Our Mission:
To help people live happy, successful lives; to harness their natural power and live to their full potential.
"Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom." ----- James Allen
THE PAUSE THAT REFRESHES
Have you noticed how corporate boardroom performance graphs of even the most successful companies are seldom an uninterrupted rising line? Rather, they tend to spike and dip on their upward journey.
And this doesnt happen only in the business world. If you were to chart successful, long term romantic relationships you would see a similar pattern there as well.
Think of it
boy meets girl, they fall in love, the relationship develops, and then oops
along comes the inevitable 'challenge'. No worries, they're motivated to work through it and away they go again until, yep, another little hiccup.
The residential real estate market is like that too. Even though property values in North America have risen dramatically over the past 50 years it hasn't happened in a straight line. Rather, it's been a series of cycles that include periods of strong gains, no-gains, and even temporary setbacks. Although the market inevitably continues its upward spiral, it seems to have a need to stop once in a while, take a breather, and sometimes even settle back a bit before dusting itself off and carrying on.
When looking back on my life in regards to accomplishments, whether of a personal or business nature, I've noticed a similar pattern. Very seldom has the line that represents my achievements continued upward without interruption.
Personally, I've found that from time to time there's been a need to pause, reflect, re-evaluate, gather new information and skills, or simply recharge my batteries before pressing on. And I've learned that that's okay.
It used to be however that I viewed this sort of thing as a setback, a failure of sorts. I didn't WANT to stop or slow down, and I must admit that often I didn't; I just kept pushing on. I didn't understand that going against the flow of life and trying to force my will upon it was not only frustrating, but largely unproductive as well.
Very often in my haste to reach the finish line I overlooked warning signs, made significant mistakes, or even learned later that I'd been going in the wrong direction entirely. You know, like the story of the guy who relentlessly climbed the ladder of success and finally, after investing a great deal of time and effort, reached the top
only to find that the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.
I've since learned that when the going is relentlessly tough and step after step is met with resistance, there may be a reason. 'Someone' might be trying to tell me something.
At such times I've found it's not a bad idea to take a break, to step back for a moment and catch a breath, to quiet my mind and simply observe the situation objectively without emotion or judgment, to just 'be' and listen to my still inner voice
the voice that speaks my greatest wisdom.
Frequently this results in an 'aha' moment that makes the reasons for my previous difficulties embarrassingly obvious. Sometimes this points to a need for a strategy adjustment or even a change of direction
other times all that's needed is a rest.
I remember listening to an audio program many years ago by the well know American business philosopher Jim Rohn, in which he recommended that we work diligently for several years (6 or 7 as I recall) and then take a one year sabbatical to review our successes and all we'd learned. He suggested we also use this time to reflect on who we are and what's really important to us, to replenish our energy, and then consciously choose our next direction before re-engaging with fresh vigor for another several years. (I'm paraphrasing here Jim
hope you'll forgive me.)
At the time I didn't see this as being a very practical game plan for a guy with a family and responsibilities. But, since selling my business interests a few years ago and taking some time for myself before setting off in a new direction, I have come to see the wisdom of his words. It would be interesting to know what different paths I might have chosen way back when had I heeded his advice, and I strongly suspect that investing in myself in that way would have resulted in the kinds of gains I am only now beginning to fully understand and appreciate.
Over the course of my life there have been stretches when my work was comfortable and almost effortless. Not that I didn't put in long days or face challenges, but overall it felt good and things seemed to flow.
During other periods however the work was difficult, fraught with disappointment and frustration.
With the benefit of hindsight I can see that there were reasons for these different experiences. During the 'easy' times I was typically crystal clear on, and at peace with, my objectives and intentions. I was comfortable with me, and what I was doing.
In those difficult periods however I wasn't as clear and now see that often I was pushing ahead just because I was stubborn. It had a lot to do with ego. I certainly did not feel comfortable and at peace, and I also didn't slow down enough to re-find that feeling.
What I've learned since is that when things are 'off' it's not necessarily the direction or objective that's out of whack, but rather my state of alignment with the real me, my inner self. By simply pausing, reflecting, re-evaluating (the situation and my intentions), and setting my ego firmly aside, I am now usually able to re-centre, reconnect with me, and again move forward. And then voila, once again things start to flow. People and circumstances appear out of nowhere to help move things along almost effortlessly. It's really quite amazing.
I know you've experienced this too, we all have. The difficulty for most of us lies in being able to intentionally get back into alignment with our true selves and the natural forces that cause the flow. When we do that life becomes much, much easier and our chart line soars.
The exciting part is that it is possible to do this. So give it a try if you haven't already. Follow the simple process outlined above and watch what happens, I think you'll like it.
To your success,
Reg Neufeld
"What you become directly influences what you get." ----- Jim Rohn
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Reg Neufeld, founder of Growing Into Success Training, is a teacher of life success and achievement principles using practical, step-by-step processes that can help you get from where you are to where you want to be. If you're ready to take control and begin living a truly happy and successful life, get your FREE success tips now at www.growingintosuccess.com
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Reg Neufeld
Growing Into Success Training
402 - 1838 Nelson St.
Vancouver, BC
V6G 1N1
604 868 1232
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