When I was a freshman in college, my first car was a 1973 Dodge Swinger. Stop laughing! When I first bought the car it was quite sad looking. But hey, it was all I could afford for $700. I decided to save up enough money from my summer job and give my ’swinger’ a swinging look. So I saved, and saved every nickel and dime for months.

When I had enough money I first had the body of the car stripped, putty applied to fill in the rust holes and then finally sanded down before it would get a new paint job.

I didn’t have enough money for the paint job so I saved for another 3 months. I remember the day I took my car to Earl Scheib. If you’re from Chicago you’ve seen Earl on TV telling you how, “I can paint any car, any car, for $99.95*.” (spoken with a southern accent) When I took my car in to paint, it turned out to be quite a bit more than Earl and stated in his commercial; but that’s a whole other story.

(Note to reader: The most dangerous symbol when buying is the dreaded “*”. Read the fine print. The Devil is always in the details.)

Anyhow, the fateful day arrived when I went to pick up my car. Man, I was one happy guy. When I saw the guy pull up with my car, I couldn’t believe how good it looked. For the first time I actually wanted people to see me driving it. I chose a gold, metallic paint that made the car sparkle when the sun hit it. What made this moment even more exciting was the fact that my girlfriend was arriving from New York the next day. I couldn’t wait to pick her up in my brand, new ride.

That following day I picked her up from the airport and she was, from what I could tell, mildly impressed, “Nice paint job. Looks nice.” she commented. We got in and started driving back to Chicago…so I thought. I was so caught up in our conversation that instead of driving towards Chicago I was actually going the other way, away from the city. I wouldn’t find this out til later.

As we were driving and talking, I began to hear a slight sound that resembled a light knock. I thought for sure it was probably highway road noise. So, I ignored it and we kept talking.

About 15 to 20 minutes later the knocking seemed to pick up a little speed and became a little louder. Nonetheless, I ignored it and we kept talking.

Another 10 or so minutes past and the sound began to crescendo into a jack-hammering noise that could no longer be ignored. It grew louder, louder, louder with every second until suddenly a thunderous ‘BOOM!’ came from the engine. The sound was by followed by thick, black smoke billowing (think oil well burning to get a visual) from the under the hood which began to obscure my vision. I quickly pulled over, got out and popped the hood. As I raised the hood, a blast of black smoke smacked me in the face (I think we would all agree that black smoke is not a good sign in any situation).

I could tell I was in deep doo-doo. But for some reason I was so angry that the gravity of my situation still didn’t sink in. I remember climbing half way up the highway hill, sitting down and staring down at my car as it poured smoke into the air. My girlfriend tried to comfort me, but you know how we men are, it’s moments like these that “It’ll be OK” statements just fuel a man’s anger. I wanted to run down, open the car trunk, take out the crowbar and finish off my own car; a mercy killing if you will. My girlfriend quickly talked me out of that notion.

We walked to the nearest gas station where I was able to call my friend Juan to come pick us up. Juan was a pal who lived upstairs from me. Even though he had an exam the next day (we went to the same college), he agreed to come get us right away. I told him we were somewhere between the airport and the city.

More than two hours past before Juan showed up. As he got out of the car, somewhat annoyed, he asked, “Do you know where you’re at?” I replied by telling him that we were probably halfway to Chicago. He said, “No, you’re halfway to Wisconsin. You’re no where near Chicago.” At that moment I realized I had been driving the wrong way. But wait, it gets better…I mean worse.

We had the gas station attendant tow the car to station and hold it for me to pick up the next day. I agreed to drive the car so Juan could study in the back seat. We dropped off my girlfriend and began the drive to my house. As I was driving, after 15 minutes or so, the car wouldn’t accelerate. It was slowing down. I kept pressing the gas pedal with no luck. I looked at the gas gauge and it was registering almost a quarter of a tank. I again pulled over to the side of the highway. This time it was Juan and I staring at the car trying to figure out what was going on.

We made our way to the nearest gas station, and with no one to call, we decided to have it towed home. The tow truck arrived and hoisted the car up and we jumped in. After several minutes on the highway, I heard an abrupt letting of air, “Pfisssssss”. It sounded like the air-break noise trucks often make when stopping. I assumed it was one of the other trucks on the road so I ignored it. Juan dismissed it also and returned to his studying.

As we got off the highway ramp near home, I again heard a loud “Pfisssss”, but this time there were no trucks nearby. After turning onto our street, the tow truck driver maneuvered Juan’s car into a safe parking spot and then began to lower the front end of the car. As he was doing this, I noticed that, not one, but both of his right-rear tires were completely flat. This explains the sound I heard, twice!

I couldn’t believe my run of bad luck this day. First my car dies a roadside death. Next, Juan’s car dies on the side of the road. And now, the tow driver has two flats on one side. And to make things worse for the tow-truck driver was the fact that he didn’t have a spare. Now he had to call in “his friend” to come bail him friend. I was ready to crawl into bed and end this day.

The next day my brother drove out to pick up the Swinger. After all the money I invested, I wanted nothing to do with the car. When my brother returned he told me what the problem was and what happened.

Ready?!

I had forgotten to put oil in the car. Yes, oil! The liquid equivalent of human blood for a car. With no oil, the car blew a rod and completely damaged the engine. My Swinger was dead.

My brother stared at me and kept asking this question, “How could you forget to put oil in the car?”

“I don’t know!” I replied over and over again.

(Mental Intermission: At this point you must be thinking, “Wow, that was dumb.” Now you know that you’re not alone when it comes to making ‘dumb’ mistake. So stop beating yourself up for past mistakes…stuff happens!)

But deep down inside I knew why I forgot. I was so caught up in trying to make my car look good, that over the months I had completely ignored taking care of the engine. I was so focused on making it look good that I didn’t give thought to how it was ‘running’. My vanity killed my car.

In life I wonder if we don’t do the same the same thing. We try so hard to impress others that we forget to take care of the basics. Too often we work the body but ignore the internal engine we have, our brain.

I spent hundreds of dollars on getting my car painted, but I didn’t take the time to spend $2 on a quart of oil that would’ve kept my car running.

We spend thousands of dollars on cars, clothes and other material objects, but we won’t spend $15 to buy a book on how to improve our life.

We’ll spend countless hours at the gym trying to achieve the ideal weight or shape, but won’t take 20 minutes a day, or even a month to learn something new.

When I think back and visualize my beautiful gold, metallic Dodge Swinger stranded with black smoke pouring out of the engine block, I’m reminded that with cars and life, “All that glitters is not gold”.

Remember, work the body, but most importantly, work the mind, your internal engine of success and prosperity. Don’t let vanity kill your dream.

Please forward this article; share it with a friend who may need a word of inspiration.

Victor Gonzalez, top Hispanic motivational speaker and author of “The LOGIC of Success”. For more info go to: www.thelogicofsuccess.com or by email victor@thelogicofsuccess.com

You hear it regularly, and in your heart you know it’s true. Yesterday is over and done with, and tomorrow may never come. So all you really have is right here, right now.

There’s a difference between looking forward to a future event and wishing away your life between now and that future time. One gives you a positive focus for moving forward and the other completely robs you of the ability to enjoy the journey. If life were all about the destination, none of us would experience more than fleeting moments of happiness. By learning to enjoy the process of day to day living, working towards your goals, appreciating the small pleasures and even the terrible lessons we experience along the way, we can develop an awareness of a much more sustainable type of happiness.

Similarly, worrying about potential future events also makes it impossible to be happy in the present moment. And the great shame about this is that your worry won’t prevent that awful thing happening. And as it hasn’t yet happened you owe it to yourself to relax and make the most of what is going on right now. When you catch yourself feeling anxious about the future, stop and ask yourself these questions:

Is this future event that I’m worried about a certainty or a possibility?

If it’s a certainty, is there anything I can do right now to help alleviate the situation?

Does stressing myself out about it now help in any way?

It is important to make plans for the future, but to live in the present. In order to reach your destination, you need to take action in the present. Living too much in the future might mean you have tonnes of plans, but nothing to show for them, and goals that are never achieved.

Here are some tips on how to become more present-moment oriented:

Every day, take some time out: close your eyes, breath deeply and feel every muscle in your body relax by mentally working your way from your face all the way down your body

Ask yourself: what do I need to do now?

Check in with yourself regularly throughout the day and become aware of how you’re feeling. What can you do to improve that if you need to?

Remind yourself every day to enjoy the journey.

Hilda Carroll is a life coach who specialises in helping people to be happy right now, and see achievement of their goals as a bonus rather than the source of their happiness. Visit her website at http://www.thehappinessbusiness.com.

When facing a change, most people invariably feel insecure, lost and overwhelmed.

Still, do you agree with me that life without any form of changes would not only be monotonous but also inconceivable?

Afterall, one aspect of why we all love living is the excitement and anticipation of the unexpected in life!

Here is a thought for you. What do you say to yourself after having had a really bad day? If you’re like the majority of people, you’ll probably be happy it is over when you go to bed.

Maybe saying something like this to yourself: “Phew I’m darn glad, this day is over… wonder what tomorrow will bring!” Hoping for a change.

Do you see what I mean? Every single day brings certain form of changes into our lives. In fact these small changes, are crucial. For they offer new opportunity and create room for adjustments.

So why are many people afraid of facing changes, if these are there to help us?

In psychology there are a number of reasons that can render a person fearful of a change. But I am not about to launch into a psycho-debate on the dysfunctionality of the mind here.

What I want to do, is to show you how you can quickly and easily banish those fears and enjoy a sense of freedom and inner security.

Fact 1. : People who are passionate about growing are never afraid of a change. To them change is simply another way of taking charge and living fully.

Irrelevant of their positions in life, they know that it is of utmost importance to keep an open mind and be alert in spirit. For nothing in life ever stays the same.

Fact 2. You can’t wish a change away. Your life would become more engaging and bountiful, when you can let go of your fear.

So without any further ado.

Build a strong relationship with your fear

When a new change comes your way, tell yourself, what it is that you’re afraid of and look at the fear. You may even want to write it down. There’s something magical about writing things down. Feel like you’re confiding in someone else, even if it’s only on paper. Once you face your fear, you’ll find that it begins to lose its power over you. Instead of you becoming enslaved, you now have the upper hand.

Play the devil’s advocate

One reason for our fear of change is often because we feel inadequate. We feel that we are incapable of handling a new situation. Should this be the case with you, simply see yourself in the worst case scenario.

Make yourself comfortable and allow your mind to re-live the various stages of what you fear at least twice. The third time around let the fear fade away like a smoke. See yourself emerging from it wholesome, peaceful and invincible. Feel the joy of being in charge and the triumph of knowing the fear is only a shadow.

Reclaim your inborn power

I know how frustrating it can be, if you’re trying to move forward and find yourself being held back by fear. Once you’ve re-emerged feeling invincible, you want to use that momentum to turn things around.

To do this, ask yourself this question: “what simple action can I take here and now to start moving toward my new direction?”. Wait for the answer to surface. Then do it without stalling. Should you get multiple ideas, just apply the one you feel comes easiest to you first. Moving later on to the other ideas after you’ve completed the previous ones.

Test the waters for lurking “gremlins”

To be certain that you’re now embarking on a steady path to overcoming your fear of change, do the following. Subject yourself knowingly to your uncomfortable feelings about changes from time to time. This is to help you recognize the lurking fear i.e. the “gremlins”.

Observe how you react: Do you immediately shut down or do you find yourself trying to be creative with the feelings?
The more constructive you can deal with your uneasy feelings around change, the quicker you’ll be able to move past your fear of change.

When in a dilemma, I firmly believe in asking for inner guidance. If you find yourself still struggling with fear, don’t feel dejected, pray for help. It works wonder!
Laugh a lot, be joyful and give yourself to others. A heart full of joy and trust has no room for fear.

Take the time to integrate these steps into your life. Before long, you’ll find yourself getting more and more excited about new possibilities. The more you’re able to connect with and activate your innate power, the less susceptible you’ll be to fear of change.

Kunbi Korostensky, N.D., Psychotherapist and Certified Life Changer Coach TM is specialised in supporting people through various life changes. She helps them become more confident with their change and to use the change to bring more joy and happiness into their lives. Sign up for her monthly ezine at http://www.embracingchanges.com or mailto:kunbi@embracingchanges.com.

Couple issues such as spirituality and sexuality rank higher than financial reasons as the most affected items of a fumbling relationship. When it comes the moment to point out why a couple needs more intimate vigor, two wrongly things are sure to happen: Women are always blamed, and if both recognize that it’s a male matter, also women blame themselves. Their consequent silent follows a behavior that will never end the cycle if there is no communication and willingness to solve it.

I agree on communicative practices within the pair for finding a reconstructive way, if that is what both desire. But I also propose to call upon the Angels of relationships to ask for help, guidance, assistance and healing in this realm.

It’s just a matter of concentrating in the voice within to open your self into greater receptivity to their assistance. Practice this for a few minutes daily as you release all your thoughts and feelings. Simply place the relationship in the hands of your Angels and let go.

With your trust in Angels, your beau is also being helped. Spirituality within a couple is all about the union of mind, body and soul. It’s the inner joy that reflects the pleasure of having one another.

After you have passed this first step through the pathways to achieve sexual healing, both must concentrate on “the” issue, the rebirth of sexuality life. Surely, answers on this matter lay on natural remedies: aphrodisiacs.

Herb properties influence people’s sexual attraction. However, few people know that herbs are stimulants. The Santoreggia, for example, is considered one of the most well-known aphrodisiacal herbs that turn on imagination, and reinforce and tone many nerves and muscles, increasing sexual interest. On the other hand, a person that feels unable to be sexual and spiritual at the same time is in urgent need of any presentation of Basil.

Knowing this, kitchens ratify their functions as the best allies of women in the solving of “the situation” by transforming themselves into nests of potions which stimulate and increase the art of love in those people who no longer posses enough erotic spur. Then, you may add five drops of Santoreggia essence on a sugar cube 4 or 5 times a day to stimulate relationships.

The correct use of nature’s products, and especially the gastronomic patrimony combined with a pinch of magic ritual, is the right ingredient at the right time: On Friday nights, according to Wiccan tradition.

Some herbs that help sexuality within couples are:

St. John’s Wort
This herb is widely used to help lift a low mood and it is often suggested to boost a flagging sex drive in those feeling blue
Potency Wood
This herb is widely used by natives of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins to enhance sexual desire and combat impotence

Ginseng
This herb is often taken as a tonic for increased vitality and libido enhancement

Yohimbe
It helps to repair erection problems by increasing penile blood flow

Hops
If premature ejaculation or impotence is a concern, this herb can assist any neurosis that might be a factor in these dysfunctions manifesting

Maca
Peruvian doctors have been known to give this herb to male patients who complain of having erection difficulties

Cocoa
This food/herb is known as the ‘pleasure herb’

Privet
The boiled extract of this herb can be used as a douche for vaginal irritations

False Unicorn
It generally promotes fertility in both males and females

It is necessary to fully understand their properties and their correct way of preparation in order to avoid distasteful results. It is therefore necessary to carefully examine the causes of sufferers of sexual problems in order to choose correctly.

And remember: Communicate with one another! Talk to have great sex!

Alma De la Cruz, a staff mystic employed by http://www.psychicrealm.com, has a profound personal history where she has unabashedly delved deep into the heart of occult mysteries for an extensive period of her life. Her name literally means “Soul of the Cross” in Spanish. Currently she is working publishing a manuscript that delves into the mysteries of Hispanic new age beliefs incorporating old insights with new spiritual methodologies.

Check out her bi weekly metaphysical column: http://www.newagenotebook.com where she takes a new twist, incorporating Latin shamanistic philosophies with leading edge occult beliefs.

I have spent many years trying to develop my inner self. It has not been easy. Overcoming my fears, inhibitions and inertia was difficult, but the effort has been worth it and I believe I live my life to its full potential. But how can I teach my child to live life to the full?

The search for self improvement is full of self doubt. I have spent years exploring many avenues and techniques; not all lead to anywhere meaningful. However, some things I learnt have helped me enormously. But I’m not confident that I have found the right answers. Other people I know have found great benefit from techniques and practices that were of no help to me. Likewise, what I find beneficial, others may not.

Meeting and falling in love with my wife was the best thing that has ever happened to me. The birth of our son brought us great joy. But as we settled into parenting, I became more and more worried about my ability to teach my son about the right approach to live life. I didn’t want him to spend years, in later life, searching, as I had done, for answers as to how best to live life. I didn’t want his life constrained like so many people’s lives are today.

I had so many questions about the correct ‘life coaching plan’ I should use. How old should he be before I began teaching him techniques that I had learnt? What approach should I take? And were the techniques and practices I had learnt suitable for him? Did I have the ability to teach others?

It was my wife who provided the answer. Actually, we had a row. I was fretting, as usual, about our son, when my wife screamed at me to ‘give it a rest!’ When I retorted that I only wanted to help our child, she replied that it was me who wanted help and that our son needed no help at all. In fact, she said, if I continued like this, one thing was certain: our son would certainly spend many years as an adult, trying to sort out his life.

She was right of course. From that point on, I began to really observe my child and I began to realize that he had ‘no issues’ to sort out, no inhibitions, inertia, or self doubt. He’s a dynamo, who is constantly exploring the world around him. He’s always himself; he’s in touch with his real, inner-self.

I have nothing to teach him. Sure, I can teach him to cross the road, walk down stairs holding the hand-rail and how to ride a bike. But I have nothing to teach him on how to live life. He’s doing it all by himself. He’s my teacher, and a good one at that.

Robin O’Brien is founder and editor of www.selfimprovementtechniques.com and www.winchester-tourist-information.com

How many days out of the week do you feel excited? Yes, how many times are you really happy? Everybody can lead an extraordinary life. Turning a so-so life into a passion filled, exciting adventure is possible. But there’s a catch: It won’t happen on it’s own. If we want excitement and the feelings of joy, inner peace, abundance and excitement, we are going to have shift our focus from everything that is going wrong and place attention on the necessity of feeling good in this moment. What makes us feel good? Having dreams and desires, a sense of purpose and direction. Most of all, feeling good occurs with connection to our own excitement. Creating a life of joy requires some basic tried-and-true principles. Follow these easy steps to open the gates of greater happiness:

Stop Doing What You Are Doing
Are you enjoying life? Are you happy in your work, your relationships or in your own body and life? If you are not feeling joyous, happy, excited or energized, stop whatever it is you are doing or thinking about. Decide there is nothing more important than feeling good in your body in this moment. Take a few moments, sit still, breathe deeply and slowly allowing yourself time to relax. Activate the power of imagination. What would an enjoyable life look like? What thoughts and what fantasies warm your heart, feel good in your core center and invite your spirit?

Count Your Blessings
Nothing turns around our lives faster than enlarging our sense of gratitude. Counting our blessings means we make a decision to see things in a different way. Our focus of attention is shifted to what we like, what excites us. We look around our world and purposefully look for evidence of the excitement and abundance already present. Doing so allows us to connect more fully, more passionately to what we want. Reflecting on what is right with our world and with ourselves also results in higher levels of enthusiasm, determination, joy, serenity and energy. People who feel grateful also tend to feel more loved and more loving.

Self-appreciation
To allow good things into our life, we must find ourselves deserving. Self-appreciation is the decision we make to consciously reprogram ourselves to believe we are deserving. Living life in love and joy means being our own best friend, becoming unwavering supporters of ourselves. The words we speak to ourselves are powerful. They can elevate us into greatness and joy or plummet us into despair. They seldom have little or no consequence. Once they’ve been spoken, even internally, they can not be called back. Internal criticism is harmful. It is abusive. Even when we fall short of our own expectations, we don’t deserve abusive mental punishment. This style of self-persecution is definitely not self-loving behavior. It doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t lead to a happier life. We are deserving of feeling good in our bodies, worthy of focusing on excitement, worthy of receiving blessings and abundance. Self-appreciation opens the doors to receiving more success, abundance, miracles and joy.

Clarity
We often ask, “What is my purpose on earth?” Our purpose is to create with joy. Not just one big dream and then we’re done. But, over and over again, creating the next dream or desire which rises up from within. With absolute honesty, ask what is it you really, really want. If you don’t know the answer or you’re getting too expansive and elusive, focus on something small and attainable. “I want to feel good organizing my house” is as important as “I want to create a successful business.” Life feels good when we take charge of deciding what we want, and then go through the steps of being excited about effecting change in our lives. The entire process of creating is the purpose of life. Not chasing or pushing at goals. But imagining what is wanted, feeling excited about what is being imagined and allowing the energy of excitement to provide the motivation for action. Having a vision also provides direction. It allows us to zoom upwards and see the big picture when little picture of life gets difficult. Having a vision keeps us true to ourselves, our passion and our joy.

Envision Success
Instead of constantly worrying and stressing, spend time envisioning what is wanted and desired. Enjoy the physical sensations excitement. See yourself in your ideal home, decorated exactly the way you want it look and feel. Touch the magnificent walls and artwork, breathe in the ambiance, feel the safety and comfort. Visualize abundance, your ideal career or a healthy and active body. Picture yourself being recognized and appreciated by people. See the look of validation and respect on their faces. Every day, make the choice to spend time sitting quietly and bringing your dream to mind. Fall in love with your vision. See the details, hear how wonderful it would all be. Most of all, feel the excitement your dream generates. Imagine that excitement saturating your body to such an extent the excitement exudes outwards, touching and enhancing the lives of those you love.

Believe in Yourself
Belief is a feeling of certainty. It’s like knowing the sun will rise tomorrow morning. We don’t question whether the sun will rise, spend time worrying that it might not, or imagine the worst case outcomes. Believing in ourselves requires we focus energy and excitement on what we want. We establish a loving partnership with our dream, even though the dream doesn’t exist yet in our physical reality. We spend time imagining and loving what we want, even though there is no proof of our desire. We assume our desire will manifest, just as surely as the sun will rise again tomorrow. Believing in ourselves requires spending time with what is important to us, what feels good to us. Believing in ourselves and our dreams makes good things happen.

Expect Miracles
Expect good things to happen. Be receptive and open to good things happening. Have hopeful expectations about new opportunities. Expect good fortune and eventually it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. When you are willing to believe, really believe in miracles, then they will take place in your life. Be proactive and be on the look-out for miracles. Write them down, celebrate each one. If you find a penny on the ground, treat it as a miracle and celebrate. Every time you notice something wonderful happening, tell yourself, “I’m so blessed to receive such abundance! I love this feeling! I flow with abundance and open myself to receiving more of this feeling.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Helping people let go of self-destructive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors has been the life work of Dr. Annette Colby. Her fascination with the power of the mind, emotions, spirituality, and physicality has led her to become a leader in the field of personal growth and consciousness. She is a valued counselor, and an inspiring teacher, as well as an independent writer, mentor, and guide. She is a highly sought-after trainer with a unique ability to inform and inspire individuals to open their hearts, love more openly, and pursue their dreams.

Dr. Annette Colby, RD

Nutrition Therapist & Master Energy Therapist

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“Opening Creative Portals to Success”

Why can’t we believe in ourselves?

Well most of us have been conditioned from childhood, all sorts of things.
Examples: I am not worth it. I don’t deserve it. I can’t have it. I don’t know how to get it. I am useless. I am forgetful. I am lazy. I am stupid. I can’t be bothered. My friends say, why die trying. My parents taught me that I should be grateful for what I do get. My parents taught me not to be a dreamer.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Sadly, most people do not know how to believe in themselves. Since you are reading this I will make the presumption that you have little belief or none in yourself.
And why is that? Why don’t you believe in yourself? What beliefs do you hold that keep you from believing whole-heartedly in yourself?

We all have doubts at times, but to be living in them doubts day in and day out is like a dog chasing its tale around-and-around in a circle. You just don’t get anywhere!
Now, you have to decide, do you want to get somewhere? Do you want to achieve your goals that you set for yourself? Or do you want to continue living the same way you are already living. Which will it be? Only you can make the descion, and only you control your beliefs.

Are you going to choose to believe that you have what it takes to achieve all your goals every year of your life? Or are you going to carry on in the flock of sheep, all much alike, not knowing what direction to go next.

You have to decide, do you dare believe?

Sarah Liddle
Imperative Coaching
Life and Business coach
http://www.imperativecoaching.com
sarah@imperativecoaching.com
Phone: +64211600016

Recipe for the coach

2 cups of a Love for Life
2 tablespoons of determination
3 teaspoons of confidence

a dose of personal belief

A dollop of compassion
and a sprinkling of zest.
All mixed together with a burning desire to coach and educate humanity.

I feel a loss when pragmatism wins over the mystical. There is a greater magic at work when you engage with Source. I believe that strength and optimism combined with hard work will keep marketing principles and other learned strategies working well for success. I have a much different story to tell.

I’ve spent many years in the corporate world and in the service and sales industry. Letting those learned and hard-work principles go to engage in a relationship with the divine has been one of the most difficult challenges I’ve ever faced. So why face it? Why not stick with the old ways?

Simply put, the mystical, the divine, the source energy, or God if you like, wouldn’t let me go. No matter how hard I worked, I simply did not see the results I desired. There was a transformation already underway and I would be embracing a new way of living. You cannot deny who you truly are. As I moved away from working hard and focused more and more on my gifts, passion & purpose, magical things began happening.

In spite of all my marketing and business focused activities, none of my prospects had become a client and none of my projects came to life. Strangely, people from across North America were finding me, and rarely through my website. As long as I engaged in a relationship with the source and exercised faith, clients began showing up. Clients that were looking for the gifts that I had to offer and the connection I had to share.

This has pushed me deeper into a relationship with the mystical, the metaphysical, the spiritual - so many words to describe the same thing - and practicing a new way of being in this world. It is much simpler, much more organic, much more peaceful, and in many respects, very easy. Well, easy when I get out of my way.

There have been times when I’ve been in a complete and utter panic over what was not materializing. I’d come close to reverting to an old pattern and headaches would show up and more resistance in mind, body, and spirit. Within 24-48 hours, I’d back off from my worries, unable to give-in and give up the dream. I’d trust and just as suddenly, abundance again made itself known.

I see this pattern, these ups & downs, as part of the training I am receiving. To deepen my relationship with the divine. To trust source. To trust my true calling, passion and purpose. To express more fully who I am and thereby be a much better guide and teacher to those who wish to engage in the same relationship with the source of creation.

Magic lives everywhere. Being pragmatic can work, but who wants to work?

Lee Down is a Professional Coach, Trainer/Facilitator, Speaker, & Writer of One Man Can Human Capital Development that focuses on relationships, the key foundation to success in business and life. With more than 15 years professional experience and a thirst for truth and understanding, he focuses on the human spirit and human capacity.

Working with clients, he facilitates the breaking down of beliefs, barriers or obstacles that bring clients forward on their journey of discovery with spirit, energy, abundance, passion and purpose, integrating the mind and body experience. Working with business, he brings visionary leadership and relationship skills to the forefront that witnesses an empowered culture evolve and develop directly impacting the improvement to the bottom-line.

Last month I gave you the next three secrets to how I boosted my own creativity. So far, we have discussed habit, attitudes and unlearning old lessons. Now I will reveal another three secrets that will bring your creativity up another notch. Are you ready?

1. Make it a group activity

You’ve heard the saying “two heads are better than one”, and I say, “the more the merrier!” Get together with others to brainstorm and kick around ideas. If there is someone you know whom you think is very creative, make sure you invite that person into your group. Pay attention to how he thinks and see what you can learn from each other. Group brainstorming sessions are not only highly productive, they are educational, and fun!

Don’t think that you can only include people who are familiar with the subject matter into the group. Sometimes having someone with a completely different perspective is exactly what you need to steer you from the linear thinking you may be stuck in.

2. Remember that it’s okay to think small

Many small ideas resulted in incredible results. Here’s an example to illustrate my point. I know I am dating myself, but how many people remember key-punch cards for computers? Back in the stone age of computers, in order to do programming, people had to write down the instructions in whatever programming language. Then they had to insert these cards into a key punch machine and punch in the instructions. If you had a large program, you would end up with a stack of cards. These are then fed into the computer for it to run the program. (I apologize if this explanation is not exactly accurate. But this technology is now pretty much obsolete.) If you have ever seen one of the key-punch cards, you might have noticed that there is a little notch cut off at the upper left hand corner of the card. Do you know why that is?

The story is that in the key-punch hay-days, a lot of cards were getting jammed in the machines because the corners would get bent while being fed into the machine. I have no idea how long this went on until one day, a creative engineer at IBM suggested that they just cut a little triangle off the corner. Lo and behold, they tried the suggestion and it worked like a charm! Rumor has it that individual was very generously rewarded for his stroke of creativity.

Let this story be the inspiration for your approach to creative solutions to anything. Your idea does not have to be huge and earth shattering to have a profound effect. Take the pressure off yourself and think small. Just think outside the box. Everyone expected key-punch cards to be perfectly rectangular, but who’s to say they HAVE to be that way!

3. Believe in your own creativity

Ever heard of the self-fulfilling prophecy? It works in this situation too. If you think and believe that you don’t have a creative bone in your body, guess what? You WON’T have a creative bone in your body. However, many of the experts in this field firmly believe that we ALL have creative abilities. We just have to learn how to access them. So, this is the most important secret I am sharing with you. Start believing that you can learn how to access your creative talents and you will improve in this area as long as you work on it.

I am all the proof you need. I thought I only had half a brain - the left side. But I wanted to develop my creative skills. And I believed that it could be learned. With some hard work and tenacity, now I’ve moved my creativity scale. I am still a long ways off from challenging Tolkein (who in my opinion is one of the most imaginative people who ever lived). But I am more confident of my ability to stir up my creative juices when needed. And I find that I enjoy my creative activities more and more. You too can make improvements in this area. Just follow my example.

In summary, creativity is a skill that can be developed and honed just like cooking, typing, and public speaking. You just need to know how to adjust so you can improve. I have shared the most effective lessons I’ve learned about becoming more creative. Now go out there and practice.

Copyright 2005 Inez Ng

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We all know the power of a scope if you need to focus in on a target and hit it. We all need to develop and truly understand the power of the human mind’s scope. All of us have inside of us the potential to be as powerful as the most high-tech laser scope available today. A scope is designed to focus in on a target without getting distracted or losing focus in order to hit its target right on the bull’s eye. Now remember that all mechanical scopes are programmed by human technology and if we can do it for machines, we can do it for ourselves.

As you are progressing each day on your journey to your ultimate outcome in life, you need to stay 110% focused on your target. You need to focus in on your WHY in life and not be distracted by all the other negative noise we all hear each day in this negative world. You are 1000% more advanced in your focus just by reading this article today, because most people stop personal development as soon as their formal education stops. I always say formal education will get you a job, but self-education will enable you to design a life you want to live!

Your personal scope in life can be finely tuned each day based on the people you associate with along with your personal commitment to personal development. As you develop your mind, you will be able to stay focused on your target and hit it right in the bull’s eye. I am a true believer in the daily focusing of your sniper, which is a minimum of 15 minutes of personal development per day. This can be done by listening to audiotapes or by reading written materials, which will empower you and improve your results.

I personally invest 30-45 minutes each day for my own personal development in life. The outcome of your internal scope in life is ultimately determined by how you fine-tune it each day. You need to ask yourself an honest question, “Am I doing all I can do to hit my target (your WHY) in life by enhancing each and every day the input to my human scope?” If the answer is “no”, then take action today and decide to change your destiny!

Find Your WHY and FLY!

John Di Lemme, a Former Clinically Diagnosed Stutterer, now the
World’s Leading Motivational Expert *shocks millions globally*
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