I often say this to people only to have them give silly examples of things which they cannot do. For instance they will say: “I really want to fly to the moon by flapping my arms; how can I do that?” or : “I’m seventy-five but I want to become the heavyweight boxing champion of the world!”

I get exasperated at this because obviously there are many things which you cannot do and will never do. Your physical limitations (alone) will put a ceiling on your level of achievement.

I call this absolute limit to your potential the real ceiling. Your real ceiling height is set by things like your age (and hence physical ability), and by what is ‘impossible’, in the true (rather than imagined) sense of the word.

For the purpose of illustration, I would like you to imagine this real ceiling to be like the ceiling of a huge cathedral. Imagine this ceiling to be over one hundred feet above you. This represents the real ceiling to your achievements.

It may surprise you to know that most people spend their entire lives living and working under a false ceiling. Furthermore, this false ceiling is set much, much lower than the real ceiling, thereby effectively preventing people from achieving things which are readily achievable.

Now then, how high do you think your false ceiling is in comparison to the real ceiling? You’ll be amazed when I tell you that most people’s false ceilings are under three feet high. yes; three feet!

Let me say that again:

Most People Are Working Under A False Ceiling Which Is Less Than Three Feet High!

They are crammed into this artificially small space without even room to lift their heads.

People who give examples of silly things which they cannot do, are pointing out the limitations of a one hundred fool ceiling, whilst they themselves are working under a three foot ceiling!

It is rather like saying to someone: “Hah! Your Rolls Royce can only go at 130 mph”, when all the time you are riding a child’s tricycle!

Yes, there are things which you cannot and will not achieve; but these things are so far above your present false ceiling that they are irrelevant.

• Why worry about not being able to fly to the moon if you haven’t even taken a holiday for the last five years?
• Why worry about being heavyweight champion of the world if you cannot even give up smoking?
• Why worry about being able to buy America if you cannot even pay off your mortgage.

I’ll tell you something else:- Although the real ceiling to your achievements is one hundred feet high, your wildest dreams of wealth, power and happiness are set at around the fifty foot mark; in other words, they are well below the real ceiling – they are easily achievable. I’ll say that again in case you missed it:- Your wildest dreams of wealth, power and happiness are easily achievable.

The statement I made earlier should say: “You can achieve anything providing it is sensible and within human capabilities.” But this doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?

So I say that you can achieve anything at all, and trust that you are sensible enough to realize the implied human limitation of the one hundred foot ceiling.

Stand Up Straight!

Think of the fantastic feeling of relief that you would experience if you could raise your false ceiling from its present low height to the full one hundred foot height! It would be like being born again! You could do anything which any other human being with similar abilities to yourself had done before; or even something which no one had done before!

The possibilities are staggering

A strong self belief is the biggest stumbling block most people come across when looking for success in their life and career – yet this trait is crucial for finding success, happiness and abundance. One of the easiest ways of building self belief is to prove to yourself that you achieve small goals.

Unfortunately, not everything is a mere inconvenience, eventually fixed with a phone call, a few visits and a significant bill that will be readily paid. Many circumstances and situations are much more serious, and much more uncomfortable. I know several people who can’t stand their jobs and at the same time are afraid of losing them. I have friends and family who are facing pressing financial problems, who, like too many Americans today, are struggling to cover their mortgages and the minimum payments on their credit cards.

I have been in leadership positions most of my working life – having gone from high school to college to graduate school to “big people jobs” in one fluid sprint. Over the years I have heard secrets and stories and been closely involved with the joys and struggles of my staff members. At this point in my life I am clear that I do not want to be “the boss” again. And I certainly don’t want to work for someone else – who might be a turkey, or worse. Kind of limits one’s options. So, having my own home-based business is definitely the perfect solution. And, having an internet marketing business enables me to have a “team.” So I am still able to have “peeps” with whom I can interact, support and mentor. But the difference is I am not responsible for their success – they are. I love mentoring and motivating others who share a common vision, but I do not want the responsibility for their individual performance. There is a big difference, and while it is freeing for me, perhaps the best part is that it is empowering for them.

One of the most exciting things about starting something new is the learning. If others could catch the vision of what is possible, it would be a real motivator. This morning in my quiet time I was reflecting back on a lot of the webinars, and training calls I enjoy. I was thinking about John Jackson’s statement, “More people fail due to an undecided heart.” He was talking about avoiding “paralysis by analysis” and encouraging folks to do their due diligence, but then decide to take action. This is absolutely key. At the end of Robert Kiyosaki’s book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, he writes, “Today, don’t play it safe, play it smart. Take Action!”

I definitely do not have an undecided heart. If anything I have “the zeal of a new convert” and want to share opportunities with others. Yet clearly bold moves are not for everyone. A majority of people are not decisive. Many people have difficulty making decisions and taking action. They hem and haw, make excuses, and “yes, but” every opportunity, and lose out on so much. I find this heartbreaking because our greatest sense of reward often comes after meeting our biggest challenges. I am reminded of the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” I have witnessed this with my own horses, and have seen it play out in many of my employees. Absolutely, “Look before you leap,” just don’t stare yourself into a stupor.

Fear and indecision can be very challenging to overcome. Taking a risk, by definition, holds uncertainty. Yet moving from indecision to action is possible, when one is ready and motivated to make a change. If one is willing, has some clear direction and strong support, then transformation can take place. Acknowledge the fear, then commit to taking action. You don’t have to know every step of the way before beginning; you just need to be willing to commit to that first step, and then the next and the next.

Find a mentor, someone you trust who is engaged in the same thing you want to pursue. Then make the decision to step into your new life, your brighter future, and start becoming your best self. Whatever your vision is, find a way to live into it.

There is a reason only a tiny percentage of the population has an entrepreneurial spirit. Fear is a powerful force, and it is reinforced by so much in our culture. Recently, someone said to me, “You know I’ve been looking for a change, now I just need some huevos!” I think that is a brilliant summation of where a lot of people are with respect to starting something big, bold and new. They just need some huevos – and a viable opportunity. Realize also, that you can do something for yourself – without having to do it all by yourself.

Because I care and know what is possible, I wish I could take all of the motivation, all of the inspiration, the joy and excitement that comes from helping others, and impart it with a “copy and paste” right into each fearful, searching heart. I want to type “ctrl c” and then “ctrl v” on the keyboard of your heart – so that fear will be replaced by excitement and your tender, undecided heart will be transformed and galvanized into action.

You must first purchase your tools to enable you to be better organized. These tools include desks, filing cabinets, paper organizers, computers and other things you may need for your business to succeed.

Next you will need to dedicate specific areas for specific functions. For example have a file for you finances, another for your marketing materials, and another for your accounts and so on. You may also need to sub categorize for example a file with your financial portfolio divided into different company’s that various parts of your portfolio belong to.

When organizing your filing, do what will work best for you to enable you to locate what you need quickly and efficiently, so that you don’t waste precious time searching for lost or misplaced documents, or even worse re doing work that you have already done. Have an in and out box for tasks pending and tasks completed. Keep all your receipts in a basket on your desk, and try and make time to keep your books up to date at least once a week, or it could quickly turn into a whole days work.

Once you have your office set up it is time to organize your time more efficiently. You will need a nice big diary for this one. Start by making to do lists and then prioritizing you lists. Decide what things on your list you would like to achieve by month end and then break up the tasks into weekly portions that you can do. Then break up your week further into daily activities that will enable you to reach your goals in small but achievable steps. Be specific about how much time to spend on each task, and spend your time wisely. Make sure that you plan your leisure time in much the same way, or you will find yourself working 24/7.

If you feel overwhelmed, it just means that you aren’t organized enough. Make sure that you reserve a couple of minutes daily to plan and organize your life.

All internet marketers will feel overwhelmed at some stage, and especially when they first start up with their chosen business. Just make sure that you stay on top of things, stay organized, plan your day accordingly and you can’t go wrong.

Therefore, do not shelve duties that need attention today, claiming that you will focus on them tomorrow since it may be too late by then. Procrastination can easily ruin your career, for example, at your place of work you are expected to perform your duties diligently and also finish on time without being pushed to do so though sometimes these tasks may be tedious.

When you procrastinate then your performance at work will definitely be below par and as a result your employer will always be unsatisfied with your performance. I therefore do not need to inform you that your boss will find it hard to recommend you for a promotion.

The time to deal with procrastination is now because if you do not then you are in the process of ruining your career. Your boss may just start by verbally reprimanding you but sooner or later he may get tired. I love the way William James puts it when he says “Nothing is as fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task”.

I hope now you have resolved to always attend to your duties on time. It would even help to report early at work and attend to anything that is pending. Avoid postponing what can be attended to today; it would really help if you prioritize your duties. “There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back”. Tom Demarco.

Our minds do an amazing job at seeking out what we focus our attention on. The tricky part about this process is that words of negation are excluded from the “search engine” that is our minds. That is to say, if you think silently and consistently don’t worry about stress, don’t worry about stress, don’t …The mind processes “worry about stress”. The “don’t” is a negating word that the mind doesn’t use. So, in this example our mind will seek out reasons to worry about stress.

Thinking of a past memory (remembering) and projecting a future event (visualizing) are exactly the same to the mind. As far as the mind is concerned, if you’re dreaming of something you wish to happen, it processes these images the same as though they already happened. The more you bring them to the forefront of your awareness, the more priority they receive.

So how can all this help deal with past issues?

Understanding the important properties of how the mind functions are key to letting go of haunting past issues, and creating wonderful new experiences.

Let’s use an example of a past public speaking event that went horrifically wrong. While you were at the microphone your mouth dried up and you began to sweat profusely. The nerves got so bad, that half way through your presentation you walked away from the podium crying. (can you see this happening?) You now are so fearful of talking to large groups of people, that you passed on a great career opportunity. This could apply to any number of things that happened in the past, and as a result, keep you from your desires. Every time you think of your fear, replace the image in the mind with a scenario that worked perfectly. So in this case, see the mic as your assistant helping you get your important message out. The words are flowing effortlessly as you hit your stride broadcasting with confidence. Everything simply feels right. Your walking off stage with pride from a well delivered speech.

Doesn’t that sound a whole lot better? I didn’t really happen that way, but who cares. It’s the feelings associated with that event/person/place that your looking to alter. At first it may seem like a stretch to change history by simply replacing it with something better. Your only looking to knock off the sharp edges at the beginning. Take your time and build upon your new vision by tracking your progress. Baby steps is key to any overwhelming challenge, along with consistency. Set up a journal or note pad and celebrate any feelings of progress. Your taking control and it feels great.

In addition to changing how the memory resonates with our feelings, it is essential to make peace with the problem. Think of the words surrendering, accepting and allowing as letting go of a rope tied to an anchor. Do this in your mind. Very quickly you see the tail end of that rope fade off into the distance along with what ever was holding you back. You’ll know when you’ve really done this right by letting out a huge sigh of relief. Do it daily as needed.

Replacing fears and ugly situations with desires of how you wished them to be, will in time, allow you to overcome the past and realize your dreams!

Changes are often inevitable, out of our control and no doubt influence our lives in a big way. So, if we are not ready and prepared to receive and manage those changes coming our way, we will find life pretty stressful and difficult to deal with. This is because, today, changes do come very rapidly from different sources and directions.

They say that the most definite thing that we have in our life is changes. There is no doubt, everyday, we will hear, read or find new things appearing in front of us and we need to make choices on what we are going to do with those change.

I have a few options to help you cope with change:

First of all, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the change within your control?
• Does the change directly affect you?
• Is it necessary for you to respond to, react to or take action of?
• Is it necessary for you to take on board the awareness and the knowledge of the change?

If you say “No” to all of those questions, I suggest, ignore that change and let go. You just continue focusing on your own agenda, having your own race to achieve your own goals happily and peacefully. Do not allow that change to affect your life in anyway what so ever.

If you say “Yes” to question 1, then obviously the change is your choice, so you should be in control all the way and enjoy the process.

If you say “Yes” to question 2 but it’s not within your control to do anything about it, explore for different perspectives and find the advantaging factor for YOU and embrace the change.

If you say “Yes” to question 3, explore and find positive perspectives and constructive responses and then respond to it professionally as necessary, go with the flow and enjoy the journey. Do anything you can, not to stress about changes that are not within your control.

If you say “Yes” to question 4, just take note in either your mind or physically write it down, and then move on with your own agenda as stated above. Preferably, write it down and then put it aside, so it does not become a distraction while you focus on your journey to achieve the most important goal for YOU.

I am confident that you can practice with this first option, you will be able to cope with change easily.

That’s my first article on this blog about “Coping with Change” and I will come back another day to write more about it.

As I attended my grandmother’s funeral it hit me how quickly even 89 years can fly by. And of course none of us know if we have another 80 years ahead of us or another 8 minutes. How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your life to have stood for?

Perhaps the ultimate “begin with the end in mind” exercise is the one I am going to share with you today. Beginning with the end in mind is a tried and true strategy for going about achieving any goal or outcome in the most fulfilling way possible. It is a universal truth no matter what you are doing. What do you most want to have had experienced in the process and what results do you want to see in the end?

When I was first given this exercise, I was a bit taken aback. I want to let you know that – it is OK if your emotions well up as you tackle it. That is A-OK and in fact it is a fine indicator that you are human ? Yet I can tell you that it is one of the most powerful ways to get your short-term and long-term priorities aligned with who you really are and what you really want.

Find a quiet, favorite, sacred space – maybe a place in your home or outside in nature. Take a few deep breaths and notice your heart beating. Then imagine it is many years in the future. You are attending your own funeral. You pick up a copy of the obituary paying tribute to you. What do you most want it to say about:

• You as a person
• Your relationships and those you loved
• How you spent your time (professional, personal involvements, community, etc.)
• Your contribution to others and the world at large * The things you loved most
• They way you chose to spend your time on this earth
• The message you most want to leave others

Take some time and really ask yourself these provocative questions. You will be on a more meaningful path immediately.

However, they did not all show the same time. The first to strike the hour was long before the last. The irony seemed to be that the more clocks there are, the less sure you can be of the time!

This is an analogy for the complexity of life: we can get many contra-indications as to the path we’re really on and route ahead. In the confusion we have no clear sense of direction.

If you were in dense jungle (and perhaps it feels like it sometimes!), it would be helpful to climb a tall tree to get a clear view of the way ahead. Or maybe you would scale the slopes of a hillside to get above the tree line. Either way, a strategic view is essential to reach your objective.

Inspiration is the mountain top from where you can see what really matters. Then you can simplify on that basis, throwing out what you no longer need and prioritizing what remains. Most especially, being inspired can put you in touch with a real sense of purpose.

A strong sense of purpose will naturally simplify life. It becomes the gold-standard for our decision making. We can choose what to think and what to do depending on whether it contributes to our purpose or not.

Getting practical, how do you become inspired?

There are many techniques you can use: here are two simple yet powerful steps that work for most people:

1. Book yourself a date with inspiration – set aside some time. Even ten minutes will be a good start
2. Think back to a time when you were really inspired (it doesn’t matter whether it was recent or some while ago). Get into the memory and, in your mind’s eye, see what you saw then. Listen again the sounds that you heard then and re-experience the feelings from that time

To discover your true purpose, when you are inspired notice what is really essential in your life. What elements of your life are non-negotiable? (You may like to jot these down – eg. goals, relationships, ambitions, values, ethics, causes, challenges, talents, life-work). Your true purpose will be connected in some way with these essential factors.

Continuing in the quest for simplicity, now ask yourself:

• How closely is my life aligned to my true purpose?
• How much am I high-jacked by unnecessary complexity?
• What steps can I take to increase simplicity?

In the jungle, these are questions you can ask at the top of the tall tree; you can revisit them on a regular basis to check your navigation – to see whether you are ‘on-purpose’.

As you progress towards greater simplicity, you will find that all your clocks begin to tell the same time!

Have you come across the following quote by Albert Einstein?

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

This quote so beautifully captures the fact that you have to first be able to imagine something before you will be able to turn that thing into reality. Knowledge is of little use without the imagination required to put it to good use. This is why a good teacher works to stimulate interest and curiosity and to pique ones imagination. Imagination in turn is what paves a pathway to the acquisition of new knowledge and new skills. Imagination and knowledge interact to create a cyclical effect, with each feeding the other and moving forwards in a unified direction.

We all have active imaginations, some more active than others. Some people think that they have no imagination but usually will find that they are either imagining things without realizing that this is what they are doing or they are simply out of practice. I often ask people to describe to me the difference between two things, such as the sea and the sky, or a tennis ball versus a football, or a wine glass and a beer glass. Could you provide a description of these things? I’m sure that you could do so quite easily and I also know that to be able to do so you have to first be able to imagine those things.

You may not realize that your imagination is at work in providing such descriptions as the human brain works so quickly and automatically it is easy to overlook the processes which are taking effect beneath the surface. Your imagination is equally at work each night as you dream. Once again you may not think that you dream but dreaming is essential to emotional balance and stability. If you did not dream you would very quickly become psychotic. As you dream each night your subconscious mind comes to the fore and a process of conflict resolution takes place.

If you would like to stimulate your imagination or unleash the creative abilities of your subconscious mind, you will find hypnosis to be very helpful. Hypnosis is the dream-like state between wake and sleep; it is natural and normal and easy to learn. You can learn to use hypnosis simply by listening to a hypnosis mp3 recording, of which there are many readily available on the internet. (You can grab a free hypnosis session from my website if you like.) You can easily re-learn to tap into your imagination and your creative abilities. I say “re-learn” because in all likelihood you can remember having an active imagination as a child. Children display a natural tendency to imagine endless things; a box may become a boat, a doll may become a real baby, and so on.

One not only needs to be able to imagine something but also to be able to have the confidence to pursue that which they imagine. Without confidence that imaginary something will remain as a tantalizing dream, appearing only at night and disappearing with the dawning of each day. That dream will remain close to you for a while, but unless that dream is written down and acted upon it will soon fade into obscurity. A dream will always remain a dream unless it is acted upon.

Once again hypnosis is an invaluable asset in the acquisition of self-confidence. Whilst in hypnosis confidence building suggestions can be made to ones subconscious mind, that part of the mind which acts instinctively and automatically. Your imagination can be utilized as well so as to really see yourself as you want to be and to feel as you want to feel. Hypnosis helps more than a little when a person wants to improve their imagination, build self-confidence and achieve success in this world.

Children can experience hurt and loss early in life, from a significant broken toy, to the loss of a family pet. The death of elderly grandparents can seem a little abstract to young children, but children are resilient and can learn to cope, depending on their spiritual beliefs, family closeness and how parents and close adults handle the situation and communicate with them. Showing respect to the deceased, telling affectionate, positive stories, looking at photographs together can all help with the child’s understanding and adjustment. Some children can feel uneasy or confused if they are excluded from being told what has happened. They can end up wondering what is going on feel unsettled or insecure. It is important to be firm, reassuring and supportive and tell them as much as they can understand.

Similarly, divorce and the breakdown of the family home can affect children in different ways. They will frequently take their lead from the important adult figures in their lives. Having someone they trust to talk through concerns and fears with can help enormously in coping and healing the sense of loss and trauma, especially if a home or school move has also been necessary. Being respectful of the absent partner and remembering that there are two parents who loved each other once and who are not wanting to split up from the children are key elements in trying to keep a balance where the children are concerned.

People can also grieve for the loss of a lifestyle, especially if there does not appear to be a ready alternative available. The loss of a career, job, business is especially difficult in later life as it can signify the end of a viable, dynamic phase and the movement into a retired or lesser stage of usefulness. Finding other outlets, in hobbies, charity work, retraining can be important in recovering self esteem and stimulus.

Some people may grieve for their lost health and lifestyle, after a sudden unexpected illness or after an attack or a crime has been committed against them. Readjustment after this type of experience can bring its own frustrations as it can be hard to come to terms with why it has happened.

The death of a significant other is something that features more and more in our thoughts as we get older. However friends, colleagues and, sometimes, young people die. Having to cope with these situations is a very difficult lesson, and sometimes people never recover from it fully.

Several stages have been identified in the grief and loss transition process. These stages can be gone through in any order, last as long as they need to and may well be repeated, until the person is feeling better again. How long this process takes can be dependant on how sudden the death or change was. Having some warning or notice can give a person time to prepare themselves for what is to come. This cycle can be applied to other areas of loss, like a relationship split or other key breakup.

• Shock is the initial reaction, comprising of pain, disbelief and even numbness or no feeling at all.
• Denial is where there is a refusal to accept the loss. ‘It’s not true, I don’t believe it’ are typical reactions here.
• Bargaining can include negotiation. ‘If I promise this, will you do that’ , eg I’ll be good if you make it right. This may be said to God/ a Higher Power or whoever is felt to be responsible.
• Anger is the stage of frustration, fury – ‘how could this happen’,’ after all I’ve done’,’ why has this happened to me’,’ I don’t deserve it’,’ it’s not fair’, and so on. This is the stage where some sense is trying to be made of it all, but where there no ready answers.
• Depression or Grieving is where the terrible sense of loss is pervasive. Not wanting to carry on, everything feeling pointless, is typical of this stage. Understanding that this is a key part of the recovery process can be difficult to come to terms with. Being gentle with oneself at this stage is important.
• Acceptance is when one is coming through the process. Appreciating the value that the person or relationship brought into our life, the shared experiences, new opportunities, and how that person lives on through us, and maybe our children, even if that person or relationship is no longer around.

Understanding and working through all these stages can help in recovering and coming to a better quality of life. We may never know the answer to the ‘why me ?’ question, but we can move on and recover a new, hopefully calmer quality of life .