Quite simply, by reducing all of the crap and distraction in your life, and mindfully focusing on the things that really truly matter – then not only will you be living a more fulfilling and meaningful life, you will also be clearing a pathway for self-discipline and efficiency in your life… or that is the hypothesis anyhow.
Highlights of the book:
The book, minimalism covers 5 core areas to focus on in order to live a meaningul life through the mindful practice of minimalism as follows:
Health;
Relationships;
Passion (or Purpose);
Growth; and
Contribution.
Health is an obvious one for any one on a self-discipline journey. Healthy body = healthy mind. Effectively eating healthier, exercising regularly and self-care are the core principles promoted in this section (with a disclaimer by the authors noting they in no way purport to be any kind of medical practitioner or hold any qualifications of the sort). Nice one.
Relationships is the section that particularly appealed to me. Joshua and Ryan put forward the importance of having healthy, flourishing, connected relationships with your loved ones.
Applying principles of minimalism in this area – they suggest writing a list of all the people you interact with in your life. Then categorise each person into primary, secondary or peripheral. Once you have categorised each person, reflect on whether that person has a positive, negative or nuetral impact on your life. With the peripheral connections, contemplate, do you wish to move or grow any of these connections into secondary relationships? If so, what do you need to do… the way they word it is “what must you do” to grow these connections in to secondary connections. Finally, in this exercise, reflect on the time you spend with each of those connections. The authors propose you should be investing the majority of your time and energy into your primary relationships.
Where are you investing your energy?
In the next part of the relationships exercise- the authors talk about growth in relationships and the three ways to increase relationship growth:
Make new amazing connections and relationships with people;
Improve the current relationships you have with people through investing and connecting in them; or
Change yourself so that you become the person your desired friends want to be with.
How must you change to attract the friends you want?
This is the crux of this chapter that really appealed to me personally. Creating a vision board for your ideal friends. Who is your tribe? What are their desires? their wants? Their needs? How do they make you feel? what do you do together? Where do these friends hang out and what are their interests?
I personally have never made a vision board for an ideal friend, but for some reason absolutely love the idea. So this week, my mission is to embrace the friend vision board and see what appears on the other side. Importantly, once you have reflected on this (ie. your ideal friend), ask yourself, am I the person that friend wants to be around? and if not, what mustI change to be that person?
Deep.
Passion is the third core principle the authors focus on. Without passion/or purpose, what is driving your life? What is driving you to greatness?
In this section they discuss the road blocks that prevent people from finding their true passion or purpose in life as follows:
Anchor of Identity
Anchor of Career
Anchor of Status
Anchor of Money
The authors suggest, if we get too caught up on caring about how we appear, identifying with our career, status or thinking we need a certain amount of money before we can express our passions or find our purpose, we may never find our purpose and instead end up living a life based on what we think other people expect of us, rather than listening to the inner driving force within.
They propose that people focus less on “what do you do?” implying, what is your career when commencing a conversation, and focus more on exploring peoples passions, hobbies, desires, purpose in life. The things that really matter and speak to each of our hearts and souls.
Finally, the book briefly covers growth and contribution.
With regard to growth their approach is in relation to taking small, incremental, consistent steps daily until those tiny steps flow into a giant leap… and with regard to contribution, being part of something bigger than ourselves is an important part of living a meaningful life. If you don’t know where to start volunteer with a local community organisation.
I love this -as I have found the more you appreciate or give to others, the more you live in a space of gratitude in your life, which quite frankly, makes everything better in life.
“You are sitting in the most magnificent garden you have ever seen. The garden is filled with flowers. Feel you have all the time in the world to indulge in the beauty of the garden.
there is a towering light house. 9 ft tall sumo wrestler comes out of a red door. He has a pink cable protecting his private parts. He finds a shiny gold stop watch which someone had left behind years earlier.
Slips on it and falls to the ground unconscious. He is stirred by fragrance of beautiful roses.
He looks to the left and sees a long winding path covered in diamonds. He is compelled to take the path and this path leads him to everlasting joy and eternal happiness”
“Timeless principle for radiant living”
SYMBOLS for the 7 timeless virtues for radiant living:
Garden
Lighthouse
Pink Wireless Cable
The Stopwatch
The roses
The long winding path
The diamonds.
Apply these on a daily basis, you will change mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually:
THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY GARDEN
The garden represents your MIND. If you care for your mind. If you nurture it and cultivate it, it will blossom far beyond your expectations. If you, however let the weeds take plant.
To live life to the fullest, you must stand guard at the gate of your mind. You must not allow a single negative thought in, not even one.
Adopt a positive paradigm for the world. The way you think is a product of habit. Simple.
Condition your mind.
See your mind for what it is, natures greatest gift. There is no such thing as objective reality, or absolute truths.
All success in life – whether material or spiritual starts in your mind. By controlling the way you think you will own your life.
“There are no mistakes in life, only lessons” “From struggle comes strength” “To transcend pain you must have first experienced it”
Stop judging events as positive or negative. Rather, simply1ust experience them, see what they teach you.
Begin to live out of the glory of your imagination not your memory.
Things are always created twice – first in your mind, then in reality. “Blue printing” – anything you create in your outer world you created as a lush blue print.
Unlock the true potential of your mind to create the kind of magical life. Expect the best, you will be astonished at the results.
Sports hero/Business tycoon. It is a freedom and joy.
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
Connection between physical vitality & mental agility. By changing your thoughts, you can change your life.
Diligently apply strategies daily for 1 month you will be astonished at the results. Enjoy the process of personal expansion and growth.
Key principles
First, concentration is at the root of desire. The fact that you have a desire or dream means you have the corresponding capacity to realise it. To liberate the power of the mind you must be able to harness it and direct its focus on what is at hand.
“Find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it”.
If it is a worthy pursuit. Your passion must in some way improve or serve the lives of others.
Deep sense of inner harmony.
Those who rise with the sun have one thing in common, they have purpose. Not in an obsessive way. They live in the moment, their attention is completely on the task at hand.
Needless and endless worry. Once you find your purpose – life becomes easier and far more rewarding. Your life will be play.
You will have to start taking risks. Your mind your body and your soul.
Stop being so practical. Start doing the things you always wanted to do. Find the things you love.
Daily incremental improvements. 10 minutes of focused reflection per day will have profound impact on your life.
“The Heart of the Rose” – ingredients fresh rose and silent place
Look at the rose, savour its flavour, its look, return your attention to the object of your focus. Soon your mind will grow strong and focused. Persist. Spend longer each day focusing longer on the heart of the rose.
It is your island of peace. There is power in silence and peace.
“Opposition Thinking”. The mind can only hold ONE THOUGHT at ANY ONE TIME.
CCreate a positive, creative mindset. When a negative thought comes in mind, replace it with a positive thought. They are reminders that I still have a distance to travel on the road to mental mastery.
Step 1 become aware you are thinking uninspiring thoughts
Step 2, think of positive thoughts, breath deeply, train the power of your mind on positive thoughts.
You cannot afford the luxury of even 1 negative thought.
Manifest your desires into reality. “The SECRET OF THE LAKE”
The early morning …. The sages would look into the lake and envision their dreams becoming a reality. If it was the virtue of discipline they wished to cultivate within theirlives they would picture themselves getting up at dawn and performing their rigorous physical regimen without fail and spending days in silence to enhance their will power.
If itwas courage they desired tehy would picture themselves with strength in the moment of crisis and challenge.
The mind works through pictures. Pictures effect your self image and effect the way you feel, act and achieve.
See yourself as you want to be. Shut the door, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, visualise mental pictures of all you want to be, to have, and attain in your life.
Picture yourself acting gracefully, lovingly. The magic of visualisationj can be applied to many situations. The power of your mind has potential to attract all into your life.
A MAGNIFICENT LIGHTHOUSE
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose”
Those who are truly enlightened know what they want out of life, emotionally, materially, physically, spiritually. Clearly defined priorities and goals for every aspecto f yoru life will serve a role similar to that played by a lighthouse offering you guidance and refuge when the seas become rough.
Achievement. Comes through consistent application.
Dharma is based on the ancient principle that we each have a heroic journey while we walk on this earth. Find your heroic life. Make sure it serves others.
Goal setting is just the beginning. People spend their whole lives dreaming of becoming happier, living with more vitality and having abundance of passion” Take 10 minutes to write out your goals. Think deeply about the meaning of your life. Goal setting will make your life magnificent.
Set clearly defined objectives in the mental, physical and spiritual world. Write down your dreams. Know what you want from every game. Develop a game plan for your own life.
What is so special about writing your goals?
By writing down your goals you send a RED FLAG to your subconscious mind about what is important.
LIFE AIMS.
You change your life once you set your goals. It tells your message what to focus on. Concentrate every ounce of your mind on self-discovery. The
CONCENTRATE YOUR MIND ON A PURSUIT THAT YOU LOVE.
5 step method to reach purpose of life
Step 1 – form a clear mental image of the outcome
Step 2 – get positive pressure on yourself. How can i create positive pressure? – public pledge – tell everyone you know about what you are doing – associate pleasure with good habits and punishment with bad habits
Step 3 – never set a goal without a timeline – you must have a precise timeframe/date. Get to know yourself. Buy a dream book and write all of your dreams.
Divide your dream book into the different areas of your life Physical Fitness Goals Financial Goals, Personal Empowerment Goals, your relationship, social goals, and Spiritual Goals
Fill your dream book with the pictures of the things you desire and images of people who cultivate the abilities, talents and qualities you hope to emulate. If you want to lose weight and be in outstanding physical shape paste a picture of a marathon runner or elite athlete in your dream book. Review it daily. Passion a burning sense of passion must be at the forefront of your mind. Reclaim the morning. Be the master of your fate.
What lies behind you and what lies in front of you is nothing compared to what lies within you.
THE ART OF SELF-LEADERSHIP
Symbol – 9ft tall, 900 pound Japanese Sumo Wrestler.
The Sumo wrestler represents Kaizen meaning “constant and never ending improvement”. If you really want to improve your outer world (such as your finances) you must first improve your inner world. You can do this through the practice of continuous self-improvement.
Self improvement – personal exploration. TAking the time to nurture your mind, care for your body and nourish your soul.
Building strength of character, developing mental toughness and building courage.
The degree of courage you live with is the degree of self-fulfilment you experience. Mind body soul.
Ancient powerful techniques – do as many pushups as you can possibly do. Don’t stop until you can do no more.Then do ten more.
You had more inside you. When you reached for your resources you received more. When you push beyond your limits you develop mental and physical gifts …
Do the things you fear.
Identify your weaknesses and attack them head on. When you conquer your fears, you conquer your life.
FEAR is a conditioned response. When you erase fear from your life you become younger and your life more vibrant.
Once you get yourself in order your life will fall into place.
ART OF KAIZEN
Ageless principle of self-mastery
10 ageless principles and rituals
Practice for 1 hour per day for 30 days
Keep practicing every day to keep seeing the results.
The 10 Rituals of Radiant Living
Ritual of Solitude – healing power of silence at least 15 minutes per day. Spend some time alone. Find a place of true quiet and beauty to practice… “the sanctuary of yourself” – a peaceful corner at your home. It works best if you practice it at the same time every day. In nature is ideal. Result – deep sense of inner harmony and abundance of energy.
Ritual of physicality – “as you care for the body, so you care for the mind” – nourish the temple of your body daily through the practice of daily vigorous exercise. Yoga, vigorous walking in nature. Learn the art of effective breathing will increase your natural state of vitality. 2 or 3 times per day take a minute or two to think about breathing deeply from the belly.
The Ritual of Live Nourishment – “as you nourish your body as you nourish your mind” – LIVE FOODS – sun, earth, air and water. Eat live foods. Eat as many vegetarian foods as possible (RAW??) At least add salad and fruit to every meal.
Ritual of Abundant Knowledge – notion of life long learning. Read regularly – at least 30 minutes per day. Dont read anything, read something that will improve you and the quality fo your life. Read it 10 or 15 times – as scriptures. 30 minutes a day will make a delightful difference in your life. Read the RIGHT books and learn how the people who have proceeded you…. Think Great Americdan, Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Ghandi “ the story of my experiments with truth”, Siddharta by Hermann Hesse, “the highly practical philosophy” byMarcus Aurelius, some of the work of Seneca and “think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill. Think and grow rich is about abundance. Read and keep reading…. “Books simply help you to see what is already in yourself”
The Ritual of Personal Reflection – every night sit in deep contemplation and take inventory of their day. First list all of your activities, then write down the thoughts that had run down during the day in one column, then do an assessment in another column. Were they positive in nature? If they were he would keep them, if they weren’t helpful he would eliminate that thought/activity.
Ritual of Early Awakening. Rise with the sun. Most of us sleep far more than we should. First never forget quality over quantity of sleep … never eat after 8pm. Meditate to soft sound of harp before sleeping up. 10 minute period before you sleep and when you wake up relax, have some herbal tea, listen to soft classical music. The better the sleep – the less you will need. If you do anythign for 21 days in a row, it will become a habit. If you wake up early – think positive thoughts, give prayer of thanks for all that you have… the average 4 year old laughs 300 times per day, laughter is medicine for the soul. Laugh for 15 minutes to start off the day. Heart of rose, drink fresh juice/water, go into your sanctuary of silence and ask yourself this question “what would I do today if this day was my last??” if you live every day as though it were your last you will savour it.
Ritual of MUSIC – never forget the power of music.
Ritual of the Spoken Word. A mantra is a collection of words together – ma means mind and tra means freeing… so they are words that free the mind. “I am inspired, disciplined and energised” Repeat a mantra “I am strong, able and calm”
Ritual of Congruent Character – take daily action to build your character. “You sow a thought, you reap an action. Reap an action, you sow a habit. Sow a habit, you reap a character. Sow a character, you reap your destiny.”
Life’s calling/principles: industry, compassion, humility, patience, honesty and courage.
Ritual of Simplicity – focus only on your priorities. Your life will be uncluttered, simple. The key is … don’t focus on the goal, enjoy the process.
THE POWER OF DISCIPLINE
The sumo wrestler was start naked except for the pink cable. The pink cable will serve to remind you of the power of self-control and discipline in building a virtuous disciplined life.
Self control and willpower are similar to a cable. A cable consists of many thin wires, each alone flimsy and weak… yet together their sum is much greater than their constituent parts adn the cable becomes tougher than iron.
To build a will of iron, it is essential to take small tiny acts … the lack of willpower is a mental disease.
It is willpower that allows you to keep your commitments to other people, and more importantly to yourself.
Through the steel of discipline you will forge a character rich with courage and peace. Through the virtue of will.
Self-control and discipline will bring you a tremendous sense of freedom. Ths alone is amazing. When you master your mind, you master your life. When you have managed to discard all weak thoughts and only maintain those taht are positive.
“I am more than i appear to be, all the world’s strength and power rests inside me” repeat this 30 times per day
YOUR MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY
The shiny gold stopwatch is a symbol of our most precious commodity – TIME.
Time is the greatest leveler. Time mastery leads to life mastery – remember it is a non-renewable resource.
Plan your week and manage your time carefully/creatively. Have the discipline to focus your time around your priorities. The most meaningful things in your life should never be sacrificed.
80% of the results you achieve in your life come from 20% of your effort.
Only 20% of what you do will have an impact on the quality of your life. Watching telly & gossiping …
“Enlightened people are priority driven”
Direct all of your attention to the things that count. Time mastery. Say no to the little things so you have time to do the big things.
Do the things that less productive people do not like doing. Those who are masters of their lives live SIMPLE lives.
Develop a deathbed mentality. Act as though failure is impossible. Be brave. Become the architect of your future and your life will never be the same.
THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF LIFE
When all is said and done, what matters in life is that the quality of your life comes down to the quality of your contribution.
Symbol – the Fresh Yellow Roses – Chinese proverb “a little bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses” meaning when you improve the lives of others you indirectly elevate your own life in the process. When you take care to practice random acts of kindness daily, your own life becomes far richer and more meaningful. To cultivate the sacredness and sanctity of each day, serve others in some way.
The only one real reason you are here on earth is to give yourself to others. Measure people by the size of their hearts. People are realising they are here for a purpose. We each have a gift – unlock your treasures and apply them for common good.
See yourself as part of the community, rather than an individual. Start striving towards making the world a better place. Compassion and daily acts of kindness will improve your life.
A person with 3 solid friends is wealthy indeed. Mend and cultivate your friendships.
THE TIMELESS SECRET TO LIFELONG HAPPINESS
Final Element of the fable…
A long windy path studded with millions of tiny diamonds.
It is there to remind you of the virtue of enlightened living.
“Living in the now”. The most important moment is now. Learn to live in it and savour it accordingly.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Live for today. There will never be another one quite like it.
You can start to have the life you deserve the very moment you start to understand that the path you are currently walking on is one rich with diamonds and other priceless treasures. Enjoy the beauty and sacredness of all that is around you. You owe this to yourself”
Never put off happiness for the sake of achievement. Never forget the gift of family.
Few things are as meaningful as your children’s childhood.
Happiness is a journey. Enjoy the special moments that every day offers because today this day is all that you have.
You can train yourself to enjoy the gift of living and fill yourself with the existence of jewels of life.
When you savour the now, you kindle the fire of life that fuels your destiny.
Discover your higher purpose and follow the path of your dreams. Grow your destiny by putting all of your focus and attention on this.
Basically they are your run of the mill dudes that have done the normal thing (ie. they have a background in sales and marketing), it didn’t work out so great or they weren’t so satisfied with living the “American Dream” and decided to try something new, fresh and novel.
Minimalism.
They love it. They love the freedom it brings them. They love the empowerment. The improved relationships.
Quite frankly …. I’m sold
This week we are discussing the key elements of being a successful Minimalist according to Joshua and Ryan.
Have integrity – do what you say and say what you do! Build trust with the people you work with.
FOCUS, according to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett is the number one attribute you require in life to achieve success.
SUCCESS PLAN
Have a goal (SMART goals)
Make a plan with specific measurable milestones
Take action. Start taking action on the first step in your milestone list.
Failure is a milestone, not a destination. Persistence, consistency is essential until you achieve your goal.
Never doubt your ability to achieve success. In Warren Buffet’s words “I always knew I was going to be rich. I never doubted it for a minute.” Believe in yourself!!!
One of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life is who you choose as your life partner.
You want to associate with people who are the kind of people you would like to be.
Ultimately – they will have the most influence on you in the long term and this includes your career.
A study done in St Louis by Brittany Sullivan and Joshua Jackson at Washington University has shown us that having a conscientious spouse who is involved in the career of the other spouse can boost one’s salary significantly.
Why?
Because conscientiousness means taking the time to involve oneself in the activities that allow the other partner to flourish.
This attentive attention comes across as support.
People with a conscientious partner are 60% more likely to become promoted and flourish in succeeding at their long term goals.
Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill is a wonderful all time favourite.
To kick start 2023 on the right foot AlphaMama is discussing the secrets as well as potential pitfalls held within it’s pages.
If you want to kickstart your year (with many countries globally set for a significant recession) with the right mindset and an elbow greased with your best ‘can-do’ attitude then this is the book you are looking for!!
With silly season on the horizon AlphaMama.net is reaching out to you. Yes YOU! To share with us your tips and strategies on how to work your way through the overwhelm of life.
Hit us up with your best guidance. We are all ears.
This week we are discussing the tips and strategies held within this gold nugget of a resource –
Self-Discipline: Develop Daily Habits to Program Your Mind, Build Mental Toughness, Self-Confidence and Willpower
by Ray Vaden
Ray Vaden is an elusive author. It was nigh on impossible to locate any details about him. If you have information on who Ray Vaden is, please get in touch!
10 qualities that are shared by all high achievers
They have a strong well defined sense of purpose; they know what they want.
They seek out positive role models for inspiration and learning.
They use sensory rich visions and a vivid imagination to set the stage for their own achievement
They have a positive sensory orientation, they expect to succeed rather than fail.
They have a deep rooted belief in their ability to achieve. They are immeasurably self-assured.
They have the ability to plan and organise. They can break down what they want to achieve into manageable steps – prioritising the important steps first.
They know how and why to acquire the essential knowledge and skills. They are not intimidated by the thought of having to learn something new.
They have patience. The passing of time doesn’t bother them. They will keep working towards their goal for as long as it takes.
They persevere. They’re stubborn and they don’t give up, even when the going gets rough.
They view work as pleasure. Work is bringing them closer and closer to the goal that will be their final reward.
WHAT IS THE FORCE THAT MOTIVATES HIGH ACHIEVERS????
The ability to use their imagination….
STEPS
Begins journey The successful self-disciplined achiever asks himself “if I can have whatever I want, what is my purpose?”
When she has worked out her purpose she uses her imagination to develop a sensory rich image that will evoke an emotion so strong that she is driven to bring it to action.
And when she has achieved the goal, she uses the vision to create new goals. A Self disciplined achiever never stops….
Seven keys to self-discipline
Firststep is to have a purpose. Create a purpose. Define a cause that you can wholeheartedly devote your time, resources and att4ention. This cause points you in a direction. It gives you a reason to get out of bed ihn the morning.
2nd step – find role models who have already achieved what you want to achieve. Study their life patterns, methods and techniques. They are normal people like you but with self-discipline. You will start feeling emotions
3rd step translate your desire into a sensory rich vision of success. Touch taste sight sound in front of you. You know you can do it.
4th step – they share an all-encompassing passion and emotion for their goal or desire.
5th step – planning. Through effective planning you can plan out the steps you need to take to turn your vision into a reality. You will figure out exactly what you need to do to accomplish your goal and how long it will take…
6th step is to acquire skills to make your plan a success. Each time you master a skill your confidence in your ability to achieve your goal increases.
7th step – persistence and perseverance. Persistence is staying with your vision no matter how long it takes and to persevere despite any setbacks.
HOW DO YOU FIND A PURPOSE???
4 Point Exercise:
POINT 1 Limitless wishing.
Close your eyes. Imagine you are on a beach walking along the sand.
A soft breeze is keeping you cool, and you are enjoying the waves splashing rhythmically along the shore.
As you stroll along the water’s edge, you see an object in the distance that is half buried in the sand. The waves splash over its surface leaving it exposed to your curious eyes. You hasten towards it to see what it is before it is engulfed by the following waves.
In a couple of minutes, you are standing over it, still not sure what it is. It’s metal, somewhat round like an old lamp. You dig your fingers into the wet sand and pull it out.
There is an inscription on the side of the object, but you cant read it clearly. You begin to rub some of the sand away to read the inscription and suddenly it starts releasing a cloud of what looks like steam or gas.
You drop it. Slowly before your eyes a genie takes form. When he speaks his voice is kind. He thanks you for releasing him from hundreds of years of captivity. He offers you a reward for helping him he offers you 5 wishes. You can wish for anything you want as long as it is specific and humanly possible to achieve.
Think long and hard about it – what are the things that would turn your life around and make you truly happy. What it is it you secretly wish for day in and day out. Write it down in present tense starting with “I want”:
Example:
1. I want health and fitness of professional elite athlete levels so that I feel amazing and self-disciplined and have the ability to achieve great physical feats and live a long healthy life.
2. I want amazing relationships that include a loving husband and a few beautiful children, loving family connections and amazing friendships to share my life with.
3. I want to independently earn enough money through my contribution to society that I never have to worry about money or finances ever again and I have enough resources to help others, give to others, and support others on their journey.
4. I want to be an extremely successful business woman that inspires all women everywhere to embrace their power, find their purpose, and follow their personal dreams and ambitions to achieve holistic success in their lves.
5. I want to be an innovation leader, I want to achieve greatness by completing transforming the political landscape to reflect humanism, love, humanity, empowerment, sustainability, wholeness, vulnerability as strength.
POINT 2 WISHFUL IMAGINING
Close your eyes again. Imagine that your first wish has come true. Imagine what your life looks like now. What kind of clothes you would wear, people you would hang out with, house you would live in, what are you eating for breakfast and dinner. Maybe you have a private swimming pool, new career or new friends.
Imagine you are having dinner and drinks with your best friend, and you are explaining how your new life feels. This is a friend you can trust completely so you can say anything. Imagine what you look like – are you younger, thinner, better dressed? Is your friend looking envious? Picture every single detail – including the season, the place, the restaurant, to the glasses on the table.
Repeat for every one of the 5 wishes you wrote down.
POINT 3 Creative Biography
When amazing people pass away they often leave a legacy … people write their biography or eulogy.
What do you value above all else?
What would you like to be remembered for?
Open a history book and turn to the first letter of your last name:
You find your entry. It is a brief summary of your life and your greatest achievements.
What does it say?
POINT 4 What do I deep in my heart really want to do? What is my purpose in life?
You will now write down your statement of purpose.
First write a statement of purpose for another. Imagine..
Eg.
George Washington: I would like to use all of my strength, intelligence, resources to secure liberty and freedom for all of my colonists.
Amelia Airheart: When I grow up I am going to have adventures and show the world that women can be as heroic as men.
ROLE MODELS
People tend to find their mentors in 2 ways.
Indirectly – through books, films, articles
Directly through spending time and observing the mentors behaviour.
Indirectly
Autobiographies, magazines, articles, biographies. Inspirational films and tv shows.
– Who did you admire most?
– what inspired a throb of recognition? A resonance:?
– a fictional character? Who do you greatly admire and wish you could be like??
Heroes and heroines who claw their way to success… vision driven with emotion and purpose.
Find people who have achieved what you want to achieve and ask yourself
What skills do i need?
How should i behave?
Directly
The people who achieve in their lives. What do they do? Networking. How do they deal with the highs and lows of life?
Quality of contacts you find –
Models directly – apprenticeship.
Most high achievers – mentor who can pass on his or her skills…
Coaches.
They too could easily perform like the idol they had… discovering their idols were human and fallible – they began to realise they could also achieve great things
CREATING A VISION OF SUCCESS
Sensory Goals – “magnificent obsession, burning desire to complete your purpose”
Take your statement of purpose and transform it into a SENSORY GOAL STATEMENT:
There are 3 key elements:
It must be result oriented, it must be primarily focused on what you want to get out of your achievement;
It must be TIME specific, you must determine a timeframe in which it will be achieved;
It must be Measurable, specify a criterion of when your goal is complete.
Sense of concrete reality, result and specific time frame fuels your drive towards success.
STEP 1 WRITE YOUR SENSORY GOAL STATEMENT
“In May 2023 I will run a 47 km marathon in under 5 hours at Wilsons Prom and be classed as an elite Athlete”
“In February 2023 I will win at least one gold medal in my division at Masters for Surf Lifesaving Victoria with Point Leo Surf Club”
“By July 2023 Ellison-Whyte Law will have an annual turnover of $500,000 Australian Dollars and will have a profit of at least $250,000 Australian dollars”
“By December 2023 Ellison-Whyte Law will win a nationally recognised award for innovation in the legal industry and I will become an industry leader”
What is your criterion for success?
If its to run a business – it might be when you move into your own office or hire your first staff member.
Having a measurable goal will help you determine whether you are achieving.
STEP 2 Your next step is to create a VISION OF ACHIEVEMENT
You can do this by finding photographs and images in magazines that show people living, experiencing and achieving your vision.
Eg. if your vision is to be a doctor, look for photograph’s of medical school graduation
If your vision is to be your own boss, find photos of people who own successful businesses. Look at business week, industry week, and specific trade publications for inspiration
If your vision is to run the boston marathon, take photocopies of newspaper clippings of people who have won the boston marathon, runners world, etc.
The purpose of this exercise is to create concrete images of your desired achievement so that you can visualise yourself achieving the goal “if you can see it, you can believe it, you can achieve it.”
Creating a vision achievement scrapbook that is tailored to you can have a powerful effect on your motivation and drive.
Devote some time today or this evening to locating these pictures. Continue to be on the look out for more.
STEP 3 make a listing of all the advantages and rewards you will experience as a result of achieving your goal. Close your eyes for a few minutes and imagine you have already achieved your goal –
How is your life different because of it?
What recognition have you achieved?
Has it made a difference with your family and friends?
Has it made an impact on other areas of your life?
Are you getting up at the same time in the morning, driving the same car to work, are you going out more/less in the evenings?
Wearing different clothes?
Write down every single outcome you can think of from the achievement of your goal. Don’t just write down the general rewards get as specific as possible.
STEP 4 – Sensory Vision – snapshot.
Draw a picture of what you will feel like, what you will see, what you can hear, see, feel, taste, smell.
NEXT – Record your sensory vision snap shot in your own words.
Daily Routine – every morning you will focus on your vision board. The vision board, the recording of the sensory goal description. Listen to the recording daily.
Take a few moments each day to visualise your vision
Listen to your sensory rich achievement every night before bed.
At the end of each day – REFLECT on what happened during the day and how it was targeted towards achieving your goal.
Record your vision over again every 2 weeks so that it stays relevant to your effort as you evolve.
ACTION PLAN –
Planning is the logical mapping out of where you want to go and how you are going to get there. Planning is going to help you save time.
There are 5 vital steps of a self-disciplined achiever that never quits or loses sight of their goal.
Rekindle and revisit your purpose every single day. Remind yourself daily of the rewards and benefits that await you when you successfully realise your goal. The emotion you draw from why you are working so hard and giving up so many things will sustain your powers of persistence and perseverance.
Firmly anchor the following attitude deep within your heart and mind: – “I can achieve anything I set my mind to. Nothing is impossible for me to achieve if I want it badly enough and I am willing to pay the price for it.” “I can and will achieve my goal” I will never forget that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.
Realise that obstacles are going to arise and set backs are going to occur. Keep in mind that these are actually opportunities to learn. Every obstacle you encounter, every set back you overcome, strengthens your character and makes you smarter an stronger. Whatever you do, don’t try to hide from or ignore problems. They never go away by themselves. Meeting challenges squarely and solving problems creatively is at the heart of self-discipline and at the heart of achievement. As Benjamin Franklin said, “those things that hurt, instruct”. When your progress seems blocked it means it is time to increase your knowledge and look for creative solutions.
You may be doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Now is the time to find out. Start experimenting with taking different paths to your destination but whatever you do, don’t quit. Most people quit when things don’t work out as they had planned or when they realise how much hard work they are going to have to do. A failure is someone who has not learned from their mistakes.
Turn your work into fun. Make what you have to do into something you want to do. Working towards a lifelong goal should feel like a sacrifice because that goal is what you want more than anything in the world.
If you follow these 5 steps diligently – your long road to success will turn into an exciting journey of knowledge, discovery, challenge and reward.
Set backs can bea real stitch however – there are 5 ways you can turn any set back into a positive as follows:
First, never try to ignore a problem or a handicap. Deal with your problems directly. Don’t avoid them or try to hide from them. When you have a problem, study it from all angles and try and determine the best way to proceed.
Second, don’t blame other people for your setbacks and don’t chalk it up to bad luck. You make your own luck in this life and you have to solve your own problems. Learn to tackle them head on, being as realistic as possible and as level headed as possible. Mentors can provide a great deal of help in a bad situation. Try acting as if you are your own mentor. What would he or she do in your situation or what has he/she already done to overcome an obstacle similar to yours.
Third, continually strive to strengthen your qualities of self-discipline. Set backs often occur because of weaknesses in certain areas. Try and turn those weaknesses into strengths. Be your own severest critic, but not your own worst enemy. Don’t tell yourself “I failed”, tell yourself “I slipped, but i am going to pick myself up and go on”.
Fourth, in almost every setback there is a seed of opportunity. A silver lining if you will. Find it and use it. You may find yourself taking a slightly different path to achieving your goal than you first imagined, but you will get there just the same. Take the new path and see where it leads you. Following this new path helps take the emotions sting out of set backs and is a healthier way to react to a bad situation than deciding to give up.
Fifth, remember no matter how insurmountable a problem may appear, there is always a solution. A problem is only really a problem if you think you can’t solve it. If you take the attitude that every problem has a solution and you approach your problem with an open and creative mind you will find the solution.
