In one of my weekly Mind Adventure Alliance meetings, Steve shared a high school experience that changed his attitude about himself. In High School Steve was considered a ‘geek’, and that’s because his passion was computers (back then – computers were un-cool). He was often ridiculed and ostracized by his classmates. This never bothered Steve and today he is considered a top notch consultant in the Software industry. Steve declared his self-dependence at an early age. He intuitively sensed that expressing himself in ways that he enjoyed was far more valuable than trying to get by and fit in.

Wow – that is personal power in action – being willing to fully participate in life with your own distinctive style! Steve went on to say that he loves expressing himself, not to rebel but just to be himself. I can remember when I was in high school, and succumbed to the urge to blend in so that I would look good and be accepted. This pressure was more important to me than ‘just being myself’. Have you ever felt that way?

It takes courage to declare, “I choose to be me”, in the face of a world that wants you to be like everyone else. It’s those who dare to break free in the name of self-dependence, that feel fully alive. Are you one of them? Two of my heroes, in this regard, are Mohammed Ali (who dared to be himself in spite of tremendous government pressure), and Madonna (who continues to reinvent herself as her music evolves). Do you have anyone that inspires you to be yourself?

Take a moment today, to declare to yourself: “My aim today is to be my genuine self’.” I have a 90 Day Mind Adventure (coming out soon) that shows you precisely how to do this. Any thoughts?

 

 

 

It seems that this health care bill consists of nearly 2,000 pages. 2,000 pages can be very confusing to even the most organized and discerning mind. If a person is to find the jewels hidden in the health care bill, he must have the courage to dive in and get rid of what is confusing.

It seems that our collection of opinions and beliefs also consists of 2,000 pages (maybe more like 2,000,000 pages). If you want the jewels hidden in your vast collection of opinions and beliefs, you must have the courage to dive in and let go of what is confusing.

How do you do that? Begin by learning the difference between random thinking and consciously choosing the thoughts you ponder. Choose wisely and this one mental act will help you go through your collection of coveted opinions and beliefs in far less time than you imagine; it will also help you let go of those opinions and beliefs that don’t support your aims and aspirations. What does that leave you with? Those opinions that are jewels … those beliefs that support you with experiencing a healthy life.

I recently found a couple of jewels that I treasure:

1. I can take outer command of my life only after I have taken inner command of my collection of opinions and beliefs.

2. I am much more capable than my collection of beliefs can explain – my job is to just get out there and prove it to myself!

What jewels might you find?

I was watching a special on television about Larry Bird and Magic Johnson ( a couple of basketball legends). It said that they competed with one another with the right feelings – knowing that each motivated the other to try harder.

Though they played on separate teams, Larry and Magic did not consider one another enemies, but rather, they saw one another as competition that raised the bar a little higher and a little higher again, as the basketball season progressed. When one of them had a great game, the other was soon to have a great game.

I applied that to my life. Who can I use as a measure to see if I am putting in the extra effort to achieve my aspirations in life? My new aspiration is being a successful author. There are great authors that inspire me because I notice how the quality of their writing improves with each book they write. Mind Adventure (my rewrite of my first book 180) is fresh and improved because I have set the bar higher by using Wayne Dyer as my measuring stick.

In what domain of your life might you use someone as your motivator? Who might you use as your measuring stick; who motivates you to seek excellence? Who might inspire you to improve on your work or your behavior?

For many years I made a lot of hard work out of simple matters. Eventually wisdom sunk in; I have learned that there is no complex challenge in my life that I cannot solve with simple thinking. By ‘simple thinking’ I mean that I no longer get emotionally involved in the matter, and make it complicated.

When I am willing to look at a problem in my life with the simple thought of finding an answer, the answer comes (and it comes relatively quickly). There is a notion out there that says intelligent people come up with complicated theories to answer life-questions. Complicated theories are a consequence of complicated minds. When I learned to clear my mind of complicated theories, those mental meanderings that took me in circles began to diminish, and answers to my problems soon followed.

Ludwig Wittgenstein (considered by some to be the greatest philosopher of the 20th century) once said, “The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity.” That which is simple and often even familiar is never found if you seek it with a complicated mind.

* If you suffer financial loss in these trying times – your task is to think simply and clearly about how to get through it … and think nothing else. Answers will come to help you.

* It’s your turn; what is it time for you to think simple and clearly about ______?