Caught In A Trap?

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Wednesday September 9, 2009

Good day all and welcome to the midweek point. In some circles it's known as "Hump Day". You work out the details on your own. ;-)

The week is gaining momentum and I certainly feel that the announcement I'll be bringing you in the next couple of days will certainly touch some chords with delight.

Today though, we go to our very good friend friend from Australia as she helps us decide if we really are...

Caught In A Trap?
by Thea Westra

There are 86,400 seconds in each day. It takes less than one of those to make a decision. Each decision we make can take life in a wholly different direction.

Having lived more than 1,475,776,800 seconds myself, it is astounding to consider the myriad of turns that life could have taken with each new thought that I had at each moment.

Every action and consequential events are all based on singular thoughts that you have had or that another person had in relationship to you. So now, who thinks that they are caught in a trap and have limited options? You've likely heard it often...change your thoughts and you change your life. Think about this... (pardon the pun) and you'll know it to be the absolute truth about every aspect of your past.

Initially, you may hear this as bad news. Especially when you're now 100% responsible for every thing that is showing up in your life. Yet consider the notion more closely and in fact it's probably the most empowering idea that you could accept as a fact, if you're wanting some choice in the matter of where your experience of life takes you next.

You see the good news is that we have it within our power to change the thoughts and beliefs that flow through each day. It's all a matter of habits and shifting what's usual, comfortable and familiar to us. You've heard the saying, "To have different you need to do different." Our doing is sourced in our thinking so be careful where you take those thoughts and be aware of what you accept as ultimate truths. The Earth may not be as flat as you believe!

I believe that I have shared the following with you before, however you may see something else it it for yourself if I expose it to you for re-reading:

"Rightness: Long ago, a brilliant psychologist proved that if you present a rat with 3 tunnels, only one of which has some cheese in it, the rat would explore all the avenues until he finds the cheese. And, after reinforcement, he will ignore all non-cheese tunnels, and go down only the one with the payoff. Then, if you take away the cheese, he will soon learn that it’s gone, and will begin to explore all tunnels again, looking for the reward. Human beings, in stark contrast, will go up a tunnel looking for whatever 'cheese' the situation is, never get any, but they proceed to go up that same tunnel for a lifetime. And what’s driving them is reasonableness, or rightness. That is, they get to say to themselves, quite logically: 'I saw cheese go up that tunnel. It’s got to be up there. I’ll find it, goddam it, if it takes me a lifetime.' So they get to spend a lifetime without cheese, but always being able to explain (to wives, friends, acquaintances anyone who will listen) that they’re up a very reasonable tunnel. And they find people to agree that the cheese really belongs up that tunnel. (Those people are called really close friends!)

If you’re running your life up a tunnel (or a series of them) with no 'cheese' for you; you’re beginning to get what I’m driving at: that running your life being right is pointless and I don't mean that what you’re doing is wrong; I simply mean it doesn't work, and that should be the main criterion." ~From EST: Playing The Game The New Way written by Carl Frederick in 1972~

If what you are doing is not working then get it working or get it out of there! If you are not producing the results that you are wanting to produce then it's time to explore your deeply held beliefs and to begin looking at where you are 'being right' about something, which in fact may be nowhere near right for the direction you're wanting to go.

You can change the direction in which you're heading, in a jiffy! A jiffy is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. Determine desired intentions and decide to produce specific results. Regularly focus on your intentions. Be vigilant with your language (in mind or voiced). Track your progress and reward the forward steps. Know if an action or non-action is moving you toward or away from your intended outcome.

Thea Westra is the senior thought leader, at her Forward Steps site. She resides in Perth, Australia with her ultra-supportive partner Greg. Thea publishes a monthly ezine (among many other publications and products) at http://www.forwardsteps.com.au Enjoy her life success blogs at http://www.timeformylife.com/blogs.htm and get personally connected here, http://www.ask-thea-about.com

Shedding Life Long Habits

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Tuesday September 8, 2009

Good day everyone and say hello to a very fine post Labor Day Tuesday. I expect you had time over the long weekend to consider how you're going to aim for the end of your year.

I had an interesting chat with some very lovely folks over the holiday about what could be holding them back from all of the desires they can clearly articulate. The bottom line for us all was....

Shedding Life Long Habits
by Claudette Rowley

Most of us have habits that we don't like back or stop us from being as brilliant as we naturally are. For many of us, life long habits such as avoidance, self-sabotage or excessive worrying have the power to hold us back from our potential.

Whether you're trying to stop procrastinating, worrying or overeating, you might be challenged to eliminate your habit of choice. This is because life long habits are often coping mechanisms that we unconsciously choose. For example, when you were eight years old, you didn't wake up one morning and say, "You know, for now on I'm going to avoid situations and people that make me nervous." Instead you unconsciously adapted to your environment and choose the best coping strategy available to you at that time.

So when you're trying to change an old habit, have compassion for yourself. Life long habits are usually chosen for good reasons; now many of them simply don't benefit you anymore. And that's one question to ask yourself, "What's the benefit I receive from engaging in this habit?" Is it stress reduction, discomfort or avoidance? Does the habit have positive benefits? For example, when you were 16 years old, did you fall in love with yoga and still have a regular practice 30 years later? Or did you choose to start procrastinating and now realize that this old habit stops you from pursuing your dreams.

Does your life long habit add to your life or detract from it? Once you know the honest answer to that question, you can decide whether it's time to embrace your habit or shed it like an old snake skin. To determine if your habit is helping or hurting you, consider these questions and thoughts:

• When you engage in your habit, how does it make you feel?
• Does it stop you from moving forward, pursuing your dreams, ideas or passions? Does it make you feel bad emotionally? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, it may be time to shed your habit.
• If a life long habit increases your confidence, frees you up or enhances your physical, emotional or mental health, it may be a good one to keep.
• Be honest with yourself: deep down you know the difference between habits that lift you up and habits that take you down.

Once you decide to shed a habit that no longer works for you, you open yourself up to wonderful possibilities - a new opportunity may show up, your intuition may kick in more accurately or you may feel like you have a new lease on life.

Research shows that a positive perspective actually allows us to "see" more of what's available to us. Think back to the last time you felt stuck, experienced fear or listened to your inner critic yammering in your ear. What was your perspective like? Your viewpoint was probably narrower than usual: you noticed less, you felt pessimistic and your motivation was diminished. The same is true of life long habits that no longer serve us.

Rather than allowing an old habit to run your life, cause pain and anguish or hold you back from expressing your full potential in the world, commit yourself to change. Focus on what you'd open up within yourself if you no longer engaged in the habit. Shed your habit like an old skin and release the brilliant potential within you that it masks.

Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-316-1923 or by email. Sign up for her free newsletter "Insights for the Savvy" at www.metavoice.org.

Carry On!

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Friday September 4, 2009

Hello there all and welcome to the end of the first week of September. The holiday is upon us and we'll all be making plans as to how we're going to finish the year. Will you finish strong? Will you finish proud? Will you finish in appreciate for all the blessings that clearly surround you.

Today's video offering will undoubtedly cause you some reflection.

The original video we had for today has just been overwhelmed. We'll bring it back when it gets quieter.In the meantime enjoy this one.



Have an outstanding holiday weekend

See you on Tuesday.

Take care,

~peter~

This is going to be amazing!!!

Yet another late night note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com on Friday 12:33am September 4, 2009

This is getting pretty amazing, our product development company is just about to blow the lid off of the entire personal development industry. You'll want to be a part of this.

Entrepreneurship and Social Responsibility

A late night note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com on Thursday September 3, 2009

Awesome video on the impact of entrepreneurship. Love your computer? Enjoy driving your vehicle? How about electricity? Cell Phones?

All the products of entrepreneurship. You'll love this piece.

There's No Such Thing As Failure

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Thursday September 3, 2009

Good day all and welcome to this very, very fine Thursday.

It's been really amazing these past two weeks as we've been focusing on the theme of "personal development" and how some have been reacting to it in these times. I've discovered that not everyone really understands what it is. Let's have a closer look at it.

According to my dictionary "personal" and "development" means this:

Personal: concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality; "a personal favor"; "for your personal use"; "personal papers"; "personal development"; etc.

Development: the act of developing or disclosing that which is unknown; a gradual unfolding process by which anything is developed, as a plan or method, or an image upon a photographic plate; gradual advancement or growth through a series of progressive changes; also, the result of developing, or a developed state.

The "development" part is pretty clear, but it seems many folks need to be clearer on the fact that "personal" also means: you, self, individual, one, alone, private, single, distinctive, one's own, separate, not overlapping, etc. Yes, it's now very clear that the responsibility for our "personal development" lies entire with the person that is looking back at us when we face our mirror.

I hope this helps clear it up even more.

Now, with the above in mind, let me introduce another new contributor as he also lays out the fact that....

There's No Such Thing As Failure
by Iain Legg

Have you ever held back on doing something because you were afraid of failure? Most people have! Let’s face it; no one likes to fail. None of us likes to feel like we’re ineffective, weak or lacking in any way, and that’s exactly how failure makes us feel.

However, you may be surprised to know that failure doesn’t exist – until YOU say it does. In the dictionary, failure has several definitions: 1) a failing to do or perform 2) a state of inability to perform a normal function adequately 3) a fracturing or giving way under stress 4) a lack of success.

Look carefully at those definitions and you’ll probably realize they have one thing in common when it comes to goal achievement: failure is a PERCEPTION.

If you believe you have failed, then you have. If you believe you don’t have the ability to succeed, then you don’t. If you believe you can’t handle the pressure of achieving your goals, you can’t. If you believe you’re not successful, you aren’t. Failure only exists in your own mind! The moment you decide to give up or stop working toward your goals, failure is born.

But what if you never do that? What if you continue working toward your goals, one step at a time for as long as it takes? There’s no failure then, is there?

This insight should be very encouraging if you’ve been working toward goals and not yet seeing positive results. Simply keep going and you cannot fail!

Here are three tips to help you stay strong and focused on your goals:

1) Never give yourself an out. Most people do this without even realizing it. They are willing to work hard on achieving their goals, until the going gets too rough or their motivation dwindles. Don’t do that! Commit to making your goals happen, no matter what! Never quit, never contemplate admitting failure, and never lose your inner determination.

2) Don’t get hooked on a specific timeframe for completion. It’s okay to set a general timeline, but be aware that some circumstances will be beyond your control, so you can’t say for sure when your goal will be achieved. If you do that, you’re just setting yourself up for failure! Instead, get a general idea of when you’d like your goal to be completed, but then take it a day at a time and focus on making progress, not reaching the finish line in as little time as possible.

3) Finally, be sure that you don’t view obstacles and setbacks as failures. The two are completely different. An obstacle, setback or delay means only one thing: it’s not time for your goal to be completed yet. That’s it! It doesn’t mean you failed; it doesn’t mean you’re weak; it doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your goals. It simply means you’re not done yet. You’ve got to keep moving forward and find a way around or through the obstacle.

Iain Legg is the co-founder of Real Mind Power Secrets

The Power of You!

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Wednesday September 2, 2009

Good day all and welcome to the midweek point.

So, here we are at the start of the final 1/3rd of 2009. The world has taken some significant turns for you already this year, and yes, you can still reach those intentions and desires you set for yourself back in January.

Oh, you may just be thinking that your dear writer here might just be a bit wonky, but I'm not. It has been proven by people tons smarter than I, that you can absolutely fullfill your dreams and desires in 1/3rd of the time you might otherwise think they would take. Pay close attention to that one!

Today we feature yet another new contributor who clearly focuses on...

The Power of You!
by Rita Ballard

It really IS all about you. The world DOES revolve around you. At least YOUR world does.

If you do not pay attention to your own needs, desires, and inner feelings, then you will be unable to meet the needs of anyone else. How can you possibly give to someone else that which you don't possess for yourself?

You are unique. There is no one else exactly like you. That, in itself, makes you a special person. Within you lies the potential to become and create whatever kind of world you desire; of course, it works conversely, too. You have also created things that you DON"T want, just by focusing on them. Until you learn how to tap into this power and control your own world, you cannot be very helpful to others. It has to start with you.

This is not a selfish point of view, but a very practical and logical one. When we give to others and ignore our selves, we end up adding extra baggage to our loads in the form of resentments, anger, hurt, lack of confidence, and generally causing ourselves unnecessary pain.

It's never too late to begin to care about yourself, no matter what has happened in your life. Esteem is an inside job, and you have total and exclusive access to what you have inside of you. No one can change those innermost feelings, emotions, and beliefs except you. What power that can turn out to be!

Anytime you need to reinforce your sense of personal power, do this:

Close your eyes and breathe naturally. If it helps, play some soothing music in the background. Get comfortable.

Visualize all tension flowing out of your body. See it moving down from the top of your head, down your face, neck and shoulders. Imagine that it flows down your arms and out your fingertips. See it moving down your chest, hips, and into your legs. Visualize it flowing down your legs, into your feet, and out the ends of your toes.

Now, allow your mind to bring forward a memory of a time when you were feeling very confident, very powerful, in full control of your life. Once that memory is present, step into it and feel the strength of those emotions as if it were happening right now. Notice how great you feel. Once you can feel that sense of confidence and personal power very strongly, press your thumb and index finger together.

Begin to slowly return to normal awareness, knowing that anytime you need a confidence boost, all you have to do is press your thumb and index finger together, and you will be instantly flooded with those powerful feelings.

Rita Ballard, C.Ht. has her office in Chehalis, Washington. Rita uses Ericksonian methods, combined with a holistic approach that the body, mind, and spirit need to work together in order to create change. Her goal is to expand individual awareness in a changing world. You may contact her at 360-736-2000 or by sending an email to hh@ucmax.com. Please visit the website: http://www.RitaBallard.com for more information.