Learn the Power of Your Subconscious Mind

Archives for Setting & Achieving Goals




Jul

7

5 Questions to Help You Make Better Decisions Now

July 7, 2010 | 5 Comments


“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.”
~ Napoleon Bonaparte

You know what I’ve found to be one of the biggest obstacles to achievement, progress and real success? The ability to decide – not a half-ass decision, but a real committed decision where you commit to something and then go and do it.

When I decided to leave my full time job in 2008 to pursue a full time career as a coach, it was one of the most gut-wrenching decisions I’ve ever made. It was a difficult decision and maybe the craziest decision I’ve made ever – at least that’s what my parents, my family and most of my good friends were telling me.

They thought I was nuts. To leave a really good-paying job to go and chase some dream to become a successful entrepreneur was insanity.

It turns out it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I absolutely love what I do and I’m having a blast doing it.

So, how about you? Are you looking for something new? Are you feeling stuck and unsure how to get around it?

When you make a decision, any decision, what you’re really doing is moving your life in a new direction. Because the Universe will always find an abundance of opportunities to conspire and create your reality once you decide.

Decision is the Starting Point

When you don’t decide what you’re really doing is holding up your creativity. You’ve delayed the flow of current in your life. It’s just like you might pause a movie to go and get some popcorn. The move doesn’t start again until you hit play.

The way you hit play in your life is by making a decision. As soon as you make your decision the Universal Movie Projector of your life will conspire to make it happen for you.

Now here’s the other side of the coin. Its a myth that many people have been brainwashed to believe; that if you just wait long enough and be patient, the right opportunities will show up on your doorstep.

There is some truth in that statement – about being patient - but here’s the other half that nobody seems to speak about. It’s that opportunity only comes knocking once you decide what it is you want. The reality is that the sooner you decide, the sooner you will be flooded with new opportunities.

I can tell you from my own personal experience that opportunities only show up when you make a committed decision and go for it. Only then will you see new opportunities that weren’t there before.

Making the Wrong Decision Helps Too!

Decision is the starting point. Being able to make good decisions – often enough – will always bring you new opportunities. You might not always make the right decision, but making a decision is more important than not making any decision at all.

Would you like to know why?

The more decisions you make, the more contrast you experience. The more contrast you experience, the greater the variety in your life. The greater the variety in your life, the easier it is for you to decide what you like and what you don’t like. The easier it is for you to decide what you like and what you don’t like, the easier it is for you to decide what you really WANT.

You see how this works?

By actually becoming a master in making decisions, you get clearer on what you want – and not only that. You also get what you want much faster.

But you MUST decide.

The problem is that many people are afraid of making the wrong decisions. They don’t want to look stupid or make a mistake. Because of they did make a mistake, their friends and family might think they were a failure.

Sound familiar?

Now here’s what you must realize. You’re decisions are not just about you. They impact everyone in your life.  So when considering your decision, you want to bring in a broader perspective so that you get clear on what it is you’re really trying to do.

5 Questions to Help You Make Better Decisions Now

You can gain a broader perspective on your decisions by asking these higher level questions:

  1. What’s the best way to handle this so that everyone wins?
  2. What’s the most creative way to create a win-win solution?
  3. How can I do this so that everyone benefits?
  4. What can I do to make this work?
  5. How do I feel about this decision?

Anytime you make a decision ask these five questions. Not only will it get you out of your head and into someone else’s - it will give you a broader perspective of what you’re trying to do, it will help you clarify your direction and help others too.

Do you need to make a decision right now?  How do you do it?  What questions do you ask yourself? Click here to read more…

Jun

6

How to Use the Law of Attraction to Achieve Your Dreams

June 6, 2010 | 7 Comments


You can’t just think good thoughts and expect that good things will fall into your lap.  Just thinking positive thoughts doesn’t cut it as I clearly pointed out in Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work. What’s clear to me is that applying the Law of Attraction effectively comes from becoming clear on what you want and then making the mental shift to receive it by acting as if you already own it.

Here’s a 5 step process to help you manifest and use the Law of Attraction more effectively in your life:

Step 1: Decide What You Want

One of the best ways to decide what you want is by knowing what you don’t want.  This in itself helps you create the contrast in your experience so you can put your attention on what you really do want.

It seems very simple but the honest truth is that too many people put their attention on what they don’t want as I explain in Why You Attract What You Don’t Want.

In my Workbook I point out that some people are afraid to make the wrong decision.  They don’t want to look bad or think that they did something wrong and that’s why they can’t decide.

So instead of deciding they procrastinate.  They put off the decision.  The irony is that the more you put off your decision the longer it takes you to get clear on what you really DO want.

Just think about it.  Let’s say you’ve never had a salami sandwich before, but today you decide to you’re going to have one. As you eat the salami sandwich you realize that you hate salami. It tastes absolutely awful.

You shrug this off and decide to try a ham sandwich instead (because you now know that you don’t like salami). The ham sandwich tastes great.  You can’t believe how tasty it is and wish you would have known about this magical meat sooner.

The fact is that with every new experience you have you begin to experience contrast. Each time you taste a different type of sandwich you have a new experience – and each new experience gives you more contrast relative to your previous experience.

The more experiences you have the greater the contrast.  The greater the contrast the faster you can pinpoint what you don’t want and get clearer on what you do want.  Decision is the starting point.

Step 2: Write It Down

After you decide what you want it’s important to write it down. It’s like using a highlighter while taking notes.  Written thoughts highlight an intention to your subconscious mind.

Writing out your goals and intentions also helps you gain clarity and focus as I point out in How to Believe in Your Dreams – 3 Steps.

When you write out your goals and intentions you want to give them a direction and a magnitude.  This is the fastest way to Setting and Achieving Your Goals.  The direction helps you stay focused and the magnitude helps you measure how you feel about what you want to accomplish.

Both are equally important when using the Law of Attraction.

Step 3: Identify Any Limiting Beliefs

Assuming you know what you want and it’s written down, your now ready to receive it.  The process of receiving what you want comes through your action.  The problem that surfaces is that at some point you will feel torn between acting and not acting. Click here to read more…

May

31

Download My Workbook: 3 Step Guide to Gain Lost Confidence and Take a Fearless Step

May 31, 2010 | 6 Comments


“Absolutely awesome information.” ~ Debajit

I just came out with a new workbook and 3 step guide to help you step out of comfort zone so that you can achieve what you never thought was possible.  It’s a workbook which means you’ll gain some value by actually doing some of the exercises I suggest.

FOR SOMEONE IN A JOB THIS MEANS you will:

  • Overcome the obstacles and fears that standing your way of asking (and getting) that next promotion or raise
  • Become a magnet for new opportunities and projects
  • Eliminate the struggle and bad habits that have kept you back

FOR SOMEONE IN A BUSINESS THIS MEANS you will:

  • Create the mindset that “attracts” an abundance of new opportunities
  • Build momentum and achieve your most ambitious goals
  • Gain the skills to be fearless in the face of new challenges Click here to read more…

Feb

16

How to Gain Lost Confidence and Take a Fearless Step

February 16, 2010 | 8 Comments


“Right now, in this moment, you are capable of exponential improvement in your performance.  You don’t have to settle for things as they are now.  That can change.  Dramatically.  You haven’t been reaching your full potential.  So far, you haven’t even come close.” ~ Price Pritchett

Now for most of us we’ve been taught that the best way to grow and become more is by trying harder.  You’ve got to push on through your feelings and do it.   Trying harder is how you accomplish more.  I’m sure you’ve heard that before.

The problem with always pushing yourself is that it leads to physical symptoms like burnout, fatigue and exhaustion.   The harder you try, the worse you feel and in some cases, the less you accomplish.

Not only does this approach create burnout, but it can also creates negative emotional states and feelings like frustration, worry and fear.

Fear is the strongest of all negative emotions.  It’s a dream killer and it’s the reason that many people have trouble moving forward with what’s important to them.

As an example let’s say you’re looking at a new career.  You would really like to start writing and being more creative because you want to use more of your natural talents and unique abilities.

On the outside it seems like a good idea, but on the inside you have these doubts and fears.  You think to yourself,

  • “What if I’m not good enough?”
  • “What if I’m not smart enough.”
  • “What if I’m not qualified?”
  • “What if they don’t like me?”
  • “What if I’m too old?”
  • “What if I’m too young?”

What if, what if, what if?  All these doubts running through your mind.  So on the outside you really want to take steps to make this new career happen, but on the inside you feel like you’re going through hell trying to get there.  You feel stuck.

On one side of the coin you have this desire to grow and express more of who you really are and on the other side your fear is keeping you stuck.  Your mind is trying to balance your fears and desires – where one part of you really wants this new career and the other part is resisting.

So how do you get around it?

I’m glad you asked.  What we want to do is understand what exactly is controlling your internal thermostat; this balance between your fears and desires.  Because once you know how to engage your desires and eliminate your fear, anything is possible.

Your Internal Thermostat Click here to read more…

Jan

11

How to Believe in Your Dreams – 3 Steps

January 11, 2010 | 20 Comments


How to believe in your dreams in 3 steps.

Belief is a powerful word – the state of knowing and feeling certain that something special is coming your way. Through my own personal experience I’ve found that creating that state of certainty – to believe in your dreams – has 3 steps.

Here are 3 steps to believe in your dreams:

Step #1. Love What You Do

Recently I was watching Steve Jobs present his commencement speech to the Standford College graduates. Steve is one of the co-founders of Apple computers.  Although Jobs is not a college graduate himself he had an important message to help anyone create belief in their dreams.

Steve said that many people try to connect the dots looking forward so that they can see what their life will look like in the future.  He said that’s the wrong approach because connecting the dots only happens when you’re looking backward. It’s only after something happens in your life that you realize how it got you to where you are.

He gives the example of when he got fired from Apple.  He spent 10 years of his life building this multi-billion dollar company.  And when he got fired at the age of 30 it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him because a few months later he met his wife.

Jobs says that you can’t connect the dots moving forward.  You can only have faith and believe in your dreams.  Jobs says that the only thing that kept him going all those years when he faced adversity was the fact that he absolutely loved what he was doing.  The lesson?

Do what you love and love what you do.  To believe in your dreams, make sure to find what you absolutely love to do and the go out and do it.

Step #2. Always Think On Paper

I was at a seminar in Universal City last year and saw some amazing speakers and presenters.  One of them was the rich dad from Robert Kiyosaki’s popular book: Rich Dad, Poor Dad.  He said something that I’ll never forget,

“Always think on paper.” ~ Keith Cunningham

That means taking a pen/pencil and writing out what you want.  Then taking that initial draft and rewriting and refining it until it feels right to you.  Creating a state of certainty starts when you know what you want.

Have you ever been to a restaurant when the server suddenly came by to take your order?  And because you were unsure of what you wanted, you fumbled a bit?

It’s exactly the same with your dreams.  If you’re unsure of what you want, you start to fumble and doubt yourself.  That doubt is a dream killer. Click here to read more…

Jan

5

3 Stages to Goal Achievement

January 5, 2010 | 3 Comments


At the end of every year I reflect on the past 12 months to look for new insights that might make things easier for me in the year ahead.  As I was walking through this yearly ritual I came up with an insightful way to look at goals and goal achievement for 2010.

Have a look and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Click here to read more…

Jan

4

Do New Years Resolutions Really Work?

January 4, 2010 | 5 Comments


This is the worst time to be setting goals and making new years resolutions, well at least statistically. According to polls almost all Americans – about 88% of them – will make a new years resolution this year.  The bad news is that half of them will have already broken their new years resolution by January 2 and more than 90% of those resolutions will have been forgotten by April 1 of this year.

So what does that say about you?

If you set an intention at the beginning of 2010 and have stuck it out for the last 4 days, then you’re ahead of at least half the pack.  Yup, it definitely says something special about you.

In fact if you keep up at this pace until April you’ll be a diamond in the rough – a rare specimen because only 1 out of 10 Americans keep their new years resolutions well into the first quarter of the year.

I started thinking about my intentions back in December. I didn’t wait until the clock hit 12 on new years eve – by then I had already made up my mind.   I had a clear picture in my mind.  If you’re not there just yet, then here’s what to do.

When New Years Resolutions Don’t Work

You’ve got to give yourself some time to think about what you want.  The worst thing you can do is rush.   Just take your time and think about what’s important to you - ask yourself, “What do I really want?” Click here to read more…

Nov

30

6 Clear Signs of Procrastination

November 30, 2009 | 10 Comments


Procrastination can be a big problem. You see what many people don’t realize is that putting off the important has greater consequences than they think. When you do this often and long enough, you start churning up destructive habit patterns.

These destructive habits can negatively affect your self-confidence and self-image. It negatively affects the way you feel. That’s why it’s critical to identify procrastination from the very beginning.

Here are 6 clear signs of procrastination:

  1. Feeling guilty for incomplete tasks
  2. Lowered self-esteem
  3. Feeling tired and fatigued
  4. A sense of being unworthy
  5. Signs of doubt and being depressed
  6. Feeling stressed and strung-out

Not a pretty sight, is it?

Well luckily a few smart people put together some suggestions to help you and I overcome procrastination. So let’s take a look.

Procrastination: What’s the Solution? Click here to read more…

Nov

19

How to Overcome Procrastination – 2 Ways

November 19, 2009 | 9 Comments


Your best friend, procrastination.

“What!” you say, “My best friend, how could you say that?” The reason procrastination is your best friend is because it’s on the teetering edge of motivation.

Let me explain.

For a behavior to be classified as procrastination, it must be counterproductive, needless, and delaying. Here are some other examples you may be familiar with:

  • putting off an important decision
  • leaving a critical task undone
  • becoming counterproductive and keeping “busy” on needless work

To start behaving this way it takes real mastery. You’ve got to learn how to procrastinate – it doesn’t just happen.  You’ve got to use your physiology, create the right emotions and get it all working perfectly and in the right sequence.

And when you get really good at it so you can do it without thinking…. then you’ve really mastered it.  What an accomplishment!!

Most people don’t look at it this way. They think procrastination is a negative thing, but what they don’t realize is that you learned this behavior.  If you can learn how to procrastinate and do it well, then you can just as easily learn how to become motivated.

You see, all you’re creating is a result.  You’re teaching yourself how to get motivated or how to procrastinate.  To get really good at procrastination you had to learn how to use your emotions because your emotions are what drive your behavior.

Here are 2 ways to overcome procrastination:

#1. Eliminate Fear

You see, you’ve got these emotions pulling you back and forth. It’s like an internal tug of war.  Some days you’re good and others days – not so good.   Positive emotions can pull you towards what you want and negative emotions can push you away.

In a sense, procrastination is a form of self-sabotage. If negative emotions are pushing away the important then your negative emotions must be stronger than your positive emotions to pull you towards – and that fear is winning the tug of war.

If you want to eliminate procrastination, then eliminate your fear.   Just ask yourself: Are you pushing away the things you want?   And if you are, are you pushing them away because of your fear of success or a fear of failure?

Once you get clear on what’s stopping you, you can reframe those fears and empower yourself to take action.

#2. Cultivate Desire Click here to read more…

Oct

14

3 Mind Power Techniques to Become A Better Blogger

October 14, 2009 | 2 Comments


It’s normal to have a bad day, right?  Well sure. But what if you have a bad week or a bad month?

I’ve been blogging for just over a year.  And if there is one thing that I’ve learned is that you’ve got to be consistent.  You’ve got to be consistently putting in an effort to build your blog.  It won’t build itself.

So what about those bad days?

I’ve had them and they’re no good.  You want to bounce back quickly.  Get out of that rut.  The quicker the better.  So you can get back to blogging, life and other things.

And it all begins with the proper mindset.

Here are 3 Mind Power Techniques to Become a Better Blogger:

Mind Power Technique #1: Overcome Writers Block With A Physical Change

When you’re writing and you get stuck, do this.  Get up, walk around and sit in a different spot.  See your screen from a different point of view.  Sit in a different location and gain a new perspective.

Sound to hokey?

You see one thing that’s true for anyone is that a change in your mindset will change your physiology – your body posture, facial expressions, etc.  When you think new thoughts, the chemicals in your brain change.  But what many people don’t know is that the opposite is also true.  A change in your physiology will also change the chemistry in your mind.

This the same reason why some writers will use exercise as a way to gain new insights and spark their creativity.  A change in there physical state creates a change in their internal state. Body movement is an effective brain stimulator.

So get your body moving.  Get up and go for a walk, get some exercise or just change locations to trigger that inner change – the place where you get all of those great ideas.

Mind Power Technique #2: Track Your Progress

I think over the past 3 months, 70% of the blog carnivals I submit to have either quit or stopped publishing.  Which tells me one thing, that more than 7 out of 10 people will quit blogging within 3 months of starting.  Don’t let that be you.

Keep your momentum going by using this mind power technique #2: track your progress.

Let me explain.

Recently, I spoke to a sales representative from iperceptions – a survey company that provides statistics and data for websites.  What they do is survey people who navigate your website or blog.  As part of their surveying process they tested different methods and found something really interesting.

What they did was add a status bar at the bottom of each survey page.  That way users could see their progress as they went through the survey.  When they did this, the survey completion rates increased by an astounding 67%!

Basically, this is what happened.  When users new how well they were doing, they kept going.  But if they didn’t have any signs of progress, they quit the survey altogether.

How can you use this technique with your blog?

Start tracking the traffic of your blog by creating a blog traffic diary.  I learned this technique from Yaro Starak @ Entrepreneurs-Journey.com.  He’s got some great content on his blog and I give his Blog Mastermind Training two thumbs up as well.

A blog diary is basically a way to track the unique visitors and pageviews for your blog.  I thought it would be a good idea to track my Newsletter subscribers as well.  Here’s a snap shot of my traffic and newsletter subscribers each month from November 08 to May 09.

Freedom Education Blog Traffic

What I found from following this process is that I instinctively became more proactive.  I started to think ahead about how I could improve my traffic.  If I saw that my unique visitors were down one month, then I would brainstorm ways to improve my performance: either by creating better content or putting more effort into my marketing.

I’ve been pretty active with my blog diary.  I still keep it up to date because it’s such a great tool.  I’ve pretty much shared what has worked for me and what has not worked over the past year.  You can see my blog traffic diary here: Freedom Education Blog Diary.

Mind Power Technique #3: Use Comparison To Give Yourself A Boost Click here to read more…

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