Archive for May, 2007

by Deanna Mascle
I am going to ask you to something very weird right now. First of all, I want you to listen to your thoughts. Now tell me, what thoughts fill your head? Would you label them as positive, or negative?

Now let’s say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who would meet you would be able to tell you what’s on your mind?

The answer to number one is up to you. But, the answer number two can be pretty generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling.

Here’s another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?

You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.

Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too — unless, of course, you are a great actor.

And it doesn’t end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you.

The type of attitude you carry depends on you. It can be either positive or negative.

Positive thoughts have a filling effect. They are admittedly invigorating. Plus, the people around the person carrying positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude.

Negative thoughts on the other hand have a sapping effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.

A positive attitude attracts people, while a negative attitude repels them. People tend to shy away from those who carry a negative attitude.

We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you have a negative attitude brewing up. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely carry a positive attitude.

You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.

A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you will love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you also make others are around feel the same way.

A negative attitude, on the other hand, has, of course, an opposite effect. So, carrying a negative attitude has a twofold drawback. You feel bad about yourself, and you make others feel the same way.

If you want to have a positive attitude, you have to feature healthy thoughts. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since, all around us, the media feeds us nothing but negative thoughts. A study shows that for every 14 things a parent says to his or her child, only one is positive. This is truly a saddening thought.

If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to hear positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could see a funny movie, you could play with children, spend some time telling jokes with friends. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promotes positive attitude.

Although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, you can still carry a positive attitude by focusing on the good things, the positive things in life.

And this positive attitude you now carry can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing people mostly do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is somebody to sit by them, and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.

If positive attitude is really great, why do people choose to adopt a negative attitude instead? One who carries a negative attitude may be actually sending a signal for attention. Before you get me wrong, feeling sad, angry, or gloomy is not wrong itself. But dwelling on these thoughts for far too long is not healthy either. There is a time to mourn.

As always, if you are beset by troubles, even in your darkest hour, focus on the good things in life, you will always have hope. Problems become something you can overcome.

You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy, positive attitude. Studies show that such an attitude actually retards aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress coping mechanism, and has a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day. So, what’s not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt one today.

If you are looking for more inspirational messages and quick inspirations then try http://bestinspirationline.com

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by Jean Strealy
Are the Best Things in Life Free? Life, love, time, health, reputation, and freedom are things that people often considered as free, possibly, because no amount of money can buy us any of them. Each of these important parts of life requires someone to pay a price. As women, we realize that life is brought forth in pain and love. Love is something that is not an accident. It grows over time, if it is nourished and nurtured. Time flees, never to return. Health must be built over a lifetime by consuming good wholesome foods, participating in physical activity, being in caring relationships, and having a purpose in life that brings satisfaction and peace to your spirit. A reputation is built or destroyed by what each individual does and says.

For many years, I have witnessed numerous women lose one or more of these precious gifts in life and despair. Unfortunately, most women don’t realize that they themselves had much to do with the loss, due to careless inattention and neglect to do the little things that could have made the difference.

When we fail to sit down and reflect for a moment on what is really important and on how we can be of service to ourselves, our families, others, and our society, we sometimes waste our energies on goals that bring money and possible fame, but not inner peace and joy. We become self-centered, selfish, demanding, and out of sync with nature, our spirits and our environment.

Love is the key to happiness. Over two thousand years ago a man named Jesus and his followers proclaimed that we should treat others, as we wanted to be treated. We should love others, as ourselves. Love our neighbors. We were instructed to good to those who mistreat us. This philosophy “turned the world upside down.” It taught people to love others on all levels. This was an unconditional love that left no barriers between peoples. It requires us to act as servants to one another.

Today many people call this teaching by many names, but the principals remain the same. To become truly successful in any part of our lives, we must take care of our physical bodies, open up our spiritual lives, love our family members, love others and do “good” to all mankind. This elevates our sights and causes each of us to realize that happiness is making other people happy.

During my many adventures in this beautiful world, I have had the marvelous opportunities to teach both children and adults to value the fragile gifts of life, love, time, health, freedom, so that they might be recognized as people of great character and reputation. Again and again, I am awed by the commonality found in lives of those who love unconditionally. They know no strangers and endeavor to help all that pass their way. In business, they don’t step on others, but they lift others as they pass. Their family members are treated as special people who are given their time and attention.

Sadly today, the average American mother spends less than five minutes teaching and nurturing their child each day. A professor, who studies gangs, stated that, children stayed out of gangs, if just one person took time to make that child feel good about being his/her unique self. That child does not want that special person to be disappointed in them, so they stayed away from gangs. Look at your relationships. Are you giving loving thought and time to those most important in your life?

I feel blessed to be associated with the BraveHeart Global Women’s Community, as a Founding Member, as we help women and children use their creativity abilities to build productive useful lives.

Businesswoman, Friend, Collaborator, and Team player, Jean Strealy fulfills her Entrepreneurial Calling by offering a great service that enriches the lives of others. Together with other fellow BraveHeart Community members, her goal is to empower Women to be multi-dimensional success stories and inspiration to others. Be Sure to Visit: Be a BraveHeart Woman

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by Deanna Mascle
Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C — Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D — Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E — Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F — Family and Friends — are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G — Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H — Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I — Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people — the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J — Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K — keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.
L — Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?

M — Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N — Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O — Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways — how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P — Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q — Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate — are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R — Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S — Stop procrastinating.

T — Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U — Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V — Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W — Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X — X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y — You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z — Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

If you are looking for more inspirational messages and quick inspirations then try http://bestinspirationline.com

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by Rachelle Stern
Is your life moving toward your vision, your goals, your dreams, or are you stuck, feeling that no matter what you do you can’t get out of that place you’re in and don’t want to be? On the surface it seems a paradox to say that gratitude is vital to moving forward, so let’s examine our premise that gratitude - for everything in our lives, both “good” and “bad” - is essential to moving forward.

We attract exactly what we think about. If we are in the space of being unhappy with what we have and constantly think about what it is that we don’t want, the Universe will be certain to give us more of it. However, if we can find something — anything - positive about what we are interpreting as “bad,” and then be genuinely grateful for that, we will create space for ourselves to move forward. One way to do that is to analyze what lessons we can learn from where we are and what we have experienced. Every experience in our lives has a lesson to offer and every lesson, even the very difficult ones, are deserving of our gratitude.

What we resist pushes back with equal force. If we are in a place where we don’t want to be and we continually resist being there, we have no space to go anywhere else. We must know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be at any given time in our lives (if we’re not where we are supposed to be, we would be somewhere else!) and be grateful. Again, look at the lessons to be learned. One lesson to be learned from this Universal law is that by wishing for what we don’t have, rather than being grateful for what we have, we make what isn’t more important than what is. How much sense does that make? Create gratitude for what is because it’s all you have. Once we do that — you guessed it — there’s space to move forward.

All our life experiences are intrinsically valuable. My mentor has taught me that everything we experience in our lives, even pain and abuse and illness and poverty and war, contribute to what we need to learn in order to fulfill our lives’ purpose. That realization turned a childhood filled with abuse around for me and allowed me to accept what happened to me as a gift. From that gift, I was able to first learn about love and compassion and forgiveness so that I can now teach love and compassion and forgiveness in the world. How grateful I am for those experiences!

Awareness is the first step. Start becoming aware of what you are thinking. Most of us are thinking all the time and are rarely aware of those thoughts. Are your thoughts (the chatter that goes on in your head all the time) positive or negative, constructive or destructive? Start to be aware of your thoughts. Be grateful for the positive ones and start to recreate the negative ones into something you can be grateful for. In the beginning this exercise requires constant vigilance. Keep reminding yourself to check out what you are thinking. Post notes to yourself on the walls and mirrors, if necessary, but do this. It is essential to creating gratitude in your life and gratitude is essential to creating your vision, your goals and your dreams.

The Universe likes harmony and rewards it. What better way to create harmony than to be grateful for who we are, where we are and what we have in our lives? Remember: whatever it is, our gratitude for it will make it valuable to us.

Businesswoman, Friend, Collaborator, and Team player, Rachelle Stern fulfills her Entrepreneurial Calling by offering a great service that enriches the lives of others. Together with other fellow BraveHeart Community members, her goal is to empower Women to be multi-dimensional success stories and inspiration to others. Be Sure to Visit: Be a BraveHeart Woman

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by Deanna Mascle
Everything that happens to us happens in purpose. And sometimes, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past heartaches, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and success.

I remember watching Patch Adams — its my favorite movie, actually. Its one great film that will help you improve yourself. Hunter “patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts — he decided to seek for medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward. His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of people. Sick people in that matter. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realized he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still want to become the a doctor. He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and success. He didn’t only improved himself, but also the life of the people around him and the quality of life. Did he succeed? Needless to say, he became the best damn doctor his country has ever known.

So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? Where do we start? Take these tips, friends…
*Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept YOU?

*When you see hunks and models on TV, think more on self improvement, not self pitying. Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.

*When people feel so down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.

*The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a science quiz. There’s always a next time. Make rooms for self improvement.

*Take things one at a time. You don’t expect black sheep’s to be goody-two-shoes in just a snap of a finger. Self improvement is a one day at a time process.

*Self improvement results to inner stability, personality development and dig this …. SUCCESS. It comes from self confidence, self appreciation and self esteem.

* Set meaningful and achievable goals. Self improvement doesn’t turn you to be the exact replica of Cameron Diaz or Ralph Fiennes. It hopes and aims to result to an improved and better YOU.

*Little things mean BIG to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.

*When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is. The world is a place where people of different values and attitude hang out. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, she would most likely decline an invitation for self improvement.

We should always remember that there’s no such thing as ‘over night success’. Its always a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have now, realizing that those are just one of the things you once wished for. A very nice quote says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, officemates, neighbors… they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self improvement, we increase our chances to head to the road of success.

If you are looking for more inspirational messages and quick inspirations then try http://bestinspirationline.com

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by Kevin John
The feeling of self worth is one of the foundations of a healthy self esteem. When you feel you are worthy, you believe it’s your right to be happy and get the rewards that you deserve for your efforts. How good is your self worth? How can you improve it? Find some answers in this article.

When your self worth is low you can encounter many problems. At the worst level you may simply believe that you are not entitled to the rewards that are on offer and you may walk away from a life-changing opportunity.

More subtly, if you have a flawed sense of self worth, you may be too willing to give in to other people and let them take advantage of you unfairly. Or you may find that you don’t enjoy your achievements and you don’t take pride in them once you’ve achieved them. Or you may feel compelled to continually prove yourself through more achievements again and again. Your life can seem hollow and worthless.

An example of low self worth is a successful businessman who becomes anxious when he’s not working. This person has trouble enjoying himself when he is on vacation with his family. His low self worth may mean that he does not feel entitled to enjoy being with his family. He needs to continually prove his worth by making more money…

Self worth is a positive affirmation of yourself

Sometimes self worth is confused with a number of negative things. Self worth is not a comparative measure — it is not the delusion that we are superior, that we need to out-compete other people.

Self worth is inwardly focussed on ourselves, that our life is worth supporting, that we deserve the respect of others, that our happiness and fulfilment is worth pursuing and that we respect ourselves.

Your treatment as a child by our parents and significant adults is critical to your self respect. You need to see yourself as good and you learn this at a very early age. You are anxious to learn right and wrong and to be treated with respect by your parents.

This continues into adult life. One of the keys to your self respect is satisfaction with the moral choices that you make — are they good or bad. A good test of your self respect is to ask yourself if you feel satisfied and proud with your moral judgements.

The three main points about self respect and self worth are:

If you respect yourself, your behaviour will be congruent with this. For example you will expect other people to deal with you in a way that is appropriate for the circumstances.

If you do not respect yourself, you will act in a way to lower your sense of your worth even further, for example you may let other people take advantage of you.

IF you want to raise your self respect, you have to learn to behave like someone with high self respect. The first step is to affirm your commitment to your own worth which you express through congruent behaviour.

Would you like to learn more about the six pillars of self esteem?

Would you like to learn more about the six pillars of self esteem? Visit my website for more resources, articles, and support materials about success and personal growth here. Kevin John has spent many years helping businesses owners, aspiring business owners, and private individuals to achieve success.

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by Anita Houser
No matter what our goals in life, we will find that everything begins and ends with our mindset. If I were to write a book about the subject of mindset, I’d title it: The Proper Care and Feeding of Our Minds. Many people focus on taking action and managing time with little to no focus on managing their thoughts and emotions along the way. What we feed our minds, contributes to our predominant thoughts, feelings, which ultimately colors our perceptions, and the choices we make. We want to strive for our thoughts, feelings and actions to be congruent. The highest income earner in the company I work with often says, “Whatever you think about and focus on becomes your maximum potential.” My spiritual teacher has said, “A golden mind. A golden life.”

Overall we want to give our minds positive and healthy things to focus on. We must give it careful consideration, just as we ask ourselves, “What’s for dinner?” Just like eating a little junk food occasionally won’t kill us, but a little junk food eaten daily can damage one’s health over time. In the same way, watching a little TV, (aka the electronic income reducer), can either be a harmless indulgence or wasteful distraction if done in excess. It’s about making the right choices (most of the time) that support us.

I have found that the home based business industry requires one to consistently grow more than any other endeavor. It’s not about filling our heads with lots of nice concepts. It’s about becoming the best student of oneself and life, and walking the talk. The more we grow, the more our checks grow. Success in business is a direct reflection of our commitment to personal development and application, while taking the proper actions to grow our business. Our growth will impact every aspect of our lives, bringing prosperity to our relationships, finances, health, and much more. The ripple effect is astounding.

Some keys to fueling our mind daily include: getting clear on our values and goals, and making a commitment to honor certain practices. In doing so, our choices become a natural expression of our intentions. Through commitment, comes the strength and clarity to follow through as well as adjust our choices if we are off track.

It takes trust and willingness to daily refresh our commitment to our spiritual and personal development. One would have to resign as general manager of the Universe if only for a period of time, to give oneself the gift of uninterrupted time with oneself and communion with God.

A kitchen timer is an effective tool for carving out a chunk of time to nurture ourselves. Even fifteen minutes twice per day dedicated to connecting with one’s self and Spirit can feed us tremendously and make a lasting impression on our day. Surely we can give ourselves some time daily for reflection.

Here are a few practices that one could choose from: prayer, scriptural study and other reading, meditation, conscious breathing, being in nature, journaling, contemplation, listening to beautiful music, listening to audios dedicated to spiritual or personal development, to name a few. The internet can be a wonderful resource for spiritual and personal development tools. Laughter is also great practice which nourishes the mind and heart. It can bring a healthy perspective to life’s experiences, as well as assist one in tapping into gratitude, another great practice.

We can develop a storehouse of practices to assist us in gracefully moving through our life experiences. With commitment to daily practice, we can properly feed, develop, and master our minds and this delicious game of life.

Businesswoman, Friend, Collaborator, and Team player, Anita Houser fulfills her Entrepreneurial Calling by offering a great service that enriches the lives of others. Together with other fellow BraveHeart Community members, her goal is to empower Women to be multi-dimensional success stories and inspiration to others. Be Sure to Visit: Be a BraveHeart Woman

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by Craig Harper
In 1988 I had the idea of setting up a Personal Training centre in Melbourne.
There were no commercial PT facilities in this country at the time.
It would be Australia’s first appointment-only gym.
I was young, had no business experience, no tertiary qualification and not much money.

Clearly, a perfect plan.

On top of all that… the majority of (allegedly) well-intending, much-wiser-than-me ‘advisers’ suggested that there was no market for this type of business concept in Australia.
It wouldn’t work, I would lose my money and if anything, PT would be a short-lived fitness industry fad.

Thank goodness they were all around to ‘help’ me.

Fortunately for me, I found a way.
Despite my numerous short-comings, challenges and ‘helpers’.

The idea became a reality and the ‘business concept that wasn’t commercially viable’ now completes around 80,000 appointments (training sessions) per year and provides careers for over fifty people in my Brighton centre alone.

Pretty good result for a dumb idea.

Now before you get the wrong idea… no, this is not a story about how clever I am (trust me, I do many dumb things), it’s more a lesson in what might happen when we take our thinking cap off and put our doing sneakers on.
Sometimes we think too much.
For way too long.

At some stage every success… was simply an idea.
An idea that was possibly had by many… and acted upon by one.
A thought, a concept, a theory, a vague notion, a possibility floating around in someone’s head.
A possibility that became a reality.

At some stage somebody stopped talking, theorising, planning, waiting and took a chance. They dealt with their fear, their insecurities, their lack of … whatever… and got off their butt.

They found a way.

While others with the same idea did nothing, they did something.

People who walk the talk (as opposed to the multitudes who talk only)… invariably find a way.

While the superstars with the great ideas live in a constant state of analysis paralysis, rationalising and justifying why “now is not the right time”, people with less talent, more courage and more drive are turning dreams into realities.

Every successful organisation, business, program, product, endeavour was, at some stage, a theoretical concept which had life breathed into it by someone who had the vision, the attitude and the drive to make something from nothing.

Nine months ago I was a writer, business man, educator and professional speaker who had no idea what a blog site was. I met the bald man (Johnnie) and he ran an idea, a concept by me.

And while I’m still (happily) an internet rookie, I’m also a blogger with an international audience, a web-site which is growing and gaining momentum by the day, I’m helping a few people, doing some good, having a ball and learning new things daily.
An idea… became a reality.
Thanks Baldy.

BUT… (there’s always a but) success doesn’t always come easily and it hasn’t fallen on our heads from a great height. We (Johnnie and I) work our (respective) asses off to make this blogging thing work. My goal (by the way) is not to make money from the site (no requests for donations.. ever) but to simply create an amazing personal development resource for people all over the world (I hope you’re getting something out of your visits).

We’re definitely not there yet, we make mistakes daily… but we’re having a big crack at it and we won’t die wondering.
Between us, we invest about sixty hours per week into the site to ensure the look, the function and the content of the site is where and what we want it to be to achieve our desired outcomes… a lot of hours when you consider we both have real careers outside of our work on the site.

I know I won’t die with my best ideas left in me.
I’m gonna milk every ounce of my potential and ability… and have some fun doing it.

Waddabout you?

Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is an Australian motivational speaker, qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world.He can be heard weekly on Australian Radio SEN 1116 and GOLD FM and appears on Australian television on Channel 31’s ‘Living Life Now’ and Network Ten’s ‘9AM’.Motivational Speaker - Craig Harper

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by Beth Vance
Not long ago, I realized I was feeling less than joyous about my life, and about myself. I had no clue why — I lived where I wanted to, had the family I wanted close around me, and the job I’d gone to college to get… wait! Like millions of others, it was suddenly crystal clear that my discontent laid in my job! I’d worked for 22 years in a job I did not love. I thought that I had everything I wanted in life and yet the lack of passion for my job had left me with a terrible emptiness inside. I suddenly realized that what I wanted was not a “job” but a career, a life’s work . . . a direction that defined me and gave me room to grow.

From that point on, it was obvious to me that if the direction of my life needed some tweaking, all I had to do was center myself in a positive place, and tweak
it! For me, the path to bringing joy and fulfillment back into my life was a gift from a friend, Susan Vandenberg, the most unlikely friend I can think of. It was just a matter of allowing myself to receive and embrace the opportunity she had to offer. Really, it was the same path that other independent home-based folks have taken for many years, at least as far back as my great grandparents. My 84 year old mother-in-law, Dorothy Jean, highly valued her Jewel Tea man. He was her primary source for household commodities when she was a young housewife in the 1940’s. The Jewel Tea
man was a direct sales person, who today would be known as a net-work marketer, in the direct sales industry.

This form of distribution, skipping the middle-man takes the products and services directly from the company to the consumer. Advertising comes through word of mouth: friends sharing with their friends, sharing with their friends: concentric net-working among people. This type of home-based business enables regular people like you and me to be their own boss, create unlimited income, work with people you enjoy, retire early, free up time to do what you love doing; spend more time with your family, travel the world, pursue your dreams! Having no previous experience or education with any aspect of my new career, I now have the opportunity to impact thousands of lives! This is really working for me! And it can work for you!

The best part of all of this is the journey itself. It’s a journey of bravery, tolerance, and self-belief in the face of criticism. Along my pathway, I’m learning that I’m capable of accomplishing every dream and desire that ever came through my mind. It’s my life, and I’m finally living it that way!

I’m in the infancy of my journey, but I trust each step is taking me exactly where I want to be.

Are you wondering where that place is? It’s a place where my husband and I do not worry about money, and our hearts are full of love, trust and peace. We have no fears. No doubts. We have all the time in the world to spend with our family and friends, giving and sharing to our fullest potential. We live our values and teach by example.

The business is really just a stepping stone in getting to this place that I’ve envisioned, and intend with all my heart to create. When I’m uncomfortable, and at times I am, I recognize that growing pains are natural when you’re moving forward. I don’t feel ready, but I continue to move forward, taking off — never looking down — just in case I’m actually flying.

Businesswoman, Friend, Collaborator, and Team player, Beth Vance fulfills her Entrepreneurial Calling by offering a great service that enriches the lives of others. Together with other fellow BraveHeart Community members, her goal is to empower Women to be multi-dimensional success stories and inspiration to others. Be Sure to Visit: Be a BraveHeart Woman

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by Carol Ann Stott
Looking back on a journey for excellence, I realize how free enterprise has been a vehicle for personal growth and a catalyst for developing and enriching all I hold dear.

In the beginning, back in the 70’s, I was always willing to do what it took to overcome my reluctance and fear of approaching others because I could see what doing that had brought for others financially, but especially I could see what a leader looked and acted like, and I wanted to have that persona. I wanted desperately to be viewed as a leader, of being and helping those who were seeking change. I always did my “chicken list”, went to the events, acted “as if” and tried to fake it until I made it. But when it didn’t work for me, I just knew it was my fault. It had to be. All those others were successful, the program worked, it just was me that didn’t have it together.

Over the years, I tried many, some I found were just too time consuming and “messy”, taking so much room and time for delivery that I just quit them. I had six children under the age of 11. I wanted to give them more in life, but the stress was too much. My husband liked the house to look like Better Homes and Gardens was coming, and I loved being with my children. They were my life, my reason for living. We had so many wonderful times together and we focused on the things I feel are most important– our time and love for each other. Although I held a bachelor degree in teaching, it was never worth the cost to work full time and leave my children in day care.

I tried part-time work as a diet councilor in various establishments for weight loss and did very well. I was successful, but it took time away from my family. We moved a great deal and those opportunities were not transferable and depended on availability.

After twenty years of marriage, we moved to Kentucky and a whole new world and adjustment. Again, the lore of making extra money led me to respond to another MLM, this time in insurance, mortgages, debt consolidation and securities. The concept of educating and assisting others to save money and make a better life for themselves was my desire.

I moved forward and experienced some success, but I had not learned the keys to true success. Sacrifice, do what it takes, I did so much driving myself long distances to meetings and laying on office floors overnight to attend events, but was ashamed. I went to a few business leaders I knew and they loved what I taught them, then several went to men to do their business. I went to the university and established relationships there, but others had come and taken advantage of what I had arranged, but I was able to correct it. Then politics took over and I lost that potential. My father, after my sharing what I had learned with him, he asked me not to speak of it again to him, then called me months later to tell me I had caused him to loose 10K. You see, he had gone to someone else, not me and invested in an extremely risky investment vehicle, not one I would have recommended at all, but I allowed that to be my excuse to quit. I allowed my dreams to be stolen by others.

Then one day I was on the Internet seeking to “earn” a laptop for my married daughter who needed a laptop for her online college classes. Their computer fit only in the bedroom of their tiny house where her husband slept during the day. One of my responses led to a phone call from a young lady telling me of a home-based business with high financial earnings potential. I had learned over the years how free enterprise allowed so much freedom and potential earnings, but had also “learned” I didn’t have what it took. When she mentioned coaching and mentoring available my heart opened again. Surely, if I just had a coach and a mentor to assist me along the way, I could achieve. And I am.

I learned there are six steps to achieve success in free enterprise.

Know what you want. Have a measurable goal that you can see, visualize how you will feel having or accomplishing the goal. Then the energy and power of that feeling will propel you forward. If you don’t know where you are going, how are you going to get there?
Believe you can achieve it, that you are worth it. Connect to the Divine within you. Breathe into your own intuitive connection with God. Love and let go is a principle along with gratitude for the Source that connects us. Be grateful for challenges too, because we grow through them. They help us stretch, and it is through discomfort that we realize we are growing.

Be open to opportunity and take responsibility for your success. Invest in yourself and self-development. Set aside time to read and meditate; to be coached; to improve your skills. Read 11 pages a day minimum; make and read affirmations; practice your skills; learn to listen and ask questions and listen some more. Be consistent in productive actions. Be grateful along the path.

Make choices in your actions each day based on your goals. Ask, will this take me closer or further from my goals! Be accountable and treat your business as a business, not a hobby. Hobbies cost money and businesses make money. Be dedicated to your enterprise as you would to a job you loved. Direct marketing is a numbers game. Take the actions to reach the numbers.

Follow the system and keep it simple. Give it time to work. Each of us have our own learning curve, but the main thing is to self correct, but not be critical and say why not me? Those negative thoughts will sap all your energy. Personal growth is a lifetime process. Trust the process and realize free enterprise is a personal growth program with a compensation package attached. Look for systems that are simple to duplicate and follow it exactly. Focus on finding and connecting with prospects, then on closing (getting their decision) not on growth. Growth will follow naturally.

Create a mastermind group. Connect with others who are like-minded, positive, grateful, persistent and accepting. These people will assist you, energize you and help lift you up by their positive energy and gratitude for life. If your system does not have such a group within, then you create your own. Leaders step out of their comfort zone, make decisions, face fears and do it anyway.

Businesswoman, Friend, Collaborator, and Team player, Carol Ann Stott fulfills her Entrepreneurial Calling by offering a great service that enriches the lives of others. Together with other fellow BraveHeart Community members, her goal is to empower Women to be multi-dimensional success stories and inspiration to others. Be Sure to Visit: Be a BraveHeart Woman

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