We can lean much about success in life and success in business from a vineyard. As Phillip explains in this short video, the vines have their own success system.

Do you like studying success and applying it to yourself and those you help?

If so, we invite you to learn about our upcoming Heart and Soul of Success telecourse. It’s part of our Holistic Coaching and EFT Telecourcourse Certification.

CLICK HERE now to learn more.

Two of the most powerful words in the world are “I am.” What do you attach to those words…?

Is your use of those words creating a life you love, or keeping you stuck in something that might be okay, but not quite all you’d like it to be…?

Brad Yates

In this special call replay link, we (Phillip and Jane Mountrose) interviewed Brad Yates, who eloquently discussed and tapped about how to make positive changes in how you use those words.

Whether you want to make changes in your relationships, or in your career, or with your physical health… as you’ve no doubt heard it said many times before…

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

Unless you are perfectly satisfied with the results you are already getting, you need to do different things – or, in some cases, do things differently. But let’s face it, trying to change what you do without changing how you see yourself is difficult, if not impossible.

You will never outperform your self-image. So… it’s time to see yourself as someone who can achieve success!

If you are ready to start living the life you really want (or are at least willing to be ready…) listen for free to this powerful one-hour call:

“Brad Yates is a master teacher. He is a warm, loving, powerful, effective, transformative force for good. I totally endorse his work.”             –Jack Canfield

Brad also has a powerful weekend event coming up this summer in San Francisco, cultivating a self-identity that naturally leads you to take positive actions.

You can already find out more about that here:

Tapping into Success Beyond Belief! Live Seminar
Hyatt Regency – San Francisco Airport – June 22nd-24th, 2012

The above information page even includes one of Brad’s famous tapping videos – one that can really help you take action and achieve a goal that might have seemed challenging.

I know you’ll be glad you were there.

We are all creators, if we choose to be. How do you have conscious creation? Let us explain…

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, surveyed about 16,000 people about success.

Here’s what he found: only about 5% of people were successful, meaning they enjoyed their work, were prosperous and had an ongoing feeling of fulfillment. They were creators.

Creators don’t view themselves as victims, and act accordingly — as persons who craft their own lives.

Here are 5 key steps to create success so you can become a conscious creator:

• Get a dream.

  Your “why” can be a big picture, a larger vision of your life. For us, we envision creating a more caring, prosperous and collaborative world. Without a dream, how can you have your dream come true, as the song goes. Writing it down will cement it and speed up the process. Be as specific as you can when you write it down.  Most people lack this fundamental part of being a creator, so this should be a top priority.

• Specify a chief aim.

Napoleon Hill cites successful people as those who focus daily on want they want to achieve — a project, an income, a business, better health or relationships. Be sure when you “think” about the goal, you feel good. In other words, you expect it to happen, even if you don’t know how (which is often the case).

If your aim is too big, shrink it so it’s achievable. And when you think about your aim you get excited. You know it’s going to happen.

Think about this aim as often as possible.

• Be pro-active, not reactive.
  Live your life so it moves forward, living your dream and realizing your chief aim.Watch for making mountains out of molehills. This means responding to each situation, not reacting to it. Be steady and as calm as possible. Breathe.

Use your mind to seek the resources you need. If an unexpected expense came up, are you reacting or responding? Just being pro-active will often help you be ready for the unexpected as much as you can.

In short, take charge of your life. If it is to be, it’s up to me. Remember you are a creator, not a victim.

• Learn from every setback.
  Napoleon Hill pointed out that each adversity holds the seed for an opportunity. For those who see themselves as “unlucky,” they view misfortune as “it always happens to me.” They use bad luck to confirm their victim mindset. The “lucky” people find the silver lining in troublesome times. They learn and grow, knowing their dreams and chief aim are coming true.
• Be persistent.It’s said that successful people do what others won’t do. They keep going and going and going, somewhat like the Energizer bunny. If they fall down, they get back up.After all, how could you quit on your dream? It would make life dull and empty, and it’s self-destructive.

 

AN ILLUSTRATION

In our lives, for many years we were looking for a social network of like-minded people (a dream). Even though we sometimes felt alone in the wilderness, we followed our intent to find an uplifting group (chief aim), trusting it would somehow happen.

When a group of people turned out to not be the right fit for us, we keep on seeking (proactive). We appreciated the group, even if it wasn’t what we were looking for (learn from setbacks). And we persisted.

Now we have found a wonderful network of people, one that supports people in accomplishing their dreams and goals. This group has actually exceeded our expectations.

What is prosperity? The word probably conjures images of people with big wads of cash posing in front of huge mansions and expensive cars.

The word “prosperity” also gets tangled up with many political and religious usages. Most people define prosperity as wealth, success and good fortune — but in reality, it’s much more than that… as we explain in this 2 minute video…

How you answer this question can literally determine your life. The question, the Big Kahuna, is, “Do I trust the universe?”

By the way, we are defining the universe as everything, all that is.

This crucial question deserves examination. Just know that ultimately you want a gut-check answer (yes or no) to whether or not you trust the universe.

Also, this is an ongoing question until you know – or feel – the answer.

Then it is no longer a question that needs answering, although exploring its depths is very rewarding in itself. In effect, you will be living the answer.

YOUR PURPOSE

While you want to fulfill your part in the grand scheme, everything already exists in a timeless, eternal state.

There is being fully in the “now” moment, being unconditionally present. And yet, paradoxically, there is the all-important urge to become more, to actualize your potential.

This takes us to the subject at hand. To let the universe support you, you need a game plan. You need to find your purpose, a reason for being, a reason for becoming more…

To get with the cosmic program for now, to become more, you find your life purpose. How? By developing your gifts and skills that help yourself and the world.

If you don’t come to a definite purpose and plan, a “why,” then you are at risk of becoming what Napoleon Hill calls “a drifter.”

In other words, without a higher purpose you are subject to negative and irrelevant programming by others: family, friends, media, institutions, education, and the government.

As your purpose comes into focus, you can take charge by following it. As Wallace Wattles recommends, you begin to “think in a certain way.”

You recognize yourself as a creator, merging with the larger universe, with its limitless abundance and infinite potential.

When you regularly think and act on purpose, you do trust the universe. And that feels good.

LUCK?

We can learn some lessons from great companies. Jim Collins wrote in his book Great by Choice that the highest performing companies viewed “luck” differently from the average performers.

In this case, luck is defined as unpredictable outer circumstances that negatively or positively impact you.

The great performers use luck, but don’t squander their good fortune. If a windfall comes their way, if the weather helped their products sell, they don’t quickly spend all their extra earnings.

Like the ant in the famous Aesop fable, they prepare for inevitable downturns, periods of “bad luck.” Like the grasshopper in the fable, the average performers tend to quickly spend their gains.

When bad times strike, like the mortgage crisis, outstanding performers are better prepared. They use focus and discipline to overcome obstacles.

They are practical and aligned with their goals. They course-correct where needed. Average performers are more likely to panic and make poorer decisions.

We can learn from these great performing companies. We get can get a “return on our luck” by taking responsibility for our lives and our purpose.

How do we take advantage of luck? By doing what it takes to succeed, in a sensible and yet inspired way.

 LEMONADE FROM LEMONS

So use your luck to help you trust the universe. Appreciating your good luck can generate more good opportunities.

Learn from misfortune, be flexible and creative, and make lemonade from the lemons.

For example, years ago we put a lot of effort into a website that did not succeed the way we had hoped. However, we learned a lot from that experience. And as it has turned out, some of the connections we made then are coming into play in wonderful ways now.

So here’s the paradox…

On the one hand, do go with your feelings and what inspires you. And realize you can’t know all the details or how it will happen.

At the same time, being focused and disciplined is essential for doing your part in trusting the universe.

Do what you can with what you have… and trust that more will be given to you at the right time in the right way.

FINAL THOUGHTS

To trust the universe is huge. To do so, find your purpose. Hold strong and course-adjust where needed.  Continue living in learning mode.

Remember that we never really “arrive” – it’s still the journey that counts. Learning to trust the universe accelerates your growth.

Be smart, be conscientious. Do what you can with what you have and keep on imagining. Then more you trust the universe, the more it’ll support you.

In essence, we continue to grow by enriching ourselves and others. Then, not only can we trust the universe, the universe can trust us — because we are doing our part.

Find out what doesn’t work for manifesting. To be successful, find out how to use one of your greatest resources: your own intuition.

Want to go further into learning how to manifest?

Have you tried the law of attraction and found the results less than you had hoped for? It can turn out that the law of attraction works against you, not for you. To turn things around, consider these 5 common mistakes many people make, often without even knowing it.

1. Too big a goal. If you goals are too big, you probably are setting yourself up for failure. Your goals need to be attainable and believable, even if you don’t know how you can reach them.

Here are examples of common oversized goals. If you want to earn a million dollars, say, and you currently make only a fraction of that. Or you want your “perfect” mate and your past relationship history is poor.

 Solution: Start small. Shrink your goal to where it is believable and still inspirational. Aspire to earn 5-10% more a month. Improve your social skills and talk to friendly people regularly.

 2. Dwelling on the negative. “Things never go well with my employer.” “My project just doesn’t work.” Focusing on what doesn’t work is a sure-fire way to attract what you don’t want, such as negative employers, failed ideas, etc.

 Solution: Focus on what you DO want. Recognize when you are off track and course-correct asap. “I’m finding ways to get along with my employer.” “My project is improving.”

 3. Being inconsistent. If your goal is to manifest a successful career, are your thoughts and actions consistently supporting that goal? In other words is your inner and outer world, for the most part, on track with what you want?

 Solution: Study success material daily. Read and listen to uplifting material about the law of attraction, success and personal/spiritual development. Then you can start each day with a positive focus. And it’s easier to go throughout the day consistently doing and being what you do want.

 Developing good habits creates new pathways in your brain, a positive brain groove that deepens over time. It gives new meaning to “getting in the groove.”

 4. No action. A dream without taking action is just wishful thinking. Too many people rely on referrals, a check in the mail or their angels taking care of them. Although these are wonderful possibilities, they don’t substitute for taking action. Relying on things outside of yourself is too passive and can be part of becoming a victim, waiting for things to happen.

 Solution: Summon the courage to take action to realize your dreams and goals. Stand up and be counted. You and your dreams are worth it, regardless of what anyone might say. Feel the fear and do it anyway.

 5. Lack of knowledge. Sometimes we know just enough to get into trouble. We may know some of the manifestation pieces, but are still missing key components.

 Solution: Be an ardent student of the law of attraction and success material. Find support: mastermind groups, coaches and training. Connect with others successful people to help your dreams come true.

 FINAL THOUGHTS

As Thoreau once said, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Today’s a new day with wonderful possibilities. Look for new opportunities while avoiding the 5 traps described above.

Once you fall into one (which is common), set about getting on the right track as soon as you can. Forgive yourself and keep striving to live the life you truly want.

USA Today just noted that stress about money is a serious issue for 76% of us. It’s closely followed by stress about work and the economy.

The question is how do you deal with money stress?

If you sit back and wait, you will just make things worse. The best approach is to take charge of your life.

The energy of the new year is here. Now is the time to appreciate where you’ve been and get excited about where you are going!

Here are 5 easy ways to get off to a fresh start:

1. Affirm to have a great day.

You can affirm to have a great day… today! You will have a better day, each and every day you affirm it, even if what happens surprises you. Remember that things that happen to us are usually things we believe will happen to us. Claim your right to enjoy today.

Affirm, “Wonderful things are happening today!”

2. Be spontaneous.

Break those old patterns. Try something new. Taste a different food. Travel a scenic route. Read a book you ordinarily wouldn’t.

Give for the sake of giving. Be happy for no particular reason. Beware though: this spontaneous behavior may lead to moments of bliss.

3. Say hello to strangers.

A caveat here: greet those who appear receptive. Smiling at everyone else is usually harmless. Spark a conversation with the cashier who has a smile on her face (or who is willing to smile). Say hello to the person at the coffee shop that appears friendly.

A good question we like to ask is, “What has been the highlight of your day?” If the person draws a blank, then suggest that the highlight is coming soon.

4. Value those you love.

Familiarity might not breed contempt. But it can lead to lifeless patterns for those who are actually dearest to us.

Tell those close to you how much you appreciate and love them regularly. Notice and openly appreciate the little things and they’ll multiply. Remember that time is short and they won’t always be there.

After all, they make your life shine so why not add a sparkle to theirs?

5. Find the good in others.

“Be hearty in approbation and lavish in praise,” Charles Schwab once revealed as a secret to his success.

Look for something to sincerely admire in others. Everyone has gifts and talents. Yet all of us are rarely acknowledged.  Become an ardent acknowledger. Good things come to everyone that way.