The Man In The Mirror

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 PROLOGUE Have you ever pondered, in one of those moments of reflection, why it is that so few people ever appear to really enjoy their lives, see their dreams fulfilled or experience the peace of mind that only comes with a life well lived?

Have you, like me, ever wondered what it is that sets us apart from all other living organisms, none of which has our intellectual capacity, but all of which, despite the conditions of their birth, seem to achieve so much more out of life with so many fewer resources?

No other living thing wastes a single moment in its striving to excel at the game of life.

No insect lives a single precious second of its short existence, other than in pursuit of its primary goal, the long term survival and advancement of its species.

There is not a single tree or other plant that does not maximise upon the resources at its disposal to achieve its full potential.

Yet all of these organisms possess just one driving force, their instinct to survive and to procreate and in so doing, to place their genetic stamp on the process of evolution.

Incredibly, we alone are endowed with the capacity for innovative thought.

We alone, in the whole of the known universe have total freedom of choice, to choose or change our environment and are vested with an intellect, the bounds of which are not even close to discovery.

Yet, despite our clear advantage over all other living things, only a small minority of human beings ever achieve true success, how ever defined, despite a lifetime of endeavour.

What is it that restricts us?

What is it that confines and paralyses us?

What is it that is holding us back and, most importantly, is it possible to find the key that can release us from this most frustrating of straight jackets?

I have set out in this book to answer some of these questions, to assist you in your understanding of yourself and hopefully to provide some insights, which might be useful in the development of a new way of thinking and acting.

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To help you create a new philosophy designed to set you free from all these self imposed restraints… …it’s the first thing we all have to do because our reality, the way we live our lives, all stems from our philosophy.

Our philosophy determines the way we think, our thoughts determine our actions and the results of those actions determine the outcome of our lives.

Our philosophy of life, like the set of the sails determines our course through the winds of change, those winds of change and circumstance that affect every single one of us, irrespective of race, creed, colour or background.

It is, so often, just a minor adjustment in the way we think and the actions that we take that determines the outcome of our lives.

Whether we end up derelict on a beach somewhere or whether we rise to the challenge, grasp the helm and steer our own chosen course through life, towards our own exciting destiny.

The choice is ours, enjoy the journey and always remember that this material only becomes of value when we act upon it!

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THE STORY OF CREATION The Creator was perplexed.

He was extremely proud of the manner in which he had moulded the human race.

His first trial, “Man”, had gone reasonably well, for a first attempt, but he quickly realised that modifications and improvements were required in certain critical areas.

Perhaps more compassion and understanding were required, certainly more patience. More reliability, tenacity, integrity and loyalty were essential.

A rounder, more complete and steadfast cornerstone from which his ultimate achievement could evolve.

He laboured night and day, until, at last, he was satisfied with his achievements.

And it was so, after much deliberation, that “Woman” was created, designed with sole responsibility for the procreation and evolution of the whole of Mankind.

The Creator retired at one with the world that night, lulled by the quiet satisfaction of a job well done.

The Paradox But there was still one paradox that he had to resolve. In all of his previous creations he had guaranteed their longevity and maximised their rate of evolution by making the attainment of each species’ true potential, completely instinctive, without any capacity for choice.

He had created a balanced environment in which there were many challenges to be over come, to ensure that only the fittest, the most advanced or adaptable amongst each species, survived to strengthen their future generations.

But in the case of the Human, he had developed an intellect with the capacity to over ride any instincts and to overcome any challenge that might be placed in its way.

How could he possibly ensure that only the strongest became influential in the evolution of Mankind?

After much consideration he came to the conclusion that he had to hide “Success”, in such a way that every human had the capability of finding it, 4

but so that only the most committed and determined ever would.

He considered hiding it at the bottom of his deepest oceans, but soon realised that with the intellect he had created, it would soon be found.

He considered hiding it at the top of his highest mountain, but soon realised that this was no real challenge to his latest and most unique creation.

He even considered outer space, but soon realised that someone would find the solution.

He was perplexed, and pondered for a long, long time until it came to him with a jolt.

He would hide “Success” inside all human beings and see how many of them would find it there!

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WHAT IS SUCCESS? What an amazing discovery, to realise that true “Success” lies dormant inside every single one of us just waiting to be released!

Success is, inevitably, different for each one of us; we are after all each unique.

Success might be being a wonderful mother, or maybe achieving promotion or enhancement in your career.

Success might be the accumulation of wealth or giving it all away.

Success might be about saving lives, the creation of works of art that are a pleasure to the eye, designing beautiful landscaped gardens or creating music that is a delight to the ear.

True “Success” is always, just what you want it to be, tangible or intangible.

Understanding this is the first step in the journey.

Most people spend more time planning their holiday than they do in planning their lives.

Failure to plan really is planning to fail!

Inevitably in a book of this kind, there will be an orientation towards financial success, for no other reason than that this is one of the few commodities that can be measured easily.

We can count it. It is a good way of keeping score.

However the principles outlined apply to whichever “Success” you define and plan for yourself.

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IT’S A ROCKY ROAD TO TRAVEL Life can be a rocky road to travel. It is the same for us all.

We have not been arbitrarily selected for a challenge that everyone else has avoided.

This is life, this is the way it is, the same winds are blowing for everyone else as well! Hard to believe, but true.

Until we realise this, we can find it all too easy to wallow in our own uncomfortable bed of self-pity at the unfairness of it all.

Life for us all, is the ultimate virtual “Roller Coaster” ride, it’s never straightforward.

Much more likely, endless hazardous twists and turns, occasional euphoric highs and many more gut wrenching lows.

You see, it’s not the circumstances of our lives that determine the outcome, but how we react to the circumstances.

Accepting that as a fact is the starting point for all change. It allows us to take responsibility, to move away from blame, and facilitates selfdetermination.

Read the Map Life is a continuous series of choices, crossroads, sometimes obvious, but generally not so clear.

Every single one of them, the choices we take and the decisions that we make, will materially affect the outcome of our lives.

Yet how easy it is to completely miss the critical turning points in the hustle and bustle of every day life.

There is just so much going on.

In our early teens, growing up seems to take an eternity.

Our parents continually cramp our style, school terms drag and adolescence seems interminable.

Self-determination is an impossible dream and we just want to move on.

The concept of ‘Freedom’ has driven generations of teenagers to distraction, throughout history.

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These are the critical years that provide our foundation for the future and we find ourselves wishing our lives away. What a waste. So many opportunities lost!

When we are twenty-one, imperceptibly at first, things start to change.

Where weeks once dragged, the years just seem to rush on by.

We find ourselves ploughing blindly down a path, just pawns in the scheme of things, with little or no control over where we are going, what we are doing or why we are doing it.

“Reality” kicks in. Mortgages, careers, relationships and keeping up with the Jones’s, become all consuming.

Survival becomes our “number one” priority and we become oblivious to the wonders this world has to offer.

Momentous events are relegated to hazy recollections.

There is so little time to savour life’s experiences that we forget to remember that our life is a unique and exhilarating adventure to be lived to the full.

Mediocrity has us firmly in its grasp. There comes a time when we just have to slow things down, pull in the reins, give ourselves the chance to reassess, regroup, re-plan and regain control.

This is the “real thing” there is no dress rehearsal.

Can we find the courage to divest ourselves of the straight jackets that we have created for ourselves? Learn how to live, how to spread our wings and fly?

We must learn to take the time to smell the roses and to appreciate the abundance this world has to offer.

To chart our own course, to define our own destination and to go to work on our dreams.

The Day That Turns Your Life Around In my experience, and it matters not who you are or where you came from, there is a day, an event or a circumstance which can change our lives, just so long as we spot it and act upon it.

D.H.Lawrence wrote: “ If only we had two lives. One in which to make all of our mistakes, And another in which to profit from them.”

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We do not have that luxury. What we have to do is get it right the first time around.

A small minority see it early, and good fortune to them.

For most of us it seems to take a little longer.

I remember reading that most millionaires do not even start on the journey until after their fortieth birthday. So maybe there is hope for the rest of us after all.

In fact I have become absolutely certain, through research, study and application, that there is no actual limitation on any human being that aspires to achieve extra ordinary things.

All the information is out there in abundance, in the form of books and tapes written by those who have found “Hope’s Hidden Highway”, successfully navigated its course, and have taken the time to pass that knowledge on to any one else who cares to follow.

What is so amazing is that the “Highway” is in fact anything but “Hidden”.

Detailed maps sit on the shelves of libraries, in bookshops, in motorway service stations and in many of our own homes.

Most of us will probably even know someone who knows the route, and would show us the way, if only we had just asked.

We just have to know that we want to find it, then search it out or ask the question!

A Self Fulfilling Prophecy It is really quite staggering to appreciate, just how little personal influence we have during the early stages of our lives in the development of our own self-image.

From the moment of our birth, right through to the end of our formal education, that period of our lives when we are the most impressionable, we are receiving diverse stimuli from various third parties, which we subconsciously allow to shape the development of our character, our manner and demeanour, our attitudes and our beliefs.

This programming continues in the work place and amongst our peer groups throughout the whole of our adult lives.

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We have very little control during our formative years over the input of data into our subconscious brain. But it is this data, and our response to it, that programmes our sub conscious mind and creates our own image of ourselves.

Now this is the rub, the real challenge for most of us, because, once programmed, our subconscious brain will prevent us from doing anything that does not correlate with that programming.

The brakes have been effectively applied.

As we know a small minority seem to receive the correct programming very early and avoid those wasted years.

But for the vast majority of us there is the major task of releasing the brakes, eliminating old programming and starting the process of inputting new and selective data, consistent with the person we really want to be and the lifestyle we wish to attain.

In this context, it is essential that we appreciate just how powerful a dominant thought can be in influencing our subconscious brain and ultimately our actions.

The Alarm Clock Syndrome This always amuses me and used to baffle me.

Just imagine that you are going on your annual holiday tomorrow and your check in time at the airport is 5.00 am.

You work out your travelling time to the airport, pre book your taxi and your early morning call and go to bed to try and catch at least a little sleep.

Now bear in mind here that you normally struggle to wake up at 7.30 am for work and tonight you have set the alarm for 3.00 am and you didn’t finish packing your bags till late and crashed at mid night!

What time do we all wake up? Is there any chance of over sleeping? No, not a chance! We’re all bright and eager well before the alarm clock has ever started to earn its corn.

Our subconscious has taken over. All day the previous day and all evening before bed our minds were racing with the urgency of being up on time. That thought became dominant and all consuming and we were awoken ahead of time by our own ‘in built’ personal computer.

I do hope you are starting to pick up on this, it really is important. What your mind dwells upon all day, today, creates tomorrow’s reality. We become what we think about!!

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Your Own Personal Auto Pilot I wonder if you can remember the very first time you sat behind the steering wheel of a car and had to assume control and learn to drive. What a nightmare experience. It seemed so easy as a passenger, but now so many things to remember, so many new actions to perform and all seemingly at the same time.

But, rather like riding a bike, once learned, never forgotten. Now we don’t even need to think. All of the actions that once seemed to be so confusing are now second nature.

So much so, that we sometimes arrive home from a journey, usually late at night, horrified to realise that we can remember absolutely nothing of the journey.

Our thinking mind had an over riding desire to get us home safely and our sub conscious brain reacted accordingly.

It knew where we wanted to go, it controlled all of our actions and, just like a well programmed computer, it performed as required to complete the journey.

You see, so long as we have given it the input data it needs to perform the task, our sub conscious brain will always perform any task we ask of it.

Just so long as we define the task clearly and want it sufficiently, that the desire becomes dominant in our thinking minds.

Isn’t it exciting to realise that we possess such a tremendous facility. If only we could learn how to use it more effectively.

Rather like taking a hammer to crack nuts, most of us employ this incredible, vast and most powerful of resources, on the most insignificant of tasks.

A Gardeners Tale I read recently that the first three signs of middle age are, a sudden interest in gardening, a paunch and a developing taste for sherry!!

Perhaps when we start to remember, for whatever reason, that we are mortal, we at long last start to slow it all down and to take pleasure from and to appreciate all that nature has to offer.

To listen to the birds singing, to marvel at the different colours and hues and to savour the effects of the changing seasons. The joy and optimism of the spring time, the hustle and bustle of the summer, the tranquillity and muted 11

 tones of the autumn and the warmth of togetherness, as we snuggle up close in the winter.

It really is so important to take the time to appreciate the abundance that is all around us.

We can learn so much from nature, after all, are we not a part of it?

Learn From the Weeds Why is it that the weeds abound?

We never plant them. We never nourish them.

In fact, we do our utmost to eradicate them from our gardens. The moment we turn our backs, however, there they are again, always in abundance and always ready for the half chance, tenacious and persistent, utterly determined in their pursuit of maximised existence.

And yet our chosen crops are so frustrating. We choose the spot with care, we tend them lovingly, we nourish them, we water them, we protect them from the vagaries of the elements and we struggle to keep the weeds at bay.

They can drive us to distraction. It is amazing but it has even been suggested that we should talk to them and play music to them.

But the moment we turn our backs they have wilted, we have neglected them and those determined weeds have assumed their place in our garden.

Our subconscious mind is the most fertile of gardens. Whatever seeds we sow will flourish if well tended, regularly reinforced and constantly visualised.

Sow the seed of a dream and your dreams can come true.

But never be complacent; never neglect your crops. The weeds are insidious and persistent. Be very careful which seeds you are sowing.

The seeds we sow into our sub conscious brain are a product of our thinking mind, the endless chatter of self talk that is with us from dawn till dusk, that constant analysis and conjecture.

It is our own self-talk that creates the thoughts, which determine the seeds that are sown into a sub conscious mind that is incapable of deciphering between an imagined thought and an absolute fact.

A Weed or a Rose Whatever seed is sown becomes our reality.

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What our thinking mind thinks, our subconscious brain proves.

We have to learn to control what we think. Think weed thoughts and we will harvest a lifetime of regret.

Think thoughts of joy and abundance, and tend our crops diligently, and we will harvest fulfilment.

Why are we not taught things like this at school? We need this knowledge early; to eliminate all those wasted years and heartaches.

Our sub conscious brain is incredibly fertile. Whenever we sow a seed, a thought, an idea or a belief, it grows, it procreates and it becomes abundant.

Sow a seed of self-doubt and we have had it, we’ll reap a harvest of misery and regret! Believe that we cannot, and we have absolutely no chance what so ever!

Convince ourselves that we are second best, and we will always be right at the back of the queue!

We will always get just exactly what we expect and absolutely nothing more.

If we spend all of our time thinking about what we don’t want, inadequate incomes, insecurity, unhappiness, unpaid bills, dreams unfulfilled, boredom and confusion, then we are sowing the wrong seeds.

We are sowing the seeds of the weeds that we all seek to avoid and will, inevitably, realise the harvest of these dominating thoughts, in abundance, as our own reality.

The challenge is to avoid these weeds, though they flourish all around us and, if one does slip through, to learn how to eradicate it quickly before it takes root.

We have to learn to control our thinking minds, to take responsibility, to control our response to those outside influences that dominate our thoughts and ultimately our actions.

To identify the seeds that we do not want and to eliminate them from our thoughts and to identify the seeds that we do want, to plant them well and then to nurture them with constant care and attention.

Our dominating thoughts must become those that model the life we choose to lead, of the dreams and goals that we are going to achieve, of the environment and circumstances that we want to see manifested as our reality.

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Life is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Whatever we can perceive, believe and concentrate our minds upon, we can and will achieve in far greater abundance than we ever imagined possible.

Think about nothing and you will become nothing – think about a goal and you will achieve a goal – understand that this is a law of nature, it is absolute and just as certain as your descent from a ten-story building if you are careless. Isn’t it good to know this in advance?

The Enlightened Minority We hear so many differing statistics but one that always stuck in my mind was that three per cent of human beings own ninety seven per cent of the world’s wealth.

What is also a sobering thought is that if all the world’s wealth was magically redistributed equally amongst every single one of us, then within ten years it would all be back in the hands of that same three per cent!

What is it that they know that we find so hard to discover?

Well, be patient, we’re on our way. At least now we’ve started the quest, we’ve decided that we are going in search of the oracle. You should by now have at least a few clues, and by the time we have finished this book you should be feeling pretty well equipped to start the journey.

Let us first take a closer look at what most of us have been doing for the rest of our lives. Our primary influences in childhood are our parents, and, in adolescence, a combination of our parents, our teachers and our peers, those with whom we grow up. We offer them a blank canvas and they build the programming that determines our actions and the early shape of our lives.

Inevitably, we tend to duplicate the lifestyles and habits of those closest to us. Their programming becomes our programming.

Now if only three to five per cent of the population of developed economies ever achieve success or wealth in their lifetime, then it is likely that only three per cent to five per cent of us ever receive success or wealth programming during the formative years of our lives.

With few exceptions, for the remaining ninety five per cent plus of the population those errors of judgement that precipitated the demise of the previous generation are compounded in the next, and this becomes self-perpetuating.

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This is a frightening reality, but if we were to analyse the lives of 100 young adults at age 25, all looking forward to life with a certain eagerness and expectation, then by age 65 we would find that the following results had been achieved.

Just one would be rich, four would be financially independent, five would still be working, fifty-six would be broke and thirty-four would be dead.

We live in an age of abundance and opportunity, of which previous generations could only have dreamed. Yet only five percent of people, despite the best educational systems that we can devise, achieve the age of 65 capable of sustaining themselves independently, in some of the richest lands in the world.

Why? Conformity, people conform to the wrong percentage group. They just don’t think for themselves. Just like lemmings, they go with the flow, they are directed by circumstance, good or bad, and blindly accept the consensus plan as their own.

Can you imagine just how demeaning it must be, in later life, when you just do not have the physical capability any more to provide for yourself and those close to you, to find yourself dependent upon your family or the State? - To have worked hard all of your life, with integrity, and to end up in penury?

And yet to this day there is still no place in the syllabus at any stage in the formal education process for even the basics of personal development or success training.

Savings, retirement planning, probably the number one priority for all of us, is left entirely to chance. This has surely got to change.

Today, the successful people, the five per cent, have to find it for themselves and to have the courage then to break out of consensus thinking, to design and to work their own plan and to move towards their own pre defined goal.

I believe it was Albert Schweitzer who defined success as, “The progressive realisation of a worthy ideal”.

In simple terms isn’t success just about moving away from something you do not want and moving towards something you do?

Anything else is surely failure.

Let us look at this a little closer by the analysis of three very simple words.

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“Be”, “Do” and “Have” How clearly can we remember those questions when we were younger, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” “When are you going to grow up, settle down and get a job?” or “When are you going to stop pipe dreaming, get your head out of the clouds and get yourself a regular income?”

We are a product of those early limiting influences. We follow inevitably in our parents’ footsteps. Our teachers know no better. They are measured on the number of examination passes, not on future livelihoods. And our careers advisors just want to get us placed, to deal with another statistic.

By the time we are aged fifteen to sixteen our early career paths are being mapped out for us.

Someone else is telling us what we are good at and what we are not, and which courses to take, or which job to apply for.

We are moulded in the way a potter moulds his clay. If we are not shaping up they just squeeze harder.

What choice have we got, they hold the purse strings. They put the roof over our heads and the food on the table. Toe the line, or else.

In so many cases our initial choice of job or career, what we are going to “Be”, is taken out of our hands. We assume so little personal influence in the very construction of the foundations of our own lives.

So often that first rung on the career ladder, that first play in the game of life, is left to the roll of the dice, to chance or circumstance, an accident, a compromise, whatever is available at the time.

What we decide to “Be” will inevitably play a major role in the determination of what we are then going to “Do”, probably for the rest of our lives. The training courses that we under take, the work that we do, the lives that we lead.

It will determine the friends that we make, the income that we generate, the way that we spend our spare time and the books that we read.

It will play a major role in the choice of our partner and ultimately will become a major influence upon the lives of the children that we bear.

What is absolutely certain is that everything we “Have” throughout our lives, whether tangible or intangible, will have been determined before we ever made any real decisions for ourselves.

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What is really frightening is that we will have learned to accept it as our lot, purely because it has become the norm.

“Have”, “Do”, and “Be” Might it not make sense to look at reversing the words?

Let’s start to consider what we truly want to “Have”. Do you realise that every single one of us will always receive exactly what we ask for and absolutely nothing more? That it is because we are programmed to ask for so little, that that is all we shall ever receive?

Isn’t it ironic that there is an abundance of all things out there, just waiting for a good home, but most of us just meander down to the ocean of opportunity with nothing more than our bare hands, a teaspoon or maybe just a thimble!

The first thing we need to do is at least to arm ourselves with a bucket or a barrel! Let’s get serious about this!

It’s Later Than You Think Time is running through our fingers, it’s not waiting for anyone.

You see the first thing that any one of us has to do, is to start to think about what we want our life to look like tomorrow, and further on into the future.

If you like your life the way it is now, you have everything you want, then, great, keep doing what you’re doing, you are part of the five per cent who has got it right.

However if there are things that you want to have, changes that you would like to see happen, improvements that need to be made, then you are going to have to do some different things, and the sooner the better.

You see, until you have accepted that there are things that you want to “Have”, or to change, how can you establish what you are going to have to “Do”, in order to “Become” the sort of person who has or achieves those sort of things.

Most of us spend most of our lives with these three simple words the wrong way around.

Fortunately we are not trees, we are not rooted to the spot whether we like it or not, we have the capacity to change, and change is essential. Success is not and never has been about chance, success is about change!

The enlightened minority just learned about these three words, before we did, put them in the right order and went to work. The question is, will you?

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THE MAGIC BUTTON We all owe a debt of gratitude to a gentleman called Earl Nightingale and his brilliant publication entitled “The Strangest Secret”.

Just imagine that there was a Magic Key, a button you could press, that guaranteed that you could achieve absolutely every thing that you have ever dreamed you could have, do or be.

Well there is such a button, you have it at your fingertips and it is called “Goals”.

The “Game of Life” without any self-determined or meaningful objective is just a waste!

The Master Skill The Master Skill of all Success is the ability to set goals, to devise plans for their accomplishment and then to go to work on them.

What is staggering is that every single one of us has mastered this skill.

We have all achieved every single goal we have set ourselves. The problem is that most of us have only ever set ourselves small insignificant goals, which were probably somebody else’s in the first place and not what we really wanted to achieve at all.

We get locked into thinking small. Doing just enough at work to make sure we get our regular pay cheque.

Making the money stretch till the end of the month, scratching around with part time jobs just to make ends meet.

We become masters of budgeting and when we fall behind, masters at negotiating extended terms. This becomes the norm, this is what we are used to, it certainly is not what we really want, but we become very good at it.

Remember the hammer and the nut? We allocate to our sub conscious brain, the most sophisticated cybernetic or goal seeking mechanism in the known universe, a whole range of tasks that insult its level of capability.

It becomes a habit, and we all know how difficult it is to break an entrenched habit and to replace it.

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But fortunately it is possible. Maybe we just need to get fed up of banging our heads against a brick wall.

The Hungry Pike The pike has a voracious appetite, it’s a ferocious and cunning predator that lurks silently in dark corners of the under water world to strike mercilessly at any unwary passing prey.

It is a massively efficient eating machine, big and strong and equipped perfectly for its role with powerful jaws and rows of large and razor sharp teeth.

When in an aquarium environment it is all too easy, fed daily on free issue, helpless and very tasty sprats.

It almost takes the fun out of it!

Imagine its horror, one day, when every time it attacks the sprats it violently smacks its snout on some invisible barrier. A protective glass screen has been placed between it and its quarry.

Time and time again it attacks in a frenzy of undisguised anger and frustration, ferocious and hungry, but to absolutely no avail. The barrier is impenetrable.

Gradually as tiredness sets in and overcomes his predatory urge, the pike starts to realise that no longer do sprats represent a means to satisfy his feeding lust. Now they signify a headache and an inconvenience.

He finds other things to do.

Amazingly, when the protective glass screen is removed, the sprats now swim freely and the pike will ignore them as part of his diet.

It remembers just how tiresome they were; it is far more comfortable just to ignore them.

You see, even the ferocious pike can change his habits. He just needed a good reason why!!

The Comfort Zone These established habits, continuing to do what we have always done, just because that’s the way it’s always been, lull us into a false sense of 19

security, our comfort zone. We kid ourselves that this is the way it should be, that this is the way we like it and, in so doing, avoid any challenges that could otherwise create discomfort in our lives.

The sub conscious brain cannot decipher between reality and imagined thoughts. If our thinking mind creates the picture, our sub conscious mind is a totally receptive and accommodating canvas.

We become marooned in our own, totally self-created and entirely imagined illusion.

This is totally automatic and we all do it.

This “Comfort Zone” is the automatic failure mechanism of all thinking human beings. Until we can find the key to open it up, success will always be beyond our grasp.

The Creator did his job well!

Change is a Challenge The major challenge with change is that it is an experience that we have learned to violently dislike.

From the moment we were born and we exchanged the warmth and comfort of our mother’s womb, for bright lights, cold hands, loud noises and the experience of being dangled upside down by the ankles and slapped on the derriere, our sub conscious brain became convinced that change is a decidedly unpleasant experience.

For sure, we were, cosseted, snuggled warm and fed regularly for a while.

But it didn’t last. Just as we thought everything was going great, the uniform arrived, and, in the wink of an eye, it’s the first day at school. Transported into another totally alien environment into which we were supposed to adapt.

Lots of very strange people and a lot less attention. No friendly shoulder to cry on and suddenly way down the pecking order.

Then, just as we’re finding our feet, whoosh, someone goes and pulls the rug from under our feet again. New school, new uniform, new set of teachers, new set of pupils, a whole new ball game and a whole new set of rules.

We’re right back at base one. And to cap the lot, we’ve now got the challenges of adolescence to deal with. Acne, puberty, and menstruation for goodness sake!

And a whole new dimension to playing with the opposite sex!

All these changes!!

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We leave school or college and enter the work place. The job wasn’t what we hoped it might be, wasn’t what we wanted anyway, too many hours and not enough money.

Get on with the boss? Not a chance and we go our separate ways. Then to top the lot, we fall in love and it doesn’t work out. That really hurts, tears us apart for months.

Change, change, change, change, change, we have had our fill. Nothing but a sour taste in our mouths and a defensive veil of resentments, descending all around us. “Beam me up Scotty”, get me out of here!

Do you see what is happening, we start to draw that protective cloak in tight around ourselves? Unless we can satisfy ourselves, absolutely, that change is going to be a pleasant experience next time around, we are, from here on in, going to avoid it like the plague.

Our perceived “Comfort Zone”, that automatic failure mechanism of all human beings, insidious and all embracing, is born and, feasting on our own vulnerability, weaves its malignant web of paralysis and self-preservation into our core.

Switch on your Success Mechanism All the stimuli we have received, all of life’s experiences and the emotions we encounter in the process, motivate every action that we take and consequently the end result we achieve.

What motivates us to action evolves from the emotions we feel at any given time, and we will never act unless something has stimulated our motivation to take action, to a sufficient level to overcome our natural tendency towards inertia.

Our emotions and our ability to manage our emotions becomes key to our future progression, to such an extent that the entire infrastructure of our society, of civilisation as we know it, has, been defined as, “The intelligent management of human emotion”.

Emotion Let us take a look at the range of emotions that we might encounter in our lifetimes right through from the negative or “Fear” motivators to the positive or “Desire” motivators.

Understand that “Fear” is an integral part of our lives. Only the foolhardy would claim to be “Fear less”, fear of danger is essential to avoiding injury, even to staying alive.

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Be wary of those who feel no “Fear” at all!

However, the majority of the other “Fears” that we will experience in our lifetime, will have been created entirely as a product of our own imagination and self-talk and are totally illusory. Programmed then deep into our sub conscious as reality, to limit our actions accordingly, until eliminated from our psyche.

Remember, our sub conscious brain is incapable of deciphering between an imagined thought or reality.

Fear Of Change We have already discussed this one at length and you should by now be starting to understand the role it plays in our own self-limitations.

Fear of Rejection There exists in this world a species alien to success in all forms. They are known as “Dream Stealers” and you need to be on the alert for them!

How many times have we proudly displayed our brand new “toy” only to be informed that some other product was far better value for money, or performs so much better?

Proudly explained our brand new and exciting business project to a group of our very best friends only to be told that it will never work!

Shared our proudest dreams, only to have them shattered by the people closest to us.

There’s only so much of it we can take, before we shut up shop and just stop dreaming, that’s the easiest solution we can find to eliminate another emotion that has become just too uncomfortable.

We come to the conclusion that these implied criticisms and the embarrassment we feel as a consequence are just not worth it, that it’s easier just to go with the flow.

The risk is that we spend our whole lives seeking to avoid criticism and embarrassment, from people who are going nowhere with their lives and, who, inevitably inhibit our growth accordingly.

One of the best pieces of advice ever given to someone who aspires to success, is to take a close look at what unsuccessful people are doing, how they live their lives and, having observed, vow never to do what they do!

Accept the fact that not everyone is ready today for true success. Share your dreams, your hopes and your plans for a better future only with those 22

who are on a similar path and who will support and help you in your endeavours.

The Story of Two Frogs Two young frogs were out foraging on the farm one day when they chanced upon a big silver bucket, full to the brim with tantalisingly warm fresh milk.

They just couldn’t resist it. They mustered all of their energy and with one huge leap, in they both splashed.

They were in heaven, they drank and they drank and they drank. They gorged themselves until their bodies were so swollen that it was a real effort to keep afloat.

Enough was enough, they were getting tired and it was time to go home and sleep it off.

But try as they might, however hard they kicked they couldn’t reach to the edge of the bucket to clamber out.

Not only had they drunk so much of the milk that the level had dropped considerably, but the side of the bucket was very slippery and they were so full of milk that even with their most powerful thrust they were not even close, however hard they tried.

They were running out of steam and in serious danger of drowning. They were also causing quite a commotion, so much so that some of their inquisitive friends came to investigate. What a sight they must have seen.

But there was nothing they could do to help.

They muttered amongst themselves that it was a hopeless task, thoughtlessly within earshot of the hapless pair, and one of them must have agreed because he gave up and despairingly sank to the bottom of the bucket.

The survivor though, just kept on trying. He jumped and he scrambled, he kicked and he scraped, battling with an apparently hopeless cause… …and then something incredible started to happen. His energy started to turn the milk to butter and within minutes he was able to clamber out to safety.

The Moral of The Story Why did one frog survive whilst the other drowned? Yes, he did keep on trying. He wouldn’t give up. He displayed extra ordinary commitment, was massively tenacious. He just kept on keeping on when it really did seem impossible.

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But the principal reason he survived was that he was stone deaf – he never heard anyone tell him it was impossible and that thought never entered his head. He just didn’t want to drown and was not going to give up!

Because he was deaf he was oblivious to any negative programming to the contrary, so there was nothing to undermine his determination to succeed.

You see, there some people with whom you just cannot afford to associate, they will always try to drag you down. It’s their defence mechanism. You are a threat to their comfortable existence. They resent the fact that you aspire to something greater than they do and it makes them feel inadequate and resentful.

It’s much easier for them to suck you back down to their level of mediocrity than to stretch them selves, up to your level of ambition.

Successful people never listen to the wrong crowd.

Like Eagles, they are never found in flocks. They lead, they make their own decisions and they create their own environment.

Fear of Failure There was an occasion when our great, War time leader, Winston Churchill was invited to talk to the students graduating from one of the major English universities. It was an auspicious event and created much excitement amongst the student population.

On the day, the gallery was filled to capacity with not even standing room available. There was an audible hush, a murmur of charged expectations throughout the auditorium as the great man entered.

He said not a word and acknowledged no glance as he approached the solitary podium, every eye in the room locked onto his approach.

Slightly bowed, but with much dignity and leaning heavily upon his cane he made his entry.

As he took his place amongst the Country’s elite, he removed his bowler hat and laid it carefully beside him. He removed his cigar from his mouth and placed it in the appropriate repository and raising himself to his full height placed his cane on the table beside his hat.

He gradually raised his eyes to the audience absorbing and fuelling the 24

electricity of super charged anticipation, his gaze burrowing deeply into the minds of those whose eyes he met.

After what seemed like an eternity he drew a breath and started to speak, his words seeming to envelope everyone present in his aura, “Never, never, never…. give up”, were the only words he spoke, very slowly, very deliberately and with massive passion. In a tone, that seemed to resonate deep within the soul of every one present.

The audience was stunned, waiting for him to go on.

But he remained silent for several moments allowing the magnitude of his words to sink in.

Then he spoke again, “Never, never, never…. give up” he repeated, this time with a passion that built to a crescendo after his dramatic pause.

Not one person took their eyes off the great man as they waited patiently and with breath bated for him to proceed.

He gazed around the room, in total control and after due consideration repeated one more time those immortal words “Never, never, never… give up!”

The silence was deafening and the emotion was tangible as he gathered his possessions and departed from the stage.

Not one of those present will ever have forgotten that day. “Never give up”, three words which, once understood, will change the destiny of any person who heeds the advice. If at first you do not succeed, then try, try and try again.

Thank goodness we all learned to walk before we learned to rationalise for ourselves. The desire to walk was instinctive and it was instinct that helped us through the many trials and defeats that were an integral part of that process.

Had we been learning to walk in later life there is good reason to believe that we would have evolved as crawlers, on all fours, many would have fallen down a few times and just given up.

The vast majority of people quickly learn that the emotion of failing is an experience that they dislike and start to convince themselves that it is just more comfortable never to try.

The paradox is that he or she who will not try, will fail throughout their life to achieve anything that really matters, sentencing themselves to a lifetime 25

of disillusion, quiet desolation and much frustration. You see, not one of us can ever hope to succeed without being prepared to fail many times first.

Be Prepared to Fail First Thomas B. Watson, the founder of IBM, the computer giant, was once asked by a young salesman, how he could improve his sales figures.

“Well, young man”, he replied, “ You will need to double your failure rate!”

The majority of people fail in life because they are weak. Weaklings either never start or quit after the first few attempts.

It is only through the process of trial and error that we ever learn. We must learn to think of a “Failure”, a mistake or an error, as another opportunity to learn.

Edison’s Folly Thomas Edison was one of history’s great inventors, having patented over one thousand new processes or ideas, each of which had commercial applications and affects all of our lives today. In the process he acquired a fortune.

In the days when we were all lit by paraffin lamps, he dreamed of harnessing this new power source called electricity, the mere thought of which caused much amusement at the time.

After some five thousand unsuccessful trials, Edison was interviewed by a young reporter, who asked him, “Why, after so many failures, he kept on going”.

The newspaper report was written under the banner headline, “Edison’s Folly”. Edison replied, “Young man, you do not understand, I haven’t failed at all, I have now successfully eliminated ten thousand ways that the electric light bulb doesn’t work.”

He or she who has the most opportunities to learn, and acts upon the knowledge, will inevitably progress.

Failure is an integral part of success. We can only succeed if we are prepared to fail as many times as it takes in the process.

There are contemporary lessons here too. Read some of the biographies, Alan Sugar, Richard Branson or Bill Gates and check out some of the Steve Jobs YouTube videos.

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They are all inspirational and all teach the same fundamental truth.

Fear is an integral part of our lives and there are many fears that undermine the lifestyle of millions of people around the world.

Fears are restrictors, fears are constrictors, fears inhibit growth and fears create paralysis. Fears weigh us down. We need to understand what holds us back before we can eliminate the burden and move on.

The Bird in the Cage It is probably true that the bird in the cage, well watered and fed, and protected from its predators, will live longer than the bird in the wild.

But what would you rather have, a lifetime under a blanket in the corner of a darkened room, hiding from all your perceived anxieties, or a life time of adventure experiencing life to its fullest dimensions.

Rather we spread our wings and fly!

Desire Motivation The only way to break out of our automatic fear induced “Comfort Zone” is to trigger our automatic Success Mechanism.

Our natural tendency is to compromise our true desires to avoid the experience of those negative uncomfortable emotions.

We have to want something enough that the fears become insignificant or are eliminated.

Walk The Plank Imagine a plank, two feet wide and twenty feet long, placed across two dining room chairs about eighteen inches from the floor, you at one end challenged to walk the plank to collect a £50 note at the other end.

No problem! Sufficient desire motivation - simple task - excellent reward!

Imagine we raise the stakes, literally. We carry the plank to the top of a skyscraper and we balance it across the gaping void onto the building next door.

Same challenge, walk twenty feet, one foot in front of the other, and collect your fifty pounds.

Big problem! Insufficient desire motivation, to deal with the introduction of a big slice of fear…

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Our legs become paralysed and the simple task of walking twenty feet, one foot in front of the other, becomes an impossible task.

We now need a much greater desire motivator to overcome the negative restriction.

What if your child had spotted the plank, had crawled across and was playing dangerously close to the edge of the roof of the opposite building?

That’s done it. We know we can walk twenty feet one foot in front of the other. Our desire to protect our child overrides any possible inhibition.

We’d probably sprint across!

Nothing changed, other than the power of our desire to get to the other side.

A White Hot Burning Desire It seems that there are three different types of people we are likely to meet.

The “Spectators” – Spectators always have an opinion, they seem to watch every one else and are more than ready to pass judgement on everything we say and do, but they never really like to get involved themselves.

They seem to live life on the outside never actively participating but feeding off everyone else’s experiences rather than enjoying their own.

The “Losers” – Losers aspire to so much more than they have got and are envious of those around them that have achieved and that are living their dream.

They just never do anything about it.

They spend their whole lives hoping and wishing “things” might get better, but never take control of their own destiny, are reactive and allow themselves to be dominated by circumstance, good or bad, instead of creating their own.

They love to blame everyone and everything but themselves and they can be dangerous. Watch out for them, they love a good audience and they love to bring you down to their level. It makes them feel justified.

The “Winners” – The Winners in life make their own choices, they know exactly what they want, they find out how to get them and they go to work.

Winners plan ahead, they know in advance where they are going. They don’t spend their whole lives with their fingers crossed. They take responsibility.

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If they cannot find the circumstances they need, they create them.

The “Winners” just seem to want it more than anyone else.

Their desires are not flimsy or tentative. They are passionate, concrete and real.

They know in advance where they are going and they turn their desires into something tangible, something they can savour, touch and feel.

The only way we can override our automatic failure mechanism, our fear induced, comfort zone, is to trigger our automatic success mechanism, hidden away deep in our sub conscious brain, through the creation of a series of new and totally dominating thoughts.

White hot, clearly defined, burning desires that flourish and grow, in such abundance, that there is no room left for those weeds of fear and negativity that would otherwise dominate our existence.

The Magic Button You see, there is a Magic Button, it’s called “Goals”, a clearly stated objective linked to a passionate desire to succeed.

The achievement of the goal is never the issue, we have some incredible tools on hand to see to this. The challenge is in understanding just how crucial the skill of Goal Setting is and then learning how to define and set them.

The Most Powerful Computer in the Universe Just suppose that we had at our disposal a computer so powerful that its capacity is beyond our comprehension.

A resource of such complexity that it is unlikely that even within one hundred years, despite the rapid evolution of technology, mankind will ever be able to recreate it and, if we could even come close to it, would require a building bigger than the Empire State Building to house it.

A machine with the capability of achieving any end result we chose for it just so long as we programmed it correctly and asked for it specifically.

Such is the incredible power of the human brain.

We all have one and yet we generally ask so little of it.

Our mind is probably the only thing over which we have total control throughout our whole lives. It is the asset that sets us apart from all other organisms, yet we utilise such a small proportion of our capabilities that 29

Albert Einstein is reputed to have stated that, in his opinion, the average person only uses less than one per cent of its true capacity. Whether he was right or wrong is pure conjecture.

However, if we have such power at our disposal it must make sense to seek to harness and manage it better.

Can you imagine taking delivery of your own personal jet, and never switching on the engines?

Owning the car of your dreams and never taking it out of first gear? Or, even worse, firing the engines, pressing the accelerator and, oblivious of the steering mechanism, proceeding directly into the nearest ditch! Of course not, these material possessions we value and we learn how to use them.

Our brain however, our capacity to think, well, that came for free and we tend not to value the things that don’t cost us much money. In reality, the opposite of course is true, it is the things around us that cost absolutely nothing, that so often are the most valuable commodities of life, priceless and totally irreplaceable.

How to Switch it On Do we need any detailed knowledge of the physics of electricity to switch a light on and off? No, we just need to learn how to operate the switch.

Would a lifetime of study into the Laws of Gravity have any material effect on your rate of descent if you fell from a balcony?

None whatsoever.

Without any detailed knowledge of the laws of physics we are able to accept certain things as facts and use them to our advantage, after all it is useful to know, in advance, that when you fall, you are not going up!

All Nature’s Laws are irrefutable, we do not need to analyse them. We just need to know what they are and to how flow with them, not against them.

The Law Of Success This is a very simple natural law that reads as follows: “WHAT WE CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE WE CAN ACHIEVE” Every single one of us is a walking, talking miracle with the innate ability to achieve absolutely anything that it is within our capacity to imagine.

Our sub conscious brain is robotic.

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Once programmed with the mechanics involved in grasping an object, we never have to think about it again. Our subconscious takes over and controls every single muscle movement.

Our ability to maintain our balance on two feet or upon a bicycle developed gradually through a protracted period of trial and error and was gradually entered as reality into our subconscious brain.

It learned how to decipher the signals sent from the balance mechanism located in our inner ear and how to compensate for any change in posture.

Whilst we were learning we had to consciously consider every single step of the process, before initiating the necessary action or reaction. Now however they are monitored sub consciously by our own autopilot.

Even in these simple tasks there were many reasons not to continue trying.

Grazed elbows, hurt pride and much frustration, but nothing was going to stop us, we weren’t going to be the odd ones out.

That intense desire and sheer determination dominated the physical and emotional pain.

And we conquered.

We conceived that we could, we believed that it was possible, we really wanted to and we kept on trying until we had succeeded.

The Concert Pianist It is a constant source of amazement to me that an accomplished pianist can recite, without any reference to a score, an entire concerto.

Translating a depth of complex human emotions into an endless series of intricate key movements that flow seamlessly one into another.

Their thinking mind never once having to consider which note comes next, influential only in the feeling and the mood of the performance. The mechanics managed entirely by their sub conscious brain.

Massive desire, intense concentration and hours and hours of dedicated practise.

Learning how to co ordinate information received through sight of the score, into structured hand movements.

Repeating the process time and time again until they achieved perfection.

In the process converting conscious data input into subconscious capability.

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They had no reason to believe that they could, they had never done it before, but they believed it was possible, they conceived that they could, they really, really wanted to and they just kept practising until it was mastered.

Conclusion We don’t need to know how this Law works, we just need to believe that it does and learn how to flick the switch.

If we seek a different outcome, then we must take different actions.

Our subconscious brain determines the actions that we will take and is programmed by our own self-talk, our thoughts.

Therefore, if we are seeking a different outcome to our lives, we have to think differently, we have to think for ourselves and become instrumental in our own self-determination.

What dominates our thinking today will manifest as tomorrow’s reality.

Unless we learn how to set Goals, to plan today for our own better future, to know in advance exactly where we are going and how we are going to get there, we will continue to tread water and to live with regret.

We have two choices, to master the skill of sowing in the Spring, or the skill of begging in the Autumn.

When we learn to set goals, to think about goals, to visualise goals to embrace them today as part of our lives, with total belief and conviction, as if they were already real, we release all of nature’s energy in our quest.

There is no time then for the petty distractions that hitherto dominated our lives and we release the awesome power of our subconscious brain in pursuit of ideals worthy of its massive potential.

The achievement of our goals is not the challenge.

That is automatic.

Goal Setting – The Master Skill Goal setting is an incredibly simple exercise and the importance of mastering the skill should by now have become apparent.

Why it is not taught in traditional education establishments will remain a mystery. Most people will never set a goal for themselves simply because they are oblivious to their importance.

Others just don’t know how to go about it.

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This no longer applies to you, so what are you going to do about it?

Setting goals is simply about sitting down with a pen and paper and writing down all of the things you want to do, be, or have.

Take some time over it. Think carefully. If appropriate discuss the project with your soul mate and involve them in the process. It’s exciting to share your dreams and to be working together towards common goals.

Allow yourself to dream, let your imagination run wild, as if nothing is beyond your grasp. Throw open the shutters that society has cast around your innermost, your deepest desires. Release the inhibitions, unshackle the fetters and be totally honest.

Do not accept second best. Do not compromise.

Just write down on paper everything you truly desire out of your life, tangible or intangible, material or spiritual.

Do not hold back. Stretch yourself. We are all here till we die. Why not see what we can really achieve if we get serious?

The only challenge is the realisation that our goals are the key to unlocking our potential.

Master the skill of setting goals. Dare to dream, dare to ask!

Understand that you will never be on your own.

Nature is on our side and providence is looking for a good home. There are forces all around us that will come to our aid once we get serious about our lives.

Just get everything down on paper and start to get your mind around your own chosen reality.

Eliminate the space available to the things you don’t want. Get rid of the weeds. Start planting your own seeds. Reinforce everything that you write down by writing against it the reason for the goal.

So often the “reason” is more moving or motivational than the goal itself.

Equally, you might well find that you can find no real “reason” for some goals, in which case they can be eliminated to save wasted energy.

Don’t worry about how you’re going to achieve these goals, leave that to a force greater than any of us.

Just get on with your part of the bargain, get it all down on paper so you can read them over and over again, immerse yourself in them, adjust them, 33

add new goals and mark them off once achieved.

Once you start to get your head around the real issues, to focus your thinking, improve the input to your sub conscious brain and stop clogging it up with trivial tasks, once it knows what you really want, then you can rely on it to find the answers.

It’s a robot! It’s automatic!

The Power of Providence It actually took Thomas Edison over ten thousand attempts before he successfully created the electric light bulb and that momentous occasion arose as a flash of inspiration from a source he could never have predicted.

So many trials and so many potential disappointments - total absorption in the project!

He knew that if electricity was passed through a thin wire, heat was created, the wire glowed and light shone. But never for long, the heat caused combustion and the wire flamed to ashes.

One day, quite removed from the project, the processes involved in the manufacture of charcoal were under discussion, when Edison quite literally saw the light. In order to reduce the speed of combustion of wood in order to create charcoal, the supply of oxygen to the pyre was reduced, creating a slow burn.

Without oxygen, combustion could not take place.

He rushed back to his workshop and immediately fed a wire into a glass container, sealed it, created a vacuum by removing the air from the container and passed an electrical current through the wire. It glowed but it did not burn. The dream of the electric light bulb was now a reality.

When total commitment appears, providence steps in.

Get the Balance Right Goals need to be balanced in three key areas, there might well be others, but these are the most important: Personal And Family Goals These are the “Why” goals of our lives. Our reasons for living, our own very personal values and responsibilities, our rationale for endeavour, what makes it all worthwhile.

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All of the issues dearest to our hearts and which are so often over looked or neglected in the charge through life. Our families, and all of those who are closest to us. Our quality of life, our freedoms to choose, our ambitions, our time and our emotions.

All of the experiences we wish to enjoy, all of the sights we wish to see and all of the love we have to share.

This is what life is all about, personal fulfilment without compromise. To be able to do what we truly want to do, not what we have to do!

Business And Financial Goals These are the “What” goals. The resources we shall require in order to live the ”Why” of our lives.

For sure, money will never solve every problem, but it certainly helps. So many people live under the misconception that there is something wrong with being ambitious, with striving to better ourselves financially, and no one could argue that, in cases of exploitation or racketeering, this is not the case.

However, wealth acquired through genuine endeavour in the service of the community and in the creation of real added value, is a pursuit worthy of all human beings. It is never what we get that matters in our lives, it is what we become in the process.

Andrew Carnegie – A Great example After the death of Scot, Andrew Carnegie, who had dedicated his life to developing and improving the processes involved in the manufacture of the steel that has added so much value to the lives of all subsequent generations, found in his desk were the goals written in his early twenties.

“I will spend the first half of my life acquiring wealth, and I will spend the second half, giving it all away.”

Based in America Andrew Carnegie had become by his early fifties, one of the most successful and richest men in the world.

He had, almost single handed, pioneered processes that changed the world, as it had previously been known.

Thereafter he dedicated the rest of his life to charitable and educational foundation, becoming the most prolific benefactor of his time.

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Creating a legacy that has massive influence, to this day, over the lives of millions of people throughout the world.

To strive for financial success, to be ambitious, is fine just so long as it is at the service of, and not at the expense of, others. It’s common sense really, if you help a lot of other people get what they want, you can have everything that you want.

Every single one of us should, at least, aspire to become financially independent in our lifetime, to be able to retire before we die. It’s not that complicated, financial independence is the ability to live our lives, in the manner in which we choose, without reliance on any third party.

That’s about earning money and saving money. It’s about leverage. Every penny you spend, without proper consideration, is another member of your work force gone.

To live a quality lifestyle, without compromise, on the income generated from the resources and investments we have created through our own endeavours, requires that we value them more than that and we put them to work for us.

Any other end result, to find ourselves dependent upon family or State or to find it necessary, in later life when our energies are diminishing, to remain at work in order to survive, is just the result of bad planning.

Personal Development Goals No fire will provide heat unless you provide the fuel first.

To demand more heat without providing more fuel is fruitless. If we aspire for more out of life we are going to have to invest in the acquisition of the knowledge and skills required to achieve that purpose.

Personal development is the “Means” by which we create the “What” that allows us to live the “Why”, and is the starting point of all personal achievement.

How often do we hear the cry? “Give us more money and we’ll do some more work!”

This negative philosophy prevails in so many aspects of our every day life.

Monetary wealth can never be acquired by demand. Has there ever really been a successful “Strike” in the pursuit of monetary gain?

The pursuit of money, without added value will always end in disappointment.

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We will always receive money commensurate with our worth. If we do only the things for which we are paid, we will only ever earn a living.

It takes time to create income. But it is not the time for which we are paid; it is the value that we give. If we want more, then we have to become worth more.

If we aspire to a fortune, then we must first learn to do the things for which we are not paid.

We need to enhance our value in the market place.

Goals Summary Our goals need to be balanced in all of these areas and must “fit” well.

There’s no real value in being rich and dead or any sense of achievement in spending lots of time with your family only to be evicted for non-payment of your dues and to watch the children taken into care.

All too often we end up doing things we hate and working with people we cannot tolerate, in some mindless exchange of our precious time for money.

“Working” for a living. It’s no wonder there are so many new stress related illnesses cropping up each year.

Every one of us has some ability or talent at which we excel. It’s easy to find, just ask yourself which activities hold your interest most intensely, you like to read about and study.

If you can develop a business or career plan around a project that you really enjoy, you will probably be extremely successful and never have to “work” again. To be able to deal with your financial needs in the pursuit of some challenge that you enjoy, is a worthwhile endeavour, not “work”.

A good tip is to make your first or primary goal to find out what you are best at and most want to achieve, and then to build your life around that objective.

Then make the decision to “Pay Yourself First”. Establish the discipline of saving at least 10% of your net earnings every month. Put your money to work for you. Watch your savings grow every year and marvel at the power of compound interest.

Albert Einstein describes Compound Interest as the Eighth Wonder of the world: "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it."

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Stop Working for a Living - Design Your Life.

There is a real inner peace, a calm self-assurance in knowing exactly what you want and then setting out to get it, a real sense of achievement in devising the plans necessary for success and taking the necessary action.

So step away from the crowd, step up to the mark. Enjoy the journey. The starting point for all success is a realisation that we can self-determine, and that the process is fundamentally simple.

I can only hope that this book has helped you to take the first exciting step on your journey to self-discovery and fulfilment.

If I can be of assistance at anytime, just drop me an email and connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprosserblog I wish you well.

Mark Prosser mark@diamondwealthmastery.com Manchester, UK PS If you would like to work with Mark, visit: http://diamondwealthmastery.com

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