Forward Steps Blog

This is a guest post…

I realize it, gloomy title for an article. However, it’s true. We are all on the proverbial sinking ship. We may not know when it’s going to sink into the depths, but sink it will. Our time is limited and when our number gets called, and we find ourselves headed to that smashing all-you-can-eat-chicken-wing-buffet in the sky.

So maybe that’s not the way you picture it, but you have to concede that we are living on borrowed time. I understand that’s a somewhat depressing statement coming from a motivational speaker. Someone ought to have me put together a children’s book and the last page would read, “And they all lived happily ever after – except for Mrs. Watson who ate a bad burrito and died after 18 hours of horrible gastric distress.”

There are three scenes that I remember with clarity from that movie”Titanic” – the part where the musician plays his violin as they go down- the scene where the captain opt s to die with his ship – and the earlier scene where they show the fancy uptight people on the upper deck swiling fine wine and listening to classical music while they strain under the effort of attempting to impress each other- in parallel with the dirt poor ordinary people in the bowels of the ship who are dancing arm in arm to the rich flourishing beat of the fiddle’s music – their fingers sticky, their hair in strings, their arms flung out in utter abandonment as their wide toothless grins express the hope that carries them through despair.

I was struck by the polarity of those two pictures of humanity and how they symbolize two very opposite ways to live your life. You can live your life starchy and proper, taken up with appearances, discerning the value in others by the degree of silverware or thread count in a sheet, measuring every step as if all the world were watching and you so desperately don’t wish to let them see you slip. Or you can live your life desperately gleeful despite your circumstances – looking for every chance to fling out your arms and dance. I will admit that there are numerous instances in my existence where I find myself upstairs- lured into that world that whispers to you it’s all about making it to the top of the heap. But it’s not too long before I find myself running back down to the belly of the ship to find the ordinary people- to link arms with the toothless guy with the huge grin – and just dance.

We don’t know when our ship will sink, only that one day it will go under. Will you breathe your last struggling to grab all your fine things? Will you be playing your violin until the very last instant? Will you opt to go down with your ship? Or will you spend your time dancing, arm in arm with the simple folk? The choice is up to you. The days are counted. See you in the belly of the ship.

This is a guest post…

Do you ever get caught up in the habit of predicting things? If you do, you have surrendered to a basic human need to want to know and explain things so that they fit with your own personal view of the world.

What makes us uncomfortable and anxious is this feeling of not knowing something. We rather make up assumptions based on what we believe or think is true.

When we make assumptions based on we belief or think is true, we often predict things and question others. The opinions we thus create are no more than disguised first impressions and biased opinions. You bias your opinions based on what you believe is true. And then you go on to make the fatal mistake of thinking that other people share the same opinion as you do.

Mis-perceptions are what causes false expectations. And (erronuous~false~flawed~incorrect) expectations lead to conflict and disappointment. Expectations that are based on mind-reading, are often at the core of the conflicts and drama you experience at work and in your personal relationships.

When you attach yourself so strongly to how things are ‘supposed to be,’ then it is very difficult to separate your perceived reality from what is really happening.  

If for some reason you believe you are going to get a promotion and you don’t, your expectation of the promotion and subsequent let down, causes conflict between you and your supervisor. That conflict has the potential to spill over into all aspects of your life. If you assume a team mate knows his responsibilities for a given task and he fails to deliver, again, your expectations for completing the project properly, or on time, are dashed. Dashed expectations are what lead to unabashed conflict.  

Wouldn’t it be much easier if you stopped making assumptions all together?

This would mean you’d have to communicate a heck of a lot more. You’d have to put more energy into your relationships. You’d have to try to be attuned to the perceptions and beliefs of others. The payoff for this extra effort though, would be a much smoother and less stressful existence. Image living in a world where you could be fairly certain your perceptions and reality were well aligned.

You can accomplish this type of existence by making a commitment to stop making assumptions. Consider the following life coaching tips to avoid making assumptions:

Prior to making decisions, ask yourself, “Do I know with a good amount of certainty what others are thinking, feeling, or doing?” If you can’t answer “yes,” then you need to go direct to the source and get the answers you need. Tell yourself that you do not need to control everything. The only thing you have control over is you. Exercise that control by gathering as much real information as you can and understand that not everything in the world will fit into your neat idea of how the world should work. 

When you find yourself mind-reading, take a moment and ask yourself what you are trying to make sense of. Then go and gather the facts and/or information that will help you do that

Mind-reading does make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.” Luckily you have the power to stop making assumptions that can cause hurt feelings and damage relationships.

When you take into consideration the uniqueness of different perceptions, you will come to understand that other people’s sense of the world can be surprising and enlightening. Instead of trying to fit everyone into your own box, break out of your box and live free of the habit to control and assume.

This is a guest post…

Many people have lives that are focused on everything BUT creativity. Many people have got neccessary obligations, meetings, work on the house or apartment, commitments and ongoing demands that come from every direction.  With all this, who has time to be creative,and then who has the energy for it, even when we have the space?

Fortunately, even occasional amounts of time enjoyed in a creative mind-set can expand our creative vision, and as well give a greater sense of fulfillment to every aspect of your lives.  If you feel that you’ve lost touch with your creative side and are wanting to recapture it again, there are very simple techniques you can employ to do so– even if time and motivation are in short supply.

Look at doing something new as often as possible. It’s so simple to let ourselves fall into a boring rut in our lives. We travel the same route to the same job and spend the day doing the same activities each day. Your mind goes in to a daze because of this repetition because you can accomplish most everything without conscious thought.  Live your life long enough like this, it’s easy to forget that your life could be any different.  Make a commitment to add at the minimum, a new activity to your routine each week. It could be as simple as attempting a new recipe, shopping at a different shop, or experimenting with an alternate vehicle journey. Challenge your routine and you awaken  your mind– and your creativity.

Look at your world from a different viewpoint.

When did you last really LOOK at the people and objects surrounding you?  Are you really seeing them, or do they blend away because you’re so concentrated on other things?  For a few minutes each day, take the effort to really SEE everything around you.  Notice your friend’s dazzling smile, the way the rays of the sun dances on the clouds and landscape and the scents carried by the breeze. Lie down in your garden and gaze up at the clouds, or turn round and examine the life in the grass beneath you. Examine all around you more closely and you’ll suddenly realize you’re “seeing” so much more than ever before.

Seek creative outlets more often.  A reason many people shun creative pursuits is because we believe we don’t have time to do them.  You don’t need loads of minutes in a day to benefit from a lot of enjoyment from engaging your creativity. 

You might not be able to escape from all your “necessaries of the day” but you can absolutely fit in 10 or 15 minutes to write, paint, dance, sing, or stitch each day.  You may believe that such a small period of time would not make any change, but those minutes can seem like hours when you’re doing something you genuinely love.  You might even get the inspiration to reserve more time to be creative by reducing your TV time, stopping something you no longer enjoy, or even changing employment to get more free time.

Discover the streak of creative inspiration in all things. Have you ever thought how ideas for common items and inventions were made?  Look around in your house, from artwork to the things in your kitchen drawer, and consider the ways that the inventors used to bring these things into your life.  Who first thought of that nifty little gizmo that lets you open bottles and jars more safely?  Who got the idea to put paper towels on a roll for easier storage and use?  Can you think of any great inventions that would make people’s lives easier?  Can you think of ways to improve on the products you see around you?  Whether you take action on any of these ideas isn’t important; just by thinking more creatively, you will be tapping into your own creative inspiration.

Open your mind and let good stuff seep in.  One of the reasons we feel shut off from our creative vision is because we don’t spend enough time feeding it with positive ideas.  Take time to open and expand your mind.  Read more, learn more, and open to the possibilities in your life. 

Focus more of your attention on positive, uplifting material.  Read books that inspire you, visit an art gallery and look closely at the beautiful creations on display, or listen to music that stimulates your senses.  Before long, you’ll be itching to express your creativity.

Remember that there is no right or wrong way to tap into your creativity; go with whatever works best for you.  Use these ideas as they are, adjust them to better suit your circumstances, or use them as jumping off points for your own creative ideas.  Simply focusing more on creativity alone will help you to tap into your natural creative flow.

Boost your creativity while working on your PC or laptop: Subliminal Software

I hope that you are having a great day…

I have something very special that I want to share with you….. something so powerful that hundreds of people are finding new hope in their lives.

Sam Crowley’s “Every Day is Saturday” is inspiring people across the globe. His message is fresh and straight forward and literally changing lives.

He recently gave away a free report entitled “Seize Your Power” you can grab your copy here… and if you have already received a copy read on because he is giving away more!

The response has from people who have downloaded and read that report has been nothing short of inspiring….. check out just some of these remarks…

“Thank you for the hope you have given to me – l thought l was past it at 63years but l don’t want to take my Saturday dreams to the graveyard!!!”
-Nadean”

.. and

“Your message hit me like an atomic bomb” For once I have received a message that didn’t first focus on what I was doing wrong, and then looking for a pay-out at the bottom of a very long, boring email!!!!

I downloaded your “Seize your Saturday Power” and actually read it Most of them . . . I just download and close the file before even glancing at them. Your story is inspiring because you talked about “your experience”.

The most powerful line that jumped off the page was:

“Here I was with a message that was being muted.” -Irma, New York

Then Sam released one of his power-point presentations from an Intense 2 Day Boot Camp he conducted in Orlando Florida along with his World Famous Every Day is Saturday CD….. which is simply Fantastic!

You have got to get a hold of this

This is all free and just goes to show how Sam is truly different from all of the other noise out there.

I really wish I could share more of the testimonials for you… but this blog post would turn into a book…..

Check out what thousands of people have said is the freshest, most inspirational and motivating message they have ever heard.

Wishing you all the best.

What is it that motivates you to change?

What is it that motivates you to change the circumstances you are currently facing?

Often, until something drastic happens in life, that causes pain, change is less likely to take place.

How can we get around this pattern?

How can we motivate ourselves for big change in our finances, health, or even relationships with our spouses?

The secret is… “It requires dedicated effort”.

This means that you must abandon your old habits and start with a 180 degree different approach looking into what it is you want in your life.

This is why you need someone to support you physically and mentally to get what you truly want in life. If not, change will be very difficult.

Go ahead and do yourself a favor. Ask yourself the following…

Who are the people in your life that love you and want to see you grow?

Who are the people in life who are willing to do whatever it takes to see you achieve what you want in life?

Who are the people in your life who would like to make the same changes you are making in your life?

Identify them. Tell them the changes you want to make. Ask them for their support. Create a support group. Network with them. Take your life to the next level.

This is how you grow. This is how you are able to achieve success in your life.

Today…

I would like to give you a treat, where you are able to download 300+ self improvement gifts

This is free. Go ahead and use them immediately!

In addition to these great gifts, you’ll also have an opportunity to get to know the contributors. Network with them… get their support, advice, and expertise.

Start using the tools you will find at this Program Your Mind page. Do your best to already “feel” like you have already achieved your goal. The more feeling (or energy) you put into it , the more effective will be the session. In some cases the effectiveness can be enhanced by 500%! For some people concentrating on the “thought” that you have already achieved your goal, may be more effective. Try them both, see which one is more natural for you.

Using it is simple. You just have to use this Program Your Mind website every day (preferably at the same time of day). Click on the “Next” button, near the lower-right of the blue area. Choose or type in the command you want to embed into your subconscious mind, choose how long you want the session to last, click the “Next” button again, and enjoy the show. After a while (depending on the time you chose) the movie will end, so you can return to your regular stuff or you can start another session.

You can’t get stuck in hypnosis, you are going to remain conscious all the time, so in case of an emergency you can snap out of it or any time you want to! And there are no side effects, don’t worry.

If you choose to input your own commands, then make sure that you write your commands in a positive way.(Example: Instead of using, “Don’t be sad”, use “Be happy” or, instead of “Don’t be a looser”, write “Be a winner”).

If you do this regularly each and every day for a few weeks, and fuel it by emotions I believe that you will certainly see major improvements in the quality of your life.

During July, “MaestroMonth” gives you an unprecedented series of live teleseminars with many of the best-known, most respected, and most effective teachers of our day, all helping you unleash your full potential. Get direct access to Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Marianne Williamson, Michael Port, John Gray, John Assaraf, and 60+ more for free! There is no “catch”, just Free Learning For A Full Month from inspiring Maestros.

I selected Ken Foster “Mastering Attention” on July 8th, Fred Johnson “Composing your Song of Abundant Living” on July 9th, and Brian Johnson “Philosophers Notes: Get Your Wisdom On” for July 16th. See you there!

I have also managed to secure from Pauline, my friend at Universal Events, a limited number of tickets to Chris Howard’s Ultimate Business Seminar held in Sydney, 31 July – 2 August 2009. This event brings many world-leading experts to Australia, for the first time. The high calibre of speakers really makes this an Australian First that will not be repeated. If you are a Business Owner, a Manager or thinking about starting your own business, I highly recommend you attend this event. Click Here for your Gift of Two Free Tickets, (valued at $990 each).

Plus… if you are in London this month, you will not want to miss this Christopher Howard event. Here are Two Complimentary Tickets for that, as well.

Did you know? At 5 minutes and 6 seconds after 4:00am On the 8th of July this year, the time and date (in the USA) will be 04:05:06 07-08-09. This will not happen again until the year 3009. (I had a deep feeling that you just needed to know this) Plus, need I say to you that in Australia this will happen on 7th August?

My friend, Randy Dean, recently wrote a great new book all about better managing your e-mail, and he is launching it on Amazon. com TODAY.

It is a book so many of us need – it is called Taming The E-mail Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your Email Overload – and, as you can tell by the title, it is all about getting control of your e-mail account and activities. It really covers everything that may be ailing you in your e-mail activities and management – learn more at Taming The E-mail Beast

I’m trying to help Randy hit #1 on Amazon in a few categories today, by telling you about his book – you can learn much more at Taming The E-mail Beast

Notice he has some pretty amazing bonuses lined up for this launch – you can literally get thousands of dollars of professional development materials for the price of one book. Randy even asked me to contribute a bonus to this effort – you’ll see my bonus in the list.

If your e-mail is bugging you, get a copy today. And if you know anyone that has some e-mail issues, send them this note so they can learn about the book too. Thanks a ton!

Randall “Randy” Dean, MBA, is known as the “Totally Obsessed” Time Management/Technology Guy and E-mail Sanity Expert. Randy is an expert speaker and trainer on the topics of time management, e-mail & office clutter management, related usage of MS Outlook and PDA/SmartPhone devices, and effectively managing internal staff & team meetings. He is the author of the new 2009 national productivity sensation, “Taming The E-mail Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your E-mail Overload” – on Amazon. com

Watch this video when you’re not feeling in a great mood, it will cheer you up.

It would definitely be a shame not to laugh.

Dr. Wayne W Dyer has spent the year of 2006 immersed in the ancient teachings of Lao-tzu, studying his monumental tome, the Tao Te Ching. He’s read, meditated, lived, and then wrote an essay on each of the 81 verses of the Tao, which many have called the wisest book ever written. That collection of essays is titled Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao. He learned, and to this day practice, what to think, though all that Lao-tzu taught him in that year.

Excuses Begone, was also influenced by that eminent master Lao-tzu. Since the Tao Te Ching taught him what kind of thinking harmonized with our higher selves, he asked Lao-tzu for advice on how to change long established habits of thought. Wayne realized that knowing what to think does not necessarily clarify how to go about changing a lifetime of habitual thinking. He has drawn on Lao-tzu’s wisdom by contemplating his teachings and asking for his guidance on what it takes to bring about a change in the long held habits of thought that manifest as excuses.

By examining the support system that a person has erected over a long period of time, often going back to early childhood, and putting these time worn thoughts through the seven steps in this paradigm, excuses begin to fade away, and are replaced with thoughts that speak fervently, almost shouting, Yes, you can change any excuse pattern, no matter how long or how pervasive has been the conditioning process.

Wayne has seen people give up a lifetime of being overweight or addicted to all manner of substances by simply applying the principles that are inherent in the Excuses Begone approach to life.

Find out more about this terrific material and the program by visiting this link about the book Excuses Begone By Dr. Wayne W Dyer.

When you purchase any of those products or tour date, you will automatically be entered to win a weekend trip for 2 to MAUI! This prize includes hotel accommodations for 2 nights at The Westin Maui Resort and Spa, round-trip coach airfare from anywhere in the continental U.S. to Maui, and passes for Dr. Dyer’s weekend intensive.

You can also opt in to receive 18 free affirmation cards and an exclusive excerpt from Excuses Begone! that will help you let go of your excuses, retrain your thinking, and create the life you want!

The following is from a recitation by the late Sir Laurence Olivier, from the musical: Dave Clark’s “Time”. It carries a message we all can learn from…and grow with.

Choose your words wisely….”. Laurence Olivier, 1907 – 1989

Source: Sir Laurence Olivier from Dave Clark (Time) 1969