You’re probably asking yourself, “Why would anyone want to push their goals away?” After all, goals represent what we want in our lives, right? It would seem so but in reality, we often set ourselves up to fail every time we think about a goal or something we want to have or do in our lives.
Mary thinks to herself, “I would really like to write my book” (the goal). Then, instead of basking in the good feelings associated with that worthy ideal, the very next thought that comes into her mind is “How will I ever do it? I have to take care of the kids and all. I barely have time to eat much less write a book.”
She has literally pushed the goal away in her mind even before it had a chance to settle in.
Fred thinks, “I’d really like to drop a few pounds and get in better shape” (the goal). Then, before his sub-conscious has a chance to work on attracting the goal to him, he thinks, “That will be hard and will take up even more of my time. I don’t have enough time as it is now.”
The two cases above are typical examples of how we often push our goals away, usually before they even have time to germinate.
You think to yourself, “I’d like a new car.” The very next thought is, “That’s ridiculous! I can’t even afford the car I have now.” If you want to live a magical life, attract your goals to you and have everything you want in life, you must change this reaction.
Whenever the little voice in your head rears its ugly head, tell it to sit down and be quiet. You must silence the negative, limiting thoughts in your mind. Even if your goal is totally outrageous, you must remain open to the possibilities of achieving it if you intend to succeed. There will be plenty of time for a “reality check” later.
Exercise – Goal Attraction
When you have a thought about something you want to have, be or do, write it in your journal, in the form of a question. For example, in the case of writing your book, you might write: “What can I do, right now, to begin working on my book?” or in the case of an exercise program, “What can I do, starting today, to begin to get in better shape, reach my ideal weight and enjoy the process?”
Do It Daily
Invest fifteen or twenty minutes each day thinking about your goal and asking yourself how you might accomplish it. Jot down whatever pops up into your mind. Even if an idea seems absurd, write it down anyway.
This simple technique has been used successfully by some of the greatest achievers throughout history. People like Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford used this simple technique.
They called it, “sitting for ideas.” Whatever you choose to call it, it is well worth the time you spend doing it. You will find that the first couple of days are easy. You come up with al the logical ways to do what it is you want to accomplish. After about the third or fourth day, however, you may begin to run out of ideas.
Don’t Give Up
Don’t quit. Just sit for your allotted time period and let your sub-conscious mind feed you ideas. You may have a thought “pop into” your consciousness. You will surely uncover creative ways to accomplish your goal.
If you do this simple exercise for thirty days, you’ll have an arsenal of creative ideas from which to draw and you’ll be on your way to attracting your most cherished goal.
Martin Luther King said “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyhow.” What would you do if you knew you would not fail? So many people have a dream, something they have always wanted to do, but do not even attempt it because they are afraid they may not successful.
Others have put their dreams on hold in order to pursue raising a family or having a career. Fortunately, as we age, we reach a point we’re realizing our dreams become something we can do.
Many people I know have left their big corporate careers either taking an early retirement, by being downsized and tossed out against their will, or by just deciding, they’re not going to take it anymore and just quitting. My wife Georgia left her executive career in telecommunications to follow her own passions. Having a life long love of fashion and style and wanting to do something fun, she took a position as a makeup artist for the top makeup company in the world.
Instead of spending her days in endless company meetings running to catch yet another plane, she counsels other women and helps them take better care of themselves and look their best, a job that gives her tremendous personal satisfaction.
Have you abandoned your dream because it hasn’t happened yet? Remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it.”
Recommit to your dream, start seeing it as having happened and, one day, sooner than you think, you will realize it is in your life.
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
Several years ago, I began the practice of writing my accomplishments at the end of the year. I borrowed the idea from the corporate world. In most companies, managers are required to submit a list of their accomplishments and objectives annually. This information is used as the basis for performance reviews, raises, and promotions.
I thought, “If it works for them, maybe it will help me.” The sense of personal satisfaction and encouragement I received after doing this once was so great that it has become a regular practice and something I look forward to doing at the start of each new year.
We take so much of what we do for granted, or just shrug it off, saying, “It’s no big deal.” We point to the successes, contributions, and accomplishments of others while overlooking all that we, ourselves, have done.
Only after taking the time to list our own accomplishments and activities do we see that we, too, are making a difference. We realize how much we have actually done in our lives, and this serves to encourage and motivate us to even greater heights.
In your journal, make a list of what you have done in the past year. Include everything you can think of. Where have you vacationed? What plays, movies, or concerts have you seen or attended? What books have you read? What have you done for and with your family? What have you accomplished in your business? What about personal goals? What have you done for yourself? What about your health? Have you lost weight, began exercising, or played a sport? Did you start a business, write a book, or give a speech?
Write down everything you can think of. The more you list, the better. Be sure to list even the seemingly small things.
Seeing all you have done will raise your self-esteem and increase the likelihood that you will accomplish even more in the future. You have probably done much more than you realize, and writing it down will enable you to see just how much you have accomplished.
(Excerpt, 52 Ways to a Happier Life, by Jim Donovan, early 2010 release)
It’s been said that an actor should not play scenes with animals or small children because they’ll steal the scene. Well, I’m not an actor so I thought I was safe.
I was asked to see if I could inspire a dog – not just any dog but “Todd,” the star of It’sTodd Show, to change his bad habits.
Well, as you’ll see in this video, he’s a tough nut to crack. The segment with me starts about 1:45 into it, right after the “Bark Hollywood” segment which I think you’ll enjoy too.
I’m not discouraged though. They promised me another shot and next time, I’ll be ready for him. This dog’s tougher than he looks.
Did you reach the goals you set for yourself this past year?Remember back to the beginning of 2009. You were excited about the year ahead.
You had dreams and, hopefully, took the time to write your goals in your journal and maybe even developed an action plan to achieve them.
If you did this and are fully satisfied with your results, congratulations.
If not, ask yourself why. You had the best of intentions. You were motivated but, yet, for some reason, life got in the way.
I understand. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another.
One reason so many people are living what seems like the same year, over and over again, is simply because they don’t have a coach.
That’s it. The secret is out!
I’ll tell you one thing I know as sure as I know my own name. If you had worked with me as your coach over this past year, you’d be closer to your goals than you are now.
How do I know this? Simple, I’ve been coaching people for over a decade and have the results to back it up.
Just ask the aspiring authors I worked with who are now successfully published and living their dream. One recently hit #7 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Or you could ask the realtor I coached who wrote that in his 16 years in the business, he had his best year when we were working together.
You could ask the small business owners who I helped launch products, develop additional revenue streams, create joint ventures, and open new markets, they had not even considered before. You could ask the small publisher who added $9,000 to her monthly income.
How am I able to do this? What makes me so different from other coaches?
Simple, in addition to my more than 10 years as a coach and my certification in a Law of Attraction coaching program specifically for businesses, I have more than 30 years servicing small to mid-sized business clients. This means I have worked with companies in dozens of different industries and bring this experience to my work with each of my clients.
Let me ask you this: What will you do to make sure 2010 is the year you go for your dreams?
Here are a couple of things you can do to insure your success:
For starters, get a coach. If not me, get someone else or, at the very least, have an “accountability” partner to work with to keep you on track.
Next, make a habit of reading and listening to personal development information daily. In addition to books and audio’s, I’d suggest you subscribe to Success Magazine. It’s a great way to keep your attitude positive and continue learning throughout the year.
If you do want to consider working with me as your coach, send me an email and tell me a little about yourself and what you’d like to achieve this year.
Do it now because, you deserve to have the life you desire and, besides, in 2010 I am only working with a small number of people.
You deserve to live the life of your dreams but no one does it alone. Get a coach, work with a team, ask for help.
Create your vision, take inspired action, have faith, and enjoy the journey.
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.
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.
Throughout the day, during every waking hour, we are carrying on a running dialogue with ourselves. We are constantly thinking, or more accurately, talking to ourselves in every waking moment.
Hundreds of words per minute pass through our conscious minds as we go about our day. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, most people’s self-talk is negative. This is probably due to the number of negative messages we heard as we were growing up and continue to hear today.
These came from other, perhaps well intentioned, people or individuals who were themselves living in a negative reality. Much of it is from a steady stream of negativity bombarding us from television, radio, newspapers and magazines.
Situation comedies, for the most part, belittle people in the name of humor and many game and reality shows place people in embarrassing situations further undermining their self-image.
A while back, I was sitting outside a local restaurant writing while enjoying a quiet lunch. It was a beautiful day and the restaurant provided me with a view of the Delaware River, near where I live. Access to scenes like this is one of the many reasons I feel so blessed to be living the life that I am living and further proof, to me, of the power of creating a compelling vision for your life.
Where we live is the result of my wife and I becoming clear as to exactly what we wanted in our life, setting specific goals, visualizing our dream life as already complete, and taking regular action. I don’t just write about these principles, I live them daily and have for over two decades. And I’ve seen magnificent changes in my life as a result. Remember, we ask, God answers.
As I was sitting there totally enjoying the scenery, two women walked passed me on their way out of the restaurant, having finished their lunch. The women looked to be in their late 40’s or early 50’s although I avoid ever guessing women’s ages for obvious reasons.
As they passed, I overheard one of the women say, When I was young . . . Those words hit me like a lighting bolt, especially since I was working on my new book at the time.
What a disempowering choice of words. Your words have power, so choose them carefully. While you and I know that she meant no harm by her choice of that particular phrase, her mind took it in. What do you suppose the message to her subconscious mind was? Obviously, I’m not young any longer. I must be old!
A phrase that would have conveyed the same message but would have been more empowering would have been to say, When I was younger . . .
Without even realizing it, you’re programming your mind with disempowering, less than ideal, messages. Keep in mind that your subconscious believes everything that you tell it.
Think about the phrases that you use regularly to describe yourself or how you feel and make sure that they are sending a positive message to your subconscious mind. Avoid any phrase that is negative or dis-empowering.
As a matter of fact, by amplifying positive words like saying ìgreat or terrificî instead of just “good or fine,” and minimizing negative ones, you can actually improve the way you feel.
Years ago, when I had the pleasure of meeting and briefly speaking with success legend, Zig Ziglar, I remember his reply to my question, How are you? Zig’s answer, Better than great.
How To Make The Rest of Your Life, the Best of Your Life
by Jim Donovan
reviewed by Edie Weinstein-Moser
As Jim Donovan welcomes his fifth ‘baby’ into the world of words, ironically, it is geared toward those who are chronologically at the other end of the life spectrum. All that being said, “Don’t Let An Old Person Move Into Your Body” has universal appeal, regardless of whether you are pre, post, or way past baby boomer generation. The subtitle is alluring as well, since those of us in the 50 plus range were fed the belief that as we age, we dry up physically, emotionally, mentally and sexually. Donovan aptly demonstrates, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In his first three books, he speaks of the dramatic turnaround his life took, from homeless and hopeless to revitalization and creating the life of his deepest dreams. A boomer himself, Donovan expands the vision to assist those who may have given up on their dreams.
From the outset, he challenges the myths related to aging including those which claim that deterioration is a necessary part of the aging process and that we can only enjoy life after years of hard work, scrimping and saving and then ultimately retiring,
Donovan offers inspiring suggestions such as finding a purpose, managing physical well being, tapping into the Law of Attraction, (raising your energetic vibration to call in what it is you desire) using affirmations and vision boards, as well as steering clear of people who are unhealthy role models (he uses the delightfully evocative term ‘energy vampire’ to describe someone who sucks the life out of you with their negativity).
Chapter titles, that invite the reader to delve into their depths, include:
Redefining Your Purpose and Reigniting Your Passion shares the story of a 63 year old man who left his day job to become a stripper.
Whatsoever You Believe offers up an idea that I use often, called a ‘bridge belief’
that can span the gap between where you are in your life currently and where you
want to be.
You Don’t Have To Eat Dog Food Unless You Want To provides guidance in the
realm of finances, encouraging readers to be astute with regard to their assets and
liabilities, reading the well considered wisdom of Robert Kiyosaki who wrote the ‘
‘Rich Dad’ book series. A powerful quote from Kiyosaki is “Live within your means
and raise your means”.
A consummate word-smith, Donovan also suggests tried and true interventions including asking himself in the midst of a challenging situation: “What’s working?” as in what it is that he can find that is beneficial rather than detrimental. He practices what he preaches by providing himself with ‘extraordinary care days’ during which he enjoys what I think of as ‘get to’s’ rather than ‘have to’s’.
This book invites readers to commit to ultimate well being for what could be the most fulfilling times of their lives.
Mary thinks to herself, “I would really like to write my book” (the goal). Then, instead of basking in the good feelings associated with that worthy ideal, the very next thought that comes into her mind is “How will I ever do it? I have to take care of the kids and all. I barely have time to eat much less write a book.”
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