Saturday 27 July 2013

Overcoming Obstacles to Success

by

Monika Shaw


Has this ever happened to you? You begin a program, a project, a task or even a diet with the best intentions telling yourself that this is the day you will begin to achieve your goal, then - Pow! An unforeseen setback, roadblock or obstacle hits you that you did not see coming.

We never see these "accidents or obstacles" that come into our lives as anything positive or helpful. We look at them as detours to take us off the path we have committed to be on. It happens to almost everyone at some point in our lives; setbacks, obstacles - whether career, financial, or health-related, obstacles are unavoidable and we find ourselves out of sync with our goal. How do we stay on track? How do we overcome these inconvenient and untimely obstacles that appear unannounced and attempt to keep us from achieving success in the goals we have set?

I have found that the first and most common obstacle that most people can identify with is that many times, there is no clear definition of a goal. This alone can cause you to sabotage your road to success before you even begin. Without a clear goal, a destination to direct your efforts and energy toward, you find that you have created your first obstacle to keep you from achieving success. Clarity of goal is difficult to identify in a few short sentences if you really have no idea what it is that you want to achieve.

Right now, before you continue reading, do this exercise; Think about what it is that you want to achieve. What is that burning desire, that goal you want to achieve? Set your mind to addressing and answering this question. Take the time to write it out, then edit, edit, edit so that you own it in your mind, and can say it clearly in a few short sentences. Doing this forces you to be specific and will remove a lot of external "sidebar goals" that can draw you away from your main focus or objective.

Next, recognize that you may be an obstacle to your success. Do you tend to whitewash some of your negative habits as 'that is just the way I am'? Be honest and realistic with yourself. Identify these habits so that you can watch and recognize them as you set out on your journey toward your goal.

Most people, if you were to ask them would readily agree that fear and doubt are two of the major obstacles that keep them from pursuing their dreams, desires, or their goals. But let us focus beyond that and get more specific.

To help you identify your habits, here are some common obstacles that people face:
  • Lack of focus 
  • Unclear goals 
  • Not knowing where to begin 
  • Procrastination 
  • Interruptions 
  • Lack of self-esteem 
  • Inability to let go 
  • Hoarding (hanging on to everything) 
  • Negative thinking or Negative Self-Talk
Perhaps you may find your habits in the above list, or have different ones - only you know for sure. But is that really true? Sometimes, it is wise to seek outside help from people who truly care about your well-being and success. Ask them to be honest with you and help you identify negative habits, traits, characteristics that impede your ability to achieve your success. This can be difficult if you have a sense of pride, low self-esteem, or think you have all the answers. However, it is also important to make sure that you ask only those individuals that you trust implicitly to give you honest answers.

Once you have identified your list of personal habits or obstacles:
  • Write them down then suggest at least three possible solutions to help you overcome them.
  • Flip the negative trait to find a positive trait or characteristic and begin to train yourself to think and act to implement and reinforce that positive habit.
  • Finally, accept the fact that achieving your goal properly and with successful results will take time.
Overcoming obstacles that have been deeply etched in your life patterns are not going to change overnight. Do not allow negative thinking or negative self-talk to keep you from achieving your goal. Maintain a clearly distilled focus to overcome the identified obstacles will empower you to achieve your goals with success. Keep in mind also that an obstacle can sometimes be the very thing that rivets your from mediocrity, complacency, or the "Freeze Zone" as I call it. When you use an obstacle as a tool to help you overcome a negative characteristic, negative self-talk, or even self-sabotage then it no longer can be your enemy to defeat you. This is a powerful weapon you can utilize to disarm those hindrances that attempt to rob you of your successes. You are a winner and you have everything within you to reach your goal.

About the author:


Founder & First Lady of The Winning Woman Network, Monika Shaw; a CEO over a multi-million dollar company, Entrepreneur,Public Speaker, Trainer, Coach, Breast Cancer Winner, and a mentor to women.

Her passionate vision is for women to be empowered, equipped and released into their talents and gifts to become the success they can be - by giving themselves permission to do so.

From her personal and business experiences, she shares rich wisdom, encouragement and refreshment to the spirits of women who need to hear that they can be who God designed them to be - a Winning Woman! 

An Author, Speaker, Coach, and Mentor to many women over the years, she brings a message of hope, empowerment and the tools to make real the potential each woman has within to be a Winning Woman!

For more information on inviting Monika for Speaking Engagements at your company, convention, retreat, radio or television shows, and training events go to http://thewinningwomannetwork.com

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Igniting the Law of Attraction

by

Jack Canfield


The practice of giving thanks is commemorated today in America as a national holiday. But if you want to live the Law of Attraction, appreciation shouldn’t be confined to a solitary day. It should be incorporated into your daily living.

Appreciation is the oxygen that breathes life into the three-step Law of Attraction process. It turns the spark of your desire into a full-blown flame that effortlessly attracts the things you want like moths to a candle.


Three Steps to Attract What You Want


The first step of the Law of Attraction is quick and easy: Ask.  As soon as you become aware of a desire, announce it to the universe. State your intention out loud, write it down, post a picture of what you want on a vision board, or simply think, “I want that!”

The next step is Believe. Believe that you can have the thing you want, and then release your desire to the universe. Trust that you’ll receive what you want or something better. Either way, the decision is in the universe’s hands. Detachment from the outcome occurs when you have total faith that the universe will give you exactly what is perfect for you right here, right now.

Affirmations are used to remove doubt about whether you’ll get or you deserve what you want. An affirmation describes your goal as already complete. It affirms what you want vs. what you don’t want. It also captures how you feel when celebrating your goal. This allows you to feel the actual feelings you’ll experience upon achieving your goal. For example, “I am feeling light and alive at my perfect body weight of one thirty-five.

Appreciation works its magic during the final step – Receive. Appreciation is one of the highest emotional states you can be in. It is the state of abundance. The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like. If you are grateful for what you have already received, you will attract more for which you can be grateful.

Think for a moment about your own experience with holiday gift giving. When relatives show sincere pleasure and appreciation for the gifts you give, no matter how simple, you want to shower them with even more. Gift giving becomes a delight for you as much as for the recipients. Contrast this with people who don’t acknowledge your presents or who dismiss them as not big enough, impressive enough, or “right” enough. Giving gifts to these individuals becomes an obligation. You don’t spend hours searching for the perfect gift. You settle for an item that’s adequate.

The universe operates in a similar way. Its best gifts go to individuals who vibrate at the highest levels of appreciation for the gifts they’ve already received.

To create the vibrational match with what you want, live in the feeling space of already possessing the things you want. Appreciate what you already have, and you’ll be vibrating in the same state of gratitude you’ll be in when the universe delivers what you want.


Appreciate the Smallest Blessings


Activate your gratitude by acknowledging the gifts most people take for granted.

If you have food in your refrigerator (meaning that you have electricity), clothes in your closet and a roof over your head, you are better off than 75 percent of the world’s population. If you eat three meals a day, you are far better off than the 1 billion people on the planet who eat once a day at most. Celebrate these simple blessings.

Do you have a phone? Be grateful – millions don’t. How about a car that allows you to travel to work or to explore the country? Is your family healthy? Do you have a computer and Internet access to stay in touch with the world, get access to education, and perform work for which you are paid? Do you have clean water to drink? These daily conveniences are gifts that most people in the world do not enjoy.


Daily Appreciation Habits


Here are five easy ways to make appreciation part of your daily routine:

  1. Take 7 minutes each morning to write down all you appreciate. Starting your day this way primes you to be receptive and grateful for everything your day will bring.
  2. Carry a physical token of gratitude in your pocket, such as a stone, crystal or some other small item. As you reach into your pocket throughout the day and feel the token, use it as a reminder to stop, breathe and take a moment to fully experience the emotion of gratitude.
  3. Appreciate at least 3 people every day. Most people enjoy receiving verbal appreciation. But written notes are also nice because they can be saved and re-read.
  4. Play the Appreciation Game. As the saying goes, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” Look for the good in all situations. When my wife was in a car accident a few years ago, she could have chosen to berate herself or question her judgment. Instead, she focused on her gratitude for suffering only minor injuries and for the help she received from other drivers.
  5. Appreciate yourself. We all need acknowledgement, but the most important acknowledgement is what we give ourselves. In addition to celebrating your big successes, acknowledge your small daily successes, too. During my annual Breakthrough to Success training, I assign the Mirror Exercise as homework because your subconscious mind needs positive encouragement to pursue further achievements and to change any negative beliefs you hold toward praise and accomplishment. This powerful exercise requires you to appreciate yourself for the day’s accomplishments while talking to yourself in a mirror.



Appreciation Is Not Human Nature


Many people find that it requires great diligence to cultivate an attitude of appreciation. We are culturally conditioned to focus on what we don’t have, rather than appreciating what we’ve already received.

Decades ago, the University of Chicago conducted a fascinating study into appreciation. Researchers took soldiers who had recently returned from the World War II Pacific Theater and housed them in Quonset huts on campus. At first, the men were delighted with their housing, because they were ecstatic to be off the battlefield. After about 30 days, however, they started to complain about their Quonset huts. Rather than being grateful for a simple, yet safe, place to live, they began to focus on what they didn’t have. They became dissatisfied with not having more comfortable quarters.

It may not feel natural at first to focus on appreciating what you already have. But by faithfully using the appreciation exercises outlined in this article, you’ll change your conditioning. Giving thanks will become more than an occasional exercise. It will become a daily discipline that allows you to vibrate in more of what you want from life.


About the author:


Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul® and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now:  Free Success Strategies

Saturday 20 July 2013

The Magic of Believing Part 2

Here is the second, and final part of Claude M Bristol's book, "The Magic of Believing" (you will find the first part earlier in my blog).


You can obtain a copy of this book, to keep forever, right here.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Achieve Success in Manifesting

by

Sallie Keys


When we attempt to manifest something in our lives, it's usually something we really want to see come to pass or else we would not be attempting to manifest it. We want to be successful because it's something we really want or need.

And the truth is, we deserve to be successful - we DESERVE to have what we want.

So the question is how do you achieve success with your manifestation efforts? There are several things that are important to know about manifesting:

1) Manifesting DOES NOT work the same way for everyone. You each have your own unique manifestation process that works for YOU ONLY. There's a ton of info out there on manifesting, and it's all great info, but ONLY if it applies to YOU specifically. I see so many clients who have tried to manifest with little or no results because they have been using a program that everyone else uses and they have difficulty understanding why it's not working for them too. This is not only frustrating for them, but can also be rather undermining for their self-esteem and their belief in their ability to create the life of their dreams. By identifying what YOUR Unique Manifestation Process is you can very quickly start manifesting abundance into your life.

2) Sometimes there are blocks to manifesting successfully. This is usually in the form of negative energy that we carry from past experiences - emotional and energetic baggage to be more specific. Our past negative experiences tend to stay with us sometimes, creating blocks for us as we move forward. The problem is we often don't know these experiences are blocks for us until they show up as an inability to create what we desire for ourselves. There are lots of underlying fears that can cause difficulty in manifesting, but by far, the biggest one I have seen as a problem is some sort of fear of abundance.

3) YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE. This is a huge problem I see with clients and people in general. We tend to be limited in our thoughts of what is possible by what we are told by society or those around us or what we see others experiencing. We are so conditioned by our past experiences that we forget that ANYTHING REALLY IS POSSIBLE. As hard to believe as it is some days, I assure you it is true. When you REALLY, REALLY want something and you just KNOW you should have it, but it's not showing up for you, no matter what you have tried to do to manifest it - there's usually some sort of block in the way - usually a fear or a negative belief that needs to be cleared.

Not knowing your manifestation process and having blocks in the way from past experiences can REALLY mess with your belief system around manifesting and your self-esteem. But once those blocks are removed, manifesting gets SO MUCH EASIER and abundance begins to flow naturally to you in ALL areas of your life.

If you take nothing else away from this article, I want you to take this away... YOU CAN HAVE WHAT YOU WANT. It does happen. Just because it hasn't in the past or someone says that it can't does not mean you can't have it. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BELIEVE.


About the Author:


Sallie Keys specializes in Akashic Records Readings and other energy healing modalities to create and manifest abundance in her clients' lives. Her clients see a wide variety of results - from new and amazing opportunities opening up to dramatic increases in income to instant manifestation success to improved relationships.

Aren't you ready to experience pure abundance in your life? http://www.ManifestAbundanceNOW.com

Saturday 13 July 2013

Guided by your Higher Self

by

Joel Bruce Wallach


You do have a higher self, and its purpose is to provide a healing, yet instructive cosmic perspective, provided that you are ready and willing to receive it. And you do have many aspects of self that could definitely benefit from higher self assistance: Your body, your emotions, and your thoughts all express their own understanding -- or misunderstanding -- of reality, and each of these aspects would certainly benefit from the endearing light of your higher self's deep compassion and cosmic guidance.

Your soul exists on many levels, ranging from the eternal higher self, to those troubled aspects of the soul that have become stuck in negative patterns acquired throughout many challenging lifetimes of experiences. It can seem a bit messy when you realize that at any given moment, you are getting signals from this unlikely combination of your multidimensional self:
  •  Patterns from your past-life troubles and triumphs,
  • Combined with your sub-conscious patterns, resulting from your experiences in childhood and adulthood,
  • And infused with the cosmically spiritual perspective of your higher self,
  • Then mixed with all the signals you receive from your environment, and
  • All filtering through and mediated by your conscious thoughts in the present moment...

This is the mind-boggling mixture of your consciousness at any given time, but it all adds up to your uniquely splendid Self, and it leads to your understanding of the higher self and its purpose, so let's keep exploring...

Now about the nature of your higher self -- does your higher self sit like an owl upon a lofty perch high in its cosmic pine tree, quietly observing everything? Well, perhaps it does seem that way at times, because the ordinary self becomes embroiled so easily in difficult matters of the moment that it seems to forget the higher self amidst the daily excitements. This is not the fault of the higher self, however. It would be convenient indeed if the higher self would magically whisk away all your problems. But it can't, and it won't do that, but not because of spite or neglect.

Your higher self is available when you come to it, and when you let yourself raise your awareness to its level. Is it rude, though, that your higher self expects you to enter its domain, as if it were a doorman at an exclusive club? Or is your higher self, perhaps, trying to help you, in its own gentle way? But if so, and for what purpose, does your higher self seem to maintain such curious exclusivity? And besides, if your higher self has the wisdom, shouldn't it just give you the wisdom automatically, in the spirit of compassionate love and caring?

You are not a naive and helpless child, and your higher self is not an all-powerful parent. But to understand who you are, and who your higher self is, requires asking what you are doing here on this earthly plane. When you know that, you will appreciate how your higher self has ways to help you that, though subtle, may well exist for a higher purpose.

Your higher self is your eternal essence. It has always been, and will always be. It is made from the cosmic essence of the universe, and so you could say that it is made, as religious teachings might express it, out of the body of the creator. And your higher self seeks to grow. That sounds paradoxical at first, because you would imagine that being made of universal substance, your higher self is just about as advanced as can be. Everything's relative, though...

Your higher self grows in the same way that families grow -- they produce children, who have their own free will. They grow and evolve, benefiting from the family guidance, and also bringing in their own unique soul wisdom. Ideally, they are able to express the best from their ancestors, from their upbringing, and from their own creative mixture of all these influences blended with their own soul's history and possibilities.

So, what then, are you?

Your selves that express through each lifetime are, in a way, the children of your higher self. But not quite that, because you have another identity as well -- you are also choosing to utilize your higher self's wisdom. And that makes you somewhat like the president of a company who utilizes experts to assist in running the company. And that leads to the intriguing question...

Are you a growing child learning from your parental higher self, or are you the president of a company utilizing the knowledge and guidance of your higher self's expertise? Since these are both metaphors, and since you're a multidimensional being anyway, let's just say that you are both of these -- you are the child of your higher self, and you are a competent adult in charge of a company -- let's call it Divine Self, Unlimited -- and for both these aspects your higher self stands ready to assist you -- when you are ready to access the wisdom.

Consider the child aspect -- when you understand why parents let their children go hiking, even though it might be possible that the children could wander off and lose their way, you can understand why your higher self doesn't prevent you from having learning experiences. If you never learned, the younger aspects of the soul would remain naive. And this suggests that your younger aspects are maturing, through their daily learning experiences, and through their learning from the higher self.

The higher self does not avoid giving you appropriate cautions, when needed. However, it is not in the style of the higher self to step in and issue stern warnings. This is because the higher self prefers to give hints, rather than warnings. Now a hint is a rather subtle thing, so shouldn't the higher self be issuing strict warnings, instead? It depends whether you see the higher self's purpose as a rigid taskmaster, or as a friendly coach. When you look back on situations, you may see that you did, in fact, have a subtle sense of what was to come, but perhaps you didn't notice that insight or subtle feeling.

It is not your higher self's job to force you to notice subtle hints. That would be a function of your spiritual maturity, evolving over many lifetimes. Now if you're reading this, you've no doubt been told, at some time or another, that you are an old soul, and that you have spiritual wisdom exceeding that of many younger souls. All well and good, but if you're assuming that being an older soul means that you're entirely free of younger soul limitations, realize that learning is eternal. It takes place each day.

Yes, you have some deeper insights and attitudes that reflect your spiritual maturity. And yes, as well, you are still working on some seemingly-silly younger soul concerns. These are not contradictory, because they are the human condition.

What did it take for you to listen to your higher self so that you could evolve into an older soul? Could it be that when you are expressing your older soul wisdom perspectives, you had enough challenges from lifetime after lifetime that you finally realized what your higher self was talking about? But this doesn't mean that your higher self was communicating in mysterious abstract terms, because your higher self can speak as simply as you require. However, if you choose not to notice or listen, then that is the likely reason for your situations. You're learning, and there's no one to blame -- not even yourself.

To shift out of blame of self or others, just quietly tune into your higher self, and ask what is the best way to proceed for any given situation. If you demand a pathway, and the higher self seems not to give it, that doesn't mean that it is withholding vital information from you. Rather, the higher self is offering you something more subtle than an action plan. It is sharing a non-verbal offer for you to access its pure presence, and in that presence you can cultivate the subtle knowing that can lead you in an effective direction.

Then, there are those situations that, from the deeper perspective of the higher self, require your participation through active engagement in a situation. In other words, the guidance seems not to be given because this is a learning experience for you. Not that your higher self will be absent, because it is always there. This seems to be a rather mysterious way to be helpful, but it has its own wise purpose to it.

When you aren't getting specific guidance from your higher self, you can still tune into the vibration of your higher self, at any stage of any activity. Although that helpful vibration isn't specifically verbal, it is a vibration of spiritual alignment that does bring balance and blessings to every situation.

When you realize that the higher self is helping, but not in the way that your ego prefers, then you become free to release blame, of self and others, and to proceed with a new plan: You can choose to attune with your higher self, as often as possible. But would this mean that you are quietly closing your eyes and chanting Om all through the day? Only do this if you want to express an amusing spiritual cliche, because shared presence with your higher self really involves practicing something subtle, yet profound...

Being present with your higher self involves staying grounded in your body, being aware of your surroundings, and gently including the subtle presence of your higher self. However, this description -- the higher self -- may make it seem that the higher self is somehow lofty or above you. Not so, for it is ever-present, within you and around you.

It has no form, and so it is not located specifically anywhere. Your higher self is not superior to you, nor inferior either. It is what it is, and you can utilize it. And it wants you to do that, because it evolves along with you.

Words make it seem that you are different than your higher self. And paradoxically, your higher self is an aspect of you, but at the same time, you are an aspect of your higher self. Don't try to figure this with your rational mind, because it can't be done. But you can let yourself be present with these paradoxes, and this helps you bypass the limited understanding of the rational mind.

In fact, holding this curiously contradictory realization, that you are an aspect of the higher self, and that it is an aspect of you, lets you access a marvelous state of cosmic unity.

At all times, your higher self is present with you, and so you can choose to let yourself include its subtle presence in your consciousness. You aren't bowing down to it, and you aren't issuing it orders, either. You are participating with your higher self in a subtle conversation, and this conversation may include words. However, being a special kind of spiritual conversation, it may be free of words. It may have pictures, feelings, or just shared presence.

How do you know when you are contacting your higher self? If it seems to be making demands, or making vaguely pompous mystical pronouncements, you are likely opening your attention to a discarnate entity, instead. This is because the higher self doesn't need to make demands, as that is not its way of working. The higher self doesn't feel grand, because it is too humble for that. Nonetheless, there is a general sense of vastness when you encounter your higher self, but vast is rather different than grand or ornate. Consider the vastness of a forest or an ocean, because they are deep and majestic, but in a natural way, and not at all affected or fancy.

And when you most need your higher self, it is there. You may not be listening, though, because the noise of your ego or your lower mind may be making its own noisy complaints that draw your attention. It takes much practice to notice your noisy mind without becoming drawn into its arguments and issues. When you recognize the characteristic quality of the inner ego noise, and you compare that with the distinctly different quality of vastness and calm within the higher self, then you learn the secret of the higher self. It is so quiet that you had almost missed it, but it shares a healing presence with you, as deep as the forest or the ocean.

Vast though it is, it is not something to get lost in. Rather, you include it in your daily activities, whenever possible. Don't judge yourself when you forget. Just quietly bring your attention back to gently including your higher self. Your higher self never judges you, and doesn't demand anything. But it is there for you, and infinitely patient with you. Simply look about you, right now, and know that within this experience of the moment, you can choose to include your higher self.

So the problems of life aren't going to go away, but there is hope nonetheless, because your ability to navigate through each daily situation become easier when you include your higher self. And the blessings you receive from your higher self truly help you bring balancing vibrations to each situation you encounter. This doesn't promise a life free of difficulties, but does offer the possibility that each situation can be relatively more smooth than it would have otherwise been.

You've encountered too many naive platitudes in your spiritual journey over the years, and now you're ready for the refreshing reality of your higher self. It won't lie to you, and it won't live your life for you. Your higher self won't control you, and it won't leave you adrift. For now, please take a slow and gentle breath, and quietly inhale the divine and peaceful presence of your higher self, as you uncover the subtle gifts that your eternal self shares with you within this sacred moment.

Many Blessings,

Joel Bruce Wallach

Founder, Cosmic Living for spiritual empowerment - tele-classes and home-study mp3's

Do you have a strong desire to align with your spiritual essence? Are you wondering how you can activate your divine potential? Experienced practical mystic and teacher Joel Bruce Wallach helps you learn practical self-healing and inspiring metaphysical teachings in a centered, guided, sacred space. Live teleseminars, self-paced learning via mp3s, and inspiring articles and the transformational tips blog are available now.

I'm Joel Bruce Wallach, and I look forward to sharing step-by-step methods and insights with you, so that you can develop practical cosmic awareness, and experience your higher potential with ease and grace. Listen to mp3 samples of the teleclasses here:
http://cosmic-living.com/group-sessions-archive/

Activating your cosmic consciousness is easier than you had realized, when you know how to place your awareness, and have steps to guide you. Spiritual realizations and energy healing are within your capacity, because the power is already within you. In this amazingly accelerated modern age of spiritual empowerment, self-paced learning is the key to realizing your potential. I am honored to share these step-by-step teachings with you.




Wednesday 10 July 2013

The Magic of Believing

Claude Bristol wrote his book "The Magic of Believing" in 1948.  But it is as powerful today as it was 65 years ago.

You can listen to the first three chapters of this marvellous book right here:


You can obtain a copy of this book, to keep forever, right here.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Hidden Talents

by

Shell Mendelson

One of my very favorite Career Exploration books is called Zen and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence Boldt. This book originally came out in 1991 and has been updated with a 2010 edition. One area in particular caught my eye that I'd like to share with you, in my own way, with regard to releasing the talents within you. Some of you may be asking yourself, what are my talents? Or, how do I clear the way to ultimately express my talents. Because if you're not using the talents, gifts and skills you were meant to use in your work, it's no wonder you're just not enjoying yourself or looking forward to going to work everyday!

Laurence Boldt says that with attitude and creativity, you can ACT your way to the full release of talent.


ATTITUDE, CREATIVITY AND TALENT


A is for Attitude: When it comes to unleashing your talents, ATTITUDE is truly one of the key ingredients. In this case, it's about having an attitude that will "give you energy" for the full release of it. That means that "self-pity" will not move us forward, and therefore, there is no room in our life or in anyone's who wants to unleash his or her true talents. It involves creating a more active inner or spiritual life - "quickening your imagination." Bring to your work a spirit of gratitude. Be glad to be alive and happy to have the opportunity to work, to give in any capacity. Practice attitude while doing any work, however, menial, monotonous or mundane it may seem. Do not resent work - embrace it. By doing so, we will begin to experience enjoyment.

C is for Creativity: "Creativity requires still greater inner aliveness - a more active imagination, and so is more pleasurable. To be resourceful, we must first accept things as they are, then go on to make a masterful arrangement of them. For example, because one is poor, he or she needn't live in a way that is not beautiful. The creative, resourceful one will make of his or her clothing and home beautiful arrangements that show love and humanity. Creative resourcefulness is bold and confident, unafraid of obstacles or difficulties, using them as catalysts to spark ever greater achievement."

T is for Talent: I think I love this one the best. "Talent is the final expression of joy in work." Attitude says: Don't resent. Creativity says: Invent, arrange, play. Talent is silent - bliss. While practicing our talent, our art, we are not." We have forgotten ourselves (think - "where did the time go?). To forget oneself is the greatest of all pleasures - the ultimate joy. One who has not developed attitude is frustrated - time, self-remembrance-weigh heavy on us. Attitude frees; creativity, still more; but in the expression of talent, we become the slayer of time. We enter into the timeless. When we are fully expressing our strongest talents, our joy is complete.

So today, let's remember the things that create timelessness in our lives - how can we bring that energy into our work lives? Every time I get to see one of my clients light up with an "ah ha," moment that takes them to another level in developing a new or redeveloped career direction, I think, "I could do this all day and be happy." Use your talents for the highest good and watch time go by as you enter that blissful state of mind.

To your career and life success!


About the Author:


Shell Mendelson, MS, has been a Career Path Counselor for over 22 years, and trained directly with Richard Bolles, Master Career Counselor and author of What Color Is Your Parachute. She has helped thousands from teens to retirees find their passion and career calling. Shell is the founder and former CEO of KidzArt, an international art education franchise in 29 states and 8 countries. To learn more about her services, call 830-626-6334, email Shell at shell@nbcareersnow.com or visit http://www.careertopassion.com and receive your FREE SIX MINUTE GOAL SETTING EXERCISE that you can do individually, with a partner or with your family