Are you aware of how the FBI trains its agents to spot counterfeit bills? The FBI schools agents by training them to see all of the characteristics of bills printed by the U.S. Treasury—they deal only with genuine money. An FBI agent learns to recognize authentic ones, fives, tens, twenties, fifties and hundred dollar notes until his or her appraisal of them becomes second nature. An agent studies a bill, both sides of it, until he or she learns every feature that makes it genuine legal tender.

That way, when FBI agents see counterfeit bills, they immediately recognize them as such. Their minds aren’t cluttered with what “might be wrong” or “what usually is left off” or “mistakes that are commonly made.” They know what they’re looking for. They are specialists in the real thing. False bills seem glaringly obvious to them.

If you allow yourself to think about the penalties of failure or all the things that could go wrong, you’re far more likely to infuse your performance with those penalties and mistakes. Continually tell yourself what to do. Don’t concentrate on what not to do.

The mind has a fascinating capability. What you think about most is generally what you do most readily. A mistake most people make is to set goals in negative terms. A tennis player may set a goal of not double-faulting a certain number of times during a match. An employee may set a goal of not being late so often. Goals to lose weight, not talk so loud and fast, and not get upset so often are goals framed in negative terms. We need to stay away from negative goal setting.

Understand this about the mind: A fear is a goal in reverse. The mind can’t focus on the reverse of an idea. The term double fault reminds the tennis player of the condition he or she wants to avoid. Being late reminds the employee of the problem, not the solution. When we think we need to lose weight, our minds store the self-image of being overweight. We need the image of the desired weight we want to attain, not the pounds of fat we want to discard. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to concentrate on not being upset.

It’s the same thing as saying, “Don’t make mistakes.” Or worse yet, to a tight rope walker, with no net, “Windy day, don’t fall!” The mind always moves you toward your current dominant thought.

We should say, “First serve in,” for the tennis player. “I’m a punctual, on-time person.” …. “I’m reaching my desired weight.” …. “I speak slowly, clearly and confidently.” …. “I remain calm and relaxed under pressure.” These are all positive goal statements, images of achievement, that pull us in the direction of the desired behavior rather than away from the undesired habit.

This week, stop looking at your life through the rearview mirror; instead, focus on where you want to go!

Reproduced with permission from the Denis Waitley Newsletter.
To Subscribe to Denis Waitley’s Newsletter Use this link
© 2010 Denis Waitley International. All rights reserved worldwide.

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In my years teaching people to be successful, I have seen that, basically, people break their lives down into two major parts: wealth-building and the rest of their lives. Having done a lot of reflection on these two topics—wealth and life—I am coming to some new conclusions about how to perceive the two.

Until recently, I thought that there was a significant difference in how we should tackle the two areas. In fact, I thought that the two topics should be addressed in almost opposite fashion.

You see, wealth-building is just math. While life…. Life is art.

Think back with me to high school. Most of us were required to take math and most of us probably took art as well.

Now, think about your final exams in the two areas. Your math paper was graded on hard facts:

- Ten times 10 is always 100
- Thirty divided by three is always 10
- Seven plus seven is always 14
- Fifty minus 25 is always 25

There is always just one answer in math. The answers are hard fact, set in stone. Math is a science. It is formulaic. You can know the outcome before it happens, every time.

But what about your final art project? Art is much more subjective. “Beauty,” they say, “is in the eye of the beholder.” There is no one right answer.

Think of the different styles of the famous artists: Renoir, Monet, Picasso, Rockwell, Warhol. Different people find different styles beautiful, and that is what makes art, art.

So how does this fit with wealth-building and life? Wealth-building is like math:

- If you add $1,000 to your retirement account each month and gain 7 percent interest over 20 years, you can know now how much you will have then. It is math.
 - If you buy a rental property for $200,000 now and it increases in value by 3 percent a year, you know exactly how much you will be able to sell it for in 10 years.

The beauty of math is in the knowing. You can work the system, set it on autopilot and the math does the work for you, and you know the outcome.

But life? Life is art. And that is the beauty of life. You do not know how it is going to turn out. Life, like art, is always changing. Different people provide different colors. When you make a mistake, you can go back, erase it or even paint right over it. You can change the scenery. Life, like art, is ever evolving, and what looks good to one person is of no interest to another. And that is what makes life beautiful.

Another lesson I think we can draw is that in life we should do our math, of course, but life isn’t made up of just wealth-building. Wealth-building should serve our ability to live our lives. Jesus, the master teacher, said that our lives are not made up of the abundance of our possessions. He didn’t mean that possessions aren’t good, just that wealth isn’t what life is all about.

So let me ask you: Are you spending more time on your math or your art? Do your math. Everybody should do their very best at their wealth-building plan so they can take care of themselves and their families.

But life is about the art. What does your canvas look like? What kind of picture are you painting? What kind of pot are you creating? What kind of statue are you sculpting? Take your time, make bold strokes, use brilliant colors, and make of your life the most beautiful masterpiece that you can.

In other words, do your math so you can focus on your art.

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You’ve seen the film, read the books, say your affirmations, visualize, write your goals and listen to the tele classes, yet you are still not experiencing the results you desire. What’s going wrong here, why isn’t the law of attraction working?

The self help guru’s and stars of The Secret make it seem so easy, so why isn’t the Law of Attraction working for you?

There are several issues here and one or more may apply to your situation.

Firstly the Law of Attraction works every time, all the time, but perhaps not in the ways that you are seeing results at present. The story of Jack may help to clarify this point.

Jack hates his job. He works in an office doing unfulfilling work with co-workers he doesn’t really get along with. He dreams of starting his own business and becoming a millionaire. He starts the day with his affirmations, carries his goals card in his wallet and even has a vision board as a computer screensaver, yet he is frustrated by the seeming lack of progress.

Let’s imaging that Jack is wired up to a vibration meter which measures his level of positive attraction. In the morning it starts high and then grows with his affirmations and goals review. Throughout the bulk of the day however it sinks as he allows the current circumstances to drain his faith and confidence that his dreams are coming true. Negative people, news stories and headlines all conspire to bring his vibration down. Consistent emotions are the key factor in manifesting through the law of attraction.

If Jack’s predominant state is one of frustration and unhappiness he will usually be at a lower frequency than the things he is trying to attract. The occasional spike from an affirmation or visualisation will not be of sufficient power or duration to bring about a change.

He then may begin to feel negative associations with his goals and dreams. Rather than looking at a picture of his dream home and feeling how great it is to live there, he experiences the frustration and disappointment of not living there and doubts that he will.

You may have heard about the Law of Gender, which tells us that things take time to manifest. Despite what you may have seen or read, sitting in a chair and imagining driving a new car is not going to immediately bring one to your driveway. In the time gap between the thought and the manifestation it is important to keep your emotions high and act with faith and belief.

The farmer plants a crop in the spring in the certain expectation that it will be ready for harvest later in the year. He does not spend the interim in worry and doubt or imagine life without the crop.

By sending out your intention and emotional vibrations you will receive ideas and guidance to make it a reality. In order to receive the guidance you need to be open and clear of negative mind chatter. This is why so many teachers recommend meditation as a daily practice.

For Jack to attract his dream home he may see a contest in a magazine or receive the inspired idea to earn the necessary money. If he is not open to the intuitive nudge or lacks the faith and belief to take action, then the dream home will remain just a dream.

In conclusion if the Law of Attraction is not working for you be aware of your predominant thoughts and feelings. Imagine your vibration meter, is it consistently high or do you allow external people and influences to bring it down?

You may also like to consider a daily discipline to quiet your mind and allow you to better receive the messages of intuition, be that mediation, quite reflection or a walk in nature.

The third message to take away is one of faith. There are so many stories and shared experiences about how the Law of Attraction has brought what seemed to be a miracle. If that can happen to someone else then it can also happen for you. Act with faith and believe that great things are unfolding for your good.

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Is Your Life Working the Way You Want it to Be?
by Jack Canfield

When things happen in the world that seem so far beyond our individual control, it can feel unsettling.

But don’t give up on your goals and dreams just because “the time isn’t good”… you can still make 2010 the year you uncover a whole new you for the better!

Even in tough times, you get to decide how to respond to certain conditions, opportunities, and outcomes—both good and bad.

Life will always be a series of choices and YOU get to decide on what will move you closer to your goals, or farther away from them. External forces will always be part of the equation, even during the good times when the world is thriving.

When people ask me about the single most important ingredient to success, I always share the same response: realizing what’s making you achieve success, and then realizing what is stifling your success.

Sometimes recognizing the things that are NOT working in your life can be painful, yet VERY powerful to shaping the life you want.

Don’t try to rationalize them, make excuses for them, or hide them. This is when it’s even more critical to take personal inventory and evict those excuses, rationalizations, and hidden habits that don’t serve you. These things will keep you from the life you want to be living. Let me give you some examples. Ask yourself if you relate to any of these questions:

Do you want to be active, fit, and strong? Then you have to stop making excuses about your weight, diet choices, and lack of exercise.

Do you want to be in a loving relationship based on friendship and respect? Then you have to stop rationalizing why you and your partner are not communicating well.

Do you want to embrace Monday mornings and feel excited about going to work every day? Then you have to stop hiding your true passions and go after whatever it is you really want to be doing day in and day out.

Do you want to lose the debt forever? Then you have to stop ignoring your spending habits and get real about a creating budget that will pull you out of debt and allow you to reach financial freedom.

Do you want to feel more connected to the people in your life, such as your children, friends, and colleagues? Then you have to stop complaining about your poor relationships and figure out why you don’t feel as connected as you’d like to be.

These things can be painful to look at because the truth is that you have to do something about them in order to make it work in your life.

You’ll have to say no to the second helping of dinner and the dessert to follow and go through the action steps to get into shape… You’ll have to confront your partner about the areas that need work… You’ll have to get past fears about changing your job or professional path… You’ll have to cut back on your spending and be a bit more frugal… You’ll have to take a good hard look at your personal relationships and perhaps consider your own shortfalls and weaknesses in communicating your needs and concerns.

Plain and simple, you will have to do something uncomfortable.

Successful people don’t waste time in denial (or complain or make excuses for that matter). They face situations like a warrior. They look for the warning signs, they find out why things aren’t working, and they go about fixing them- even when fixing requires problem solving, hard work, risk, and a level of uncertainty.

It’s okay to identify a problem even though you haven’t a clue about how to go about solving it right away.

The first step is just recognizing the issue, and then having faith that you’ll figure it out with careful attention to it. That’s how successful people live—in constant focus on goals, on results, on problem solving, and on the actions that get them to where they want to be.

Following are three things to do constantly in pursuit of your goals and dreams, however big or small:

Make a list of the things in your life that are working against your success and ask how the situation can be improved. Commit to tackling just one of those issues and be brave!

If you need help organizing those “things” in your life, try using the following list of categories. I recommend reflecting on each of the 7 areas and ask yourself, what’s not working here in each one and then brainstorm 3 potential solutions.

1.) Financial Goals, 2) Career/Business Goals, 3.) Free Time/Family Time,  4.) Health/Appearance Goals,  5.) Relationship Goals,  6.) Personal Growth  7.) Making a Difference

Remember, by facing what is not working, you can only improve your life!  

Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

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The art of visualzation – Denis Waitley

The art of visualization helps you make your goals part of your subconscious reflex habits, like brushing your teeth or driving your car. Imagine that you’re driving home. Think about the steps you take. You start the car, turn left at the light on Main Street, take a right to the expressway, and head west to the foothills. These interim steps break down your final objective into easily segmented steps.

Psychologists call this interior model or template a “cognitive map.” The cognitive map gives you an image by which to check progress at every moment. If you expect to reach a landmark in less time than you are taking on this particular trip, you might speed up a little to get back on pace. Scientists refer to the process of adjusting your actions to fit your image of what is right as using a “negative feedback loop.” This doesn’t mean that you berate yourself when you get off track. It means you mentally correct to the target.

This week begin to utilize or increase your utilization of the art of visualizing your dreams, so that accomplishment of your goals simply becomes a habit!

A fantastic visualization tool is MindMovies 2.0 check it out here

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by Marianne Williamson in “A Return To Love”

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I
to be brilliant and gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people
won’t feel insecure around you.
We are meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us: it’s in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

If you like what you just read, share this with friends on Facebook…

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What is visualization?

Visualization is a mental rehearsal of what you want to happen in reality. The hit film Secret, introduced millions to the Law of Attraction and describes how powerful visualization can be. Imagining your goals and dreams can lead to actually experiencing them, because your body and even the universe responds to your mind.

The key however is the level of emotional input you add to the process. Emotion adds fuel and power to the process and aligns your mind, body and spirit, which is the real secret to manifestation.

When you visualize, you rehearse how a problem can be solved, how a new idea could be implemented, or what a piece of art looks, reads or sounds like. You mentally practice achieving and living your goal, which leads to the real thing.

Three benefits of visualization

New neuro pathways are created. These are like templates which are “patterns of mind-body reflexes that prepare you for what you are going to do”. When you visualize, your muscles experience electrical impulses that correspond to the physical event you are imagining. Take Liu Chi Kung, for example. He was a talented pianist imprisoned for seven years during the Cultural Revolution; when he was released, some say he played better than ever. How is that possible without practicing? He said, “I did practice, every day. I rehearsed every piece; I played every note in my mind.”

Visualization is also used by athletes, sportsmen and women. Scientists at NASA reported that the same muscles and nerves fire in the mental rehearsal as in the actual event.

Leaving your comfort zone. Visualizing your goal takes you into a whole new realm – which can be scary and weird, but much safer in the confines of your mind. You can practice examining your success from a new perspective with all sorts of different scenarios! This sets you up for the real thing, and when it actually happens you’ll be ready. This can be of great use prior to an interview or big exam.

Visualization also allows you to see the big picture, from the perspective of your family, friends, co-workers – and even from talk shows, the daily news, or local radio (depending on what your goal is). You can imagine the Big Picture; the more you picture it in your mind, the more likely it is to become reality.

Problem solving. If you’re facing an obstacle you don’t understand or haven’t ever experienced, your intuition can work its magic. Your mind will reach back into your past for ideas, resources – your intuition will bring forth inspirations that you hadn’t previously considered. It will prompt you to turn left or right, or take a whole new road altogether. It will let you know if you’re on the right track, and will supply you with motivation and insight.

There are a variety of tools for visualization; one of the most effective is mind movies. This combines visual and audio to create an emotional response.

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Robin Sharma is the globally celebrated author of 10 bestselling books on leadership and personal development. His work has been published in over 50 countries and nearly 70 languages, making him one of the most widely read authors in the world. He shot to fame with The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, which has topped international bestseller lists and sold millions of copies.

Robin is the founder of Sharma Leadership International Inc., a global training firm that helps people in organizations Lead Without a Title. Clients include many of the FORTUNE 500 including Microsoft, GE, NIKE, BP, FedEx and IBM. Organizations such as NASA, Yale University and The Harvard Business School are also SLI clients.

URSuccess – How did you get the idea for your book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari? And why do you think it has resonated with millions of people around the world?

Robin Sharma – The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari is largely a book that reflects my life’s journey. I was a very unhappy litigation lawyer, just like the lead character Julian Mantle. I had two law degrees; I was working with a very successful firm, but in many ways, I was living someone else’s life. I was living by an external definition of success rather than by my own. So I decided to do some soul searching, and get my life on a new path.

I wrote The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari in the form of a story because fundamentally, adults are nothing more than deteriorated children. Every one of us loves to be entertained. Every one of us loves to be inspired. I thought that if I wrote a book that was entertaining and fun, yet shared real and powerful ideas that help people achieve greater success, people would enjoy it.

URSuccess – Who inspires you?

Robin Sharma – My two children are my heroes. They teach me what passion, curiosity, joy and unconditional love looks like. People like Bono, Richard Branson, and Nelson Mandela inspire me. Unknown human beings reaching for their own unique form of personal and professional greatness inspire me. My readers – and all their stories of personal and professional transformation – inspireme deeply.

URSuccess – In these uncertain times, what is your advice for people going through some difficult situations?

 Robin Sharma – We must remember that the most successful and resilient people are able to transform challenges into opportunities. Each distraction or challenging situation that life throws our way must be interpreted as a learning point and as an opportunity to improve as human beings. This is the time to shed our old ways, to create and be remarkably innovative, and remake old business models. A simple way to deal with stress is to focus on the positive and distanceyourself from the overwhelming negative news in the world right now.

URSuccess – You talk and write a lot about this concept “Lead Without Title”. Explain what leadership means to you.

 Robin Sharma – Every person within an organization has the opportunity to show leadership behaviour each day. To Lead Without Title. Leadership is far less about position than it is about attitude and the way you show up each day. Leaders without a title are able to seize opportunities amidst setbacks, constantly innovate, and treat people with compassion. Every person can be the CEO his or her own role. For example, frontline sales staff can become ‘CEOs’ of the division or business they’re responsible for. This enables them to assume job ownership and foster a sense of freedom to control their own careers. The role of great leaders is to help their staff to realize their own potential, driving them to do their best and work towards excellence.

The best companies get that. Their race is to grow leaders faster than their competition. My company, Sharma Leadership International Inc., helps the best organizations do exactly that.

URSuccess – In your books, you encourage people to spend 60 minutes a day reading. What are your favourite books?

 Robin Sharma – Reading is having a conversation with the author. Just imagine having a conversation today with Mahatma Gandhi and Richard Branson and Lance Armstrong and Salvador Dali and Madonna – by reading their books. One idea read in one book has the power to revolutionize your life or your career. Ilove to read. My greatest gift to my kids will be my library.

Some of my favourite books are “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, who has become a good friend. “The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius” and “The Prophet” by Kalhil Gibran. I still love classics like “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie as well as a lot of the popular business books out there like “Winning” by Jack Welch and Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”.

URSuccess – Could you name 3 of your best tips, or pieces of advice, that people can quickly adopt into their daily lives?

 Robin Sharma – Be the greatest you can be before it is too late, because no one knows how long we are going to live. Run towards your fears rather than away from them. Within your business or organization, show leadership in whatever title you have and help build a culture of success, and build strong relationships.

Robin’s latest book The Leader Who Had No Title is now available

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Do you ever have days where you do nothing but sit at your computer and answer emails, and at the end of the day you’re completely exhausted and you still don’t feel like you got anything done?

In my early days as a salesman, somebody told me, “Massive action solves every problem.”

That has to be one of the worst pieces of advice I ever got from anyone.

Did you know that it’s possible to be productive without being frantic and rushed all the time?

Lots o’ people are celebrating the US 4th of July by taking today off. Today is the perfect day to slow down for a minute and see how you can get more done with LESS effort and less stress.

A few weeks ago I did an interview with RC Peck about the “Critter Brain” or “Lizard Brain.” It’s the part of our brain that hijacks our best intentions when we most need to be strategic and deliberate. The lizard brain takes over and we do stupid stuff.

RC said, “The way to speed up is to slow down. Rarely is a rush of frantic activity helpful.”

If you’re a spontaneous person like me it’s hard to slow down and really think. I don’t know about you, but I get excited about new things and generate a whirlwind of activity. A lot of energy gets wasted.

TIP #1:

The worst place to get REAL thinking done is with your hands on your keyboard. The best place to think is in your favorite quiet spot with a pad of yellow notebook paper.

TIP #2:

Get up and go for a walk.

Physical motion switches your brain on. I guarantee you, you will have more thoughts, better thoughts, more creative thoughts when your body is active than when your butt’s on a chair.

If you play a sport, run, ride your bike or play music, that’s even better.

When I put on my shoes and head for the door, I say “Time to go give my head a shake” and my family knows exactly what I’m talking about. I go for walks even when it’s freezing cold outside. It stimulates my brain.

TIP #3:

Learn to recognize when you’re stuck in reactive mode. If you can’t get your mind to focus and all you seem to be able to do is react to emails and click on things and surf, it’s a good sign you need to bleed off some excess energy.

Yes, there are times when you just need to answer emails and phone calls and take care of miscellaneous things. Much better to do that stuff within a deliberate time slot instead of all the time.

My formula is:

Speed up to slow down to speed up.

Which means:

Stop the frantic activity and plan your work. Plan your work by physically speeding up (a brisk walk or run gets your juices flowing) then (slow down) write down your plan on your strategic yellow pad of paper. You’ll speed up getting more done.

You’re an entrepreneur, which means the world does YOUR bidding. YOU are the person who organizes resources and moves things from low value to high value. You don’t just sit there and let your day get nibbled to death by a thousand mosquitoes.

There has never been a time when one person could accomplish so much in so little time. But you need to run the world, not let the world run you.

If today is a day when the phones aren’t ringing and people aren’t demanding your time, then it’s the perfect day to go for a walk, figure out what you want to accomplish in the next weeks and months, map out your plan and EXECUTE.

Seize the day – and start by going outside and getting a breath of fresh air.

How about right now?

Perry Marshall

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Half way through the year is a great time to reflect and take stock of our goals and progress so far. Did you start the year full of hopes, dreams and expectations? How are these working out? It’s time for a half time team talk.

A great business maxim is that ‘what gets measured gets managed’ and the same can be true of life. If you want to lose weight for example you need to know where you are now, if you intend to create more wealth, again you need to know your starting point. A vague notion of wanting to be a bit fitter or to have some more money lacks the specificity required to power your dreams.

The wheel of life is a popular coaching tool which enables you to examine the key areas of your life, health, finance, careers, relationships and so on. It not only measures current or intended ratings but also shows areas which are out of balance.

You may like to print the diagram below and mark your current rating.

A client was experiencing some money worries and scored a 4 in Finances. Rather than becoming negative about ‘only a 4’, we switched energy by assessing what factors had made it a 4 rather than a 3, 2 or 1. By doing so he became grateful for his job, his ability to have a bank account, credit cards etc. Even though he may have wanted more, being firstly aware and secondly appreciative of the current position is an important starting point.

Setting clear and effective goals is a great way of putting your request into the universe. Almost immediately, via your brain’s Reticular Activating System, you will begin to notice new opportunities and resources to help achieve your goals.

Something important to consider is how the goal makes you feel. If setting a goal to lose 20lbs or 10kg makes you feel dispirited then perhaps a smaller goal like 5lbs would be a more motivational place to start. Law of attraction teachers tell us that desire plus emotion plus action equals results. Therefore your goal should feel possible, even if you are not sure exactly how it will be achieved.

“You do not need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step in faith” Martin Luther King Jr.

Other great tools in achieving your goals are the use of affirmations and visualisations. By mentally rehearsing having already succeeded, you are training your subconscious mind to go to work on your behalf.

Regular use of positive, empowering, present tense affirmations, such as “I am feeling fit and healthy at my ideal weight of xyz”, will condition your brain to support your goal.

Visualisations help because the brain works in images. Find a picture of the former slimmer you and put it on the fridge or next to your bed. Perhaps use an image from a magazine, but remember to consider how it makes you feel. If you chose a ‘perfect’ model type figure, does that inspire you or depress you into the biscuit tin?

Finally reward yourself for your progress. Follow these simple steps:-

• Measure
• Set goals
• Take action
• Review
• Reward.

The reward will enable your brain to associate pleasure with the progress towards your goal, which in turn, will make even more progress come quickly and easily.

A simple, fun tool to help with the setting and acheivement of goals is The Goals Workshop Program -  goal setting software.

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