From Slave Camp To Freedom

“Shared By Carla”

 

The late Earl Nightingale was, for many years, the most listened to man on radio.  His radio show, “Our Changing World” was broadcast on over 1,000 radio stations around the world.  He researched and wrote every show himself.   The man virtually devoured books.  He was consumed with the idea of why so few people succeed in life and so many others do not. I had the good fortune of working for a number of years with Earl.  It was a tremendous learning experience; one I treasure more with each passing year.

We all admire the courageous person and quite often consider the individual who lacks courage, a coward.  However, that is not how Earl Nightingale saw it.  He said the opposite of courage was not cowardness, it was conformity.  I believe the more you think about that, the more you will be inclined to agree with him. It takes courage to break away from the crowd, to go your own way, to do the thing that may be unpopular.  It takes courage to stand up for the person who is being unjustly criticized, rather than agreeing and going along with the crowd.  It takes courage for the teenager to say no, when all the rest of the kids begin going down the wrong path.

Earl Nightingale was correct – the opposite of courage is conformity.  It is one reason so few people enjoy any lasting success.  It is so easy to go along with the large group.  We don’t have to stand out, to be different.

The next time you are encouraged to fall into line, to be a sport and everything in you says no – be courageous and go your own way.  There is no compensation in conformity.

By Bob Proctor

I learned a ton from Jack Canfield in his “Website Home Page” Course. If you see writing articles in your future Website Home Page Course to Reserve your Course in your future check him out, he really is a good teacher. ==>http://justclicknow.ca/JackCanfieldHP

“Shared By Carla”

 

There are all kinds of love. The passionate romantic love immortalized and often fantasized by poets and novelists; Platonic love among friends, the love of humanity preached by missionaries and ministers, the love of country, and even the love of our work. I’ve been fortunate to have experienced all of these forms but none has impressed me more than the deep, enduring and totally unselfish love I feel for my children. That’s why I “love” this parable.

A 6-year-old girl I’ll call Sarah knocked over a display case that contained a much-cherished vase once owned by her great-grandmother. Her mom loved that vase and frequently referred to it as the family treasure. The vase hit the floor with a loud crash and shattered into pieces. Sarah, shocked and frightened at what she’d done, screamed and began sobbing.

Her mom came running into the room fearing the worst. Seeing the shattered vase, her heart sank. Then she saw Sarah sitting on the floor wailing. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’m sorry, Mommy. I broke the family treasure!”

Seeing despair on her daughter’s face, the mother’s heart plunged further.

Faced with two powerful and conflicting instincts – one toward anger and blame, the other toward compassion and forgiveness, she sat next to Sarah, pulled her on her lap, and kissed her tears. “Sweetheart, when I ran in here, I was terrified that something bad had happened to our family’s most precious treasure. But thank God, you’re okay. Sarah, you are the family treasure.”

Sarah’s mom turned what could have been a painful incident and a lifelong source of guilt into an enduring source of affirmation and worthiness.

I wonder if I would have had the presence of mind to realize in the instant after an upsetting event that I could choose my reaction and that my choice would have a permanent impact on someone I love.

The reaction of Sarah’s mom was nothing short of heroic and stands as a reminder that, even in the face of powerful emotions, we do have choices — and they really matter.

Remember, character counts.

By Michael Josephson

I learned a ton from Jack Canfield in his “Jack’s Success Store” Course. If you see writing articles in your future TJack’s Success Store Course to Reserve your Course in your future check him out, he really is a good teacher. ==>http://justclicknow.ca/JackCanfieldP

“Shared By Carla”

 

Have you ever wondered how children can sit through replay after replay of their favorite Lion King or Little Mermaid video? It amazes me that they’ll voluntarily watch the same show every day without a single complaint or request for something new.

What’s more amazing, though, is that adults do the very same thing with their days.

The majority of men and women play “movies” in their heads again and again, relentlessly focusing on the review of past events, most of which are unpleasant and disturbing experiences that have come their way.

If they’re actually able to stop their contemplation of past events, they allow impressions of their current surroundings and results to govern their lives. And, once in a while for variety’s sake, they’ll contemplate the future by either worrying about it, or daydreaming and wishing that something better might come along. And then they wonder why bad things keep happening to them, or why they never rise above the issues and obstacles in their lives.

Frankly, they would be better off watching The Lion King 40 times a day – because at least then, they’d be immersed in a creative and upbeat, positive process. See, most people have never learned how to “program” creative and upbeat “movies” in their heads because they’ve never been taught the value of creative visioning and purposeful thinking.

If you doubt me, listen to the varied conversations going on around you. Sadly enough, I can readily predict that you’ll hear a Dante’s nightmare of disconnected thoughts with very little effort put forth in carrying on a purposeful (much less positively-minded) conversation. While it is true that people are free to think anything they please, as long as they remain set in their ways, there is very little that can be done to change the unpleasant experiences that keep cropping up in their lives.

There is, however, a strong movement that is stirring the multitudes into a new conception of living. The study of the mind – and its veritable unearthly power – is at last taking its proper place in modern civilization. Proper use of the mind and its various faculties will give you anything you choose – but the emphasis here is on the word “proper.” To move in this favored direction requires study and focused, consistent effort … with a good measure of creative juices stirred in.

In the classic movie, Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle tells young Susie Walker she can become whatever she chooses through the aid of her imagination. Kris went on to explain, the “Imagi-Nation” is a place we can all go … just like the British nation or the French Nation.

Although this may seem a cute line from a movie, it’s also a very healthy way to view the imagination.

Your mind is a place you can purposely go to. And FREE WILL is your passport. No one is ever refused entry. There are no borders or limits put on the size of what can be built. And best of all, it’s a universal nation that allows all of us citizenry!

Just as the oak tree develops from the gene that lies within the acorn, and a bird develops from the gene that lies asleep in the egg, so too will your achievements grow from the organized plans that first begin with your imagination. An image in your mind is the first stage of the creative process in life. From your imagination your visions and plans arise.

In his best selling book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill wrote, “You will never have a definite purpose in life; you will never have self confidence; you will never have initiative and leadership unless you first create these qualities in your imagination and see yourself in possession of them.” He went on to say that, “… imagination is the most marvellous, miraculous, inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known.”

Now, let’s use our imagination and start to build a picture. I want to introduce you to an interesting concept that I have taught in my seminars for years. If you grasp this concept to the fullest, you can BE, HAVE or DO anything your heart desires … and I mean anything.

I want to talk about Fantasy – Theory – Fact. The premise underlying this concept is that everything has its origination in the form of Fantasy, which some adventurous soul dared turn into a theory and then became bold enough to turn into a fact. The entire transition, of course, is the result of the highest form of positive thinking, concentration and what could very easily be construed as erratic behavior.

Give this serious thought for a moment. The idea of moon landings, communicating by email, traveling on jets, cellular phones or wearing synthetic garments was, a very short time ago, sheer fantasy. Today, they are considered commonplace. How did that happen? Well let’s take a few moments and give it some thought.

This entire cosmos is filled with thought stuff – a creative form of energy. Your marvelous mind has factors that you can, with little effort, develop to use to improve the quality of life, not just for yourself, but for human kind. Imagination is one of those creative faculties.

The individuals who were responsible for the conception and creation of the email, cell phones and any of the thousands of modern conveniences we enjoy today had a highly developed imagination. Furthermore, they were not easily influenced by the opinions of the masses, the naysayers who historically have criticized and ridiculed anything they do not understand. These pioneers used their mental faculties to fantasize, to build wild and wonderful pictures in their mind. Then, holding their thought with their will, they began to watch their fantasy unfold into a theory and then into fact. They seemed to have an innate awareness that if they could visualize it, they could do it.

Hence, the fantasy was turned into a theory followed by thoughts of how they could, not why they couldn’t. That is how we got out of the cave and into the condominium.

Let your mind play. Fantasize a much better form of life than you presently enjoy. Try it – you’ll like it! Draft your future with imagination, ponder and calculate with intelligence and awareness, then knit it carefully with care.

Your mental growth or development will determine what the future holds for you. Go to your mental nation and build a beautiful picture of where you want to find yourself one year from today. Then, devise paths and find tools to help get you there.

A few ideas:

• Design an effective program for your own personal development.

• Build a worthwhile library.

• Make a list of 12 good books you will read and refer to – one each month.

• Select programs that will help you understand the awesome powers you possess and how to utilize those powers in practical ways to improve the quality of your life.

• Commit to reaching new goals. The only barrier separating you from your goal is ignorance – ignorance of how simple … and simply powerful … your mind really is.

• Replace the ignorance with knowledge. And replace your old movies with the movies you’ve always wanted to write – they’re there, just waiting for you in your Imagi-Nation.

Use your imagination,

By Bob Proctor

I learned a ton from Jack Canfield in his “Trainings – Train the Trainer” Course. If you see writing articles in your future Trainings – Train the Trainer Course to Reserve your Course in your future check him out, he really is a good teacher. ==>http://justclicknow.ca/TheTrainer

“Shared By Carla”

 

Attracting Friendships that Serve You and Last a Lifetime!

What you’re about to read is a love story… well, not so much a love story as a love letter – A Soul Sister story and one of the greatest lessons of my life, to date.

There was a 5-year period in my twenties (up until about 2 years ago) where I found myself completely friendless. Sure I had my family, my boyfriend, his family and my coworkers but I didn’t have a BFF/female/friendship connection. It was a lonely time in my life.

How and why did I find myself in this situation? Well, believe it or not, it was by choice.

I once read that if you’re the most successful, ambitious and driven of all your friends, you better find new friends. And in order to attract those new friends, you must first make room in your life to receive them – you must create the vacuum.

At first that sounded just a tad harsh… I mean, I loved my friends, they’d been in my life for years! We’d been through all kinds of things together: dates, breakups, new careers and countless stupid decisions that often came back to bite us.

Some never did fool me – I knew they were only a part of my life out of convenience. But there were a handful that I felt I had developed true, meaningful friendships with. The idea that I might one day actually choose to move on from these friendships seemed completely improbable and highly unlikely.

But that is exactly what happened.

In 2007 I found myself longing for something more. I was working as a Nanny and, while I loved my job, I felt deep in my soul that something was missing. I was meant for more. I was capable of more. I had an entrepreneurial spirit that couldn’t be ignored.

I began studying the work of James Allen, Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale and Bob Proctor.

The information was mind blowing! The idea that my thoughts, feelings and actions determine my results was a truly liberating concept. I learned that I hold the key to the prison that is my mind. If I could control my thoughts, I could create anything I wanted!

I remember introducing a couple of friends to my new world – those who I believed would be present in my life for a lifetime. I was so excited to share my discovery with them and disappointed that all I received in return was skepticism and negativity. It was deflating and discouraging, to say the least.

But then I remembered… if I’m the most successful, ambitious and driven of all my friends, I had better find new friends. And in order to attract those new friends, I must first make the space for them and create, what I like to now call, The Friendship Vacuum.

As painful as it was I knew I HAD to make some changes with regard to the people I was hanging around. If I wanted to become a successful entrepreneur and have the time, money and mental freedom I longed for, I needed to spend time with others looking to achieve similar dreams – or better yet, people who have already achieved them.

I started spending less and less time with those friends in my life who seemed perfectly happy and content where they were and had no desire whatsoever for something more. They weren’t bad people, by the way; they just weren’t interested in changing or growing or improving.

Before long, I was lonelier than the man in the lighthouse.

I quickly began questioning my decision. It was a mental battle each and every day not to pick up the phone and apologize for my mistake in order to rekindle our friendship. But I stayed true to my decision and wished them well.

“Successful people make decisions quickly and firmly.
Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly, and they change them often.”

– Napoleon Hill
Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement

Months passed, then years, and I still didn’t have any new, close, true friends to speak of. And then there was one. Finally, after 5 years of waiting, waiting, waiting!

I would quickly discover that one is all I needed because the vision I held was very clear. I asked the universe for a BFF who…

·      Loves me unconditionally

·      Sees the beauty in my quirkiness

·      Is interested in growing and studying together

·      Can keep a secret

·      Let’s me in

·      Makes me laugh when I cry

·      Can find the positive in any situation

·      Is driven for success

·      Operates with integrity, kindness and positivity

There are more traits I asked for, but those are the biggies. Enter Mykie Oyler.

It seemed out of the blue when she entered my life; I didn’t see it coming, yet I knew she was on her way and I welcomed the opportunity for new friendship with open arms. Once we met it was so obvious that she was exactly who I had been waiting for – and well worth the wait. She was all the things I asked for, and so much more.

There was no way I was squandering this answer to my prayers. I jumped in with both feet, complete faith and an open heart. I trusted her with my secrets. I let her see me cry. I let her in to my quirky side. And I offered her the same safe space of unconditional friendship, as well.

We became fast friends.

Now, 2 years later, ours is one of the most precious and valued relationships in my life. Where I lack, she excels and visa versa. We’re an incredible team.

And here’s an interesting insight I experienced by creating a Friendship Vacuum:  We don’t attract to us what we want; we attract what we are.

During those lonely years, I put all my time and energy into learning and applying the material I was both studying personally and working with on a career basis.   My mind became so clear and focused on the traits I dearly desired in a true friend, that I literally incorporated and reinforced those very same traits in myself.

I attracted what I wanted because it had become who I was. Isn’t that interesting?

The Friendship Vacuum may seem like a scary concept – and rightfully so. But it’s worth it! And that’s why I challenge you to really consider your relationships and whether they serve and support you in your growth.

Here’s my promise to you: If you will get clear about what you want and who you want to be, create a space for it in your life, and be willing to give as good as you get – you will be very pleasantly surprised by the kind of quality relationships waiting on the other side of the Friendship Vacuum!

To my Best Friend, my Partner in Crime, my Inspiration, my Soul Sister … I am grateful for you every day.  I love you Mykie Jo Oyler!

XO

By Becca Hanson

I learned a ton from Jack Canfield in his “Trainings – Breakthrough to Success Home Page” Course. If you see writing articles in your future Trainings – Breakthrough to Success Home Page Course to Reserve your Course in your future check him out, he really is a good teacher. ==>http://justclicknow.ca/SuccessTraining