Saturday, March 28, 2009

Don't Pursue Do!

I was at a "Meet and Greet" networking party a little while back. I met a lot of "Planners" there, with their dreams and schemes; something that they always wanted to pursue. The only problem was… no one was actually DOING anything.



Too often we talk in "some days." "Some day I'm going to sit down and write…", "I'm going to learn how to paint…", "…going to Europe…" There's never any date set, or plans to get there… only "I want to's" and "one of these days."

To get what you want out of Life, you have to put your Life into what you want.



That means you need to set up your goal, with a date and a plan to get there. And every day, yes EVERY day, you have to be moving in the direction of that goal, along your plan.



This web site is a perfect example of getting things done. Every day I checked my list and made sure I did SOMETHING… even if I didn't have a lot of time, I made sure the smaller things got done. And now that the site is here, I still have my tasks:

  • Every day, I type an entry into my "blog"
  • Every week, I add an article or letter.
  • Every other week, my newsletter goes out.
  • Every month, I add some entries in the personal side of my site - Guru Who?
  • At least every quarter, I review the site itself, and improve the navigation, features, etc. to make overall improvements
That may seem like A LOT, especially if you look at it BEFORE you do it… but when you see that it really doesn't take as much as you think, you will see how far you can go.

An hour a day… or maybe only half an hour a day… but something… one step at a time. To get somewhere, you have to GO somewhere. So get going!



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Come visit Gurustu.com

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Right Brain's Guide to the Law of Attraction

A little while ago, I wrote “The Left Brain’s Guide to the Law of Attraction” for all my brainy friends who need to see the logic behind The Secret and the Law of Attraction. Well, for all you people in your right minds, I FEEL the urgency to tell the other side of the story.


Can you SEE it?
The right brain is the more visual, ‘creative’ side of the brain. It understands patterns, sees connections that don’t make any sense to the left, more ‘logical’, side. People who are more right-dominant tend to be artists, poets, dreamers… and experts at creating vision boards.


(In fact, they tell or their friends about vision boards and even hold vision board parties! But that’s another story, so let’s move on…)


Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Feelings
Right-brainers are also more in ‘tune’ with their feelings, so as far as visualization goes, they’ve also got this one down. They know what it’s like to drive that car, to take that vacation, to wake up beside the one that they love.


Because emotions are energy-in-motion, the Law of Attraction often kicks in quicker for them. Right-brainers have great stories of how things manifested in 10 minutes and will brag about all the good parking spots.


Practically speaking
On the other hand, if logic is thrown out the window, the mind can become distracted by other shiny things. The Dreamer then becomes disappointed and wonders what they’re doing wrong (“I’ve got all my boards done and I visualize every day, why don’t I have it yet?”)


Results come from balancing the dream with the doing. In order to go from Dreams to Results you must take ACTION.


The Law of Attraction will bring it to you, but to GET it, you have to GRAB it.


Can you feel it?



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Learn the secret behind The Secret


Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Left Brain's Guide to the Law of Attraction

I've heard people say that the Law of Attraction doesn't make sense. That The Secret makes it look too easy – just think and it shall come. While I have my own magical moments thanks to this "Law" I can understand how any "logical" person can dispute these mystical claims.

Well, I've got half a mind to tell you what I think.

So here's my left brain explaining some of the 'secrets' behind this power.

What Power of Positive Thinking?
Studies have shown that a positive outlook on life actually prolongs it. But even if it doesn't who cares? Do you really want to be grumpy all day?

The truth is, when you're depressed you don't want to do much of anything besides mope. Well, maybe eat a pint of ice cream too, but mostly mope. When you do nothing, you get nothing. Success isn't going to show up if you're not even going to get off your couch to answer the door.

Positive thinking puts you in a frame of mind to take ACTION… and action is what counts when you want to get anything done.

Like Attracts What?
Like attracts like. That's not magic, that's psychology talking. People tend to huddle in groups with people they feel safe with, whether it’s because they have similar characteristics or they know each other. Remember the saying "misery loves company"? That's grouchy people seeking out other grouchy people to out-complain each other. They hate happy people; and go the other way whenever a "Pollyanna" comes around. The same is true of happy people. They don't want the "Grinches" to spoil their mood, so they seek out other happy people.

Unsuccessful people hang out with other unsuccessful people, just as much as successful people hang out with others like themselves.

So if you want to hang out with successful, happy people, how are you going to have to be?

When will I see it?
You'll see it when you believe it. That's a Wayne Dyer-ish… and it's so true.

Opportunity happens all around us, all day long. We just don't see it. Growing up, we're inundated with input, so we learn to tune things out. Unfortunately, that also teaches us to not see opportunity even when it's staring us in the face.

Have you ever thought of buying a particular car only to then begin to notice it EVERYWHERE? It's not that there are more of that type of car out there, it's just you now have a reason to notice. It's called Reticular Activation; basically, "an aware brain."

So...

When we believe that there are opportunities everywhere, when we believe that we deserve them and when we are willing to jump in and do something about them, then we'll actually start to notice them more and more.

Here's another tip
It's called the Tipping Point. It's when it goes from struggle-struggle-struggle to a life of its own, perpetuating its own motion.

You ever notice that a project or cause can have no one for the longest time, and then suddenly more and more people get involved? Like when a bank doesn't want to help with financing until you don't need them. That will also seem like the Law of Attraction (which it is) but that too is not a surprise.

You see, there are an awful lot of people who want to be successful, but don't want to do all the work. So they're busy scanning all horizons for someone/something to attach themselves too. If your neighbor is successful, these same people would attach themselves to the neighbor. If you're the one, then you can expect them to come around just as soon as you succeed.

So what's the point?
The point is that the Law of Attraction DOES exist. For some, it will be about love and light, but maybe for you it'll be about logic instead. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that it would be a real shame to miss out on opportunity because you think you can't think your way to success.

Well, think again.


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Here's opportunity staring you in the face... are you ready for action?

Monday, March 09, 2009

Hold em or Fold em...

In the movie The Gambler, Ken Rodgers has a song about knowing when to “hold ‘em” and when to “fold ‘em.” Basically understanding when it’s a good time to keep what you have, or when it’s better to just take your losses and move on.



Trusting your initial impression is good, but it’s not always the best choice. Some things are better kept keeping, even when the going gets rough… and some things are better giving away, even when they seem so good now. So how do you know when it’s right and when it’s not?



Here’s what we’re up against…



Everything in life has a level of pleasure and of pain.

Even if the measurement is zero, it’s still on the level and each of us has a different threshold of tolerance. That means that one set of rules for one person does not necessarily work for all people. However, as long as we look at generalities, we can at least set up some guidelines for us all to follow.



We all have our own ideas for resolution.

Some of us like to run away and hide from every little thing, while others always put up a fight.



We’re not always the best judge of our own moments

Our perspective is closer to each situation while we’re in it. We have our past experience that affects our reactions. Often times we second guess ourselves to the point of paralysis.



We don’t predict the future very well.

And even if we did, would we necessarily make better choices?



So whenever we’re faced with a situation where we have to choose, here’re some suggested questions to ask yourself:



How balanced am I?

How bad is the pain?

How close am I to my threshold?

If I’m past my threshold, is there a way to lower it or endure it by building up my tolerance?

Is the pleasure too much?

Am I seeking out the pleasure at the expense of other things?



Am I on the right path?

If I could go back in time and do something different, would I?

Hindsight is 20/20 as they say. Taking a closer look at it might reveal some clues to what we might be able to do in the future.



What are the consequences of my actions?

Will I or those I love be hurt by what I’m doing, or planning on doing? Or will everyone be better off?



If I move on, am I willing to live without what I leave behind?

“Folding ‘em” sometimes takes more commitment than staying. It’s a commitment to me and my future. Am I willing to risk the leap, and am I willing to let the past go?



Are there alternatives?

Are the alternatives really as good as they look from here? Or are they just better ‘cause the grass looks greener on the other side?



Are there alternatives to the alternatives?

I have more choices than I think. By opening myself up to finding new possibilities, I will discover options I’m not currently aware of.



Am I SURE?

Remember, I might not be the best judge of my moments, so I will get outside advice… from people I trust, but who don’t have a vested interest in the outcome. Remember that other people have their agendas as well, so make sure they care more about ME than themselves.



Once you’ve chosen, be ready to move forward with your choice wholeheartedly. Remember, you have more choices up ahead… and if the ones you make tomorrow aren’t much better than the ones you make today, you can go through this list again and plan for the day after tomorrow.