CBS 60 Minutes Sunday

No, I'm not writing about the fabled T-V newsmagazine show, to-day I'm talking about how you can create your own news.


This is another work assignment for you.


Change
Belief
Systems


60 Minutes: The time you spend each week on this assignment.


Sunday: The day of the week you do this on. Now, your "Sunday" may be on Wednesday, or another day in the week that you're not otherwise working.


What you'll need:


* Pen
* Spiral notebook
* A timer or clock to time yourself
* An hour minimum to devote to this


Now, I want you to challenge your BS...Belief Systems! that are not serving you. So write out in full detail any disempowering belief you might have, then substitute one for one that better serves you. Write out exactly what you want your life to look like when it is ideal. Note I said when  not if, because we're in the business here of literally changing your Reality. And you don't have to write for the entire 60 minutes, you can take short breaks, but try to keep them very short, no more than five minutes, because I want you here to focus and attain clarity about what it is you're really wanting to achieve in Life.


Now, you might say, "Tim, you're having us do all this writing and thinking and it's too hard." You think this is hard? Try failure.


The purpose is to ultimately for you to take the next steps, which I'll outline in my next post. For now, do this for at least 12 weeks and see what happens. What else are you going to do for an hour, anyway? Watch someone else make the news?  Go out and make some of your own.


To Your Greatest Life,
Tim

ThanksReceiving

On this particular day, there is lots of commentary about the necessity of gratitude. Every good personal development resource has emphasized the need for it, and all such material is readily available.


HOWEVER, to-day I'm going to talk about the need to be an excellent RECEIVER of blessings. When you receive a compliment about something, an excellent recipe, an article of clothing or something you do that helps someone else, do you say "O it was nothing" or "O this? I just picked it up at The Thrift Store" or "Hey, that's what I'm paid to do" ? 


If you have ever said anything like that STOP IT. Simply say, when you receive a compliment of any kind, "Thank you." That's it.


You are deserving of Great Things and Great Experiences. Remember this, on this Day of Thanks.


To your Success,
Tim

5-Minute Weekly Jump-Start

What you'll need:


* A notebook 
* A pen
* A timer


Each Monday morning before I go to work I sit down with all of the above and set my timer for five minutes. That's how long I give myself to write out each of my major goals. Each goal, five minutes.


Why do this? The time constraint forces you to write only that which is necessary about the goal and eliminates the need for needless detail. This also brings clarity, which is vital as well.


I recommend that you have at least a minimum of five goals in each of the following areas:


* Career & Financial
* Relationship & family
* Health & wellness
* Spirituality
* Educational


Now, if you need to take a rest from writing in between, go ahead, but keep the momentum going.


Do this at least once a week for at least 3 months and see what happens. And of course, re-write each goal in 1-2 sentence form daily. 


To Your Greatest Life,
Tim

Continuous Baby Step Improvement

What I've committed myself to do, is practice what is known in business as Kaizen. This is the philosophy of incremental, continuing improvement, or baby steps if you will.


When engaging in a personal development program, set a goal of improving your performance by 1/2% each week. In a 52-week year that's 26%. And if you're committed for the long haul, that's 2600% over 10 years. 


Remember, an avalanche begins by the smallest snow ball that rolls down the mountainside, picks up momentum and eventually overwhelms everything in it's path. That's what you need to strive for too. Remember, if you're not getting better, you're getting worse.


ACTION STEP: Ask yourself where in your life and career can you apply the Kaizen philosophy.


To your growth,
Tim

Be A Reverse Paranoid

About 12-13 years ago, I had a dream to get into the adult entertainment industry, to work behind the scenes in sales and distribution. So I figured the first step on this career ladder would be to get a job as a clerk in an adult video store. So I read the want ads in the newspaper every day and lo and behold a job came up that was what I thought I wanted.


So I went, filled out the application, fervently prayed for it, and nothing happened. So I figured, OK, another position would come up later on. Well, I wound up working in retail at another job, and I forgot about what I originally wanted.


It was only in later years that I realized that not getting what I had originally wanted was actually the best for me. The adult entertainment industry was not an area would've been comfortable or happy for me. The direction my life and career took was much, much better.


I have become a reverse paranoid. What does that mean? It means that I believe the world is plotting to do me good. Everything that happens to me that I consciously cause to create, all the people I meet, the circumstances that occur, everything is leading me to a better place. 


So to the owner of Bachelor Books I say "Thank you" for not hiring me.


ACTION STEP: Reflect on everything that has happened to you up to this point in your life. Are you grateful for the prayers that weren't answered?


To your greater achievements,
Tim 

"That's a cute idea, Tim, but...."

I shouldn't be doing this, but I'm going to anyway. I have anticipated a possible response to my creation of my Goal Wizard persona.


"That's a very nice idea, and it's kind of cute, but what exactly are you going to DO to make your concept a successful one?"


A good question. Let me say this. I'm in for the long haul, and not just to make a quick buck. While I want to make a profit and impact as many lives as I possibly can, I understand that it may take anywhere from two to five years of hard, hard work and careful planning if I want to see this concept take off.


There is much training and education I need to obtain myself. I need to learn to write a business plan. I need to see if my concept is feasible. I admit, I know more fundamentals of success than most people I know, but I'm very VERY far from where I need to be.


And the time will pass anyway. For 8 years of my life I was in a dead-end situation. I lived in halfway houses having to share a room and quarters with people I didn't want to be around, eating what I didn't want to eat, having little or no possessions of my own and flat broke and unemployable. But I endured and now I have work that is meaningful, I live in my own apartment, and I have greater freedom to-day than I had 8 years ago.


If I can pull myself out of a seemingly hopeless situation, then anybody else can, too. I have learned, and am still learning, tools and techniques that ensure my continued freedom.


So it will be more than just a dreamer in a funny hat. It will take discipline and the willingness to invest my time, money and effort into an education that will benefit not only myself and those I will serve, but also all those not yet born.


ACTION STEP: Ask yourself "Am I willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)?"


To Your Greater Success,
Tim 

The Corridor Principle

The Corridor Principle is something I learned from Brian Tracy. It simply says that when you get out there and take action, when you go into "The Corridor" what do you see? Doors!


And some of those doors will open for you! And some you may have to open yourself. But you don't get to the doors unless you get into The Corridor. 


Here's a great quote I've seen attributed to either Johann Wolfgang von Goethe or W.H. Murray:


"Until one is committed there is the chance to draw back; always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative and creation there is one elemental truth, the ignorance of which kills countless splendid plans; that the moment one definitively commits oneself then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed would come his way. Whatever you can do,or dream you can begin it! Boldness has genius, magic and power in it. Begin now!"


ACTION STEP: Make a list of what "doors" you would like opened for you then take a baby step if necessary, and get out there ever more slightly away from your "comfort zone."


To Your Excellence,
Tim 

Surround Yourself With People Smarter Than You

I am grateful for all those people who are smarter than I am. The people @ Google for example, I depend on their search engine for my work as a coach; this blog hosting service, Blogger, I couldn't design or do code if it would kill me (though I'm not ruling out learning this in future); my supervisors @ my current job for knowing how to co-ordinate the workplace.


It can go on and on; the people who perform the music I listen to; grow my food; perform medical services...these people are indispensable and I must strive-and so must you-to be excellent at what I do so that when I'm gone it will be hard to find someone to fill my place.


The jobs I've performed in the past, when I've left someone can easily take my place-loading & unloading trucks, mopping floors, operating a cash register, stocking shelves. But what I'm striving for NOW is to provide a unique service, to positively impact the lives of as many people as I possibly can.


And surrounding myself with people smarter than I am and being grateful for them is key.


ACTION STEP: Make a list of all the services you depend on. Then list the people who do them and then ask yourself "How can I grow to be the one others depend upon?"


To Your Excellence,
Tim  

Not Taking Things Personally

Yester-day I went out grocery shopping. I had to take the bus to get home, and at the bus stop there were 12 other people waiting as well. Well, the bus came and it was already half full, and all the other people got seats...except me. I had to stand the entire time it took me to get home.


During the trip, I inwardly seethed, wondering how did I attract THIS? Why was it whenever there are lots of people riding the bus, I always end up standing? Etc., etc. Questions which I later reflected upon, that were really disempowering. 


Well, I got home and put my groceries away and then sitting down and then asking myself was it really that bad? Yes, you did have to stand, and you got home safely. Also, reflect on the fact that lots of people have to take the bus, ride bicycles and walk around. People are doing the best they can with what they have.


In Goal Setting you might find yourself frustrated at times. If things do not seem to go well for you, remember the 80/20 Rule I spoke about in an earlier post. Relax, put things in perspective, and just keep on keepin' on. 


Tim

Free Stuff

As promised, here's a list of just some of the resources out there that I've found useful.


Brian Tracy International

Brian has a e-book edition of his book Goals! available for free, but you have to sign up for his email newsletters & promotions, which you get about one a day. His products are the finest available, especially his 8-CD program The Ultimate Goals Program. 

Learn Out Loud

This is the section of the site that has free mp3 programs on goals; and I encourage you to go through the site and explore for more good stuff. Also the products they sell are excellent and the service is great as well.

When I find more, I'll be sure to share them with you.

Live Bold,

Tim, The Goal Wizard

The 80/20 Rule: Living in the 20

First, to get an idea about the 80/20 Rule, read THIS:
80/20 Rule.


OK, so a confession on my part. I usually say that, in applying the 80/20 Rule that 80% of the time, things will go well for me, i.e. I won't have any major hassles at work, I'll get all green lights, the bus will run on time, etc. 


It's that 20%, though, that got me this week. I neglected my work, my spiritual practice, my intellectual rigor for about 3 days. I did those things that I find myself condemning; I watched junk "reality" T-V, stuffed myself with crappy food and slept for 12-15 hours at a stretch. So yeah, it's not always going to be easy.


But to-day I took action. First, I got my ass out of bed and went to work. Just showing up and doing what the day demands was enough to make a positive impact. Next, just before I'm writing this, I set my timer for 2 hours and just sat down and chanted Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and did evening Gongyo for that period of time. After I finish writing this, I'm going to take a candlelit hot bubblebath then watch my latest dvd from NetFlix Agora.


Then to-morrow it's doing laundry, grocery shopping and sharing some a great site where you can download FREE mp3 programs on...well, SETTING GOALS!


Anyway, my message for to-day is strive to be in the top 20%, don't get dragged down into negativity that it becomes your 80% of living.


Until to-morrow,
Tim