Success is Closer Than You Think

Tapping Your Subconscious

2012-02-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

Your conscious mind is small and unable to enter into your subconscious. However, there is a point of intersection. To enter your subconscious, you must relax and focus through either through hypnosis or meditation.

Zen Buddhists focus on what they call the hara. Most practitioners will tell you it is the center of your being, physically located 2 inches below your navel. Actually, it is really nothing at all. Claudio Naranjo describes it in his essays on the Psychology of Meditation. It is not "nothing", but "no-thing". It is the complete emptying of your conscious mind so that your subconscious can speak to you.

Communication can go either way. Like Edison, you can listen to your subconscious and discover the solution that has been evading you.

Alternatively, you can input something into your subconscious, to create a new "normal" for you. That is what the Soviet athletes were doing. They were visualizing or meditating on the perfect performance to create a new "normal" for them and elevate their actual performance.

When you connect with your subconscious through meditation, you release much more mental power than you do with just your conscious mind. Your conscious mind works verbally and focuses on one issue at a time. Even when multi-tasking, you conscious mind only deals with one issue at a time. It just moves from one to another and back again. Multi-tasking with your conscious mind is like a juggling act. That is why numerous studies have indicated it is dangerous to multi-task when driving.

Your subconscious mind works with powerful images, symbols, and processes and is capable of handling numerous tasks simultaneously. Just think of how your subconscious handles your bodily functions without ever a conscious thought. Heart beat, respiration, digestion, muscle control, and cell reproduction are all going on at the same time without your conscious awareness. Yet your brain is busy controlling them all. Your subconscious is busy recording numerous stimuli including emotions you can't quite put into words.

Your subconscious is much smarter than your conscious mind. Connecting with your subconscious mind through meditation will open entire new worlds of insights and intuitions as you will be able to process much more information in images and symbols than you could possible address with your conscious mind - and at lightning speed.

Continue to mediate or probe more deeply into the subconscious and you will discover yet another doorway, this time into the noosphere. Once you have connected to the noosphere, you can access thoughts and understandings that are beyond your personal experience. Carl Jung espoused a similar concept that he termed the "collective unconscious", where powerful archetypal images provide the basis for our conscious symbols and imagery.

Continue past that, and you can touch God.

The point is that you can choose to live in your conscious life, or you can begin to explore yourself and your universe and discover wonderful things you probably never dreamt were there. Your ticket for that journey is meditation.

Be sure to follow the blog so you don't miss Meditation Part 5.

The Doorway into Your Subconscious

2012-02-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

Working with your brain

Your brain is the central control unit of your life. It weighs just over 3 pounds, but consumes 1/5th of the oxygen you breathe, 1/4th of your blood flow, and 1/3rd of your water intake. Those are not just meaningless trivia. Oxygen, blood flow and water fuel your brain, and you can actually improve brain function by increasing oxygen, blood flow and water. (See my Jan 10 post on "Feed Your Brain".)

Your Personal Super-Computer

Your brain contains about 100,000 miles of blood vessels and ten billion neurons. Each neuron is connected to other neurons through 10,000 synapses making the brain capable of multiple parallel computations. This is what gives the brain its great advantage over a computer with processors that must conduct each computation one at a time. The brain consumes 15 - 30 watts of energy, about the same as a personal computer but is capable of conducting quadrillions of computations each second.

With such a super computer inside of us, we should all be geniuses, but we only use a small portion of our brains for memory and cognitive thought. Most of your brain is devoted to subconscious functions such as keeping your heart beating. In fact, your conscious mind only controls a small fraction of your perception and behavior. Your subconscious mind controls the vast majority of the way you view your world and make your decisions.

You may meet a person and immediately distrust them. There is nothing you can put your finger on, but subtle clues can trigger a warning in your subconscious. Conversely, you may meet someone new and feel like you are old friends. Again, subtle clues trigger an emotional response. Your conscious mind is too busy making conversation to notice them, but your subconscious mind is sending you signals through what you might call intuition.

You have an intuition about yourself as well. This can work for you or against you. No wonder, if you see yourself as a failure, you will make one decision after another that leads from one failure to another. However, if your subconscious mind sees you as successful, you will make one decision after another that leads you from success to success.

Your conscious mind thinks verbally in logical patterns and divides time into past, present and future. However, you subconscious mind thinks in terms of images and emotions and sees all events as in the present. That is why when you think of a great event in your life like the birth of a child, you can feel that sense of elation and pride. Conversely, if you happen to remember a particularly embarrassing moment, even one that happened 20-30 years ago, your stomach starts to flip and your palms may even start to sweat.

The subconscious is incredibly powerful. Meditation is the doorway through which you can enter your subconscious and communicate with your it.

Be sure to follow the blog so you don't miss Meditation Part 4.

Meditation for Success Part 2

2012-01-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

The Chardinian Noosphere and Chicken Salad

We used to operate a small coffee and sandwich shop. We offered nine different kinds of sandwiches, all of which are roughly equally popular. One day my daughter reported to me that is seemed everyone who came in ordered a chicken salad sandwich. Why did on this one day chicken salad more than triple in popularity? The common vernacular answer is “There is something in the air.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit priest and philosopher, might say, “Yes, there is something in the air, and it is the collective consciousness.”
Chardin's theory was that there is a collective consciousness emanating from the interaction of human minds. This collective consciousness, he called the noosphere (from the Greek word for mind, nous). The noosphere is evolving and integrating with conscious human though until it reaches total integration which he called the Omega point.

This may seem like pretty far out stuff, but why is it that sometimes everyone seems to get the same idea? Is the collective consciousness whispering in people’s ears, “Eat chicken salad today.”?

Attitude is Contagious

Have you ever been in a room with friends, having a pleasant discussion, when in walks a newcomer? Sometimes the newcomer is ridiculously happy and excited. Perhaps everyone laughs at first, but as the newcomer shares his excitement, soon the spirits of everyone in the room are lifted. At other times the newcomer may be despondent and depressed. Soon people begin to leave because of the uneasiness everyone is feeling. There is a collective consciousness of everyone in the room. The introduction of a newcomer can affect that consciousness either positively or negatively. Either way, soon everyone is feeling it.

Collective Consciousness on a National Scale

The history of America is the history of dissenters. From the Federalist Papers to Henry David Thoreau to John Reed, America has prided herself in her dissenters. These dissenters usually develop a following, but are generally forgotten except in the halls of academia. But in 1968 America was reshaped by the voice of dissention.

The early 60’s were as American as apple pie. Popular music was dominated by folk songs sung by clean cut young men like the Kingston Trio and The Brothers Four. But in 1968 everything changed. Why did previous dissenters have to settle for a small following, while in 1968 there were so many dissenting voices that it became a chorus of dissent that changed the direction of the country forever. It was something in the air.

Prayer, meditation and visualization are ways of putting something into the air. It joins the noosphere of collective consciousness and rejoins the world of tangible reality, sometimes in very dramatic ways.

Several business leaders are discovering the power of meditation to enhance imagination and focus in business decisions. Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, requires that his executives meditate three times a day. Thomas Edison, perhaps the greatest inventor of the previous century, had developed a very advanced meditation technique. He was known to say that when he was faced with a particularly difficult and complex problem, he would put himself into a form of trance - and stay there until the solution presented itself.

What he was doing was getting his conscious mind out of the way, and allowing his subconscious mind to work on the problem.

Be sure to follow the blog so you don't miss Meditation Part 3.

Meditation

2012-01-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

This is the first post in a new series about meditation. If you follow this blog, you will be emailed about future posts on the subject.

Meditation has long been the domain of religion and spirituality. Every religion practices its own form of meditation. Catholics use the rosary as a meditation guide to help them focus on events in the life of Christ. Zen Buddhist monks practice zazen which is a meditation on the unity of body, breath and mind - and ultimately of all things. Protestants meditate on the Bible reciting Bible verses several times, each time emphasizing a different word allowing the full meaning of the text to sink in. Sometimes religious groups believe they have discovered the right way to meditate. In my opinion, there is no wrong way to meditate. In fact, meditation has left the confines of sanctuary and monastery and found its way into sports and even business.

I define meditation very broadly as any mental exercise that incorporates breathing, relaxation, and focus. This practice has made its way into sports under the term, visualization. Visualization is a type of meditation that incorporates relaxation and focus on such visual concepts as the perfect golf swing, the perfect swim stroke, or just plain winning. Many Olympic athletes take time each day to relax and focus on receiving the gold medal. Does it work?

The 1980 Soviet Olympic Team

In 1980, the Soviets conducted a visualization experiment. They divided the athletes into four groups. The first group practiced as usual. The second group devoted 25% of their practice time to visualization. The third group devoted 50% of their practice time to visualization. The fourth group devoted 75% of their practice time to visualization. At the 1980 Olympics, the group that spent 75% of their time practicing physically and devoted 25% of their practice time to visualization won the most medals.

The moral to that story is simple. Visualization works, but it is no substitute for practice. Visualization can enhance and empower practice sessions, but not replace them.

The DC Experiment

John Hagelin hypothesized that if enough people meditated in a city, they could measurably reduce the crime rate. In 1993, an experiment was conducted in the nation’s capital. About 500 people gathered in Washington DC and began meditating toward the specific purpose of reducing the crime rate in the city. At the end of 4 weeks, the crime rate had dropped about 2%. Then there was a marked increase in the number of individuals meditating. By the end of the eighth week, there were almost 4,000 people gathering and mediating. By the end of the 2 month experiment, the crime rate had dropped 23 %.

Clinical Trials

There have been a few clinical trials on the effects of intercessory prayer (a form of meditation) in the treatment of disease. In 1988 the Southern Medical Journal reported a significant better recovery of heart patients that received intercessory prayer as part of their therapy. A similar study with rheumatoid arthritis patients was published in 2000 in the same journal. Again, patients who received in person intercessory prayer had significantly improved recoveries.

To some, measurable results from prayer, meditation and visualization seems spooky and mysterious. There is really nothing mysterious about it. Mind, body and spirit are interconnected. We have all experienced how strengthening the body gives strength to the mind and spirit. Illness that affects the body, can also affect the mind and spirit. Why must we start with the body? Doesn’t it stand to reason that if we strengthen the spirit, the body and mind will follow?

More to come later. Don't forget to follow the blog.

Feed Your Brain

2012-01-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you think about your brain very often, but you should. Your brain is very important to you. It is, after all, responsible for making the decision about whether or not to make an investment, start a new business, or marry someone you care about. Ultimately, your brain is going to determine whether you succeed or fail in life. That being said, perhaps you should consider how to take better care of it.

Your brain is the central control unit of your life. It weighs just over 3 pounds, but consumes 1/5th of the oxygen you breathe, 1/4th of your blood flow, and 1/3rd of your water intake. Those are not just meaningless trivia. Oxygen, blood flow and water fuel your brain, and you can actually improve brain function by increasing oxygen, blood flow and water.

1 - Improve hydration of your brain by drinking enough water.

Most people do not have adequate fluid intake. According to the Mayo Clinic recommended water intake varies according to a number of factors including general health, gender, activity level, etc. However, on average a female requires about nine 8-ounce glasses of water a day. The average male requires about thirteen 8-ounce glasses each day. Other fluids count towards total fluid intake. However, diuretics, like coffee, count for less than a full cup.

You may have never noticed subtle improvements in your thought processes on days you are fully hydrated, but you have probably noticed the inverse. If someone is acting stupid, people often say, "They must have been in the sun too long." If you have ever spent a good deal of time out of doors in the sun without proper hydration you have probably experienced headaches and deterioration of clear thought. The same can happen indoors in a dry environment, but it generally takes longer.

2 - Increase blood flow to your brain with aerobic exercise.

Research has shown that regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain. It has long been known that exercise improves attitude and promotes emotional stability. This is due to the increase of endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and other neuro chemicals. Studies in the US and Europe have clearly established that the same exercise that is good for your heart also improves motor function, auditory attention, and memory. One study of students demonstrated that aerobic exercise was related to scholastic success in reading and math.

Everyone who can move should perform 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day. Start where you are. Build slowly. You don't have to run a marathon, just get your heart pumping and your blood flowing. You will not only start to think better, you will live longer - not a bad side benefit.

3 - Increase oxygen flow to your brain with regular deep breathing.

Deep breathing exercise is a fundamental part of many religions as well as exercise programs. Navy Seals, chess masters, and the Blue Angels have all developed specialized breathing techniques to improve brain oxygen levels in high stress environments.

I practice deep breathing in conjunction with meditation each morning as I plan my day. I alternate between upper breathing, which improves imagination and creativity, and lower breathing, which improves peacefulness and well being.
Your life is a series of decisions made in your brain. Feed your brain so you will be equipped to make good ones.

My Faith Musings

2011-12-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

For anyone interested in my personal blog on my faith journey, you can visit:
http://myfaithmusings.wordpress.com/

Learning from the Success of Others

2011-04-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

One great way to pursue success is to learn from the success of others. Biographies of many successful people in business, politics and faith are available. Here is a great website where you can read short success stories about The Entrepreneur Next Door.

Where is Your Passion

2011-04-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever made a lot of money doing what they hate? Sure. All the time. But has anyone ever been truly successful doing what they hate? Only if your definition of success does not include personal happiness. We live in a society where there are lots of options. We can choose to go to college or tech school. We can choose to be an entrepreneur or an employee. We can choose to work for a venture capitalist or a non-profit. Whatever your choice, your level of success will greatly depend on choosing options that support your core values and allow you to do things you are truly passionate about. That is because to do a job well requires a great deal of time, effort and personal commitment. It is going to be very hard to devote yourself to something that you are not passionate about.

It is alluring to go find a job in an industry that you heard was easy or profitable. You can certainly be successful at it, if what you want is a 9-5 job, home in the evenings and on weekends, reaching middle management, and retiring on social security plus a modest 401k. There is nothing wrong with that model. Just be sure that is truly what you want from life.
Several people work at whatever job they can get and then seek personal fulfillment from relationships and hobbies. The risk is that relationships can change, and you may not be able to perform your hobbies anymore. There often comes a time when people begin feeling empty and start searching for meaning in what they do.

Let's Get Serious About Your Goals

This is where you change the direction of your life. Once you outline a new set of goals and begin pursuing them, your life will forever change. Whether it changes for the better or for the worse, depends on the goals you set for yourself.

Your goals are the roadmap to your future. At this point in the process, you should be starting to get a picture of what you really want out of life. Now let's get those wants on paper. Make them tangible. Make them real.

Don't set unreachable goals. That will just frustrate you. But don't sell yourself short either. If you want to be President of the United States, that is a realistic goal - unless you were born in Canada. You would have to change the Constitution to become President, and that would probably make that goal unrealistic. If you want to be a professional basketball player, that is a realistic goal - unless you are 60 years old and 5 foot 2. The rule of thumb is, unless there is a physical or legal limitation preventing you from reaching your goal, go for it.

If you are like most people, up until today, other people have been setting your goals for you - your parents, your teachers, your religious leaders, your boss, your spouse. Everything changes today. Today is the day you take control of your life and map your own future.

You are one decision away from changing your life forever.

New Website

2010-08-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

Websites seem to be driving the economy, even the way we think. Here is my latest website. Dallas Franchises

Low Cost Businesses

2010-08-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

We are entering the new decade of the entrepreneur. The past decade showed us all the futility of big corporations and mega banks. We are returning to a time where the local shop owner will be honored for helping create the local economy. For many former managers and executives who have found themselves outside of corporate America, low cost franchises and licensed brands can give them the opportunity to enjoy the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, but still provide structure and a systematic approach to their chosen business model.

2010-07-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Profit From New Economic Data
By: Ed Wills

The new economic report is good news for small business.

The National Association for Business Economics released a new report indicating that America's economic is continuing to recover. This is great news, especially considering recent uncertainties.

Here are the basic numbers.

- 31% of businesses increased their number of workers in the past quarter.
- 39% of businesses plan to increase workers over the next 2 quarters.
- 50% fewer companies reported layoffs during the past quarter compared with the same period a year ago.
- 52% of companies reported increased demand for goods and services resulting in improved sales.

But not all the news is good.

- The stock market continues to be unstable as it absorbs and interprets new regulations.
- The housing market and real estate in general continue to be sluggish.

This information is not just academic. There are clues here indicating how to best invest you time and money to take advantage of changes in the economic climate.

First, the stock market is a poor place for your money. This is no surprise to anyone who has lost half of their retirement investment in stocks or mutual funds. Unless you are a very adept trader who can capitalize on market volatility, the stock market should be avoided. But don't confuse the ups and downs of the market as an indicator of how the economy is doing. The stock market is largely driven by emotion and speculation. Economic data may fuel the emotion, but the market will almost always over react, then over correct. So if the market falls 2000 points, it is not an indicator that the economy has collapsed any more than its 2000 point climb late last year indicated that the economy was completely healed.

Second, real estate is not where you should invest - yet. Some apparent relief earlier this year was largely due to government programs that have expired. Now, foreclosures are continuing to climb, and there are fewer new home starts. Real estate will likely bottom out in a year or two, but recovery is likely to be slow as the huge foreclosure inventory is absorbed by the marketplace.

So where is the right place to invest? Consider new business investment. As the economy strengthens, companies will be hiring employees and contracting new service agreements. The technology and business services sectors are likely to recover at a faster rate than the overall economy.

Express Employment, a franchised employment services company, reported an all-time record for weekly sales volume in June.

Intel reported increased sales for server chips, an indicator that US businesses are spending money on improved technology. They are also predicting a 20% improvement in PC sales, largely driven by companies increasing workers.

The BNZ index, an index of the business services industry, rose 2.2 points in May (most recent data available). This indicates continued expansion in the business services industry.

So if you are considering starting a new business, or just looking for a place to invest your money, business services is worth a close look. Besides employment services and technology, consider starting a business that focuses on consulting, marketing, supply management, sales training, and facilities management and maintenance.

If you are nervous about venturing into entrepreneurism, there are franchises that will assist you in setting up your own business in each of these sectors. A franchise will also provide your new startup with an established name and 50 year reputation. These are big plusses when approaching businesses for new business. Also, each franchise has developed a proven success formula that can be verified by you during your investigation and validation period.

However you approach your investment, it is time to quit worrying about the future and start creating your future. The tide is rising. Catch the wave.

Ed Wills is a franchise and small business startup consultant with WFA Franchise Consultants. He specializes in helping people identify business opportunities that will help them reach their personal and financial goals. He writes, speaks and coaches on a variety of business and success topics. You can learn more about his services or request a free consultation at www.WFAFranchiseConsultants.com.

Article Source: Profit From New Economic Data

Franchise Business Course

2010-07-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

If you have not already signed up for my free franchise business course, now is the time.

In this course you will learn:

- The three basic business models and each model’s probability of success
- How to select which model is right for you
- How to choose an industry
- How to use a consultant in business selection
- How to translate your interests, skills and goals into profits
- How to finance your new business
- How to manage your new business

This course is absolutely free and will be emailed directly to you from info@WFAFranchiseConsultants.com.

Request Free Franchise Business Course.

Climb the Buyer Ladder

2010-07-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

Climb the Buyer Ladder
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ed_Wills]Ed Wills

Where does your product or service fit on the buyer ladder? Could moving your product or service up a rung on the ladder increase sales and improve your core business? Absolutely.

First, let's take a look at the ladder.

High Emotion - Significant Uniqueness

Low Emotion - Significant Uniqueness

High Emotion - Little Uniqueness

Low Emotion - Little Uniqueness

Luxury products such as Harley Davidson motorcycles, fine wines and diamond jewelry tend to fit on the top rung of the ladder. These products tend to carry a good deal of status and a high price tag. Purchasers will spend a good deal of time considering the purchase and making sure they are buying pleased with it. Everyday "brandless" products tend to fall on the bottom rung of the ladder. For example, what brand of paper clips are in your desk? Purchasers tend to spend little time considering the purchase and will probably just buy the cheapest one or the most convenient.

The key to a marketer is to raise your product or service up a rung on the ladder. Major corporations do this all the time. Look at the high emotional content of a Charmin toilet tissue ad. Do we really need an emotional attachment to our toilet paper? Marketers also attempt to increase uniqueness. Kleenex and Puffs go head to head with designer packaging, added lotions and pastel colors. That's a lot of hype for something you are going to blow your nose with and throw away. So whatever your product or service, there is probably a way to increase its emotional involvement or perceived uniqueness.

Automotive repair shops can email digital photos of customer's cars during the day to show progress of the repair. This will increase consumer involvement in the process and elevate emotional attachment as well as provide a unique attribute of your shop compared to other shops that do not provide that service. Customer surveys are great tools for increasing a consumer's "ownership" in your business. Community involvement including sponsoring juvenile sports, high school drama clubs, and public charitable assistance are great ways to increase a community's sense that your shop belongs to the community and not some absentee corporate entity. There is no greater coup for a marketer than to get customers to refer to a shop or service provider as "my coffee shop", "my book store" or "my mechanic".

If you are part of a franchise, your franchisor's marketing support has probably already done the leg work for you, developing ad campaigns that involve emotional attachment and create a sense of uniqueness. If you are an independent entrepreneur, the cost of bringing in a marketing consultant might seem daunting, but could be worth the expense. Another option is to spend some time surveying your existing customers. Find out their likes and dislikes. Why do they do business with you? Find their emotional attachment and use it to market to others.

So invest some time and effort in finding ways to increase emotional attachment or perceived uniqueness of your product or service. You will be pleased with the long term benefits.

Ed Wills is a franchise and small business startup consultant with WFA Franchise Consultants. He specializes in helping people identify business opportunities that will help them reach their personal and financial goals. He writes, speaks and coaches on a variety of business and success topics. You can learn more about his services or request a free consultation at [http://www.WFAFranchiseConsultants.com]http://www.WFAFranchiseConsultants.com.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Climb-the-Buyer-Ladder&id=4668956] Climb the Buyer Ladder

Identify And Overcome Emotional Blocks To Success

2010-03-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

What is holding you back from fulfilling the vision you just wrote?
Has it ever occurred to you that what is preventing you from enjoying success is not the actions and attitudes of your parents, or the lack of opportunities, or just plain bad luck, but your own feelings and attitudes about yourself?
Many people work hard for success, but never seem to achieve it. Something always stops them before they can accomplish their goals and achieve their personal dreams and aspirations. In most cases, what is holding them back is that they don’t feel they deserve success. At some point in their lives they became saddled with the belief that they do not deserve good things in life.
Our strongest beliefs about ourselves become ingrained at a very early age, usually, when we are completely unable to make reasonable judgments about ourselves or our surroundings.
A small child sees something very bright and shiny. It looks so beautiful, so desirable. The child sets an infantile goal. “Put that bright shiny thing in my mouth.” He reaches for it. Suddenly, a parent snatches it away. “No! Bad!” The parent tosses the piece of broken glass into a big can and puts a lid on it. The child internalizes, “My parents will take my goal away from me because I am bad.”
An impressionable pre-teen sits in Church and hears a sermon from a pastor he has been taught to have complete confidence in. The pastor is preaching about how people who live for the love of money, instead of focusing their life on loving relationships with their family and friends will lead empty, unfulfilled lives. The youth internalizes, “I’m not going to make money, but make everyone like me.”
In both cases, the parent and the pastor are trying to communicate good, positive messages. But the recipient of the messages lacks sufficient understanding, and internalizes limiting emotions. It has happened to all of us. Often, those who find their way to success are so brash and self-confident that they have simply learned to ignore negative input and feelings and press ahead. But, there is a more gentle and enjoyable path to success. Change your internal feelings and attitudes about success so they support you rather than limit you.

Step One: Self Acceptance
The first step on the path to emotional freedom is self acceptance. If you want to grow, you need to be able to look squarely at your mistakes, large and small, and say to yourself, “I blew it, but I love and accept myself just the way I am.” Success is not about avoiding mistakes, but moving past them. If you continue to beat yourself up over past errors in judgment, they will dominate your thoughts and emotions preventing you from learning from them and moving on.

Step Two: Forgiveness
From a place of self-acceptance, you can truly forgive anyone who provided negative influences that helped form limiting and sometimes self-destructive behaviors, attitudes and beliefs. It is easy to rationalize that these individuals weren’t trying to harm you and therefore don’t’ need forgiveness. They may not need forgiveness, but you need to forgive. Only after you forgive, can you let go and find freedom.
In some cases forgiveness seems undeserved. This is often the case in abuse or divorce. But holding onto unforgiveness never hurts those who wronged you. It only hurts you. In fact, unforgiveness gives the one who wronged you a type of control over you. By holding on to unforgiveness, you are allowing the injury to last a lifetime. Choosing to truly forgive can start a chain reaction of healing that will open a doorway to a joyful and productive life.
The most important person to forgive is yourself. Embarrassments and disappointments create deeply rooted resentments. Unfortunately, many people resent themselves. This creates a sense of disqualification, as if one feels disqualified to enjoy success because of something they did in their past.
Often what we believe disqualifies us was not even an action. It may have been a belief we held, or an emotion we experienced.
Once you have chosen to love and accept yourself just the way you are, and broken the chains of unforgiveness that have been holding you back, you can begin to move forward to become the person you truly want to be.

Step Three: Realize you Deserve to Succeed
If you grew up in a guilt culture, you may not feel you deserve many good things to happen to you. Guilt, often injected into our psyche by our parents, teachers or ministers, can create a strong sense of unworthiness. I grew up in an East Texas evangelical tradition. “I am unworthy” is a mantra of Southern evangelicalism. To succeed, you must first change that mantra to “I deserve to be successful.” “I deserve to have good things.” “I deserve to enjoy life.” I deserve to be rich” “I deserve to have people look up to me.”

WFA Franchise Consultants

Big Goals Require a Big Vision

2010-02-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

The bigger your goal, the bigger your vision needs to be to motivate you to accomplish it. If your goal is to become a manager at the place where you work, what is it about being a manager that will motivate you to do what it takes to become a manager? Is your goal to become the top sales person in your organization? The question is, “Why bother?” Is it for the money? The prestige? The recognition? There is no wrong answer here. It is important to know what motivates you, so you can keep yourself motivated to prospect the new customer, learn all you can about the new products, make the extra sales and go the extra mile.
What do you really want?
Most people have financial goals, but what they really want is not money. They really want something else that having money provides for them. It may be a bigger house. Better education for the kids. The freedom to travel. Or perhaps they are motivated by intangibles like security, confidence, recognition or freedom from worrying about money.
Zig Ziglar is famous for saying, “Every year thousands of people go out and buy ¼ inch drill bits, but not one of them wanted a ¼ inch drill bit. They all wanted ¼ inch holes.”
What is it that you really want? What will motivate you to do what it takes to get it?
Put Your Vision In Writing
Write out your life vision. Include a description of what your ideal day is like. Talk about your feelings having accomplished your goals. Take time every day to read your vision and imagine yourself as having accomplished your goals.
Jack was a college student who wanted to graduate valedictorian of his class. He asked his mother to sew a wall hanging with a big “V” on it. Every day for four years he looked at that wall hanging and took a moment to think about what it would feel like to be named valedictorian of his graduating class. He thought about what he would say in his speech. He imagined the applause. Then, he went to class focused on making the grades necessary to be valedictorian. Sure enough, when his class graduated, Jack was named valedictorian. Only then did he tell all his friends what the wall hanging was all about. For four years they had questioned him. Now they all understood.
Detailed Description Makes Your Vision Real
You don’t have to be a novelist to write a detailed description of something you hold deeply in your heart. As you picture you life after you have achieved your goals, ask yourself, “What do I see?” “What do I hear” “What do I smell?” “What do I feel?” If your goal is to make enough money to put your children through the best education available, imagine yourself sitting in the audience other parents at an Ivy League college. Feel the enthusiasm. Hear the applause. Note the pride swelling up inside of you.
Emotion Gives Your Vision Power
Several studies have shown that memory is closely linked to emotion. If you experience deep emotion during an event, you will remember it forever. If you are a parent, you probably remember in vivid detail the events and surroundings related to the birth of your children. You can probably describe in detail the room you were in and what you were doing when you heard about the terrorist attacks of 9-11. When describing your vision, create a memory in advance. Describe what you feel when you realize the accomplishment of your goals.
Put Your Vision In Writing
Write out your life vision. Include a description of what your ideal day is like. Talk about your feelings having accomplished your goals. Take time every day to read your vision and imagine yourself as having accomplished your goals.
Jack was a college student who wanted to graduate valedictorian of his class. He asked his mother to sew a wall hanging with a big “V” on it. Every day for four years he looked at that wall hanging and took a moment to think about what it would feel like to be named valedictorian of his graduating class. He thought about what he would say in his speech. He imagined the applause. Then, he went to class focused on making the grades necessary to be valedictorian. Sure enough, when his class graduated, Jack was named valedictorian. Only then did he tell all his friends what the wall hanging was all about. For four years they had questioned him. Now they all understood.
Create a sensory map.
Take a moment to think of the most exciting and joyful experience of your life. You will probably begin feeling the same emotions all over again. You may begin to smile or laugh. Now mentally attach those feelings to your ultimate vision. You may need to repeat this exercise the first few times you read your vision. Soon you will discover that the emotions will come naturally and quickly.
Read Your Vision Every Day
It is important to keep your vision in front of you. This is the key to your motivation. So take time each day to imagine what it is you are working towards.
Set aside time, preferably at the beginning and end of each day, to:
• Read your vision.
• Create a mental picture of your life after you have reached your goals.
• Imagine the sights, smells and other sensory input.
• Feel the emotions of joy and elation that come from achieving your goals.
• Make your future yours today.
WFA Franchise Consultants

Why Visualizing Your Way to Success Works

2010-01-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of hype in the self help genre about meditation and visualization. There is also a lot of skepticism by business professionals. That is because the case for meditation and visualization, often associated with the law of attraction, has been grossly overstated. Yes, visualization works. You can bring about amazing things through meditation and visualization. But it isn’t magic.

Let me state now, it isn’t dangerous. You didn’t attract the car accident by having negative thoughts. You may have attracted it by being tired or distracted, but not by having bad self talk or a bad visualization model. I grew up in the East Texas Bible belt where there was always someone telling me if I had the right kind of faith, good things would happen to me. If bad things happened, I just didn’t have enough faith. That is a bunch of baloney. A lot of what I hear about self talk, meditation, visualization and the law of attraction is the same snake oil with a new label.

I have also heard the law of attraction touted as the key to success in business. If you want to succeed in business, you need a good business plan, dynamite marketing, great customer service and a lot of hard work. Meditation and visualization have their place; one could even argue they are essential. But they are no substitute.

Now that I have begun this chapter with an overdone caveat, let’s talk about what is real and practical about mediation and visualization.

The DC Experiment
John Hagelin hypothesized that if enough people meditated in a city, they could measurably reduce the crime rate. In 1993, an experiment was conducted in the nation’s capital. About 500 people gathered in Washington DC and began meditating toward the specific purpose of reducing the crime rate in the city. At the end of 4 weeks, the crime rate had dropped about 2%. Then there was a marked increase in the number of individuals meditating. By the end of the eighth week, there were almost 4,000 people gathering and mediating. By the end of the 2 month experiment, the crime rate had dropped 23 %.

Clinical Trials
There have been a few clinical trials on the effects of intercessory prayer (a form of meditation) in the treatment of disease. In 1988 the Southern Medical Journal reported a significant better recovery of heart patients that received intercessory prayer as part of their therapy. A similar study with rheumatoid arthritis patients was published in 2000 in the same journal. Again, patients who received in person intercessory prayer had significantly improved recoveries.

To some, measurable results from prayer, meditation and visualization seems spooky and mysterious. There is really nothing mysterious about it. Mind, body and spirit are interconnected. We have all experienced how strengthening the body gives strength to the mind and spirit. Illness that affects the body, can also affect the mind and spirit. Why must we start with the body? Doesn’t it stand to reason that if we strengthen the spirit, the body and mind will follow?

The Chardinian Noosphere and Chicken Salad
We operate a small coffee and sandwich shop. We offer nine different kinds of sandwiches, all of which are roughly equally popular. The other day my daughter reported to me that is seemed everyone who came in ordered a chicken salad sandwich. Why did on this one day chicken salad more than double in popularity? The common vernacular answer is “There is something in the air.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit priest and philosopher, might say, “Yes, there is something in the air, and it is the collective consciousness.” His theory was that there is a collective consciousness emanating from the interaction of human minds. This collective consciousness, he called the noosphere (from the Greek word for mind, nous). The noosphere is evolving and integrating with conscious human though until it reaches total integration which he called the Omega point.
This may seem like pretty far out stuff, but why is it that sometimes everyone seems to get the same idea? Is the collective consciousness whispering in people’s ears, “Eat chicken salad today.”?

Attitude is Contagious
Have you ever been in a room with friends, having a pleasant discussion, when in walks a newcomer? Sometimes the newcomer is ridiculously happy and excited. Perhaps everyone laughs at first, but as the newcomer shares his excitement, soon the spirits of everyone in the room are lifted. At other times the newcomer may be despondent and depressed. Soon people begin to leave because of the uneasiness everyone is feeling. There is a collective consciousness of everyone in the room. The introduction of a newcomer can affect that consciousness either positively or negatively. Either way, soon everyone is feeling it.

Collective Consciousness on a National Scale
The history of America is the history of dissenters. From the Federalist Papers to Henry David Thoreau to John Reed, America has prided herself in her dissenters. These dissenters usually develop a following, but are generally forgotten except in the halls of academia. But in 1968 America was reshaped by the voice of dissention.
The early 60’s were as American as apple pie. Popular music was dominated by folk songs sung by clean cut young men like the Kingston Trio and The Brothers Four. But in 1968 everything changed. Why did previous dissenters have to settle for a small following, while in 1968 there were so many dissenting voices that it became a chorus of dissent that changed the direction of the country forever. It was something in the air.

Prayer, meditation and visualization are ways of putting something into the air. It joins the noosphere of collective consciousness and rejoins the world of tangible reality, sometimes in very dramatic ways.

The 1980 Soviet Olympic Team
In 1980, the Soviets conducted a visualization experiment. They divided the athletes into four groups. The first group practiced as usual. The second group devoted 25% of their practice time to visualization. The third group devoted 50% of their practice time to visualization. The fourth group devoted 75% of their practice time to visualization. At the 1980 Olympics, the group that spent 75% of their time practicing physically and devoted 25% of their practice time to visualization won the most medals.

John Asaraf’s House
John Asaraf tells the story in his book, The Answer, of how, when he was a young realtor in Indiana, he had a vision board of things he wanted to achieve. Among other things, he cut a picture of a house out of a magazine and glued it to his vision board. It was a big beautiful house, and he considered this his dream home. Five years later, he decided to move to California. When unpacking, he found his old dream boards. Looking over them he realized that without conscious awareness, he had purchased the exact house he had glued to his vision board five years earlier.

WFA Franchise Consultants

A Compelling Vision

2009-12-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

A compelling vision will attract people and resources to help you get there. The more vivid and compelling the vision, the more people and resources will line up to propel you to your goal.
Mother Theresa had a vision to help the poorest of the poor. She took a vow of poverty and lived among the poor of Calcutta, India. She gave herself to the sick, the penniless and the dying. Her vision was so compelling that thousands lined up to help her fulfill her vision. At the time of her death, over sisters of charity were devoted to fulfilling her vision, and her order controlled over $40,000,000, mostly in real estate, for the purpose of caring for the poorest of the poor. Not bad for someone who personally never owned more than 2 saris and a bucket to wash them in. Her mustard seed was her compelling vision.
What makes a vision compelling to others?
First, for your vision to compel others to join your cause, it must be clearly stated. People will not follow a vague proposition. They need to understand where your vision is leading and how it will benefit them.
Second, for your vision to compel others it must be identifiable. People need to identify with your vision. They will follow a vision that they feel is theirs as well as yours.
Third, your vision must offer hope. Your greatest gift to those who would follow you is hope. Stir hope in the hearts of those who would follow your vision. You will not lack for support in fulfilling your goals.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

You Were Created To Create

2009-12-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Each of us was created in the image of the creator. Creating is what comes most naturally to us.
Normally when we think of creating, we think of artistic endeavors - prose, poetry, music, art. Those are high forms of creating, but even in the day to day, we can’t help but create.
We look at someone across the room and we create interest. We deal with a daily problem and create a solution. We fall asleep and create vivid dreams arising from our imagination.
What if we could create our future? You not only can, you will.
If you choose to let it happen on its own, you have created a future that is very much like today. But if you choose to consciously employ vision, goal setting, affirmations and careful planning to create your future, then you can create the future of your dreams.
An organization that is committed to creative collaboration will ride the wave of the future. They will go beyond the realm of assumptive thinking and welcome the dawn of innovation...because there is nothing more empowering than an idea whose time has come.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

You Were Created To Succeed

2009-11-30T07:35:00.000-08:00

You Were Created To Succeed
A Guided Mediation
First, let's start with relaxation. Sit in a comfortable position where you are fully supported.
Take a deep breath inhaling through your nose and exhaling out through your mouth. Focus on your breath. Shut out all other thoughts and feel your breath pass in through your nose and out through your mouth.
With each breath imagine, you are breathing in peace. As you exhale through your mouth imagine you are exhaling tension , anxiety and worry. Say to yourself:
"Breath in peace. Breath our tension"
"Breath in peace. Breath out fear."
"Breath in peace. Breath out worry."
Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth in the beginning will help you focus on your breath, but it is not necessary to continue to breath that way throughout the meditation.
Focus on your head. Notice any tension, and tell yourself to relax. Relax your scalp. Relax your face. Relax your jaw..Your jaw may drop slightly. Your mouth may open that is okay but not necessary.
Focus on your neck and shoulders. Tell your neck and shoulders to relax. feel the tension peel away from your neck and shoulders. Continue to breathe deeply and naturally.
Now focus on your chest and diaphragm. Relax your chest and diaphragm. Relax your stomach and mid section. As you relax, you should feel your stomach move in and out with each breath. That is because you are breathing deeply and naturally. Each breath continues to inhale peace and exhale tension, anxiety and worry.
Now focus on your hips and thighs. Completely relax your hips and thighs. Don't worry, you will not fall over because you are perfectly centered and balanced.
Focus on your calves and feet. Completely relax your calves and feet. Feel all tension drain out of your feet. You are now completely relaxed.
In your mind's eye, picture yourself walking down a forest trail. All around you is green. The earth is soft beneath your feet. The overhead canopy casts a greenish glow all around you.
You walk out of the trail onto a beach. There is warm sand beneath your feet. Before you is a large body of water. But it is unlike any other lake or river or ocean you have ever seen . It is so big and vast that you cannot see the other side. but the water is crystal clear like a spring fed pool. You see no rocks, only white sand leading gently down into the water. You hear the gentle lapping of barely perceptible waves. You hear a bird chirping. There is cleanness to the air. You expect to smell salt, as if you were at the ocean, but instead all you smell is a fresh cleanness, as if this water were cleansing all it touched, even the air that passed above it.
You are now engulfed in bright sunlight. You feel the warmth of the sun on your face. You are all alone so you strip off your clothing until you are naked, feeling the sun warm your skin.
You slowly begin to walk into the water. You find the water refreshingly cool. You feel the sand and water surround your feet and notice even more tension drain away from you. You slowly walk into the water feeling its refreshing coolness engulf your ankles and calves. The water is refreshing and renewing as it continues to surround your thighs and hips. You continue to walk into the water. You have a sensation of being cleansed as it continues to rise to your stomach and chest. As the water reaches your shoulders, you lean back and begin to float effortlessly.
You relax and breath easily, deeply and naturally. With your ears beneath the surface of the water you are engulfed in silence. There is no sound. And in that complete silence you hear a gentle voice speaking to you softly as if in a whisper. You recognize it as the voice of God. You recognize it because you knew that voice as a young child, before worries and fears and the noise of other's expectations drowned it out. The voice of God speaks three things to you.
"I created your to prosper."
"I created you to succeed."
"I created you to enjoy my goodness."
As you float effortlessly in this cleansing pool, you meditate on what those three words mean in your relationship with your family and friends.
"I created your to prosper."
"I created you to succeed."
"I created you to enjoy my goodness."
As you relax in complete peace, you reflect on what those three words mean in your vocation, job or business.
"I created your to prosper."
"I created you to succeed."
"I created you to enjoy my goodness."
As all pain and disappointment of your past are washed away by the purity of this pond, you visualize what those three words mean for your future.
"I created your to prosper."
"I created you to succeed."
"I created you to enjoy my goodness."
It is time to leave the water. You stand up and feel the soft sand beneath your feet. As you walk back towards the beach, you feel the water drain away from your body. Beginning with your head and shoulders, then draining from your chest, stomach, hips, legs and feet. As the water drains from your body, you feel renewed as if all fear and self-doubt are being removed from you, washed away by the pure spring.
You stand again on the beach, warmed by the sun. You feel new. You are empowered with a new life and a new vision. You are filled with a new strength. You are ready to step back into the activities of your daily life, but with a new hope and a new joy.

To your success,
Ed Wills
Inter-Networking.net
WFAFranchiseConsultants.com

Adventure

2009-11-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

What is the adventure of your dreams? Sailing in Naranghanset Bay? Mountain climbing in the Rockies? Hiking the Appalachian Trail?
Your adventure can fuel your drive.
Prepare for your future. Plan it as if you were certain it would be accomplished.
Imagine the elation of realizing your ideal adventure. Think about it every day.
You can become your ideal self. You can live the adventure of your dreams.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

2009-11-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

Immediate vs. Important.
Many people live in (and many companies operate in) "crisis mode". That is because we become so distracted by the tyranny of the immediate, that we completely loose sight of the important. Do that long enough and soon our days are dictated by the urgent. In other words, we are in "crisis mode".

Let's look at health as an example.
When Hippocrates was defining the medical profession in the fifth century BC, he insisted that maintaining health was more important than repairing injury or disease. Ask most people what doctors are for and they will tell you they are to fix you when sick. Few think of their physician as health guide, but their sick fixer. In other words we ignore what is important until it becomes an immediate crisis.
Some issues are both immediate and important, such as a serious illness. These tend to get the most attention. Others are immediate but not so important, such as, "I'm hungry now." Still others are important, but not immediate, "I want to eat healthy meals and exercise daily."
Most people tend to prioritize their life and their time like this.

Immediate and Important
"I think I'm having a heart attack"

Immediate but not Important
"It's lunchtime. I'm hungry. I'll just go buy get some fast food."

Important
"I should get up earlier so I can exercise and fix a healthy meal to take with me for lunch."

The point is that while those issues that are immediate and important must be taken care of first, placing more emphasis on those issues that are important but not yet immediate will help prevent us from being driven by crisis.
How does this look in business?
- If an account executive doesn't take the time to do the proper follow up with a client, he will soon be in "crisis mode" trying to save the account or replace a lost account with a new one.
- If a manager doesn't take to time to notice and reward good performance, he will soon be in "crisis mode" having to hire and train new employees.
- If a technician doesn't take the time to study and stay current with the newest technologies, he will soon be in "crisis mode" having to find a new job.

Don't just be efficient with your time; be effective with your time.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Step by Step

2009-10-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, “The longest journey begins with one step.” That’s not entirely true. A successful journey begins with some planning and a map that tells you how to reach your destination. But all the planning and preparation won’t get you to your destination unless you start walking.

Don’t be overwhelmed focusing on long range goals that seem too giant to achieve. Use long range goals as a vision to inspire you to keep moving, but you don’t need to focus any farther than the next step.

Have you laid out your plan to success? What are you milestones? What is the next step on your plan of action?

Follow your blueprint. Take the next step.

Ed Wills
Inter-Networking.Net

Choice

2009-10-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Your choices will determine your future. It is not only your power, but your responsibility.

Once you make your choice, no one can stop you but you.
The only way to fail is to quit.

Know where you are going, and keep moving in that direction. Whatever you do, don’t stop. Things outside of your control may slow you down, but stopping would be your choice alone.
Choose to keep moving ahead and success is a certainty.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Unstoppable

2009-10-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

I remember hearing this story as a child. An aging father had seven sons who were arguing. They came to their father and wanted their inheritances so they could go their separate ways. The father took seven sticks and bound them together and asked each son to break the bundle of sticks. Each tried as hard as he could but couldn’t break them. The father then said, “I will show you how to break them.” He then untied the bundle and broke each stick separately. He instructed his sons that if they stayed together and worked as a team, they would be unbreakable. But if they separated and each pursued his interests separately, they would be easily broken by any passerby.

No one succeeds alone. Every endeavor requires a team of visionaries, pragmatists and supporters. Know your strengths and surround yourself with those whose strengths support your weaknesses. Then you will all be unstoppable.

Ed Wills
Inter-Networking.net

Success Breeds Success

2009-10-08T06:09:00.000-07:00

Every successful business starts with a successful person. Do you have a clearly written vision statement for your life? Focus on being, not doing. It is important to know who you want to be. Would you like to be educated, respected, a good public speaker, a friend? Write these into your vision for yourself and keep this vision constantly in front of you. You can accomplish this through a goal board and through daily affirmations. The more you focus on what you want to become, the faster your subconscious will work to make it your reality.

Dr. Carl Rogers, the famous psychologist, had people write out what they wanted to become. Then, in each session as they talked about themselves, Dr. Rogers would simply repeat back to them what they said about themselves. Over time, each individual began to become more like their ideal self.

What is your ideal self? If you know who you want to be and keep your vision constantly in front of you, you will become your ideal self.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Important Vs Urgent

2009-10-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Throughout our day there is a conflict going on between what is important and what is urgent. The important needs to get done for us to live pleasant, fulfilled lives. But the urgent screams to be done first and often leaves no time for what is important.

Sometimes the urgent really does need to be done first. If the house is on fire, everything else must be placed on hold until it is put out. But usually what we perceive as urgent really isn’t.

The fact that your favorite TV show is coming on in 2 minutes may seem urgent, but taking time to hug your kids and listen to the problems they had in school that day is what is important.

Answering your emails may seem urgent, but taking time to plan your day so you can be productive is what is important.

Never become a slave to the seemingly urgent at the expense of what is important.

Ed Wills
Inter-Networking.net

Control

2009-10-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

A thermometer moves up and down with the temperature. A thermostat works to control the temperature so everyone is comfortable.
Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? Are you in control of your future, or do you just react to it?

You can take control of your life. Start with awareness. (What’s the temperature now?)

Set your goal. (What temperature do you want it to be?)

Make your goal a reality. (Work towards it consistently.)

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Unless You’re a Shrink, You Won’t Find Success On The Couch

2009-10-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Guess what. If you want to succeed, you have to get up and work for it.
I am a firm believer in goal setting and visualization. But to succeed you also have to get up and get cracking.
Whatever your field, there is a process that must be worked.
If you are in sales: Pick up the phone. Make the appointments. Do the presentations.
If you are a student: Go to the library. Pick up the books. Write the papers.
If you are in management: Design the metrics. Communicate your department goals. Train your team.
Work is not a curse, but a blessing. Even Adam and Eve had jobs in the Garden of Eden. Adam was the gardener, and Eve was his assistant.
The story of the grasshopper and the ant, popularized by Disney, actually has its roots in the writings of King Solomon.
Every goal has its labor, and today is a work day.

Ed Wills
Inter-Networking.Net

Today

2009-09-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Today is the bridge between yesterday and tomorrow.
Today is the chance to take what you learned from the experiences of yesterday to shape a better tomorrow.
Today is the one moment in time which is completely yours. You are in control right now. Use it.
Use today to make you smarter.
Use today to make you stronger.
Use today to make your life better.
Use today to make other’s lives better.
Use today so tomorrow will have no regrets.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

If You Can Believe, You Can Achieve.

2009-09-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Napoleon Hill was famous for saying, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” He was, of course, absolutely right.

No one can accomplish much if they do not believe they can. They will quit at the first sign of hardship. But the one who is convinced he cannot fail, cannot be stopped. Put obstacles in his way and he ploughs right through them, because he knows he is going to succeed. A few hard knocks along the road are expected.

Choose your future. See it in your mind’s eye. Know that it is yours for the taking. And, press ahead without looking back.

Ed Wills
WFA Frranchise Consultants

Not Alone

2009-09-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Neil Armstrong is famous for being the first man to walk on the moon. But it was obviously not a solo adventure. No significant achievement ever is.

Visionaries need engineers to figure out how to get it done. Engineers need accountants to figure out how much it will cost. Accountants need supporters to provide funding. In the end every American played his part in getting a man to the moon.

You need a team to accomplish your goals, especially the big ones. Your team may consist of your spouse, family, friends or associates. They may provide you with ideas, encouragement or the use of your products or services.

To form your team, think of how reaching your goal will benefit them. If they will truly benefit, don’t be afraid to communicate your goal to them and ask for their help. Also be willing to help them reach their goals. As a win-win relationship develops, everyone will move forward.

If the road to success seems lonely, bring along a friend.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

2009-09-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, 24 hours in a day really is enough time to accomplish what needs to be done. If you are one of those who gets to the end of each day thinking you haven’t had time to accomplish anything, take a moment to reflect on what others have accomplished in the same short amount of time.

Bill Gates started Microsoft by the time he was 20.
Jeff Bezos researched mail order in his spare time while a vice president of a Wall Street hedge fund. He started Amazon.com in July of 1995, and, with no advertising, was overseeing $20,000 a week in sales by September.

They are not from a race of supermen. Their fast success ultimately stems from 3 principles.
1. Focus
2. Prioritization
3. Time Management

Apply those three principles to your day and you will find that, indeed, 24 hours is really enough time to accomplish what really needs to be accomplished.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants
Check out my new ebook on "Inter-Networking for Small Business"
Inter-Networking.net

Accentuate the Positive

2009-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

A great jazz vocal standard is "Accentuate the Positive". It was sung by Bing Crosby, Elle Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin and many other greats. We would do well to heed its message.

There is nothing more destructive to your prospects of success than complaining. It often seems there is so much worth complaining about, the demanding boss, the fickleness of your customers, the IRS. However complaining produces so much negative energy, that it makes it impossible to overcome the issues that are holding you back from your dreams.

Everything that happens can have either a positive or negative impact on the rest of your life. You have the power to choose which it will be. Complaining and self-pity guarantee the negative will take precedence.

Instead of complaining when things go wrong, learn to be thankful. This will cause you to focus on the positive and find a benefit in every situation, even the bad ones.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Preparedness

2009-09-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

In the Navy, we had a sophisticated system of preventative maintenance. In other word, we fixed things before they broke. They same can work in business and your personal life.

Buy your wife flowers before she gets mad at you. You may find her more forgiving when you work late and forget to call.

Give your customers the red carpet service before something has gone wrong. Too many businesses only give their best service when someone complains. That is usually too late. You may quiet the shouting, but you have already lost the customer.

Imagine yourself as your own customer. Treat your real customers the way you would like to be treated.

Remember, the golden rule always applies.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Freedom

2009-09-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Freedom is the right to choose your own frustrations.
You can live however you want, rich or poor, beach or mountains, home or abroad. But you cannot do it all, at least not at the same time.
If you want to live in the mountains, you must accept the frustration of not living at the beach.
If you want to free yourself from enslavement, you must choose freedom
and accept the responsibility comes with it.
There's a price for freedom. You must give up tyranny to enjoy liberty.

It's up to you to count the cost.
And everything you want has a price.

Freedom is the right to choose.
It's the right to create your own life, and assume responsibility for it.

You are free to do whatever you like.
But first, you must give up blaming others for your circumstances.
Accept responsibility for the consequences of your actions and decisions.
Then you can truly choose your own path.

Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Miracles

2009-09-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

The question is not whether or not miracles happen, but whether or not you recognize them when they do.
The family comes together in peace. Someone you meet has the ability and inclination to help you with a problem. Out of nowhere, an idea comes that can change your life.
Miracles are all around us. But we become so preoccupied with ourselves and our daily tasks that we fail to see them. Or sometimes we notice them briefly, then get back to what we were thinking or doing before.
Be open to the miracles in your life. Let them build, strengthen and guide you.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Educational Goals

2009-09-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

If you want to increase your success, increase your knowledge.
We never get to the point in life where we know it all. And your success will largely be determined by what you know.
(Actually, when I was 15 I knew it all. And now it seems I know less and less each year.)
In an ever increasing technical world, the old adage knowledge is power is more true than ever.
If you have set any goals for yourself, determine what you need to know, not just do, to reach that goal. Then, set about learning it.
The only way to reach your destination is to know the road that will take you there.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Get Up

2009-09-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Solomon wrote in the book we now know as Proverbs, “The man who lives rightly is the one who, if he falls down six times, he gets up seven.”
Failure is nothing but education in the school of success. Do you remember taking tests in school? The lessons you remember best now, are the ones you got wrong then. It is the same way in all of life. Failing does not make you a failure. It just makes you more likely to succeed next time.
Did you blow a sales presentation? That mistake will make your next presentation that much better.
Did you fail in a business venture? What you learned will your next venture that much more likely to succeed.
No matter how hard you fall, get up. Because the only way to truly fail is to give up and stay down.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Finding your Abundance

2009-09-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

Two of my daughters are outstanding equestrians. They own horses and have competed in several show jumping events. I rode a bit as a kid growing up in Texas. I only understand the rudimentary basics of riding. All I know is that the horse will go in whatever direction you point his head. Horses are hard wired to go towards whatever they are looking at. So are people.
An important lesson in success is that you are going to move in the direction of your focus. If you are focused on a bigger house, a fancier car, a nicer watch, you will acquire those things - often at the expense of financial stability. I have worked with many clients who have earned quarter of a million dollar salaries but are flat broke because they bought lots of stuff on large credit limits. If you focus on building an enormous bank account, you may become rich, but usually at the cost of health and personal relationships. If you focus on relationships, you will enjoy closeness to your family and friends, but probably not have much in the bank. A lack of financial security creates its own issues and threatens the very relationships that give you so much joy. So how do you steer your life so you can have supportive relationships, financial security, and enough stuff to enjoy your leisure time? The answer is simple, really. Focus on the abundance that is yours in your talents, knowledge, skills, network of relationships and relationship with God.
Most people have materially less today than they had a couple of years ago. Their homes are worth less. Their retirement accounts have dwindled. Many have lost their jobs. Many of those who have kept their jobs are working harder for less money. In that environment, it is easy to focus on what you have lost. But focusing on loss will only lead you in the direction of more loss.
Instead, focus on how you have grown. What new skills have you acquired? Who has been added to your network of relationships? What have you learned? Have you drawn closer to your God? Now focus on how you want to grow. Make a list of five ways you want to expand your abundance. You could, for example, take a continuing education course in your chosen field, join a new networking group, read a book aloud with your spouse or devote 15 minutes a day to prayer or meditation. Will all this put money in your bank account? Absolutely.
Every successful venture starts with a successful person. Expand your abundance, and your success will expand with you. When you are focused on abundance, employers will want to hire you, clients will want to do business with you, and networkers will want to build relationships with you. As your business and network expands, so will your net worth.
This is, of course, a never ending process. But that is okay, because it is fun and inspiring. What new idea will come to you today? What new insight will broaden your world view? What new relationship will empower your future? Reach inside yourself and find it. Bring it out and share it. Then watch miracles happen.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Moving through failure into success

2009-08-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

Life is a journey. As in any journey, there are up hills and down hills. There are smooth roads and rugged roads. There are times when the going is easy, and times when you don’t think you can take another step.

I have often faced failure in the face, like a bear blocking my path. At those times, I have three choices. I can give up the journey, turn and run. I can just plain give up and let my self be eaten. Or, I can fight my way through.

Perhaps the bear is not the best metaphor. Imagine yourself mired in a swamp of failure. Nothing you do seems to get you anywhere. You fight and struggle, but all your effort only seems to move you a few inches. Sure, you may think, you will exhaust yourself and die before you find your way to solid ground. But swamps are a funny thing. You never really know how far away solid ground is. It may be inches. It may be yards. Do you just give up and die, or do you plod ahead, knowing that solid ground is sure to come.

Here are some principles I have found helpful when stuck in the mud.

1. Realize that the swamp is a natural part of the journey. Every road to success has its share of them. From time to time you are going to come face to face with failure. The key to success is not to give up and stop in the swamp. You really don’t want to spend the rest of your life there. Keep plodding. Don’t quit. No matter how slowly you are moving towards your goal, you are still getting there.

2. Always remember why you are on the journey in the first place. In my younger days, I used to do some mountain climbing. There were plenty of times on the way that my feet were aching. I had blisters. I was exhausted. But I continued on because I wanted to see the view from the top. In most of life’s journeys, there is a lot more important “Why” than seeing a view. Are you pursuing success to provide for your family? Give your children the best possible education? Secure your future? When you find yourself struggling through failure, remember why success is so important. It will give you strength to keep going.

3. Always remember where you are going. It is important to have clearly defined goals and to keep them always in front of you. Use visualization and affirmations to keep your goal always in front of you. Be careful to accurately represent your goal. If your goal is financial security for your future, don’t fill up a vision board with fancy cars, houses and trips. When you are surrounded by failure, a fancy car is probably not going to provide you with sufficient motivation to keep going.

4. Look for an easier path. Don’t confuse your goal with your current path. Your goal may be financial security. Your path may be your current job. Your goal is not the same as your path. Sometimes, as you struggle on your current path, it is time to move to a slightly different path that will take you to your goal much more easily. Large corporations are notorious for mistaking their current path as the only path to their goal. That is usually because the path was successful in the past. That doesn’t mean it will always be successful. Is there another path that will move you towards your goal more easily? Can you add a new product line? Change your advertising? Find ways to become more attentive to your customers? Change companies? Go into business for yourself? Simple changes can sometimes jump start your path to success without changing your ultimate goal.

5. Never ever, ever give up. No one fails until they give up. Sometimes it seems you are moving backwards. If you leave your current job and start your own company, you may live off your savings for awhile. It may seem you are not moving towards your goal at all. But the truth is that you are not spending your savings. You are investing in a future enterprise that promises large returns. I have started several companies and I can assure you that nothing makes you feel like you are mired in failure than trying to get a new company off the ground. But once it takes off, you will not only realize your financial goal, but will enjoy a thrill of accomplishment like no other.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Team Quality

2009-08-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. A wall is no stronger than its gate.
When building your team, pay close attention to quality. If there is a weak member in your team, find a way to strengthen them.
You are probably a member of several teams. You are a member of a family team. You have a personal team of friends and people you spend time with. You may have a spiritual team. If you are in business, you have a business team of associates, support personnel and clients.
You obviously cannot replace members of your family team, so you should devote some time, preferably every day, to strengthening the other members of your family team. You can do this by giving them the careful attention they need and deserve, and by finding ways to help them fulfill their own lives. This will strengthen them so they can better support you.
The same applies to personal and business relationships. Choose friends and associates that support your vision and goals. Find ways to strengthen them and your relationship with them. Then you, with the support of your team, will only find victory.
"True leaders are not those who strive to be first but those who are first to strive and who give their all for the success of the team. True leaders are the first to see the need, envision the plan, and empower the team for action. By the strength of the leader's commitment, the power of the team is unleashed." - Unknown
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Listen to Others

2009-07-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

If you remember the three dog night song, “One”, you are probably in your fifties. The song begins with the truism, “One is the loneliest number that you ever knew.” That is as true in business as it is in personal relationships.
In academics, every professor stands on the shoulders of the professors who trained him.
In athletics success is only achieved as a team. Even in single sports such as boxing, the pugilist is only the point man of a team consisting of his manager, trainer, sparing partner, promoter and others who prepared the man and made the event possible.
Every successful business man’s level of success is determined in large part by his ability to manage a triage of information from his attorney, accountant, marketing expert, advertising firm and host of others who make him successful.
Among other concerns, we have a network marketing business. Our success comes from listening to those who have succeeded before us and personalizing their attitudes and techniques.
To succeed in any endeavor, learn to listen with an open mind and share with humility.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Surround Yourself with Successful Friends

2009-07-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Remember when you make friends, that your friends will make you.
If you spend time with people who are positive and uplifting, they will encourage you in your dreams, offer good advice concerning your endeavors and help you reach your goals.
If you spend time with people who are negative and complaining, they will discourage you from dreaming, shoot down your ideas and do their best to keep you from accomplishing anything.
If you spend all your time around ducks, eventually you will start to quack.
If you spend all your time around eagles, pretty soon you will start to soar.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Own Your Goals

2009-07-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Too often we accept the goals of others that are thrust upon us by our boss, parents, spouse or society as a whole.
The aspirations of others may make sense to us, but they won't inspire us.
If your goals are going to truly inspire you, they must be your own.
What do you want from your life?
Answer that question and you will never lack motivation.
If your goal doesn't jazz you when you get up in the morning, and inspire you to work towards its accomplishment, you need to rethink your goal.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Faith and Patience

2009-07-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Bible says, “The promises of God are received by faith and patience.”
As important as belief, positive thinking, goal setting, planning and consistent action are in achieving your goals. Patience is also required.
I know a man who is fond of saying, “I can’t think of a goal I set for myself that I haven’t achieved. But I seldom achieved them on my initial timeline.” Life happens, and things can slow us down. We need to give ourselves permission to take longer than we expected.
Detours are to be expected in life.
The important thing is that you are on the right path, not how far you have gone. The journey is made up of small steps taken one at a time. Just keep taking steps and you will reach your destination.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Desire

2009-07-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

We can learn a lot from children. When they want something bad enough, they just won’t quit until they get it.
Desire is the key to the drive that can get you what you want in life. Too often we desire so many things that we can’t focus on what we truly want long enough to work consistently at it.
Keep focused on what you want. Pursue it with the tenacity of a child.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Choices

2009-07-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

Life doesn’t just happen; it’s all about choices.
Choices produce action. Consistent action produces habits.
Who makes your choices? Your boss? Your spouse? Your stomach?
If you finish a meal and say to yourself, “I can’t believe I ate so much. I didn’t intend to.” Then, your stomach is making your choices.
If you purchase something that looked really appealing in the advertisement, that you didn’t really need or want, the advertisers are making your choices.
The way to make your own choices is to define your life by principles and stick to them consistently until you have formed a habit.
Start today.
Write down one new habit you want to form within yourself.
Phrase it as a life principle.
Memorize it and repeat it to yourself often throughout the day.
Practice it consistently for 30 days.
Then look back and take stock on your life.
You will be amazed at how your life can improve when you start making your own choices.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Habits

2009-07-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

You create your habits by the actions you choose. But soon your habits choose your actions without consulting you.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, for a habit can be good or bad.
Smoking is a bad habit.
Kindness is a good habit.
Choose actions that create successful habits.
Choose to make a habit of investing 10% of your income.
Choose to make a habit of understanding your customer’s perspective.
Choose to make a habit of making friends and enriching relationships.
Choose to make a habit of never saying, “I don’t know” without immediately going to find out.
Choose to make a habit of only touching a paper once, either to file it or to trash it.
Choose to make a habit of always doing more than you are asked.
These and many other habits, once engendered, will make you successful in whatever you do.
And remember, if you choose to do nothing, that is its own habit.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Giving and Receiving

2009-07-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

“Give and it will be given to you.” These words of Jesus form the first principle of success. No one can succeed by focusing on what’s in it for them. That’s the way of the multitude, and they’re broke.
The successful person focuses on what they can do for others. Success naturally follows.
It’s the teacher who gives the most to his student who is named teacher of the year.
It’s the coach who empowers his players who is offered the big coaching job.
It’s the employee who does the most for his company who gets the promotion.
If you want to receive big things in life, do big things for others.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Confidence

2009-07-18T05:11:00.001-07:00

You will never achieve if you never try.
You will never try if you don’t have confidence you will succeed.
Confidence is key to success in any endeavor. Whether it is education or family, sports or business, you must believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. But there is often a fine line between confident and cocky.
Confidence is based on reality. Cockiness is based on ego.
Cockiness will cause you to overestimate your current abilities and overreach your grasp.
To build confidence, set small goals and keep records of their accomplishment. As your abilities grow, set larger goals and continue to keep track. Soon your confidence will be growing and stretching your abilities until you are doing things you never thought possible before.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Focus on the Process

2009-07-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

It is a common mistake to make a wish list instead of a goal list. We think of the things we want – new car, new house, family vacation. But for goals to be effective, they must be process oriented.
If you are in sales and you want a new car, don’t make a new car your goal, make a 15% increase in sales your goal. Visualize your prospects becoming your customers and your customers increasing their consumption.
Create process oriented goals that you have 100% control over. If you are a student and you want higher grades, make additional study time one of your goals. If you are a husband who wants a better relationship with your wife, make writing two love letters a week one of your goals.
When goals are 1) process oriented, and 2) under your complete control, your desired result will take care of itself.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Always Be Improving

2009-07-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

How do you excel at what you do? Very simple - keep getting better.
In a society of instant food and instant entertainment, we often think we should enjoy instant proficiency or instant success. Well, life doesn’t usually work that way. It takes time, effort, practice and patience to get proficient at a skill and enjoy success from it.
If you make it your constant, continual, determined habit to improve on a daily basis, you will soon find yourself excelling in your chosen field.
Daily ask yourself, “What is one small step I can make today to improve my skill at ____?” Write it down in your daily planner. Review it throughout the day until it is accomplished.
It doesn’t matter if the step is small as long as your application is consistent. Many small steps will make a long journey.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Discover the World Outside the Box

2009-07-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

How do you lighten a room? For centuries the answer was, “Light a fire.” First there were torches, then candles, oil lamps and finally gas lights. But Thomas Edison thought outside of the fire box. The electric light was invented and the rest is history.
Where do you go to buy a book? It used to be the corner bookstore. But Jeff Bezos thought outside the box and created a bookstore without walls. He called it Amazon.com.
Thinking outside of the box can revolutionize your business, your relationships and your life.
Take time to think creatively about problems, issues or even successes you can imagine as more successful. Let your imagination take you to places others haven’t dreamed of. There’s a world of opportunity out there, but the biggest opportunities are outside of the box.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consusltants

Vision

2009-07-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

An artist must have his painting already completed in his mind’s eye before his brush touches the canvas.
The architect must have every detail of construction clearly shown on the blueprint before the first spade of earth is turned.
If we are to be successful, we must know what our success looks like before we begin our journey.
Visualize the life you want to live. Repeat it to yourself often. Then your subconscious mind will go to work making sure you get there.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

What are you afraid of?

2009-07-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever taken an inventory of your fears? Since fear is a very destructive force, it can be worthwhile to identify your specific fears and develop strategies to overcome them.
Take time to write out what you are afraid of. Perhaps it is fear of rejection that holds you back. Fears of responsibility, embarrassment or conflict are also major issues with some people.
Sometimes writing out your fear is all you need to overcome it. Once you see your fear written out on paper, you recognize it as silly. Other fears are more deep seated and tougher to overcome. In extreme cases you may need help from a professional to overcome a fear. But here are some simple steps to overcome most of the fears that hold you back.
1 – Name your fear.
2 – Write out the reality of the fear. What really happens when what your fear happens.
3 – Write out how you would like to respond when what you fear happens.
3 – Create an affirmation describing how your ideal self handles your fear.
4 – Repeat the affirmation for 30, 60 or 90 days – depending on how deep seated your fear is.
Soon you will no longer be afraid to face your fear because you are confident of your response.
So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.
– Franklin D. Roosevelt from his first inaugural address.
To your success,
Ed Wills
WFAFranchiseConsultants.com

Your Integrity is Yours to Keep or Give Away

2009-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Thieves can steal your possessions, but your integrity is yours to keep or give away.
King Solomon once wrote that there is nothing more valuable than a good reputation. If you are known as an honest, hard working individual, there will never be a lack of those who want to partner with you on your endeavors, even when times are hard.
But if you trade your integrity for a quick buck now, there will be no one there to throw their lot in with you when you need help.
Never sacrifice your integrity or your core values in pursuit of one of your goals.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

You Were Created To Create

2009-07-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Always Exceed Expectations

2009-07-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

It’s the little things that make us smile. A friend asks us how we are, then waits for an answer. Someone we love reaches out and takes our hand unexpectedly.
In business or in life, the little ways we exceed others expectations make lasting positive impressions.
Think of some things you can do today that will exceed other people’s expectations of you. Consider these actions as investments in improved success and relationships.
Ed Wills
www.WFAFranchiseConsultants.com
Follow www.twitter.com/YourFranchise for my daily motivation inspirations.

Patience

2009-06-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

Over 300 years ago, an unknown prisoner left this advice etched into his cell wall in the tower of London. “It is not adversity that kills, but the impatience with which we bear adversity.”
Mistakes will be made. Hard times will come.
We cannot always control the circumstances. But we can control our reaction to the circumstances.
Always maintain a positive attitude, faith in God and confidence in your God given abilities. With patience, every adversity can be weathered and every obstacle overcome.
Ed Wills
www.WFAFranchiseConsultants.com

The new keys to success in business – It’s not all about location anymore.

2009-06-21T06:25:00.000-07:00

The old adage was, “There are three keys to success in business: location, location, location.” When the economy was hot, all you needed to do was offer a good product or service in a location that was visible to a large number of potential customers and convenient to get in and out of. But major recessions have a way of complicating things. Business is not so simple anymore.

One new candidate for the key to success in business is timing. I recently attended the auction of a local small business that was closing after three years. It enjoyed a lot of initial popularity 3 years ago. It was the talk of the town. But now, after a year in the red, they decided to close their doors. What did they do wrong? They opened at the wrong time. Three years ago credit was cheap, jobs were plentiful and money was free-flowing. It sounds like a great time to start a business. But few people realized we were 1 year away from a major recession. It was like starting a bus company at the edge of a cliff. The fall was bound to happen. It may be a little counter-intuitive, but the place to start your start your bus company is in the depths of the valley. You can only go up. The time to start your business is at the low point of recession. It can only grow.

A second candidate for the key to business success is energy efficiency. As the economy recovers, infrastructure development and manufacturing will start to rise. So will fuel costs. Finding ways to reduce your fuel consumption foot print will be critical. We own a small gourmet coffee and sandwich shop. We found great cost reductions by replacing our high intensity lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs, installing awnings on our western windows to reduce air conditioning costs and finding local suppliers to lessen the bite of shipping.

So we could say that the new keys to business success are location, timing and energy efficiency. In truth, there are many more. So let’s get the discussion going. What would you include in the list of the keys to success in business? Post a comment, and let’s see where this goes.

Step Two: MAKE GOALS THAT SUPPORT YOUR CORE VALUES

2009-05-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Step Two: MAKE GOALS THAT SUPPORT YOUR CORE VALUES

In the last chapter we uncovered your true core values. It is often difficult to see our core values because the necessities of life take up all our mental awareness. In the same way it is often difficult to choose the goals that will support our true core values. This is especially true of people who are exceptionally smart or talented. They enjoy so many activities and are good at so many projects, that they have a hard time focusing on one or two objectives so they can excel and be successful. The weekend warrior is mediocre at a dozen different sports. But the Olympian has focused their attention and training so they are #1 in their field. Which would you rather be: the weekend warrior or the Olympian?

The “I Want” List

Make a list of potential goals. Call it the “I want” list. These can be material objects like a new home, car or boat. They can be achievements like a new job, promotion or ideal weight. They can be spiritual like more family time or volunteering at a homeless shelter. Go ahead and list everything you think of that you would like to have, achieve or do. Don’t leave anything off because it seems unattainable or silly. Listing some wild ideas may lead you to something really powerful. We will clean up the list later. Now, go back and look over the list asking yourself, “Which of these really support my true core values?” Put a checkmark by the ones that would really support your core values. That should knock out about two thirds of your list. Another way to think of it is to check those that your inner self would support the act of fulfilling. For example: say one of your core values is family. You want to spend as much time with your family as possible and develop true closeness. But one of the things you have always wanted to do is sail around the world solo. You may as well drop the world cruise because your inner self won’t let you accomplish it. It is contrary to your core value of family. Of course, you can also alter your goal to being able to afford to take your whole family on a two week Caribbean cruise. Now your inner self will support you fulfilling that goal. Now, go over the list of “I want’s” that you checked. Ask yourself, “Which ones excite me?” What really jazzes you from the list. When you read it from the list, do you feel giddy? Do you get excited imagining it. These are the goals you should focus on.

Imagine Yourself Rich

Have you ever daydreamed about being extremely wealthy? If not, it is time to start.
Sit back and imagine you have more money than you can spend. If you can spend a lot, just imagine more money. Your time is your own. You can do whatever you want. You can buy whatever you want. This can be a difficult exercise for a lot of people. We don’t want to seem so “selfish” as to have all that money and just spending on ourselves. But remember, this is just an exercise. It is not real life. So indulge yourself. What would you do? What would you buy? Who would you be with? Don’t imagine just a day, but imagine weeks, months even years of having everything you could possibly want. The reason you need to extend the time frame is that most people start by imagining some sort of extended vacation. Lounging around on a beach, reading good books, going fishing, or just doing nothing but being pampered at a spa or resort. But if you can imagine moving from hot tub to massage table every day for a year, at some point you will think, “This is getting boring.” You want to do something, to matter to someone, to make some kind of difference in the world. Now you are starting to get down to your inner self. If you didn’t have to worry about making money to pay the bills or keep a roof over your family’s heads, what would you be doing? What is it you would do whether you were being paid for it or not? Now you are probably looking at a goal that supports your true core values.

2009-05-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

IDENTIFY YOUR CORE VALUES
Why is one of the hardest decisions to make in life deciding what you want? There are lots of reasons to be undecided.
You are afraid of what you might miss out on if you choose one option over another.
You are trying to make the decision that others will find most acceptable.
All choices involve an element of the unknown, and that scares you.
You are still collecting information and analyzing your choices.
All of the above reasons have one thing in common – fear. People are afraid of missing out, afraid of being embarrassed, or afraid of making a mistake.
Or, perhaps, you tell me that you have no problem at all deciding what you want. You know exactly what you want. Of course, what you want today is different from what you wanted last week, which was different from what you wanted last month, which was different from what you wanted last year. If that is you, then your issue is not making a decision, but making decisions too quickly without thorough thought and commitment. Your decisions aren’t really decisions at all. You are just sampling.
What is your behavior in a restaurant?
You go to a restaurant and stare at the menu. You change your mind four times, then when the waiter arrives you order something completely different.
Or, you order the same thing you have ordered in that restaurant the last 6 times you were there.
The first person may not know what they want. The second person may be in a rut, or perhaps they just know from experience that there is only one thing on the menu they like. In that case, I wonder why they choose that restaurant in the first place.
First, let me make everyone comfortable. None of the above behaviors are wrong. They are just expressions of our personality. Our personalities engender both positive behaviors and negative behaviors. But even the behaviors themselves are not positive or negative in and of themselves. The same behavior may be positive or negative depending on the circumstance. For example, cutting your neighbor with a knife is generally considered a negative behavior. But if you are a surgeon performing an appendectomy, it is a very positive behavior. What makes the difference is the motive or goal of the act. Our goal here is to give us some tools to choose what behaviors will be positive for us – that is, which behaviors will move us toward our goals. But before we can have goals, we must first understand our values.
A lot of people make goals or resolutions, work at them for a few weeks then drop them. Some very disciplined people may work on their goals for years and accomplish all of them only to find they are miserable. The problem in both of these scenarios is the same. Someone drafted goals that conflicted with their core values. There are a lot of books and CD’s in the marketplace about goal setting. But unless your goals are aligned with your true core values, they will not work for you. In fact, your goals can work against you, making you miserable instead of happy. For example, if one of your true values is solitude, you might not want to make a career in sales one of your goals. What we want are goals that make us happy. You will find they are a lot easier to work toward.
What are your true core values?
Each of us are shaped by our system of core values, but we seldom think of them. They work like our immune system. When we are healthy, we never think about our immune system. But when we engage in behavior that damages our immune system not getting the right nutrients or missing sleep, it breaks down, and we get sick. Too often we take medications that remove some of the symptoms of being sick. We would do better to strengthen the immune system so we can be truly healthy again. In the same way, our core values work to keep us happy. But when we live our lives in such a way that conflicts with our core values, we become dissatisfied and restless. Too often we treat our dissatisfaction with distractions like entertainment or daydreaming. We would do better to rearrange our lives in such a way that our daily activities support our core values instead of conflict with them. But first, you must identify exactly what are your core values.
Core Values Exercise
Take three pieces of paper. Write on the top of the first piece of paper, “Special Times”. Write on the top of the second piece of paper, “Why Special Times are Special”. Write on the top of the third piece of paper, “Core Values”.
Think of a time in your life when you were the happiest. Where were you? What were you doing? What made that time so enjoyable or even magical? Were you alone? Were you with others? If so, who were you with? How did they add or detract from the experience? What were your feelings? Did you want the time to last forever? Is there anything you can do now to make that feeling come back? Describe that special time on the piece of paper entitled “Special Times”.
Continue to write down 2 or 3 times or experiences that were especially meaningful to you. Answer the above questions about each experience. Only list times or experiences that were very special to you. Don’t superimpose someone else’s values on your memories. Perhaps the birth of your first child was a very special moment to you. Or maybe you were just exhausted and glad it was over. There is no right or wrong here, and no one is going to read it but you, so be completely honest.
Now go back and read through each experience carefully. Ask yourself, “What made those experiences so important to me?” “Why did they have such an impact?” Look for common threads. What do all these experiences have in common? Were those common elements what made the special times so special? Write the reasons why those experiences made you happy on the sheet entitled, “Why Special Times are Special”.
Now, read over the reasons you listed on the second sheet. What values stand out? For example, all of your special times might involve being with your family. What made those times special was sharing moments with people you love. A core value would likely be Family. Perhaps your special times were catching your first fish, winning an athletic event, graduating from college and getting a big promotion. The reasons those times were special were fulfilling your goal and being recognized by people you respect. Your core value might be Pride of Accomplishment.
Here are some possible core values.
Creativity
Integrity
Pride of Accomplishment
Perseverance
Family
Spirituality
Community
Recognition
Philanthropy
Generosity

Make Money Doing What You Love Most

The exciting part of knowing your core values is to envision a way to make money through their commercial application. Perhaps family is one of your core values. You should look at businesses that you can operate from your home, where you will not only be close to your family, but also be able to involve them in some aspects of your business. If your values include spirituality, a health related business could incorporate a spiritual dimension. If recognition or philanthropy are included in your list, a business that is built on community involvement might be just the ticket. Whatever your core values are, design a business that will incorporate those values on a day-to-day basis. If your core values drive your business, life will be more fulfilling, and success will come much easier. People always do best what they love to do the most.