<![CDATA[Innerwealth - Improving Personal and Business Effectiveness - LIFE]]>Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:31:57 -0800Weeblyvision,inspiration,purposeBusiness/Management & Marketingalive@chriswalker.com.auchris walkerchris walkernovision,inspiration,purposeVIP Blog - Vision, Inspiration and Purpose in lifeWhen you're green you're growing, when you're ripe you rot. Never live your dreams, dream them. The person who is living their dreams, is dead.RealSpirithttp://feedburner.google.com<![CDATA[18 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I Was 18]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/nNT6L_emmdI/18-things-i-wish-someone-told-me-when-i-was-18.htmlMon, 09 Jan 2012 22:59:54 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2012/01/18-things-i-wish-someone-told-me-when-i-was-18.htmlEighteen things I wish I knew when I was 18... i sometimes think to myself that I wish people had been more willing to sacrifice their comfort when I was 18 and really tell me what I didn't want to hear... these are a few of those things..

Original Post is available  or read on
  1. Commit yourself to making lots of mistakes. – Mistakes teach youimportant lessons.  The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake.  So don’t hesitate – don’t doubt yourself.  In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance.  You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.  Most of the time you just have to go for it!  And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.  Remember, if you never act, you will never know for sure, and you will be left standing in the same spot forever.
  2. Find hard work you love doing. – If I could offer my 18-year-old self some real career advice, I’d tell myself not to base my career choice on other people’s ideas, goals and recommendations.  I’d tell myself not to pick a major because it’s popular, or statistically creates graduates who make the most money.  I’d tell myself that the right career choice is based on one key point: Finding hard work you love doing.  As long as you remain true to yourself, and follow your own interests and values, you can find success through passion.  Perhaps more importantly, you won’t wake up several years later working in a career field you despise, wondering “How the heck am I going to do this for the next 30 years?”  So if you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop.  You’re on to something big.  Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.
  3. Invest time, energy and money in yourself every day. – When you invest in yourself, you can never lose, and over time you will change the trajectory of your life.  You are simply the product of what you know.  The more time, energy and money you spend acquiring pertinent knowledge, the more control you have over your life.
  4. Explore new ideas and opportunities often. – Your natural human fears of failure and embarrassment will sometimes stop you from trying new things.  But you must rise above these fears, for your life’s story is simply the culmination many small, unique experiences.  And the more unique experiences you have, the more interesting your story gets.  So seek as many new life experiences as possible and be sure to share them with the people you care about.  Not doing so is not living.
  5. When sharpening your career skills, focus more on less. – Think in terms of Karate: A black belt seems far more impressive than a brown belt.  But does a brown belt really seem any more impressive than a red belt?  Probably not to most people.  Remember that society elevates experts high onto a pedestal.  Hard work matters, but not if it’s scattered in diverse directions.  So narrow your focus on learning fewer career related skills and master them all.
  6. People are not mind readers.  Tell them what you’re thinking.– People will never know how you feel unless you tell them.  Your boss?  Yeah, he doesn’t know you’re hoping for a promotion because you haven’t told him yet.  That cute girl you haven’t talked to because you’re too shy?  Yeah, you guessed it; she hasn’t given you the time of day simply because you haven’t given her the time of day either.   In life, you have to communicate with others.  And often, you have to open your vocal cords and speak the first words.  You have to tell people what you’re thinking.  It’s as simple as that.
  7. Make swift decisions and take immediate action. – Either you’re going to take action and seize new opportunities, or someone else will first.  You can’t change anything or make any sort of progress by sitting back and thinking about it.  Remember, there’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it.  Knowledge is basically useless without action.
  8. Accept and embrace change. – However good or bad a situation is now, it will change.  That’s the one thing you can count on.  So embrace change, and realize that change happens for a reason.  It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it.
  9. Don’t worry too much about what other people think about you. – For the most part, what other people think and say about you doesn’t matter.  When I was 18, I let the opinions of my high school and early college peers influence my decisions.  And, at times, they steered me away from ideas and goals I strongly believed in.  I realize now, ten years later, that this was a foolish way to live, especially when I consider that nearly all of these people whose opinions I cared so much about are no longer a part of my life.  Unless you’re trying to make a great first impression (job interview, first date, etc.), don’t let the opinions of others stand in your way.  What they think and say about you isn’t important.  What is important is how you feel about yourself.
  10. Always be honest with yourself and others. – Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless.  Period.
  11. Talk to lots of people in college and early on in your career. – Bosses.  Colleagues.  Professors.  Classmates.  Social club members.  Other students outside of your major or social circle. Teaching assistants.  Career advisors.  College deans.  Friends of friends.  Everyone!  Why?  Professional networking.  I have worked for three employers since I graduated from college (I left my first two employers by choice on good terms), but I only interviewed with the first employer.  The other two employers offered me a job before I even had a formal interview, based strictly on the recommendation of a hiring manager (someone I had networked with over the years).  When employers look to fill a position, the first thing they do is ask the people they know and trust if they know someone who would do well in the position.  If you start building your professional network early, you’ll be set.  Over time, you’ll continue talking to new people you meet through your current network and your network’s reach and the associated opportunities will continue to snowball for the duration of your career.
  12. Sit alone in silence for at least ten minutes every day. – Use this time to think, plan, reflect, and dream.  Creative and productive thinking flourish in solitude and silence.  With quiet, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, and you can focus on mapping out the next logical, productive step in your life.
  13. Ask lots of questions. – The greatest ‘adventure’ is the ability to inquire, to ask questions.  Sometimes in the process of inquiry, the search is more significant than the answers.  Answers come from other people, from the universe of knowledge and history, and from the intuition and deep wisdom inside yourself.  These answers will never surface if you never ask the right questions.  Thus, the simple act of asking the right questions is the answer.
  14. Exploit the resources you do have access to. – The average person is usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs of emotional happiness.  How could someone in such a restricted physical state be so happy?  The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have.  Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.
  15. Live below your means. – Live a comfortable life, not a wasteful one.  Do not spend to impress others.  Do not live life trying to fool yourself into thinking wealth is measured in material objects.  Manage your money wisely so your money does not manage you.  Always live well below your means.
  16. Be respectful of others and make them feel good. – In life and business, it’s not so much what you say that counts, it’ how you make people feel.  So respect your elders, minors, and everyone in between.  There are no boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be respected.  Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother.  Supporting, guiding, and making contributions to other people is one of life’s greatest rewards.  In order to get, you have to give.
  17. Excel at what you do. – There’s no point in doing something if you aren’t going to do it right.  Excel at your work and excel at your hobbies.  Develop a reputation for yourself, a reputation for consistent excellence.
  18. Be who you were born to be. – You must follow your heart, and be who you were born to be.  Some of us were born to be musicians – to communicate intricate thoughts and rousing feelings with the strings of a guitar.  Some of us were born to be poets – to touch people’s hearts with exquisite prose.  Some of us were born to be entrepreneurs – to create growth and opportunity where others saw rubbish.  And still, some of us were born to be or do whatever it is, specifically, that moves you.  Regardless of what you decide to do in your lifetime, you better feel it in every fiber of your being.  You better be born to do it!  Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires.
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2012/01/18-things-i-wish-someone-told-me-when-i-was-18.html<![CDATA[Enjoy the Moment ... Innerwealth]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/e23W_O49xxM/enjoy-the-moment-innerwealth.htmlTue, 03 Jan 2012 23:02:54 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2012/01/enjoy-the-moment-innerwealth.htmlEnjoy the Moment ... Innerwealth 
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2012/01/enjoy-the-moment-innerwealth.html<![CDATA[When Does A Dream Become a Fantasy]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/eSFyOkngOBc/when-does-a-dream-become-a-fantasy.htmlWed, 28 Dec 2011 12:04:10 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/12/when-does-a-dream-become-a-fantasy.htmlYear end is a time for dreaming. Bucket lists are drawn up and many people will create their bucket lists for the following year. New Year's resolutions will be made and broken soon after and the world will rush forward into the next year. Life rushes on faster and faster.

So, Vision Quests and Dream making hit's an all time high as people become aware of the cost of wasted time. More and more companies are recognising the importance of individual vision quests, and the key to getting these right is to separate dreams from fantasy.

Jenny wrote her dreams down with passion and enthusiasm. She wanted more friends, greater happiness, a bigger house, a holiday in Numea and less work hours. Her list was, apart from the smaller details, identical to every other woman in her age group.

But was it a vision or a fantasy quest?
Ewan had booked his trek with me in Nepal months ahead of the departure date in order to give himself the time to get fit. He'd bought good gear and was so keen. He had a vision to be on top of Kala Patar for his birthday... 5700 meters without ropes or technical climbing. But we were only half way there and by his own admission, "maybe my dream was just a fantasy."

Elation causes depression, but it's also a remedy for it. When I put aside my own financial security to embark on a mission, my life purpose, I never would have dreamed of the challenges that come from giving up the lifestyle and opportunities I held so precious. My elation at having the courage to step forward into my vision soon turned to depression about it. A vision was being born through the hard knocks of reality wearing down my fantasy.

Jenny's dreams smack of fantasy. And, in spite of rigorous research, so did Ewan's. It meant that the odds of fulfilment went down exponentially the more they talked about, and identified with their "dreams' the less the probability of completion and the higher the odds of depression.

Jenny's solution was to eat and drink more. Each year with ever increasing desperation and lost hopes she raised the bar on her bucket list and each year the undoing of her dream list affected her more deeply psychologically.  Her food and drink issues were heading toward the addictive arena.

Ewan was not so inconsistent. He'd built a business that had failed. He had no idea why, although he did have people to blame. He'd not sat down and worked out that his initial enthusiasm that had built the company, turned into fear driven bravado that had killed it. He'd used infatuation and fantasy to replace his initial vision and as a result sent the company broke. And here he was again, same mistake, different environment. Infatuating the top of the mountain instead of dreaming and visioning it.

These mistakes, the substitution of fantasy for vision, permeate life on every level and cause depressions, failed relationships and much business malaise. It's therefore worthy material for better awareness.

Your Innerwealth does not respond to or generate fantasy. It generates and sustains a vision. So, fantasies come from a different space than your Innerwealth, and we can label that space, emotional - ego.

So, the key to taking the fluff out of a fantasy in order to create an achievable vision is simply to take the ego out of it.

Here are a few suggestions:

If your vision has more pleasure than pain associated with its achievement ... it's a fantasy.
If your vision has more peace, less stress, more happiness associated with it ... it's a fantasy.
If your vision has a different outcome than your current circumstances but does not require a change in your way of going about doing things, it's a fantasy.

There are ten more filters to check that your visions are not fantasies... you'll find them on my audio pod


]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/12/when-does-a-dream-become-a-fantasy.html<![CDATA[Life Coaching ... The Real Challenge]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/aJQFTw4rmfw/life-coaching-the-real-challenge.htmlFri, 23 Dec 2011 15:17:38 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/12/life-coaching-the-real-challenge.htmlHave you ever noticed that there is so much talk of the spiritual mind, the physical mind, the psychic mind and the brain?  But I believe that, whatever this distinction may be, the only facts that matter are the results, how you feel and what you do. The names and theories are of less value than reality. The key is to get all the engines working in the same direction. That’s what the effort needs to be about. So much of what goes on in our mind can be counterproductive. So much of what goes on with our body can be counterproductive. But get them all working in unison and there will be magic of manifestation. The key here is to test the depths of each mind. Is the body under the control of the will? Or is it running it’s own script? Are judgements and beliefs manifesting what you want or are old experiences, ideals and beliefs in contrast to what you want? Is your vision (spiritual and psychic brains) real? If the going gets tough will you give up or find a way to get around things? These are the important questions any coach must challenge. It’s almost impossible to do this for yourself.


]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/12/life-coaching-the-real-challenge.html<![CDATA[Some Bastard is Going to Poop on Your Day.. What Are You Going to Do?]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/1yuL6jCbSHQ/some-bastard-is-going-to-poop-on-your-day-what-are-you-going-to-do.htmlWed, 21 Dec 2011 10:29:13 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/12/some-bastard-is-going-to-poop-on-your-day-what-are-you-going-to-do.htmlSome bastard is always going to want to poop on your day... She'll be an ex or he'll be a lawyer or a parking attendant or the tax department. Some bastard is going to pollute the sea or hurt a friend or sometimes that bastard is me.

Some bastard is always going to tell you you're an idiot for living Innerwealth and that you're better to go to Church on Sunday and I'd agree because there's more single people looking for sex partners in Church groups, if that's what you're willing to live with for the rest of your living days.

And some bastard at work is going to be nasty, and bitchy, and downright ugly .. with skin the colour of recycled toilet paper and their family in ruins they're going to tell you how to live your life because they read it in the Dalai Lama's last book, and now they're a friggin Buddhist ... (well they read the first chapter anyway.)

So what are you going to do? Down the pub they taught me to say "F.. You and that's one way to solve the unconsciousness of the planet. In New York they taught me to say "Up Yours" and wave a finger... but you gotta know how to run if it's a gang in a car... so that's another way to change your world .. but that's just you...

Tim Minchin is my favourite artist - singer - songwriter... His song "the Fence" is about being in De-Fence of the Fence. Absolutely brilliant insight into the duality of life and how, ambivalence just might be a more authentic, egoless, non mass hysteria place to view life from... And that's nature's law too.

Oh yeah, that ugly bastard will tell you how the whales are dying at the hands of Japanese fishermen but if you go to the Whale Research Institute in Hobart you'll find even the most loving Whale Researcher laughing about that mass hysteria ... with a comment like "irrelevant" and the Global Warming paranoia that sells papers being debunked by scientist who's income is not funded by alternative fuel suppliers with vested interest in anti fossil fuel. Oh, yeah, it's not easy being REAL.

But all this just gets people angry. So what are you going to do next time some bastard craps on your day? You going to be a New Yorker and meet them with abuse, or a pub guy getting all aggro to shut down objections, or politically correct and join the unthinking cults of anti everything or are you going to EVOLVE your way through it?

It's up to you... 

At Innerwealth we believe your Innerwealth is as important as your outer and if your inner world is so F...d up that your only response to conflict is conflict, or you're inner wealth is covered in bitterness from that lost money in a divorce, then we think we can give you an alternative response. 

Everyday some bastard is going to poop on your day, it's life. Get over it. The real question is going to be what you do about it. You going to fix them? I don't think so? You going to live in Byron Bay and hide from reality? That might be a sad outcome for a great life ... so, try the Innerwealth way, "get over it" ... EVOLVE.
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/12/some-bastard-is-going-to-poop-on-your-day-what-are-you-going-to-do.html<![CDATA[Snow Leopard revisited]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/oWLoU7ls7m8/snow-leopard-revisited.htmlWed, 17 Aug 2011 15:19:37 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/snow-leopard-revisited.htmlThis is a nice article about a brilliant book.

Excerpt from Article

"So a spiritual mentor advised author Peter Matthiessen before he set out 38 years ago to accompany renowned biologist George Schaller to the Dolpo region of Nepal.

Their journey became the subject of an acclaimed travel book, “The Snow Leopard.” It’s a beautiful account of Matthiessen’s quest to see a remote corner of the world and the snow leopard that lived there, while simultaneously exploring the spiritual questions rattling around his own mind. The book’s magic comes in how Matthiessen reconciles the hopes, perhaps even insuppressible expectations, of his trip with the realities of what he does and doesn’t encounter.

Last year, I had the opportunity to be a part of a trekking group that retraced the heart of the route Matthiessen and Schaller followed in northwest Nepal. We were brought together by a shared admiration for “The Snow Leopard” and a curiosity about the landscape, culture and wildlife Matthiessen described, and what might have changed in nearly four decades of time."

LiLince article about a brilliant book.
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/snow-leopard-revisited.html<![CDATA[Innerwealth Nepal Fun Video - Hillarious]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/a75zqVNk2Cs/innerwealth-nepal-fun-video-hillarious.htmlWed, 10 Aug 2011 17:16:42 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/innerwealth-nepal-fun-video-hillarious.htmlSome Nepal Fun
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/innerwealth-nepal-fun-video-hillarious.html<![CDATA[Why I Love Mountains - Photographs from the Himalayas]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/-K9K3bMc40I/why-i-love-mountains.htmlThu, 04 Aug 2011 21:11:25 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/why-i-love-mountains.htmlI love Mountains and this is why:
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/why-i-love-mountains.html<![CDATA[Squash Falconer -- Inspirational Video ]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/mqqYbp1HY2M/squash-falconer-inspirational-video.htmlThu, 04 Aug 2011 15:34:12 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/squash-falconer-inspirational-video.htmlThis is probably one of the best Himalayan video's I've seen. The smart camera (gorpo) makes the footage so real, and Squash is just the most spirited, inspired people you'd love to meet. It's just like she's including everyone in her adventure, taking out the drama adding in the love. So, if you're sitting tonight trying to work out what channel to watch on TV tonight, think, Squash it, Plan your own Everest, get your knickers now.
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/08/squash-falconer-inspirational-video.html<![CDATA[Everyday is Birthday - Dalai Lama Video]]>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RealSpirit/~3/qrnokCQJkwY/everyday-is-birthday-dalai-lama-video.htmlTue, 12 Jul 2011 00:12:37 -0800http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/07/everyday-is-birthday-dalai-lama-video.htmlVideo - Every day is birthday ... and Valentines Day
]]>alive@chriswalker.com.au (chris walker)http://www.innerwealth.com/3/post/2011/07/everyday-is-birthday-dalai-lama-video.htmlen-uschris walkernonadultVIP Blog - Vision, Inspiration and Purpose in life