How to Create the Life of Your Dreams

By Denise Gosnell

Most people think that if they focus on work and constantly sacrifice their quality of life, that they will reach their goals faster.  I've been guilty of this over the years too.

In fact, I used to work myself to near-exhaustion by working 80-100 hours per week.  I thought that was the answer to achieving the income level I wanted so that I could provide a good life for my family.

There are even some years of my life that I can hardly even remember, and I generally have an excellent memory.

I then made it my mission to discover the secret to enjoying life while also earning a significant amount of money at the same time.  I've always been a hard-worker and able to earn a significant amount of money.  But my life was out of balance, and wasn't a lot of fun.

Here's what I discovered that totally transformed my life.
The secret to success is making sure you take care of your body, mind, and spirit in addition to your business or job.  You may think that you can't afford to do this, or that it won't work for you.

But the truth is that your best ideas and contributions in business and life will come out more often when you are happy, healthy, and relaxed.

Sure, there may still be times when you are under an urgent deadline and you may need to spend extra time working. And you may be someone who loves to work a lot because you want to. And those are both fine. But it's equally important that you play as hard as you work.

In the rest of this article, let's look at the top 4 strategies that you can use to become more successful and achieve the life of your dreams.  These strategies are focused on helping you balance the business, body, mind, and spiritual areas of your life.

Strategy #1: Focus Your Energy on the Right Things at the Right Time

At some point, nearly every person will fall into the trap of spending time or money on "the wrong things at the wrong time."

You need to make an effort each day to focus the majority of your time on the tasks that will produce the greatest result.

For example, if you get distracted a lot with emails or surfing the Internet, you may actually only get a few hours per day of quality work done.

Technology is so addicting that it's easy to get sidetracked without even realizing it.

The easiest way to overcome this problem is to write down the 3-5 most important tasks that would allow significant progress towards your goals.  Then, get started on those tasks first thing in the morning before you do anything else.

If you work on the most critical tasks first, then you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish each day.

Strategy #2: Take Your Health Seriously Every Single Day

You are certainly aware that being healthy is a good thing, and has a huge impact on your quality of life.

But if you're like I was five years ago, you may not realize that two of the most important ingredients to staying healthy are getting enough sleep and drinking enough water.

It is super-important to get a full night's sleep, and on a consistent schedule.

Have you ever noticed that when you haven't slept much, that over the next few days, your brain is foggy and you don't get as much done?

The reason is because you then spend the rest of the week recovering from the sleep you lost earlier in the week. And you ultimately end up getting less done than if you had just done the work after a normal sleep cycle.

And when it comes to water, you have heard a million times that it is important for you to drink lots of water. But if you're like most people, you fill your day with other fluids like sodas and tea and very little amounts of actual water.

It is OK to drink those on occasion, but not as a replacement for the essential water that your body needs.

The human body has approximately 50-75% water.  And your brain is 90% water.

So if you don't supply enough water to your body, then your brain and other parts of the body cannot function well.

That is why it is so critical that you make sure and drink 6-10 glasses of water per day, depending on your age and body size.

Strategy #3: Chart Your Path to Success with Written Goals/Plans

One of the best gifts that you can give yourself and your family is the "gift of choice."  You are capable of creating the life that you want, if you just follow the right steps to get there.

It has been proven time and time again that those who go through life with a plan will be more successful than those who just take life as it comes. It makes sense logically too.

After all, if you leave your house and just start driving your car, will you end up in any particular destination?  Probably not.

But if you get in your car and set a course for San Diego and then enter it into your navigation system, then you will eventually get there if you keep driving in the correct direction.

Goals are the same way.  If you always keep working in the direction toward your end goal, you will eventually get there.

Here's how to achieve your goals as fast as possible. You first need to be clear about exactly what you want to accomplish, and then write those goals down.

Then, you should re-write each of your goals in a positive tense, such as "I choose to have a healthy body that weighs 135 pounds," or "I choose to earn $200,000 per year from all my income sources."

Once you have written your goals in a positive tense, you should visualize what life is like once those goals have already happened. Picture it in your mind.

Then, repeat this process each day when you wake up, and/or each night before you go to bed to reinforce your goals.

Next, take action in your life as opportunities come your way that will help make your goals come true.

This process literally trains your brain to be on the lookout for the opportunities and ideas that will help you achieve your goals the fastest.

Strategy #4: Always "Be Present"

While technology has introduced so many incredible improvements into our lives, it has also caused everyone to be more distracted than ever.

The truth is, when you try to talk to someone while you are looking at your phone or computer, you are not really being effective at either.  Plus, you may hurt the other person's feelings because they will feel ignored.

A better approach is to just stop what you are doing, and give that person your undivided attention for the time you are together.
The same concept applies to your vacations and other time away from work.

When you have a day off or take a vacation, leave your work and your computer behind.  Give yourself some true time away from the office.  In other words, be "present" with your day off, not distracted or multitasking.

This will actually help you be more productive when you get back to work, and will expand your creativity.

And don't feel guilty about enjoying your days off.  Treat your time away from work as being critical to your success.

If you apply these four strategies in your own life, you will be amazed at the changes you will notice, often within just a few day

Did you know that you are significant...

Every act of kindness holds great amount of significance.

It doesn't matter if you've dropped a nickle for a beggar or helped
an old lady cross the street.

Most of the time, we do not think if our acts of kindness can
amount to anything.

We may even perceive it like a drop of water in a large ocean.

But know also that there is a cosmic order of all things.

An act of kindness can cause a ripple effect. We may not see
the power of it, but as the ripples travels outwards miles away,
so does our act of kindness as it ripples throughout eternity.

You have the power to impact eternity, Ivybanerjee.

That is the power of an act of kindness.

It all starts from a thought about an act of kindness.

The more you train your thoughts using 'Power Follows Thoughts',
the more kindness you create and it will return to you a hundred
times.

Take A Moment... to Pray

Sometimes our lives can get so busy that we think, "Oh dear, I don’t have time to get everything done today...I certainly don’t have time to pray or meditate."

 

That is exactly the time when we do need to pause, even for just twenty or thirty seconds.  Take a deep breath. Gather yourself together and realize some appreciation for this life.  A good time is when you are either getting in or out of the car, for example.  Just take a moment and go within.

 

You will see that your thinking becomes clarified, your choices become more centered, and you really do have the time required for everything you need to do.

 

Take A Moment

The Three Most Powerful Principles I Have Learned from Millionaires

By Dr. Robert Anthony,
Creator of The Secret of Deliberate Creation

Over the years I have had the privilege to spend time with some very financially and spiritually enlightened people.
As a result, my personal life and the way I do business has changed...
In listening to these people talk and observing how they handle their personal and business lives, three very distinct and powerful traits came to my attention.
I believe if all these three traits were applied to your life, they would make such a dramatic change, that in a short time all the things you desire would show up in your life...including as much money as you desire.
I don't say that lightly, I really have been influenced by these three Spiritual Principles and their power. I believe -- no, I KNOW, you will be too, if you apply them in your life.
Principle Number 1: They "KNOW" They Can Create Whatever They Desire...
Spiritual Millionaires choose what they want instead of focusing on what they don't want. They never spend time thinking about what is "missing" from their life. Rather, they make a choice about what they want in their life.
Spiritual Millionaires have 100% confidence in the Law of Attraction. The have no doubt about their ability to create what they desire.
They don't "believe" it - they KNOW it...
There is a world of difference between "believing" and "knowing". When you "know" the truth about anything, there is no doubt.
You have 100% confidence...
Knowing is about trusting that you are the only one who knows what is right for you, that you are capable of handling whatever comes to you, and that you are clear on your intentions or the outcome you choose to create.
I've seen the power of being absolutely clear on my intentions for my life: They come true!
They have for me, and I watched the Spiritual Millionaires as their intentions came to reality for them as well.
Being clear on your intentions is a good first step.
However, a more powerful and life-changing step is trusting that those intentions are ALREADY a reality on the non-physical plane of consciousness, and that they must manifest in your physical reality if you do not hold any opposing thoughts.
And then, "Act As If..." your intentions are reality, now.
Not dishonestly, or outside of your true beliefs. But, to feel it, sense it, imagine how it's going to "show up" in various situations once it manifests in your life.
Principle Number 2: They Take Action...
As I observed Spiritual Millionaires, I noticed that they didn't hesitate to move on their ideas and respond to situations that called for action in order to keep the momentum going.

Do you get the power of what this Principle is about?
If you're sitting waiting for something to happen, doing other "important" tasks rather than those that you know will produce the results you desire , you are wasting time and you are no closer to your desire.
Trust me on this one, I've waited for so many things in my life that never showed up!
Acting on your desire is habit that you desperately need to cultivate in order to get to where you want to be... Waiting will not do it...
I watched these Spiritual Millionaires, one after another, take immediate action, not out of fear or to ‘force' things to happen, but because the next action they took brought them one step closer to their desire.
And, I saw tremendous results come into their lives... They don't take unnecessary action. Instead, they use the leverage of energy, the same leverage of energy that creates everything in the universe.
I have seen these Spiritual Millionaires step into spaces of discomfort, and have courage to take action. It was also evident that they were as scared to take those steps as you and I are when we're faced with the choice of moving out of our comfort zone.
THE MESSAGE IS...
It's time to "Get Moving", trust your intuition, your sense of knowing what the next step is, and take action...
We often wait for the "feeling to be right" first, before we take the action we know will bring us satisfaction. That's all back-to-front...
The feelings of satisfaction only comes from ACCOMPLISHMENT, not from pondering and procrastinating. (You knew that one, too, didn't you...)
Never try to force things to happen because you are afraid of what will happen if you don't take a certain action. Instead, choose ‘inspired action' that moves you toward what you want, not away from what you don't want.
Acting on your intentions without trying to force things to happen will magnetize your desires by attracting people, places and opportunities into your into reality that you never would have even seen if you hadn't done so.
Principle Number 3: They Maintain an "Attitude of Gratitude...
Spiritual Millionaires maintain an "attitude of gratitude"...
Gratitude does not need explanation -- you know how to be grateful. But did you know that gratitude brings you more of what you appreciate? Gratitude speeds along the manifestation of your desires.
When you find things that you appreciate and you use them as your point of focus, your world has to get better in every area of your life. Spiritual Millionaires know that every time they flood their mind with appreciation or gratitude they attract more of what they desire.
Look around you right now. What can you be grateful for? Make a list. Get into the authentic feeling of true gratitude...
Find something, anything, to be grateful for right now. When you are grateful, you're in a high energy vibration that will attract more things to be grateful for and more good things will come to you magically, drawn in by your feelings of gratitude

How to See the Future With Meditation

By Owen Waters
One of the great advantages of regular meditation is that it enhances your sense of intuition. The more you practice meditation, the more you gain insight into every aspect of your life. Insights can relate to present or past events, leading to a greater understanding of your life's path, or they can relate to future events.
Insights into future events can be challenging in four ways:
1. The future is not fixed. Until you experience it, the future remains as an array of possibilities with a "most likely" scenario based on what holds the greatest energy.
2. Viewing the future can change the outcome. Even a 100% accurate view of the most likely scenario will trigger questions about whether you want that scenario to manifest, and that change can influence the outcome. This can give the illusion of inaccuracy in the original prediction.
3. Inner impressions come into your awareness through your imagination. However, a fertile imagination can create images on its own, almost for pure entertainment. True impressions of a future event arrive while you are in a meditative state, or sometimes while performing a monotonous task such as driving at a constant speed. They don't fire up with the great energy of a dramatic imagination. They slip in quietly and have to be examined and unraveled to see what each impression contains.
4. When you first start scanning the future, your predictions will be less accurate than they will become later, after constant practice.
Sometimes, lack of self-esteem can be a barrier to the development of your innate abilities. In that case you need to be aware that everyone is everything that Infinite Being is. The universe is holographic by design, meaning that while the many make up the One, the One is also mirrored within each of the many. So, each person, each spark of Infinite Being, contains all of the qualities of Infinite Being.
Lack of self-esteem, therefore, is only a personality trait and not reflective of your true self.
You have a perfect sense of intuition or insight, just waiting to be developed. One of the hallmarks of the global Shift to higher consciousness is that, with each passing year, more and more people will develop more of their inner abilities.
While you are practicing your intuitive skills, it is a good idea to make written notes for later reference. Insights arrive in your consciousness while you are in an altered, meditative state, so their memory dissipates quickly just like the memory of your dreams. If you keep notes, then re-read them weeks or months later, you will be amazed at how accurate many of these insights were.
Sometimes, you will also see how insights into less than desirable scenarios caused you to make a decision to steer your life in a different direction. When faced with decisions about which direction to turn, the best barometer is always your highest joy. Ask yourself:
"What scenario would represent my highest joy?"
When you follow your highest joy, you are following the path through life which is most closely aligned with your true essence - your soul or inner self

Success Rules

Success is the intentional, premeditated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose—with certainty—what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default! The world is plump with opportunity. With boldness and conviction, stick a fork into the goals you want by being decisive. You are born with great capabilities, but you will not achieve your potential until you call upon yourself to fulfill it. You will rise to the occasion when it presents itself; yet, to assure self-fulfillment, you must provide occasions to rise to. Clearly defined goals allow you to travel toward another horizon that represents the end of one experience and the transition to a new and better existence. The objective is to choose the right goals, and then to create the necessary causes—the effects will follow!
The DIFFERENCE between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal CHOICES than on ABILITIES.
The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. Individuals with similar talents, intelligence, and abilities will achieve different results because they select and pursue different goals.
Each decision affects WHAT YOU BECOME. We form our decisions and our decisions form us.
There is no escaping this; the smallest choices are important because—over time—their cumulative effect is enormous. Never overlook the obvious: The nature and direction of your life change the instant you decide what goals you want to pursue. Once you make a decision, you start down a path to a new destination. At the moment the decision is made, your decision to pursue a goal alters what you are becoming. Just one spin of the lock's dial—a single choice—can alter your life, your destiny, your legacy. Think about it—your goal decisions represent and express your individuality. You seal your fate with the choices you make.
YOU DEFINE YOURSELF BY YOUR DECISIONS.
Your dialog with success is ultimately a solo one. Decisions and goals made must be your own if you are to call your life a success. Always establish the best goals you can. Goals are the seeds of success—you become only what you plant. The quality of your harvest is a direct reflection of the quality of your seeds...your decisions! Indecision is the big eraser of opportunity and potential. Risks and costs accompany every decision; however, the price of decision is far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. When it comes to decisiveness, squatters have no rights. Everyone has an official wish list of things they think are "reasonable." What about the unofficial wish list? The one that common sense tells you to ignore? The list that exists deep in your mind, the list that keeps you up at night, the list that makes your toes wiggle when you think of it? Why not choose that list for a change? How long have you dreamed of being, having, and doing what you really want? Think big, as when it comes to your goals, the size of your ambition does matter.

The Risk Takers

We always hear the success stories but we rarely hear about the struggles and failures of the world's most successful people. Here then, are 26 famous winners who started with a whimper.

1. Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade. He was defeated in every public office role he ran for. Then he became the British prime minister at the age of 62.

2. Thomas Edison's teachers told him he was "too stupid to learn anything." Edison also famously invented 1,000 light bulbs before creating one that worked.

3.Harland David Sanders, the famous KFC "Colonel," couldn't sell his chicken. More than 1,000 restaurants rejected him. But then one did, and today there are KFC restaurants bearing his image all over the world.

4. R.H. Macy had a history failing businesses, including a dud Macy's in NYC. But Macy kept up the hard work and ended up with the biggest department store in the world.

5. Steven Spielberg was rejected from his dream school, the University of Southern California, three times. He sought out an education somewhere else and dropped out to be a director.

6. Charlie Chaplin's act was rejected by executives because they thought it was too obscure for people to understand. But then they took a chance on Chaplin, who went on to become America's first bona fide movie star.

7. Marilyn Monroe's first contract with Columbia Pictures expired because they told her she wasn't pretty or talented enough to be an actress.

8. Soichiro Honda was passed over for an engineering job at Toyota and left unemployed. But then he began making motorcycles, started a business and became a billionaire.

9. Vera Wang failed to make the U.S. Olympic figure-skating team. Then she became an editor at Vogue and was passed over for the editor-in-chief position. She began designing wedding gowns at 40 and today is the premier designer in the business, with a multi-billion dollar industry.

10. Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas." Several more of his businesses failed before the premiere of his movie Snow White. Today, most childhoods wouldn't be the same without his ideas.

11. Albert Einstein didn't speak until age four and didn't read until age seven. His teachers labeled him "slow" and "mentally handicapped." But Einstein just had a different way of thinking. He later won the Nobel prize in physics.

12. Charles Darwin was considered an average student. He gave up on a career in medicine and was going to school to become a parson. But as Darwin studied nature, he found his calling.

13. Sir Isaac Newton was tasked with running the family farm but was a miserable failure. Newton was sent off to Cambridge University and became a physics scholar.

14. Dick Cheney flunked out of Yale twice. George W. Bush once joked: "So now we know –if you graduate from Yale, you become president. If you drop out, you get to be vice president."

15. The first time Jerry Seinfeld went onstage, he was booed away by the jeering crowd. Eventually, he became a famous comic with one of the most-loved sitcoms ever.

16. In Fred Astaire's first screen test, the judges wrote: "Can't act. Can't sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." Astaire went on to be the most famous dancer of all time and won the hearts of American women forever.

17. After Sidney Poitier's first audition, the casting director instructed him to just stop wasting everyone's time and "go be a dishwasher or something." He went on to win an Academy Award and is admired by actors everywhere.

18. Oprah Winfrey was fired from her television reporting job because they told her she wasn't fit to be on screen. But Winfrey rebounded and became the undisputed queen of television talk shows. She's also a billionaire.

19. Lucille Ball spent many years on the B-list and her agent told her to pursue a new career. Then she got her big break on I Love Lucy.

20. After his first film, Harrison Ford underwhelmed the producer and was told he would probably never succeed. But today Ford is the third highest-grossing actor of all time.

21. Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his entire life, to a friend. He sometimes starved in order to create the 800 paintings he'd eventually do. Today, his works are priceless.

22. Dr. Seuss' first book was rejected by 27 different publishers. He's now the most popular children's book author ever.

23. Henry Ford's first auto company went out of business. He abandoned a second because of a fight and a third went downhill because of declining sales. He went on to become one of the greatest American entrepreneurs ever.

24. While developing his vacuum, Sir James Dyson went through 5,126 failed prototypes and his savings over 15 years. But the 5,127th prototype worked and now the Dyson brand is the best-selling vacuum cleaner in the United States.

25. J.K. Rowling was unemployed, divorced and raising a daughter on social security while writing the first Harry Potter novel. J.K. Rowling is now internationally renowned for her 7 book Harry Potter series and is the first person to become a billionaire from writing.

26. Stephen King was initially so frustrated with his first novel, Carrie that he threw it in the trash. King's wife found the manuscript in the trash and took it out. To date his 49 novels have sold 350 million copies.