Nov
28
Gratitude & Creative vs. Competitive Thoughts
Filed Under Health, Energized Entrepreneur, Wealth, Well-Being | 1 Comment
The topic of gratitude comes up often particularly at this time of year. My mastermind team suggested we cover the book The Science of Getting Rich
Here’s a paraphrased excerpt from one chapter:
We must convey our wants to the universe and relate to it in a harmonious way. The whole process of mental adjustment and atunement is summed up in gratitude. We must believe that there is one intelligent substance from which allthings proceed and this substance gives us everything we desire and we relate to it through a deep and profound feeling of gratitude. Living in thankful acknowledgement brings us closer in touch with the creative energies of the universe and our source and keep us from falling into competitive thought.
Gratitude can keep us from falling into the limiting thoughts of lack and hopelessness and keep us focused on abundance. Keeping your mind fixed on the best is to surround yourself with the best vs. dwelling on the inferior. Faith is born of gratitude andt he graeful ind continually expects good things and expectations becomes faith. Passing from the competitive mindset to the creative mindset is necessary in order to be in harmony with the the universe. A person must form a clear and definite mental image of the things he wishes to have , do or become and hold this mental image in his thoughts while beeing deply grateful to the universe for granting him all he desires. It starts with creative spirit of thought and gratefulness.
Riches can be defined as financial success, personal enrichment, friends, love, enlightenment or other forms of prosperity. Dwell in the realm of possibility and gratitude and shift your mindset from competing with others for limited quantities to creating a bigger pie for all; and you will be well on your way to a more energized life at all levels.
Take a look at how you perceive others in your industry - are they your competitors, or do you collaborate with them to create something bigger than either of you could have dreamed of? In the speaking industry we often collaborated and created bigger programs when we joined forces or shared ideas and expanded our universe. The same holds true in the fastest-growing business model on the planet - network marketing. It’s a team effort where you help others become successful. How are you perceiving your colleagues? Do you hold your future visions in your mind or are they on paper? Do you consider gratitude in your daily living? Are you ushering in creative or competitive thoughts…thoughts of lack or thoughts of abundance?
Nov
26
Improve Your Happiness
Filed Under Health, Energized Entrepreneur, Well-Being | Leave a Comment
How happy are you really? After meeting hundreds of people in the past couple months in my sessions, at tradeshows and over Thanksgiving hearing their stories; it’s interesting to note just how many people are not happy with their situations. They seem to be lumbering along at mediocre not willing to seek out alternatives, yet not wanting to completely accept their position. I’m here to share some insider secrets to happiness.
There are several books on the subject listed on my Resources page at Funcilitators. One in particular is What Happy People Know by Dan Baker & Cameron Stauth. There is also a terrific website by Dr. Martin Seligman at Authentic Happiness. Dr. Seligman’s main mission has been the promotion of the field of Positive Psychology. This discipline includes the study of positive emotion, positive character traits, and positive institutions. Take some of his surveys about general happiness, gratitude, grit and strength.
There are two main building blocks to happiness: pleasures and gratifications. Pleasures are sensual and emotional while gratifications are those activities that call on our skills and strengths and give us a sense of a job well done. Gratifications can be further divided into our signature strengths - marks of character such as perseverance, kindness, curiosity and humility. We are most fully engaged in life when we are part of something that isn’t just for ourselves. True happiness lies in building on our strengths and not rooting out our flaws.
In researching true happiness, Seligman noted that the benefits from these 3 simple exercises lasted for as much as 6 months:
- Write a letter of gratitude to someone from your past who has been particularly kind to you , but who has never been properly thanked and deliver the card in person.
- Every eveinng for a week, write down 3 good things that happened that day and explain what brought them about.
- Take the Signature Strength Quiestionnaire at Authentic Happiness to identify your own strengths and then use one of our top 5 strengths in a different way every day for a week.
A creative way to send a gratitude card or lots of them for the holidays to help shore up your happiness and spirits is at BizBuilder Cards. You can even put your own photo or photos of your recipients on the cards and include a gift card or have the company insert the card into a box of gourmet goodies to pack a real punch. The best part is if you don’t know anybody to send a card to, they have a section called Send Your Love where you can send a card to somebody who needs to know others are thinking about them and sending support and love. Sending a card of acknowledgement is like driving a vehicle for the Law of Attraction - it puts you in an attitude of gratitude when you write it and also brightens somebody’s day when they receive it - a twofer!
One of humanity’s greatest needs is to feel loved, acknowledged and appreciated. Who needs to hear from you today? Why not send a card or postcard and start improving your happiness as well as the happiness of others who receive your greetings. Check out these custom greeting cards for an easy way to spread joy at holiday time and any time. Cheers - I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with happiness and pecan pie. (that makes me happy :-).
Nov
25
Is Your Environment Toxic?
Filed Under Energized Environment, Health, Well-Being | Leave a Comment
Having just returned from a week in Florida doing a tradeshow, I realized how much I took fresh, clean air for granted. I’m now living in Colorado where the air is fresh and clean from all the pine trees producing all those negative ions which affect us in a positive way. The air is less dense at a mile high and it’s dry and invigorating.
I had the unfortunate displeasure of staying in one very toxic hotel room - with black mold, rancid air, ceiling falling in from a previous water leak from above. Even with an ozone machine to kick out the odors, I knew I was in a toxic environment and my body and health knew it immediately as well. Not only did it affect my health, it affected my mental and emotional state, as toxic environments can do. Unluckily I was stuck there, with 25,000 of us in town for a tradeshow, all other hotel rooms were booked up and luckily it was only for 5 days.
Upon returning to Colorado, I promptly began a nutritional cleansing program for the next week to get my health back in balance by cleansing my body at the cellular level and get rid of that junk I breathed and consumed. My usually healthy vegetarian diet was curtailed by the lack of nearby alternatives during that week as well. You can test-drive a 9-day nutritional cleansing program to jump start your health and wellness before the holidays. It’s a great way to drop a few pounds, regain mental clarity and give your body a break by detoxing the safe way.
I work with people weekly who either live or work in a toxic environment. It can be emotional turmoil, stress, or burnout from the wrong fit with their job, their boss, or their other personal or professional relationships. It can be physically toxic such as breathing bad air, working in a “sick building” (the EPA has cited that one third of the corporate buildings are considered sick buildings.) or living in an area prone to mold, mildew or other environmental toxins. If you suspect you are suffering from some environmental toxins, take the simple eye test online for $9.95 at Chronic Neuro Toxins. It will tell you immediately if you have toxins in your system after taking the Contrast Sensitivity Test. I have more resources for you if you find you are toxic.
Your stuff that you once loved, coveted and adored can become toxic and a drain on your system. Helping a friend through her divorce, we discuss all the stuff she happily accumulated over the years that is now weighing her down. The task of sorting through it, selling it, moving it and finding a new place to house it can be very draining.
Having moved 20 times in 28 years, I know a thing or two about purging your stuff to keep things moving through your life and making way for new things and opportunities to show up. Jettisoning two-thirds of my belongings in my last cross-country move was liberating. It gives you the chance to update your style with who you are now and not who you were when you bought it. If something doesn’t bring you joy, have a good memory, or make you smile; drive it to Goodwill.
Take a good look at your home or work environments to identify what may be toxic in each area. Take a fresh look at the people, the job itself, the fit, the tasks, your yard or outdoor space, the colors, the space, the sights, sounds, smells, the state of mind you’re in when you’re in that space. Is it too hot, too cold, too humid, too boring, too active, too congested, too much traffic, or not enough positive energy, or not enough challenge, or too challenging or too much tension? Are the people too old or too young, is the building or neighborhood too old or too new, lacking character and soul or too much history? Does your environment fit your style?
Are you relaxed, energized, drained, stressed, excited, calm, on edge, uncomfortable or exuberant? Do you look forward to being in that space or do you dread it? Can you be who your really are in that space? Can that space bring out your true talents and abilities? What can you change or control to make it less toxic? What is out of your control? How does your body react when you step into that environment? Pay attention to every level of reaction in all areas and then take action to make it healthy for you. It doesn’t make sense to detox your insides if your outsides are contributing to your state.
Nov
14
For anybody interested in buidling their wealth and energizing their network and their net worth, a new boardgame is in town. Superior to the Cashflow game of the 90’s, this new Millionaire Maker game is sure to get you thinking and moving about how you build your wealth. Created by a coach and business partner of mine, you can get yours and find out more about it at Build Big Wealth.
I’m also thrilled to announce I will be featured in Loral’s latest book coming out in 2008 called Wealth Diva: A Man is Not a Plan. It will be focused on women and successful wealth building techniques with interviews with women who have mastered the art of multiple profit centers and diversified income streams. Each of her previous books in the past 2 years have made it to the top of the best seller charts and this one is sure to do the same. Find out more about how to build your wealth, break the lifestyle cycle and join the wealth cycle at Build Big Wealth. The programs she has for connecting with other wealth builders, joining mastermind teams, learning how to invest directly and how to smartly invest without falling victim to the park and pray methods of the stock market will blow your socks off and truly energize your wealth building process. Get ready for the ride of your life on your path to millionaire and multi-millionaire-dom. Take a peek and you’ll be glad you did. Here’s to a lucrative path to a better lifestyle!
Nov
12
Get an Unfair Advantage with The Woman’s Advantage Calendar
Filed Under Energized Entrepreneur, Well-Being | Leave a Comment
I’m thrilled to be a part of a new calendar(yes, Ms. July 26th, nope not THAT kind of calendar) from Mary Contado called The Woman’s Advantage page-a-day calendar. It’s a perfect gift for the entrepreneur, business woman or stay at home mom, friends or colleagues. Mary has put together 365 successful women, thought leaders, experts and authors who offer an insight or inspiring thought per day. It’s sure to be a hit with some insider secrets to success. Check it out at http://www.WomansAdvantage.biz/calendar.
Nov
10
Where has the time gone? I’ve been meaning to update the last post for some time now between coast to coast and international junkets lately.
The rest of the story about waiting in Columbus for the flight to DC while sharing an outlet for my laptop. It seems the flight was delayed 4 hours…of course 1 hour at a time, so passengers tend to gain a sort of camaraderie of us against them. I noticed a sharing of granola bars, people watching luggage as others stalked food and brought it back for the luggage guardians. My outlet pal shared some local phone numbers of nearby hotels and insider shuttle info in case we had to stay over.
As it turned out, our flight was cancelled. Hoards of us hovered around the hotel calling board, sharing info on what was booked and then passing around our cell phones once we reached a hotel with vacancies so the rest of us could make our own reservations. At the curb, we were a herd of tired travelers waiting on the hotel shuttle. One bright parking attendant shared his own wisdom…the shuttle only holds 7 people, and since we were all going to the same hotel, we may as well share a taxi. That one little tidbit of information he shared made all the difference. Four of us dove into the first taxi and one woman who was only in town for a day shared that she would pay for the ride.
Inside the lobby was mayhem and our fellow passenger who generously paid for our ride mentioned she had no luggage. Sensing she was not the type to sleep without jammies, I dug into my suitcase and gave her a T-shirt my client had given me as a gift that afternoon -still tied with a bow. I ceremoniously handed it to her as her formal evening wear and applause went up in the crowd.
The next morning we greeted our fellow taxi ride share passengers and once again shared a ride to the airport.
It was not an idea situation, but the attitude of the people involved, their willingness to share information, cab fares, clothing, food, cell phones and good humor made all the difference in the world in turning an unpleasant and unexpected situation into a memorable life lesson. What value are you adding to others lives and in return energizing their lives? Is there something a little extra you could be contributing to the cause or the situation or to an organization or individual that will improve the situation or the person? What is your contribution today? How are you energizing others? Remember that you are part of your colleagues or friends or stranger’s environments and you affect their energy with your choices.
Now I’ve got to dash to a 96th birthday party for Max. I’m told he likes salty snacks and sappy love songs so I’m in search of some old sappy standards to bring to the party along with some snacks.