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Stay Away from the Poopy Party

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Baby crying

One of the funniest yet profound stories I’ve ever heard was about the young monk who goes into a monastery where you can only say two words a year.

He goes through that first year doing all the things he’s supposed to do. At the end of the year the head monk gives the young monk a chance to say his two words. “Bed hard,” he says.

Another year of painstaking work happens, better than any other monk. At the end of the year the head monk asks for the young monk’s two words. “Food bad,” he says. Another year, same thing, only this third time the young monk says, “I quit.” The head monk replies, “I’m not surprised. All you ever did was complain.”

Complaining becomes a habit. Focusing on the negative also becomes a habit. It’s one of the most detrimental habits you can possibly have. It can negatively impact you socially, affecting your personal happiness, but it can also subconsciously sabotage your money and success. How so?

First of all, when you complain to people 80% of them don’t really care, and the other 20% are kind of happy it’s happening to you. It makes them feel a lot better about their lives. Also, the ‘poor me’ victim role may have gotten you some sympathy or attention from your parents or from certain people, but successful people will not want to be around you.

We’re going to need successful people to help us get more successful, yes or yes?

The truth is nobody wants to be around a party-pooper, and complainers are the worst of them all. I get it all the time—people who love what we do at Peak Potentials, want to work with us, etc., but the way they approach me is to complain about something. Maybe they’re a sound person and they say the music was too loud at one of my programs.

They didn’t frame the approach in a positive way, like saying, “Here’s something that we can look at,” or “Here’s something you might be able to try.” All I need to hear is one complaint out of somebody and I’m like, “Back off, man! Get your own victim!”

Words have power. They are declarations to the universe. What you complain about becomes your focus and your intention, and it expands for you just like it’s suppose to. So go ahead and complain … or maybe not. You’ve got to catch yourself because no one’s going to do it for you, probably because they’re doing it, too.

Misery loves company, and those who don’t aren’t interested in the pity party. You think they’re interested because they asked you, “Hey, how’s it going,” and you start launching into, “Well, I can’t believe what so and so said and did and …” You know who’s interested? The other soap opera derby people you hang out with, not successful or even happy people.

It can be hard to change your peer group, or even dealing with loved ones who can be negative. What are some ways you’ve found to maintain a positive focus in spite of the complainers in your life? How do you care for, love and honor them while protecting yourself as well? We want to hear from you!

Nothing Has Meaning … Till You Say It Does

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We’ve all either seen, experienced or heard of someone who made the proverbial mountain out of a molehill. The consequences can vary anywhere from entertaining, to frustrating, even tragic. The everyday tragedy, though, is that so many people continue to assess a negative perception on life’s circumstances when they could just as easily do the opposite.

One of the most important spiritual laws of money, success and happiness is positive focus while also understanding that we live in a universe of duality—up/down; light/dark; black/white; right/left; in and out. You can’t have a back without there being a front. Yin cannot exist without Yang.

That duality is always going to be in everything, no matter what. You’re not going to get some good into your life without there being a downside, and vice versa. So what do we do? It’s our choice. If you see the negative side of things because that’s what you choose to look at, then all that exists for you at that time will be what?

You see the positive side, though, and what will exist for you? You and I know none of this is new, but how many people actually live this way? We get sucked into the mind Frick and we get into a habit of seeing things on the negative side, and we think that that’s what is. That’s the hilarious part. We think that what we see is reality. No! It’s your reality! You just made it your reality. Nothing has meaning until we give it meaning.

The sound is not loud, and it’s not quiet. It is vibrations going out. That’s it. You paint the picture. ‘It’s loud for me.’ For you; sure! You make it anything you want. It’s nothing until you make it something. You’re going to decide. You color things light, and then they’re light. You color them dark, they become dark. They aren’t anything. You make them something.

So what would you like to start coloring things? Light! Positive! What if it turns out to be a disaster? What do you do? You realize it’s not a disaster. It’s a nothing. It’s a neutral. You get to say, “I am going to color it that after this ‘disaster’ something good might happen.”

You’re the one in charge up here. Your thoughts aren’t anything. They’re just flickers of energy and they mean nothing until you let them mean something. You have to have empowering thoughts.

Now let’s get something straight … we know that it’s impossible to never have negative thoughts, right or right? Are we going to let that stuff live inside us? Of course we will. It’s going to happen, but the question is how long will you stay stuck in them?

What determines that? Your habits! That’s all it is. Change your habit by practicing positive focus. You practice and you move on.

Now we want to hear from you. Can you think of a situation where a pattern of negative focus cost you something? What was the specific lesson you took away from that? What practices did you implement to start cultivating a pattern of positive focus?

Million Dollar Babies (Part II)

Posted on by 30
Ideas aren’t hard to come by. They’re all around us, sometimes right in front of our noses and we don’t see them. But they’re there. And if people were more honest with themselves, everybody’s got some kind of idea that they’re excited about, or were excited about at one time or another.
That doesn’t mean all ideas are great. We’ve all heard someone’s enthusiastic brain leak only to feel like that cricket in a quiet, packed amphitheater. But there are simple methods that can help focus vague ideas into coherent, sensible choices.
Like modeling a proven winner. This is so easy. As far as I’m concerned, if someone doesn’t get rich in business while having the right people at the right time within his/her reach—which is half of it—you’re either not listening, not paying attention, or a little on the lame side. Harsh but true, and sometimes we need to just own up to it if we want to do something about it.
There’s never an excuse not to copy someone who’s already making a fortune now. The word ‘copy’ strikes people oddly because in school we learned we shouldn’t copy, but like most things we learn in school it keeps people broke.
You definitely want to be unique but do you need to be an original? Heck no! There really isn’t that much new under the sun, and if there is, let somebody else deal with unveiling it. It’ll cost them way more than it will cost you.
But we also leave ourselves with alternatives. Copying not your M.O. or forté?  Instead of copying, look for a hot product or service in a field you love and piggy back, or affiliate, with them.
Why would you affiliate with them versus doing it on your own? They might already be in the market, they might have exclusive product or a great product, they might have major distribution or a major database, or expensive equipment or technology, or the operation size is already established.
In other words, they may already have a lot of the headache kind of stuff that you didn’t have to build yourself or expense yourself or bother with at all. You’re simply there to fill a gap that is mutually beneficial.
This next one is so very simple. Change the niche of an already existing product or service.
By the way, some people call it ‘nitch’ and some people call it ‘niche’, yes? I choose nitch because it rhymes with rich.
You take something that was for the public and then say ‘I am going to make it for women’ or ‘for men only’ or ‘for seniors only’ or ‘for golfers only’. Change the market!
We’ve got target market and we’ve got product niches. Product niche is something specialty, or the biggest, or ‘only’ of some sort. Think about a store that only sells something that everybody uses, like towels. Moving into a new home? Buying a house-warming gift? Where are you going to go to get towels? Towels Only! Product nitches equal your riches!
Now it’s your turn! Give me your feedback to these tips and steps. What do you think generates million dollar ideas for business and for life? I want to hear from you!

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Ideas aren’t hard to come by. They’re all around us, sometimes right in front of our noses and we don’t see them. But they’re there. And if people were more honest with themselves, everybody’s got some kind of idea that they’re excited about, or were excited about at one time or another.

That doesn’t mean all ideas are great. We’ve all heard someone’s enthusiastic brain leak only to feel like that cricket in a quiet, packed amphitheater. But there are simple methods that can help focus vague ideas into coherent, sensible choices.

Like modeling a proven winner. This is so easy. As far as I’m concerned, if someone doesn’t get rich in business while having the right people at the right time within his/her reach—which is half of it—you’re either not listening, not paying attention, or a little on the lame side. Harsh but true, and sometimes we need to just own up to it if we want to do something about it.

There’s never an excuse not to copy someone who’s already making a fortune now. The word ‘copy’ strikes people oddly because in school we learned we shouldn’t copy, but like most things we learn in school it keeps people broke.

You definitely want to be unique but do you need to be an original? Heck no! There really isn’t that much new under the sun, and if there is, let somebody else deal with unveiling it. It’ll cost them way more than it will cost you.

But we also leave ourselves with alternatives. Copying not your M.O. or forté?  Instead of copying, look for a hot product or service in a field you love and piggy back, or affiliate, with them.

Why would you affiliate with them versus doing it on your own? They might already be in the market, they might have exclusive product or a great product, they might have major distribution or a major database, or expensive equipment or technology, or the operation size is already established.

In other words, they may already have a lot of the headache kind of stuff that you didn’t have to build yourself or expense yourself or bother with at all. You’re simply there to fill a gap that is mutually beneficial.

This next one is so very simple. Change the niche of an already existing product or service.

By the way, some people call it ‘nitch’ and some people call it ‘niche’, yes? I choose nitch because it rhymes with rich.

You take something that was for the public and then say ‘I am going to make it for women’ or ‘for men only’ or ‘for seniors only’ or ‘for golfers only’. Change the market!

We’ve got target market and we’ve got product niches. Product niche is something specialty, or the biggest, or ‘only’ of some sort. Think about a store that only sells something that everybody uses, like towels. Moving into a new home? Buying a house-warming gift? Where are you going to go to get towels? Towels Only! Product nitches equal your riches!

Now it’s your turn! Give me your feedback to these tips and steps. What do you think generates million dollar ideas for business and for life? I want to hear from you!

Fear: the Great Paralyzer

Posted on by 29

Help ButtonWhen we look at successful people, there are a variety of assumptions we can make for why they are successful. Hard work comes to mind. Smarts never hurt. Maybe they were born with advantages that other people weren’t born with.

But let’s be honest: there are times when you wonder why someone who doesn’t seem terribly bright finds success. “How the hell did they get to where they’re at? I’m smarter than them!” That may or may not be true, but one thing is for sure: however one reaches success—even if intelligence and ability weren’t factors at all—those people aren’t afraid to take action!

It’s Not All About the “Great Idea”

Lots of people have great ideas. Even more may be sharp as pencils. They can know exactly what to do. But what good is all that knowledge, imagination, and information if you’re too scared to do anything about it?

Let’s not give fear too much of a bad rap here. When mankind needed to be hyper-aware of our environment in more primal times, fear was certainly a useful tool for staying alive. We were born with the ability to fear, so like anything else we’re born with, it serves a purpose.

Fortunately, most of us aren’t typically in “fight or flight” situations like our ancestors. Unfortunately, people tend to invoke that same primal instinct about things that have nothing to do with life or death. It just seems like it when a big change or decision is upon us that moves us out of our comfort zones (even when we know financial “comfort” isn’t quite as comfortable as financial freedom).

The Protective Mind Can Hold You Back

It’s that protective mind acting like a helicopter mom, hovering over us as if every move we make will end in disaster. It’s constantly creating doom and gloom scenarios, trying to scare the heck out of us in the hopes that we won’t try anything new. It’s our own protective mind that prevents us from taking the actions necessary to reach our dreams.

When that happens, all of our great ideas are now full of uncertainty and doubt. A lot of people wait for their fear to subside before doing something. Wrong! You don’t have to be fearless in order to act. You acknowledge the fear and act anyway. Fear itself holds no real power over us.

Successful People Have Fear

Successful people have doubts and successful people worry. The only difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is that successful people act regardless of the fear. Even those who don’t have integrity or brains but who act anyway are going to find more success than geniuses with integrity who keep it to themselves because they’re too afraid to put themselves out there.

Habitual fear can be paralyzing. It can trick us into believing that we can’t act, that we shouldn’t act, that acting toward what we really want is going to lead to pain because that’s what we’ve been taught, or because that’s what happened before. You’re never going to be happy or successful if you don’t get beyond fear.

 

Now it’s your turn: What’s been some of your biggest fears, anxieties and worries that—now that you look back on it—were overblown? What was the result once you got past those fears? Where in your life are you letting fear, doubt or worry stop you from taking the necessary actions for happiness and success? Share here so others can learn from your experiences.

Remember this:  Don’t let fear ever paralyze you into inaction. Overcome your fears!

Go Hard or Go Home

Posted on by 17

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I’ve seen that mantra in several different contexts, in particular to athletics or anything with a kind of “edge” to it. It comes off a little severe, like something those guys who pound each other in cages on Pay per View would say. Train hard, push hard, work hard, fight hard. Otherwise, what’s the point?

In general, people recognize the truth in the phrase ‘Go Hard or Go Home.’ If you’re going to do something, either be the absolute best you can be or don’t do it at all. Well, not everything. You can enjoy the heck out of playing golf, but you don’t have to be a PGA player to get something out of playing. You do it strictly because you want to, no reasons needed.

Consider, though, the difference between something you do for fun versus something you’re doing for your life, like working toward financial freedom, or living more healthy. Being an average golfer is fine, but there’s no such thing as an average millionaire. You’re either a millionaire or you’re not, and quite frankly there aren’t as many millionaires as there are wanna-be millionaires.

In other words, you can’t just “okay” yourself to riches. You’re either going to master wealth, or you’re not.

That’s where the warrior mentality is critical for the mind of the millionaire. The warrior always chooses to be a master. A warrior has to! There is no other option. For a real warrior, mastery can make the difference between life and death. Not that being anything less than rich equals being dead, but the same kind of must-mentality is … a must!

Mastery isn’t as much a skill as it is a matter of discipline, desire, and commitment to taking your life to another level. Most people are not living anywhere near their potential because they’re playing in the minor leagues. Major leaguers, no matter what job or industry, are making lots of money because they’re not afraid of themselves, the work, the responsibility, making the necessary changes, of playing big, and they believe they must play big in order to win big.

Does it take more work to play in the majors than in the minors? Not necessarily. It takes more practice for sure, but sometimes all it takes are minor adjustments to your thinking and how you apply your skills in order to make big changes.

If you want to master anything, you’ll have to do at least some things differently. Your standards must change, your thinking needs to change from “This is okay” to “I can do much better,” and you’ll need to find reasons why there’s room to get bigger rather than reasons why not.

Can you be a master at everything? No, nor does anybody need to be. You need, instead, to prioritize, choose and focus on those things you really want for yourself. Whatever you choose, know that you’re going to master it or not take it on. If you aren’t willing to see your potential and hold yourself to it, then you won’t master much.

You will always get what you’re willing to settle for. The hardest part isn’t actually becoming a master. It’s deciding that you’re going to be one in the first place, and not going backwards from that moment on.

Now it’s your turn!  Are you playing in the major leagues or still down at the minors?  If you are mastering your life, what was the turning point to get you to make the shift up?  If you are still in the minors, what will it take to get you to play bigger?  Share here—someone just might read what you write and be inspired to live a better life.

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