Emotional Stimulus Package – Part II

Stop paying attention to what you think is the “truth” about the economy. That’s the first step to take in order to notice that the sky is the limit for the life of your dreams.

Stop asking yourself “How am I ever going to realize my dreams with such an economy?” The question “HOW?” has limited humans from realizing their dreams like no other word in the English language. Your very own personal stimulus package resides right inside your soul. Go in and release the energy. Get the energy out into the universe and stimulate your own emotional well being.

Do not limit yourself in any way. You have the power to be and do as you desire. The Buddha said “all that we are is a result of what we have thought.” Nothing just happens to us: there are no coincidences. Everything that has ever happened and will happen has been manifested to us through our thoughts and feelings.

All that’s left for you to do is to be optimistic and let your emotional stimulus package bail you out; trust me, optimism breeds miracles.

Happy Memorial Day to all and a big heartfelt Thank You to our brave troops across the world!

Fear

I see so many people put breaks on their goals because of fear. Some are afraid of failure, while others are afraid of success. Crazy but true.

The ego wants to keep all of us right where we are. It is threatened by change of any kind. For example, if you have played the role of the victim most of your life, meaning you have given away your personal power to negative conditions or circumstances, the last thing your ego wants is for you to succeed. The ego doesn’t want change.

That’s why it is very important to use fear to propel you forward, rather than to paralyze you into inactivity and compliance to the ego’s whims. Overcoming fear by staying committed, persistent and consistent can provide the emotional intensity needed to support you as you move to attain your goals.

Have a great week and fight your fears with optimism!

Goals & Self-Sabotage – Your Inner Voice

When I conduct workshops, participants often ask me to help them set goals. I usually suggest that they write about the things they may be doing that inadvertently prevent their goals from being realized. In other words, what are the internal messages that are impeding their progress?

When I was writing my first book, The Miracle of Optimism, I monitored the inner voice that was speaking to me when I had a case of the proverbial “writers block.” What I discovered was that the block simply was internal sabotage. I was telling myself things like “I do not have time to sit and write a book” or “How will I ever find a publisher?”. Another recurring internal message was “you are stupid, remember most of your teachers told you that!”

I had to get rid of this self-sabotage mechanism.

I started writing affirmations to support my goals. I found this to be a powerful method to release some of the negative thoughts and feeling states. I would write statements that made me feel like a powerful bestselling author: things such as “The Miracle of Optimism is finished, published and sold!”

I wrote an affirming statement for every goal I set and the bookended up becoming a bestseller on Amazon.com. That is a tribute to the power of affirmations in support of a stated goal.

If it worked for me it can surely work for you.

What is your inner voice saying?

Priorities

I just finished helping a teacher/coach client of mine with an incredibly tough task. I had to help him write a eulogy he will deliver tomorrow for one of his players. A player I knew well. We both cried as we talked about the “why’s” of tragedies such as these. An 18 year old killed in a car while driving after having too much to drink; driving too fast and without a seat belt. These last two days have prompted me to reflect on our educational system’s misplaced priorities.

I lament about the possibilities of this young man if the Life Success program that I conducted in his school had not been cut from the budget; he would have been enrolled in that program. Is it more important that we make sure our students “test” well in science and math so we can keep up with the world while not making it a priority to teach the proper life skills? We live in a fast paced society and young people need to be equipped with the proper decision making skills to keep up with the monumental amount of life altering decisions they make on a daily basis.

Today, I cannot help but think that this young man would be alive today if my progressive program for working with young people had not been cut. However, I will not dwell on it because it would be a waste of time and energy.

I am optimistic that teaching Life Success will be a priority in schools all across the nation in the near future. I intend to be a catalyst for that occurring. As I finish writing this tonight and head out to the wake to say goodbye to this young man I am sad. Tomorrow I will be more determined than ever to initiate change.