Several years ago my wife, Georgia, and I began the practice of making a “looking forward to” list at the start of the new year. This is different from my list of goals in that it typically has all kinds of things on it. Obviously, we list the big things like any vacations we’re planning but we also list things we might enjoy doing on a weekend or an evening out.
For example, in addition to a vacation this year to Alaska, someplace I’ve always wanted to see, we’ll list “everyday” activities like seeing specific movies, visiting a museum or going to particular restaurants.
Once of the things we’ve noticed since adopting the practice of making a looking forward to list is that we do more. We went from hardly ever going to the movies, for no particular reason, to attending 12 or 15 movies a year.
Having our list eliminates the dialog many couples have of asking, “What do you want to do dear?” and hearing, “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” It always reminds me of the movie “Marty” where the characters go through this routine throughout the movie.
When faced with trying to decide what we want to do on a given day off we can always pick something from our list. Another version of this is to make a list of everything you want to do before you leave the planet, however, for obvious reasons, I’m not as fond of that idea.
I recently met a woman who said she had almost finished her “bucket” list, from the movie of the same name. “What will you do then?” I asked her. “I guess I’ll just die,” was her response. Personally, I’d rather just keep a list of what I’m looking forward to.
Something else you may enjoy is an activity I learned at a live seminar given by my friend, Terri Levine. Terri suggested we look back to our youth and think about some of the things we used to enjoy doing but, for whatever, reason, are no longer engaged in. For example, when was the last time you went ice skating? For me it’s been years even though, as a teenager, I throughly enjoyed it.
What are some of the things you used to enjoy that you may like doing again?
What’s stopping you?
Caution: If you’re older, remember to start slowly and, in some cases, get a physical checkup before starting any strenuous activity.
Even though LaCrosse is usually associated with youth, my friend, Ski, plays with a group of older guys appropriately named the “Old Dogs.” Yes you can still play but you’re gonna feel the pain:-)
Remember, it’s never too late to have a happy childhood.
The line above, a parody of a line first uttered by Bette Davis in the movie “All About Eve,” is as appropriate to today’s world as it was to her character’s situation in the movie.
All you need to do is pickup a newspaper or turn on the television news to know that we are living through some turbulent times. Each day the media bombards us with more news riddled with fear and uncertainty. Each day we hear of dangers to our safety or about the latest job cutbacks. It’s almost as if they are trying to convince us that there are tough times ahead.
I’m not going to go into why anyone would want to continue to broadcast negative messages, I’ll leave that for someone else to figure out. Whether there is a threat to our safety, economic recession, or some other circumstance beyond our control, how you are affected by the current circumstances is totally a matter of what you choose to believe and the way you choose to react or not react to the news.
If, for example, you believe that your security and income are the responsibility of the government or your company, you may be in for a difficult time. If, on the other hand, you realize that everything in your life comes from your Creator, you’ll get through this just fine.
In times like these, it’s more important than ever to develop a strong, spiritual connection, whether it’s through your church, prayer group, or simply from your own time spent praying and meditating.
People who are firmly grounded and have a deep spiritual connection are able to handle whatever life sends their way. Those who do not have this relationship with a power greater them themselves, can be devastated by life’s events.
There are some things you can do to help you “weather the storm” should it come your way. For openers, stop reading newspapers and listening to the news. By doing this you will immediately eliminate a major amount of negativity from your life.
Don’t let yourself get sucked into negative, unproductive conversations about the economy. I made this mistake several years ago and almost lost everything. Only when I stopped buying into the problem did my life begin to change.
Devote some time each day, preferably in the morning, to think about what you want in your life. Begin to see your life the way you want it to be. Focus on what you want, and give no energy to that which you do not want to appear. Your thoughts and words have power. Use them carefully.
If you belong to a church, or other spiritual group, stay closely connected to them. Above all, realize that the source that provides the very air you breathe is the same source that will provide everything else you need.
Are you going to be another statistic?
It’s a sad fact that by Valentine’s Day, February 14th, more than 95% of people will have made no progress on the dreams they had at the beginning of the year.
We start out on January 1 with the best of intentions. “This will be my year,” we tell ourselves. “This is the year I – start my new business, write my book, find that perfect someone, get in shape,” we proudly proclaim to anyone who’ll listen.
If you’re an author, speaker, coach, trainer, teacher or professional, you may want to take a look at a new jump-start program I’ve created to help you turn your expertise into a new revenue stream:
Action produces results
Congratulations to all the people who ordered the “20 Ways to Make $100 a Day Online” ebook. I honestly hope you are using the ideas in it. I know I am and it’s making a difference. Please don’t be one of those people who buys a program and never uses it. All you have to do is take a little time, go through the 20 ways and pick one to act upon. Yes, it can be that simple.
If you’ve read any of the law of attraction books or watched the movie, The Secret, you’ve probably heard that the first step in attracting what you want is to identify what you do not want. As strange as this may sound, it’s usually pretty easy for most people. We’re conditioned to look at what we don’t want so identifying them is simple.
If you’ve completed the “Tolerations” activity previously, you’ll find this to be similar. If not, please go back and do that as well as the activity about “Appreciation.” They’ll help you gain momentum for what’s to come.
Take a sheet of paper and list everything you do not want in your life. Your list may run the gamut from not wanting to be broke, to not wanting to feel lousy all the time, to not wanting to date jerks. Take a good look at each area of your life – spiritual, mental, physical, social, career and finance, and decide what it is you do not want in relation to this part of your life experience.
Doing this is the easiest way to begin to identify what it is you do want, for it is usually the exact opposite. For example, if what you don’t want is an old car that breaks down all the time, it stands to reason that what you do want is a nice, clean, reliable automobile.
If, on your “don’t want” list you’ve written something like, “I don’t want to feel lousy and be fat” (something a lot of us can relate to this time of year), on your “do want” list, you might write “to be thin, fit, healthy and filled with energy.”
Later you’ll want to use this list as the basis for your new goals program and daily affirmations.
What else do you want? If you really dig deep into what will leave you feeling fulfilled and happy, you will uncover all sorts of things you may have forgotten about.
When making your “do want” list, think about what you want to be, do, have and share. If you want a real challenge, do the “101 wishes” exercise from Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s wonderful book, The Alladin Factor. This is something my wife, Georgia, tried and had trouble getting past 40.
I can tell you from personal experience that doing this will really stretch you and is well worth taking the time to complete. By the time you’ve passed the initial 20 or 30 things, you’ll be getting back in touch with many dreams you probably forgot you even had.
Speaking of dreams, so many of us start out the year with a bang but then, sometimes in less than a month, find ourselves caught up in our day to day life.
One of the things that made all the difference for me was having a system to follow and a support group to keep me on track. If you’re one of those people who would really like to make 2009 a banner year, take a close look at my new Destiny 2009 mentoring program. Even if you saw this earlier, I’ve made a lot of changes, so please take another look.
Would you like to add $100 a day in 2009?
A lot of people this time of year are thinking about their finances. One of the best ideas I’ve learned over the years is to have more than one income stream. I make a habit of adding at least one income stream each year. Doing this is easier than you might think, especially with the Internet and if you have a tried and true system to follow. This will show you not one but 20 different ways you can earn more money or even, as in my case, improve upon something you’re already doing.
Before you start running around in circles, frantically trying to get more customers, take a little time to revisit your original vision and get back in touch with why you’re doing what you do in the first place. This is the first and, probably, the most important step in shifting from a recession mind-set to one of abundance and prosperity.
Here’s a short audio recording, excerpt from a live seminar I delivered recently to a group of business owners in Perkasie, PA.
By the way, if you’re part of a group of small businesses and would like to have me deliver a similar talk, at no cost within driving distance of Bucks County, PA, let me know and I’ll see what I can do to accommodate.
“I appreciate and acknowledge the abundance in my life”
That affirmation above was taken from a list of prosperity affirmations I was given by my friend, Morgana Rae, creator of Financial Alchemy You can read the rest of the list in the “Starting Out” category.
I realize that, for many people right now, affirming this can be a real challenge, however, it’s really important if you want to improve your situation.
The keys to having more of what you want, whether it’s more prosperity, health, time, fun, love, or anything else, is to, first acknowledge that which you already have and then, to share it.
By appreciating and acknowledging what you have you evoke the power of the Law of Attraction which, as you probably already know, teaches us that “like attracts like.”
Put another way, we attract more of what we focus upon or hold in our hearts. By “hold in our heart,” I’m referring to the feelings we have for they, even more than what we say, are what attracts our experience.
By appreciating and acknowledging, for example the health you already have, you are putting your attention on health which is the only way to attract it. You cannot focus, as so many people do, on illness and attract health. It violates the laws of our universe.
So you first exercise, should you choose to play, is to choose those areas in your life you’d like to improve. Health, of course, is a great place to begin for without it everything else suffers.
You may also want to include love, career, and, yes, money for they too are important. Ideally we want to achieve a balanced life that is prosperous in all areas.
Take each heading and make a list of everything you appreciate about it as it stands now. This activity will align you with attracting more of the same.
After doing this, in health for example, you may notice you are making better food choices, exercising or any number of other activities that will have a positive impact on your health.
When you begin to appreciate the wealth in your life, don’t be surprised if you begin receiving more, sometimes from totally unexpected channels. I’ve stopped trying to understand just why this occurs. I just let it in and give thanks.
The second part of the process is to share, with others, whatever it is you’d like more of in your own life. This evokes the Law of Reciprocity, another universal law, which teaches us that it is impossible to give without receiving.
If you want more love and affection, be more loving and affectionate to the people you encounter. I’m not suggesting you start hugging total strangers, although it’s not a bad idea:-)
My friend, the late Charlie Tremendous Jones, made a habit of hugging everyone he met and it served him well throughout his life. Everyone I know loved Charlie.
It goes without saying that if you want more money, giving some away will help you attract more. I realize how difficult this may seem, especially if you’re struggling to make ends meet, but give it a try anyway. You may be pleasantly amazed at what happens.
Even if you can only afford to give a little it will leave you feeling better about yourself and more prosperous, while evoking another powerful law. And, for sure, there are many, many charities and organizations who need your help right now.
Of course, making a daily practice of writing what you appreciate in your life is a powerful activity that will produce astounding results.
If you really want to make 2009 your best year ever and make your dreams come true, get off on the right foot with my 4 week quickstart program - Live Your Destiny 2009
If you happened to watch the New Year’s Eve festivities from New York’s Times Square, you may have seen Mayor Michael Bloomberg being interviewed and heard him say, as far as he is concerned, the operative word for 2009 is “Optimism,” which according to Wikipedia, is an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place.
I’m with him. It’s about time we had optimistic talk being spread over the airwaves. We’ve certainly had our fill of the other kind.
As with anything else, if we believe this and begin affirming it, we will make it so. It would be really great if the majority of people followed the sentiment of “Mayor Mike,” however, what’s even more important is that each of us affirm it for ourselves.
In truth we can only create our own experience, not the experience of others so, regardless of what the masses choose to do we can start seeing this coming year through a lens of optimism and act accordingly.
No one but you can create your life experience. Not the government, not your employer, not even your spouse. What occurs in your life is totally within your control and is a result of your thoughts, feelings and actions.
If you choose to join with me and Mayor Bloomberg and see this year optimistically, as a year of opportunity and positive expectations, you will, in fact, create your best year ever.
While optimism is a great outlook on life and a key ingredient for success, it’s not all there is. You’ll need a vision of what you want your life to become, specific and measurable goals, an action plan to follow and, hopefully, a mentor or coach to keep you on track.
If you have a coach, great. If not, now would be a good time to get one. Or, if you cannot afford a coach right now, “buddy up”with someone and hold each other accountable. Find someone you feel comfortable sharing your dreams and goals with and arrange to meet with them regularly. This is an important component for success. No one does it alone.
With all the change in the air and the general feelings of hope and possibility being expressed by people from all walks of life, it’s looking like 2009 is going to be a banner year.
As with everything else in nature, there’s an ebb and flow to our life. After last year, I think you’ll agree we’re all ready for the flow to begin. Bring it on!
If you really want to make 2009 your best year ever and are ready to play full out, check out my new tele-seminar program “Live Your Destiny 2009.”
Over the course of the next few days, I’ll be posting a series of articles specifically written to help you start your year off right. If you miss any, or if you’re new to personal development, you can always find the entire series in the “Starting Out” category.
By the way, if you are planning on working one-on-one with a coach, I have an opening. You can learn more here
Georgia and I have used ebay.com, on and off, as a way to create some fast cash since 1999 and, as I’ve said over and over, I believe it’s something everyone can do whenever they want some extra money.
And, of course, you can do it as a full time business if that’s what you’re looking for.
Take a minute and watch this a short video, taken from one of my live seminar’s and learn some of my simple tips for making money on ebay.
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