The Key To Confidence

There is nothing more key to success, especially if you’re an entrepreneur and/or sales person, than confidence.  You’ve probably heard the term “Fake it till you make it”.  What this means is get out there, even before you feel ready.  Why?…  Because if you don’t, you’ll never feel ready.  Learning is truly by doing.  And the best time to start is NOW.

Taking action is where all the excuses come up… I don’t have the time is a very common excuse.  To this you may say “But, I really don’t have the time.  I work a full-time job, my children are out of school for the summer, I have to pick the dog up from the vet, my parents are coming into town and staying with us and we just put the house on the market”.  Okay, yes this sounds busy.

What if, on top of all this busyness, your child suddenly became ill?  You wouldn’t say:  “Honey, I’m sorry.  I’m too busy to take you to the doctors”.  Of course not.  You would stop everything, rearrange your day and take your child to the doctor.

The point is we (all of us) make time for what we feel is important.  The question is…. are your activities really important, productive and leading you toward your goal, or are some of them just keeping you busy and actually distracting you from your goal? This busyness can destroy your confidence.

It’s time to do a summer cleaning and weed out all the non-productive activities…. just like you weed out your garden and get rid of the unwanted plants.  If you don’t they will strangle out the good plants.

Action Steps

1.  Identify your goals.

2.  Exercise your awareness muscle this week and notice (honestly) –  which activities are your weeds and which are your roses.  In other words, which activities are leading you toward your goal versus keeping you busy and eating up your precious time and disintegrating your confidence?

3.  Check out the upcoming class where we take this deeper and help you get the results you want! 

4.   Know that you can create a beautiful, fulfilling life!

Redirecting Your Thoughts For Success

happiness ahead

I seemed to have struck a nerve with the last newsletter saying there is nothing about you that needs to be
fixed. I received questions asking why then are you not successful?  Why are you not already where you want to be?  What the heck is taking so long for this success to show up?  What am I doing wrong? 

Great questions, all of them.  The point is we have been conditioned to focus on what is wrong.  Think of the first words you learned…. “no”.  No, don’t do that, no you cannot have that, no, no, no.

We also heard “I don’t have enough money” and “there’s not enough money”, “ we’re short on money”…

Another common influence is “I don’t have the time”.

What we heard as an child (and even before) influences our lives today!

Take notice of your internal, self-talk.  What do you tell yourself throughout your day?  The awareness of this one piece can change your life, your income, your relationships, your health….. everything.

Action Steps –

Decide to be consciously aware of your internal dialogue throughout your day.

Catch yourself when your self-talk is negative.  Stop it and choose to focus on something positive instead.

Keep a journal.  Write down what you notice.  I would love for you to share your awareness’s with me as I’m always looking for good stories to share (your story may be anonymous if you prefer) and tools to help others enjoy life more fully.

This may sound too simple to be effective.  However, I have used this with 100’s maybe even 1000’s of clients and they have experienced amazing results from this one little awareness and redirection of thoughts.

If you’re thinking you already know this and you don’t need to do this… guess again.  If you already mastered this, you would be teaching this.  And even then, there are so many influences that knock us off track, this is an ongoing exercise.  All of the thought leaders work with this exercise on an ongoing daily basis….. because it works!

If you would like help with this powerful exercise, or dive deeper into it, contact me and I’m happy to help  – Just click here to send an email.

Are You Killing Your Sales By Giving Too Much? (When Giving Doesn’t Work)

active-listeningWe are naturally givers. We enjoy sharing because it feels good to help another person.

In sales, however, if you’re not getting the new clients that you want, it may actually be your desire to give that is sabotaging the sales. It’s not only how much you’re giving, it’s what you’re giving.

It’s a common mistake in selling, especially when we get nervous, to talk more and give lots and lots of information on how wonderful our goods and services are. We want to tell our prospects ALL the wonderful ways we can help them.

What we really need to do is listen – really listen. If you’re truly listening to your prospects, they will tell you what they need and exactly how you can help them. They will sell themselves. All you need to do is guide the process by sprinkling a few key questions throughout the conversation and then let them do the talking. Your prospect should be doing about eighty percent of the talking while you’re listening and taking notes. I’m often complimented on what a good listener I am (probably from a combination of my sales background and psychotherapy training).

Selling is not about selling your goods or services, it’s about helping your prospect solve a problem. And you cannot effectively help if you don’t clearly understand what the problem is.

Here are some key steps to help you get better at the sales and get more clients:

Before meeting or talking with your prospect, breathe deep, get grounded and centered. Continue this through your meeting, especially if you’re feeling nervous or anxious.

Let go of your agenda and be fully present with your prospect. **This doesn’t mean abandoning your expectation to get the sale. Always expect success.

Listen, listen, listen and take notes.

Smile, laugh, have fun. If you’re pushing and not having fun, something is wrong. Take a deep breath, get centered and back on track.

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com

Is Resistance The Culprit?

If you’ve ever been in a coaching program, you’ve most likely been asked: “What are you resisting?” by your coach. We ask this when a client is not where s/he wants to be in regard to their goals. Of course clients experience resistance. That’s part of moving out of their comfort zone. Many even resist asking a coach for help because it feels uncomfortable and all the “what ifs” come up.butterfly

It’s ironic that people want to grow and better their life, and at the same time avoid resistance with all their might. The truth is, no great achievements can be accomplished without some element of resistance. Think about the airplane. It’s only by resistance that it’s able to get off the ground. And the butterfly is another example as it’s the resistance of fighting to break out of its cocoon that forces blood into its tiny wings. Without this pressure the wings remain weak leaving the butterfly unable to fly.

Here is an article on Resistance by William Penn. Following the article are some action steps for your growth and success.

Resistance

By William Penn Patrick

No person, ideal or institution becomes great until Great Resistance has been encountered. Greatness cannot be achieved until this concept is understood.

Unfortunately, the average person is ignorant of this rule to achievement. Mr. and Mrs. Average, in their ignorance are fearful and reluctant to encounter even slight resistance. They don’t want to make waves or be criticized and they incorrectly feel that criticism will hold them back and prevent their happiness from being realized. In truth, the opposite is the case.

Take note: when we begin to change our jobs, we are first given resistance by our loved ones, for they fear change means facing the unknown! When we begin to make rapid achievement or commitment to rapid progress, we have roadblocks thrown up by our friends and relations. They begin to resist by negative comments and actions, which are devices to cause you to maintain the status quo.

Now if you are to achieve great progress, you must prevail against those closest to you; this is difficult and requires courage because you desire to please and not hurt those you love. The truth is that great harm befalls your loved ones when you fail to be yourself and do your thing. This is so, because you lose your enthusiasm for life, your growth process stops and your self-esteem diminishes. Those negatives are reversed when you stand your ground; and when you have prevailed, your loved ones gain a new and higher respect for you.

History records countless events, which prove the point. Let the great lessons of the past stay in our mind as a beacon in our personal and corporate future. Let us understand and be grateful that our ideas have proved worthy of tremendous resistance. Today, all over the world, great forces have risen to resist our growth. These forces fear us for what we present and they are attempting to destroy us and our dreams. Our understanding of this phenomenon and our strength of character and our commitment to our way of life is prevailing over these forces which have risen up. We are fortunate to have such great resistance. This resistance is evidence of our greatness and it provides us with the energy to prevail. These next few short years will record a brilliant history and establish a permanent place for our way of life-which is freedom to be and to work out our dreams for a great world, for ourselves, for our children and all humankind.

~ end ~

Action Steps –

1. Write down how you would really like your life to be, in as much detail as possible. Include your health, wealth, happiness…. all aspects.

2. Write down, with lots of detail, what your life is actually like today.

3. After completing 1 and 2, write down, in detail, where are you avoiding resistance in your life and how is this affecting your growth and success?

If you’re ready for help, contact me. I’m here for you and I would love to help you fly.

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com

Are You Thinking In Reverse?

Do you know that most people go about setting and achieving goals completely backwards? That’s right – completely backwards!

No wonder so few actually achieve big goals. Don’t give up! I’m going to share with you in this lesson why this is and specifically what you can do change this cycle and achieve YOUR BIG GOAL.

Most look at where they are and can firmly say they are not satisfied with current results. However when I ask “what do you really want?” Most have no idea. Then we’ll brainstorm a bit and they’ll tell me what they know or feel very confident they can do. That becomes their goal. Of course, I stretch them (that is my gift – gently stretching my clients beyond their comfort zone).

They change their goal to something they think they can do. They’ve stretched from focusing on something they know they can do. This is good, but we’re not there yet. So, I stretch them some more. I want them to go for their BIG GOAL. You know… the goal that is so big it excites and scares you at the same time… the goal that is in alignment with your why that is so powerful it makes you cry.

(This process is not for wimps! It’s only for those who are willing to do whatever it takes and confident enough to hire a coach to help them succeed beyond their self-imposed stopping points.)

Now comes the critical point… when they have their BIG GOAL and they have no idea HOW. They think I’m crazy when I tell them don’t worry about the how, just stay focused on your goal (the how will come step-by-step).

Most will look at their goal and look at their current results and tell themselves “I’m not where I want to be, I’m not where I want to be, I’m not where I want to be” – all day long they tell themselves this. They start to get down and depressed because it doesn’t seem to be working – this whole thing called life is not what they really want. They start missing the good ole’ days when life was simpler.

THIS PERSON IS THINKING IN REVERSE!

Thinking in reverse is twofold: when we are thinking about the past, and missing it. You cannot go back and wanting to is NOT going to get you closer to your goals. If you’re doing this… STOP.

PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION HERE

Thinking in reverse is also when we are looking at our goal as if it’s something out there, a destination to get to. And you’re living your life as if something needs fixed or is missing and it will be better as soon as you get to your goal.

It makes sense that living this way, we would look at current results, then look at where we want to be and focus on the gap in between, thus, becoming frustrated and even depressed. And you would argue “But I see the lack of money in my account, I see the lack of client appointments.”

It gets a little tricky, but you only want to use your current result as a benchmark of your progress, not an indication of your future.

Here’s the trick: when your mind starts taking you down the rabbit hole of “I’m not where I want to be, I’m not where I want to be, I’m not where I want to be” you have to stop your mind and refocus on the big goal as if it’s already here. See yourself in the picture (it is important to see yourself in the picture).

To help with this, have a vision board, pictures, screen-savers of your goal already accomplished. Look at these visuals often.

Action Steps –

Write down your BIG GOAL.

Stop reverse thinking. Train your mind, as discussed above. Here’s a mantra you can use, “My life is great and getting better and better every day!”

Gather visuals of your goal and look at them often.

Let me know how you’re doing with this. If you would like help, let’s set up a get acquainted session and see if it makes sense for us to work together. Contact me here so we’ll set a time to talk and see if I can help.

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com

How Your Perspective Shapes Your Day

perspectiveThe other day a friend told me she woke up with a bad attitude and everything started to just go wrong! She asked me, “Why is everyone against me?” Then I stopped and asked her, “Wait a minute! Is everyone against you!”

I asked her to grab a note pad and start writing down the names of everyone that was openly “against” her. Jenny, Nick, Tommy… Three….that’s right – 3 people! Then I asked her how many people were “in favor” of her and supporting her in some way. Thirty-five, just off the top of her head! Then she thought globally and added another fifteen. “Most people are “neutral” toward me. We don’t have enough interaction to have an opinion,” she said.

Then she got it her big aha… she said out of ALL THE PEOPLE ON THE PLANET only 3 people resisted her and how much time did she spend each day personally interacting with these three people? She summed it up to a total of 35 minutes each week, average.

Then I asked her to think about ALL the negative experiences with people she had in a single day. You know everything from the guy who cuts you off in traffic to the rude comment by someone you don’t even know. She was hard pressed on even the WORST day to find more than 15 minutes a day of actual interaction with unpleasant people!

This insight reality hit both of us! There have been times when many of us, myself included, that our 24-hour day has been ruined by 15 minutes (and in most cases less than 15 minutes) a day of actual interaction with negative people!

How could this be possible? We survived the 5-15 minutes so why did this ruin the entire day? Even when we have been “cussed” and “cursed” the words didn’t hurt and the curses never amount to anything. Everything that is or has been spoken against us as a threat did not manifest as a reality! How could something as false and “unreal” as a “threat” ruin our day?

The answer is simple. The threat and negativity got into our own thinking and contaminated our mind. People annoyed us for less than 15 minutes and we annoyed ourselves by thinking about it for 23 hours 45 minutes or more a day and ruined the day! Now, becoming aware of this, I have learned to put my focus on the positives in my life and to be grateful for all that I have!

Life is all about choices. Is the glass half full or half empty? You decide…

At this point you may be thinking: “Yea, yea, yea – what if I’ve tried to switch my thinking, I’ve tried to improve my performance, I’ve tried to get better results, I know my thinking needs to change but I feel depression and anxiety are still in charge?”

I understand, because I’ve been there – haunted by the chains of depression and counting backwards from 10 to 1 to control the anxiety that had hijacked my body and my brain.

If this is you, I want you to pay very close attention here –

Earlier in the events section, I invited you to Bob Proctor’s Streaming Club this Friday the 21st. He is going to be giving specifics on how we fall into depression and anxiety and, more importantly, how to be rid these dream killers. It’s by webinar so you can participate from wherever you are, and if you have questions make sure to submit them before the webinar. Hold your spot here.

Here are a couple of simple but powerful actions I do throughout my day to keep on track. I invite you to use these tools and create the life YOU really want…

1. I participate in the Bob Proctor Streaming Club. I ask lots of questions. I trust Bob, after all. He is successful, happy and healthy. Being one of his facilitators and coaches, I get to spend valuable time with him. When he gives me homework, I do it. Right now I’m working on my assignment to listen to the Streaming Club recording of 1/10/14 and write out the Serenity chapter from “As A Man Thinketh” every day for 90 days. I’m on day 17 of 90. Has it helped? YES!

2. Keep a gratitude journal. We’ve all heard of this – write down what you’re grateful for in your life. I’ve switched it up a bit and I have found this change to make a difference. It really makes my day more positive because I am in a positive space… I have a positive attitude.

Instead of writing down all that I am grateful for at the end of the day, I write it as I’m going through the day. It truly gets me into a place of gratitude and when I’m in this space, more comes to me to be grateful for. I’ll write down anything I am really grateful for – a call from a friend, a new client, my client getting great results, a new opportunity, my honey giving me flowers, etc. I start each statement with “Thank you God for…” because I know all my good is a blessing from God. Then, I read my list at the end of the day before going to bed. I go to sleep in a good mood and I wake up in a good mood.

Now it’s your turn. Get a spiral bound notebook and keep it with you. I have mine on my desk. Write the positive things throughout your day. Give thanks and more will come to you to be thankful for.

3. When something negative does happen. I look for the education in it. I let go of the judgment – it’s not good, bad, right or wrong. It just is. Life is about experiences and this is another experience. It offers a contrast. How would we know what we do want without the opportunity to experience what we don’t want? Like it or not, we do need contrast and different experiences. This is, most likely, a very different way of being than you’ve been taught or conditioned from a young age. Let me know how you do with this…. questions, comments. I would love to hear from you.

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com

Have You Ever Been Disappointed?

huddleSummer will be here before you know it and it’s time to start planning your customer appreciation parties.

Have you held a party or barbeque and had to do all the work yourself? This makes it very difficult to relax and enjoy all your wonderful guests. And then, after all the food is eaten and your guests have danced their feet off, they pack up and go home. And, there’s the mess to be cleaned up.

I’ve noticed this happens on a regular basis and usually there’s one or two people who stay after and help clean up. It’s often the same good hearted people cleaning up after every party.

I saw this at a picnic last summer. Everyone was leaving one guy and his date to clean up (there’s a hot first date – party clean up duty – NOT!) I stayed and helped the two love birds clean up so they could go about their date. It happened again recently and…. well, I guess it bothered me.

It was like a thorn in my foot and I just couldn’t stop thinking there’s got to be a better way. And then, the answer came to me. What was lacking was clear, concise communication and a system.

If you’re one of my clients, you know how important systems are in making your life and your business run like a well-oiled machine – nice and smooth with no surprises.

To prevent this lack of communication from happening again, and nobody feeling like the bad guy or the bossy butt, I created a party system. It clearly defined exactly who is doing what and when. Even if you hire someone to set up, tear down, clean up, whatever, you want them to know precisely what is expected of them, ahead of time. This way there’s no surprises, no hurt feelings and everyone is happy.

I create systems for everything in my life. I am all for anything that makes life easier and more fulfilling.

Here are some tips and action steps to create your own systems for a smooth running life and business:

Design a system for one thing at a time and follow through with implementation 100%.

Ask yourself what you want the desired outcome to be, for example having help so you’re not doing everything yourself. And you have the freedom to enhance your relationship with those around you, whether it be loved ones, clients, or potential clients.

Break all the tasks down into smaller bits that can be delegated.
~ Make sure to include ALL the tasks involved in this bigger job.

Include timelines – when, specifically, does each task need to be completed by.

Instead of assigning the tasks, involve others in the decision making process. Allowing them to choose their own task will create more fun for all and help each person take pride in what they’re doing. This goes for everything from hiring a caterer to making sure soap is available in the bathroom.

I’ve kept this example simple and you can apply it to everything in your life. Doing this correctly will change your life, giving you more freedom and time. Want help creating systems in your life and business? Contact us. We’re here to help you succeed at what you love – in a healthy, balanced manner.

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com

Thinking Like A Billionaire

money_peopleOne of the questions I ask my students is What’s the most you’ve ever earned? Not just this year, but ever. I usually get answers around $40,000 to $65,000. Once in a while I’ll get one that’s over $100,000.

Another question I ask is How much would you like to earn? Here, I mostly get answers in the $100,000 – $150,000 range. The biggest number I’ve gotten was $200,000 personal income.

What’s wrong with these numbers?

If you’re saying I want to be independently wealthy, I want to be rich, I want to be a millionaire… $100,000 – $200,000 is TOO SMALL. We’re talking limited thinking. If this is you, don’t feel bad. Most don’t have any goals. You’re above that. Now, let’s get you way above that and on to the lifestyle you really want and deserve!

Deserve. Let’s take a look at this word. You will never rise above what you believe is possible or what you believe you deserve. I have found several of my clients came to me for help because they weren’t happy and they weren’t making the money they wanted. In digging a bit, I found they had a very low ceiling of what they believed was possible. But even worse is they didn’t feel they deserved better. Their MINDSET was sabotaging them. That’s why I spend so much time focusing on mindset with my clients. What the mind can believe and conceive it can achieve.

It all starts with your beliefs. Remember what Henry Ford said: “Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you are always right.” Many of the millionaires and billionaires in the past and today do not even have a college education. That’s right. Making money has nothing to do with how smart you are. BECOMING successful does have to do with your thinking, beliefs, attitude, persistence, ability and willingness to do whatever it takes.

Notice “becoming” above is all in caps. That’s because we are constantly learning, growing and becoming. Life is meant to be fun, so let’s make this fun as well. As you create the life you want (versus living a life of circumstances), you will notice the times you had the most fun you also created the most good in your life. Take a look at your past accomplishments and you’ll see this pattern.

Now, let’s play the Billionaire Game. The Billionaire Game is about discovering your every wish. You have full permission to really play, use your imagination and go into that fantasy place.

Action Steps –

Get a paper and pen. Now, imagine you have just won the lottery and you have a billion dollars. Not just a million, but a billion dollars. You now have more money than you will ever need or be able to spend.

In order to receive this money, however, you must write down all the different ways you would like to spend it. Write down everything you want to be, do and have. Don’t over think it. Do this in five minutes. See if you can write down 100 different things. Set a timer for 5 minutes.

This is about expanding your beliefs and possibilities. Most people think way too small, playing it safe. It’s just the way we’ve been conditioned. You now have permission to blow the ceiling off those limiting beliefs. Write down everything you would be, do and have with a billion dollars in your life.

Your mindset will be affected by this exercise but most importantly, so will your ability to grow your business. The more you begin to think and act like a billionaire (on your current budget), the more you will attract the people and plans to grow your business. Give this a try and I would love to hear your feedback, OK.

Here’s an affirmation I use that you’re welcome to use as well: “I have a deep knowing that I have UNLIMITED supply”.

Need more help with MINDSET and building your business? Contact me and we’ll find out where you’re stuck and create a plan to help you grow your business. Why struggle when you can use a proven system that works?

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com

Making Goals Fun and Achievable

goalsAlong with “Happy New Year”, we should add “Happy Goal Setting”. As I mentioned before, setting goals is the easy part. Then… well we all know what happens to goals as the year goes on. They get tossed aside, just like the toys you tackled the crowds and stood in lines for hours to purchase for the now forgotten gift exchange.

Let’s add some life to your goals. What if your goals were exciting enough to carry you through all year long, like a hot new romance?

You know how it is when you’re in love. You don’t have to tell yourself to remember to think about this wonderful person. You’re constantly thinking of the person. Heck, you’re seeing their face in your oatmeal at breakfast.

What if you were in love with your goals? That’s what it takes, you know.

I want to talk about Fantasy, Theory and Fact. Everything around us started from a Fantasy. You may call this imagination.

Some adventurous souls dare to turn their fantasy into a theory and then become bold enough to turn that into a fact. This entire transition, of course, is the result of the highest form of limitless, positive thinking available. On the other hand, the cautious ones may construe this as erratic behavior.

Give this serious thought for a moment. The idea of moon landings, communicating by fax machine, traveling on supersonic jets or wearing man-made diamonds was, a very short time ago, sheer fantasy. Today, they are considered commonplace. How did these things come about?

FantasyThe entire cosmos is filled with thought stuff – a creative form of energy. Imagination is one of our mental faculties and it is the one we use to fantasize. An active imagination is able to build clear and vivid images. The most important step in building your fantasy is that you not concern yourself with how your fantasy is going to become a reality. Where the resources will come from is of absolutely no concern to you. Let the image evolve freely in your mind. Build the picture in color … feel it, smell it, taste it, touch it … all through the aid of your imagination.

Have fun with this. Play. Become child-like.

TheoryOnce you’ve built your fantasy, turning it into a theory calls for you to answer two questions: Are You Able? Are You Willing? You could very easily be thinking, “Yes. But!” At this point, it’s important to remember that you are stepping out of your comfort zone and attempting to go beyond the limits that your old belief system dictates… and whenever that happens, doubt and fear immediately enter the picture. To be able to answer this question in the affirmative — “Yes, I am definitely able,” does not mean that you have to know how it will take place.

There is no way that you could know how it will happen… you have never done it before, it’s a brand new experience. The Wright Brothers didn’t know how to fly when they fantasized themselves doing it! They just believed they could. The second question: Are you willing? Are you willing to pay the price? Are you willing to make the sacrifices that will be required to turn your dream into a reality? And you know that there will be sacrifices. Many people think sacrifice is giving up something. That’s not true. Sacrifice is merely releasing something of a lower nature to make room for something of a higher nature. The minute you answer — “Yes, I am able!” and “Yes, I am willing!” … your fantasy moves to the next phase of creation and becomes a theory in your consciousness and, at this point, it turns into a goal.

FactThe final process is turning your fantasy into fact. From this point on, it becomes a lawful process. As you turn the image over to your universal subconscious mind (let go and let God) by getting emotionally involved with the image, the laws of the universe kick into gear and begin to turn that image into physical form. The law of perpetual transmutation takes that image and begins to move it into form with and through you. Your vibration starts to change and that causes your behavior and actions to change. Your new vibration sets up an attractive force and begins to attract to you all things required to the fulfillment of the picture. This is the vibration of the law of attraction. Although you have no way of knowing exactly how it will move into form, faith and your understanding of the laws will create a knowing within you that it must move into form. This is the very process that has taken us out of the cave and into the condominium. Let your mind play. Fantasize a much better form of life than you presently enjoy.

Action Step –

Now, get some clean paper and go somewhere you won’t be disturbed. Start writing, drawing, coloring and playing. Go into the place of fantasy where anything is possible. What do YOU really want for your life? What are your inner-most secret thoughts about what you would really like to be, do and have?

If you could create anything, what would you choose? I’d love to hear your answer in the comments section.

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com

Happy Holiday Story

I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about how we receive by giving, we heal by giving, we grow by giving. Here’s an inspiring story about the gift of giving. Enjoy and have a truly inspiring day.

 

For The Man Who Hated Christmas

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas–oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it–overspending… the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma—the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears.

It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved kids – all kids – and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition–one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn’t end there.

You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.

Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down the envelope.

Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.

Nancy W. Gavin

This true story was originally published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman’s Day magazine. It was the first place winner out of thousands of entries in the magazine’s “My Most Moving Holiday Tradition” contest in which readers were asked to share their favorite holiday tradition and the story behind it. The story inspired a family from Atlanta, Georgia to start The White Envelope Project and Giving 101, a non profit organization dedicated to educating youth about the importance of giving.

 

We would love to hear from you!  Please click on “leave a reply” at the end of this posting and share your comments – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Lisa Long is an author, speaker and success coach helping businesses and individuals overcome sabotaging obstacles so get the results they want and live the life they truly desire. She is available for workshops, keynote, team and one-on-one coaching. Contact Lisa at:  928-284-9285, lisa@yesicanwithaplan.com, www.YesICanWithAPlan.com