Self-Impossed Limitations

It's funny how so many people believe they can or can't do things. Or even the amount of individuals who are so eager to tell YOU that you can or can't do something. There is a famous little quote that goes something like this, "live life outside of the box." But what does that really mean. While living inside the box we are only acting on what is comfortable for us or maybe even what we are used to and what we've been told we CAN DO. However to live outside the box is to try new things, think differently, and to be different than we had in our comfortable place. Living outside the box puts us in a place where thoughts, decisions, actions, and ultimately our results are things outside of the norm of society. Normal people do normal things and of course get normal results. Extraordinary people do extraordinary things and get extraordinary results in their lives. And why is this? Well at some point in their lives they came to a place where a decision had to be made. A decision that would keep them comfortable or enable them to become extraordinary. And at that point they chose to live outside of the box, outside of the norm and become who they are today. So my next question is..."Is there really a box at all?" In my own opinion, the answer to that question is "No, there is no box."
Think about it this way, you"re a child and when you grow up you want to be a doctor. Well maybe someone tells you to be realistic and that might never happen. So you place your first wall of disbelief. Then lets say you get a little older and you're playing a ball game and there is this star player on the other team, and you announce that one day you're going to be the star player on your own team. And again, someone tells you that you're not athletically inclined that way, and your desire to be a star probably won't happen. So here is where you build your second wall of disbelief. Then let's say during your childhood, there were often times where you wanted something, and every time you asked for it, you were told "no, it's impossible." Now of course, this could have been handled differently, first off we know that there are no "impossibilities" and you could have been informed of the possibility to have it, but it would take a lot of determination and effort to get it. But you were misinformed, therefor you built another wall telling yourself that you couldn't have the things in your life that you desired. And this is your third wall and you build another when something similar happens. It is just a matter of time before you are living within this imaginary box of restrictions. You have come to the reality of believing that your life will be one of mediocrity. But does it have to be this way?
You can tear those walls down, step out of the box, or finally come to the realization that there never was a box. It was just the beliefs of others that had been placed upon you and you chose to accept those false beliefs as your own, thus creating this imaginary box which you now choose to live in. Our thoughts are very powerful things and when we choose to believe them, whatever they are, we can either empower or dis-empower ourselves. So the truth is this...the only box or limitations that any one person has, is the limitations they themselves have chosen to accept, knowingly or not. When we choose to acknowledge the truth that limitations only have the power we give them, and other than that, there are none and they are powerless.
We then realize our abilities are limitless and we have empowered ourselves with the knowledge that we truly can have or do anything we can conceive. Napoleon Hill once said, "Whatever the Mind can Conceive and Believe, The Mind can Achieve."
So with that said, what are you going to do now? You now know that you have the power within yourself to do anything, be anything, what is it you choose to do? LIVE!!

Blank Piece Of Paper

I am reading this fantastic book right now called, "Integrity is Everything." Now this book is about getting real results in your life, in any area of your life. So I wanted to share something that I learned this week.

"Blank Piece of Paper Theory"
Have you ever been at that place in your life where you make a goal for yourself, and then a few days, weeks, or months down the road you realize that your not fulfilling your goal, or your starting all over. Well this is something that has come up for me, I set goals, and I go head strong for a week or two, and then the drive to fulfill it kind of washes away. However the reason, or my "WHY", on wanting to create the goal is still there and strong, however, I was falling short.
So imagine starting every morning with a blank piece of paper and you are only going to write down the items you've accomplished that day on that piece of paper. At the end of the day, you put that piece of paper aside, and then the next morning you have a new, blank piece of paper. Which you will fill out with your choices and accomplishments at the end of the day. Now they say the price to pay for success is the same price you pay for failure. Because on a daily basis your either making choices and following through with them that allow you to succeed with your goals, or to fail with your goals. Let's say my goal is to stay on top of my laundry. If every day I do a few loads, then I don't have to wait for it to bombard me all in one day. If I work out just a little bit every day, then at the end of the week or month, I will have had success. At the end of the year, I take this pile of papers and realize I have become who I strive to become, all because every day I set out to fill my life with little accomplishments, which in the end, result in amazing transformations of an individual who achieves her goals. Now just the opposite is true, if I fill that paper with things like, I slept in late...I watched TV...I ate fatty foods....I sat on the couch for a few hours.....I told my kids "in a minute" all day long. You get the idea, if your filling up your paper with accomplishments like that, you will not be happy with the end result. But if you find a way to do a ton of small and simple things throughout the day, you may not have the time to sit and watch TV, but in the end, you will not put things off "until tomorrow" and you will achieve those things you set out to achieve or become!! YOU ARE SO MUCH GREATER THAN YOUR CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND YOU HAVE A DIVINE DESTINY TO FULFILL

When Desire Collides With Inner Determination

When Desire Collides With Inner Determination...WHAT????? Well, let's take the word, "Desire." What does that really mean? Desire is what you want, how you want it, and when you want it. So let's say I want a luxury car, what I'm really saying is that I have a huge desire to have a luxury car. Or, maybe I want to be physically fit and in shape, what I am really saying is that I desire to be physically fit and in shape. Desire = Want. Now let's take the word, "Collide." This means, run-in-to. Or when two objects crash into one another. So Collide=Crash-in-to. Then the words, "Inner Determination." Inner means, inside or from within. Determination=Driving Force.


So when you read "When Desire Collides With Inner Determination" what your reading in Layman's Terms is "When your wants crash into your driving force from within."

I want the luxury car, it's definitely my desire, but I will never have it unless I am determined to get it, which means I will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes until I possess it.

I want to be Physically fit and in shape, so my desire is there, but until I am determined without a doubt in my mind, that I will achieve my goal and have my desire....it just won't happen.

Sometimes we as individuals want things so badly, but we often times lack the determination to do the actions which would sooner than later allow us to posses our desires. There's a wise old quote that my dad shares often which reads, "You can want in one hand and crap in the other, then see which one feels up faster." I know it's a little crude but the point is, wanting is never going to produce your desires or results unless your willing to do what it takes. We must have that driving force from within to encourage us to take those actions necessary to produce the desired results.

You want to be Physically healthy, now let your determination drive you to eat healthy and exercise. Then you will have the result you desired.

You want the Luxury car, now let your determination drive you to produce the funds that will allow you to purchase that car.

It may take you some time before you allow yourself to let your personal desires collide with your inner determination, but once you do, You will be amazed at the results you achieve and the record time in which you achieve them in.--Amy

WOW, Really????

I was on a call recently when I heard a man say, "I have hit a personal development road block!" I ask myself, "So what does that mean?" He then goes on to say, "I have tried and tried, and I really feel I have gotten all I possibly could get from it."
It would definitely be an understatement for me to admit that was a complete shocker to me. Because the truth is, I was so floored I didn't know where to start. So, I have taken some time to think about my response to that statement.
If the question/statement were mine to answer, I would first encourage the man to take the word "try" out of his vocabulary and replace it with an action word like, "doing." Then I would continue with an explanation of what Personal Development really means. So what does it mean?
To me, Personal Development is a wide variety of ways to improve yourself in many different aspects of life. This could be bettering yourself as a physically fit person, an emotionally well-rounded individual, a knowledgeable scholar, a spiritual being, or even mentally sound. Personal Development, is similar to life, it is a journey. A journey to be enjoyed and to be experienced one step at a time. Personal Development is the opportunity for any one person to "be all that they can be." Or at least on the pathway to perfection. No one will ever really be perfect, but it is the ability and capacity for one to strive for betterment.
I would then let that man know that when one door shuts, another opens. Coming to a stand still with Personal Development is exceptionally difficult to do, given the wide range that the Personal Development Field covers. So say, he is having a stagnate time of progress with one program or book. This is the perfect time to ask himself "WHY?" "What's coming up?" Also, breath deeply and look at his surroundings. What could make those particular surroundings better.
This is where we generally find it's not our surroundings, but it's who we are being in those particular surroundings.
There is an abundance of material in the Personal Development realm and if your getting hung up, you can find more material which will allow you to overcome those obstacles. Sometimes when I get hung up on something, I talk about it with my handsome sweetheart, not to look for a solution, but just to hear it out loud. Sometimes he can hear what I can't, and other times he just listens.
We are also blessed to have modern technology where we can just "Google" what we are looking for and there is generally a plethora of information right at our fingertips. Information that we have possibly overlooked or that is new to us. Some of my favorite topics are "The Power of Focus and Determination," or "Law of Attraction," and "BE DO HAVE."
So, long story short, If that particular question comes my way, My answer is very simple and that is to find a topic that will assist you, study it good, and be aware of your surroundings.

The Unstoppable Power of Focus

Learning to focus on ONE THING is quite possibly one of the best things you can do to invest in yourself. This is probably one of THE MOST overlooked areas of self improvement.

You would think focusing on one thing is easy to do, but it’s actually pretty hard.
To illustrate my point of how hard it is for people to focus, let’s focus on one of the things that a majority of people would like to accomplish:

Make substantial income.
The ways to make substantial income are endless. Here are just a few examples.

Opening your own business
Selling merchandise on Ebay
Flipping houses
Buying apartments to create passive cash flow
Investing in the stock market
Network marketing
FOREX
Writing a bestseller book
Becoming a famous actor/actress
Getting a high paying job

We are constantly bombarded by ways in which to make substantial income whether through word of mouth, TV, radio, Internet, or by looking at other people who have made substantial income.

To illustrate: the typical John Smith hears the rave on how real estate is the way to go. He buys the books, goes to the seminars, tries a few deals out that doesn’t do too well, and then tosses his hands up in the air and decides real estate is not for him and it’s not the way to go.

Now he hears the market is hot, so he calls up his broker for stock tips, reads Buffet’s books, subscribes to magazines. After buying and selling a few stocks, he realizes it’s not for him.

Now he hears people becoming millionaires on Ebay so he decides to do that. Contacts a few wholesalers, sets up a store, sells some items, but the business doesn’t really take off. Same result. Why is John Smith experiencing the same results of not creating substantial income over and over again?

It all comes back to lack of focus.

Let’s look back at some of the people who have learned how to harness the power of focus. Warren Buffet, when you hear his name, you think investing. Donald Trump, real estate. Thomas Edison, inventions. Tom Cruise, acting. Jay Leno, comedy.

The pattern here is that all these people have chosen to focus on one subject and to keep at it.

Google prided itself on being THE search engine. It now has ventures in pay per click advertising, video search, Google Earth, Froogle, etc. By establishing itself first in one venture, it was able to launch several other ventures without having to go through the monumental effort of establishing itself again.

Some people might say Donald Trump makes substantial income via book writing and TV shows too. But that’s AFTER the fact that he made it big by focusing on real estate.

You will find that if you focus on one single subject and excel at it, many other doors will begin to open for you.

That last sentence is very important so I will reiterate it again.

You will find that if you focus on one single subject and excel at it, many other doors will begin to open for you.

Let me give you an example that will hopefully illustrate the power of focusing on one subject.

Focusing on one subject is analogous to building your own staircase.

The longer you keep focus on a subject, the more stairs you can build.

Let’s say you keep focusing on a subject by reading about it, asking people about it, practicing it, whatever it is, so long as you’re focused on that one subject. You will soon have focused enough on learning that subject that you effectively built your first stair.

Now you get to stand on that stair and look around.

You’ll probably see things you’ve never seen before when you were at ground level.

You’ll probably see things from a different perspective than when you saw them on ground level.

Now that you’re on higher ground, you’ll have access to things you never had before because they were previously out of reach.

Other people may be able to give you a helping hand on their respectively built staircases, since you are now within reach because of your newfound height.

Keep focusing again on the same subject, and now you’re be able to build another stair and another stair, probably more faster than before as now you have access to resources to help you build faster that you previously did not have. As you climb higher and higher with each step you build, you will find more and more opportunities at your disposal.

Now let’s say you don’t focus and skip from subject to subject. It’s the same as you building half a step and destroying it. Then building another step halfway and then destroying it.

You’re always going to stay at ground level. You’re always going to stay at ground level. No, that’s not a typo.

By focusing on one subject, you will start to capitalize on all the experience and knowledge you gain from it. And once you master that subject, you will have built stairs that will take you to heights that you’ve never been before and opportunities that would have never been available to you at ground level.

Let’s use another example to illustrate.

John Smith loves to play tennis. He’s not good, but he loves to play. So he practices, day and night. Gets lessons. Reads books. Watches professional players. Asks for help. Plays pickup games. Enters tournaments.

Now he’s at a pretty good level. He can now teach neighborhood kids for money. He can enter tournaments and win prizes. He can play professionally. He can write a book. He can organize teams at the local park, and be an instructor there. He can publish beginner videos. The possibilities are endless. All because he decided to focus on one subject and to master it.

That’s the power of focus.

However, in order to fully utilize the power of focus you must choose a subject that you love to immerse yourself in. If you abhor Shakespeare, no matter how hard you try to focus, you’re not going to focus and master it.

For most people, choosing that subject is the hardest part. Once the right subject is chosen, mastering it follows easily. If you don’t choose the right subject, mastering it will prove to be difficult. That’s why it’s so important to find what you love to do. If you haven’t already read my essay on how to find what you love, please do so here.

So let’s say you found the subject you want to focus on.

I guarantee your mind will start to stray.

It’s easy to stray with all the distractions we have today. Internet, TV, magazines, cell phones, etc. What we don’t realize is that these distractions can lead off on tangents that will steal our focusing power. We may have chosen tennis to be our subject of focus, but we see the World Cup playing on TV and decide to switch to soccer. No. We must stay focused on the subject at hand.

Above my computer on my desk, I have a quote printed out in big bold letters that reads “STAY FOCUSED ON THE SUBJECT AT HAND”. I then have another quote printed under it that I think sums up the gist of this article.

“Do not scatter your powers. Engage in one kind of business only, and stick to it faithfully until you succeed, or until your experience shows that you should abandon it. A constant hammering on one nail will generally drive it home at last, so that it can be clinched. When a man’s undivided attention is centered on one object, his mind will constantly be suggesting improvements of value, which would escape him if his brain was occupied by a dozen different subjects at once.” – Barnum & Bailey.

Choose the subject you wish to focus upon wisely and then focus upon it, and only it. Do not stray and you will find a myriad of opportunities that will come about due to your constant focus.

[Stay focused]
[Stay focused]
[Stay focused]
[Stay focused]
[Stay focused]
[Stay focused]

If you are ever tempted to stray, remember the staircase you are building.
Invest in yourself and make it happen.
By: Brian Kim - July 19, 2006

The Power of Decision

The Power of Decision
By Enoch Tan in Success on December 4th, 2007 / No Comments

When you are a creator of your reality, you’re the one who initiates and creates things. Instead of waiting for things to happen, you go ahead and begin them. When others look to someone to follow, you lead the way. You start the ball rolling instead of waiting for someone else to make it roll. You take control of situations and direct them the way you desire them to go. You become the cause of events and experiences. You have the power to move the world at will because you make decisions and follow them.

It is in the moments of decision where your destiny is shaped. Where there is no decision, there is no shaping of destiny. The experience of our life’s purpose involves in the act of making decisions to do what we desire to do. The divine will is expressed through us when we choose to co-create with it. We cannot avoid our role as chooser-creators in every moment of life. To decide is to cut off. Deciding is to select one possibility to manifest while cutting of all others and shaping reality to that particular form.

We are always deciding whether we are aware of it or not. When we do not decide to change things, we are deciding that they remain the same. Therefore being a creator is not about whether you are deciding or not, but whether you are making conscious decisions. It is about being aware when you have a decision to make, and then choosing intentionally which one to go for. Things do not change until we do. Creators do not wait for change to happen, they are the cause of the changes they like to see.

When you do something you’ve never done before, you open up new possibilities and pathways where your reality can go. Things usually continue going the way they are going until a new element is added into the range of possible future events. Your future becomes less predictable and more open for anything to happen when you step into the unpredictable while remaining less in the status quo. That is why you gain more freedom when you make more decisions to do new things that expand your world.

Creators don’t like to wait or to rely on others to move ahead and act. They take the initiative and seek for whatever it is they desire. They are usually leaders in their field and get promoted faster than anyone else around them. They are not necessary better in term of capability but they do have one important characteristic of success, and that is the guts to take initiative. Those who do not possess this courage would follow leaders as much as the flock follows their guide. Followers never get much out of life.

You wouldn’t like to be around someone who always leave important decisions in your hands and try to escape responsibility. It is the manipulators who would like to guide a flock weak minded and indecisive people to their advantage. Therefore if you do not direct your own reality, others will direct it for you. The power of decision distinguishes a leader. It does not matter that his decision fails to produce the desired results. What is most important is that he takes risks and moves forward fearlessly.

To accomplish anything in life, we must be willing to take risks. A risk is a probability of things not going the way we desire them to go. Stepping into the realm of the unpredictable is the only way we can access more probabilities that we have not experienced before. When you do not put yourself in situations where there is risk involved, you shut yourself off from probabilities of your desires fulfilled. The wise way to live is to take calculated risks and act. You win by stacking the deck in your favor.

You can always do things that increase your chances of success, and you should because it makes it easier for you. The more you win, the more confident you become with doing more things that involves risk. Each time you use your power, you increase it because you become better at using it. But take risks you still must because any situation that involves probability of success also involves probability of failure. You will find that risk becomes nothing when you become a master of handling probabilities.

People are often afraid of making mistakes or wrong decisions because they are afraid of rejection and disapproval. That’s why they would gladly have others deciding and even taking action for them. Creators are starters, action takers and decisions makers. They dare to take risks and therefore they are the ones who achieve the highest positions in their field. The rest of the population would gladly follow these starters, movers and shakers because it is safer. The price for avoiding rejection is submission.

The irony is that, it is the more daring ones who are safer because they gain greater ability to handle probabilities. Those who choose to play safe by avoiding risk end up being more prone to losing because they have less ability to handle unfamiliar situations that come their way. The only way to be free from danger is to master it instead of avoiding it. Risk is only subjective according to the competency of the person facing it. Those who dare to handle risk acquire greater power and freedom in creating reality.

Successful people are go-getters. Have a go for it mentality. If you want something, go for it and go get it. Be the one who approaches others and initiates conversations. Focus on the possibilities of success and things going the way you desire instead of the possibilities of failure and things not going the way you desire. Be the one who advances things to the next level in your relationships with others, your business and your life. Be ready to fire first and then to keep correcting your aim as you go along.

Everything that happens in the universe begins with creation. The universe is creating through you but you have to allow it to do so by acting on your desires. Your heart’s desire is the voice of spirit. Do not wait for the universe to make things happen on the outside for you to know what to do. The universe has already placed the message within and is waiting for you to act upon it. The moment you do so and continue to do so, you will find that you are the power creating everything as an initiator and leader.

Personal Development

I love Personal Development and I am learning the more I develop myself and the more knowledge I gain, the happier and more fulfilled I am. This blog is dedicated to my passion for Personal Development and all the wonderful knowledge that accompanies that passion.