Serial Entrepreneur NewsletterJuly 2-2010
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.-Helen Keller
Lately for some unknown reason I have cross path with so many people looking for security, the media has everyone so afraid that things are bad. I guess they can be if you want them to be, you have to understand that most of what you are looking at is not real. Take a look at how athletes pay are continue to increase and more and more stores are opening, yes you can say look at the ones that are closing, the real question is why are they closing. Was management competitive with the times, you notice I say management. I have seen a lot of great programs and management failed to execute the concept. The same goes for you as an individual. Are you staying in tune with your potential. I have always believed that everyone should always remember that there is an entire universe beyond the stars... reach for it.
Your parting words when leaving someone should not be "Take Care" they should be "Take a Chance."
Time to Be Inspired
by: Ed Ellis, Sr.
It could well be myth - but, then again, many myths are simply facts lost in the mists of time - that, having struggled for many years to find the meaning of life, the Buddha became enlightened when he was simply sitting under a tree. Again, it may well be legend, but legend has it that Sir Isaac Newton made is most important scientific discovery, once again, whilst sitting under a tree. And although it was an apple that reputedly dropped for Newton, you've got to find your own tree to allow your very own pennies to drop for you.
What you have to understand is that inspiration only comes to the clear uncluttered mind - and the normal mind is anything but clear and uncluttered. Decades of research across various fields of psychology tell us that the normal mind is overwhelmed by random thought - some fifty thousand random thoughts whizz through our minds every single day. Many of those thoughts are harmless but, on the basis of the research, some of those thoughts are self-destructive - I was going to say positively self-destructive but that would be a contradiction - these negative thoughts are toxic. These are the thoughts that create the illusions of low self-esteem, lack of self confidence, worry, stress, anxiety, panic and depression. Left in its normal latent state, the normal adult mind is simply incapable of being inspired.
And is life worth living without the spark of inspiration? Is life nothing more than going through the motions if you're not excited and delighted by the cut and thrust of the out-of-the-ordinary? Unfortunately, the out-of-the-ordinary is far too rare an occurrence for the normal mind that survives on the comfort of the mundane. But, if you don't jog yourself out of the slumber of the mundane you will simply not have lived life to the full - you're missing out on a whole world of excitement, success and happiness that is right in front of you - all you have to do is unclutter your mind. But if you choose to stay muddled, cluttered and, essentially, dead to the world, not only are you making some bizarre choice that you deliberately want to miss out on all life's excitement, in taking this option you'll also be a drain on the energy of those around you - particularly those who you claim to love - you'll end up destroying their lives too.
The point is that everyone is capable of being both inspired and inspiring - an inspiration to others. Everyone is capable of leaping out of the normal mundane and living their very best life. But that is never going to happen until you make space for inspiration. You've got to give yourself the clear, uncluttered time to let the inner you out. My next-door neighbor, use to ask me what I did for a living. And, although I have explained it to him many times, he came up to me at a barbecue recently and asked me the same question. I asked him what was it that he didn't understand about what I do. His answer: "No, it's just that it seems to me and my wife that you waste a lot of time doing nothing!"
Doing nothing is not a waste of time. Doing nothing can often be the time most fruitfully spent. The peace and clarity of mind that comes with spending time doing nothing is the fertile ground in which inspirational ideas simply spring to life. Thomas Edison found that he only became inspired in his mind's quiet moments and, rather than wait for that to happen to him on a random basis, or last thing at night, he deliberately set about regularly creating quiet moments for his mind during the course of his working day. With over four hundred inventions patented in his name, I think he might have been onto something! Pablo Picasso said that he wasn't sure when inspiration would strike so he made sure that he cultivated a prepared mind.
How prepared are you to be inspired? How often do you simply let your mind go off on flights of fancy? I'm not talking about entertaining negative thought - I'm talking about simply letting your mind wander onto what normal people would find undoable or unachievable. Such things are only undoable to a normal mind constrained by pre-programmed thought. De-program yourself - let yourself go, let yourself off the hook of normal 'living inside the box'. Find your tree, sit under it and spend some quality time doing nothing.
Extreme Life Makeover:
5 Simple Steps to Change Your Life
by: Ed Ellis, Sr.
Are you ready for an extreme life makeover? Then you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll guide you through the different facets of life which you can improve on, so you can attain utmost happiness and fulfillment in life.
If you're prepared for your extreme life makeover, read on!
Step 1: Get Some Alone Time.
One of the most important stages of self-development is coming to terms with yourself. What do you really want to happen in your life? Is there anything you like or don't like about yourself? What issues are you dealing with at the moment?
Self reflection is very important. Unless you understand yourself, you won't be able to figure out what to do with your life.
Step 2: Nurture Your Relationships.
Relationships are a vital part of an extreme life makeover. Chances are, you don't have such a great relationship with some people. Now is the time to correct that.
Start with those closest to you. When was the last time you talked to your mother? Oh, was it when you two argued over the phone? Why don't you give her another call?
Stay away from topics that cause arguments. Instead, ask her how she's doing and talk about mundane things. Or better yet, visit her and bring along something you know she'll like.
Step 3: Improve Your Financial Condition.
An extreme life makeover often involves dealing with financial problems. Tackle one small issue at a time. Don't be embarrassed to ask for financial advice.
Perhaps you could get advice from one of your relatives or friends who have been successful in their career, business or investments. Take note that even if your adviser is an accountant or economist, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are good in handling money.
It is important to actually take advice from those who have real-hand experience and who "walk their talk."
If you're really down in the dumps, you should think about working a little on the side. If you've already got a day job, you can get a part-time job to enhance your skills or take night classes to increase your knowledge.
Step 4: Develop New Skills.
Learning a new skill is essential. Why don't you ask around and see if there are any free community classes available? For all you know, they could be holding a baking class for free a few blocks away from your house!
Never pass up the opportunity to learn something new. If you have a friend who knows how to draw and you're interested in this craft, ask your friend to teach you. That skill can come quite in handy. Or if your brother knows how to make furniture, ask him to teach you a few tricks.
Step 5: Get Help.
An extreme life makeover is definitely going to be life changing. If you can afford it, don't be hesitant to get professional help. These days, there are a lot of life coaches around that can help set your life straight.
An extreme life makeover is called extreme for a reason. You might not feel the change at first; but when it does, you need to be prepared.
Do You Waste Time and Money with Self Help Books and DVD's ?
by: Ed Ellis, Sr.
Do you ever wonder why some people, no matter how hard they try fail in just about any endeavor they attempt?
Is there a missing 'key' somewhere? That if turned could lead to greater success?
Yes - there is, that's the good news - and it all boils down to something that's just not taught in schools and colleges, universities and establishments like them.
We are all run by the 'software' in our heads, our attitudes, beliefs, reactions to events are all governed by our thoughts - i.e. what goes on in our minds. The only difference between successful people and unsuccessful people are the programs that they run in their heads, and the subsequent actions that these inspire.
Have you ever been taught the basics of 'how' we think? We need to have a simple 'model' on which to work.
Without this fundamental understanding there is a very real chance that having been taught a new skill - the application of this skill, to promote positive and lasting change in your life, will fail and you drift back into your old ways of doing things quite quickly.
Learn how our minds can ignore, distort or generalize inputs, with perhaps devastating consequences. All this filtering, distortion and generalization can go on at such a base level that you are not aware that it is happening at all. One of the key elements in manifesting positive and lasting change is to become aware that these processes are going and then learning how you can interject and use your conscious mind to either become aware of the thoughts in the first place, or replace negative distortions with positive distortions and to stop the process of generalization in its tracks.
Understanding how our attitudes and beliefs combine with the various inputs and how this can then directly affect your emotional state - which directly affects the quality of any decisions.
It is possible to directly affect the emotional state with for instance regular exercise, many people are amazed at just how good they start to feel after a couple of weeks of exercise. A simple brisk walk for half an hour 3 - 4 times a week will be enough to start a positive change. Meditation and Relaxation techniques can also be introduced to help with the processes.
The quality of any decisions you make reflects in the quality of life that you lead. If your emotional state affects the quality of the decisions you make - it makes sense to put yourself in the best emotional state as often as possible.
Having learnt how the mind works, you can then start building on this foundation with the many good self help books, courses and DVD's etc. And the chances are that now the information in them will be put to good use to make lasting and positive change.
So the answer to the opening question in the title is - maybe - if the foundations that you are building on are a little shaky, then no matter how much knowledge you try to digest, you will not have the results that you deserve and are capable of. You first need to build the foundations properly.
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