You're imagining things...

Have you ever been kicking-it-back, lost in thought... daydreaming... about someplace you'd like to go, something you'd like to accomplish, a friend you'd like to see?

Did merely asking that question invoke those thoughts?

Did you act on those thoughts and actually do the thing you were thinking of?

If your like most people, you spend a good amount of time in that state of mind. Some would call this daydreaming. This state of consciousness is an incredibly powerful mental place to be. It is where the beginnings of visualization take place. When practiced on a daily basis, focusing on very specific topics, some would call this meditation. You're free to call it what you like.

It is, however, in this state of mind that you begin the attraction process. Your thoughts are the keys, if you will, to starting the universal engine of attraction.

Think of it this way. Most cars won't start without having a key. Once you insert the key into the ignition and start the engine, your car has the potential of taking you anywhere your time and resources will allow you to go.

Your imagination has the power to alter your future, draw on the knowledge and experiences of the past, create things you've never thought of creating and gives you the ability to be grateful for all you've accomplished.

Speaking about gratitude, when is the last time you felt a deep sense of gratitude for what you have?

Think about that for a moment won't you... We are surrounded and immersed in a media rich world that is continuously bombarding us with sales pitches about "What we need" to make us happy, a new car, bigger better home, more money, that tropical vacation and on ... and on...

If you really want to feel real happiness in your life, start by practicing the visualization of true gratitude for what you have. Here's an example: Think about a time when someone did something for you that made you feel extremely grateful for their act of kindness or generosity.

Now, the next time you have a daydreaming moment, apply those same feelings of gratitude toward... well, look around you... pick at least seven things. Don't forget about these overlooked things. If you can see, if you can hear, if you can taste, if you can smell and if you feel touch.

I personally have known in my life, at least one person each missing one or more of the previous five taken for granted senses, and each of those people were extremely grateful for having the the rest.

So the next time some tells you you're imagining things, your reply might be, "Yes I am... isn't it great!"

Imagine Having Patience

Do you find yourself failing to reach your goals?
Are you like a lot of people who are of the mindset, I want it and I want it now!
Do you have enough patience? I mean, enough patience to set long term objectives and work steadily toward success?

I took yesterday off from writing to celebrate my birthday. I spent a good part of the day reflecting on my accomplishments over this this past year and immersed myself in gratitude for all I have achieved.

I, like a lot of people, suffer from the need to fulfill that "instant gratification" urge. In our fast paced world of "hurry and do this", "hurry and get that", the marketing guru's of mass media have set the stage for failure for a good many people out there. Implementing "instant gratification" into their frantic paced sales pitches skillfully designed to separate you from your money, masses of people are buried in debt, working egregious amounts of hours, living far beyond their means and suffering toxic levels of stress trying to maintain it all. The word patience, does not exist in their world.

Years ago, however, I made a conscious decision to suppress that urge. Opting instead, to carefully start planning when, where and how I was going to save and spend my hard earned dollars. Ignoring the urge to "impulse buy" nearly anything that required an immediate decision, exercising instead, patience.

The results of visualizing my life, debt free, has become a reality. I have more than I have ever had, I am not a slave to my job and am financially stable. It took a lot of self discipline, planning and patience to reach my objectives.

So the next time you have the urge to "impulse buy" something, try using the following rules to evaluate whether you should actually commit to the purchase:

1. Is it easily maintainable (serviceable) and can it be maintained at little or no cost?
   
2. Can I financially support it on half my income over it's usable lifespan?
3. Is the benefit to cost ratio at least 1.5:1 (if it costs $1000 it should return 1 1/2 times its cost to you in either time savings or income over the next year.)
   
4. Is it something you want or something you need? Apply rule #3
5. What is it's usable lifespan? (Is it made to be disposable or will it serve you for years?)
   
6. Can it live up to the marketers claim? (If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.)
7. Finally, do I need it now or can I wait?

If it can meet this test, by all means, "get it". Otherwise, take that money and put it in a one to five year CD or some other high yield investment and watch it grow. And to remember to always pay yourself first. At least 10% of each paycheck should be invested in some form of high yield investment vehicle. At minimum, a decent over 3% interest bearing savings account.

Until next time, be patient with your goals and work steadily toward success.

Imagination isn't Enough

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I've been away for a couple of days attending to some urgent business. While I was away I was talking to a friend about an idea he had about a business venture. It was a great idea. When I asked him how long he had been working on his idea, he replied, "I've been dabbling with the idea for about a year." He could see the puzzled look on my face and asked, "What's the matter?" Then I struck me.

I replied, "Imagination isn't enough". In the time my friend had been dabbling with his idea, several other entrepreneur's had entered the market with his exact idea. and were well on their way.

The moral of the story is, imagination without action takes you nowhere. You have to begin moving forward as soon as an idea is imagined. You've already visualized it, now you have to give it wings. Those wings are the action you take to make it materialize.

Look around you. Everything you see, touch, hear, taste and smell that is man made, started with someone's imagination. Then action was taken to make it materialize. If you spend all your time visualizing, You'll end up being just another dreamer.

Who knows? Maybe the next thing you visualize and make materialize, could alter the entire course of your life and bring you closer to the life you have imagined for yourself.

Until next time, don't just think... "Do"

Just imagine this!

If you could change change the outcome of a long time fear, Would you?
Would you have the courage to try?

You're going through a typical workday thinking to yourself ,"I hate this job!"
"Why cant I get a better job? One that I like!"

Now let's examine what forces you have invoked in your subconscious.
#1. By telling yourself that you "hate this job" you will, without a doubt, "Hate this job". Your subconscious has gone into overdrive to attract everything to you that will make you hate this job. The invisible forces around you will be working toward drawing situations toward you that ensure the success of you hating this job. Everyone around you will feel these forces and they too, will be unconsciously helping you toward the success of hating your job. Your boss will be hounding you because he wants you to be successful too until you are ultimately successful.

#2. You have given your subconscious mind a confusing command. "Why cant I get a better job? One that I like!"
If you were to go out to buy an automobile with nothing more to go on than "I want a car that I like", your going to have a hard time choosing a car. But! if you get very specific about the make, model, color, features you want and price range, Do you think that information will be exactly what you need to make your decision?

If you want to make changes to your life, you have to be specific about what you want. The more detailed and accurate you are in building your visualization, the more detailed and accurate will be the results. If you want a better job or to just change the way you perceive your current job, change the way you think and visualize your situation. And remember, it only takes about 21 days to form a habit. So for the next 21 days, put together a new detailed visualization and watch what happens.

Now, the question is, "Do you have the courage?"

Imagination is a powerful tool

When you are about to attempt to do something, don't you first see it in your mind?
Do you see it clearly at the completed end?

Almost every person has this quality. You want to do something, you first visualize it, then visualize what it will take to do it. Then, you start working toward completion. Before you know. You're done!

It's this mental visualization that is the key to success. You can use this mental tool to accomplish nearly anything you put your mind to. This is very powerful. Once you visualize something your subconscious mind begins to work toward success. Your subconscious mind is a success achiever. If you visualize negative thoughts, your subconscious mind will make sure that happens also.

So if you want good things to come into your life, visualize it daily, in detail and you will be amazed at what will happen. Try it!