I first heard of Debbie Ford, from Joe Vitale about a year and a half ago. Joe wrote highly of her on his blog. Soon after rushed to the library and picked up Debbie Ford’s best-selling book, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams. I picked up a handful of golden nuggets from that book which had a tremendous effect on me and changed me for the better. I have read many books in the past, and I continue to do so. Throughout my journey through life there have been certain books that I read that have changed my life for the better. Debbie Ford’s book was one of them.

So when I heard the she was releasing her new book called, Why Good People Do Bad Things: How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy I wanted to get my hands on it. But for whatever reason, I forgot about the book until a few months later when I came to know that Ford was making a “movie” based on the book. The movie is called: The Shadow Effect.

Thanks to the generous offer of CK Reyes of www.divinepurposeunleashed.com I was sent a complimentary copy of The Shadow Effect DVD in exchange for my honest review of the movie. Not only did I watch the movie and think it was great, I also began reading the book and together they offered highly impactful nuggets of wisdom to apply to my life and change it for the better.

So what is the shadow effect really about? Here is a small portion of what I learned about the movie.

The Shadow Effect begins by pointing out that every human being has an internal shadow. Every time we act in a certain way on the outside, we cast a shadow which is its exact opposite. It’s the simple old concept of duality. Everything has an opposite. That includes us. Human beings too are full of opposites. We can be do good or cause harm. We can be happy or sad. We can show empathy or be uncaring. We can be generous or miserly. We can be brave or fearful. The term “shadow” in field of self-development was first used by psychologist Carl Jung. In fact one of Jung’s famous quotes best explains what the shadow really is.

“Until We Make The Unconscious Conscious, It Runs Our Life And We Call It Fate.”

Let me explain to you in another way, how the shadow works.

The evangelist Ted Haggard spoke against homosexuality all the time. In the end he was caught with a male prostitute.

Elliot Spitzer, the governor of New York, spent most of his political career campaigning to rid the streets of prostitution. In the end he was caught in a scandal involving a prostitute.

Jimmy Swaggart, publicly bashed his opponents for their scandalous affair with prostitutes, and in the end he was caught in a similar scandal.

Radio personality Rush Limbaugh chastised many for their drug use. In the end, he admitted to using drugs himself.

There are numerous examples but you get the point. Do you see the recurring pattern here? So what exactly is happening here?

When you deny and suppress the shadow part of yourself for so long and deny its existence, it will one day sneak up on you and demand an outlet. And even when the shadow does seep out of us, the majority of people will still be in a state of complete denial and not tend to the problem until it’s too late.

We have become a society that loves to watch reality shows- the misery of others, and we enjoy when celebrities fumble and make mistakes. It gives us the opportunity to point a finger at them, pass judgements on them and feel superior.

We distract ourselves with alcohol, drugs, music, compulsive shopping, food, chocolate or anything else we can find to temporarily bandage the problem in front us. Instead we need to look at our problems and negative emotions in our lives head on and get to the root of the problem and solve it from there. Denying the existence of our problems is the worst thing we can do because essentially we are lying to our self.

So what happens when we deny the bad parts of us? We begin to project the parts of ourselves we hate or dislike onto others.

What you hate or annoys you about others is usually something that exists in you also.

Denial is not a river in Egypt.

Only when we accept responsibility for our actions…only when we stop blaming outside factors, only when our mood stops being dependent on outside factors, is when we can truly live and make conscious choices.

The destructive patterns that we continue, whether its procrastination, drug use, falling into abusive relationships or making non beneficial friendships.

Every time we create an outer image for the outside world, we cast a shadow…and that shadow is the opposite of that outer image we are portraying.

The world is created in duality…in opposites, black and white, male and female, dark and light, heat and cold, pain and pleasure and so on.

The shadow is a part of us that we don’t want to expose to others. To hide our shadow we create outer masks, thus creating even bigger shadows.

We create masks for ourselves…..for example the over achiever may be hiding a constant sense of failure and worthlessness. The eternal optimist or the class clown maybe hiding a sense of sadness. Someone who was called stupid when they were younger now tries hard to be an intellectual, always spewing facts.

A human-being is an emotion producing mechanism. You have the ability to experience a full spectrum of emotions. We should be free to feel whatever bubbles up, now I am not saying that we should act on every emotion that pops up, but at the same time when we deny the existence of those same emotions we are creating a split in our self.

When you suppress your “dark side” too long, they will have to bubble up…they will find an outlet….and when they do express themselves….they will sabotage you.

And you wonder why, you did or said something that you know is not something you would normally do or say.

Our negative side can actually be of benefit to us and helpful to us.

For example, there are times when being selfish can be a good thing. There are times when being outspoken can be a good thing (against oppression or an unjust act). There are times when being stubborn can be a good thing (against people who want to bring you down and dissuade you.) There are times when being angry is a good things (for example when you see injustice taking place.”

The parts of you that you are ashamed of and are trying to suppress and actually bring benefits. They can teach you a lesson.

Human beings cannot and should not be boxed in…should not be labelled. We are everything and everyone at any given time. What we see in others is usually a reflection of ourselves. Instead of dealing with the negative qualities existing with us, we project them onto others.

The Shadow Effect Movie stresses the importance of cultivating forgiveness and cultivating gratitude. What I liked about the movie is that it diagnosed the problems and the symptoms and offered a solution and a cure. Watching the DVD will open your eyes and make you realise the cause of some of your unwanted actions and to truly benefit you want to also do some inner work to remove your self-imposed limitations.

Conclusion

The only thing I didn’t agree with it was that one of the presenters referred to human beings as being divine in nature. This is an idea that exists in some self-development circles that I completely disagree with. No doubt that the Almighty created us in perfect form and with special skills and abilities, but we are in no way perfect in our actions. We are not divine, because if we were, you wouldn’t see the atrocities being caused by human beings today. Having said that, we want to take the good from everything.

Watching the movie was eye opening for me. Some of the concepts were things that I had already learnt before, but to know something intellectually is very different to actually applying the knowledge. Debbie Ford has a unique way of presenting information that hits the message home. This movie is by no means a cure for all. It’s simply a tool that will help you recognise the cause of some of our negative patterns and limitations and will point you to a direction of positive change. I urge you to watch The Shadow Effect Movie and read the book Why Good People Do Bad Things: How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy as well. My review does not do the movie justice.

Koorosh Vahabi

If you want to be successful you need to develop discipline and focus. As human beings we all have a tendency to get distracted. It’s normal. Don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself procrastinating or getting distracted every once in awhile.

Having said that, its important that you develop at least a little bit of discipline and focus. It will help you get your goals of the ground. It will help you get your projects completed.

Here is an amazing video. It’s by David Wolfe who promotes and teaches healthier living. In this video he talks a lot about how to become more disciplined and focused. He points out that we are all disciplined and focused in many parts of our lives already.

Excellent video….have a look.

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.longevitynowprogram.com/news/discipline/

David has also done a video with Frank Kern that you can see here:

http://www.longevitynowprogram.com/news/david-wolfe-and-frank-kern/

Here is another excellent resource that has helped me become more disciplines and focused.

Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go from Thinking to Doing ~ by Theodore Bryant

Post your thoughts below in the comments section. And if you enjoyed the videos, re-tweet this blog post using the little green square plugin at the top of the page.

Thanks a million.

Best Wishes,

Koorosh Vahabi

PS. Remember that you are the captain of your life. You get to steer yourself to where you want to go.

Things are going great. We still need to set up our home phone and internet, but for now we are pretty much settled in.

Even though I started a new job two weeks ago, my main focus right now is making money online and helping others do the same. I have made money online in the past, but it has not been consistent. That is going to change soon inshallah. I took part in Justin and Chaunna Brooke’s 30 Day Apprentice Challenge last month and have made really big strides towards my goals.

At the end of the Challenge, Justin and Chaunna chose several of the challengers to work closely with them and guide them to better results online. One of the “chosen ones” was me. It is an opportunity that I am grateful for and I expect big things to come out of this.

They are also on the move. They are moving from Idaho to Florida. They are driving there. Once they reach their destination and settle in, we will begin the coaching sessions. I will keep you upto date. Make sure you visit my blog often so you don’t miss anything.

On another note…

My neighbor is also someone I have known for a couple of years. He is a friend. On the weekend his daughter came over. Below are some pictures that I took. Her name is Daniella.

There you have it. I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below. Also Re-tweet this blog post.

Thanks a million,

Best wishes,

Koorosh

PS…Changing your life for the better begins with the Decision to make it better.

photo credit: laverrue

Wow. What an eventful week. I have been in the process of packing and cleaning these last few days. I am moving on July 1^st 2009. My roommates of the last 3 years and I have decided to go our separate ways. I met them when I first came to Canada for university in 2005.

There was nothing negative about the decision. We decided that it was time to start a new adventure. They are still like brothers to me and we will remain good friends.

As I mentioned before, I got laid off on January 24^th 2009. I sent out a few resumes and started my new job last week. I know what you are thinking.

“Koorosh…I thought you are making a full time living online.”

The answer is: “Not yet.”

I do make some money here and there, but it isn’t consistent. It will be soon. There is no turning back for me. At the same time, I need to get a job so that I can send in my immigration papers and become a Canadian citizen, inshallah.

I have had part time and full time jobs since I was 15 years old. I can tell you that the 9-5 job is not for me. Instead of working 40 hours per week making money for others I would rather put that time and effort in for myself. The internet is the cheapest and easiest place to start a profitable business.

So what does this have to do with you?

As you can see, the only thing that is constant in this life is change. Maybe you too are stuck in a rut. Perhaps you have become too comfortable in your comfort zone.

Joe Vitale always says, “The future should scare you a little but excite you a lot.”

If you are happy with your current job and lifestyle, then I am truly happy for you. But if you are unhappy like I am, then do something about it. Take a pen and paper and write down which areas need improving, and begin taking action to improve them.

As you know, I recently took part in Justin and Chaunna Brooke’s 30 Day Apprentice Challenge last month, I am getting even closer to my goal of creating multiple streams of passive income online. Justin and Chaunna are super knowledgeable and such good people. They provide true value. I suggest you click on the link above and complete the challenge.

The material they taught set me on the right direction, and I met some incredible friends there. Hopefully these friends will also be people that I collaborate and do JV’s with very soon.

I want to give them a shout here on my blog. Please check out their blogs. These guys are future Internet Marketing superstars. If I forgot anyone, I apologise. Send me a note and I will include your site here. Here they are in no particular order:

Jason Benfield - http://jaysmastermind.com

Bill Romer - http://askbillromer.com

Michael Hartzell - http://michaelhartzell.com/blog

Neal Battaglia - http://nealbattaglia.com/

Eric Transue - http://erictransue.com

Chris Jensen - http://askchrisjensen.com

Sylvia van de Logt - http://escalaweb.net

Leslie Zengler - http://lesliezengler.com

Richard Vanstrum - http://vanstratums.com

Joe Butler - http://whoisjoebutler.com

Maggie David - http://askmaggiedavid.com

Pam Brechlin - http://pambrechlin.com

Red - http://reds-web.com

Yvonne Tagbo - http://yvonnetagbo.com

Jeffrey Mireault - http://jeffreymireault.com

Master Keith - http://masterkeith.com

Robin and Travis - http://robinandtravis.com

Yvonne M - http://www.yvonnem.com

Lyndon David - http://asklyndondavid.com

There you go. Most of these guys above were newbies. Some had no clue how to start a blog or how to go about making money online. It took the less than 30 days and now they are on their way to creating financial freedom for themselves.

I hope you are inspired to believe in yourself to take charge of your life.

Before you go, do me a favor: Comment, Retweet, Share and Spread the word about this article.

Best wishes,

Koorosh Vahabi

photo credit: Dan Queiroz

As you guys know, I have been taking part in Justin and Chaunna Brooke’s 30 Day Apprentice Challenge. The challenge has allowed me to meet a lot of like-minded people. These folks are helpful and have taught me a lot. One of these guys I have met is Jason Benfield. He is a genius when it comes to making money online.

I followed his story in the forums and I was interested in knowing more. I asked him for an interview and thankfully he agreed. I wasn’t planning on a detailed interview. I was hoping for a 20 minute interview of nice pleasantries. Instead we got a 1-hour long interview which is jam-packed with all sorts of Internet Marketing secrets, that you can use today.

Jason even lays out a simple, step by step blueprint to follow to earn residual income very easily. You can start this business for under $20.

Here is what else you will learn in this interview:

• What you can do to increase your squeeze page conversion rate by 40%
• How to use social media and Twitter the right way
• How Jason got a $30,000 contract from one single client.
• How to get an amazing product that Jason created…the price = $1 (yes…just a dollar)
• And Much More…

Jason even offered to do a JV with anyone who has a great idea for a product. All you need to do is contact him.

Listen to the interview below. To download, right click and “Save As”

Click Here For Interview with Internet Marketing Genius Jason Benfield

You can also download the interview here.

Here are the resources we mentioned in the interview.

=======================================================

Jason Benfield’s blog: http://www.jaysmastermind.com

Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jasonbenfield

Connect with Jason on Facebook

Hypnotic Marketing by Joe Vitale

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

Instant Guru Status - Only for $1 (wow)

Subscribe to my newsletter and get a free copy ofThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon.

Just enter your name and email in the fields at the top right hand corner.

=======================================================

Remember to Re-Tweet. Thanks!

Koorosh

photo credit: ManojVasanth

I love success stories. Especially the ones where it’s against all odds. I recently came across such a story. It is the story of a wonderful Internet Marketer known as Karen Kay.

She has such an inspirational story that I couldn’t wait to tell you guys. If you ever thought something was impossible, then Karen’s story should knock that belief right out of your system.

You see, Karen really wanted to attend an Internet Marketing seminar organised by my friend Pat O’ Bryan. The problem was that she didn’t have enough funds to make the trip to Texas where the seminar was being held. Most people see something they want to have, be or do and they think, “I can’t afford that. I don’t have enough money.”

They focus on the problem. Instead what they should be doing is asking themselves, “HOW can I afford that?”

They should focus on the solution, instead of the problem. I learned this from marketing legend Russell Brunson.

Karen had such an intense desire to go the seminar that she looked for a solution, despite not having the money for it. Well guess what. She came up with an ingenious and creative idea to raise money for the trip. And yes, she did go to the seminar. I don’t want to spoil the rest of the story for you. To find out how she raised the money for the trip visit her site: http://ironedoutdiva.com/US6

Let’s recap the story. Karen wanted to go to a seminar, but she had an obstacle in front her, namely that she couldn’t afford it. This would have made most people give up right then and there. But Karen Kay is not your average person…she is extraordinary. If her attitude would have been negative, she wouldn’t have been able to come up with a solution and would have missed the seminar. End of story. Instead, she kept a positive and expectant attitude that a solution would show up for her. And as a result the following benefits occurred:

• Karen was able to attend the seminar of her dreams and had a lot of fun.
• She met friends whom she knew only through online forums.
• She hob knobbed with top notch marketers such as Pat O Bryan and Joe Vitale.
• She got to stand in front of the seminar crowd and tell her story…and they applauded!
• Her self-confidence grew ten-fold.
• And she made a lot of new like minded friends.

And to think, all of this occurred because of a simple change in attitude. Karen focused on the solution instead of the problem.So what does this have to do with you? Everything!

Just imagine what you can achieve if you change your attitude and focus on solutions from now on. The sky is the limit, my dear friend. Just give it a try, and see your potential unfold.

Success coach Tony Robbins always says: “Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”

And he also says, “It’s in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”

(Incidentally Joe Vitale & Pat O Bryan are one of the earliest marketers I learned from. They both generously share a lot of tips and advice on making money online.

If you liked this post, please re-tweet. It’s free and people will love you for it.

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

~ Bill Cosby ~

I want to share a story with you to better illustrate the quote above. The story is part of Aesop’s fables series. However the story as it is written below is an excerpt of a great book entitled: Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go from Thinking to Doing ~ by Theodore Bryant

************************************

A Story

Once upon a bright, sunny morning a man and his young son left their farm to make a trip into town. The boy rode atop their donkey as the father walked alongside. Along the road they encountered a fellow from the nearby village. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” the fellow said, admonishing the boy. “You ride comfortably while your poor, old father has to walk. You have no respect!”

The boy and his father first sheepishly exchanged glances, then exchanged places. As the two continued their journey, they chanced upon another fellow. “You selfish old man!” he said. “You take the easy ride while your poor son wears himself out trying to keep up. You should at least let the boy ride also.”

Not wishing to offend, the old man helped his son climb aboard. The pair then continued their journey. Before long, they came upon a woman coming from the opposite direction. She, too, found fault with their arrangement. “I’ve never seen such cruelty! You two lazy louts are too heavy for that poor donkey. It would be more fitting for the two of you to be carrying the animal.”

Not wishing to fall from favor with the woman, the man directed his son to bind the donkey’s front hooves together, then back hooves together. Meanwhile, the man himself cut a long, sturdy pole from a nearby tree. The pair laid the animal down, slid the pole through his bound hooves, then lifted the pole to their shoulders-the father on one end, the boy on the other, the donkey hanging upside- down on the pole between them.

Carrying the donkey, the pair trudged along. As they crossed the bridge that lead into town, the upside-down donkey saw his reflection in the water below from an angle that he had never before seen. The animal became frightened and suddenly thrashed about violently, causing the pair to lose their grips on the pole. Before they could grab him, the donkey fell off the narrow bridge into the water below. Still bound, the donkey was unable to swim. From the bridge, the father and son helplessly watched as their donkey sank out of sight, into the deep water below.

Moral of the story: After a moment of silent reflection, the father turned to the boy and spoke: “Son, we learned a valuable lesson today. We learned that when you try to satisfy everyone you end up losing you’re ass.”

************************************

“Please all, and you will please none.”

Having said all that, here is one secret of success. You can’t please everybody. So stop trying to. Whatever you do, someone will be dissatisfied with the results.

If you cook some food for a group of people, some will love it, others will complain.

If you write a blog post, some will benefit from it, others will criticize it.

If you attempt to teach someone something, some will learn from you and others will disapprove of your point of view.

Do you see a pattern here?

Stop trying to be perfect and stop trying to fit into everyone’s mold of how you should be.

Of course if someone offers you advice or constructive feedback, go ahead and take it. Learn from it and move forward.

But never allow someone’s opinion of you or your actions stop you from taking steps towards your goals.

Before I go here is the book again that I mentioned. I am reading it now. It is eye opening. It talks about overcoming procrastination. I am learning so much about myself.  Check it out:

Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go from Thinking to Doing ~ by Theodore Bryant

Peace,

Koorosh Vahabi

Photo Coutesy of Roya Barrette:

http://picasaweb.google.com/royabarrette/IranNature#5186995479898135234

I am talking about happiness or more specifically how to obtain it.

Of course we can argue about the different forms of happiness, but this is my take on it.

What does happiness mean to you?

According to Tony Robbins all human beings look for two things:  

1) The attainment of pleasure

2) The avoidance of pain

We live in a world where everyone is “chasing” happiness. Everyone is “looking” for happiness.

We think that we will be happy when we get the latest car or a bigger house. Some of us think we will be happy next year when we take our vacation or when we get a better job.

Here is what I have learnt: Happiness is a Choice. That’s right.

At any given time you can choose to be happy. Grandma was right when she said, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

It’s true that things happen in life that annoy us, make us sad or just make us

mad. Every human being faces challenging situations from time to time.

What is important is how you react to those situations. I want you to realise that in any instant you can CHOOSE to be happy. You can change your focus from what is wrong in the world to what is right in your life.

So anytime you feel your emotional sniffles coming on, do something that makes you happy. Think happy thoughts. Call a long lost friend. Spend time with loved ones. Listen to your favourite motivational speaker. Play sports and exercise.

Do something that makes you happy. Be grateful for all the blessings that you have. Be happy now!

Be happy now……and then pursue goals that further improve your life in this world and the Hereafter.

Take a look at little children. They will find any excuse to laugh, giggle and be happy. Find the happy child in you.

And you will realise that Happiness is a Choice.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  That’s because it is.

It is very easy to dismiss what I am saying because of its sheer simplicity. But life can be very easy, if we allow it to be. There are no secrets. No special VIP passes and no special back doors for the special few. I wish that you realise (just like I did) that the things that we seek and crave the most are right at our fingertips and within grasp. It is like picking a low hanging and deliciously juicy fruit.

To Your Success,

Koorosh Vahabi

photo credit: Pictures from Heather

Dan Miranda writes articles on self-development topics on his blog.

His blog can be found here: http://www.CommandYourTime.com

Did I mention that he is only 13 years old. Listen to the interview and be inspired to take action.

By the way, if you have ever made the excuse that you are “too busy” to do follow your dreams, then look to Dan for inspiration. He juggles school, homework, sports and he still has the time to write for his popular blog. Find out what his secret to productivity is.

I predict Dan is going to rule the world someday. Mark my words.

Here is the interview…Enjoy Listening.

Part 1

Part 2

The books that Dan mentioned are the following:

Getting Things Done by David Allen

The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

Best Wishes,

Koorosh Vahabi

I started this site right after I graduated fromuniversity in May 2007. The site was officially live 2 months later in July. At this point, everything I knew about Internet marketing was self-taught. Believe it or not, there is a lot of free information out there on Internet Marketing.

I even designed my own site from the online tutorials. This blog looked different than it does now. Up until that point I had been led to believe that all I had to do was create a sales page offering an ebook and the sales would come flooding in. Boy was I wrong. I thought that just because I listed the ebook on ClickBank, then customers would find my website and buy my product. Incidentally, my first product is still at: www.hiddenmindsecrets.com

Don’t get me wrong, I did make money. My site was profitable from the start. But the money it was making was nowhere near the amount I was expecting. And the income wasn’t consistent. I basically made a certain amount of money, and then the sales stopped. I still did have some sales trickling in, but again they were sporadic. They were few and far between.

It was then that I realised that I needed to get a job to pay the bills. And so I got a job. Meanwhile I kind of stopped working on my website and my Internet business stopped growing.

My dream of making passive money online never left my mind. I could have definitely kept working on pursuing my goals, but I kept procrastinating. The reason for this was mainly that I didn’t know the exact steps I needed to take to create a consistent income.

On January 24^th 2009, I was laid off from my job. This was due to the recession. I went home and vowed to start working on the business again. But once again procrastination has been my enemy. And at the same time, I didn’t know the exact steps to follow. There are a few missing steps that I am not aware of apparently. But I have been slowly building my subscriber list however which is good.

Well two days ago I joined Justin Brooke’s 30 Day Apprentice Challenge. I am going into this challenge with the mindset of a beginner. I am going to erase everything I think I know about Internet Marketing. What Justin Brooke’s program is going to teach me is the missing steps in my marketing knowledge. I am going to learn how to set up a profitable online business and take it from a solid foundation to achieving consistent passive income.

I want to keep you up to date on my progress and my current journey.

I also know that in the past I have neglected to provide enough value to my list. Despite the fact that I have a lot of knowledge to share when it comes to Internet Marketing. One major reason has been that I didn’t believe in myself enough to tell my list what I know. Since I have not been making a consistent stream of income online, I felt I “didn’t have the right” to teach others.

There is a saying:

“Those who can, do. Those who can’t do, teach.”

Well I didn’t want to fall into this category. However, because my self-confidence has improved and since I have come to care less about people’s criticism and negativity, I am going to start providing more value to you…my dear reader and hopefully subscriber. Regardless of how much I am currently making online.

I am really excited to see the future unfold. May it be a successful future for both us.

Inshallah and Ameen.

Koorosh Vahabi

Photo Credit:  jasonb42882

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