Clarity of Focus

6 steps to turn dreams into reality

2013-09-28T23:21:00.003-07:00

I have been spending time in Napoleon Hill work over the last few weeks. Here are some things I have learnt:

Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” is one of those few books that you can find on the recommended list of almost every successful person. In fact some even give this book truly deserving credit for their success. Think and Grow Rich is a life transforming book. It changes the reader thinking and behavior and gives the reader a push towards success.

“Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire brings a small amount of heat.” — Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill researched for 25 years and studied behavior of 500 successful people to find out the formula for success. This book was introduced in 1937 and it’s teachings is as much relevant today as it was in that time.

“An educated man is not, necessarily, one who has an abundance of general or specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others.” — Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill is like a strict no-nonsense professor who wants all his students to thrive. This book is loaded with wisdom that we can apply in our life and become successful in any field we try. This is not some magic beans story or some baseless wishful thinking that can play with your head and emotions but a proper disciplined method of achieving great success.

“Whatever your mind can conceive, you can achieve.” — Napolean Hill

The people mentioned in this book are the most successful people in history and these principles, methods, habits or discipline are drown from their journey to achieve an extraordinary life.

Step 1: Fix in mind the exact amount of money you desire.

Step 2: Determined what you intend to give in return for the money you desire.

Step 3: Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.

Step 4: Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not to put this plan into action.

Step 5: Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

Step 6: Read your statement aloud, twice daily, once just before bed and once after rising in the morning. As you read see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money.

These steps are scrutinize and approved by Thomas A. Edison who gave his seal of approval on these steps not only to acquire riches but achieve any goal.

“Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind!” — Napolean Hill

7 Small Steps

2013-09-09T00:25:00.000-07:00

How many times have we told ourselves in complete earnestness, “I’m going to be more organized and productive from now on.”? Or that the diet starts tomorrow? Or that we’re going to make a real effort to exercise now?
Only to have that enthusiasm fizzle away, and all our best intentions come to nothing?
It’s the most common thing in the world (besides bacteria) — the honest and fervent desire for self-improvement, followed by inaction or giving in to temptations, followed by guilt or giving up. Bridget Jones captured it best, writing her constant resolutions into her diary. “Will definitely go to the gym this afternoon.” Only to be followed by a binge of pastries followed by drinking and smoking.
We’re all Bridget Jones. It happens to the best of us. It’s inertia at work, mixed with a bit of laziness as well as the very human trait of giving in to desires despite all the good intentions in the world.
So how do we beat inertia and temptations? Four basic ways, really:

Get moving, a bit at a time. Inertia is beat only by movement. Once you get going, momentum builds up and inertia is no longer a factor. So the key is to get started, and you do that not by trying to go from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds, but by trying to go from 0 to 5mph in a day or two. That’s doable. It’s all about baby steps. Once you get going, you’re golden.
Be accountable. Laziness, the second culprit, is beat by a bit of public pressure. We all get lazy from time to time (or, to be more honest, all the time), and there’s nothing wrong with that. But to beat laziness, we must apply a bit of pressure, in the form of accountability. There’s nothing wrong with a little pressure, as long is it’s not overdone. Pressure is a motivating thing, especially when it’s positive. Positive pressure includes encouragement from family or friends, an online forum, a help group in your neighborhood, or the readers of your blog.
Ignore failures — giving in to temptation is OK. We will always give in to temptation. Plan for it, accept it, move on. There’s no need to beat yourself up.
Motivate yourself. Most importantly, you want to really want it. It’s not enough to feel pressure to do something — you have to really desire it. I mean, really desire it, not just think it’s something you should do, or that you’ll be a better person for doing it. If pressure gives you the push toward your goal, motivation gives you the pull.

Given those strategies for beating the obstacles to making your desires become reality … how do we implement them? How do we go from theory to actual action steps? Easy. Seven simple steps, that you can do today. Really. Do them today.
1. Make a date. Right now. All the good intentions in the history of the universe mean nothing if you don’t actually get started. And the only way to get started is to take action, right now. Not tomorrow, not later today, not in an hour, not when you finish reading this article. Right now! Look at your calendar, and make an appointment to create your action plan, or to take the first action (“Go walking at 5:30 p.m. today in the park,” for example). What’s the first action you can take to make your desires a reality? Create a healthier meal plan for tomorrow? Create a place for everything you use at work, so your organizing system doesn’t fall apart in two day? Decide what that is and make an appointment for it, right now. Second part of this step: make that appointment the most important appointment on your schedule, more important than a doctor’s appointment or a meeting with your boss.
2. Set a small, achievable goal. Remember, inertia is a powerful force. If you haven’t been exercising for a couple years, it’s hard to get started. You’re used to the way things are, and even if you want to change, it’s difficult. So don’t start out trying to conquer the world. Just conquer something exceedingly small. It might sound wimpy to say, “I’m going to walk for 10 minutes” or “I’m going to do 10 pushups and 1 chinup”, but those are much more likely to beat inertia than, “I’m going to exercise for 45 minutes today.” Be realistic, and make it very very achievable. It’s the only way to beat inertia.

“Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back

3. Commit thyself, big time. It’s this commitment that will keep you going after you overcome inertia. Sometimes we get filled up with enthusiasm, but then a few days later, that enthusiasm wanes and we submit to our old buddy laziness. Now, I’m not anti-laziness — just the opposite, I assure you — but we can’t let it stop us from making our dreams come true. So instead, make a commitment, publicly. State your small, achievable goal, and tell it to as many people as you can. Call or email friends and family, tell all your coworkers, join an online forum related to your goal and tell all of them. Put it on your blog. However you do it, make sure people are aware of your goal, and that there’s sufficient pressure to overcome laziness.
4. Baby steps, baby. Again, inertia is a very strong force. I’ve said it before, but this is a very important step here: the best way to change is through baby steps. One small step at a time. Don’t try to bite off too much. How is this different from the above step, setting a small and achievable goal? It’s the same concept, but extended beyond the initial goal. It’s taking things one little goal at a time, a bit at a time. For example, let’s say you want to run a marathon, but currently your running regimen consists of running to the bathroom during commercial breaks while you’re watching Lost. So do you go out and start a marathon training plan? Nope. You start by walking 10 minutes a day. Then, when that becomes a habit and too easy, walk 15 minutes. Then 20, then 30. Then jog a minute, walk a couple minutes, jog a minute, and so on, for those 30 minutes. Then jog 90 seconds, and so on, until you’re running for 30 minutes. Do these steps a week or two at a time, so that all of a sudden, you’re running for 45 minutes every other day … and you barely noticed the progression. That’s the way you get to a goal … small progressions that are barely noticeable. Not by killing yourself the first day out.

“Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.” - Woody Allen

5. Hold thyself accountable. You’ve committed yourself publicly … but it’s not enough to tell people your goal. You have to make it clear that they must hold you accountable to reporting to them your progress. Then report your progress to them regularly. Daily is better than weekly. Reporting to them makes sure that you will think twice about being lazy and forgoing your action plan.
6. Motivate yourself. We’ve already discussed accountability and commitment, which are ways to put positive pressure on yourself — a form of motivation. Those are great, but you also want other types of motivation. You want to find ways to make your progress feel great … either through rewards, or the positive way you feel about your progress, or the positive way you feel when others see how well you’re doing. Find a few different ways to motivate yourself — the more the better. Incorporate these into your plan. Tell people about them. Let them help push you along.
7. Just keep doing it, no matter what. You’ll encounter obstacles, and falter and fall. Just get up and keep going. You’ll face temptations and give in. That’s OK. Just keep going. You’ll make mistakes and get discouraged. No matter … just keep going. Learn from your mistakes, and … keep going. No matter what happens, keep going. If you’re taking baby steps, you’re holding yourself accountable, and you’re actually doing something, you’ll get there.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one” - Albert Einstein

Generating New Ideas- Think Differently and Spark Creativity

2013-06-22T01:11:00.000-07:00

"We need to think differently!"
"This needs some fresh ideas!"
"We have got to be more creative around here!"

Are messages like these popping up more and more in your workplace?

Faced with complex, open-ended, ever-changing challenges, organizations realize that constant, ongoing innovation is critical to stay ahead of the competition.

This is why we need to be on the lookout for new ideas that can drive innovation, and it's why the ability to think differently, generate new ideas, and spark creativity within a team becomes an important skill. You need to work actively on building and cultivating this skill, and it can be done!

Often, though, we make the mistake of assuming that good ideas just happen. Or worse still, we get caught in the mind trap that creativity is an aptitude; some people have it, others don't. Then there is the other self-defeating belief – "I am not intelligent enough to come up with good ideas."

These assumptions are rarely true. Everyone can come up with fresh, radical ideas – you just need to learn to open your mind and think differently. This article shows you how to do so.

How to Generate New Ideas

Standard idea-generation techniques concentrate on combining or adapting existing ideas. This can certainly generate results. But here, our focus is on equipping you with tools that help you leap onto a totally different plane. These approaches push your mind to forge new connections, think differently and consider new perspectives.

A word of caution – while these techniques are extremely effective, they will only succeed if they are backed by rich knowledge of the area you're working on. This means that if you are not prepared with adequate information about the issue, you are unlikely to come up with a great idea even by using the techniques listed here.

Incidentally, these techniques can be applied to spark creativity in group settings and brainstorming sessions as well.

Breaking Thought Patterns

All of us can tend to get stuck in certain thinking patterns. Breaking these thought patterns can help you get your mind unstuck and generate new ideas. There are several techniques you can use to break established thought patterns:

Challenge assumptions: For every situation, you have a set of key assumptions. Challenging these assumptions gives you a whole new spin on possibilities.
You want to buy a house but can't since you assume you don't have the money to make a down payment on the loan. Challenge the assumption. Sure, you don't have cash in the bank but couldn't you sell some of your other assets to raise the money? Could you dip into your retirement fund? Could you work overtime and build up the kitty in six months? Suddenly the picture starts looking brighter.
Reword the problem: Stating the problem differently often leads to different ideas. To reword the problem look at the issue from different angles. "Why do we need to solve the problem?", "What's the roadblock here?", "What will happen if we don't solve the problem?" These questions will give you new insights. You might come up with new ideas to solve your new problem.
In the mid 1950s, shipping companies were losing money on freighters. They decided they needed to focus on building faster and more efficient ships. However, the problem persisted. Then one consultant defined the problem differently. He said the problem the industry should consider was "how can we reduce cost?" The new problem statement generated new ideas. All aspects of shipping, including storage of cargo and loading time, were considered. The outcome of this shift in focus resulted in the container ship and the roll-on/roll-off freighter.
Think in reverse: If you feel you cannot think of anything new, try turning things upside-down. Instead of focusing on how you could solve a problem/improve operations/enhance a product, consider how could you create the problem/worsen operations/downgrade the product. The reverse ideas will come flowing in. Consider these ideas – once you've reversed them again – as possible solutions for the original challenge.
Express yourself through different media: We have multiple intelligences but somehow, when faced with workplace challenges we just tend to use our verbal reasoning ability. How about expressing the challenge through different media? Clay, music, word association games, paint, there are several ways you can express the challenge. Don't bother about solving the challenge at this point. Just express it. Different expression might spark off different thought patterns. And these new thought patterns may yield new ideas.

Connect the Unconnected

Some of the best ideas seem to occur just by chance. You see something or you hear someone, often totally unconnected to the situation you are trying to resolve, and the penny drops in place. Newton and the apple, Archimedes in the bath tub; examples abound.

Why does this happen? The random element provides a new stimulus and gets our brain cells ticking. You can capitalize on this knowledge by consciously trying to connect the unconnected.

Actively seek stimuli from unexpected places and then see if you can use these stimuli to build a connection with your situation. Some techniques you could use are:

Use random input: Choose a word from the dictionary and look for novel connections between the word and your problem.
Mind map possible ideas: Put a key word or phrase in the middle of the page. Write whatever else comes in your mind on the same page. See if you can make any connections.
Pick up a picture. Consider how you can relate it to your situation.
Take an item. Ask yourself questions such as "How could this item help in addressing the challenge?", or "What attributes of this item could help us solve our challenge?"

Shift Perspective

Over the years we all build a certain type of perspective and this perspective yields a certain type of idea. If you want different ideas, you will have to shift your perspective. To do so:

Get someone else's perspective: Ask different people what they would do if faced with your challenge. You could approach friends engaged in different kind of work, your spouse, a nine-year old child, customers, suppliers, senior citizens, someone from a different culture; in essence anyone who might see things differently.
Play the "If I were" game: Ask yourself "If I were ..." how would I address this challenge? You could be anyone: a millionaire, Tiger Woods, anyone.
The idea is the person you decide to be has certain identifiable traits. And you have to use these traits to address the challenge. For instance, if you decide to play the millionaire, you might want to bring traits such as flamboyance, big thinking and risk-taking when formulating an idea. If you are Tiger Woods you would focus on things such as perfection, persistence and execution detail.

Employ Enablers

Enablers are activities and actions that assist with, rather than directly provoke, idea generation. They create a positive atmosphere. Some of the enablers that can help you get your creative juices flowing are:

Belief in yourself: Believe that you are creative, believe that ideas will come to you; positive reinforcement helps you perform better.
Creative loafing time: Nap, go for a walk, listen to music, play with your child, take a break from formal idea-generating. Your mind needs the rest, and will often come up with connections precisely when it isn't trying to make them.
Change of environment: Sometimes changing the setting changes your thought process. Go to a nearby coffee shop instead of the conference room in your office, or hold your discussion while walking together round a local park.
Shutting out distractions: Keep your thinking space both literally and mentally clutter-free. Shut off the Blackberry, close the door, divert your phone calls and then think.
Fun and humor: These are essential ingredients, especially in team settings.

Power of hope

2013-05-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

No matter how bad things seem to be at any moment of time, there is always hope. There is a saying "This too will pass"

I hope that todays story brings a small ray of hope to you this day!!!

Jean Kerr said, "Hope is the feeling you have, that the feeling you have, isn't permanent." It is what we have when we know that we WILL eventually survive the night and bask in sunshine once again. It does not deny the present darkness, but it reminds us that dawn is coming.

Brigadier General Robinson Risner ("Robbie") spent seven years as a POW at the "Hanoi Hilton," as prisoners of war called their North Viet Nam compound. There he discovered the power of hope. He spent four and a half years of that time in isolation. He endured ten months of total darkness. Those ten months were the longest of his life. When they boarded up his little seven-by- seven foot cell, shutting out the light, he wondered if he was going to make it. He had already been under intense physical and mental duress after years of confinement. And now, not a glimmer of light shone into his cell -- or into his soul.

Robbie spent hours a day exercising and praying. But at times he felt he could nothing but scream. Not wanting to give his captors the satisfaction of knowing they'd broken him, he stuffed clothing into his mouth to muffle the noise as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

One day Robbie got down on the floor and crawled under his bunk. He located a vent that let in outside air. As he pressed against the vent, he saw a faint glimmer of light reflected on the inside wall of the opening. Robbie put his eye next to the cement wall and discovered a minute crack in the construction. It allowed him to glimpse outside, but was so small that all he could see was one blade of grass. A single blade of grass and a faint ray of light. But when he stared at the sight, he felt a surge of joy, excitement and gratitude like he hadn't known in years. "It represented life, growth, and freedom," he later said, "and I knew God had not forgotten me." It was a tiny glimmer hope that sustained Robbie through an unbearable ordeal.

The human spirit is strong. It seems to run forever on nothing but a morsel of hope. Without it, you have nothing. With it, nothing else matters.

LOOKING WITH FRESH EYES

2012-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Generating New Ideas

Think Differently and Spark Creativity

As mentioned in my last post we are currently getting ready to move into our new house and I have been thinking about how can we use the land to create more income options. This reminded me about being creative and thinking of things differently.

"We need to think differently!"
"This needs some fresh ideas!"
"We have got to be more creative around here!"

Are messages like these popping up more and more in your life?

Faced with complex, open-ended, ever-changing challenges, organizations and people realise that constant, ongoing innovation is critical to stay ahead of the status quo.

These assumptions are rarely true. Everyone can come up with fresh, radical ideas – you just need to learn to open your mind and think differently. This article shows you how to do so.

How to Generate New Ideas

Incidentally, these techniques can be applied to spark creativity in group settings and brainstorming sessions as well.

Breaking Thought Patterns

Challenge assumptions: For every situation, you have a set of key assumptions. Challenging these assumptions gives you a whole new spin on possibilities.

You want to buy a house but can't since you assume you don't have the money to make a down payment on the loan. Challenge the assumption. Sure, you don't have cash in the bank but couldn't you sell some of your other assets to raise the money? Could you dip into your retirement fund? Could you work overtime and build up the kitty in six months? Suddenly the picture starts looking brighter.

Reword the problem: Stating the problem differently often leads to different ideas. To reword the problem look at the issue from different angles. "Why do we need to solve the problem?", "What's the roadblock here?", "What will happen if we don't solve the problem?" These questions will give you new insights. You might come up with new ideas to solve your new problem.

In the mid 1950s, shipping companies were losing money on freighters. They decided they needed to focus on building faster and more efficient ships. However, the problem persisted. Then one consultant defined the problem differently. He said the problem the industry should consider was "how can we reduce cost?" The new problem statement generated new ideas. All aspects of shipping, including storage of cargo and loading time, were considered. The outcome of this shift in focus resulted in the container ship and the roll-on/roll-off freighter.

Think in reverse-If you feel you cannot think of anything new, try turning things upside-down. Instead of focusing on how you could solve a problem/improve operations/enhance a product, consider how could you create the problem/worsen operations/downgrade the product. The reverse ideas will come flowing in. Consider these ideas – once you've reversed them again – as possible solutions for the original challenge.
Express yourself through different media: We have multiple intelligences but somehow, when faced with workplace challenges we just tend to use our verbal reasoning ability. How about expressing the challenge through different media? Clay, music, word association games, paint, there are several ways you can express the challenge. Don't bother about solving the challenge at this point. Just express it. Different expression might spark off different thought patterns. And these new thought patterns may yield new ideas.

Connect the Unconnected

Why does this happen? The random element provides a new stimulus and gets our brain cells ticking. You can capitalize on this knowledge by consciously trying to connect the unconnected.

Actively seek stimuli from unexpected places and then see if you can use these stimuli to build a connection with your situation. Some techniques you could use are:

Use random input Choose a word from the dictionary and look for novel connections between the word and your problem.

Mind Map possible ideas: Put a key word or phrase in the middle of the page. Write whatever else comes in your mind on the same page. See if you can make any connections.

Pick up a picture. Consider how you can relate it to your situation.
Take an item. Ask yourself questions such as "How could this item help in addressing the challenge?", or "What attributes of this item could help us solve our challenge?"

Shift Perspective

Over the years we all build a certain type of perspective and this perspective yields a certain type of idea. If you want different ideas, you will have to shift your perspective. To do so:

Get someone else's perspective: Ask different people what they would do if faced with your challenge. You could approach friends engaged in different kind of work, your spouse, a nine-year old child, customers, suppliers, senior citizens, someone from a different culture; in essence anyone who might see things differently.
Play the "If I were" game: Ask yourself "If I were ..." how would I address this challenge? You could be anyone: a millionaire, Tiger Woods, anyone.

The idea is the person you decide to be has certain identifiable traits. And you have to use these traits to address the challenge. For instance, if you decide to play the millionaire, you might want to bring traits such as flamboyance, big thinking and risk-taking when formulating an idea. If you are Tiger Woods you would focus on things such as perfection, persistence and execution detail.

Employ Enablers

Belief in yourself: Believe that you are creative, believe that ideas will come to you; positive reinforcement helps you perform better.
Creative loafing time: Nap, go for a walk, listen to music, play with your child, take a break from formal idea-generating. Your mind needs the rest, and will often come up with connections precisely when it isn't trying to make them.
Change of environment: Sometimes changing the setting changes your thought process. Go to a nearby coffee shop instead of the conference room in your office, or hold your discussion while walking together round a local park.
Shutting out distractions: Keep your thinking space both literally and mentally clutter-free. Shut off the Blackberry, close the door, divert your phone calls and then think.
Fun and humor: These are essential ingredients, especially in team settings.

Key Points:

The ability to generate new ideas is an essential skill today. You can acquire this skill by consciously practicing techniques that force your mind to forge new connections, break old thought patterns and consider new perspectives.

Along with practicing these techniques, you need to adopt enabling strategies too. These enabling strategies help in creating a positive atmosphere that boosts creativity.

Remember to share the wonderful breakthroughs you will experience.

FEAR NO MORE!!!

2012-10-02T01:26:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of buying a bigger house with a bit of land. To do this I have had to move out of my comfort zone from where I currently live. This has got me thinking about what security and fear are.

Security ... what does this word mean in relation to life as we know it today? For the most part, it means safety and freedom from worry. It is said to be the end that all men strive for; but is security a utopian goal or is it another word for rut?

Let us visualise the secure man; and by this term, I mean a man who has settled for financial and personal security for his goal in life. In general, he is a man who has pushed ambition and initiative aside and settled down, so to speak, in a boring, but safe and comfortable rut for the rest of his life. His future is but an extension of his present, and he accepts it as such with a complacent shrug of his shoulders. His ideas and ideals are those of society in general and he is accepted as a respectable, but average and prosaic man. But is he a man? has he any self-respect or pride in himself? How could he, when he has risked nothing and gained nothing? What does he think when he sees his youthful dreams of adventure, accomplishment, travel and romance buried under the cloak of conformity? How does he feel when he realizes that he has barely tasted the meal of life; when he sees the prison he has made for himself in pursuit of the almighty dollar? If he thinks this is all well and good, fine, but think of the tragedy of a man who has sacrificed his freedom on the altar of security, and wishes he could turn back the hands of time. A man is to be pitied who lacked the courage to accept the challenge of freedom and depart from the cushion of security and see life as it is instead of living it second-hand. Life has by-passed this man and he has watched from a secure place, afraid to seek anything better What has he done except to sit and wait for the tomorrow which never comes?

Turn back the pages of history and see the men who have shaped the destiny of the world. Security was never theirs, but they lived rather than existed. Where would the world be if all men had sought security and not taken risks or gambled with their lives on the chance that, if they won, life would be different and richer? It is from the bystanders (who are in the vast majority) that we receive the propaganda that life is not worth living, that life is drudgery, that the ambitions of youth must he laid aside for a life which is but a painful wait for death. These are the ones who squeeze what excitement they can from life out of the imaginations and experiences of others through books and movies. These are the insignificant and forgotten men who preach conformity because it is all they know. These are the men who dream at night of what could have been, but who wake at dawn to take their places at the now-familiar rut and to merely exist through another day. For them, the romance of life is long dead and they are forced to go through the years on a treadmill, cursing their existence, yet afraid to die because of the unknown which faces them after death. They lacked the only true courage: the kind which enables men to face the unknown regardless of the consequences.
As an afterthought, it seems hardly proper to write of life without once mentioning happiness; so we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?
If you keep doing the same things you get the same result...so what will you do different today?

Igniting Lives on Fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Does Need Your Attitude a Boost

2012-07-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

I was at a leadership day on Friday and we discussed many things. One of the key things I took away was the fact that our mind is a free tool to use how we please. One of the best ways to use this tool is to keep the mind on the things we want, and this is about having a Positive Attitude.

Your attitude is everything. It is how you see the things around you, how you deal with the situations you face, and what you think about life. The difference between a positive and negative attitude could be the difference between a positive or negative life.

The tips below are quick and highly effective. Make use of them today and start getting results immediately.

1. Rise and Shine!
Getting up early and taking a walk in the morning is a great way to start the day. Fifteen or twenty minutes is plenty of time for a quick walk in the brisk morning air.

2. Tomorrow is a New Day
When things aren't going the way you might like them to go, remember that as time passes, so do your troubles. At the time it may be hard to realize that things will get better, but rest assured they will.

3. Control
The only one who can give you a good attitude is you. And the great news is, it can happen whenever you want it to. You could wake up tomorrow with a brand new outlook on life. And why? Because your attitude is yours to control. You don't need permission from anyone to change it.

4. Circle of Friends
You may be trying to stay positive, but if your friends or coworkers are negative, it may make for a losing battle. The company you keep impacts your attitude greatly. Seldom will you find a group of negative thinkers and one positive attitude together. Negativity can spread, so be sure to keep clear of noticeably negative situations.

5. Healthy Diet
You have heard it a thousand times, and this will make it a thousand and one. A good diet is vital to maintaining energy, alertness, and a positive attitude. Without the necessary amounts of fuel for your body, it cannot function properly. If you find yourself in a tired and negative mood, ask yourself, 'Have I eaten yet today?'

6. Sleep
Just as important as a healthy diet is the right amount of sleep. It seems obvious but many people don't get enough sleep at night. Without rest, the body and mind become irritable, fatigued, and they drag through the day. The same effects can result from oversleeping. Make sure you get the sleep you need each night.

7. Your Hobby to the Rescue
It is important to have a fun hobby or activity that you can do when facing a problem or a long, hectic day. Sports, books, collecting, etc. are great ways to get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy yourself.

8. Do Unto Others
It's true what they say, you get what you give. When you focus on treating others positively and with respect, you will, in most cases, receive the same treatment. Change the focus from yourself to others and let the giving spirit be the reason for your improved view of the world.

9. The Bigger Picture
When you think of the world as a whole, it may serve to downplay the obstacles in your life that cause frustration or complication. You might have it bad, but the odds are that someone else has it worse. That in itself is enough to make people thankful for what they have.

10. Try Something New
If you feel like you're stuck and you need a way to break out, try something new. Picking up a new instrument, trying out a new sport, or discovering a new talent may add some excitement and enjoyment to your life.

11. Past Proofs
Others have successfully done what you are trying to do, and that is why you should be positive about the future. It doesn't matter what you are trying to accomplish, the chances are that someone has done it. That means you can do it too. We are all human, and we all have the same 24 hours in each day. If they can do it, so can you.

12. Stop It
If you get up on the wrong side of the bed, that doesn't mean you have to go to bed on that same wrong side. If your day begins poorly, make an effort to correct its direction. Realize you aren't happy and fix the problem. Your bad beginning could turn into a happy end.

13. You Need Bad Days
If you do have a bad day though, that's all right. Some people have trouble with that thought. They think that one bad day is not acceptable, making it even worse for them. We all have an off day. The important thing is to make sure we improve the next.

14. Write It Down
Want a positive attitude? Describe your attitude in writing. Your plan will be easier to work if you know what you want. Knowing you want a better attitude may not be enough. Get specific, plan your work, and work your plan.

15. Helping Hands
Bringing your friends and family into the picture is a great way to keep you heading in the right direction. Tell some friends about your desire for a better attitude and tell them to let you know when you are getting negative. You may not want to admit you have a negative attitude, but your friends sure will tell you.

16. Be the Optimist
Being the optimist for others can help you see the positive things in your own life. When a friend comes to you with a problem, remind yourself that you are trying to improve your attitude and make your best effort to give the most positive advice you can. It doesn't have to be overdone, but it should have a very positive flavor to it.

Make use of the above tips and you'll find yourself a true optimist in no time!

Igniting lives on Fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

2012-07-03T11:53:00.002-07:00

Over the past few days I have been stopping and noticing things that I may normally walk past. In life it is easy to get busy and then only focus on what we are doing rather than being aware of the things around us.
The universe is busy talking to us, however if we don't stop and notice it then we won't make sense of it.

You cannot understand something if you're not conscious of it.
Some people are able to extend their conscious back to the time when they were ten years old. Others can be conscious of their birth and have full recall of their life. This is dictated by the expansiveness of the consciousness they are creating. Every consciousness has a certain amount of space and time and therefore has its limitations. For this reason it is important to remain flexible in our ability to create consciousnesses.

What is in our in our consciousness is what we can be aware of: What is outside our consciousness is that which we are unaware of and in effect of. We say it is in our unconscious. We bring something from the unconscious to the conscious by expanding our consciousness to include it.

Spiritually, our consciousness can extend through time and space as far as we intend. It is not a physical skill, therefore it is not subject to the restrictions of the physical body or the laws of the physical universe. Every person has different levels of consciousness in different areas, depending on the information they need to gather to achieve whatever it is they've decided to do.

When we apply consciousness, we are viewing - we are simply aware. We are not doing anything. We are not thinking or altering the situation. There is no significance or judgement. Significance of any kind distorts our reality and our perception becomes inaccurate. By applying our consciousness, we are in a space outside right and wrong, outside good and bad: A space where we simply view things as they are. This is a bird's eye view, a detached view - the natural view you have as a spirit.

The difference between consciousness and perception.
If we extend our consciousness to a specific area, we can occupy with that consciousness the exact space we choose depending on the size of the playing field we require. Once we have this consciousness, we are able to apply our perception.
Perception isolates a particular area, directing our attention like a torch that magnifies. We become aware of something specific and use our perception to understand it in detail.

If we need to perceive across a number of areas to play a game, we simply extend our consciousness further. If a situation calls for only limited perception, our consciousness can be reduced. The more consciousness you have access to, the more freedom you have to be selective with your perception. Importantly, the more our consciousness becomes associated with the physical, the less we can apply to the spiritual.

Consciousness and perception work hand in hand and with meditation, we can increase our skill in using both.

The restriction of only one consciousness.
A person can restrict themselves by viewing events in their life from one consciousness. This is surprisingly common. This means that they can only see things one way; from one perspective. It starts at an early age when they begin to replace their own consciousness with the consciousness of others. If they take on board particular ways of looking at things from a parent, teacher or friends enough times, they can lose touch with their own natural perception. They can then very quickly lose trust in their own consciousness and become restricted.
To return to our own natural expansive consciousness, we need to detach from those consciousnesses we've identified with: This is done by recalling the times where we've replaced our consciousnesses with ones that are not ours. By recalling these times, our natural ability to use consciousness begins to re-emerge. When we become physically, emotionally and spiritually still during Energy Conversion Meditation, we can clearly identify the consciousnesses we have adopted, and separate from the energy that binds them to us.
If I am aware that the consciousness I am using is not me, rather, a way of looking at things, I am on the way to spiritual detachment.

Aware of being aware.
By realising there are many consciousnesses we can create, we regain the flexibility that comes with being aware of being aware. Spiritually we are not any specific awareness, we simply create a consciousness that suits each moment. Therefore we are outside of any one way of perceiving and our awareness is greatly enhanced.

Igniting Live son Fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

YES YOU CAN!!!

2012-06-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

"CANI" stands for Constant And Never-ending Improvement. It's an acronym that Tony developed more than a decade ago and he was influenced by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Dr. Deming is credited as one of the leaders who brought one of the first quality movements to the Japanese. His basic premise was that the secret to help the Japanese achieve world power and economic success was if every single person and organization commit to constant improvement.

The Japanese have a single word for "constant and never-ending improvement" and it's called "Kaizen." Kaizen is from the Japanese words Kai and Zen where "kai" means change and "zen" means good. Yes folks, change is good.

It is very easy to get caught up in your goals and desired end-outcomes...to the point of becoming overwhelmed. CANI offers a solution and a point of reference to focus your attention on. If all you did was improve one tiny aspect of your life every single day, you would achieve mastery in uncommon time.

This links in with many other thought teachers:

Waitley..power of 5.

Canfield...top 5

Amongst many others.

Benefits of CANI include:

Creates a personal and business momentum that will be hard for your competitors to catch up with.
Personal satisfaction and fulfillment because it will cause you to grow personally.
Leads to innovation. Innovation creates leverage.

Tony Robbins once said, "We only learn our limits by going beyond them." CANI! is a principle designed to encourage you to make small incremental improvements daily...and in doing so, you will be forced to find a way to go beyond your current set of self-imposed limitations.

Which areas of your life do you want to apply the principles of CANI! Today?

o Prosperity & Financial

o Family Relationships

o Friendship Building

o Health & Fitness

o Spirituality

o Recreation & Pleasure/Joy

o Education & Career Advancement

o Public Service/Volunteering

If you define your success as a "journey" rather than an end-destination, you can take comfort in the fact that personal growth and satisfaction can come from constant and never-ending improvement (CANI!).

Igniting lives on fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

LESSONS FROM A 3 MONTH OLD

2012-05-28T02:17:00.000-07:00

The aim of my blogs are to challenge, inspire and motivation you gain a new perspective on certain things and to look at life from a fresh point-of-view. I have no doubt that they will be of great value in helping you pursue and achieve your dreams.

As I mentioned a while ago, our first-born son, Malachi, came into the world on the 29th of February 2012.

From that very first day of his birth I have learnt several valuable lessons and some things I took for granted before have taken on a deeper meaning and significance. As I write this he is only 3 months old, but he has taught me so much already.

I know you’re probably wondering what a 3 month old baby can teach anyone. A lot – if you are willing to learn and you can see beyond the obvious.

One evening, when I was about to go to bed, I noticed our son, Malachi, trying to reach out to grab my jersey while he was having his bed time cuddles. . The jersey was just a few inches from him and he had his left hand stretched out towards it. He had a look of intense concentration on his face. There were other objects around which were within reach, but somehow the colours of my jumper had caught his attention.Watching him trying to get it, I had no doubt from the look on his face and the way his arm was stretched out that, at that time, stretching out for his object was the only thing on his mind.

I thought to myself “hey, he has started setting goals already!” Yes, I mean that. It may seem small, but when he started reaching for the jumper, to him it was a worthy goal. He decided that he wanted the phone. He was able to focus on it and decide on his own that stretching out was the best way to get it.

I found that fascinating. At 3 months old he was able to decide what he wanted, decide how to go about getting it and even able to focus all his attention and energy on getting it. I don’t know about you, but I think he was doing a lot better than most adults!

Over time he will find he has other means to reach out and get things. Instead of just stretching out he will be able to wiggle on his belly and get closer to the object. One day he will crawl..watch our Zippy!!!(Our Dog)

There is something to be learnt in this. When you decide to do something it is not necessary to immediately think about how to go about getting it. Sooner or later, once you start the project, you will find there are other ways to get what you wanted which you did not and could not know when you started.

Deciding what you want is always the most important step. “How” comes later and, if you ask me, is the easier part.

It did not take long for me to notice, however, that Malachi would lose interest in whatever he had been trying to get soon after getting it. Once he had it in his hands he’d suck on it for a while and then allow his attention to be drawn by something else around him.

No sooner do you get the car you want and then you decide you want a Porsche next.

Somehow having the object is not as motivating as striving to get it. Once one goal is accomplished, you want to reach out to the next.

I think that is healthy. In pushing ourselves to get something better we are always redefining our boundaries and pushing the bar higher and higher. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should not be happy with what you have or what you have achieved.
I am saying no matter what you have or what you have achieved, you should realize that you can always do better. I think also that you should try to do more, not so much for the thing itself, but for what it does to you when you set a goal and achieve it.

Motivation essay - stretch beyond your comfort zone
Every time you stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone, something about you changes. You grow. Every time you grow, you are irreversibly “stretched” to a new level of thinking and being.
Many people are living corpses today because they have stopped growing. They wonder around in life aimlessly. They could live another 10, 20 or even 50 years, but they might as well be buried today because there is nothing worthwhile they are going to do with that time. They just exist. They’re just passing time.
“I ain’t goin’ out like that.” Every year that I live I want to do something I could not do the previous year. Every year has got to be better than the previous one. Otherwise, what’s the point? That is my philosophy, and I hope you will make it yours if you haven’t already.
Motivation essay - keep Growing
Reach out – set your goal, focus on it until you achieve it and then…set another goal! The harder the better.Never stop reaching out. Never stop growing. Never stop living!

Igniting lives on fire
www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Getting better and better

2012-04-21T01:07:00.000-07:00

Just been reading a great book for the second or third time.

This is an excellent book that was written early last century. Yet the concepts have timeless principles that echo through for us today.
I heard of someone today who recently got a finance loan and they thought that they were onto a winner as they now had extra cash to spend.
They are in fact just spiraling into a trap.
If you want to be better off that where you are right now, then take the ideas from this book.

Seven Cures for a Lean Purse

1. Start thy purse to fattening 2. Control thy expenditure 3. Make thy gold multiply 4. Guard thy treasures from loss 5. Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment 6. Insure a future income 7. Increase thy ability to earn

The Seven Ways of Filling Your Bag

1. Start filling your bag From every 10 coins you earn, spend only nine of them. You will see how your bag starts filling quickly. You will see that you can arreange anyway with this income and you will be earning money quickly.

2. Control your expenses What we call obligatory expenses grow in proportion of our income, if we don´t do something to avoid this. Don´t confuse your desire with your needs.

3. Make your gold fructify Make your gold work for you, then its sons and the sons of this sons. Investing your gold: Loans, oportunities. Gold multiplies fast.

4. Protect your gold from any lost If you have got gold, you will be tempted to invest in any atracctive proyect. Asure your capital. Its not true romantics make a fast fortune. Ask the wise people about what they know.

5. Make your property a rental investment If you can eat grapes from your vineyard and have a nice house its inspires you to finish your duties.

6. Asure future incomes Foresee some incomes for your old age and your family. For this porpuse you can buy lands and houses.

7. Increase your hability to adquire goods More knowledge we have, more money we earn.

The Five Laws of Gold

1.Gold comes easy and in greater cuantites to the man who safes the tenth part of his income for his future and family.

2.Gold works with speed and diligence for the wise owner that finds for it a productive use.

3.Gold mantains itself under the protection of prudent persons who invests with the counsils of wise people.

4.Gold scapes from people who invest without a pourpose in places that are not familiar.

5.Gold runs away from people who force gold to imposible profits and follows the seductive counsils of impostors.

It is alot better to take one step towards what you want each day.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Igniting lives on fire

KEEP GOING

2012-04-08T21:34:00.001-07:00

OVER RECENT DAYS I HAVE STRUGGLED TO KEEP GOING...

But thankfully I read, and something I read reminded me of:
The going is always hard on the road to greatness. If success were easy, everyone would achieve it.

NFL All-Pro lineman Brian Holloway recalled that when he was playing for the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Raiders, there wasn’t a single day when he didn’t feel like giving up because the road was too tough and the sacrifices were too great.

He didn’t quit, of course; he was willing to pay the price because he was determined to succeed. True thoroughbreds never quit. Competition only spurs them, and obstacles merely reinforce their determination to succeed. If you have not yet achieved greatness in your life, it is because you have been willing to settle for less. You may not cross the finish line first every time you try, but if you stay in the race, you will eventually prevail.
At the moment I am reminding myself of the importance of keeping the momentum going.

Anyone can quit when the going is hard, but a thoroughbred never quits until he wins.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Consequences

2012-04-05T20:20:00.001-07:00

Consider the Consequences

The mark of the superior thinker is his or her ability to accurately predict the consequences of doing or not doing something. The potential consequences of any task or activity are the key determinants of how important it really is to you and to your company. This way of evaluating the significance of a task is how you determine what your next frog really is.
Long Time Perspective
Doctor Edward Banfield of Harvard University, after more than 50 years of research, concluded that "long time perspective" is the most accurate single predictor of upward social and economic mobility in America. Long time perspective turns out to be more important than family background, education, race, intelligence, connections or virtually any other single factor in determining your success in life and at work.
Your attitude toward time, your "time horizon," has an enormous impact on your behavior and your choices. People who take the long view of their lives and careers always seem to make much better decisions about their time and activities than people who give very little thought to the future.
Think About Your Future
Successful people have a clear future orientation. They think five, ten and twenty years out into the future. They analyze their choices and behaviors in the present to make sure that they are consistent with the long-term future that they desire.
In your work, having a clear idea of what is really important to you in the long term makes it much easier for you to make better decisions about your priorities in the short term.
Determine the Consequences
By definition, something that is important has long-term potential consequences. Something that is unimportant has few or no long-term potential consequences. Before starting on anything, you should always ask yourself, "What are the potential consequences of doing or not doing this task?"
The clearer you are about your future intentions, the greater influence that clarity will have on what you do in the moment. With a clear long-term vision, you are much more capable of evaluating an activity in the present and to assure that it is consistent with where you truly want to end up.
Make It a Top Priority
If there is a task or activity with large potential positive consequences, make it a top priority and get started on it immediately. If there is something that can have large potential negative consequences if it is not done quickly and well, that becomes a top priority as well. Whatever your frog is, resolve to gulp it down first thing.
Keep Motivated
Motivation requires motive. The greater the positive potential impact that an action or behavior of yours can have on your life, once you define it clearly, the more motivated you will be to overcome procrastination and get it done quickly.
Thinking continually about the potential consequences of your choices, decisions and behaviors is one of the very best ways to determine your true priorities in your work and personal life.
Action Exercises
Review your list of tasks, activities and projects regularly. Continually ask yourself, “Which one project or activity, if I did it in an excellent and timely fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my life?”
Whatever it is that can help you the most, set it as a goal, make a plan to achieve it and go to work on your plan immediately. Remember the wonderful words of Goethe, “Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!”

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Wise persons are those who think twice before speaking once.

2012-03-24T19:01:00.001-07:00

Wise persons are those who think twice before speaking once.

I have not entered a posting for a few weeks because I have been enjoying the arrival of our new baby boy Malachi. I have enjoyed getting to know him and this has reminded me of the importance of listening before I speak.
I am no way an expert in child raising, therefore I have had to listen a lot more than I have had to speak over the past while.
This is also the greatest quality in a leader and the most valuable skill in building relationships is the ability to think before you speak. If you have a tendency to speak hastily you come to regret your actions very often at a later date, the childhood admonition to count to ten before speaking will still serve you well. When you pause — if only for a moment — to consider the consequences, you may think better of what you were about to say. And if you must speak strongly, it’s a good idea to sugarcoat the words — just in case you have to eat them later.
But more importantly, if we listen rather than speak, it is amazing what new insights we will get rather than always offering our opinion.

Its good to be back.
Remember: Ignite the fire within.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

STEPS TO SUCCESS IN 2012

2012-01-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

We are now one week into the new year and you might be looking around you and noticing how organised people around you are. Maybe--your mother, roommate, co-workers--always seem so organized? Like they were born that way?

While others--often defined as creative or spontaneous-- need constant reminders if there's any hope of getting anything done? Like a sticky note on the bathroom mirror saying, 'brush and floss.'

Even if you're not born organized, you can look and feel like you are. How? By acting that way. By changing what you do so it reflects how you want to be. And how do you do that? By working to develop routines like those of our friends and family who were 'just born that way'.

1) What's Important? Goals

What is most important to you? Keeping your house spotless? Knitting afghans for your best friends' babies? Running every morning? Volunteering at your kids' school? Your goals are the basis of your routines. Success isn't a one off event, its lots of little things done over and over.

2) What's Urgent? Priorities

What are the tasks that you can't put off or delegate to someone else? Driving morning carpool? Working your 9-to-5 job? Taking your mother-in-law to weekly medical appointments? Your priorities are an important part of your routines.

3) What Comes First?

What are the tasks that have to be done first thing when you get up? Dressing quickly for morning carpool? Brushing and flossing? Starting that pot of coffee that helps you get moving? These will be the first steps of your daily routine.

4) What Comes Next?

Then what do you have to do? Wake the kids? Take the dog out? Fix breakfast? These will be the next steps of your daily routine.

5) Making Lists

List your 'what comes first' tasks. Then add your 'what comes next' tasks. Next come your goals. Followed by your priorities.

6) Checking it Twice

Read through your list several times, making sure you've included everything that you really have to get done, and everything that you really, really want to do. Your list might have 20 tasks. It might have 80. Don't worry. You don't have to do these tasks--at least for now. Just get them on your list.

7) Organizing Routines by Time of Day

Divide your day into several segments that make sense to you. Perhaps your day divides into AM; Noon; PM; and Evening. Or into four-hour segments such as 6 to 10; 10 to 2; 2 to 6; and 6 to 10.

8) Dividing Routines into Steps

Now mark, color code, or number your tasks by which segment they belong in. Most will be obvious. Morning car pool has to be in the AM or 6 to 10 segment. Others are tasks you usually do at one time of day or another. Mark these for any time segment, or even have an additional category for 'anytime' tasks.

9) Starting Small

Make your first daily routine list short. At least three items; but no more than five. For example, the five items on your list will start with the first two tasks for your morning routine, followed by one goal and two priorities. Your starting small list might be: (1) brush and floss; (2) start coffee; (3) take morning run; (4) drive morning car pool; and (5) check in with mother-in-law.

10) Building a Foundation

The goal of this exercise is to establish daily routines. At this point it is not to see how many tasks you can complete before you fall into bed exhausted at midnight. By completing the five tasks on your list every day without fail you will start to develop your routine muscle. It's generally believed that it takes about three or four weeks to make or break a habit. So, keep working at your short list of daily routines for that long.

11) Keeping Track

For the first few days, completing the same tasks one right after the other may be difficult, even if your list is only three or four or five tasks long . But keep at it. Possibly even make a chart, checking off the tasks as completed or writing the number of tasks completed.

12) Getting Better

As you find you're able to complete all the tasks on your short list, start adding more tasks, going as slowly or as quickly as feels comfortable to you. You're not in a race. You're developing routines. You're building habits. You have nothing to prove to anyone -- not even yourself.

13) Falling Behind

One day you might complete 20 tasks on a list of 30. Another day you might get stalled after your original five. Or even your first task. We all do. Developing routines is difficult, especially when we're not used to doing things in the same order every day.

14) Not Getting Discouraged

Don't let yourself get discouraged. You can develop routines. Even if you've spent your entire life of 20 or 30 or 60 years doing things as you think of them. Or putting them off for another day or week or month. You just need to keep at it. One day you'll discover that you're completing five or even 25 tasks without even looking at your list.

15) Forgiving Yourself

Even if you drop down to just that first item on your list, don't start dumping on yourself. You would be supportive if it was your best friend who was trying to develop routines, so be a good friend and forgive yourself.

16) Starting Over

Perhaps you've worked your way up to completing 20 items on your 30-item checklist. Perhaps you're still working on five. And then you find yourself in a slump. Several days pass by when urgent items take up all of your time. Or you're depressed for a week. Or your kids are sick. Just start over again when you can. Start by doing the first task on your list. Or the first two. The number doesn't matter. Completing your daily routine checklist does. Even if there is only one item on that checklist.

Soon someone will say about you, 'Oh, he was just born organized.'

Igniting lives on fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Make Your Resolutions a Reality

2012-01-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Every year you set new goals for yourself. If you’re like most people, by February, your resolve is waning, and by May you don’t even remember your resolutions. Then, on Dec. 31, you berate yourself saying, How did I waste a whole year?

My passion is helping people get more out of each day, rather than repeating themselves, therefore today I have listed some ideas to help.
This year can be different! Pick only two or three strategies from the list below and implement them today. Then, instead of scolding yourself on Dec. 31, 2012, you’ll be able to say, Look how much I accomplished this year!

Write it down. You’ve heard it before, but the truth is writing down your goals forces you to get clear about what you want. Use a pen and paper (you can transfer it to your computer later). That simple physical act helps cement the desire in your brain. Review them often- daily is best.

Find a replacement. In The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy explains one way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. What can you choose to add to your life that will fill the void left by eliminating a bad habit? For example, replace TV time with family time, sweets with fresh fruit, talk radio with inspiring audios.Have a personal Professional Development plan with a list of books and audios you would liek to read or listen to.

Tell someone. Talking about your goal—even if it seems huge and impossible—allows others to encourage and help you by providing resources and information you may need. Napoleon Hill refers to a mastermind team. This is an amazing thing to use.

Take baby steps every day. Even small steps taken toward your goal consistently will move you in the right direction. Once you experience a few small wins, taking bigger steps becomes easier.

Take some BIG steps. Don’t take all year to do what you can accomplish in a day. Once you’ve written down your list of goals for the year, figure out which goals could be accomplished this month—or even today.

Decide and act. Mental hurdles may keep you from making decisions and taking action. Get over it! Make a list of all the reasons you want to accomplish your stated goal. Refer to that list when indecision or inaction threatens to take control.

Team up. Even if you don’t share the same goal, having a “success buddy” can keep you accountable. Meet weekly (in person or by phone) to check in on and encourage each other.

Celebrate your successes. Every time you reach a milestone, acknowledge your accomplishments in a positive way. For example, if you drop a dress size, buy a new outfit. If you pick up a new client, have dinner with a mentor. Celebrating your success will keep you focused on the larger goal.

I hope you have a great year and remember to let me know how you get on as you make strides in your year.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Igniting Lives on Fire

TIME IS TICKING

2011-12-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

Its New years eve and I go thinking about time as I was looking back over the year. I then was reminded of this great article by one of my mentors and chose to share it.

Clock of Time
By Napoleon Hill

The hands of the Clock of Time are moving swiftly onward! We cry out, "Backward, turn backward O Time in your flight," but Time does not heed your cries.

It is later than you think!

Arouse yourself, fellow wayfarer; awake and take possession of your own mind while you still have enough Time to become, during the yet unexpired future, that which you would have liked to have been in the past.

Make the most of your present allotment of Time, with the hope that you will not have to reincarnate in order to do the job all over again because of neglect.

You have been warned!

Now the responsibility is YOURS. There is a simple test by which you may judge whether or not you have been using your Time to best advantage. If you have attained peace of mind and material opulence sufficient for your needs, your Time has been properly used. If you have not attained these blessings, your Time has not been properly used, and you should begin now to search for the circumstances in connection with which you have fallen short.

The truly great people have no such reality as "idle time," because they keep their minds geared eternally to patterns of constructive thought. By this profound use of their Time, they develop an alert sixth sense through which they look, listen, and see from within.

If negative thoughts stray into the minds of the truly great, these thoughts are immediately transmuted into positive thoughts and exercised by positive physical action appropriate to their nature.

Tick, tick, tick - the pendulum of the Clock of Time is swinging rapidly!

The entire face of civilization is undergoing an uplifting operation.

Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong are engaged in mortal combat for supremacy. The Time has come for everyone to stand up and be counted. The use each of us makes of his individual allotment of Time will tell whose side each of us is on - Mr. Right's or Mr. Wrong's.

Something has speeded up the Clock of Time so rapidly that the last half of the twentieth century will reveal to mankind more individual opportunities for self-improvement that have been revealed during the entire past of man's existence.

Your share of these vast OPPORTUNITIES may be embraced and used only by the way you relate yourself to TIME!

Source: You Can Work Your Own Miracles. Fawcett Columbine Book. 1971. Pgs. 119 & 120.

LEARN FROM FAILURE

2011-12-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

The best lessons we learn are the times that we look at our failure and then identify ways of moving forward. Adversity provides the resistance necessary to develop the strength to overcome great obstacles. This strength consists of self-confidence, perseverance, and, very importantly, self-knowledge. For if you do encounter a setback, it is a clue to a personal weakness. You may have been hasty in judging a competitor, or you may have been too timid in your vision of what needed to be done. Let adversity be your guide to understanding where you mis-stepped and which qualities you need to cultivate. No one rejoices in disappointment, but if you are success-conscious, you can turn the situation into a chance for improving your character, an opportunity you otherwise would have missed.

Igniting Lives on Fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Failure is Good

2011-12-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

Its been a truly blessed Christmas. I was watching the Dawn Treader (Narnia Series)yesterday and was reminded of many personal attributes as I watched it. One of them is the ability to bounce back after failure.
If everything we attempted in life were achieved with a minimum of effort and came out exactly as planned, how little we would learn -- and how boring life would be! And how arrogant we would become if we succeeded at everything we attempted. Failure allows us to develop the essential quality of humility. It is not easy -- when you are the person experiencing failure -- to accept it philosophically, serene in the knowledge that this is one of life’s great learning experiences.

But it is. Nature’s ways are not always easily understood, but they are repetitive and therefore predictable. You can be absolutely certain that when you feel you are being most unfairly tested, you are being prepared for great achievement.
As you enjoy a prolonged break, take some time to reflect on whats lessons you can learn from over the past few year and make plans to made steady improvements in 2012.

Igniting the Fire within

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Abandonment

2011-12-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

This time of the year many people feel alone and isolated. It is always good to think back to that first Christmas and see that even Jesus didn't go alone.
Most of us are incapable of “going it alone.” Whether it is in our careers, our personal relationships, or in life, we all need others if we are to achieve the level of success we desire. Besides, what’s the point of having it all if we have no one we care about to share it? You may choose to work with others, you may ignore them, or you may choose to work against them, but the greatest successes in life come to those who work harmoniously with others. When your personal goals coincide with those of another, not only does the power of your combined labors benefit you, but such cooperation also creates a synergistic effect that allows you to achieve far more than the simple sum of your individual efforts.
Remember Jesus called on the wise men to help on his special day.

This year on Christmas day, take some time to think about the people who have helped you.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Igniting lives on fire.

Habits are Powerful

2011-12-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

As Christmas comes nearer, people get stressed and all sorts of traits are displayed. The tense times can show the best and the worst in us.
Human faults are like garden weeds. They grow without cultivation and soon take over the place if they aren’t thinned out.
Habits are formed so slowly that most of us don’t realize what is happening until the habits are too strongly entrenched to be broken. Seldom can one pattern of behavior be eliminated without replacing it with another. It has been said that nature abhors a vacuum and will always find something to fill a void. The best way to thin out the “weeds,” or faults in your character, is to identify those traits with which you are dissatisfied and replace them with their positive counterparts. If you have a tendency to lose your temper, for example, find a replacement for your anger. Neutralise it with a positive expression or affirmation, such as, “No one can make me angry unless I let them. I will not let anyone else control my emotions.” This festive season take time to review your habits and see if you can reach out to others looking through a different light.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Igniting lives on fire

Whose Report will you believe?

2011-12-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

The other fellow’s mistakes are a weak alibi for your own.

I have just heard from a good friend that they have separated. I was reminded of the fact there is always three sides to a story.
(a) My side
(b) their side
(c) The truth
My heart goes to all the people involved as they are all human and will all be experiencing hurt of some description. Everyone involved will have their own story to share. I am not here to take sides, but merely to support and care for them both.
The second thing that I was reminded of, was the fact that it is easy to take sides and believe someones report. Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
It’s easy when you are part of a group to “go along to get along,” but when you are able to maintain your own highest standards of integrity -- regardless of what others may do -- you are destined for greatness. When you have developed a carefully thought out code of personal conduct, you will never have to ask anyone else what the appropriate course of action should be. You will intuitively know.
No matter what is going on around us all, we have a choice to live to the life we are desiring or to live like others around us are.
Thats what Jacob and Joseph had to do in the bible and the song that was created from this familiar passage still rings true....Whose report are you going to believe...we will believe in the report of the lord.

While these two good friends are feeling a stream of emotions I just wanted to say that I am thinking of you both and my prayers and thoughts are holding you both.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Igniting lives on fire

NO MORE EXCUSES

2011-12-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

As a teacher it amazes me how much time children waste on creating stories to explain why they don't want to do a simple activity. However if they just go in and did it, then they would have had it completed in the time it took them to try and reason their way out of it.
This is no different to adults though...
Some people are so clever at inventing alibis and so dull at doing the job that would make alibis useless?

If folks did their jobs with half the effort and creativity they waste in a vain attempt to deceive others, they could achieve great success at anything. It is tempting at times to emulate those who seemingly get by without working very hard, but those who cheat the company by not doing what they are paid to do will eventually pay the price. They will pay with the loss of their most valuable possession: their reputation. The value of a reputation for honesty and integrity is the difference between a career filled with promise and a life of failure.I have made my choice of what I will do. How about you?

Igniting lives on fire.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

HOW TO MAKE IT COUNT!!

2011-12-10T16:36:00.001-08:00

It is amazing how many times I have experienced success...only because I kept on going.
Most failures could have been converted into successes if someone had held on another minute or made more effort. When you have the potential for success within you, adversity and temporary defeat only help you prepare to reach great heights of success. Without adversity, you would never develop the qualities of reliability, loyalty, humility, and perseverance that are so essential to enduring success. Many people have escaped the jaws of defeat and achieved great victories because they would not allow themselves to fail. When your escape routes are all closed, you will be surprised how quickly you will find the path to success.
Keep going.

Igniting lives on Fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

CAN I START AGAIN?

2011-12-09T17:44:00.001-08:00

Though it may not seem so when you first encounter a serious blow, you can never lose two of the most important assets you have.
These are the power of your mind and your freedom to use it. Once you have turned them to understanding what laid you low, you can begin forming new plans. You may not have the money you once had; you may lack the allies you had cultivated. But you still have the benefit of a universe that eventually rewards honest effort, as well as gaining the experience of mistakes you will never make again. Remember, no matter where you are now, whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve. Make sure that no matter where you are today and what you are thinking, there is always an opportunity to turn it around.

Igniting lives on fire

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Clarity of Focus

6 steps to turn dreams into reality

7 Small Steps

Generating New Ideas- Think Differently and Spark Creativity

How to Generate New Ideas

Breaking Thought Patterns

Connect the Unconnected

Shift Perspective

Employ Enablers

Power of hope

LOOKING WITH FRESH EYES

FEAR NO MORE!!!

Does Need Your Attitude a Boost

YES YOU CAN!!!

LESSONS FROM A 3 MONTH OLD

Getting better and better

Seven Cures for a Lean Purse

KEEP GOING

Consequences

Consider the Consequences

Wise persons are those who think twice before speaking once.

STEPS TO SUCCESS IN 2012

Make Your Resolutions a Reality

Happy New Year!

Every year you set new goals for yourself. If you’re like most people, by February, your resolve is waning, and by May you don’t even remember your resolutions. Then, on Dec. 31, you berate yourself saying, How did I waste a whole year?

TIME IS TICKING

Clock of TimeBy Napoleon Hill

LEARN FROM FAILURE

Failure is Good

Abandonment

Habits are Powerful

Whose Report will you believe?

NO MORE EXCUSES

HOW TO MAKE IT COUNT!!

CAN I START AGAIN?

Clock of Time
By Napoleon Hill