Law and Disorder

“A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives – of approving of some and disapproving of others”
~Charles Darwin~

If you are sitting pretty as the new year begins, then hang up your cleats and let your life move forward blissfully on autopilot.  You have all the money, love, fame and respect you could ever desire.  You are serving the world while serving yourself.  Congratulations.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that your life and the accomplishments you desire are far from optimal.  And that insecurity — that void — is not a bad omen.  It keeps you alive and adds meaning to life.  The great accomplishments throughout history were not built by complacent-minded people.  They were built by people driven by a desire to see just how high and far they could go in life or how much distance they could put between themselves and a sordid past.

Let’s assume you have anywhere between one day and fifty or more years of life to go.  Let’s assume you have achieved little more than a survival lifestyle that depends on your going to work each day and making widgets or closing that next deal.

That survival mode is God’s grace to you.  It is as if  He is saying:  “OK.  You are not going to starve.  You are not short in the intelligence department.   I have given you good friends, love through many channels, and a general sense of well-being.  Yes, Mom loved your sibling more than you…..so what are you going to do next – snore or soar?”

If you have read thus far, I am certain you want to soar.  The sour alternative in 2010 is to sink and suffer.

The doomsayers are everywhere telling you that the economy is heading south, while implying that everyone is going to be a victim of this economic malaise.

If you choose to believe that gloomy outlook, then just stay in bed for the rest of the year.

But if you sense that these purveyors’ of doom are totally unhelpful and dead wrong, then decide that this year – whether it be your 20th year or 70th on this planet – will be the very one where you run to daylight and soar to unimaginable heights.

While many buy into darkness and puts their collective heads in the sand, this can and will be your breakthrough year.  Affirm to yourself that that is so.

When things look darkest, opportunity looms around every corner and on the other side of every deep valley.  Life is balance and always has been.  Where there is loss, gain can’t help but be just over the horizon.  This is law, not some esoteric notion!

Congratulations on being alive and ready to reach your stride.  This is going to be a great year full of fantastic opportunities amidst an economic paradigm shift.

I promise you that I will give insightful, honest insights to help you see options for success which you might not have seen previously.  Let me serve you, and you me.  Together we must  reach unimaginable heights in the 2010.  Get ready to rock and roll.

Find
Your Perfect Business!

“You have to put in many, many, many tiny efforts that nobody sees or appreciates before you achieve anything worthwhile.”
~Brian Tracy~

In my youth I often lived by the maxim: When the cat’s away, the mice shall play. I embodied that spirit in my school days when a substitute teacher took over a class and I horsed around and later on when I worked in an office (or wherever) and the boss went out for an hour or two while I lazed back.

It felt so right to do as little as possible and collect my wages or a passing grade. What I couldn’t realize is that such an attitude was putting a noose around my neck. As soon as my youthful exuberance came to pass, no boss would any longer wink at my laziness and indifference. They would instead hand me a pink slip and show me the door.

Goofing off in Japan — while possible and inevitable — is not a good idea and people who look for such childish escape from responsibility are quickly relegated to the office pastureland for career has-beens.

There is is nothing wrong with passion for work. It is what separates the big-time winners from the also-rans of life. But the trouble is that most people plan and moderate their careers (or lack thereof) with scant thought about the weighty issues that should weigh. Many people spend more energy planning an expensive holiday than they do mapping out a life.

Are you following your dreams or are you following the crowd?

Most people live lives of quiet desperation. They put their collective noses to the grindstone and work for a pittance because they choose to follow orders rather than think and do what will ultimately make them happy and financially free. Failing to plan is truly planning to fail!

Many people in this country work what is called service overtime. They pile up unpaid wages for their work time, sometimes as much as 20 hours a week. I know this is true because some of my students and associates have matter-of-factly told me of such behavior.

This flagrant disregard of the law puts a damper on ever being able to attain a balanced life. Most Japanese would shrug off this notion of balance because to do so – they deeply believe and fear – would relegate them to the office pastureland.

This workaholic mentality may have faded somewhat in the recent generation, but is still pervasive in this island-nation. To violate this ethic often means you can kiss a promising career goodbye.

And that is my point. Work as hard on yourself as you do on your job. Read the books, listen to the tapes, and attend the seminars when not working. Turn off the tube and turn on your imagination.

Use your mind to best advantage. You are a work in progress until the day you die. In a rigorous or even boring job…take notes, build your skill base, and then seek out opportunities.

Whatever level of salary and benefits your company provides to you, they can never compensate enough for living your life in neutral on a job and with a company that provide you nothing but a lifetime cushioned chair and a Timex watch for retirement.

Prepare to move onward and upward in your precious march through time.

“My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things..”
~ Bill Gates~

Contrary to what many young people and hyperactive entrepreneurs may think, multitasking is counterproductive.

To juggle twenty tasks which have barely a thread in common is the last nail in your coffin — that is, if you are still entertaining any hope of achieving remarkable success in one field.

Basic science tells us that a laser of sunlight through a magnifying glass can ignite a fire. That same sunlight, when diffused, may barely produce any lasting warmth.

A very powerful speaker, motivator and fantastically successful entrepreneur, Bob Proctor, once shared a story about his mentor (and mine), Earl Nightingale.

Bob said that whenever he could have private time with Earl, he was ecstatic. One morning Earl invited Bob to breakfast. While Earl was eating his omelet, Bob asked him about something which had been puzzling him for quite some time: “Earl, you get so much done every day and are such a high achiever. But I’m puzzled. You never seem rushed. What’s your secret for controlling time?”

Earl dropped his fork and knife in disbelief. He said: “I don’t control time. That’s an impossibility. All I do is write down the five most important matters for each day and then start on the first. I give no mind to the second or third until the first is finished. When I finish number one, I write down one more goal at the bottom of the list and then begin in earnest on the number two task that day or the next.”

Laser focus was and is the life of a master. Getting things done requires concentration.

Eben Pagen, a modern-day achiever with similar attributes to Earl, says this about multitasking: “It is the same as smoking three marijuana joints. Your concentration span is zilch. Every time you interrupt for that email or to take a call or walk the dog as a needed distraction from the task at hand will require fifteen minutes of refocus time, at best.”

Maybe some of you think that you are the exception to this rule, but you are not. The lack of concentration by multitasking will subtract years from your productive life. If you are a high achiever, that might not be so bad. Yet when you are struggling, you will undoubtedly move forward only at the expense of illness and your family life.

Watch this, and you be the judge:

“I have about concluded that wealth is a state of mind, and that anyone can acquire a wealthy state of mind by thinking rich thoughts.”
~ Andrew Young, UN diplomat~

Have you ever been in a cat-and-dog verbal fight with a mate, a family member or even a friend when the phone suddenly rang or someone unexpectedly knocked on the door?

When that phone rings or that knock happens, isn’t it astonishing how quickly you can turn from beet-red anger into an Alice in Wonderland, ear-to-ear grin Cheshire Cat, especially when it’s an old friend at the door or the line?

Why is that? Think of it this way: You can only be in one mood at a time. Anger begets anger; cheerfulness begets cheerfulness. Try as you might, you can’t laugh and stay angry.

Have you ever told someone you are exhausted? It’s funny how if, in the next breath, an old friend suddenly calls and invites you out for a drink, that the low-energy blues melt away in a flash.

When you have a clear, intelligent purpose, your energy level can and will match your needs.

Everything we experience derives from the pictures we paint in our mind and the messages we embrace or accept without thought. Most of what happens to us is a result of our thinking; it is not at all related to external events.

Everyone has been telling us to be fearful of the coming economic apocalypse. Are you biting at that bait? Are you cutting your losses and retreating into a cocoon until the alleged economic storm blows over?
The best ideas for business breakthroughs often occur when an individual or business concern is mired in debt or on the verge of bankruptcy. The phrases, “I’ve had it!” or “There’s nothing left to lose,” can often be heard in such dire times.

When you go for broke, the universe will reward you as long as you follow through.

Most people who buy into recessions and depressions are obedient workers who depend on the good will of an employer. Though your boss may sincerely care about you, nobody can ever care more about you than you.

Anyone reading this message is in the fortunate category. They live in countries which educate their citizenry and provide economic stimulus to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Choose to create your own weather map of success, no matter what! When storm clouds gather, sell umbrellas. When the sky clears, sell seeds and gardening equipment.

Be creative and bold. People who act so experience clear sailing to their goals because most everyone else sets anchor in the Harbor of Doubt and Fear and helplessly waits for the “All clear” signals from the prophets of doom.

Recessions and depressions are a collective state of mind. Choose not to participate. Opportunity and money never disappear unless you do.