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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

To Your Highest Good


There is always an idea or mental picture behind every well known achievement and invention.  From the beginning, this was the creative plan. 
 
The Grand Overall Designing principal presence of this entire universe saw a finished pattern or idea before it came to be.  This knowledge takes us from victim, to knowing that life is proceeding through us, and by us.
 
Practice pausing and choosing the thoughts you want to think.  Life is proceeding through us, so let's make it a great one.
 
To Your Highest Good

Monday, July 30, 2012

Supporting Your Next Step


The shepherd boy (who would later be King David) said once, “The Lord is like a lamp unto my feet.”
 
The Universal Law, the Light, the Presence, the Power that is God is like a lamp unto my feet directing my next step.  When I take that step, then the next step is shown. I’m not shown a mile down the road.  I’m not shown a year down the road.  I am shown, one day at a time, the next step that is mine to take.
 
How powerfully comforting it can be for each one of us to know that we don’t have to figure it all out.  In fact, we can’t, but the universe does and is revealing to each one of us in a perfected way, the greatest fulfillment we will ever find -- in taking that step that is ours to take today. 
 
So in this moment, let’s just take pause.  We simply ask, “What is my step to take today?  What is mine to be today?  What is mine to be grateful for today?”  Let’s bring ourselves fully to this day.  The Lord is a lamp unto my feet and that lamp is shining brightly for you right now.
 


Friday, July 27, 2012

How to Write a Book: 4 Proven Steps to Writing a Book That Sells


Eat That Frog

It was back in 2007 when I first read Brian Tracy's book, Eat That Frog. My online business had taken off exponentially in the past year, and I needed a guidebook to get more done. This book was it. Since that date, I've become more efficient, and Brian Tracy keeps on publishing new books at a phenomenal rate. Today, Brian shows you the simple steps to follow to write a book that sells.

Craig Ballantyne

"All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose." - Brian Tracy

By Brian Tracy

There are more than 2,000,000 books published each year and yours can be one of them. 

You have the ability, right now, to write and publish a book on a subject that is important to you. Like riding a bicycle, learning how to write a book is a skill that you can master with practice and repetition. 

According to USA Today, 82% of adults dream of writing a book someday, either to express a heart-felt concern about a subject, or to earn a living, and even become successful. The key to writing a book is to "Just Write!" Writing is one thing that you cannot get worse at by doing it. 

I did not graduate from high school, and I failed high school English. I fantasized about writing a book for many years before I decided to "Just write!" In 1981, I began giving talks and seminars to ever large groups. 
To speak effectively, I had to do hundreds of hours of research, and read hundreds of books over the years. To keep current, I read dozens of magazines and thousands of articles. I'd read many of them several times. 

After I continuously learned how to write a book, I realized I had a powerful writing process to publish successful books: Start with a strong chapter that gives a lot of value and benefits to the reader, develop the subject throughout the books, and end with a strong chapter that summarizes and emphasizes the main points. It is a simple formula, but it works, over and over. 

Today, I write four or five books each year and am published by seven different publishers in the U.S., as well as dozens of publishers in 38 languages and 58 countries. I have sold millions of books on a wide variety of subjects. In this article, I want to share with you four of my most effective techniques for writing and planning a book:

Find Your Passion

Start with a message, idea, or story that you really want to share with other people. This must be something for which you have a passion, something that you believe in. One of the best definitions of a writer is: "A person who cannot not write." 

An easy way to start your flow of ideas is to ask yourself what you have a passion for. What knowledge, expertise or believe do you have that could benefit the lives of others? 

By asking yourself these questions before you start the actualwriting process, you can trigger a great idea that can help you single out a subject. 

Be an Expert

You must be an expert on your subject and know ten words for every word you write, or the reader will know that you are talking off the top of your head. 

For instance, if you want to write on success, you must already be successful. If you write on money, you must already be rich. If you write on relationships, you must be happily married. Think about an area, subject or topic that you have experiences in that make you an authority on a subject. 

How to Write a Book People Will Buy

Exactly who are you writing this book for and why will your book appeal to them? When you write a book proposal, you will be asked to describe the type of person who will buy the book, and the number of those people that exist in the current market.  Make sure that your market is large enough. I only write books that I feel have at least one million potential book buyers. 

Expand Your Knowledge

Continuously expand your knowledge on the subject you are writing about.  Find a book, buy, read and learn everything you can about other authors, books or articles dealing with the same subject. This will help you tremendously during the writing process.

Make sure that your material is different and better than other people writing in your field in at least three ways. When you are doing your research, gather all the information that you will need to write your book so you can organize it into a logical structure before you begin writing. 

Those four simple steps are all you need to follow in order to get the ball rolling towards writing your book that sells.

Here's A story of WIn-Win Situation


There was a farmer who grew superior quality and award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honor and prizes. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learnt something interesting about how he grew it.
The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.
"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.
"Why sir, "said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."
The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves. So it is in the other dimensions.

Here's a fun exercise to try:



1. As you sit down to meditate, breathe in deeply and imagine your heart
filling up with gratitude. Radiate that energy and light from within
feeling blissful and deeply thankful.
2. Think about five specific things to be grateful for on this day. This can be something
simple like "that pasta I had for lunch was delicious", up to something really important
like "I'm blessed to have a loving partner and family".
3. Think about the people behind the situations you were grateful for
and express thanks to each of them.
4. Remind yourself that whatever you focus on, expands. When you focus on
gratitude and positivity, you will get more of that in return.
Be mindful that you will attract more abundance, love and health by being
grateful for your current state in these areas.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Learning How to Fall


Simple Steps to Success

As with procrastination, the formula for dealing with fear is to just take action. Action is always better than inaction. Learn from your mistakes and do better tomorrow. Today, Paul Lawrence shows us how to boost our confidence and minimize negativity with "The Antidote" to our fears.

Craig Ballantyne

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot." - Eleanor Roosevelt 


By Paul Lawrence

When I found that I could earn college credits by taking judo, I jumped at the chance. I'd been taking karate for a couple of years, and I was pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. I was used to getting punched and kicked, so I figured judo wouldn't be any big deal.

As I entered the first class, I felt pretty confident. The instructor gave me a hearty welcome and explained that judo was basically like wrestling. I paired up with a guy about my size, and the instructor said to "give it a go." My opponent quickly grabbed me and flipped me over his back and onto the mat. The pain was excruciating. All I could do was lie there in shock. This sure wasn't karate!

If I hadn't needed the credits to graduate, I may never have gone back. But I did need the credits, so back I went. And in the next class, my instructor taught me something that changed the way I have since thought about all challenges - physical or mental, personal or business. He taught me how to land.

Landing in judo involves twisting and absorbing the impact of the fall in your leg and hip while slapping the mat with your hand. Do that, and it doesn't hurt at all.

Once I knew how to protect myself by landing right, I lost my fear of being flipped. A few weeks later - despite being such a novice - I agreed to participate in a judo tournament. And because I was no longer afraid of getting flipped, I actually won a few matches.

It's amazing how much self-assurance you can suddenly have when you know how to negate the risk of something that had seemed frightening. Of course, learning how to "land" is different depending on the challenge you're facing. But as long as you know how to minimize the potential "pain," you can take on almost anything.

Here's another example. When I first began doing stand-up comedy, I was terrified that people wouldn't laugh at my jokes. My fears, it turns out, were well-founded. I bombed the first time I performed my act in front of an audience. I was so bad, the crowd booed me off the stage. And the agony of that experience dwarfed any physical pain I'd ever felt.

Shortly thereafter, I began training with professional comics in a weekly workshop. There I learned that when you tell a joke that bombs, you've got to acknowledge it to the audience. They will usually laugh and be happy to give you another chance. So if I told a joke that got zero response, all I had to say to keep the audience on my side was, "Wow, I guess that joke sucked! It sure seemed funnier when I wrote it."

The technique worked. No longer afraid of trying out jokes that might tank, I became fearless onstage. (And I still am.)

Learning how to fall in both judo and comedy gave me massive courage where I had once been apprehensive. And this confidence-building technique applies in almost any challenging situation. I call it "The Antidote Strategy."

Being self-confident can help you get a job, win a new client, or get other people on your side. It can help you try a new hobby, lose weight, or even get a date. By developing an "Antidote Strategy," you can guarantee that you'll be at your best when attempting to succeed at just about anything.

Here is how to put The Antidote Strategy to work:

Identify the possible negative outcome of the challenge. 

Let's face it. A lot of things you could do that might help you become more successful are risky. Let's say you've been working on a new project idea. And to show your boss how creative and innovative you are, you want to present the idea at the company's next staff meeting. But you're afraid.

So Step One of The Antidote Strategy is to determine exactly what it is that you are afraid of. Will you feel stupid if your idea is rejected? Will you be disappointed? Will you be embarrassed?

Create or find a way to prevent that negative result. 

Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Do some research. Chances are many other people have struggled with the same type of challenge and have come up with a good way to deal with it.

Let's go back to our example. The experts I polled suggest a method similar to the one I use as a comic: self-deprecation. If your new project idea is ridiculed by your boss and co-workers, brush it off. You really can win people over by being humble - maybe even getting a laugh. So just smile and say something like, "You're right. I guess that wasn't one of my brighter ideas. But I've got more. You'll be hearing from me again."

No matter how scary the challenge you are faced with, remind yourself that you have nothing to fear. You are prepared. If the worst happens, you have an antidote. 


A lack of confidence prevents many people from achieving their full potential and reaching their goals. But with your safety net in place, you'll have a winning edge - the inner strength to take a chance and boldly "jump off buildings"... because you know you won't get hurt.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Dealing with Your Handicaps


Thirty Years Ahead of Its Time

Robert Ringer has been talking about "Restoring the American Dream" for over thirty years, since before he wrote his book of the same name. His wisdom appears here regularly, and for good reason. Robert provides straight-to-the point, practical, and inspirational advice. Today, he shares a story about overcoming all odds. It's one that will motivate you to make the most of your life, no matter what handicaps stand in your way.

Craig Ballantyne

"Don't aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue... as the unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication to a course greater than oneself." - Viktor Frankl


By Robert Ringer

A healthy perspective has allowed me to view so-called physical handicaps in a different light since my daughter was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at a relatively young age.  Like most parents confronted with the illness of a child, I went through the usual stages of denial, anger, and despair. 

However, as the years passed, I increasingly focused on how lucky my daughter was that she did not have the chronic-progressive type of multiple sclerosis.  People with the latter form of the disease deteriorate rather quickly and usually become confined to a wheelchair early on.  My daughter, who is attractive, intelligent, and personable, has been able to lead a relatively normal life, raise two children, and continue on a successful career path. 

Knowing that there are millions of people much worse off than my daughter has had a positive effect on both of us.  Even more positive are the endless stories of severely disabled people who have enjoyed great success and managed to live meaningful, vital lives by taking action to overcome their handicaps.  One story of special significance to me is that of Ronan Tynan.

Tynan was born with deformed legs, which caused him to suffer severe scoliosis.  It got so bad that at age twenty he made the unimaginable decision to have both of his legs amputated below the knees and wear prosthetic lower limbs.  That could have been the end of his dreams, but, instead, it was the beginning of one of the most action-oriented lives imaginable. 

Ronan set his sights on athletics, and went into serious training.  From 1981 to 1984, he won eighteen gold medals and set fourteen world records competing in events for the disabled.  These feats alone could have been the basis of an incredible inspiration story, but Ronan was just getting started. 

He next made the decision to become a medical doctor, and enrolled at Trinity University in Dublin, Ireland.  At thirty-two, he began practicing medicine, which one would have thought would have put an exclamation point on his huge capacity to overcome adversity.  Not even close.

Having discovered that he had a gifted tenor voice, in his spare time he took up singing in pubs.  In 1994, he entered a television talent show in Ireland -- and won!  He soon gave up practicing medicine and became a world-famous stage performer.  Still, Ronan's trials and triumphs had not all been written.

As a result of a sinus-drainage problem caused by the return of a childhood injury he had suffered, he suddenly lost his voice and, reluctantly, returned to the practice of medicine.  After a long period of recuperation following surgery to correct the problem, he slowly regained his magnificent voice.

Today, he thrills audiences throughout the world with his stirring performances, and, at fifty-two, is a relatively young man.  Where he goes from here is anybody's guess, but he already has had a major impact on millions of lives, and mere mortals like myself are deeply grateful to him for the inspiration he has provided through his astonishing success.

Inspirational stories like that of Ronan Tynan abound by the thousands.  From Helen Keller and Franklin D. Roosevelt to Stevie Wonder and Stephen Hawking, the evidence is clear that physical handicaps can be overcome.  Always keep in mind that a handicap is just a disadvantage that makes success more difficult, but there is a clear difference between difficult and impossible. 

In fact, technically speaking, a handicap is not necessarily a physical disability, but any kind of disadvantage that makes life more difficult.  Indeed, over time, I have come to realize that every person in the world has at least one bona fide handicap. 

An obese person has a handicap; a person with attention-deficit disorder has a handicap; a person with a low IQ has a handicap; a person with big ears has a handicap; a person who comes from a poverty-stricken background has a handicap. 

Handicaps can be developed after birth or can enter one's life in the form of an inherited environment.  A dislikeable personality is usually a developed handicap; an abusive parent is an inherited environmental handicap.

You, too, have a handicap. In fact, you probably have many handicaps.  I don't know what your handicaps are, but I know you have them.  Everyone you meet, in spite of how successful or how happy he may appear to be, has a cross to bear.  No one makes it through life without experiencing the hardships caused by a handicap, and each of us is faced with choosing between three alternatives when it comes to dealing with those hardships:
  1. We can roll over and die, figuratively or literally.
  2. We can go through life in a perpetual state of anger, turning people off and virtually ensuring a life of misery and failure.
  3. We can make a conscious decision to expand the boundaries of our mental paradigms, take inventory of the assets that we do have, then move forward with bold action to exploit those assets to our advantage.  
As thousands of inspirational stories about overcoming adversity have demonstrated, the third alternative makes the most sense to a rational individual.  One thing we know for certain is that we expect God to reshuffle the deck for us.  The good news, however, is that we do have the power to make a conscious decision to play the cards we've been dealt to the best of our abilities. 

It's nice to know that, in the final analysis, it always comes down to what you do with what you have.

What Else Are You Going to Do?


The Decision Is Yours

One day you will sit there, frustrated beyond belief, ready to quit. At that moment, you'll be left with two choices - to quit or to carry on and persevere through the struggles. Frankly, there is only one real option. You could spend the rest of your life wondering about "what could have been", or you can continue down the path of making your dream a reality. The decision is yours.

Craig Ballantyne

"It's amazing what you can accomplish if you simply refuse to quit." - Porter Stansberry


By Craig Ballantyne

Over the last four decades of her life, my mother's health has been on a gradual decline. Today, she suffers from high blood pressure and pre-diabetes symptoms. Poor lifestyle decisions and a paucity of knowledge about healthy living have taken their toll. She also spent those years putting off care of herself, as she worked hard at her low paying job while raising two children practically on her own.

But since she retired she's been busy making changes.

Every month when I visit she seems to have added another healthy habit to her daily routine. She walks outside. She has a treadmill for wintertime. I've even stumbled across her running on it. Running! At 70 years old. A son couldn't be more proud.

Her diet has improved. There are more greens prepared for every meal when I'm there, and I'm no longer the only one eating them. She mixes spinach into mashed potatoes. She makes fruit smoothies for breakfast. And she's constantly watching cooking shows and scouring the web for healthy recipes.

Because what else is she going to do?

Quit?

What good would it do for her to just give up? What would happen if she didn't even try to eat a little better or exercise a little more? That would only hasten her decline.

And what of you and your struggles?

Yes, achieving your goals and making progress in any area of life is hard. But what else are you going to do? Quit? Give up your self-reliance and depend on others?

No, you're not going to do that. You're going to persevere through the dips and overcome the obstacles that are in your way until you achieve the success you deserve.

If you smoke, but struggle to stop, are you just going to give in to the addiction until it kills you? Are you going to quit on quitting?

No, of course not.

Today you're going to go two hours and fifteen minutes between cigarettes. Tomorrow, two hours and twenty-five minutes between puffs. And so on and so on until you are going days, weeks, months, and years without lighting up.

If you're trying to lose 25 pounds but progress is slow, what are you going to do? Quit? Remain overweight and unhealthy? Start eating more and exercising less? No, of course not, that will only make it worse. If you fall off track today, then you're just going to start again tomorrow.

If you're building a new business, yes, it's hard. Results won't come overnight. But what else are you going to do? Quit? Go back to the job you hate, working for a boss that doesn't appreciate your efforts and for a company that doesn't make a real difference in the world?

No, of course not. You're going to review your vision, put your energy into identifying the right solution for your chosen marketplace, and spend time on improving your offer until it connects with more and more of the people you are dedicated to helping.

You see, quitting only makes things worse. It might make things feel easier in the short-term, but, in the long run, quitting is the worst thing you can do.

Giving up on trying to quit smoking would make today easier, but your long-term health would suffer. Quitting your health and fitness program to sit on the couch will give you pleasure today but will make your later years more difficult and full of complications. And quitting on building your own business would reduce your stress this week but would lead to constant worry about the kind of life you'll live during your retirement.

When the only other option is quitting - and thereby making things worse - then you have no other choice but to soldier on.

At Christmas time in 1944, while millions of men and women slept safe and sound in their beds in North America, thousands of young men faced the toughest task of their lives in the Battle of the Bulge. It was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by American soldiers in World War II.

They had stormed the beaches at Normandy. They had marched over 200 miles in the race to Berlin. They lost friends, scores of friends. And now, in the dead of winter, deep in the Ardennes forest, caught by surprise (at Christmas time no less), they were being attacked and pushed back like never before.

But what were they going to do? Quit?

No, for that would only have made it worse. Sure it would have been easier in the short-term not to fight, to retreat, to surrender, but that would only have made things worse for them, their fellow soldiers, and the entire war effort.

Instead, despite freezing in their foxholes day and night, wearing the same clothing for weeks on end, and being denied access to the basic elements of humanity, these young men dug in and took back the line. They sacrificed more than you or I will ever be asked to give, because they knew that quitting was not an option.

They were beyond the point of no return.

Just as you are past the point of no return in your journey to success.

Because what else are you going to do?

Quit?

No. You can quit when you're dead. For now, it's time to get out there and finish this journey. As you persevere, remember one of the mottos that I live by.

"It will all be over soon."

All bad times come to end.

Until then, we are left with a powerful choice. To quit or to carry on. If we quit, we only make the ending worse. If we carry on, we will feel the situation getting harder at first. However, everyday that you make progress, things will get better and the future will become brighter.

Never forget this.

If you are dealing with a divorce, never forget that there will soon be better days. You will fall in love again. If you struggle financially, understand that there are proven methods to getting out of debt and getting back on track. If you are trying to overcome health problems, know that there are solutions and that there is support out there for you. You can succeed. You can take control of your future.

Persevere through the dips, and you'll come out stronger on the other side.

Because what else are you going to do?

Quit?
 

Why We Really Do What We Do


Why Does a Man Buy a Car?

A man buys a car because it's the politically correct replacement for walking around naked and showing off his natural endowment. You might find my assessment politically incorrect, but it's true. I'll prove it to you today.

Craig Ballantyne

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire." - Aristotle


By Craig Ballantyne

In high school, I spent most of my time getting around on my bicycle. I rode it to school and then to my daily 2-hour shift at the local garden center. After that it was a short bike ride home for dinner before heading back into town to lift weights at the local YMCA.

During my senior year, I finally had access to my family's little red Ford Tempo. That model was ubiquitous on the streets of my town in the early 90's and probably in yours as well. It was a good car that brought me great memories of driving to parties and taking girls to our small city cinema, but I never truly considered it my first car.

While in college, I returned to riding my bike and hoofing it around the streets of Hamilton. McMaster University, the school I attended for six years, existed in its own little microcosm, with little need to venture outside of a three-mile radius. It wasn't until I was 25 years old, the summer after finishing my Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology, that it finally came time for me to buy my first set of wheels.

The car I chose seemed odd for a young man, but it began an 11-year love affair with "Maxima". After a few online searches, I found this beautiful young thing, a 1997 white Nissan, 5-speed manual sport edition, with black leather interior. It was what a teenage gas jockey once called, "an old man's sports car" as he filled up my tank one night.

But I didn't buy it to impress him. I bought it for how it made me feel. My girlfriend at the time was already habituated to my eccentricities, so she was just happy that I was happy. She even thought it was cool. My best friend loved it too, because it came with a powerful Bose audio system and a new car smell that he claimed lasted the entire 11 years which the Maxima was mine.

With the combined image boost and approval of my girl and my friends, the car gave me everything I needed and more. Even when my sister brought home her first BMW, I'd drive by her with a sense of superiority. "You're no Maxima," I'd think to myself, as I settled into the deep luxurious leather driver's seat, switched gears, and zoomed past my tiny four-door Three Series nemesis.

Maxima made me feel like the King of the World. Perhaps that's why I've yet to permanently replace it, after losing her back in February of 2011. She's gone, but not forgotten.

And that's why we do what we do. That's why we really buy what we buy.

You may disagree with my exact wording, but many a man (and woman) buys a car for their self worth. For ego. And to be part of a movement. This goes as much for the person that buys a Prius as for the one that buys a Charger (maybe even more so for the Prius).

Were it not the case, the evolution of the car would have gotten no further than more efficient versions of the Model T. There would be no other models, no other brands, and no other colors than black. You must remember that when picking your market and communicating your message.

After all, what is your true motivation for why you buy things? What is your deep inner reason for doing what you do? Now you don't have to tell me, but if you're true to yourself when you answer, then you'll understand that we don't buy just to have things. Instead, we buy for much more emotional reasons. Once you understand that, you'll be able to better communicate with your market.

The reality is that men - and women - invest their self-worth and personal identity in the things they own - houses, cars, home-entertainment systems, clothing adorned with the logos of their favorite sports teams, and yes, even the pets they choose to own.

We put our personal identity into our net worth and even our weight. Now, of course, it's not politically correct to go around publicizing either of these, but the truth is we take great pride in being a little better in both measurements than our neighbors. For a woman to know that she is a pound lighter than her social rival is often reason enough for an ego boost. Just like how a man, knowing that he has an extra $10,000 more in his investment accounts than his neighbor, can satisfy his feelings of superiority.

Politically incorrect, all of it, I know. But more importantly, all of this matters to you. There's no reason to think that the average person wouldn't assign such an importance to the thing that you are trying to sell them. It's one in the same.

So how do you use this information in determining what to sell to the right marketplace?

The answer is simple. Instead of working on WHAT you want to sell, you start building your business based on WHO you are going to sell to. You must identify a niche market that you know will be able to support your business. You then research the niche market to identify a big problem that needs to be solved, and you create a product that adds value.

How can your product deliver on the emotional experience that will give your marketplace the greatest boost in their ego and self-worth?

Come up with a good answer to that question and you'll set yourself apart from the rest of the pack in your marketplace where you can dominate with your unique hook. 

Put the Universe on Your Side



The experience of every moment of our life is a direct reflection of our nature. Life really is a special kind of journey that each and every day can present new vistas to our eager perception. Instead, we live in an unhappy world created by our misperception. Yet one of the marvels of our lives is that they can undergo a natural healing process when our wish for an awakened consciousness allows the Truth to shed its curative light. When that happens, even our pains become marvelous, because each one provides a fresh opportunity to learn more about what we have been doing against ourselves. This new knowledge gives us the power we need to cease this self-betrayal forever.
The realization that there are parts of us that are against us can hit us with a jolt. But when we see that these wrong parts have actually created the pains that they then falsely promise to free us of, we eagerly seek -- and find -- the real Friend who will bring all pains to an end. Only the Truth is on your side. When you live from the Truth, the whole universe will be on your side as well.
The pain of knowing that we don't know what to do is only entered once, while the pain of pretending that we do understand lives on for as long as the pretense.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Choose Consciously


Today we can put into practice a powerful new habit:  Crowd out inferior thought with superior thought.
 
Superior thought has a much higher frequency to it.  You’ll feel it in your body.  You’ll feel more expansive. When you’re having a superior thought, you’ll feel your shoulders, forehead and muscles relax as you lean into and open up to your connection with the Truth.
 
Thoughts of lack and scarcity or thoughts of criticism and condemnation must be crowded out by focusing on superior thoughts.  As we train ourselves to mentally look for and appreciate the good, we will see and experience more of it in our lives.
 
The Power is yours to choose the thought you think.  
 

Make a difference


Mother Teresa said, "We can do no great things; we can do only small things with great love."
 
What if we took what a small woman practiced and how she absolutely transformed the thinking of many millions of people on this planet about what a difference one person can make and we employed that in our lives?
 
Today is about each one of us showing up as a re-presentation, as a representative of the One who gives us life.  For this we came into the world, to give witness to the glory of the One who indwells us and that One is God whose name is Love.
 
So today, let us go into everything we're doing, every conversation we have, and not seek to do great things but seek to do small things with great love.
 
To The Difference You Make,


While sitting next to a waterfall, I had a thought about how scientists tell us that falling water and large bodies of water produce what are called negative ions, or the state in which it is easier for us to have clarity of thinking.
 
Often some of our best ideas can happen in the shower.  So today as you splash water on your face to wash it or wash your hands  -- or any time you drink a glass of water, just open up to the possibility that in that moment there may be a great thought trying to come your way.
 
Remember God's currency is in ideas, so everything you are looking for is available to you today in the water's energy that is God, all around you and within you.
 
Pay attention -- You may have your best thoughts that just might be in some falling water.
 
May You Connect With Every Drop

May You Be Guided By Spirit


Often our mistakes are largely due to the fact that we obey more readily the laws of earth than the laws of Spirit. We obey the laws of circumstances; we look at the things outside ourselves. We have subjected our ideas to the outward appearance of things rather than to the inner truths.
 
If we choose to obey Spirit rather than the conditions about us, then we must first see them within and begin to think things into existence. We must learn to live from the inside out, begin to match the vibrational harmony of what is inside and it will be created outside.
 
May You Be Guided By Spirit

Friday, July 20, 2012

In Memory of My Father



Today, my father would have turned 73. He passed away almost four years ago, prematurely, on account of his alcoholism and his stubborn insistence that he never needed to visit a doctor. But I was lucky. He nearly died two years prior without the opportunity for me to spend many memorable days with him. So I count myself lucky for that and for all that I remember about my old man.

Craig Ballantyne

"Cherish time, your most valuable resource. You can never make up the time you lose. The most important choices you'll ever make are how you use your time." - Dave Kekich

The Chair

By Craig Ballantyne

The chair is where my father sat,
On sunny summer days,
Beer in hand, shirt undone,
The paper had his gaze.

The grass was never greener,
Than in my memory,
The shade was always coolest,
On the days he sat with me.

The Willow tree kept him in comfort,
It wept in gentle breeze,
We'd sit there without speaking,
Happy in each other's company.

The tree has grown in time,
And the years had taken toll,
The chair has been replaced,
My father had grown old.

He no longer gets to sit there,
He lies at rest instead,
But place a chair under that tree,
And it's like he's there again.

A chair, a tree, a father,
You have these in your life too,
Though they may not be the same things,
They matter much to you.

When it comes time to count your blessings,
Remember this in life's race,
The things that really matter,
Exist in plain view of your face. 

Reflections on Turning 40


How Old Are You?

It is with great sadness that we note this week's passing of self-improvement legend, Stephen Covey. His books helped tens of millions of people, and he was a great influence to all of us. Let's do our best to take Covey's advice and be the highly effective people that we can be.

And now, we move from sadness to reflection on a life being lived.

Perhaps, like me, you're closing in on 40. Or maybe it's already come and gone. Regardless of your age, you still have a lot of life left, and you can achieve many great things. When a milestone birthday comes along, it's good to pour a glass of your favourite celebratory drink, sit back, and think about the big lessons you've learned. That will help you make the most of what you have left. Today, my friend Ryan Murdock does just that for his 40th birthday. We'd love to hear your birthday reflection rituals over on the ETR website.

Craig Ballantyne

You cannot, you cannot, you cannot, you cannot let other people's negativity or beliefs stop you from living the life you want and deserve.


By Ryan Murdock

I spent the first half of my twenties as a starving student, reading all the time and scraping by on poor food and the cheapest no name coffee that comes in a giant tin. I didn't start traveling until after I graduated, and I felt like I had to make up for lost time. I spent the second half of that decade working horrible temp jobs for very little pay, and saving it all for trips.

When I was 28, I took a 3 month solo journey through Central America. It changed the way I saw myself and the world. I spent most of my thirties trying to figure out what it meant. I wrote and rewrote those experiences, and I travelled to the world's marginal places and desert regions in an effort to find more of the same. I never really did. Nothing equalled the insights of that first trip. Everything after that was different somehow. Less pivotal. But there were some pretty damn good adventures along the way.

As my twenties drew to a close, I quit my job in Japan and bought a one way ticket to Mongolia. I didn't want to turn 30 while teaching ESL in the Tokyo suburbs. There's nothing particularly wrong with that occupation, of course. It just felt miles away from my hopes and dreams.

I turned 30 in Mongolia while traveling with two 21-year-old Swedish girls. It was a pretty good way to mark a new decade. Those 6 months on the road- through Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang and Southeast Asia- turned out to be the high point. They provided the memories that would keep me going during the years to come.

I spent most of my 30s frustrated and poor. I worked mind-numbing office jobs for minimum wage (and less), and I was down to the last $15 in my wallet on more than one occasion. That grind went on and on for years, punctuated by a couple small trips to keep the dream alive, paid for by cashing in a life insurance policy. I started publishing my writing in travel magazines, but it didn't pay much. And it was still a long way from the books I wanted to write.

Things broke open for me only very gradually and with much effort and struggle. Ironically enough, it started right when my dad died of cancer. He supported my goals for so many years, but he never had a chance to see even the earliest modest success. My first big magazine feature was in layouts the day he died. I made my first DVD later that year. By then I was 32.

It was only around age 38 that my work finally started bringing in enough of an income to live off of. I got married that year as well. We'd been together for 14 years, which I'm pretty sure makes me the longest holdout among any of my friends.

It's been a couple years since then, but it seems like a lifetime ago. I built an online business that provides a portable income, and I'm working to automate as much of it as possible so the results are no longer tied to the hours I put in. I also moved to a small island in the Mediterranean, fulfilling a decade-long goal of living in the same type of landscape that inspired Lawrence Durrell. I still have a long way to go before I'm outsourcing the work necessary to spend the majority of my time on the things I love. But at least it feels like I'm finally making progress.

And that brings me to this year. And to today in particular. The border I'm about to cross from one decade to the next.

I'm not big on birthdays, but 40 seems different somehow. It's introspective in a way that turning 30 wasn't. It's a little shocking- halfway to 80, and halfway done? It comes with a sense of mortality. A sense of time running out with so much still left to do. And a sense of sadness for lost innocence, and for all those things you will never have again.

By 40 you realize that people drift in and out of your life.

It's strange to think of the world going on without me. I remember all those people I went to elementary school with. People I grew up with. We shared our childhood and our formative years. We came from the same small place and shared the same past. And because those childhood and teenage years seemed so long, so thick with experience, it felt like I would always know them. At 40 you realize life doesn't work that way. People drift. And the thought that I might go through the rest of my life never knowing what happened to those people, how their lives played out, is difficult to accept. There are too many loose ends. Stories don't wrap up like that.

By 40 you realize that your goals can no longer be open-ended.
"Someday" doesn't apply anymore, because you face the cold realization that you only have so many days left. It's a time to abandon some goals and focus with renewed energy on the rest. If you're going to get clear about your life, better do it now. I know I have.
By 40 you have less patience for time-wasters.

I have less tolerance for people who waste my time. For bad service. For things that break or don't perform as they're supposed to. I'm much less willing to put up with things, out of politeness or anything else. At the same time, I have a deeper appreciation for good service- because I know from experience what it takes to achieve it. I have tremendous respect for someone who's skilled at their job. And I appreciate things that are well made and well designed.

But all is not decrepitude, gloom and grouchiness on the grizzled fringes of middle age...

By 40 you also realize that you're just coming into your decade of power and opportunity.

Sure, I have to watch what I eat a lot more than I used to, despite always having been naturally thin. That little roll of fat accumulates a lot faster on my waist, and it takes more work to melt it off. But I'm stronger and fitter than I ever was before, simply because I know so much more about training and nutrition, and I'm able to apply it.

By 40 the uncertainty of your 20's is far behind you.

And so is that mid-30's worry that things are never going to change. I'm absolutely confident in my knowledge and abilities. I'm satisfied with the decisions I've made. And I'm comfortable with my place in the world and the path I've chosen through life.

Hopefully by 40 you've got your finances under control, and you have the opportunity to fund some of the dreams you couldn't afford earlier on.

I'm just entering that period now, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. If you've worked hard over the past twenty years, then you've also begun demonstrating mastery of your craft. And that brings new opportunities and new challenges. This is the decade of your greatest successes. I don't just dream up cool projects and exciting travel schemes and add them to a list. Now I can actually finance them. In your 40's it's a matter of deciding which to do first.

I have to admit it's a pretty exciting time, despite the sobering reflections and despite it's melancholy moments. And- for the next decade at least- it looks like it'll only get better.

I don't remember where I was when I turned 20. Thirty was Mongolia. And 40...? I'm spending this week in Spain with my wife. Disconnecting from the electronic world to hike in the Pyrenees and explore deserted coves along the Costa Brava. Unplugging for a while and thinking about where to go next.

That's not a bad way to mark the decade. Not bad at all.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

To Your Best Thinking


“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” --Proverbs
 
Knowingly or unknowingly we exercise the power to produce thoughts, which produce results.  This creative process works day and night.  It doesn’t sleep until the idea is completed.
 
We cannot picture thoughts of poverty and expect in return wealth. It cannot be done --Just as a photographer cannot take a picture of a house and then produce a picture of an ocean.
 
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”  We must align our thinking with the results we wish to create.  Let's produce positive results today.
 
To Your Best Thinking

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Free Video

Your Network Is Your Net Worth


Our One-Year Anniversary

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Matt Smith and I taking over Early to Rise. Thank you for all of your support. It's been a tremendous year.

But it's unlikely that the New ETR would have ever came to be if I had just sat at home alone, trying to build my Internet businesses all by myself. If that been the case, I'd likely be a small-time, struggling entrepreneur, frustrated that I was nowhere near achieving my dreams.

The truth is you can't do this all by yourself. Today, you'll discover the missing link in your journey to success.

Craig Ballantyne

Don't let the negative media, or negative people keep you down. There are good, positive people out there who want to support you. Take action, live by example, attend events, and attract them into your life. Help others, and you will be helped yourself.


By Craig Ballantyne

There must have been enough food for an entire army. His team had filled jar upon jar with roasted nuts, chocolate covered almonds, and trail mix. There were a dozen bags of chips, and more candy was overflowing from the kitchen. Plus, he had a professional catering company on-site to serve up burgers, flatbread pizzas, and steaks during the game.

But with only fifty-five guests- all of them fitness professionals or their partners- that meant there was plenty left over. Of course, such a spread encouraged everyone in our group to devour too much food before, during, and even after this magnificent SuperBowl party. Through it all, there was plenty of networking to do. That was the real reason we were there.

The scene was my friend Joe's annual affiliate party. Each year, he invites his top business partners to enjoy the SuperBowl down in Tampa Bay, Florida, and this past year marked the first time it was held at his new palatial waterfront home in St. Pete's Beach.

However, the night wasn't about the house, the food, or even the game. It was about the people at the party. Joe was celebrating his best year ever. As he thanked everyone for attending, he said, "I couldn't have achieved my success without you."

It was true. His business was built on the power of relationships and on the value of his network. His network helped create his net worth.

Perhaps you've heard the old saw, "Your network is your net worth." It's not just a worn-out cliché, but a saying with a strong element of truth to it. The most successful people I know are the ones with the strongest and most varied (and often even the most unusual) network of connections.

In my friend Joe's case, he realized he couldn't accomplish his dreams and achieve his ambitions without the help of others. That's why he's constantly inviting people in his network to visit him, or taking his top affiliates on vacations to Mexico, or attending the biggest networking events in the Internet marketing industry.

Fortunately for Joe and his young family, he no longer needs to travel around to meet people. He's built his connections and support system so strongly that people routinely are willing to come to him. They want to be a part of his network, because they know it will boost their net worth.

That said, you're not going to become wealthy and successful just because you have a couple of wealthy and successful connections. The world demands more than that. You must add value to the world and also to your network. You can't focus solely on what you can get from your relationships.

Good networkers concentrate on the value that they can add to their connections. It starts by looking to help others, rather than with an inward approach. Those who look only to gain through relationships with others are quickly found out and thereafter struggle to make connections. Networking cannot be a selfish activity.

If you knew Joe, you'd realize that he could easily be accused of out-giving his network. In addition to the two annual first-class parties he has for the top people in his network, Joe also makes each one of his business partners more money than they make for him. He also goes out of his way to coach them and connect them with others when he can.

He's what authors Bob Burg and John David Mann call, "A Go Giver".

Here's what this all means to you. No matter where you are starting, you need to build your network. The easiest way for you to do that is by connecting with other like- minded people.

Fortunately, that doesn't require travelling across the country or halfway around the world. These days you can meet great people on the Internet at almost no cost, and, through technology, you can get world-class advice from the best available mentors.

You can also meet people that will be able to share the resources you need to make big strides in your business. This is an often-overlooked and underappreciated component of building a network. But there is great value in being able to ask for help and getting a referral from someone you trust.

For example, let's say you need a tech expert to help you build a blog. Without a network, you'd be at the mercy of companies that you stumble across with a few Google searches. The end result of this type of connection is often one of the horror stories we hear from beginner online entrepreneurs. They end up spending thousands of dollars for a website that still isn't done.

On the other hand, with a simple network, our same beginner entrepreneur could reach out to their trusted connections for a referral. Within hours, if not minutes, our beginner entrepreneur would likely be given several recommendations, all of which that come backed with a referral from someone they trust. This story ends happily, with our budding business owner having a new website online in a few weeks - or even days - and all at the fairest cost possible.

That's the power of a network. Doesn't that sound a lot better than trying to find all the resources and going through a trial-and-error period with every contract worker?

Of course, your network often contributes to deals much bigger than that. Take the story of how the new Early to Rise came to be. I first met Matt in 2008 through Yanik Silver's Mastermind, where we both invested a significant amount of money to improve our businesses and connect with others. Matt and I became better friends via email networking, attending the same events, and I eventually joined another networking club that Matt helped start (The Atlas 400).

It was then through one of Yanik's crazy Maverick Business Adventure trips (this time to the Arizona desert to learn evasive driving and firearm skills) that Matt and I had a chance to talk about the future of my business. Matt was being a great networker by looking to add value to my life. It was there, in the Tuscon Airport, that I told Matt my ultimate business goal was to have a comprehensive life improvement website, much like
the one we both had followed for years, EarlytoRise.com.

Finally, months after this discussion, Matt contacted me out of the blue. He was at yet another event, this time with the successful newsletter publishers in his network. He had just finished a conversation with Michael Masterson. Michael was looking to find an eager, ambitious, and energetic young team to take over Early To Rise. Thanks to the power of his network, Matt was there when this deal was offered. Furthermore, thanks to the power of my network - which, admittedly, was smaller than Matt's - I was able to achieve the EXACT business dream I had first shared with my first-ever business coach back in 2006.

That's how your network becomes your net worth. I'm living proof.

Understand that it might take months or years for a relationship in your network to develop into something big. That's why you should always be centered on giving value to the connections you build. Like investing your money, the dividends can take years to compound into a substantial return on your investment. Be patient, enjoy the process, and become a go-giver. Until then, enjoy the means to the end as much as you will enjoy the end itself.

Take action, work towards your vision, attract others, attend events, mastermind, connect online, help first without any regard for return favors, deliver value, and build goodwill.

Be a good, fun, giving person that other people want to be around and refer to others.

As my friend and mentor Yanik Silver is fond of saying, "You can't out-give the universe," and that goes for your network as well. Whenever an opportunity comes along for you to connect with like-minded individuals, do everything in your power to take advantage of it. You never know what dreams you'll achieve through the people you meet.

The Power of Focus


How I Focus

There's that time of day for all of us when we find the ability to focus comes much easier than at any other time of day. For me, it's first thing in the morning. For you, it might be those last two hours at the end of a workday as the deadline looms. Whenever it may be, you must make the most of it. Clear the schedule, eliminate all distractions, and focus. That's one key component of harnessing the power of your mind. The other, as Susan explains today, is knowing where you want to go. Over to Kung Fu Girl with another excellent essay that will help your financial situation.

Craig Ballantyne

"It's not strength that matters; it's focus." -- Bruce Lee


By Susan Fujii, Kung Fu Finance Girl

I graduated from college in 1996. For four years afterwards (four really fun years...) I did not focus on investing or on "personal finance" at all. These were the boom years, the party days, the "sure I'd love to buy all fifty of you another round of drinks, who's counting?" nights. Good times, indeed.

My attention was directed on other things at the time, and sure enough, while those things flourished (I did meet and eventually marry Kung Fu Guy, so it wasn't all for naught!), my personal finances withered in neglect, and that's putting it kindly.

In fact, they withered so much that when Kung Fu Guy and I decided to start our own business in 2000, I had no idea what money I had (or rather, as it turned out, what I didn't have!). My attention had been elsewhere, and when I finally turned my focus onto my personal finances, it was not a pretty picture.

Luckily, this was just the wake up call I needed (nothing like an extremely embarrassing conversation with your future spouse to motivate you into action!). It went something like this:

Kung Fu Guy: "So, how much do you have in your checking account?"
Me: "Um, er, uh, well, I'm not exactly sure..."
Kung Fu Guy: "OK, well, do you have any credit card debt?"
Me: "Um, I don't think so....? Not anymore...?"
Kung Fu Guy: "That's good, are you sure???"
Me: "Um, well, I think so...."

And on and on...I remember never feeling so embarrassed in my life. (At the time, his vision of me was of this smart, savvy businesswoman who managed a 70+ person team of engineers and earned a six-figure income). Boy, did I ever throw a wrench into that pretty little picture!

Now, I'm not a dumb person (although after reading this I won't blame you for disagreeing...) but what I fell prey to for those four years is a stealthy killer that plagues us all:

Lack Of Focus

Lack of focus is one of the most difficult things we must fight against every single day.

In today's hectic world we are constantly bombarded by information of all kinds from multiple sources. By the time the average person has arrived at work they have already received a deluge of distracting information, from the morning news on TV to the multiple tweets and emails received on your mobile phone to the radio and billboard ads on your drive to work...it's incessant.

Everyone and everything in your life is competing for your most prized possession...your attention, or rather, your focused attention.

Your attention is a supremely powerful force, and like the sun it can be either diffuse and divided amongst many different objects, or funneled into a focused laser-beam of light that has the power to burn whatever it touches (think Cyclops in the X-Men--when he removed those glasses, watch out...now that is some focused attention!).

You have that power, too. Your focus is one of the most powerful weapons you have in your investing (and life!) arsenal.

You've probably noticed the power of focused attention in other areas of your life. If you have children you know that the single greatest gift you can ever give them is your undivided, focused attention. My girls love it when I focus my attention on them with no distractions--with just a few minutes of focused attention I can transform them from whining and crying into the two happiest little girls you have ever seen in your life.

Likewise, if you have ever done any goal-setting you know how important it is to state your goals positively and specifically ("I will eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day") versus negatively and vaguely ("I will NOT eat any junk food"). This is because you will focus your attention on whatever you write, and of course you want to focus on the positive (healthy fruit and vegetables), not the negative (junk food).

In kung fu there is a well-known example of the power of focus. Called "Iron Hand" or "Iron Palm", practitioners learn to focus their attention and their energy, or chi, into the palms of their hands with enough force to break bricks or blocks of ice without hurting their hands.

Focus is a powerful force in all areas of life, but I have found it to be exceptionally important in investing, particularly while learning. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the plethora of options available when you are just starting out as an investor. Where do you begin? Should you buy gold and silver? Learn how to properly value stocks? Focus on "cash-flowing" investments like real estate or dividend-paying stocks or bonds?

And even when you do choose a "starting point", say, the stock market, for example, that opens up another round of choices. Should you focus on individual stock-picking and how to read financial statements? On ETF's? Mutual funds? Closed-end funds? Options? What kind of options? Puts or calls or LEAPS or spreads? Should you buy options or sell options? Should you learn fundamental analysis or technical analysis? Focus on emerging markets, or global world dominators? And on and on and on....the choices never end.

However, luckily you have something absolutely magical that will help you focus your attention on what will immediately provide you with the quickest return on your investment of time.

And that magical tool is your vision.

Writing your vision down on paper will instantly help you focus your attention on what you want from your financial life. It's a critical first step in narrowing your all-important investing focus down to something that is manageable and achievable for you. From there, you can continue to narrow your focus down to short and long-term goals that will enable you to make your vision a reality, and can narrow it even further down to the best strategies you will pursue to achieve those goals.

And then watch out....the power of your focus will astonish you!

When I did this back in 2000 it had an immediate positive effect on my money. Just by focusing on where my money was going and what had happened to it I was instantly able to plug the gaps and start saving much more money. And once I had plugged the obvious gaps in my money, I began focusing on what to do with the extra money I had each month.

Fast forward ten years and now not only do I know how to read a company's financial statements, I also create and review personal financial statements for our family each month. At any given moment I can tell you precisely what the value of each of our accounts is, the rate of return we are expecting to get, the rate of return we are actually getting, articulate the reasons we are invested in that particular investment and our exit strategy, and much, much more. (I've come a long way, thankfully!)

The same is true for my investing education...I did not learn "how to invest" all at once; rather, using my vision as my guide I patiently (and sometimes not-so-patiently...) worked to master one small portion of each massive area at a time. I could never have become an accredited investor had I tried to master penny stocks, tax liens, real estate, corporate bonds, growth stocks, stock shorting, FOREX, stock options, commodities, precious metals, etc., all at once. My head hurts just thinking about all of that!

But what you focus on, you will master, I promise you.

So toughen up those Iron Hands and unleash your inner Cyclops and let me know how it goes! I guarantee you will amaze yourself.

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." -- Bruce Lee

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Break Through the Illusion of Limitation


By Guy Finley

Whenever we suffer over what we aren't able to do, create, or work through, where is our attention in these moments? It's riveted on our own thought-produced reality that's telling us we're stuck! Maybe you can recognize some of these heavy-hearted inner voices that come with being victimized by such dark thoughts. In one-way or another, they say...
"I'll never get out of this mess."
"It's too late!"
"I'm too set in my ways to change."
"This is hopeless."
Now on the surface of things, these all-too-familiar whispers of defeat -- that speak to us with our own voice -- seem genuinely concerned with our unwanted condition. But a deeper look tells a much different story. These troubled thoughts are part of an unseen "conspiracy of limitation" taking place in our own consciousness! Follow the next four ideas to their stunning conclusion. They prove that self-illumination and self-liberation are one and the same power.
  1. The more these gloomy voices talk to us, the more discouraged we feel.
  2. The more discouraged we feel the more certain we are there's no other choice but to feel that way.
  3. The more convinced we are that we have no choice, the less choice we have.
  4. The act of identifying with this dark inner dialogue actually produces the dead-end we fear!
And so it goes: now we're convinced of our own captivity! There's no way past the limitations we perceive. And the key idea here lies in the word "perceive" because it rhymes with deceive. And that's just what this perception is: a secret deception. Here's the liberating proof.
There are no dead ends in real life.
Of course you must prove this bright fact to yourself, and here's a good place to start: in any given moment there'salways something higher to do with your life than sit there and suffer over what you think you can't have, do, or be. Why wallow this way when a small amount of interior work will forever change how you see reality? For instance, see that the "size" of your discouragement is directly proportionate to how strongly you insist life conform to your demands. Verifying this self-imposed limitation empowers you, immediately, to let it go and start over.
Here's another example: maybe you've felt discouraged because you wanted to learn something new -- a higher skill or a difficult lesson - but felt sure that certain limitations of yours placed this possibility beyond your abilities. Now you can do something much higher that just resign yourself to feeling discouraged.
Instead of falling into those familiar feelings of futility over yourself, deliberately drop those discourage-filled thoughts telling you the limit of your present view is the limit of your possibilities. Who you have been matters only to those dark states that want you to remain that way so that they can continue to rule the day. Refusing to dwell in the world of discouraged thoughts and feelings is the same as opening the door to a new world without limits. Just start working with who you are now!
In other words, do what's in your power and refuse to be discouraged about anything else. Keep repeating this new action one step at a time until you've walked away from the whole false idea that there's no further you can go!