Intrinsic Success

What's my intentions?

2012-01-16T09:15:00.002+11:00

Welcome to 2012 at last we are here? I always find that it is amazing to notice that when you are at the other end of time, how fast time seems to have gone. It was over ten years ago that I started to look into 2012 and learn about all the amazing things that ancient civilizations and indigenous tribes have talked about for centuries. Now all of a sudden we are here and it only seems like yesterday.

At the start of any year it’s important to get clear about what you want to achieve for that year. In business terms this might come in the form of a business plan, blue print or a mind map. In life terms this might come as a vision board, manifestation list or New Year eve resolutions. Either way setting your intentions for the year is all about setting the tone and direction for your business and life. The more clarity we have around our intentions the more likely they are to manifest.

When I finished my downhill ski-racing career I turned my attention to aerial and freestyle skiing. Back in those days, and now I sound old, it was a very new sport, unheard of and yet to be an Olympic event. One of the things I was taught was that when you are going to do a summersault your body will inevitably follow your head. In other words wherever you look and intend to land your body will end up following. In some respects what they were talking about was that wherever you place your focus, that’s where your body will end up. Now I never did attempt any grand aerials just a little bit of trampoline training, but the memory of that tip is still with me today.

So what about the relationship to business and my intentions, well if the theory that my body follows my head is true then maybe my body will follow the intentions that my mind focuses on. If that is the case, and it is, my intentions then become my reality. Now this ties beautifully in with research now being done in Quantum Physics on the nature of reality and our involvement in its creation. Some say that our reality is just a manifestation of our consciousness and that without consciousness there would be no universe. A sort of modern day Japanese kone, you know the one, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a noise? Well from a Quantum Physics point of view, no it does not. Anyway back to the point of the story and that is whatever we chose to focus on or draw our consciousness to, is what inevitably manifests in our life.

If we venture back to my ancient civilisation reference at the start of this blog one of the things that is believed to be happening this year is that our intentions will manifest faster. In the past there has been a great deal of lag between a thought and the manifested effect of that thought, thank god. Can you imagine if our thoughts manifested instantly, now there is some major trouble if my thoughts are anything to go by… This year that lag time is meant to greatly decrease. Now I am not sure if that is going to be the reality but I’m not waiting behind to find out.

So maybe 2012 is the year of faster manifested reality and if so then our intentions are everything. Our focus and what we think about, give consciousness to, will be the most critical thing we can do in growing our businesses and our lives. So what are my intentions this year? To take a leaf out of the Thought Leaders book of wisdom (www.thoughtleadersglobal.com) my first intention is to:

Do what I love, with people I like, the way I want.

Now I have a list of specific intentions, a game plan if you will, together with a mind map and blueprint of all the things I want to have happen in my business this year however at the core of it all is the above intention. If my more defined and specific intentions do not meet that brief then they don’t make the list for this year.

So what are your intentions? What is your main mantra for the year? It’s going to be a great year so get clear about what you want to manifest, write it down and tell someone about it. The four golden rules of manifestation, think it, write it, speak it and action it…and if you need to tell anyone send me an email I’d be happy to hear.

If you want to take your intentions to the next level I have setup a group at the Intrinsic Success Hub (wwwintrinsicsuccesshub.com) it’s free to join and to get involved. Once you are there and have signed up go to groups and join the ‘My intentions for 2012’ group and let us know your intentions for the year. I’ll be putting mine up later today so why not join me and let’s all make 2012 the most prosperous and successful year yet.

Have a great week…

Marcus

Success Happens - The Magic of Alignment

2011-11-07T06:26:00.000+11:00

As we look out across the landscape of success and see the many who have reached the heights of what we might imagine is success, we so often think that success just happens. We sometimes get caught in the illusion that people get famous, successful or rich over night. Now there is no such thing as overnight success, unless you get on Australia's Got Talent or win at the lottery, and even then most people have been working all there lives to achieve the success that they finally receive. However in some small way over night success can happen. In some respects there is a truth to this seemingly immediate success, there is some magic that can and does happen when the planets align.

In most cases those that reach success have been working at it for a very long time. They have fought through rejection after rejection trying to get someone of influence to recognise their talent. Be it a book they have written, a song they have sung or a program they champion, most of those that have reached success have worked hard at it. However there is a faster way to reach success, or at least to assist the process of the climb to fame and fortune.

There are a lot of things that need to come together for success to manifest, right product, right place, right time, right meeting, right connection, right attitude, right mindset, it can seem endless. In most cases there are a lot of things that need to line up for the magic of manifestation to deliver the success that you desire. In some respects when all the things that need to happen align, then often dreams do come true. Often when alignment happens dreams come true very quickly. This is the touch point that we are so very often exposed to since the advent of the internet and reality TV.

So can we influence alignment or is it just right place and right time?

What if we could influence the planets aligning, train the ducks to get in a row and hit a bulls eye each time we through the dart? In my experience alignment comes down to four things.

Mindset

Is our ability to get clear and focussed, to be able to control those negative thoughts, emotions and feelings so that we can push through belief and self doubt. It demands that we have belief in our selves our product and the dream that we are aspiring towards.

Action

Is our ability to get off our back side and get moving and do what we need to do to get the job done. In most cases things don't manifest because people are waiting for it to happen... We make it happen by getting out there and facing the fear but doing it anyway.

Energy

Harnessing our energy and engaging in who we are and what we do at the deepest level allows us to attract all manner of good fortune towards us. Aligning our energy to the thing we are being called to do, that book, that song, that program, you know the one that sits there under the surface dying to get out. How we are being effects everything we are, or are not receiving. How we engage with the world will inevitably determine what we get from the world.

Potential

Unleash your true potential and believe in yourself, hell no one else is going to. Make things happen from that deeper part of who you are and live up to yourself, you only have now!

As we align it's like a rainbow appears, all the conditions are just right for all of the colours of the palette to shine, and when they do there is always a pot of gold at the end...

Have a great week and may all the instant success be yours, after all the work is done...

Cheers Marcus

A Tribute to Steve Jobs

2011-10-17T08:51:00.000+11:00

Love him or hate him Steve Jobs built some of the most admired, well known and most successful organisations in the world. From Apple to Pixar, Steve developed businesses that have touched the lives of billions of people world wide. From Toy Story to the Ipod his dedication to developing innovative yet 'sexy' products was endless. This week however his journey came to an end as I am sure we are all aware.

For me Steve and his organisations have been a great inspiration and a lesson in the success of congruence. The 'sexy' nature of the products that these organisations delivered have lead to a passionate following of customers. To the degree that many of these customers fall in love with the products. Regardless of price these products have stood out in a very full market place and have commanded loyalty and a dedicated following. More on this next time...

Apart from his corporate life which some may see as ruthless and hard nosed, Steve had a tough fight with Liver disease and then Pancreatic cancer, which eventually led to his dimise. Along this journey he connected with the deep wisdom that lies inside all of us. At many of my workshops, and also with my clients I often ask them to write there message to the world. What would you tell the world if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? What wisdom, life lessons would you impart to the rest of us before you left this life? Well Steve got his opportunity when he presented his version of Message to the World at Stanford University. If you have not seen this very different key note speech it is worth watching.

So here is Steve's Message to the World.

I hope you enjoy, until next time live like it is your last day because one day it will be!

Cheer Marcus

What do you believe in?

2011-10-03T06:04:00.000+11:00

I came across this amazing video the other day on ted.com and during my week off I thought I would leave this one with you. Belief, connection, vulnerability as a key to success in work and life. A truly inspirational and insightful video which everyone should see.

I hope you enjoy....

Cheer Marcus

Interference Wave and the Breakthrough to Success

2011-09-12T09:53:00.000+10:00

It got me thinking the other day that fear seems to be the biggest block to success for most of us. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of what others might say or do, fear of speaking in public and fear of our own magnificent. It reminds me of a quote which one of the participants in my Double Your Client in 90 Days workshop shared;

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?
You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of god that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.’
- Marianne Williamson

And yet the list of fears goes on and on and I am sure you could add one or ten of your own. These fears consciously and unconsciously holding us back from moving forward into our light and manifesting the life that we dream of, stopping us breaking through to the success that we all deserve.

I was reading through some old research that I had done while I was studying kinesiology on quantum physics and interference waves. This research shows that when two identical waves are at 180 degrees to each other they cancel each other out. Now this is the whole theory and workings of noise cancelling headphones. I then looked at how I created rapid success for myself, over came two very old fears (money and success) and I got to realising that I matched my fears with the 180 degree action wave and the fear vanished.

In essence I was able to move forward in action because the amount and the speed of action was equal to or greater than my fears. Therefore the greater your fears the greater your actions must be.

Once your reach the magic 180-degree mark then your actions become free of the fear and you can reach the breakthrough and success manifests instantly. Sounds easy right….I guess its going to be a little trial and error and the real message is to get moving as fast and as completely as possible. Remembering that it is the speed and mass of the action that is required to counteract the height and depth of the fear that is stopping you.

Now you don’t have to know what the fear is but rather how big it is and the acknowledgement that it is stopping you. So give it a try:

1. Choose massive action;
2. Fill up every spare space that you have with specific and targeted action.
3. Get moving as fast as possible running toward the fear.

If the fear is still getting to you then you need more action faster. Keep going until you realise that success is manifesting in abundance all around you and the fear that you thought was real seems to be gone.

Have a great week and may the action be with you.

Cheer Marcus

The Many Faces of Fear

2011-08-30T08:14:00.000+10:00

I have just finished another Sunday running my Double Your Clients in 90 Days one day introduction workshop for health care professionals and yet again I saw the insidious, destructive and interfering power of fear. I am amazed at just how sneaky and cleaver fear can be, hiding in the most unlikely recesses of our thoughts and feelings. I have seen how fear can stop us in our tracks when moving forward could be the most exciting experience of our lives.

I remember when I was younger, I know a distant memory, although in my mind it was yesterday, it is today and maybe even tomorrow, anyway when I was younger 10 or 12 my father took my brother and I to Disneyland. At Disneyland there is a ride called Space Mountain which, is an inside roller coaster. I can remember walking down the ramp to get on the coaster and hearing all the screams coming from those already enjoying the ride. These screams highlighted an already building fear, to the point that half way through the cue I decided to run away. A little embarrassing considering my brother who is five years younger than me excitedly continued on. I waited out the front for my Dad and Brother to complete their journey into the unknown only to see the exhilaration and joy on their faces when they eventually appeared. My brother shouting lets do that again. It took me at least five of these excited greetings and lots of convincing from both my Dad and my brother before I decided to break through my fear and go on the ride.

I can still feel the fear and apprehension of walking into the area where you got onto the ride, seeing the coaster move off into the distance with the familiar sound of click clack as the coaster climbed the track to its final pinnacle where it dropped into the nothingness of darkness and surely death.

So with the fear still very present and my stomach wanting to release all of its contents, I got onto the coaster. By this stage I was trembling, nearly crying with the overwhelming fear that maybe my life would end in a sea of mangled roller coaster mess as we catapulted off the rails and into the ground below.

As the coaster jerked off into the distance, with me on it gripped by the fear, surrounded by excited patrons including my brother and Dad who by this stage are laughing at me, in the most loving way possible but seeing the silliness of my fear. (Isn't funny how everyone else can see the funny side but when your in the middle of it...IT'S NOT FUNNY!) When we got to the top of the coaster everything turned black and we disappeared into the dark recess of Space Mountain. Now I have to say the first few corners felt like I was going to die but then I began to let go and enjoy the ride. The feeling of impending death disappeared with every up, down, exciting and thrilling turn. Once it was over I wondered what the fear was all about, as I too now joined in on the harmony of my brother and I going “can we do it again…come on Dad, again, again”.

And so the fear of that scary inside roller coaster was gone for good, I had broken through.

Now most fear is not as obvious as that one, but never the less will stop you meeting the exciting and most joyful thing in life…YOU! Fear more often hides as excuses; reasons for not doing the things that deep inside we know we need to do. It will stop us meeting our destiny, of diverting the inevitable and us living the fullest life that we can. Life is a wild adventure and once we get over the fear of meeting this adventure we realise just how amazingly exciting and thrilling it really is.

So where is your fear hiding and how does it show up in your life? Remember that sometimes your thoughts and feelings will deceive you. In that I mean that the fear will show up in excuses that appear real and reasonable and understandable but its fear non-the-less. So how much longer are you going to let fear stop you meeting your most adventurous life? How much longer are you going to let it stop you from living the biggest version of whom you really are?

At some moment we realise that time is running out and that eventually the roller coaster is no longer going to be there. When you see an opportunity to get on the roller coaster take it with both hands, jump on board and push through the fear so that you can experience the overwhelming joy of it all.

Its funny but if we run towards the fear, fear tends to disappear. So what ever you fear run towards it as fast as you can and watch it eventually disappear.

Have a great week and remember, when your roller coaster opportunity appears jump on it quickly before the fear overwhelms you. Know that your thoughts and feelings are going to tell you not to. In this case you have to dig deep and connect with that knowing inside that tells you that this could be the most amazing adventure, a life changing experience, that may have you meet your wildest dreams, desires and goals for your life. Oh and go with your first thought or feeling which is usually the one that says yes lets do it. Fear generally comes after that thought and you guessed it the more your think about it the less likely you are to do it. Fear builds over time, it does not get less!

Cheers Marcus

Uncovering the truth about your USP!

2011-08-15T08:51:00.000+10:00

There has been a lot of talk about discovering your Unique Selling Point (USP) and to be quite frank, I am sick of hearing about it. Most of the time it is spoken of by marketing experts and is externalised with a view to impressing your market. It is important but not for the reasons that they often profess. Even though most business owners understand and know of the value of having a USP, or at least have heard that they should, most still have not got it right.

We live in an increasingly competitive market place, with tighter margins and often more demanding clients. It is your USP that will help you to stand out in a busy and competitive market place. Where most business owners go wrong is that they look outside of themselves, analyzing and researching their competitors, trying to find a gap and in turn design their USP.

At Intrinsic Success we take a very different view of discovering you USP. In our experience your USP is more about the essence of you and your business than it is about marketing or competition. Your USP should really be your unique stand and place, and less about how you sell. If you really want to stand out and make a difference in the world then discovering the truth of your USP is essential.

So what is it that makes you unique? In a world of six billion people and millions of businesses what on earth could make you unique. Here is where the trick lies, for if you are trying to find your uniqueness in what you do then you are going to come up with the same thing as everyone else. It is interesting to note that so many businesses claim to be unique and then go on to do and say the same thing everyone else does. So what could make you unique? This is where the essence and energy of you and your business comes in. What is it that makes you, YOU? What is the uniqueness that makes you the special person that you are? What would your friends and family say about you that makes you, YOU? It is the same for your business, what is it about your business that makes it your business? What would your existing clients say about your business? What would your team, your friends and family say about the uniqueness of your business?

If you can nail these questions then you are most of the way to finding your USP. It is a little tricky I must admit and can seem like a never-ending pilgrimage to the end of the earth however, once you have it your business is guaranteed to take off. Now, you will know when you have it by the reaction of the external world, your clients, your team, your family and friends. One of the KPI's is when the clients come flocking then you know that you have it. When we get really clear about what we are then our potential clients can get clear about what we are and make a definite decision as to whether or not to engage us. It is when we are covered in fluff and same old same old that potential clients get confused and unsure about what we are and what we have to offer. Clients want businesses that are clear, definite and sure-footed. Our USP will give them most of this information.

Then you want to understand what it is that you stand for and make that stand. In our case we are interested in business owners who are ready to make a difference to their business and their lives. Those business owners who are truly ready to do what ever it takes to grow and expand and make a significant difference in their world and the world at large.

Once you have discovered the thing that makes you unique, are clear about what you stand for, you can then take your place in the market. So where is your place, or where do you want it to be? Go find the most comfortable and receptive place in the market and tell them what your USP is all about. Begin to attract your perfect client based on your USP. Let go of trying to find clients that do not fit into your view of yourself and the world. I guarantee you will be happier, less stressed and more successful. Oh and if you have some that don't fit I dare you to think about changing that...

So go out into the world and discover your true intrinsic USP, then go tell everyone…NOW!

Have a great week and may your intrinsic uniqueness shine for greater success.

Cheers Marcus

Redefining Possibility

2011-08-01T14:08:00.000+10:00

I often talk to my clients about possibility and how with just one question you can get the brain to open up to things that you might feel is impossible. So is it possible to increase your income ten fold in the next three months? Is it possible to have the life of your dreams complete with new house, shinny new car, maybe a new girlfriend or wife or maybe just freedom.

The most powerful question you can ask in the opening up to what might be possible is this:

What if it were possible?

What if it were possible to have the job of your dreams and still get paid what you do in your current corporate gig? What if it were possible to have it all with less effort? This question allows the left brain to relax and get into 'solve mode' which it loves.

A few months ago, even though I talk about possibility, my dreams seemed like they were going to elude me for the rest of time. In fact I almost gave up! However remembering my own words I decided to knuckle down, bunk in and hold the fort determined to succeed. Sometimes it takes some real determination, courage and a swift kick of reality up the backside to change the impossible into the possible and then into reality.

I have always been a positive person, always believing that success might be just around the corner but when you have had 44 years of believing success maybe just around the corner sometimes you loose sight of this positive perspective. Well I am finally here to tell you not to! That every time your brain tells you that success and your dreams or desires are not possible, knuckle down and change this reality. Turn the question upside down and ask but what if it was possible? What then?

I am please to report that in 75 days I reached the possibility. I have gone from white belt to black belt in just under three months. What is white belt to black belt all about? Well those of you that are interested you can look up the following address www.thoughtleadersglobal.com. It’s just me practicing what I preach and with the help of my mentor, success and a new reality is now upon me.

I realised through the process that sometimes success takes a lot of hard work, determination, courage and some good old fashion stubbornness. To aim high, follow a dream and make it a reality. This reality would not have been possible without help. Help of my mentor Peter Cook, help from my family, thanks Steph and help from all those that believe in me.

Now the journey is not over, quite the opposite, it is just beginning. We are all on this planet together to primarily help each other. Help each other to feel better, have a better life, reach our dreams, love, laugh and experience joy. So I want to help you realise the possibility that you can have your dreams come true.

If you are sitting their wondering how you are going to make your dreams a reality, stop wondering and call me that’s why I am here, to help you! Ask the question ‘what if it were possible’ and then go make that happen…it is possible!

Have a great week, dream big, never give up and go make it happen NOW!

Cheer Marcus

The Ever Changing world

2011-07-17T21:15:00.001+10:00

Good morning and welcome to my blog this week we are being blessed with a blog from one of my new team members Jenny. Jenny is an amazing coach in the making and is coming near to the end of her year long training. She has been a business expert for many years and decided to refine her wonderful skills for assisting people to transform into formal coaching and mentoring. I hope you enjoy her blog and I look forward to introducing the whole team to you over the coming months, there is six of us now...

Physicists will tell you the the universe is forever changing, it isn't something we can stop, change or control. We live in an ever changing environment, yet, change is something that can often be seen as a threat to many people.

Why am I harping on about change? My life is in a constant state of change, which generally I embrace. I have lived in four countries, spent a great deal of my working live travelling around the world, and changed careers. I believe without change, we do not grow, will not be presented with new and exciting opportunities, and have the chance challenge ourselves and jump out of the comfort zone.

However, every now and then, change can be stressful. We can let it weigh us down - like the weight of the world is on our shoulders, yet for no real reason. I am feeling a little of this now.

The changes I am facing right now are:

changing employment - retrenched from full time PAYG,
changing careers - business development to business coaching,
moving cities - Sydney to Melbourne,
selling one home in Sydney
buying a home in Melbourne

How do we cope in a period in our lives when we are confronted with what seem like an insurmountable amount of change? How do we cope when it is in a work situation, when it is personal change, or when it feels like change all around? How do you manage the change, keep the stress levels down, and not feel like you are not managing (or feeling out of control)?

I have found that the following helps me with managing change:

1. Identify the change

I know it sound silly to write this down, but when you actually list what the changes are, it seems to simplify the situation

2. Embrace Change

Whether you wish to embrace change, or simple just accept that change is going to happen, you can harness all your energy into managing this, make sure you have positive energy around you. It is pretty surprising how much negative energy we can put into fighting change, or allowing it to stress us out. The retrenchment was a surprise for me, however after the initial shock, I realised it was a blessing in disguise. I could now finally pursue my dream of my own business without the dilemma of giving up a well paid job (I was going to say secure, but that wasn't that case!!)
Accept that some level of change is inevitable, and when it presents itself ( as it is doing with me now), try and divert your energy into ensuring that the change is presenting a new adventure for you, where you will grow, learn and see new opportunities.

3. Work out what you can manage, what is creating stress and what to delegate.

Once I jotted down the changes I was facing, I thought that all of this is manageable, however, when detailing my "to do" list, I realised it was the little tasks that were creating my stress. For example, the actual packing my house up seemed to be causing me all sorts of angst, so I investigated the cost to have someone come and pack it for me - it was money well spent.
The price my house will fetch is also causing some level of stress, however I listed down what I can do to help such as fixing up my garden, ensuring the house is looking neat and inviting. Then I put my trust in my Agent (the professional) that he will do his job.

4. Fight the fights that are worth fighting

This is something a very wise boss once told me. In a work situation in the corporate world, I have seen people expend a huge amount of energy and emotion in trying to take on every issue/change or challenge that they are confronted with. I have finally learnt to let some issues/decisions that I disagree with go, and focus my attention on the issues that mean the most to me (and I have some chance of influencing the outcome).
In a personal situation, I change the meaning slightly to "identify what you can manage, and let go of the unmanageable issues". I looked at what I can manage in the move and what I can not. I started to stress that initially I was not going to have somewhere to live (that was my own) as finding, buying and moving into a house in 6 weeks was a long shot. I worked out where I could live for a few months and accepted that this was the situation (got to love your friends!). One less issue to worry about.

5. Create short term goals and reward yourself

Once I identified the manageable issues, I set some tasks and goals (again, writing this stuff down seems to help clear my head)
Set some easy short term goals - and when you reach them, congratulate yourself. It will help you see progress, and a bit of "self congratulations" can really help in motivating you for the harder tasks. I fixed up my garden (with the help of my family - see point 6) and now my garden looks neat and homely - one less task to worry about.

6. Espouse the change (share it) and draw on your support group

Once I started to share the changes I was facing (including my fears and issues) with my friends and family, I realised I have an amazing support group. They were all there as a shoulder for support, a sanity check and to help out with some of those tasks that just seemed overwhelming. Dont ever underestimate the value of friends in times of need - they are there for the good times and the not-so-good times!

Change is inevitable. Some we create for ourselves, some change is thrust upon us by others and some change just happens (the change in seasons). Fighting it all the time is energy consuming (and negative energy at that), some change will happen regardless of what we desire, other changes we can manage, delay or divert, however, there will always be change in our lives. How boring would life be without some little change!!

Strangely after writing this, the changes I am facing seem a little smaller, more manageable and definitely more exciting. Thank you!!

Embrace the change that you are presented with, and have the courage to instigate change that your desire. Just remember.......

"life is a journey, not a destination". Randolf Waldo Emerson

Cheers Marcus and Jenny

Changing a habit and breaking the sound barrier...

2011-07-05T10:24:00.000+10:00

So what has breaking the sound barrier and changing a habit got to do with each other? Well I'm glad you asked...

I have been helping individuals to break through limiting beliefs, fears and changing habits for the last 15 years and there is one thing that stands out when I think back. The closer we get to the break through the harder it gets. it seems that as we approach that moment of mind shift all the energy backs up and the forces would seem to be working against us. It is often why people dont end up really making the break through.

So how is this like breaking through the sound barrier... Well like starting a car rolling or an aircraft rolling it takes an enormous amount of energy to get going, a bit like how I felt trying to get out of bed this morning, sound familiar? Anyway back on track, so once the aircraft or car is rolling it takes very little energy to keep it rolling and so it is until you begin to get close to the speed of sound. As you approach this mile stone it once again takes a huge amount of energy to break through. Aircraft have additional power in their engines called after burners. Now they use these afterburners to take off and once airborne turn them off as the normal engines are enough to accelerate the aircraft to near the speed of sound.

Now once they are close to the speed of sound they once again have to engage their after burners so that they can push through. Once they are on the other side it is easy to maintain the speed and the after burners are turned off. If they are wonting to break twice the speed of sound the same applies.

So when you are coming up to a breakthrough make sure you have your after burner ready to ignite. This might come in the form of dedication, determination, anger or frustration or in the form of a mentor, coach or counsellor. Either way you are going to need to be ready as the moment before you breakthrough is the toughest moment where most people give up.

So if you are on a quest to breakthrough limiting thoughts, beliefs or habits so that you can manifest the life of your dreams, dont give up! It may just be around the corner and if it's getting really hard then you know you are almost there so push through.

Have a great week breaking through your sound barrier...

See orange! Marcus

Miley Cyrus and changing habits...

2011-06-26T16:01:00.000+10:00

Now before you laugh at me no I’m not a Miley Cyrus fan but my kids are and for those old enough I can still remember her father Billy Ray Cyrus. Remember Achy Breaky Heart…oh the memories!

So Claudia (11) and Brendan (8) went to their first concert the other night and yes it was Miley Cyrus. Not sure if you remember your first concert, for me it was Mi-Sex at the Springvale town hall, as embarrassed as I am I think the next one was a little better, Madness at festival hall.

In my day the parents waited out the front however not these days so Stephanie escorted Claudia and one of her friends. Can you remember how you felt? I could see the excitement and the fear in both of their eyes before they went. Excited because they were going to do something that seemed very adult and scared because they were not sure what to expect. Now they had a great time, overwhelmed, tired, excited, thrilled and very happy with themselves that they made it. I remember that excitement and fear as I walked into the Springvale town hall only to find myself and a friend of mine and 50 girls all screaming for the band. Not quite the Miley Cyrus experience with at least 20,000 plus screaming girls. So for them it must have been very overwhelming and some of the looks on there faces from the photos I saw confirmed that.

So what has Miley Cyrus got to do with changing habits well changing habits are a bit like going to your first concert. It takes courage to know what you want but it takes more courage when what you want is something that you have never experienced before. Changing habits can feel a little like this, especially those habitual patterns that have been with us for as long as we can remember. So how do we change something when faced with the fear of the unknown?

Well first things first, we have to identify those things that are no longer serving us. The fear of cold calling if you are in an industry where this is the way sales are made, speaking face to face with people you don’t know and putting yourself out there. Or it could be personal habits like putting yourself down or being judgmental, I am sure there are some you can think of.

Once you have identified that which is no longer serving you the next step is to know what the new habit is that you are going to replace the old habit with. When you create a habit void it is important that you fill it with something else, so choose a new more positive habit to replace it with.

Now, looking at where you are and where you want to go, list all of your fears. Also answer the question; how do you know when it is time to do the old habit? It is in this moment when the old habit begins that we want to bring consciousness enough to halt the old behavior and replace it with the new behavior. Over time, as you practice, firstly noticing when the time is to do the old habit and then replacing it with a new habit, habits slowly change.

If you have any hesitation just go to the concert, walk in take your seat and hang on tight because apart from having ringing ears you’ll walk out with a great experience and a new outlook on life. The world never quite looks the same after your first concert.

So identify what you want to change. Know when it is time to engage the old habit and replace it with the new. Reaffirm the new behavior whenever you can and remember practice makes perfect but persistence makes permanent.

Have a great week…

Marcus

Under the pump...creating massive action!

2011-06-20T15:26:00.000+10:00

There is nothing like putting yourself under pressure to get the job done. Keeping one eye firmly focussed on the end goal and the task at hand is a great way to get into massive action.

However sometimes I take massive action to a WHOLE new level as my team have experienced today and anyone who has tried to talk to me about anything other than the workshop tonight has found out.

Although I am stressed, short tempered and crazy focussed I am being super productive. Now I would not suggest this as a long term strategy however if you want to get some things done give yourself a dead line where others are effected by the outcome, like running the workshop tonight, and things get done. Get others to hold you accountable, if I don't get everything done there are going to be a whole lot of disappointed people showing up...

I'm not a good one for delegating, maybe I'm a control freak, not that I have ever thought of myself as one...and maybe that's the problem. But today I have had to let go and rely on others to help me to reach this dead line and wow how wonderful everyone has worked.

So are you a procrastinator? Do you put things off? If so follow me...

1. Set a dead line;
2. Tell someone and get them to hold you accountable;
3. Leverage the resources around you;

and I bet you have a better success rate.

Sorry if this is a short one today but I have some massive actions to achieve so that my workshop is a great success.

Have a great week...get into massive action I dare you!

Marcus

Finding your 'Inner Guru', it might just change your life…

2011-06-13T20:58:00.000+10:00

I have spent the last few days, apart from trying to have a long weekend, downloading the video from my last Extraordinary Practice workshop that helps practitioners to Double their Clients and their Income in 90 Days. One of the main themes of this amazing, if I do say so myself, workshop program is the concept of inner guru. A lot of people screw up their face when I talk about the inner guru but if you can get yourself past the word ‘guru’ which, I use on purpose because it does cause many to rile up, then you might get to understand where I am coming from.

It might seem that most people move through life never looking for or finding their inner guru. Living lives that are not fully expressed or where full potential is not realized for without engaging with the inner guru it is not possible to reach or live your full potential.

Often we are told time and time again that it is not possible to find let alone connect and engage with the inner guru. The education system, our parents, our society all of which is not designed to help us to enter into this pilgrimage to find the inner guru. Some are lucky enough to fall into or over the inner guru. I remember a sister of an ex girlfriend of mine who when I knew her was only 10 years of age. Ever since the family could remember she said she wanted to be a Vet. She continually talked about it, dreamt about it and embedded this desire. In some respects she had already found her inner guru. I am pleased to say that now in her late twenties she is a qualified Vet living her inner guru. Unfortunately most of us are not as lucky.

For me I think I found my inner guru in my early twenties, however due to what i thought others expected of me I did not truly connect with it. it wasn't until I came down with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that I began to search, connect with and own my inner guru.

There are examples scattered all over the world that most can only envy. Every young singer who has been discovered on YouTube, just for living their inner guru. Every young adult who decided to build an Internet program to stay connect with their university friends, or every young entrepreneur who started a record label just because they had a passion. We look on with awe to these successful, seemingly enigmas of our society. But they are not different to us for they are just like all of us with one little difference, they had the good fortune, courage and luck to find and engage with their inner guru.

I have noticed, during my time as a coach and healer, that when people connect with and live this inner guru-ness magic happens. All manner of manifestation appears that helps them to become successful, abundant and often famous. I have also noticed that people want to be associated with those that are living their inner guru. They become magnetic, or gravitational for those that have been to my workshops, and attract all manner of good fortune.

So what is your inner guru asking you to do? Do you have the courage to go looking and engage with this inner guru? Some might call this destiny or passion or what you are meant to be doing, either way it is not only important for you but also for our society as a whole. If we were all living this inner guru we would all be fulfilled and in doing so be content with our lives. This would lead to greater health, wealth and prosperity, less depression, anger and anguish.

So this topic is important…no imperative!

It is time to entertain this idea so please don’t waste another moment…Age, colour, race any excuse is no barrier.

A client of mine sent me this video of a speech given by Sir Ken Robinson who echo’s this sentiment better they I can. His focus is around education and how this kills 'The Element' as he calls it. It is a very entertaining and funny talk, take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJAL21IE9fY

So I hope you enjoy it and I hope you will think about what it might mean to find your inner guru…

Have a great week…May the inner guru be with you!

Regards Marcus

Belief and the art of seduction

2011-06-06T09:59:00.000+10:00

Another Monday and can you believe that we are in the middle of the year already. Not sure where May went, I must have slept through it, how was it?

So I just finished my amazing Double Your Clients in 90 Days workshop yesterday and I always enjoy seeing the positive effect it has on participants. One of the things we spoke about yesterday was belief. In particular the importance of believing in the self so that you can have the confidence to go out and do what it is that you want to do.

Now sometimes belief is not enough as one participant shared with me. He had a strong belief that he was good enough and that he was worthy yet at the same time there was a deeper knowing that was blocking him from living the consciousness that he had. How is it possible that at the conscious level we can believe in something yet at another deeper sub consciousness level we can be seduced into not believing it and how does the sub consciousness win?

Belief and the art of seduction is one tool that advertisers, slick sales people and charlatans have used forever. They constantly take advantage of the seducing inner mind, the sub consciousness and the wounded inner child that tells us that we are not worthy. Although our conscious mind wants to believe that we are good, confident and worthy it is seduced by the sub conscious mind whose wounding sometimes runs deep.

One of the things that we as human beings all have in common are issues around worth. The lack of worth is the seducer of belief and will do anything to sabotage our success.

So how do you know that you are worthy to have all the things that you want and desire?

When my daughter Lucy was born, some two and a half years ago, I realized that we are all born with an abundance of self worth so what happens? Maybe it is beaten out of us, maybe we are taught not to listen to it, maybe we just forget, either way there are moments in our life when we are seduced into believing we are not worthy even when our conscious mind knows that we are.

So what is the antidote?

Sometimes it helps to compile a list of all the ways that you know your worth, from both the outside world and also the inner world. There is a wellspring of worth that we all have within us, our job is to reconnect with it, know that we are intrinsically worthy and go live the grandest version of ourselves.

Sometimes however will power, positive affirmations and the anger and frustration of being sick and tired of being seduced is not enough. Sometimes we have to dig deep and to uncover the cause of the seduction. What are the insights that we can uncover to help our conscious selves deal with the cause or root of the seducer? Sometimes we can find this alone other times we need help to find the breakthrough.

In the absence of assistance we need to connect with our wellspring of worth that resides within. So go out and compile your list of ways that you know you are worthy. List all those external successes in your life, get testimonials from friends and family and others you associated with but more importantly go within and discover the worth that resides within. When we search outside of ourselves for worth we are at the whim of situation and the seducer. Depending on the time of day, the way the wind is blowing we may feel worthy or not.

The most important form of worth comes from within, from the deep knowing that you were born with. This you will find in those quiet moments of peace, walking along a country road, on a beech or in the snow. Looking out over the beauty of the world or listening to the laughter of children. In all these little moments you will find the wellspring of worth that you were born with. So list where it is that you connect to this wellspring and when the seducer comes calling go to these places.

Remember it is not what happens to us but how we choose to interpret the story of what happened that matters most. Choose to know that in every given moment you are just doing the best job you can, making the best decisions based on the information and knowledge at hand. Don’t allow yourself to be seduced by the hindsight monster that will try to convince you that you are not worthy because you ‘should’ have done it better, differently or not at all. Begin to see the seducers in your life and choose to listen not to their incessant banter that would have you feel less than. It is not possible for you to be less than as we are all amazing beings, just for being born. If you take a close look at the amazingness of conception, birth and life you will agree with me. Focus on the small, amazing things in life and you will be bought back to the amazingness of who your truly are and the intrinsic worth that we all have deep within.

This week choose not to play with the seducer, don't allow it to haunt you and affect your life and don't listen to it when it try's to tell you that you are not worth it. YOU are WORTHY just for being!

Have a great week, Marcus

The Onsen and the importance of living your passion…

2011-05-29T17:41:00.000+10:00

Two years ago I went skiing in Japan, Niseko to be exact, and experienced an Onsen for the first time. Now, those of you not familiar with the concept, an Onsen is a term for hot springs in Japanese though the term is often used to describe bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs.

Apart from the amazing skiing in Japan and the awesome food and the wonderfully friendly people the Onsen is a real treat, especially after a hard days skiing the powder, as these monkey's will attest to.

Unfortunately I was not skiing in Japan over the weekend but I did spend it in Sorrento for some well-deserved R & R.

So Friday night we headed off to Sorrento primarily to rest and rejuvenate but also so that Stephanie could introduce me to the soothing treat she had found a few weeks earlier. Believe it or not right here in Victoria on the peninsula are some of our very own hot springs. These hot springs are amazing with pools ranging from 37 degrees up 43 degrees and the water is amazingly good for the health.

Ok so maybe you don’t want to hear about my wonderful weekend bathing in the hot springs, I feel fantastic by the way and my skin, smooooooth. What was impressive is what the owners have built there. As an excerpt from their web site describes how it all happened…

‘Peninsula Hot Springs was founded by brothers Charles & Richard Davidson and Norm Cleland’.

‘The inspiration for the project began when Charles visited several hot springs while living in Japan in 1992. This sparked off several years of touring and studying hot springs around the world’.

‘In 1996 Charles heard a rumor that hot geothermal water had been discovered on the Mornington Peninsula in 1979, and a search of Department of Minerals and Energy records substantiated it’.

‘In 1997 the two brothers formed a partnership and they bought the 42 acre site on which the hot springs now stand. It took several more years of hard work to design the facility, secure the water license, obtain a planning permit, and drill a bore some 637 meter deep to a plentiful aquifer of 54 degree C natural hot minerals waters. The Davidson brothers then found an investor, in the form of Norm Cleland and his family, and together proceeded to build the Stage one Spa Dreaming Centre facility, which opened in June 2005. In December 2009 the second stage Bath House centre penned vastly increasing the number of bathing experiences and providing a area for children and families. Future plans include an increase in bathing experiences, accommodation, a restaurant and more wellness focused facilities’.

For me, both as a business mentor and personal development coach, it is amazing to see what they have built. The passion that has gone into the project is obvious and truly inspirational. No expense has been spared and the experience for the patrons is top notch. It is fascinating to see that it has taken them since 1997 to build what we see today. In a world of fast food and instant gratification it is important to remember that sometimes dreams take time, especially big dreams. To see the persistence, dedication and commitment that must have gone into the making of the bathes is worth writing about and also worth the drive to experience.

Noting that it took several years just to secure licenses to design and build the premises and drill the bore. I know for me I sometimes expect that things will be perfect right now and that success should happen yesterday. But in truth it takes persistence, determination and a real commitment to see the project through. This is where passion comes in, for without it, chances are you will quit before it has even got off the ground.

Passion is the driving force behind many of the world’s great projects, companies and individuals. Many things have gone by the wayside just because the passion was not there. The world would be a colder place without the passion that has driven these amazing things. Therefore it is important that we follow are passion. When we do we are twice as likely to have the success that we have dreamt of, experience twice the fun and realize twice the joy. At the end of the day that’s what life is about…Joy!

So what are you passionate about? What is it going to take for you to go and make it happen? When do you get the courage to seek help, to find mentors in those that have been there and are now living their passion fully?

If you can’t connect with your passion or the fear is too deep, just for a moment entertain the possibility that your passion could be made known to you. What if it was possible to know your passion? What if it was possible to live that passion fully?

Passion is the hot spring of life, it gives meaning, it gives energy and it heals the lost soul. So go out into your world and be passionate about what ever you do, even if for the moment it is not your true passion. Living passionately will bring you more joy, success and the possibility that you too can live an abundant and full life.

Have a great week and may the passion be with you…Oh and don’t forget to visit the hot springs next time you are on the peninsula it is well worth it. Check out the web site:

http://www.peninsulahotsprings.com

Regards Marcus

The reality of time and the myth of multi-tasking uncovered...

2011-05-22T19:35:00.000+10:00

As a coach one of the things I hear a lot is 'I wish I had more time' as there always seems to be more to do than the time available. Time is an interesting phenomenon, some might say that it is a manifestation of our conscious reality rather than a reality itself. If time is a manifestation and not real then surly we can manipulate time. Actually it is something that I often teach sports people, the art of manipulating time. I also use this skill to slow time down when I am running late for a meeting. Yes I slow time down... I know I hear you, this time he's gone mad, 'you can't manipulate time', maybe maybe not!

Let me show you the skill and then you give it a try and let me know if it works... In some ways it works a little like manifesting anything. Have you ever manifested a car space? You know you imagine that the car space is going to be free as you arrive and if you believe hard enough nine times out of ten it will be there, well it is for me, so back to manifesting time.

The art of manifesting more time starts with the process of slowing everything down. One of the practices I get clients to do is to physically slow down. Walk slower, talk slower and move slower. This process alone will help you to manifest more time. I know the left brain is having kittens, as it does. But when you physically slow down you send a message to the universe that commands that time slows down. Now does it really slow down, no not really however, if we look at it from a quantum physics point of view maybe it does. You see time is part of Albert Einstein's relativity theory in that, time is relative.

If you imagine two people at a party, person A is having a great time and person B wishes he was somewhere else. Which of these two people experience time going faster and which experiences time going slower? If you picked A going faster and B going slower you would be right.

So in this example who is right? Both of them, they are both experiencing time differently, did time go faster or slower well it all depends whether you are person A or person B. So if you can have time go faster or slower, depending on the enjoyment you are experiencing, without being conscious about it then surely you can manipulate time if you are conscious about it?

Now back to manifesting more time, here are the steps;

Step 1: Physically slow down

Step 2: Imagine time slowing down

Step 3: Command time to slow down

Step 4: Do one thing at a time

Believe it or not multi-tasking does not help you to get more done...if you don't believe me check this video out...

Dave Crenshaw, author of the Myth of Multitasking, walks you through the original multitasking exercise example.

Think you're a good multi-tasker? take this test. Download the exercise file here.

So go forth and manifest more time, get more done and stop the endless cycle of stressing about time, there is plenty more things to stress about...

Have a great week, check you next Monday and remember 'there is no time like the present, as the past is history, the future a mystery and now is a gift that's why we call it the present'.

Cheers Marcus

Biting your tongue, showing interest and the coming of snow…

2011-05-16T09:13:00.000+10:00

Good morning and thanks for reading my blog on this cold winter morning, well cold anyway and nice to see some sun. If you had not noticed winter is finally here, so exciting.

'There is snow on dem dare hills!'

I know most of you are probably saying, ‘what a crazy man excited about cold miserable mornings’, crazy I’m not but excited I am you see it’s my favorite time of year. In the immortal words of British adventurer Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes;

‘There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing’.

It is a bit the same with communication, there is no such thing as bad communication, just inappropriate words. Likewise ‘you can say anything to anyone as long as you say it in the right way’. I have a wonderful friend of mine who has an amazing way of using the right words at the right time. He could be telling you that you smell but he does it in such a way that you walk away thinking it was a compliment.

So what does it take to make sure that the words we are using are the most appropriate as possible? There are two parts to making sure that we use the most appropriate words as possible. The first is awareness, awareness of what is happening in and around the conversation and awareness of what words are landing well and what words are giving us negative feedback. Our awareness needs to include a consciousness of what words we are using and what words we choose to use in the next moment. The second part will help us in the first part and that is our ability to truly listen to the conversation and in particular the person who is speaking. When we listen to a conversation with both ears we become attentive to how the communication is landing. Most of the time however we are so concerned with what we are going to say next that we don’t actually listen to what the other person is saying.

Listening is therefore one of the most important things in the communication process. If there is no listening it is very hard to have true awareness of the communication process. So how do we listen to a conversation as we are having the conversation? Well I’m glad you asked, one of the techniques that I use is a thing called active listening, I know you have probably herd of or learnt about active listening. For those who have not and those that are not using it here is a refresher.

Active listening comprises of three parts:

Part one: Listen to what someone is communicating to you.

Part two: Paraphrase back to them what you have heard.

Part three: Listen to the response.

In action it might sound something like this;

Person 1: I am really concerned about spending that sort of money on the project because it seems irresponsible.

Person 2: So spending that amount seems irresponsible?

Person 1: Yes in my experience we could achieve the same result spending far less using company X.

Person 2: Yes if we use company X you believe we could save and get the same result?

Person 1: Yes I do.

I know it is a silly example but as you can see the effect is two fold, one the person feels heard and that you understand them and two you begin to have a greater awareness of the conversation because you actually heard what was being said. When you have to paraphrase a conversation back to the other person you make sure that you have heard what they are saying and therefore listen more attentively. It is very embarrassing paraphrasing back when you have not actually heard what is being said.

So go out into your week bite your tongue and let the other person finish what they are saying, show interest by using active listening and build a greater awareness of communication happening around you, I dare you.

Oh and back to the great weather we are having, snow is on the way (the picture at the top of this blog is an image of Mt Buller as of this morning so snow is actually here, oh and to the right is me out for a gentle morning of skiing, well maybe me a few years ago.) and if you have not guessed by now I LOVE SKIING. In the next few months if you don’t hear from me I’ve gone skiing, see you on the slopes...

Have a great week Regards Marcus

Who needs a coach...bah humbug!

2011-05-08T19:02:00.000+10:00

It's funny but it is something that I hear quite a lot, who needs a coach... ah poppy cock or something like it and you know what some of the time I think the same. I know a coach wondering who needs a coach, and then it hit me, I need a coach. Well let's be a little more accurate as I have had a coach and she did a wonderful job for me at that time and in that space, but now? I have been searching for a mentor, an advanced coach in my book, for quite sometime. I have looked out into the world of the rich and famous, in particular in the area of my passion speaking and educating, and for a long time no luck.

There is an old saying that when the student is ready the teacher will appear, and did he appear! I soon reconnected with the power of finding the right mentor/coach to help you to propel your business forward.

Part of the readiness is mindset and being completely open to making it happen. The other part is being open to possibilities that you can have any of your dreams come true. A lot of business leaders that I coach aim way to low and inevitably hit. The time has come to stop aiming low and to reach for the stars. Sometimes however we need help to not only imagine that reaching the star's is possible but help actually making it a reality. This is where the mentor or coach comes into its own. As a coach I knew that having a coach was important but I did not see the overwhelming benefits until last week. Sometimes to realise the need you must experience the benefits and this is exactly what I have done. You know the old saying a plumber has the worst plumbing etc...it's a little the same.

My mentor appeared almost out of no where, an old friend I had not seen for many months to be precise. The minute he told me about what he had been up to and the extraordinary success he had achieved by finding his mentor I knew I had to ask him. Thankfully he agreed to mentor me and in the brief conversation that we had I went out into the world with a new and excited vigour.

The power of having someone walking with you, in your shoes so to speak, and the comfort of having support is worth a fortune. We have only had our first catchup but in that time my mind has expanded into the possibilities and I can now see how I can make all my dreams a reality. I feel excited, motivated and determined to make my business as successful as I alway knew it could be.

So are you receiving the success that you know you deserve? Are you making as much money as you dream you could? How would life be different if you could make $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000 a month more than you do know? It may just be possible...so do you have a coach or mentor?

If not, now is the time to find one. And if you are worried about the cost it's time to transcend whatever poverty consciousness you have and to trust that you can make it happen, with a little guidance.

So get a mentor/coach, set a goal and make it happen.

Have a great week and remember 'don't be afraid, anything is possible!'

Regards Marcus

P.S. Next week I want to share my experiences with Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Communication. It is important so tune in next Monday.

Letting Go! What's that got to do with communication?

2011-05-02T10:38:00.000+10:00

So it’s the end of one busy week and the start of another. Sometimes the weeks just seem to blend into each other in a never-ending blur of meetings, phone calls, training and coaching. Now its great being busy and I love what I do so it’s easy to keep going. However sometimes the internal dialogue gets the better of me and I begin to second-guess myself. In the world of communication the inner dialogue can be our best friend and our worst enemy.

Today the internal dialogue is having a field day about expectations of what I should be doing. After having a restless night and waking feeling less than well I just want to have a moment off. Just a few moments to give back to myself and allow sometime to recover and rejuvenate, but alas the inner dialogue is pushing me to do more…

This is were our inner communication can be a killer, the stern master that wants to take control by forcing you to fulfil an expectation that has been set by the unknown. It is very tricky and will use any means to have you go against the more intuitive side that tells you to stop! The fear of not keeping up with expectations, of not doing what you should or have to do. So what has letting go got to do with communication? Everything!

Sometimes we need to let go of the inner dialogue that desperately wants to control us and force us to do more, to live up to more expectations and to not let the world down. Often we don’t let go of this inner dialogue until we are too sick to keep going or we face a life changing experience. These experiences can be paradigm shifting for the brain and resets the expectation level of the inner dialogue, but can hurt.

With this in mind it is also interesting to look at the outer dialogue and how hooked we get on trying to share our opinion about anything. I am often amused when I get the opportunity to listen to a group of people talking to each other as more often than not each member of the communication desperately wants to share there opinion and ends up not listening to the other preferring to communicate at each other not to each other. Our inner dialogue is a little like this and will tend to talk at us not to us.

So letting go is one of the most important things we can do when we are communicating. Letting go of our need to speak at the other in a desperate effort to prove that we are worth it. The more we can let go the more chance we have of hearing the other and participating in the conversation not trying to hijack the conversation because we need our opinion validated.

Letting go of the inner dialogue and listening to what we truly need will help us to remain balanced, healthy and on track to manifest the things that we truly want or desire.

So letting go is easier said than done. It is a process that takes some practice and as I write this I am battling the letting go to allow me to recover, rest and respect myself. So maybe the first step is being kind to yourself, respecting the beautiful fragile self so that you can honour what you really do need, above and beyond the expectations. In my case I follow a process that helps me to let go;

Step 1: Be kind to yourself and ask the question what is the kindest thing I can do right now?

Step 2: If you hear yourself saying ‘I should’ or ‘I have to’ or ‘I must’ beware as this is the inner dialogue trying to take control. Do what you truly want to do and if you must do something, as we all do from time to time, rephrase the inner dialogue to choose to do it.

Step 3: Listen, turn your ears and awareness on and listen to what your inner dialogue or the other person is saying. When you have heard what is being said ask a question about that communication that you just heard. This helps you to confirm what you have heard and it shows respect and interest in the conversation. Consciousness gives us the opportunity to participate and from an inner dialogue point of view, change our reaction to what is being said.

Step 4: Let go of what you don’t agree on both internally and externally, try and keep your opinion to a minimum and frame it around constructive communication rather than aggressive opinionated communication.

Step 5: Communicate with people not at people, this goes for the inner dialogue as much as the outer communication.

Communication is probably the most important thing we can do in business and in life. The more effectively we communicate the better chance we have of getting what we want. We learnt from a very early age that if we wanted anything we needed to communicate in one fashion or another. Often the louder we communicated the faster we grabbed the attention of our parents and the faster we received what we were after.

Now as we grew we realised that there were better ways of getting things than just yelling and so our communication style grew. We refined things to the point that we generally got a lot of what we asked for. Then we were set free out into the big world were we had to restructure our communication style to once again get what we wanted.

Now even though we have all been on a process of learning how to communicate, to the most part it has been unconscious and situational, directed by the people we associate with. Because of this most people don’t really know how to communicate effectively. So this is the start, learn to let go and start to communicate more softly with yourself. Learn to let go of desperately trying to talk at people and start to communicate with people.

Have a great week and be kind to yourself and the world and watch the rewards come back to you.

More on communication next week until then have fun talking with yourself and others.

Regards Marcus

Easter Bunny Blues...

2011-04-25T09:12:00.000+10:00

Well Happy Easter to you all I hope the Easter Bunny was kind to you?

In my household all holidays are meet with great excitement having three littlies, and Easter is no exception. So at the wee hours of this morning they all ran in to announce that the Easter Bunny had arrived and there were soooo many eggs. It is nice to hear the excitement in their voices even though it was 6:30 on a Sunday. Now we are all paying the price for those damn chocolate eggs feeling sick and disgusting, it felt good at the time! It's the Easter Bunny blues...

Anyway it is a public holiday so its time to have a break therefore there is no formal blog today.

Stay tuned for next week it's all about communication, the maker or breaker of success in any aspect of life. Until then enjoy the video and have a great long weekend or if you are reading this on Wednesday I hope you had a great long weekend?

Sure you want to be a leader?

2011-04-17T19:33:00.000+10:00

So you think you want to be a leader? The following video on leadership and how a movement starts is not only inspirational but prophetic.

As the leader of Intrinsic Success I am proud to announce that two brave souls will be joining the company at the end of the month. Welcome the loverly Jenny and courageous Greg to my now growing company. As you have seen from the video these are the two most important people at Intrinsic Success. I will have a more formal announcement and introduction on our new web site in the next few weeks but for now I am so honoured, excited and grateful for their courage and enthusiasm for what Intrinsic Success is.

Until next week, dance like nobody is watching and may your movement bring an abundance of followers.

Regards Marcus

Finding the truth at an airport!

2011-04-11T15:23:00.000+10:00

I am sitting at Hobart airport, here's the photo to prove it, waiting for my flight back to Melbourne after a great morning coaching. Nice suite and tie Marcus!

If I had a dollar for every hour that I have spent in airports I would be writing this blog from some exotic ski resort. Well maybe not writing this blog but skiing and sharing all the tales from the snow.

Apart from being with my family theres an image of what I would be doing!

But alas I am in another airport just waiting, oh well it give’s you time to think if nothing else.

So a blog... what to write about this week? Well I have just spent the morning discussing the truth. The truth about our own individual lives and how we are very good at clouding the truth and in turn having us convince ourselves of what is real and what is not. This then leads us into what we think we want and often has us diving into things that are not really what we do want. We unfortunately often don’t find this out until years later only to create the same decision time and time again.

You see reality is not all it is cracked up to be! Our reality is shaped from our left-brain point of view as this is what we have all be trained to trust, how so you ask. Thanks for asking! As some of you may know we have two hemispheres of our brain the right and the left, anyone know what they do? That’s right the left is all about analytical, strategy, systematic and linier function. In learns in words, process and structure. It lives in the past and the future and is concerned with keeping us safe. The right brain on the other hand is all about abstract, feelings and takes in its data through the senses of our being. It lives in the eternal moment of now. The issue with reality is that in our left-brain dominant world, which we have all been trained to trust more than anything else, we create a feedback loop system that creates false reality.

How it does this is that the further we move from an event in our lives the less truthful it becomes. Take a memory from your early childhood; remember what happened and the feelings that it gave you. Now I bet if you asked a sibling or a parent their memory of this shared experience they would tell you a different story. Now what is real and who is right? The answer is no one and everyone as all these realities are only past perceived realities. The further we move from the event the more it becomes a perceived reality rather than a true reality of what actually happened. Now if we come back to today all these past-perceived realities are projected into the immediate future creating a future perceived reality, which then creates a now perceived reality. None of which are necessarily the truth. Confused yet?

It’s ok because half of the confusion comes from thinking of reality from the left-brain which can’t actually understand reality on it’s own. In steps the right brain that only lives in the moment of now. You see reality only lives in the moment of now. From a left-brain point of view the past might have us believe that we are not worthy, not good enough and what we should or should not do. This reality then leads us into doing things that are not truly aligned with our truth. Now we believe that we are doing our truth based on the left-brain view of the world and past-perceived reality creating future perceived reality creating a now perceived reality none of which is the truth. When we take the same image and overlay the right brain we find that all the drama associated with an event or situation is allowed to disperse. The right brain helps us to step out of the perceived reality space and actually connect with the truth. Once we have this truth we can use the left-brain to create actions that move us forward into the new reality, the truth.

So that’s all well and good but how do you know the truth. Well that my friend is a journey of delving into the depth of who you are. The first step is to become conscious of the truth and how your past and future are creating your now. The secret to this is to look at the dramas in your life. It is the perceived reality that often creates drama. To then look at the truth of this reality, this drama and decide which is true and which is not. Once you know this authentic truth it is time to become congruent and to take this congruence out into the world a bit like taking your new puppy for its first walk. It’s a little scary, a little unsure, a little unstable and a lot of faith that this is the right thing to do.

Accessing the right brain will help you to connect with what is really going on. Some may call it intuition others a knowing and for some it is gut feel. In a lot of cases it helps to get someone external to help you to connect with the truth for once you connect it is easier to keep the connection. If you can connect to your knowing, check in and try and identify your drama. What is the perceived reality that you have created for yourself? Is it your ultimate truth?

So go out into the world and find your truth, see where you are deceiving yourself with a perceived reality and make the truth, your truth, real!

Thanks for reading until next week, Nanoo Nanoo, for all those eighties kids. For those who don’t know what this is check out channel 11 and the old re-runs of Mork and Mindy.

P.S: if you want some help to find your truth drop me a line marcus@intrinsicsuccess.com

P.P.S: if you want to know more about the brain check out this video from the TED website it is well worth it! http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Your Story is Worth it!

2011-04-03T20:54:00.000+10:00

I spent the weekend at the National Speakers Association of Australia convention and had some very eye opening moments. There was so much good stuff I heard, so much I learnt and a whole lot of amazing speakers that not only inspired but also gave me lots of great ideas to spice up my performances. I also got to hear from and speak to some very successful authors who shared some great wisdom. Now I could write a whole swag load of blog’s from the convention, which I might just well do, however today or tonight as the case maybe I have to pick just one.

So what topic shall I pick, so much good fodder, so many memorable moments, mmmm! So I just choose to go with whatever inspires the heart and in this case it came up with the title ‘Your story is worth it’

It is amazing at how many people love to hear my story and how reluctant I often am to share it. But it is our stories that help people to feel closer to us and inspires them to connect to us. This connection is the most important thing that we can focus on, as it is connection that more than often has people buying our product or service. It does not mater if we run our own business or work for someone else, connection is the most important thing you can foster. We all prefer to deal with people we like or have things in common with. The more intimate we feel with someone the better we think we know them. It helps us to feel the authenticity of that person and this authenticity allows us to connect deeply.

The more we connect the more we want to do business with that person and as that connection grows, the more we are likely we are to refer them to others. Now it is one thing to get business from the people we know it is another to get them to refer us to the people that they know. This is how we build a successful business or career, by getting others to refer us. We would all rather do business with someone that has been referred to us. So connection is imperative if we are to be successful and receive referrals.

So what is your story? Do you feel comfortable sharing it? A lot of the people I speak to, including myself, are hesitant to share their story. Maybe it was all the times we were told as kids not to big note, brag or stand out. Maybe it’s just part of the Australian collective conscious which commands that you don’t stick your head up too high as tall poppies get cut down. But then again maybe it’s not about this at all but rather just finding the courage to share honestly and openly your amazing story.

We all have one, a story that is heart felt, touching and real. As humans we all have experiences that are happy, sad, distressing, uplifting, depressing, devastating, painful and joyful. All these emotions have value to each other as sharing helps us to feel normal and builds a kinship with others. These stories also have great lessons and teachings weaved throughout them. These lessons have value for others and are likely to positively touch and intern change another’s life. We may not see its effect or the results of that wisdom but it’s there and its important.

Finding the courage to share your story is often half the battle. Moving past the ‘who would care about my story’, ‘its just not that interesting’ and ‘I’m scared what people will think’ may just help another more than you will ever know. Maybe it’s time to stop all this rot and start to share more of yourselves, through your story.

So your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to write out your unique story. To then share it with one person that may not know it.

‘Share more of who you really are through the experiences that you have really had’.

Remember your story is worth it. Own it, believe in it, share it with passion!

If you feel moved to share it with me I would love to receive them.

Thanks for reading until next week, share your story with passion!

The $1,000,000 dollar challenge! One great love, an enlightening dinner party, and two clarity defining breakfast meetings.

2011-03-28T14:42:00.000+11:00

So I’m sitting here in a café somewhere in Melbourne contemplating the week that was and the weekend that still is. I know it’s Monday morning and I’m running behind with my blog and my Monday morning inspiration to my clients and its all for a good reason.

So I’m letting go of the anxiety that is building inside me that I have to meet expectations. Expectations of others, of what I think needs to happen and of the expectations that I have set up for myself. All playing into the great wounding, the great baggage game that we all carry from our childhood, past lives into our future hopes and dreams. In fact it is often the future that activates the past wounding and creates urgency, pain and unfulfilled dreams in the now.

Over the last twenty-four hours I have had an enlightening journey with my partner Stephanie, and enlightening dinner party with friends and finally this morning two enlightening business meetings with friends. Through all this I discover that I have allowed the dark to cover me yet again! It is funny how sometimes the dark comes disguised as the light only to appear as the dark right when you are in the middle of it. Now let me clarify the ‘dark’ as it is not some kind of spooky Hollywood Nightmare on Elm Street blockbuster but rather those things that we let get in the way of our success.

Maybe all this is not making any sense but right now I am just going with what is coming. The dark comes to show you everything that you are not! I have seen many hundreds of clients over my time as a kinesiologist, counsellor and coach and when I ask clients what they want they inevitably start by telling me all the things that they don’t want. In a funny way this is the purpose of the dark, to show you what you don’t want or in this case what you are not. In this way the dark actually appears to help you to see the light that you are. The dark is just energy like everything in the universe. All of which is aimed at growing the light of having us move into the biggest most beautiful and radiant version of ourselves.

Which brings me to today’s blog, how to turn a fake million dollar note into a real million dollars. It’s a challenge that was set for me last night by my beautiful friends Duncan and Fiona. I set Duncan a challenge for his blog a few weeks ago, which was to complete the title ‘greed is good’. Being a spiritual warrior it was potentially a challenge as sometimes we see greed as bad and certainly the popular media would have us believe so. Anyway Duncan did an amazing job, you can check it out at http://www.kidneycoach.com , so now to my challenge to blog about how to turn a fake million dollar note into a real million dollars! Well not actually just a blog but rather a real life challenged based on the guy who swapped a paperclip for a house.

Do I know how I am going to do it, no way, so where to from here? This is where I step into my power and become radiant and manifest the reality that this is possible. Money, like everything in the universe, is just energy and certainly not real. Money is just paper, or plastic and in most cases is just thin air travelling from one account to another never really seeing the light of day. So what is the reality of money? If money is not real and our society is just built on make believe, so to speak, then why not manifest a real million dollars out of a fake million dollars. The funny thing is that this fake million dollar note cost $7.00 to buy so someone is actually making money from that fake million dollar note. One of the reasons this challenge has come about is that part of my father wounding revolves around money and my limiting belief about not being good enough to have it, keep it and love it. So if money is not real then my wounding starts to disintegrate. This challenge was also manifested because of the gentleman who swapped a red paperclip for a house in 16 trades. He went onto ebay asking someone to swap a paperclip for something and a person swapped a pen. He then swapped the pen for something else and it got bigger and bigger until one day he had a house. If you have not heard of this guy, Kyle MacDonald, check it out at http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/ as he now has a web site, a book, he’s a speaker and the list goes on all because of one crazy idea. He broke through the mindset that his goal was crazy, not real or achievable.

So how to swap a fake million dollar note for a real million dollars, this is my challenge and I take it with both hands and move forward towards that reality. So anyone want to swap a fake million-dollar note, in pristine condition for something else? I have set up a blog site dedicated to this journey at http://themilliondollarnote.blogspot.com/ so you can follow me and I’ll also set up a web site so when it is up I’ll send you the link and lets see what happens.

At the end of the day the dinner conversation revolved around mindset and it’s power to influence how we succeed or don’t succeed in life. My recent mindset has lead me to fall back into the darkness, in an effort to help everyone else learn from the experience I am sure, so that I can now wake up again and move back into the light. So where is your mindset and how is it hindering or helping you to manifest what you want, deserve and need? Where is your baggage or the darkness hindering you manifesting the brightest future for yourself and your family?

This challenge is similar to the premise of manifesting a car space. I’m famous for manifesting rock star car spaces. I do it EVERY time without fail so why should a million dollars be any different? The short answer is IT’S NOT so here we go, want to come for the ride and see what happens?

Thanks for reading, have a great week and don’t forget to be radiant in everything you do….you might just manifest a million dollars!

Regards Marcus

P.S Thanks Stephanie, Duncan, Fiona, Karen and Chris for your wise words, deep questioning and loving challenge.

Engagement - A Life Changing Experience

2011-03-21T08:34:00.000+11:00

Well another week has gone by and this week I have been playing Mr Mum and Mr Dad as Stephanie has been away in northern NSW working as an assistant on the Shamanic Midwifery course. Thankfully I have had lots of help from my Mum, yea for mums, and what a great help she has been thanks Mum. Now trying to juggle family and the extra responsibilities with an already busy work schedule has not been easy and as I sit here on Sunday night I am a little tired.

I was watching Undercover Boss last night, one of my favorite reality shows, and I could not help but to be dragged into the emotion of it all. It was a particularly emotional show with a boss who connected deeply to his staff and had some very big awakenings. I can’t help but be moved by the deep connection that was felt by all and the life changing results that this connection achieved. It made me think about the whole connection and engagement theories that we talk about but often give lip services to. As I have said before, and no doubt will again, engagement is the key to success or more importantly how we engage. It makes sense that the more we engage and the deeper that engagement we have with anything the more success we are likely to receive. So how are you engaging with your business and your world?

If you are a sole trader or small business owner you might want to look at how you are engaging with each of the domains, or in our language, the pillars of your business. How are you engaging with the finances, the marketing, the sales or in the structure of your files and records? I can bet that the areas that you dislike engaging in are the things that need the most attention. Unfortunately when you are a sole trader you have to be the HR manager, the finance manager, the marketing manager, the sales manager, pretty much everything. Now if you just can’t engage with any of these areas because you just dislike them, like me with my finances, then get someone in who loves engaging in that particular area to help. If you can’t afford it then learn to engage by listing the benefits of engaging in that area and then apply that to your passion. So how is engaging with your finances going to help you to build a successful coaching practice, as in my case. Sometimes we need to segway our engagement so that we can engage in those things that at first thought we can’t stand.

Now if you are in a larger organization where you have employees who report to you or you happen to own a business that has employees then engagement becomes critical to the bottom line. Employee and staffing costs are often the most expense outgoings in any business, so making sure that they are performing is essential if you want to make a profit. It goes without saying, so I’ll say it anyway, that the more engaged employees are the better they will perform. Engaged employees also cost less from a sick leave and turnover point of view. A recent statistic that I read said that over 80% of employees do not like what they do. A scary statistic to think that 80% of staff are disengaged with what they are doing.

I have a theory called motion theory, which states that everything in the universe is constantly in motion. Employees are no different in that employees are either moving towards or away from your business. Those that are moving towards the business are engaged and therefore perform better, have fewer sick days, greater loyalty and have a happier and more enthusiastic demeanor. Now this has to be good for business as an engaged employee is more likely to engage with customers in a positive way. On the other hand those that are moving away from the business and disengaging are more likely to have higher sick leave, less company loyalty and will be less enthusiastic or happy. Now I don’t need to tell you how this comes across to customers just take the supermarket check out person, ‘Hi, how are you’ in a drool monotone voice reading from the employee training manual. Just for fun, change it up a gear next time you meet one of these employees, there not just in supermarkets, and give them a response that is not in the manual.

In all seriousness we have three categories that we place employees into, they are either - Advocates, Fence Sitters or Detractors. Advocates are those that are moving towards the business and engage. These are the employees that enjoy coming to work, are passionate about what they do and the company they work for and the group that we are likely to get the most out of. The second type of employee is the Fence Sitter, these are the employees who are there to do there job and rarely put in over and above but seem to like where they work. These employees are however easily swayed. The third group is the Detractors, these are employees that are in the process of or have disengaged from the business. These employees, depending on the distance of disengagement, don’t like where they work and at the extreme can become toxic to the organisation. These employees hate to be alone and will try to recruit other employees to join their cause. This is where the Fence Sitters can be influenced to join them, which can turn into a mutiny if not taken care of quickly. I am sure we have all been a part of one or all of these groups at some time I know I have. Now both the Fence Sitters and the Detractors, as long as they have not moved too far, can be turned around and encouraged to become Advocates. In fact it is possible to have a company full of advocates. If you don’t believe me check this site out http://www.zapposinsights.com/main/ Zappos is an online business, which started out selling shoes and has now moved into a wide range of merchandise. Their employees are primarily all call centre staff, but a call centre with a very big difference, all their employees are Advocates and moving towards the business. Some of the most engaged employees I have ever seen. They are so successful at employee engagement that they now take tours and run workshops for other organizations that want to learn their secrets.

Engagement is crucial if we want to have a more successful business and successful life. So this week I challenge you to take a look at how you are engaging with your world, identify where you could engage deeper and make an engagement plan. Learn how to love what you do and if you can’t go find and then live your passion, the world will be a better place for it…

Thanks for reading…

P.S: As the Gallup organization have found:

The world's top-performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human resources initiative -- it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business.

Research by Gallup and others shows that engaged employees are more productive. They are more profitable, more customer-focused, safer, and more likely to withstand temptations to leave. The best-performing companies know that an employee engagement improvement strategy linked to the achievement of corporate goals will help them win in the marketplace.

P.P.S: Now you don’t have to go to the USA to get extreme employee engagement you just need to call us. If you want to engage more with your small business or have your employees engage more with your organisation the benefits are far and beyond increased profit. Why not give us a call to see how our Engagement Success Technologies can help you to have greater success. It does not cost anything to get an evaluation…