Telling the World to Take a Hike

When it comes down to it, are you living the life that you truly want to be living, or the life that is convenient or expected of you? Link to Full Story

Doing it Differently Blog Carnival, 10th Edition

This edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival covers an incredible variety of information! We've got getting rid of social norms, finding a job, creating success, overcoming obstacles, humor, sex, making babies, and more! Link to Full Story

Doing it Differently Blog Carnival, 7th Edition

This edition of the Doing it Differently blog carnival has plenty of job/career-related info that has a lot of value, several mind-hack or point of view modifications to make your life a better place to be, and even a different take on making money with Google AdSense! Link to Full Story

Successful Blogging - Are you Creating Something, or just Reading and Writing?

The blogosphere is great, but what is the next step? Are we all just going to keep reading blogs and writing blogs posts indefinitely? Link to Full Story

What I Learned from Bob Barker and The Price is Right

Bob Barker leads by example and teaches some great lessons about life by successfully pulling off a 35 year career on The Price is Right. Link to Full Story

Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love, Volume 19

This week's edition of the Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love series features loads of great stuff including humor, spawning creativity, odes to happiness, parenting, and more! Link to Full Story

Doing it Differently Blog Carnival, 5th Edition

This edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival features everything from science, to magic, to mind over matter, to magical mind over matter science with the IRS! Enjoy! Link to Full Story

Can you Shut Up for just a Minute?

Can you change your life by just learning the fine art of actually listening when people speak? I think the answer is obvious, don't you? Link to Full Story

10,000 Fists to Freedom

Think you have what it takes to make a 90-day
self improvement commitment and actually STICK to it?

Then put your money where you mouth is and prove it!

Link to Full Story

How to become a Productivity Super Hero who Rights Wrongs, Saves the Environment, and Rescues Cats from Trees

Okay, so that headline was a little over the top - but you're here reading now, so why not make the best of it!

Apparently there is another group writing project going around the blogosphere that actually has some value, and after having been tagged by the MomGadget herself, as well as by Dawud at HealthyWebDesign, I thought it was worth my time and yours, so I've agreed to share some insight!

The idea was originally started by Ben at the Instigator Blog and he called it The Ultimate Guide to Productivity Group Writing Project. As good a name for a series about getting things done if ever there was one, and the concept is pretty basic.

Just list your best productivity habits, highlight your most effective one if you want to, and link back to Ben's site, as well as to the people who tagged you for the project. In fact, if you email Ben after putting up your post, he'll pop over 2 links back to your site. YAY - double the fun!

So, without further discussion, here we go with

In a word (or a phrase, in this case), I keep my eyes on the prize!

There are more websites and blog posts dedicated to productivity systems and concepts than you can shake a stick at. I regularly read Lifehack.org, The Ririan Project, and similar sites, however, in truth, I rarely implement most of those systems simply because I don't believe that life should be systematized like that.

And yes, apparently systematized is a real word because my spell checker did not underline it in red just now when I typed it! :)

However, despite my "anti-systems" mentality, I am ALL about successful habits, and I believe that those habits start - and end - with remembering on a constant basis - why you are doing whatever it is that you are doing.

By keeping your eyes on the prize, you automatically stay focused on the "big picture" which keeps you from straying too far off the path of productivity.

For example, in my case, my long-term goal is complete time and financial freedom so that I can spend a ridiculous amount of time visiting my friends and family members. In order to accomplish that goal, I want to build up my Internet business to the point where most of my income is residual, and does not require me to work 12-hour days.

If I start to get off-track during the day by wanting to read less-than productive blogs or websites (even though they are fun!), or if I start to realize that I am not fully focused on my writing or my marketing efforts, all I have to do is remember that in order to accomplish my long-term goal, I have to work my butt off now so that I can play later.

Doing so always yanks me right back onto the path of productivity and focus!

So, keeping my eyes on the prize is the most important productivity secret that I have, although I do also have a close runner-up for 2nd place, and that is:

I always do the mission-critical tasks first!

My primary job is to write content - period. Yes, being a professional blogger also entails many marketing efforts such as reading and commenting on other people's blogs, participating in community sites like MyBlogLog, Stumbleupon, Digg, and message boards, but Mission Task #1 every day is the writing.

Marketing does very little good if you are sending people to a site that has nothing for them when they get there!

So, my second most important productivity secret is to always do the most important things first.

Third, although I am not a big fan of multi-tasking, my personal computer and Internet set up at home is not as fast as I would like it to be, so I fill in potentially wasted time by doing "quick tasks" while waiting for web pages to load, large files to download, etc.

I keep my Google RSS reader open at all times in a Firefox Tab, and whenever I have 5 seconds to kill, I will pop over to that tab and skim a headline or two to see if I need to give that blog post more of my time later on.

When you subscribe to several hundred blogs like I do, skimming is the only way to even remotely stay up to date!

And finally, my last productivity secret is that I do work in "task blocks". Several people have recommended the use of time blocks, which I also think is a good idea, but I have modified that concept to be what I call "task blocks".

Since I am the most productive whenever I am 100% focused on any given task, I break down my entire day into task blocks. When I am working on any particular task block, that is ALL I am working on.

I can border on being supernaturally productive whenever I truly put my mind to something, so by doing my work in task blocks, I knock out the most possible amount of work in any given amount of time.

I do not limit the amount of time that I work on any task block because I feel that would stifle my creativity or my level of genuine interest in whatever I am doing. Rather than giving myself a time limit, I just refer back to my second productivity secret - doing mission-critical tasks first - and I simply prioritize which tasks are worthy of me spending my time on.

There are many potential things that a professional blogger needs to focus on, but here are the things that stand out the most in any given "work" day for me:

• Writing (and research, as needed)
• Reading & Commenting (done together)
• Email & Comment moderation
• Blog technical work (coding, graphics, advertisers, pulling my hair out)
• Personal time (exercise, meditation/nap, food breaks, etc.)
• Social Networking (Digg, Stumbleupon, message boards, etc.)

So, there you have it! Being the goal-oriented person that I am, I follow this pattern 5 solid days each week, most Saturdays, and also on Sunday when I don't have actual social or family plans.

Does that make me a productivity junkie, a workaholic, or just a slightly insane person? Maybe.

However, when all is said and done and I can:

• Visit my friend Gayla way out in the (sticks?)
• Spend a week in Key West with Andrea
• Camp out in Panama City with Michael and Lisa
• See the back hills of Texas with Craiger
• Get back to my roots in New York, and
• Honor my legacy in the Pacific Northwest

- all without affecting my paycheck - we'll see who is crazy then, won't we??? ;)~

OH - I almost forgot. TAG - you're it! Everyone benefits from learning new and exciting (or insane) ways to be productive, so c'mon and share your ideas!

If you are reading this, you may consider yourself officially tagged to participate. Be sure to show the link love back to Ben, include a link back to this post as your inspiration, and then share your own productivity secrets with your readers.

C'mon - ya know you wanna!

Random great posts from the past:

Email hiccups and time away

Interview with Success Training Network President Darren Hardy

Positively Hating People

Self Improvement Terminology: Do Visualizations and Affirmations really Work?

Doing it Differently Blog Carnival, 1st Edition

Welcome to the very first edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival!

This carnival is dedicated to the concept of stepping outside of the box and living our lives in ways beyond the "norm"!

Whether you want to learn unique ways to think or act differently, or if you want to share your own unique ideas, this carnival is for you!

There will be a new edition of the carnival posted every two weeks, on the 1st and the 15th of every month. You can click here to learn more, or click here to submit a post for the next edition, which will be posted on April 30, 2007.

Many thanks to all of the authors who brought us their Doing it Differently wisdom for this ground-breaking very first edition!

1) In her post Perfect Mess, Perfect Day, Karen Lynch of Live the Power reminds us that whether you are a neat freak or you thrive on clutter, both ways are the right way as long as you can be true to yourself and also keep things in perspective.

2) Over at Sharp Brains, learn about alternative ways of dealing with stress that are outside of the commonly understood methods by reading the post I am a busy executive with a challenging job. How is brain fitness relevant to me?

3) The post Creating a Culture of Productivity and Success at Verve Coaching brings home the fact that in order to maximize effectiveness, a culture of success - rather than just standard practices - will consistently produce better results for your organization.

4) At Fish Creek House - INNside Innkeeping, 3 success tips are written out in the post Time has Come Today. I especially liked the "Do it Now" tip because as the author points out, it eliminates "brain clutter" and the need for a to-do list.

5) In her post How to fake it until you make it, K-L Masina dishes on one of my favorite subjects, that of consciously creating our life experiences. She spells out the thought/feeling process and offers a real-life example of how she successfully used the process in her own life.

6) Praveen at My Simple Trading System gives us the inside scoop on a unique system of stock trading that he has come up with. In the post My Stock Trading System, concepts such as Zen and Tao are mixed with some financial advice for a one of a kind stock trading mentality.

7) In his post You Create Your Own Reality, Kevin Kinchen of Creative Power of Thought talks about our tendency to accept a view of the world that has been presented by other people, thus causing us to create our lives "by default" rather than deliberating creating our own unique world view.

8) Over at Campus Grotto Ted Reimers has a great list of ways for eating dirt cheap. Be sure to bring your appetite when you read Top 10 Cheap Foods/Drinks for the College Student.

9) What is more important - loving yourself or loving others? In her post Beloved - Part II, Joice of Joysoriano.com gives a great comparison along with a large list of ways to keep love in your life.

10) At Energies of Creation, Lexi Sundell brings us a story of remarkable beauty on earth while at the same time discussing ways of using her earthly journeys as a way to develop from the inside out as well. Check out An Unusual Way to Develop Intuition.

11) At the Actors And Acting Informational Blog we are given a candid look at the trials and tribulations of finding success in the acting business. Check out Acting - So You Want To Be A Movie Star? and decide for yourself if that lifestyle is as glamorous as many people think it is.

12) Conan Stevens brings us the post Getting Started - Get On Track Today, which discusses the common task of making a list and prioritizing, and also adds in uncommon concepts like planning your recreational time as well as your "work" time so that your relaxation time is just as effective as your work.

13) At Renovate Your Life with Craig, the post Do It Yourself Prison finds Craig Harper sharing some great wisdom about how we can get out of "the big house" by doing things differently and getting outside of our well-known comfort zones.

14) Are You Sure You Know What You Really Want? over at 360 Degree Success is a very telling piece that talks about the fact that many people are chasing dreams that are not even their own. After reading it, ask yourself honestly if you do the things that you do because YOU want to do them.

15) At Creating Abundant Lifestyles, Wanda Grindstaff brings us the post Be the Rhino, A Life of Purpose and Intention, which shares the wisdom that following your path - regardless of what everyone else is doing - is always the shortest route to success.

16) At The Digerati Life, common methods are mixed with seriously unusual ways to save money in the post Seriously Thrifty? Some Wild Ways To Save (Part 1).

17) The post Things To Do Once in a Life Time over at Live Your Inspiration points out the very real fact that each of us is living a lifetime right now - no matter how many lifetimes we believe we have - or don't have - to live. Jane Chin discusses not just 3 things to do with that lifetime, but also talks about seeing the value behind doing those things.

18) Can you use your BRAIN to lose weight? You can if you know how to program it, which is exactly what is discussed over at The Fit Shack in the post How To Use Your Brain to Lose Weight.

That's it for the very first edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival!

Thank you once again to all of our authors, and thank YOU as well for showing your support by checking out the information that they all shared.

Don't forget, the next edition will be posted on April 30th, and the closing of this edition is also the official call for submissions for the next one! Get the inside scoop on what this carnival is all about and access the submission form as well by clicking right here.

Has your experience with MySpace been {ahem}…less than positive?

If you have ever used MySpace, yet found it lacking, or if you have ever wondered if there was a simple, yet effective way to network with others for your success, then the wait is over!

First of all, I want to practice what I preach by giving due respect to the hard work of others. Even though I am about to tell you about a glorious alternative to MySpace and other social networking sites, I do want to give credit to the hard work that others have done in the online social media circles.

If you are talking about simply being entertained, there are plenty of online groups like MySpace that you can join. However if you want to get something more concrete out of the time that you spend online, I have come up with a system that will do exactly that.

I need YOUR help to make it successful though, and I'm willing to give you some goodies as a perfectly legal bribe!

The basic problem with networking - both online and offline - is that actually finding people with similar interests is problematic at best.

As huge and far-reaching as the Internet is, the sheer size of the Internet makes it difficult to find people who are looking for networking opportunities in the specific area that you are also looking.

Add to that the fact that it is human nature to always ask "What's in it for me?" and it becomes even more difficult to find people who are willing to go out of their way to help you achieve your goals.

Personal Development Partners is going to change all of that by providing a simple, yet powerful interface that will allow you to find and network only with people who are willing to work together in partnerships and/or "mastermind" groups so that everyone gets what they want out of that relationship.

In addition to finding partners who share your interests, another issue is that you can't always find someone in your corner of the globe, and Personal Development Partners is going to change that as well.

Here is a list of the features that have already been put on the drawing board for PDP, and you will also have the chance to give feedback on features that you think would be useful:

- Individualized profiles, including almost unlimited customization. You will be able to add all of the common online profile features including pictures, text, areas of interests, etc.

- In addition to the standard profile information, you will also be able to choose very specific goals that you want to accomplish, thus making it very simple to find others with similar goals, and also for others to find you.

- A powerful search feature that will allow you to do WAY more than just keyword searching. For example, if you wanted a workout partners in Chicago, you would be able to not only search for the keyword "Chicago," but you would also be able to search for people in Chicago who had also specifically listed weight loss as one of their goals.

- The search feature will also include the ability to search by personal development modality. For example, you could specifically look for people who believe in the Law of Attraction, or people who are looking for a mastermind group, or who would be interested in attending local seminars.

- You will also be able to search for people by their availability for certain activities. Each person's profile will list the interactions that they are available for, such as teleconferencing, one on one or group meet ups, memberships to social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Stumbleupon, and Netscape.

- The system will have built in forums or message boards where people with similar interests will be able to correspond and assist each other. Unlike a lot of the message boards on the Internet, these forums will be SPAM and FLAME WAR FREE, yet will allow each member to promote themselves or seek guidance in a professional manner.

- Friend/Buddy lists will also be a standard feature. You can choose to network with as many people as you like, or you can keep your list of friends to only the people who are going to assist you in attaining your goals.

- There will also be Bulletin Boards that - much like MySpace - will allow you to send messages to everyone on your your Friends list all at the same time. Imagine being able to instantly share your latest weight loss success, to instantly ask all of your friends for advice on how to handle a relationship or career issue, or even being able to send your latest blog post to everyone on your list and ask them to help you promote it on Digg, Stumbleupon, etc.

- Instant messaging will also be available. Again, rather than using one of the standard instant messaging programs, you can limit your time spent chatting online by only chatting with the people from your PDP friends list, rather than everyone who already knows your AOL, Yahoo Messenger, or ICQ chat name.

WOW! I just looked up and saw how long this list of features is!

Here is where you come in, though. Everything that you just read came straight from my own experience on the Internet, and I have no doubt that you have other ideas that would make this even more powerful, so I am going to ask for your help in 2 different ways:

1) Give me your feedback! Based on everything that you just read, can you think of anything that I missed? Are there features that you would like to see that aren't already going to be part of the program?

Give me your thoughts and start the conversation about Personal Development Partners by leaving a comment below, or just send me an email with your thoughts.

2) As much as I pride myself on being in touch with my inner-geek, I can't build the type of software needed for all of that great stuff you just read about, so I will be buying it myself and hosting it on my own server.

My intention is to - literally - get MILLIONS of people using Personal Development Partners, but there will never be any cost to the end users.

So, donations are being accepted to finance this little project!

We are not talking thousands of dollars here, but if you are excited about the prospect of having free access to an amazing tool like this, and you would like to donate a few bucks to the cause, please feel free to do so using the donate button below.

In return for your donation, not only will you help this entire project to get off the ground that much faster, but I am willing to give a free copy of two of my eBooks to everyone who puts up a donation of any amount:

In addition to potentially giving a donation, please also feel free to use the social bookmarking links below this post to get the word out about Personal Development Partners.

The more people who know about PDP, the more benefit it will have for everyone who joins!

Don't forget, it's free, it's incredibly useful, and - with your help - I will have it launched by May 1st! Thanks in advance!

Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love, Volume 9

This is Volume 9 of the Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love series.

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

1) Chief Happiness Officer - In the post Top 10 reasons why happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster, it is clearly shown that life - and work - are better for the person who actually wants to do whatever it is that they are doing.

2) Christy's Coffee Break - The Importance of Forgiveness is a topic that I have touched on in the past, and Christy does a great job of illustrating the fact that holding a grudge hurts exactly one person - YOU!

3) Evolving Times - Edward Mills and his daughter bring us a valuable lesson not just about having the right attitude at work, but about how doing so will very likely help you when you are NOT at work as well. Check out Lessons I Learned From The Garbage Man.

4) Be Conscious Now - In her post What happens when you shower kittens (or kids) with unconditional love?, K-L Masina - with a little help from Seth and Neptune - brings home the fact that you get what you give when it comes to how you treat the world around you.

5) Breathing Prosperity - Having goals and then buying books or programs that will help you to accomplish those goals is a waste of time if you don't get your head straight first. Shauna does a great job of illustrating why that is in her brief post called Motivation: Are You Looking in the Right Place?

6) Live the Power - Karen brings us yet another bit of wisdom in her post - Only one Elvis. She talks about the fact that you can buy the "expert's" products all day long, but YOU are the only person who brings your unique combination of knowledge and experience to the table - no purchase required!

7) My Self Development - For you Law of Attraction junkies (as well as naysayers), the post The Seven Principles Of Hawaiian Huna demonstrates the fact that contrary to popular belief, not just the creators of 'The Secret' believe in our ability to consciously create our lives.

8) The Positivity Blog -If you read only one story today, make it The Story of the Mexican Fisherman. What a great way to illustrate what is truly important in life!

9) North Star Mental Fitness - Some people swear by affirmations, while some people claim they don't work at all. In his post Why Affirmations Don't Work, Dr. Hal Sommerschield gives us some "under the hood" answers as to why some achieve success, while others don't.

10) Ririan Project - This is a great website that has recently started picking up the pace on their powerful posts. In Ten Commandments for a Simpler Way of Life, they combine some biblical dialect with some of today's common issues for a Top 10 list of success tips that will help make your life a better place to be!

That's it for this week. Have a safe and Happy Easter!

Good-natured Easter humor compliments of Darren Hardy, president of
The Success Training Network:

Doing it Differently Blog Carnival

One of my goals with the Today is that Day website and blog is to help people to realize that success IS something that every single person can attain!

However, a lot of the "how-to" information that is available in the world is just the same old information that has been re-packaged, re-purposed, or simply copied and pasted from information that was already available.

In order to put an end to the constant recirculation of the same data over and over again, I have decided to start a new blog carnival that will be dedicated exclusively to blog posts that detail new and innovative ways to live life!

I'm calling it the Doing it Differently blog Carnival, and this post is both the official announcement about the new carnival, as well as the first Call for Submissions!

My regular readers will be familiar with blog carnivals about personal development and the Law of Attraction that I have hosted in the past, and I will take this opportunity to once again thank both Lyman Reed as well as Edward Mills for the chance to host those blogs here at Today is that Day.

It is my intention to add even more value to the "blogosphere" by adding this new and unique blog carnival that will be hosted here at the Today is that Day blog. One major thing to note, however, is that the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival will NOT be restricted to blog posts about personal development, self improvement, etc.

The whole point of this new carnival will be for people to publicize their methods for living life "outside of the box," and I want everyone to have free reign to write about anything and everything that falls into that category.

Some possible subjects could include - but not be limited to - things such as relationships, making money, recreation, building businesses, exercise and physical fitness, art or other self expression, etc.

I cannot emphasize enough that if you have or come up with a way of doing things that the "average joe" doesn't know about, your information is welcome at the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival!

The very first edition will be posted on April 15th, 2007 (tax day, yikes!), and you can get some more details as well as access the carnival submission form by clicking right here.

I'm looking forward to receiving your submissions and to growing this new blog carnival as a way to help people find new and unique ways to achieve success and to enjoy their lives!

The 4 Hidden Secret Steps to Starting or Maintaining a Successful Business

Although this blog is primarily about personal development, self improvement, and the Law of Attraction, I don't know very many people who are not involved in some sort of business venture.

Even people who do not "work" in the traditional sense of the word are still involved in various endeavors that they wish to attain or maintain success in.

If you define success as the attainment of a given goal, whether that goal is personal or professional, understanding the effective success strategies is just as important.

So, whether your "business" is a business in the traditional sense of the word, or if it is merely the day to day plan that your life follows, your success can be assured by knowing the following secret steps:

1) Realizing that the success of your business is not a hard and fast destination.

By considering a point in the future that you will deem yourself as having accomplished the mission or achieved success, you are already limiting the energy that you will put into your efforts to get to that point.

A simple way to demonstrate this is in the physical fitness arena. Almost all exercises are done with a defined stopping point where you have crossed the finished line, finished moving the weight, completed the movement, etc.

In repeated studies, it has been shown that athletes, as they near the end of any particular event or movement, begin to anticipate the completion point, and start to measurably decrease their effort.

Athletes who were made aware of this tendency before their event put forth a more explosive and sustained effort every single time, and as a result lifted more weight, used more muscle fibers, ran faster, etc.

Don't anticipate the "end" of your endeavors. Whether your endeavor is as simple as ordering a cup of coffee, or as complicated as building a multi-national business, never foresee the end.

Play full-out in every single thing that you do, with absolutely no end in site.

Pretend that every action you take is the one single opportunity that you will have to bring success into your life, and give that action the attention and the effort you would give it if that were actually the case.

2) Realizing that it is all about You.

In every single moment of your life there is one person - and only one person - who dictates whether or not that moment is a success. That person is, of course, you.

However, especially when we get involved in larger and more complicated endeavors, we tend to start being critical of how others are performing, even to the point of laying blame when something goes wrong.

Well, things will go wrong. That is just the nature of life. However, it is your individual reaction to both the successes as well as the roadblocks that are part of your project that will deem whether or not that project is ultimately a success.

If you "roll with the punches" as unexpected things happen, and then you get back up with a smile on your face, ready to face the next challenge, then every challenge you face will become something that can be overcome.

However, if you let the performance of other people (or lack thereof) become a defining factor in how you feel about your success, then you instantly put the success of your endeavors (or lack thereof) into the hands of other people.

On the other hand, by remaining calm, centered, still, and strong no matter what happens, you will remain in control of everything that is involved with you attaining success.

3) Focusing on the goal, regardless of the circumstances.

If you have ever worked in a corporate environment, you have probably heard a manager use some sort of buzz-phrase like "team cohesion" or had them refer to the company's "mission" as an end-around way of saying that you need to modify your plan of attack for the "greater good".

Those of you focused on a family or socially-centered goal may have heard this referred to as "taking one for the team".

Ummm….what is the best way to put this?

NO!

Don't do it. A lack of focus on a defined goal is the cause of more sub-par results in life and in business than could reasonably be measured on any scale that I have ever heard of.

By allowing yourself to be distracted by the circumstances and events that unfold after you have gotten started on your path to goal attainment will only allow you to get cleanly and efficiently OFF of that path!

I am not saying that you shouldn't consider the needs of others, or that you should not give time and consideration to the other people who are affected by your actions.

However, there is a difference between throwing your own plan of action out the window vs. modifying your plan so that you can remain focused and effective while also being flexible enough to handle unexpected factors.

Use your "peripheral vision" as needed to adjust the course of your own path, but never take a completely different road because something unexpected happens.

If you take your eyes off the prize, someone may steal it when you aren't looking!

4) Remembering why you are doing it to begin with.

Everyone has great ideas about having success in various endeavors, and there is usually a large amount of excitement in the beginning.

People who start exciting new positions, get involved with a great new weight loss program, or simply decide to start making some positive changes in their lives are all very into the idea at first.

However, it is human nature to not sustain a high level of emotion about anything for any extended period of time. Whether you are talking about extreme happiness or extreme sadness, eventually the "effect" wears off and the feelings aren't as strong as they once were.

In order to combat this issue, you need to remind yourself frequently - preferably on a daily basis - about why it is that you are involved in that endeavor to begin with.

Some people are firm believers in affirmation and visualization techniques, while others think such non-measurable practices are less than effective.

Regardless of which of those camps you fall into, one clear benefit of visualizing and affirming your success is that you are constantly being reminded of what it is that you are working towards.

Someone who is proficient at affirming and visualizing also knows that in order to really get the most bang for their buck, they must also use the power of emotion.

By constantly putting yourself into the feeling place of having accomplished your goals, you will also constantly remind yourself of why you want to accomplish them. There is a certain feeling that goal attainment will bring into your life, and you want that feeling.

Remember, it's not the cars, the houses, and the money that we are after, but rather the way that the cars, the houses, and the money will make us feel.

Find a way to remind yourself daily of what feelings you are trying to bring into your life.

Bringing it all together

As you have seen, these "secret steps" are not tasks that you need to accomplish in order to achieve success, but rather something far more important - your state of mind.

Your state of mind is far and away the most productive tool that you have at your disposal, but if used improperly, it can also be the most destructive tool as well.

Do not allow yourself to be caught up in the day to day details of how to be productive, how to dot your i's and cross your t's, or how to stay on the "right" path to achieve success.

By keeping your state of mind where it needs to be, you will find a way to ensure that every road ultimately leads to your destination!

Personal Development Pop Quiz: Why do you Work?

I am just going to lay this on the line from the get-go:

If your answer to the question of why you work was anything other than because you enjoy what you do, then you need to quit your job.

Maybe not today or tomorrow, or even next week or next month, but certainly in the very near future.

Why? Because if you do anything in life that you don't actually want to do - career-related or otherwise - you are sending the message to yourself that you have no choice. You are a victim of circumstance, and even though you hate your job, you have no choice but to work there.

• Every single time you commute to a job that you do not like, you are reinforcing the fact that you are not in control of your life.
• Each time you have an unpleasant experience with a co-worker or customer at a job that you don't want, you are reinforcing the belief that you have no choice but to put up with those types of circumstances.
• Every time you get a paycheck that is less than you want it to be, you cement in your subconscious that you can't find a way to make more money.
• Each time your job keeps you from attending a family or social event that you want to attend, you are pounding the message home that your life's path is being dictated by someone other than yourself.

You can probably come up with dozens of other ways that your job or your present career choice helps to reinforce your inner belief that this is "just the way it is".

NOTHING is just the way it is! If you don't like "the way it is," then change it!

Why do people keep jobs that they don't want?

Oh, there are as many excuses reasons as there are individual circumstances, but each of them boils down to exactly the same thing: self-limiting beliefs.

People don't pursue work or business opportunities doing the types of things that they truly want to do because they don't believe that it is actually possible.

They think that given their upbringing, their heritage, their geography, their resources, their education, {insert more excuses reasons here}, that it is not possible for them to achieve career success or enjoyment.

That, of course, is ridiculous.

Anyone can do anything that they want to do, if they truly want to do it.

The problem is that even though the average person would be happy to admit that there is some circumstance of their life that they would like to change, only about 1%-5% of those same people will actually do what it takes to effect that change.

Desire is the first and most important key to attaining all things in life. If you do not have the job that you want to have right now, you need to realize the painful truth:

You don't want out of that situation badly enough, because if you did, you would make it happen.

Yes, yes, I know. This all sounds good "on paper" but in reality, there are bills to pay.

LACK!

That is all that is demonstrated by a statement like that. You are perceiving the world as being a place of LACK, when in all actuality, the world is a place of ABUNDANCE.

Check out this post at Breathing Prosperity and then see if you don't reconsider whether or not there is enough money in the world.

Unfortunately, most people tend to think that there isn't enough "stuff" for everyone. There isn't enough money. There aren't enough good jobs. There aren't enough business opportunities. There isn't enough time for training and education.

LACK. LACK. LACK. LACK.

If that is your attitude, then you will be involved in a career that is less than what you want it to be for the rest of your life.

Am I advising you to just chuck it all, tell your boss to take a hike, and then hope a miracle shows up to save your car before it gets repossessed? No, not at all.

However, I am telling you that if you want to do something that you will truly enjoy as a career, then you need to take whatever steps are necessary in order to make that happen.

Get the ball rolling by doing some research, looking into your options, getting some education, putting together a list of goals, maybe even a vision board.

Do SOMETHING to send the message to yourself that you are going to find work that you want to do, stay focused on that dream on a daily basis, and eventually (sooner, rather than later), the opportunity for you to make a positive and permanent change will present itself.

Or, you can just ignore this entire message, and go back to doing whatever work you were doing before you read it. If you take that route, however, ask yourself this:

If you can't take control of something as simple as enjoying what you do for a paycheck, how much control do you think you will have over the other areas of your life?

Think about it.

Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love, Volume 5

This is Volume 5 of the Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love series.

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

1) Steve Olson - The Truth About Oprah Winfrey - The Secret - and Poverty - If you read nothing else on this page, read this post! Steve lays it down like it really is, and I got up and gave him a mental standing ovation after reading this post, which clearly came from the heart!

2) Creating Passionate Users - Too many companies are like bad marriages - Whether you own a business, or just want to keep your relationships on the right track, this is a down-to-earth must read.

3) The Positivity Blog - One Easy Way to Remember Someone´s Name - For many people, their brain deals in images better than in words, and this simple lifehack is a great way to take advantage of that fact.

4) Practical Personal Development - Becoming An Outstanding Person | Silence - Week 2 of 12 - Turns out that the phrase "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" has real merit, and Alex brings it home in a short, but informative manner.

5) Seth Godin - Where do you park? - Once again with Seth, this is geared more towards businesses, but I very much see how his concept of which type of attitude to have can apply to every single situation that we find ourselves in. Also, it's a quick read.

6) Live the Power - Lucky - Karen cranks out some SERIOUS wisdom about just who is holding your lucky charm.

7) Shards of Consciousness - What will I do later? - Excellent observations about exactly which timeframe you should be focusing on to achieve success. Care to take a guess before you read the post? Also, be sure to catch the "snifty" name!

8) Success from the Nest - Distractions Speak Louder Than Words - This is great stuff that I have been telling people for a long time. Be prepared to work and focus, but be just as prepared NOT to!

9) Successful and Outstanding Bloggers - Time to Spend and to Save - Liz does a great job of capturing a beautiful concept in a short amount of time. Be sure to catch the last line right before her signature…

10) Live the Power - Lessons in Visualization - I know that we already heard from Karen at Live the Power, but this post of hers was too good to pass up. She clearly shows the power of visualization when considering it as a path to your future, not a chore to be done today. If you visualize - and you should - read this post!

Okay, that's it for this week, and once again, my extreme gratitude to our authors. I am both inspired by their works, and grateful for their presence!

See you next week!

The Secret of Experiencing Perfection

If someone were to say to you that everything in the Universe is absolutely perfect, would you believe them?

I mean, it seems hard to believe that in a world that is filled with at least as much insanity as order that the word perfect could ever even enter into the equation.

Actually, the Universe MUST be perfect, because if it wasn’t, the entire system would have collapsed a long time ago. In fact, it probably would have never even existed to begin with.

Everything that happens in the Universe happens in a very specific way, because that is the only way that it CAN happen based on any given set of circumstances.

Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if the Law of Gravity suddenly started to just randomly affect different things in different ways? What if jumping off a building one day meant a messy collision with a sidewalk, but the next day jumping off a building meant you were able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?

Imagine what would happen if the electromagnetic field that protects the earth from the harmful spectrum of radiation emitted by the sun suddenly decided to reverse its polarity, just for a change of pace? We would all instantly cease having these types of debates, that’s for sure!

What about if water suddenly stopped being a conductor of electricity, but rubber and wood both suddenly became conductors of electricity? Does the term BIG BANG mean anything to you?

Think of what would happen if the moon suddenly doubled its weight and density over night?

What about if the human body’s immune system completely stopped working?

What if it is really DID start raining cats and dogs???

Okay, maybe the cats and dogs thing was over the top, but do you see the point? Everything that happens in the universe happens because it is supposed to happen that way. That’s the way things are “set up” for lack of a better term.

However, by having access to this knowledge, us mere humans on the blue marble that we call Earth have a decided “edge” over Fate. By knowing and understanding the very basic but unalterable concept of cause and effect, we can manipulate the universal laws in order to create the lives that we want to live.

Any regular readers of this blog will be familiar with the Law of Attraction, which is one of the most obvious ways that as individuals we can practice the art of conscious creation. However, there are other universal laws that also come into play, such as the Law of Polarity, the Law of Relativity, the Law of Vibration, the Law of Gender, etc.

I am not linking to a location for you to learn more about the universal laws because, to be honest, I could not find one location that I felt had all of the information in one spot. If anyone knows of a professional and fact-filled source, please post it in the comments section.

Even without one solid information source about the Universal Laws, it is still clear that they exist, and that they exert control over every aspect of our lives. Here’s the kicker, though:

By understanding that the Universe MUST be perfect, we become conscious creators of our lives by our ability to manipulate the natural laws of the Universe for our own benefit.

To break this down into a simple example, answer the following question:

Have you ever thrown or caught a ball or a Frisbee?

Yes? Congratulations. You just demonstrated your ability to manipulate the laws of the Universe. If you can throw a ball, then you understand gravity, the law of cause and effect, the law of vibration, the law of relativity, the law of perpetual transmutation, and on and on the list goes…

If it is possible for you to throw or catch a ball or a Frisbee, then in the perfect Universe that we live in, it must also be possible for you to do anything else that you can imagine.

Cook some of those concepts on your brain for awhile, or better yet, do some of your own research into the Laws of the Universe. You may be shocked when you realize that perfection not only abounds, but it can be made to correspond to your desires!

For more brain-cooking research into one of the laws - the Law of Polarity, I invite you to check out Steve Pavlina’s post on that subject. However, also be sure to stop by and see Edward over at Evolving times as he claims that Steve’s post might not be entirely accurate.

Hey, I’m just the messenger!

Challenge Solving - An Easy but Powerful Personal Development Mindshift

What happens whenever someone comes up to you and issues you a Challenge?

Do you tend to back away because you fear confrontation, or do you take an attitude that resembles something more along the lines of:

“Bring it on! Anything you can do, I can do better!”

Most people - whether they are willing to admit it or not - will take the standpoint of accepting challenges simply because they don’t want to be viewed as the person who couldn’t handle any given situation.

Now, I’m not talking about drunk people at bars picking fights or challenging you to see how many shots of tequila you can do in 5 minutes…

No, the type of challenges that I am talking about are things that you actually WANT to do, even if it is just to prove that you can do it.

After recently listening to Heidi Miller’s podcast about overcoming challenges, I was struck by her use of the term “challenge solving” and immediately had the idea to put together an empowering blog post about that concept. Big thanks to Heidi for such an excellent phrase!

As with so many other things that have been discussed in the past on this blog, the way that you think and feel about something is the primary driving force behind your level of success in that endeavor.

If you view something as negative, then your results surrounding that thing will be perceived by you to be negative. On the flip side, if you see something as positive, then you will perceive positive results about that thing.

This is the fundamental - yet very basic - mind shift that most people fail to actually fully grasp, and their lack of success in certain areas of their life is a result.

So, if you see something as a “problem” then you immediately put yourself into the frame of mind of needing to solve that problem.

And what is the nature of a problem? Something that needs a solution, and then is taken from your focus once the solution has been found.

Does that sound like the kind of attitude that you should take towards your LIFE? Are you just looking to solve one problem after another, just to find another problem waiting around the next corner?

Compare that to the concept of a “challenge”. Whenever you are challenged to accomplish something, the immediate mental process that goes into place is that you are going to have to make a consistent effort to win the challenge.

Please note the key phrase ‘consistent effort‘.

You will not need to go very far through the archives of this blog or the archives of articles that I have written in order to find many references to the fact that consistency is one of the primary keys to success.

A challenge is not something that you accept, find a solution for, and then push away because you are done with it. No, a challenge is something that you have to continually apply focus to in order to succeed.

Whether you have challenged yourself to the attainment of a goal, or if you are competing with other people in the challenge, you will still have to make a continual effort in order to win the challenge.

Consider the following list of problems and challenges and note the obvious difference between how resolving problems is a one-time affair, while winning challenges is an on-going effort.

Problems

Problem: You have a flat tire. Solution: Install the spare tire and get the flat tire fixed.

Problem: You just cut your finger slicing carrots. Solution: Wash it out and put on a band-aid.

Problem: Your workload is getting out of control at work. Solution: Apply time and material management practices and put in some extra time until your workload is caught up.

Challenges

You challenge yourself to lose 20 pounds in 3 months. Instant Solution: Start and continue on a diet and exercise plan that will allow you to lose the weight. Long-term Benefit: You will have innumerable health and personal benefits as a result of your weight loss efforts, and you will have learned to live a lifestyle that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

You challenge yourself to get out of debt within 12 months. Instant Solution: You come up with a savings plan and/or a way to bring in more income in order to eliminate your debt. Long-term Benefit: You will have the opportunity to potentially live debt-free from now on, and you will have developed the habit of long-term financial awareness that will ensure financial freedom for the rest of your life.

You challenge yourself to stop smoking. Instant Solution: You apply a consistent regimen of both physical and psychological practices that eventually allow you to kick the habit completely. Long-term Benefit: You will probably live a lot longer, but just as importantly, you will have developed a level of confidence that will allow you to more fully enjoy the rest of your life.

In the case of solving the problems that were listed, yes, you got some immediate satisfaction. Take a closer look at the challenges, though.

What are the 3 things that you can see about every single instance of accepting and overcoming each of the challenges that were listed?

…

…

…

Give up? Here they are:

1) The so-called “instant solution” was actually a HUGE benefit, and not something so inconsequential as fixing a flat tire, getting caught up at work, or slapping a band-aid on a minor cut.

2) Every challenge also had a long-term benefit associated with it. Not only was there the instant benefit, but there was a long-term on-going benefit as well.

3) And finally, every challenge ended with you having skills, habits, beliefs, or confidence levels that would last you for the rest of your life.

So, from now on whenever you are faced with something that you perceive to be a problem, do not go into problem solving mode. Go into CHALLENGE solving mode and turn that situation into an opportunity to not only resolve the issue, but to create a better life for yourself in the process!

Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love, Volume 2

This is Volume 2 of the Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love series. This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

1) Guy Kawasaki - Is Your Boss an Asshole?

Pardon the lingo for those of you easily offended by such terms, but I must admit that Guy hit the nail on the head with this one! Not only does he describe the type of boss who creates more negativity than positivity, but if you despise the corporate lifestyle (as I do), you’ll get a kick out of this.

2) Breathing Prosperity - Why Do Poor People Always Have to Choose?

An excellent riff on the B.S. belief that you can’t have your cake and eat it, too, including a salute-worthy epiphanic moment about Oprah Winfrey.

3) GoalsSuccess.com - How Goals Ignite the Law of Attraction By Jill Koenig

A compact but very well-rounded explanation of how the Law of Attraction works, including the fact that YOU have responsibilities in the manifestation process!

4) Achieve-IT - What People Think About You Is None Of Your Business

Short but powerful post about an easy way to fix a BIG problem that almost everyone has.

5) Evolving Times - The Size Of Your Segment DOES Matter

Great method of succeeding at your Intentions by breaking them down into manageable blocks to keep from overwhelming your mind and your belief system.

6) Life Coaches Blog - How to Give a Good Compliment

Dropping a compliment on someone is not a “duty,” but rather a way to open up a floodgate of potentially positive side effects. Check out this short instruction on how to do it in the most effective manner.

7) Lifehacker - Ze Frank on Procrastination

Hilarious video bit on something that we can all identify with. Click on through to get a funny reminder about something so many of us are so good at!

8) The Positivity Blog - One simple Method to become Inspired and Courageous

The simple but powerful message delivered in this post is (ironically enough considering #7 above) that whether you want to or not, getting up and taking action is the way to get past your self-imposed road blocks.

9) Ririan Project - See How Easily You Can Forget You Were Ever Forgetful

Simple explanation of why we forget common things, and great “hacks” to help us remember them. Items discussed include phone numbers, dates & anniversaries, names, keys, passwords, and pin codes.

10) Lifehack - Want results? Frame your work.

Detailed info about “Information Fatigue Syndrome,” but the real value that I saw was the bit on how to defeat IFS. I have recently started using techniques similar to these and I have seen a dramatic increase in my productivity, as well as a decrease in my stress level!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition! Look for Volume 3 in a week or so!