March 19th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Have you ever noticed that there is no shortage of people willing to give you advice, whether or not you asked for it? I’ve developed some simple rules about from whom I will accept advice and suggestions.
I do not ask for heath advice from people who are sick, I do not ask for financial advice from people who are broke and I do not ask for business advice from people who are not in their own business.
Over the years I’ve watched hundreds of people go into a business venture and excitedly tell their family and friends about their new enterprise. Big mistake! How many of your friends and relatives own their own business? Probably few or none.
While they may be well intentioned and have your best interests at heart, their lack of knowledge and their own fears can sabotage your new venture.
If you want advice or input about a business, find someone who is successfully running their own business and ask them. Ask several people so you can obtain an objective view. When your choosing mentors or role models, be sure to seek out those people who have been there. Chose people who have “walked the walk” and have succeeded in doing what you want to do.
This applies as much to health, finance, education, relationships and pretty much any area of your life. If you want to be fit and healthy, do not seek advice from someone who is overweight, a smoker, and sick all the time.
Find a fit and healthy person and model them. I know this sounds overly simple and obvious, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people are listening to and even following the advice of people who do not know what they are talking about.
They are sadly listening to the person who is stuck in a dead-end job telling them why a business idea will not work.
They are listening to an overweight, sick person who is telling them that taking vitamins is a waste of money and they are listening to the person who is living paycheck to paycheck telling them how to become wealthy.
To ensure your success, make sure your role models are demonstrating in their own lives, the qualities you seek to develop.
If you want to learn the exact process that I used to change my life and create the life I now enjoy, take a look
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February 1st, 2010 by Jim Donovan
“I have every right to be angry!” How many times have you said this or something similar? You rant on in righteous anger about how so and so or such and such wronged you or how “they” should do something about ___________.
You’ll defend your position no matter what the cost. You’ll tell anyone who will listen your tale of woe, and if you are lucky, you can even get a group of people talking about your issues.
It’s easy. All you have to do is start to complain about some injustice, real or imagined, and before too long, other people will join in. They’ll emphasize with you and may even add their own story to fuel the fire. If you doubt this, just listen to almost any group of people discussing a current issue.
There is one problem with this entire scenario. The injustices that you are talking about; the bad service you received in a restaurant or whatever is the source of your anger, you are in a vibrational match to the negative situation.
You’re vibrating in harmony with something you do not want and from that point of attraction, you can only attract more of it.
But, you argue, I have to talk about it. Maybe, maybe not but, this is important; you do not have to dwell on the situation. While there may not be anything wrong with expressing anger, there is absolutely no value in maintaining this emotional state.
Whenever you are in a heightened emotional state, good or bad, you are attracting the same or similar conditions.
Knowing this, why would you want to keep replaying a negative situation? Acknowledge the situation, maybe even allow yourself to feel angry or upset by it, but then move on. Reach for a thought that feels better than the one you’re thinking. Replaying unpleasant events from the past has absolutely no value in the present moment. All it will do is keep you stuck and recreate more of the same.
Remaining angry at someone was like letting them live “rent free” in your head.
The next time you find yourself in a situation that can set you off, acknowledge it and then let it go. Either find something good in the situation or just replace the thought with a thought of something you do want.
Simply go, in your mind, to some place, real or imagined, that feels good and remain there for about 30 seconds basking in the good feelings. That is usually sufficient to change your emotional state to one that is more productive. Remember the wise suggestion from the Abraham Hicks work; the most important thing is that you feel good.
It’s really that simple. If you are feeling good, everything is flowing and you are attracting your desires. Anything less, and you are shortchanging yourself.
Remember, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” Bible, Galatians VI
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January 28th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
It saddens and frustrates me when I see people in their fifties or sixties moping around talking about how “it’s not easy getting old.” On the other hand, I am inspired when I see an older person, someone in their eighties or nineties, living a vibrant and productive life. It gives me hope and further proves my theory that there is a huge difference between aging and getting old.
So what’s the difference between these two groups of people? Why are some, still in mid-life, seeming to be on their last legs while others, old enough to be the parents of the first group, still going strong?
The answer really boils down to a couple of key differences, as outlined in the “Ageless Living Method” to mak the rest of your life, the best of your life.
1. Challenge the myths of aging
“You’re getting on in years — you’d better slow down,” “At my age, I’d better be careful,” “Act your age,” “We’ll all wind-up in a nursing home sooner or later,” “I’m just having a senior moment.”
All of the above statements are nonsense. There’s no biological connection between age and poor health. If you want to break down these beliefs, find references of older people living vibrant, productive lives. They’re all around us. People like Hulda Crooks who became the oldest person to climb Mt. Fuji in Japan at 91 years of age. Author Phyliss Whitney, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 104, said in an Associated Press interview when she was 85 that “I’ve slowed down in that I only write one book a year. A writer is what I am.”
2. Ignite your passion
Older people who are living vibrantly are passionate about their life. Their outlook is positive and they are motivated by something outside themselves. They have a purpose. They are engaged in life and are pursuing something that matters to them. Whether a career, a hobby, a cause, or something in between, they have dreams and goals and are living life to it fullest.
3. Create your vision
If you were living your ideal life, what would it look like? In your journal, write a vivid description the life you dream of living. For now, don’t be concerned with how you will do this. What are you doing and with whom? Where do you live? Where are you vacationing? What type of work are you engaged in? Who are your friends?
Write your vision in as much detail as possible, making sure to include the feelings you are experiencing and engaging as many senses as possible. Smell the ocean if you’re at the shore. Hear the sounds of the people in the city where you’re visiting, and so on. If it’s a dream home you desire, see each room in vivid detail. What do you see when you look out the windows?
4. Change your beliefs
The only thing stopping you from having whatever you desire is your belief about your ability to achieve it. What beliefs are standing in your way? Do you tell yourself, “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” “I’m not smart enough,” or some other variation on this theme?
Challenge those beliefs that are not serving you. Find references of someone just like you doing whatever it is you want to do. Override your limiting beliefs with positive affirmations.
5. Reclaim your power
Spiritual Power: A regular practice of prayer and meditation, the former, talking to God and the latter listening, will help you create and maintain a strong connection with your Creator.
Emotional Power: You can strengthen your emotional power by devoting some time each day visualizing your ideal life. Sit quietly, close your eyes (assuming you’re not driving), and create a “mind movie” in which you’re living your ideal life.
Mental Power: You can strengthen your mental power by paying attention to your self-talk and replacing any disempowering thoughts with positive affirmations. Read positive and uplifting information daily to maintain a more productive state of mind.
Physical Power: Of course, without physical power and energy you’re not going very far. It is essential, as we age, to take an active part in maintaining our health. Invest the time to learn about health and nutrition. Of course, exercise is important too. As a society, we do not move enough. Our high-tech lifestyles have enabled most of us to expend the minimal amount of physical energy in our day-to-day life.
How you age is up to you. You can live your life vibrantly and productively, or you can just get old. Decide now to take decisive action to make the rest of your life, the best of your life.
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January 25th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Do you have an Uncle George? If you read my first book, Handbook to a Happier Life, you may remember a quotation from my Uncle George. He said, If it doesn’t have a heartbeat, it’s not important. I’ve always liked that idea and have used it as a way to keep things in proper perspective.
As much as I like George and consider him to be pretty wise at times, there is also one thing I never liked about him; the fact that he eats whatever he wants and does not gain an ounce. Okay, so I’m jealous that he can do this and I can’t.
Are you like my Uncle George, able to eat whatever you want without concern for weight? Or are you like me, and so many other people, who have to really watch what we eat if we don’t want to put on those extra pounds?
For me to remain at a healthy weight, I need to watch what I eat and limit the things that are likely to add more weight. However, since these also tend to be the foods that I like, I am not willing to stop all together, so I take other steps.
One of the things that I have done recently was that I recommitted to, in addition to following a fitness program, regular nutritional cleansing and drinking a healthy high-protein shake that contains a complete vitamin and mineral supplement.
Since I cannot do much about the toxins entering my body from the environment, food and water supply, pesticides and such, I’ve chosen to detox on a regular basis.
And since I’m working on reducing high carb foods like muffins, bagels and such, drinking the shake in the morning is my assurance that I’m getting a highly nutritious breakfast and a good amount of protein. This is essential in the morning to get our brain chemicals working at optimal levels. This way, even if I succumb to my favorite muffin or bagel, I know I have a good baseline of nutrition to start my day.
Whatever path you choose, maintaining a healthy weight and remaining free of toxins is crucial for a healthy life. If you want to know more about the program that I am personally taking, go here
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January 23rd, 2010 by Jim Donovan
There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my parent’s not-so-large, five room apartment. I had, as they say, “run out of options.” My life was out of control, way out. Had it not been for mom and dad’s willingness to let me stay with them, I would have been homeless living in Central Park or another one of New York City’s fine parks. Years of rampant excess had brought me to my knees.
I would lay awake at night, unable to sleep, pleading with God to help me. I prayed, begged and bargained for my life to change. I would imagine having a nice apartment and girlfriend, spending quiet evenings together.
I just wanted to get my life back on track for it had been years since I lived anything that resembled a “normal” life.
As they say, “We plan and God laughs.” God’s plan for me was quite different from mine.
God’s plan brought me to the detox ward of a local hospital, since He knew where the real problem lay. I remember sitting on the beat-up old couch on the second day, the day when one experiences the physical bottom of the detox and, with my arms stretched out, looking upward saying “Okay God, either take me or help me change.”
To be quite honest, at that moment, it didn’t much matter to me which He chose. That fateful day was many years ago, and my life has never been the same from that moment on.
The hand of God reached directly into my life and changed my course from one of self-loathing and imminent death, to a life that is beyond my wildest dreams.
Today I have a wonderful life, complete with a loving and supportive wife and beautiful home but, more importantly, today my life has purpose.
Today I realize that the hand of God reached into my life so that I could share my message of hope and possibility to help others. Today I have the privilege of touching the lives of people throughout the world with my books and speaking and I am forever grateful that His will, not mine, was done.
Exercise
- Looking back over your own life, at what points did the Hand of God reach in and guide you?
- How did that change the direction of your life?
- Realizing that this guidance is always there for you, if you were God looking at your life right now, what would you change?
- Ask for guidance and follow your intuition.
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January 15th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Georgia and I have three cats, Frosty, Bentley, and Missy. Not only are they great to be around, providing companionship and entertainment, but they can also serve as great teachers.
It has been said that in Ancient Egypt cats were considered gods and treated as such. Cats have not forgotten this.
One of the lessons that I learned recently from my youngest, Bentley, our Himalayan, was quit simple and valuable, something that we can all learn from.
What Bentley taught me was “when you’re the least bit stressed, go lie in the sun, and stretch out”. He had been resting on the couch, something cats do in between eating and sleeping, and when I sat down near him I guess it somehow interfered with his rest, so rather than be stressed in any way, he got up, walked over to a sunny spot in the room and stretched out.
Yes, that’s Bentley reading an original edition of my first book, Handbook to a Happier Life.
What if we were to do the same whenever our world was disturbed? What if, instead of getting stressed out, raising our blood pressure and endangering our health, we were to just find something that would feel even better and do it?
By the way, Bentley, of course, has his own Web site, Himalayan Cat
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December 30th, 2009 by Jim Donovan
This is a recording of a talk I gave at the NJ Savvy Living magazine Better Living Expo. It explores how to make the rest of your life, the best of your life. Based on my new book, Dont Let an Old Person Move Into Your Body
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Use the player below to listen to the Podcast
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December 7th, 2009 by Jim Donovan
I’ll admit this is a loaded question. The truth is the Law of Attraction works all the time. It’s always operating in our lives whether or not we’re aware of it. The times we “think” it’s not working tend to be those times when we are not attracting what we say we want.
We have all experienced this at one time or another. You sit each morning and evening visualizing your goal. You really start feeling it in your life. Every cell in your body seems to be vibrating in alignment with your desires, but when all is said and done, that pile of money is not sitting in your lap. “Well” you say, “I guess this doesn’t really work, at least not for me.”
So what happened? Does the law of attraction only work for some people some of the time? Or does it only work for small things, like finding a parking space but not for manifesting a new car? The answer is that the law of attraction works for everything, all of the time but, this is key, we must allow it to operate in our lives.
For example, if I want to attract more people buying my new book, but I am constantly talking about how slow it’s going, I am not in virbrational alignment with my desires.
If I want to attract more wealth but spend my days lamenting about how broke I am, it is unlikely to happen. Be grateful for whatever financial abundance you have. That energy of gratitude will put you in a vibration to attract more of the same, namely more wealth. “To he who has, more is given.”
It’s like a situation, years ago, with a coaching client. She wanted to conduct a seminar about, of all things, the Law of Attraction. She was lamenting to me one day how she “only had three people signed up.” I pointed out that she had three people and that she should be thankful that they showed enough faith in her work to invest their time and money and suggested she focus on that and be grateful for it.
Within a few days, she had several more people and by the day of the event, she had attracted the ideal number of people to fill her seminar. As I’ve said before, if you are praying for rain, carry an umbrella.
Another way we sometimes undo our desires, is by speaking and acting in ways that are inconsistent with what we want. For example, people who are working on attracting more financial wealth, but walking around saying things like “Oh I’d never spend that much for a suit.”
This is one of the reasons why I advise people who want more wealth to get into the energy of luxury. Go visit a four-star hotel or restaurant even if you just buy a cup of coffee, soda, beer or a glass of wine, and get into the feeling of that as your new lifestyle. Start getting comfortable in those surroundings.
If you want finer clothes, walk around the better stores and feel that energy of being around quality merchandise.
If you want to attract a relationship, get off your couch and go where there are people. And, if you do meet someone who is not quite right, don’t use that as an excuse to quit. Acknowledge that, even though this was not your ideal person, you are out meeting people and you’re in an environment to meet your dream mate. These things happen in God’s time, not ours, however, it’s important to never give up. Don’t quit before the miracle happens.
The more you focus on the evidence of what you want in showing up in your life, while being grateful for what you already have, the more you’re in vibrational alignment with your desire and the more likely it will grow.
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December 3rd, 2009 by Jim Donovan
Click here to listen to the replay of an informative and fun interview with me and three top women doctors. They are among the “New Breed” of doctors I wrote about in Don’t Let an Old Person Move Into Your Body.
These highly qualified women doctors care deeply about their patients and engage a variety of healing modalities to accomplish their task of healing the patient.
Recorded live at WWDB Radio Philadelphia.
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November 20th, 2009 by Jim Donovan
It saddens and frustrates me when I see people in their fifties or sixties moping around talking about how “it’s not easy getting old.” On the other hand, I am inspired when I see an older person, someone in their eighties or nineties, living a vibrant and productive life. It gives me hope and further proves my theory that there is a huge difference between aging and getting old.
So what’s the difference between these two groups of people? Why are some, still in mid-life, seeming to be on their last legs while others, old enough to be the parents of the first group, still going strong?
While the answer is complex and involves several facets most of which are covered in my new book, it really boils down to a couple of key differences.
It Takes Passion
The first of these and perhaps the most important is passion. Older people who are living vibrantly are passionate about their life. Their outlook is positive and they are motivated by something outside themselves. They have a purpose. They are engaged in life and are pursuing something that matters to them.
Whether it’s a career, a hobby, a cause, or something in between, they have dreams and goals and are living life to it fullest.
In Don’t Let an Old Person move Into Your Body I wrote about Isagenix distributor Jimmy Smith who, past the age of eighty, is on a mission to carry a message of physical health and financial wealth to people all across the globe.
It Takes Power
Beyond attitude, passion, and purpose, living a full and productive life requires power; spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical power.
You can’t “go for the gusto” if you’re too weak to get out of bed.
Spiritual Power
A regular practice of prayer and meditation, the former, talking to God and the latter listening, will help you develop and maintain a strong connection with our Creator. It has been proven that people who have a relationship with a Higher Power are happier, more at peace and tend to live longer then those who do not. Spend time each day in quiet reflection and contemplation. This simple act will do more for your well-being than anything else you might do.
Emotional Power
You can develop and strengthen your emotional power by devoting some time each day visualizing your ideal life. Sit quietly, close your eyes (assuming you’re not driving), and create a “mind movie” of you living your ideal life. See the sights, hear the sounds, smell the smells, and taste the tastes you’d be enjoying if this were happening for real. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between what is real and what is vividly imagined. Your subconscious will accept your visualization as real and, by virtue of the Law of Attraction, will begin bringing it toward you and inspiring you to take action toward it.
Mental Power
You can develop your mental powers by paying attention to your self-talk and replacing any disempowering thoughts with positive affirmations. Read positive and uplifting information daily to maintain a more productive state of mind. Commit to personal development and learning as a life long endeavor.
Physical Power
Of course, without physical power and energy you’re not going very far. It is essential, as we age, to take an active part in maintaining our health, whatever it maybe. I wrote in Don’t Let an Old Person Move into your Body to accept what you cannot change and change what you can. However you can probably improve more of your health then you think.
There’s a lot of scientifically based information about health and nutrition available today. People are becoming better informed and seeking, and finding, solutions to what were once thought to be “incurable” aliments.
Of course, exercise is important too. As a society, we do not move enough. Our high-tech lifestyles have enabled most of us to expend the minimal amount of physical energy in our day-to-day life. One of the best actions a person can engage in, especially as we age, is yoga. The gentle stretching helps us maintain not only fitness but flexibility as well and the deep breathing goes a long way to helping us relax and reduce the stress in our lives.
How you age is up to you. You can live your life vibrantly and productively, or you can just get old. Decide now to take decisive action to make the rest of your life, the best of your life.
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