Bestselling author, political advisor and social and ethical prophet Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy and opens the way to end our enthrallment by outdated concepts and half-baked beliefs in what our human nature is supposed to be.
By Emma Wortt
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill.
You have a problem. In order to solve it you’re going to need to make some changes. The thought of that is making you stressed, but the thought of leaving things as they are is even more stressful.
You want to make changes but you know that there are risks involved in doing so. Perhaps you’re thinking there’s someone who won’t approve or someone who may be upset. Maybe you’re wondering where you will find the time to make those much needed changes or you are telling yourself it’s not possible to improve the situation. Whatever you perceive as the risks involved in moving forward is making you anxious, and that is holding you back.
The first step in overcoming your challenge is to work out exactly what outcome you want.
Ask yourself:
In an ideal world how specifically do I want this situation to operate in the future?
The word ‘specifically’ is important here. Decide when you want the situation to have changed and then imagine yourself at that point in the future. Allow yourself to become immersed for a moment in that vision of the resolved issue. Write down now in detail and with clarity what will happen and what you will see, hear and feel when you have resolved this challenge.
The next step is to see this challenge in terms of who you are as a person.
Ask yourself:
Taking into consideration my personal and professional values; my work ethics; my peace of mind; my goals; – am I willing to continue to tolerate this situation as it is now?
Now ask:
What are the risks involved? What specifically am I anxious about? What is stopping me from sorting this out? Make a list.
Now one last question:
Is the outcome I want worth the risks involved in attaining it? If your answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’ then you can now start to work out your action plan to reach the goal.
Stress itself is not the problem. If you want growth and you want change then decide to tolerate the anxiety that will be inherent in it. As long as you continue to balance the risks involved against your desired outcome and who you are as a person your anxiety will begin to dissipate. Then instead of holding yourself back you will empower yourself to move forward.
Realizing your vision is not only possible, with these techniques it is non stoppable. Visualizing works. Start the process of visualizing what you want. Begin with the firm conviction that it will work. Don’t let fear and doubt creep into the process, hold firm to your vision. Believe it. It will come to pass.
Bo Bennett: “Visualization is daydreaming with a purpose.”
Let’s imagine you’ve just completed building a custom home on a beautiful lot. Now it’s time to put in the landscaping and decorate the interior. Imagine this custom home is your life. You’ve just created a blueprint for your life (house). You’re at the fun point in the process where you get to add the extras, the frills, the landscaping and the decorating that make your house your home. Often when people reach this point, they simply hire a decorator and a landscaper. They never experience the joy and fulfillment of visualizing, affirming and realizing the creative process for themselves. How sad.
It’s okay to hire the landscaper and the decorator to complete the work, but please give these professionals your ideas of what you want the finished product to look like. First you must visualize what would be pleasing to you.
Robert Collier: “See things as you would have them be instead of as they are.”
Go to a quiet place, close your eyes, and begin visualizing the yard: Where are the flowers? What color are they? Is there a waterfall? Are there stone pathways? Are there trellaces near the porch? Any shade trees? What do you see? See it all in vivid detail; as much us possible expand and stretch your visualization. The more detailed your visualization the more readily it will manifest in your life. You’ve created a blueprint for your life and now you are adding the fluff, the fun stuff. Can you see it?
The Keys to Perfecting Visualization:
1. Learn to see
Go somewhere where you will not be disturbed, get quiet by breathing deeply, close your eyes and bring up a visual picture of yourself. Where are you? What are you doing? What would you like to be doing? See yourself and your perfect surroundings. Visual in great detail, see specifically, don’t limit your visualization. Give your subconscious mind a vivid picture of how you want your life to be. Cherie Carter-Scott: “By Visualizing the impossible you begin to see the possible”
Start building a new idea in you mind. Hold the picture let it expand and grow. See it become a concrete form. Remember fantasies are dress rehearsals. Every thing that happens begins with imagination like a nudge from the super conscious mind.
2. Put the details in what you see
If you see the ocean, what color is it, are the waves rolling or crashing? Are you in the water or on the shore? Can you feel the ocean spray? Put in every bit of information that you can. Be specific and clear. Red flowers or pink? Deep green lawn or a lighter shade of green? Cyprus or Pine trees? Say to your subconscious mind, this is what I want. Your subconscious Genie will begin creating what you visualize. Jung: “Without this playing of fantasy, no creative work has ever yet come to birth, the debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.”
3. See the finished product and believe in what you see.
To have the visualization manifest in your life it is imperative that you visualize the idea with crystal clarity. Really see what you want. Have a mental image so sharp that you can see it, feel it, taste it, hear it. The degree of intensity you give your subconscious mind will bring your visualization into your life faster.
Do not allow worry thoughts such as: How much will it cost? Do I know how to do this? Other fears Negative fear thoughts are mortal enemies of productive visualization. Your subconscious mind can not create if you’re sending it conflicting messages.
As soon as you have a this clear picture of how you want your life to be, when you know it is a possibility then and only then are you ready to affirm, make an action plan and move forth.
Through visualization you train your subconscious mind. Peak performers, champions mentally rehearse with visualization. Those that practice with visualization probably perform better than those who use steroids. Unknown: “People who soar are those who refuse to sit back and wish things were different.”
The secret keys to visualizing anything are:
1. Visualize in a quiet place, do not let doubts and negativity creep into your visualization.
2. Visualize in extreme detail. See even the smallest of details.
3. Visualize the completed scene. Then turn it over to the subconscious mind.
Copyright © Wee Dilts 2009
Life is a sustained journey composed of a range of journeys. Some are personal and individual. Others are shared. Still others involve teams, groups, organizations, and even nations. Each journey, large or small, begins with the seeing of a destination. This seeing is commonly referred to as the vision, a future destination to be achieved. Until the vision is clear, you cannot move forward.
DEFINING THE VISION — Ask yourself, “Where do I want to go?” Just remember each destination is different. Paris is not Rome is not Athens is not Cairo is not Bombay is not Tokyo and is not San Francisco. Beneath the ocean is not outer space. The moon is not Mars. Physical destinations simply represent, metaphorically, all kinds of destinations. Fame, fortune, success, money, titles, power, control — all are destinations that can be achieved.
Whatever your choice, you must describe the destination in terms that allow you to recognize your arrival at the destination. What do you expect to see when you arrive? Think in terms of physical images, images that represent some part of the vision. Think with your visual vocabulary. Do you see concrete facts, processes, organizational structures, theories, attitudes, behaviors? Do you see products, people, structures, geographical features? Do you see challenges, opportunities, possibilities?
Focus on SEE. Let each answer to the questions take some physical form that you can visualize, you can actually see. The seeing itself simplifies your journey. You know where you are going.
ESTABLISHING THE MISSION — With “Mission” the questions change to focus on, “Why do you want take this journey, to reach this destination?” Why does this journey matter? To whom does the journey matter? What will change as a result of the journey? What is the purpose of the journey?
As you answer the questions, strive for answers that inspire others to participate. Remember JFK’s 1961 pledge, “Put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.” This mission statement laid out the path to be taken to arrive at the destination, the vision, of being the first to the moon. As the answers emerge, let them sit for awhile. Return to your answers periodically to see if you can make them easier for others to understand, to grasp, to embrace, to take the journey. Peter Drucker claims, “The mission statement is short and sharply focused. It should fit on a T-shirt.” What belongs on your T-shirt?
PLANNING THE ITINERARY — In business and warfare, this planning is called strategy. You want to plan how you will achieve the desired end, the destination. You have to question what you will need on the journey. This questioning forces you to evaluate resources — human, financial, skill, competence, and commitment. This questioning also requires that you identify the steps that are to be taken and in what order. Goals identify the stops along the journey. Objectives inside each goal establish the details for each stop, for the accomplishment. You will have ways to measure that accomplishment.
CONVERTING VISION INTO ACTION — With a clear vision in place, the mission defined, and the itinerary planned, you can now do the appropriate map-making to show the simplified details of how to get to your destination. In business and warfare, this simplification is called tactics. Each action to be taken is clearly stated with its accompanying measurement of the results. You now know how to reach your destination. Success is your outcome.
All of this thinking positions you correctly to make a difference in the world. This thinking skillfully guides you in all of the necessary decision-making. When opportunities present themselves, you can quickly decide if they are appropriate to your vision. When challenges appear, you can easily decide their impact on your vision. When conditions change, you can refocus your thinking. Enjoy your journey, with all of its decision-making. The simplicity is magical.
You might have often thought “what is my purpose in life”? Don’t you? In fact it might have miffed you time and again. Isn’t it? But could you discover any answer to your query? All these questions often beleaguer our nerves and stand the test of time. Don’t get baffled, relax and review your life, with a vision, entirely different than ever before. It will help you realize what exactly you have been missing till now! I am sure this query pops up in everyone’s mind and soul one day or the other! Have you ever pondered upon why this query? Let me tell you! Because every person has come with a destined purpose in this planet and their inner voice reminds them about it every now and then. That’s why this query keeps them jolting frequently.
You need to find the answer to this query of your soul and inner consciousness how to live your life to the fullest. How to do it? There are two types of people in this world – one who are not bothered about the reasons behind their existence in the world and keep leading a reckless and messy life without much ado to finding purpose of life and others who are sensitive enough to come up with repeated brainstorming thoughts to find their exact purpose in life. The persons with later vision turn around their own destiny and simultaneously whirl the entire vicinity around them to set the things right in an endeavor to help people around them finding their life purpose of life of which they were oblivious of till date. Such is the aura of self enlightenment!
But a thousand dollar question that always teases minds of everyone is what this self enlightenment actually is? What I could find during my research and tryst with life till now is, self enlightenment is a unique experience of getting oneself connected to the divine power by way of repeated meditation, self determination and by consistently striving to find one’s purpose in life. Again the things came back to what is your life purpose. There is a co-relation between purpose of life and self enlightenment. Self enlightenment provides you a broader vision to organize your life and actions but it never drives you to become missionary and shun away all your worldly and social responsibilities to become a celestial entity. Because even Almighty inspires you to illuminate a sense of self retrospect and find your own way to lead the life with a meaningful meticulous perspective.
This is what I want to explain that the Almighty has blessed us all with a wonderful gift of human life which is most precious and unique possession. Not only has this but it also needed to have some plausible and predefined purpose suiting one’s capabilities and inclinations. So, last but not the least there is some reason and destined purpose behind every human life. We need to enlighten ourselves to grill that purpose and edge towards its mission to proclaim our life’s fulfillment and worth. If you could do this, you will find all your answers to the query “what is my purpose in life” and this is my mission to help you find the mission of your life.
Ileana Kane also known as The Million Dollar Muse, helps coaches, healing professionals and entrepreneurs who want to make a difference turn their business around fast and uncover hidden profit opportunities they didn’t know existed in their business. They get more clients, make more money, have more freedom to enjoy it all.
While everyone else is playing the blame game on the economy, you can quickly jump ahead of the game and get more clients than you’ll ever need. And the best thing – you guessed it — no marketing budget required!I bet you’re great at what you do and you just can’t wrap your brain around the marketing thing. You don’t need fixing and it’s not your fault. Because you’re so good at what you do, you’ve just not had the time to study the marketing part. This will be so simple and the fix is fast. You’ll make success of your small business in the snap of a finger. You’ll be able to experience marketing success in no time. I promise!
If you really want to know how to have more business, bigger success and greater satisfaction, let me show you 10 marketing solutions that will do the trick for you:
Marketing Success Solution 1: Get a crystal clear vision of what you want for your business. Have the following in that vision: How many clients do you want? How many hours a week do you want to work? Better yet – how many vacations do you want to take? What does your new home look like and where do you want to live? What is your client’s biggest problem? How did you get the clients you have now (but ONLY your favorite ones)? What is your definition of success? What income do you want to have in the next year?
Marketing Success Solution 2: Now is the time to take all the information in your head and write it down in the form of a plan. Think of it this way… you wouldn’t leave on vacation without knowing where you’re going would you? Not to worry, I’m not having you create one of those 30 page dossiers – because I stand behind the simple, fun, fast way to get the job done and get more new clients. Along with your vision and a simple written dynamic plan you’ll know when you’re on track. Now, you get to start making decisions about how to spend your time and energy so you’ll hit your mark.
You’ll make a success of your small business in no time flat, by including the following: the services you offer, the products you offer, the packages you offer (people love buying packages), what income you want to achieve, and how many clients you want (make sure you go after the high paying clients), and what you’ll be doing to market your business. Your bank account will love you for this!
Marketing Success Solution 3: For business success, you need to be able to communicate the value you give to your prospects and clients. So, ditch the ‘big title’ because everyone already has a coach, massage therapist or whatever it is you do. The truth? Talk about what you can do for them. This is what I call the transaction trigger for what you do. Prospects and clients care about ONE thing and that’s what you can do for them! So let them know what you can do for them by educating them. This answers the BIG question “what do you do”? And your prospect or client is translating this to “what can you do for me”?
Marketing Success Solution 4: Trying to grow your business is a tough one to do on your own. This is the number one reason of business overwhelm. It’s important to have the support you need to get where you want to go. Get into a mastermind group. Having a group of people that are dedicated to growing their business helps keep you in the mindset. These people are supportive of your goals and sincerely want to see you achieve them. You also receive ideas, and feedback that helps keep your energy and momentum up. And if the going gets tough, they’ll provide you with the strength you might need. Let’s face it Frank Sinatra didn’t move his own piano!
Marketing Success Solution 5: Start valuing yourself and what you offer for prospects and clients. When we go into business for ourselves, what we’re really good at comes so naturally to us and we think everybody can do what we do. That’s our gift to humanity and our blind spot seems to work against us. If you need feedback and to really hear your value, ask your friends, or better yet your mastermind members. Set your intentions for the high paying clients?yes, right off the bat! It sends a message that you’re willing to accept your level of expertise and when you’re willing, others are willing to accept it, too! So raise your right hand and say out loud? NO more excuses. Now growing your business becomes an excuse free zone!
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More people are surfacing into the entrepreneurial spirit today than in past due to the economic situation we have before us right now. This being the case the actual slump is bringing some good to us. Some people that would have never considered being an entrepreneur are figuring out what can they bring to the table. They pool their resources trying to see a problem people are having and could they be the solutions provider.So, that brings us to the point just exactly what is being an entrepreneur is all about!
Wikipedia: An entrepreneur is a person who has possession of an enterprise, or venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome. It is an ambitious leader who combines land, labor, and capital to create and market new goods or services.
Often on start up the funds will come out of an entrepreneur’s on pockets because banks would surely shy away from new ideas, especially in these hard times. Banks are not interested in start-ups in hard times. Of course another way to come up with funding one could consider friends or relatives. Being an entrepreneur is a good thing!
I read an article one time by Donald Trump he said “You better know as much as you can about a entrepreneur’s quest you seek, so you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into!”
The failure rate is very high but if an entrepreneur can identify a need that the main stream of big corporations are not nor addressing, this is a key factor. Top entrepreneurs seem to catch up on an exact formula as you’ll see them start up one after another. That way if one of his ventures is not panning out, they can cut their loses early on, moving forward with the rest of his projects.
These are a few points you can go by getting a head start and they are:
Create your plan then take massive action.
Start off by setting up clear goals, a vision of what you trying to accomplish.
Turn obstacles into opportunities.
Be willing and prepared to do whatever it takes to reach your outcome.
Build on your purpose, passions and not those of others
Ask professional advice from areas of the venture you have no knowledge of.
You may have to educate yourself turning your weaknesses into strengths.
Gain financial skills and vocabulary.
What is the best way to find out about a problem you being the solutions provider on an issue you identified you could cure? The safest way is to become an apprentice with someone who is an expert in that field.
Entrepreneurs are like explorers and pioneers of the movement’s from the past, that have reshaped and rekindled the way we live and think. Being an entrepreneur is a good thing and not just something that should be swept under the rug when you “get an idea!” All things begin from a single thought in your mind. A few of most famous are Oprah Winfrey, John D. Rockefeller and Bill Gates, who as of this writing is “The richest entrepreneur in the world!”
Many people who desire success often get stuck at the vision stage. They may seem clear about what success looks like to them. They visualize their success and know what it will feel like. Yet, they don’t become successful. Why is that?
They haven’t taken the next step. The next step to creating a successful life is to take powerful, significant action. You must act effectively to create the life of your dreams.
In the Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles asserts that “If there is something that may be done today and you do not do it, you have failed insofar as that thing is concerned – and the consequences may be more disastrous than you imagine.”
He also states that “You cannot foresee the results of even the most trivial act. You do not know the workings of all the forces that have been set moving in your behalf. Much may be depending on your doing some simple act, and it may be the very thing which is to open the door of opportunity to very great possibilities.”
To create success you must do all that can be done each day. However, don’t overwork yourself. Don’t try to do a week’s work in a day nor do tomorrow’s work today. This isn’t efficient action for it reflects scarcity thinking, the fear that you won’t have the time to do tomorrow’s work tomorrow.
Instead hold a clear mental image of your vision firmly in your mind. Focus on what it will feel like when you have the income to send your children to private schools or to give to your favourite charity. See yourself enthusiastically writing the cheque to the agency. Thank God for the successful business that you are creating.
As you do, you enter into a state of relaxed expectation, for you are certain that your goal is being manifested. You are calm and enthusiastic about the life that is unfolding before you. You know that it is on its way to you.
Consequently you can take action that prepares you to receive your vision. You act from the certainty that your vision is coming to you.
As you think about your mental image, you return to the enthusiasm and excitement about your goals. You fall in love with your goals again and these feelings empower you as you take action.
In fact you will be directed to the specific action that you need to take and you will act from a place of inspiration. This perspective will totally transform how you act to achieve your goals. You no longer have to focus on what you think you should do.
As you concentrate on your vision, enthusiastically thanking God for your goals, you will be shown the exact action that you must take. As you take that action with the certainty that you goal is coming to you, the vision is made manifest.
Your powerful actions lead to the creation of a joyful, successful life! Enjoy your journey to success!
So you’ve been to a bunch of dinner parties lately, and you’re getting a little fat. What do you do? Easy–stop snacking and hit the gym. Likewise if your wallet is getting a little slim: you set up a budget and stick to it. These two common problems have a simple–and simple to imagine–solution. But most people really can’t imagine the solution to a time crunch.
I’ve taught Time Management for many years, and I’ve noticed that most students want a list of “e-z tips”. That mentality might work with dieting (“keep a bag of celery in your purse!”) or saving money (“buy last year’s model!”), but it doesn’t really work for Time Management. That’s because time won’t magically add up, like money or burned calories, unless you use what I call Vision.
You already have Vision, and you probably don’t even know it. When you say to yourself, “Wow! I have to get to Target before it closes,” or “I have to catch the 4:35″, you are using Vision. You are seeing yourself doing a certain thing at a certain time. All kinds of other decisions flow from that Vision: deciding which route to the store will have the least traffic, which entrance to the train station is closest to your track, even how much longer you can afford to wait until you go. None of these decisions are difficult; they’re just part of getting things done. But for various reasons, it’s difficult for people to generalize short-term Vision into longer-term Time Management goals.
Teaching people to direct Vision toward longer-term goals is what my Time Management classes are all about. For most people, the first hurdle is that long-term Vision takes an investment in time. I teach people how to create a Vision quickly but effectively. The second hurdle is that most people’s Visions are not well maintained. You wouldn’t build a skyscraper by looking at the blueprint just once, then winging it, would you? And yet, most people try to manage time like this. I teach specific skills that lead to a consistent, well-maintained Vision.
Our ability to manage time can be affected by health, personal expectations, and even our communication style. There are many techniques to consider, many skills to master–and yes, there are plenty of “e-z tips” to learn. But before all of these comes Vision. You might know where you’re going. You might have the car, you might have a map, and you might know whether the road is gravel, asphalt or dirt. But if the windshield is dirty and you can’t see the way, you’re headed for a crash. Get your Vision straight and you’ll make excellent time!