns out that her circle is yellow, and in case you were wondering circles do not have a smell or make a sound.However, her circle does glow.We stacked the circle with three specific memories each of the resources strength, speed and endurance.She relived these experiences and soaked up the resources.
Then we added David Beckham to her circle to increase her soccer skill above and beyond what she currently has.She pictured him in her glowing yellow circle kicking the ball, heading the ball, scoring, etc.When we finished the exercise, she packed her circle away into her box that she’s so fond of not stepping out of.
Jen had an exceptional game that night.Lest you think that I am a biased soccer mom who wanted the experiment to succeed for both of us, she got compliments from the coaches and other parents not just me.
Today, she watched great soccer plays on uTube.She loaded those into her circle of excellence and then went on to have an even better game.If she’ll continue to work with this, next time we’ll add a kinesthetic anchor.While David Beckham has nothing to fear, Jen’s circle of excellence has certainly made a difference on the local soccer field.
. . . a box of chocolates according to Forest Gump’s mother.I appreciate her insight.I’m going to offer you another analogy.
Life is like a game of Cradle of Rome.Stay with me on this.The thought has been simmering for a while.Cradle of Rome is a match-3 game, Bejeweled with Roman history and a chance to become a god.
Each level has a different frame shape.The shape and the jewel selection grow in difficulty making it more difficult to clear each screen.The basic skill that runs through the entire game is the ability to recognize ever more subtle patterns.
Much like in life, you learn a skill, practice it and then need to stretch to move up to the next level. If you break the learning cycle, you stay where you are.You can replay your earlier successes, but until you work to master that next level becoming emperor or god is out of the question.
Buried deeper then analogy of continually developing core skills to improve outcomes is the idea that the one big score takes it all.The player sees the pattern with one piece missing to make it the perfect big score move and bets the level on the right piece falling into place before time runs out.He or she creates a roadblock to reaching the next level.
Loosen your hold on the illusion of perfection.Detach yourself from the idea that there is only one way to move forward.Instead of waiting indefinitely for all the pieces to fall in place for the big score, take the move presented to you and watch the board and your options open up.
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