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Issue # 31 | To Your Success | Aug, 2006 |
"The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something; whereas the strongest, by dispersing his over many, may fail to accomplish anything." ----- Thomas Carlyle FOCUS - YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! How are things? Are you happy and at peace? Are you where you want to be in your life, or at least confident in knowing you're on the path that will take you there? The truth is that in the early stages of adulthood many of us don't really have much of a clue as to what we really want from life or where we want to eventually end up (there certainly are exceptions, unfortunately I wasn't one of them). Most of us just go along, maybe set and achieve some short or even mid-term goals, and hope things will all work out for the best. We build a life, get into a groove, conform … we become "comfortably numb". Days run into weeks, months into years. We blink and we're thirty. Blink again and we're fourty, then fifty … then we prop open our eyelids with anything at hand so we don't blink too soon again. At some point in this life journey we may come to a place of questioning. "Who am I as a person? What do I stand for? How do I ideally want my life to be? What do I value? What gives my life meaning? How do I ideally want my life to be? Who do I aspire to be as a person? What could or should I be doing? How do I ideally want my life to be?" The reality is that to get the answers we have to ask the questions, because the asking focuses our attention. The answers then do come, either quickly in a flash or more slowly over time, and with them a much more clear and meaningful sense of direction. This process isn't rocket science, it simply follows the natural order of things … it's the 'Mental Laws' or 'Universal Principles' that govern our world simply doing their job. Where is this leading? As I'm sure you already understand, this is pointing to the importance of focus. Focus is one of the keys to life success, to achievement of any kind. At times we may focus on a thing without giving much thought to the bigger picture, it's just something important to us at that moment, and it does allow us to achieve. At other times we find it difficult to focus on anything at all, which makes achievement a challenge. The secret to real life success however lies in uncovering the answers to those big picture questions first, at least to the best of our current ability, and then focusing on moving in the direction of what that points to. And it's never too late to do that, at least not if we're still breathing. Yes I know, if you've been a regular reader of 'To Your Success' you're probably seeing a pattern here. You'll recognize some of these questions, the references to focus, and the emphasis on clarity … things that are integral elements of our core program, The ThoughtShop. Don't shrug it off with an, "I know all that stuff" though. Rather, think about it. Really give thought to it. When is the last time you actually spent quiet, personal time contemplating and writing out your answers? If someone asked you right now, could you tell them without hesitation what your values are, both moral and life quality? Could you articulate who you aspire to be as a person … who you are consciously in the process of becoming? Could you describe your ideal life vision in detail … where you're living, what you're doing, how your important relationships are? Could you describe how that looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels? Clarity and focus are vitally important components of achievement, but how can you focus if you don't know what you want? If you don't know, you'll probably keep getting side tracked, going in circles … staying in that familiar rut getting more and more of the same. So if you haven't done so for a while, take the time. Make the effort. Answer the questions. 1. What moral values are important to me that I choose to live my life by? What do I value in terms of life quality … things, activities or experiences that are really important to me at a deep level? 2. Who do I aspire to be? Who am I striving to become as a person … as a human being? 3. How do I ultimately, ideally want my life to be? Write out your answers. Contemplate them. Become clear on them. Next, close your eyes and vividly imagine yourself already being, doing and having that. Really experience it. Done? Excellent. Now you have something to focus on. Now you can begin moving forward, with purpose. Now you have a 'flashlight of wisdom' to shine on all of your difficult choices, quickly and easily revealing the one that's best for you. Now you are in a position to set 'smart' goals … goals that are in alignment with your values and who you aspire to be, goals that will move you closer to realizing your life vision. Now you can focus with laser-like precision on a specific objective and not be easily distracted … you are in a perfect position for successful achievement. These are proven, timeless tools; I hope you become skilled in using them. "What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it." ----- Alexander Graham Bell Coming soon to the Fraser Valley … THE THOUGHTSHOP If you've seen the movie The Secret (highly recommended) and would like to learn how to apply its timeless but seldom taught concepts, The ThoughtShop is the place to be. If The Secret is the 'what to do' to create success in any and every area of life, The ThoughtShop is the 'how to do it', the practical steps that will make it work for you. Let The ThoughtShop be the key that unlocks the door to the life you've always wanted. Dates and times to be announced shortly. Once dates are set you will be able to register online. To pre-register now, please contact me directly at reg@growingintosuccess.com. "To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your history is not your destiny." ----- Alan Cohen To Your Success, Reg Neufeld and the Growing Into Success Team Growing Into Success Training SHARE WITH FRIENDS!... If you’re enjoying this free newsletter you can pass it along by forwarding this issue to a friend who might appreciate it. Should they wish to receive it regularly they can be automatically added to our subscription list simply by emailing newsletter@growingintosuccess.com with their name and ‘subscribe’ in the subject box. WE VALUE YOUR FEEDBACK! … Our intent for this FREE newsletter is that it be brief, informal and include articles, tips or suggestions to help you achieve the life success you desire … and for each one to be of real value to you. Also included are dates, times and locations of some of our upcoming programs. (Complete Calendar of Public Venue Events on our website.) If you have any comments, questions or suggestions we would love to hear from you. Simply click Reply on your toolbar, jot down your thoughts, and hit send … or email reg@growingintosuccess.com. Should you no longer wish to receive ‘To Your Success’, just hit Reply on your Toolbar … type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject box … and we will take you off the list immediately. Thank you. Growing Into Success Training |