Goals and Aspirations

How Strong is your Faith?

Hi everyone...

I came across this quote:

Just as a small fire is extinguished by the storm whereas a large fire is enhanced by it -- likewise a weak faith is weakened by predicament and catastrophes where as a strong faith is strengthened by them.

                    Viktor E. Frankl

How true is that?!

It's understandable how people lose their faith, their belief, their confidence in themselves and in their God, universe, and others when faced with hardship, disappointment and crises.

Some people's faith, belief and confidence, however, never waivers... no matter how difficult and challenging the experience... their faith, belief and confidence remains absolute and in tact!

No matter what hurdles and obstacles they come across in their life... whether it be a personal crisis (for example a death of a loved one), business difficulties (bankruptcy), disappointments and failures... they tend to experience it, deal with it, persevere and move on. 

A person for example, may have a huge belief in a goal... perhaps a business he or she wants to start up.  They are faced with obstacle after obstacle... they are given many opportunities and reasons to give up... pressure from family and friends to give up, rejection from banks, financial pressures... but they remain focused and steadfast in their faith that this is what they are meant to be doing.

Many people faced with an obstacle... sees that as a sign to give in... sees it as a reason not to keep that effort and belief going.

Others see every obstacle as opportunities to grow... to learn... to sharpen their focus.  They persevere... they remain true to themselves.

And what about the person who has experienced the death of a loved one... perhaps a child.  Losing faith in their religion or in the universe is understandable.  And many people do.  But even in such traumatic crises and circumstances... some people's faith pulls them through... and even amongst the emotional pain and distress of the circumstance... they find strength in their faith.

How strong is your faith?  Faith in yourself... in your God... in the universe? 

Let me know what you think... leave a comment by clicking on the comment link below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings and experiences.

Best wishes
Jeanne

Declutter... 5 tell-tale signs you need to do it!

Hi everyone...

If you are anything like me, you tend to have things piling up around you... in your office, your closet, your desktop, your working space, your house, your anywhere and everywhere!

And I know many of us, for whatever reason, have very legitimate reasons for having things pile up.  We run out of time, too busy, can't physically do it... excuses, excuses excuses!  I have used them all!

For many years I read about the importance of getting rid of clutter.  In all the personal development material I had absorbed over the years, in all the conferences and seminars I had been to, all pointed to the need to declutter your life.

It took me a long, long  time to really understand and appreciate the true value of declutter....of getting rid of unnecessary things in my life.

In all the personal development material, and law of attraction material, the premise is: you need to get rid of the old (things that don't work, the unnecessary, the negative, the junk) before you can begin to let in the new.

These are the tell-tale signs in my life that it is time I need to declutter.

• I'm feeling overwhelmed with everything -- things begin to pile up.
  Everyday tasks, even new tasks, which ordinarily would be done with relative ease, become problematic and more difficult.  I know I need to declutter...when I can't do things as easily as what I usually do.  I don't learn things as quickly (depending on what that is of course).  And I get this almighty feeling of being incredibly overwhelmed. 
• I'm feeling more tired... actually better described as more drained than usual.  Years ago, I read in a few different places, that clutter in your life actually takes away a lot of valuable energy in your life.  It took me a long time to work that one out!  And yes... they are right!  Unnecessary clutter is draining.
• Each time I look at my environment (desktop, room, office, closet, house, car) I feel stifled.  When the clutter has built up... it weighs me down.  I feel like I'm carrying excess weight around (and who wants to do that!).  And strangely enough, I don't breathe as good as I do when my environment is decluttered.  And when I don't breathe as fully as I can, I don't work, or more importantly play, at my peak.
• When I no longer can easily find what I'm looking for (as opposed to having forgotten what I'm looking for!!).  And I hate that!  When I know I have something... but because of all the clutter... I just can't find it!  I spend untold wasted energy and time looking for something that, if the clutter wasn't there, would be easily found.
• My mood is down.  When I have a pile of unwanted things hanging around, things I no longer use, things that really should be thrown out or given away, things that just need to go in the right place, I feel really quite down.  I begin to feel somewhat helpless (which is not a good feeling), I tend to be more negative in my thinking and talking (which is definitely not good) and I tend to be more lethargic (definitely a no-no!)

When any of these things begin happening... alarm bells ring and I know it is time to declutter -- right now!  Not tomorrow... but right now!

I don't have to do everything at once... but I know I have to get myself into gear to declutter.

It's a choice I have to make ... clutter or declutter...  I choose to declutter!

I'll give you some ideas how to go about it in another post.

Can you relate to this?  Click on the comment link below and let me know your experiences and thoughts on declutter... and share with us any tips you have we can use!  I'd love to hear from you.

Best wishes
Jeanne

Supra-Sexual Co-Creation! Watch the video and learn!

Hi everyone

I had no idea what supra-sexual co-creation was all about!  Do you?

Of course, my imagination was kind of running wild... and when I followed it through, to find out exactly what it was, there was a huge ahhhh!

Barbara Marx Hubbard, a leading potential pioneer, is the expert on supra-sexual co-creation.  She asks: " What if nature's impulse to procreate our species is moving to a new level of co-creation that holds the key to transforming the world?"

In this one minute video, you see and hear Barbara Marx Hubbard, explain what it's all about.  It certainly does make you stop and think.

http://oneminuteshift.com/videos/barbara_marx_hubbard/supra-sexual_cocreation

Let me know what you think... I'd be interested to hear your comments.  Click on the comment link below and put your comments.  I'd love to hear from you!

Best wishes
Jeanne

Have you received your complimentary copy of: "#1 Ingredient To Fast Track Your Success!".
You can get it when you subscribe to Aspirations Plus website at:
http://www.aspirationsplus.com/information-support-subscription.html

How Much Do You Really Want to Achieve Your Goal?

Hi everyone...

Each day, and sometimes several times each day, I make goals and I hear others make goals.  We tend to think about what we want to do, what we want to achieve and accomplish and often we express our intention to others.

Making plans to achieve things... is part of human nature.  An interesting question, however, is: "How much do you really want to achieve your goals?"

Setting goals is one thing... achieving them is quite another.

How often have you been totally determined when you have set your goal?  whether it be to lose weight, to start writing your book, to find another job, to give up smoking, take up golf lessons, go on that holiday you've been threatening to go on...

How often is your determination to achieve your goal incredibly powerful at the beginning... you start all fired up raring to go... and for a couple of days you are on target!  Great!

Then... life around you happens.  Things take your way from your goal... distractions and temptations get in your way... negative self talk starts dominating your thinking... doubt about your ability to actually achieve this goal reigns supreme...

And then you make all kinds of excuses e.g. "I haven't got enough money to do that", "I've got all these bills", "someone just made me a chocolate cake and it would be rude to refuse it", "I'm stressed so I can't focus on my goal right now"... excuse, after excuse!  They might be illegitimate... we always can justify our excuses for not following through with something.

And you return to your life the way it was before you decided to achieve this goal. 

Does this happen on a regular basis to you?  Sometimes it does to me... and it isn't very pleasant!

What I need to ask myself, and so do you, when you are setting goals is "How serious am I?  How much do I really, truly want this goal?"

In other words... if you are truly honest with yourself... are you really serious about achieving this goal?  Would you go to any ends... which may mean not eating that chocolate cake, it may mean throwing out a full packet of cigarettes, spending less time watching TV and more time doing exercise, getting a second job... to achieve your goal.

Would you be focused and determined enough not to bring out excuses?  Not to give in to temptation?  Would you be focused and determined enough to quieten your negative self talk?  To positively affirm that yes you can and will achieve this?

In all seriousness, when you want to achieve a goal, it often requires sacrifice, persistence, determination, and courage to stick with it until the goal is achieved.

And that can be difficult at times! 

Are you prepared to be focused... and are you prepared to achieve your goal...NO MATTER WHAT!!

If not, that's ok... it is only wishful thinking that you would like to achieve your goal rather than it being a must in your life.  And that's completely fine...  your life will remain the same as it was.  No change.  Is that what you want?

Let me know what you think... let me know if you want some support in this... you can either e-mail me or you can leave a message by clicking on the comment link below.  I'd really love to hear from you!

Best wishes
Jeanne

have you received your complimentary copy of "#1 Ingredient To Fast Track Your Success!"
You can get yours when you subscribe to Aspirations Plus:
http://www.aspirationsplus.com/information-support-subscription.html

Name Change

Hi everyone...

Over the last few weeks I have been doing a couple of mentoring courses on blogging... bringing up my skills to a higher level.  And it became obvious to me that my blog... this blog... which I love writing in and sharing with you... needed an identity quite separate, and yet still very much related, to my website.

When I first created Aspirations Plus blog... I had no idea what to call it -- it was one of those things that you had to come up with a name immediately.  It seemed natural, at the time, to use the same name as my website but add the word blog.

But the more I'm writing here... the more I'm realising that Goals and Aspirations are a huge part of what I want to share with you.   And then I thought why not combine the two... and make it related to Goals and Aspirations! 

Drum roll please!... Ladies and gentlemen... loyal readers ... I proudly bring to you Goals and Aspirations!

At some stage soon... the domain name will also change... but that makes no difference to how you find Goals and Aspirations!  Any link you have used to get here in the past... will still get you here.

Let me know what you think about the name change... click on the comment link below and let me know what you think.

Best wishes
Jeanne

Portrait Of Success

Hi everyone...

Last night I was watching the 3rd round of the Australian Open... the match between a relatively little-known Aussie, Casey Dellacqua and the former No 1 Amelie Mauresmo.

It was one of those matches that I didn't want either to lose... I wanted them both to win!

I had seen Casey play once before... and she looked good in a developing kind of way.  She had never won a match at the Australian Open in 5 attempts, prior to this year, and she had only played once on the Rod Laver Court. Amelie had won many matches at the Australia Open, including the 2006 Open championship.  Prior to her match, Casey was ranked somewhere around 68, Amelie ranked 18.

Last night, Casey epitomised the portrait of success...in every sense!

In her brief pre-match interview... she calmly stated she had nothing to lose tonight, she was going to have fun.  She was poised, calm (on the outside anyway), humble, down to earth and it was obvious she was looking forward to her match.

The commentators throughout the evening described Casey as the "little Aussie battler"... she had done it tough.  I know a lot of sportspeople do it tough.   She had been playing tennis for a number years, made sacrifice after sacrifice (as do many), had scraped financially... but she never lost sight of her dream.

So what elements make a portrait of success?

• Mentor and coach... Casey had learnt and developed so much because of her mentor and her coach
• Perseverance... Casey kept trying, trying... practising, trying, improving... she never gave up.  She kept her goal in mind and she stayed on track.
• Belief... Casey believed in her own ability.  She believed she was doing the things she was meant to be doing in life.  She had belief and it was illustrated so clearly in both her on court and off court behaviour.
• Determination... in her quiet way, Casey was so determined to give the match her best shot.  Win, lose or draw she was determined to play her best.
• Focus... my God, was Casey focused.  Throughout the game, you could see she only had her mind on the shot.  She wasn't distracted for one second by the crowd, by her large support group in the crowd (including many of her family and friends), by the electric atmosphere of the spectators... she was totally focused.  One of the commentators remarked at the end of one point that Casey didn't look up to the crowd towards her family but she just looked straight at the chair she was going to sit on between points.
• She didn't let failure interfere... sure, Casey made mistakes in the match but with each mistake, she grew.

Casey was unbelievably fantastic.  She emerged from the match triumphantly!  And she was so lovely in her success!

She emerged from the match as Australia's top ranked female player, and her APT will have had a substantial boost.  She is now financially healthier.  She is now so much more confident.

Casey, as a tennis player and a successful person, has arrived!

In her post match interview she said she was proud to do this for Australia and for herself.  Casey I can assure you... every person watching you last night was incredibly proud of you -- not only because you're Australian but because you gave us all a beautiful demonstration of what success is about.

Click on the comment link below to leave your comments... I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Best wishes
Jeanne

have you got your complimentary copy of "#1 Ingredient To Fast Track Your Success!"... you can get it when you subscribe to Aspirations Plus website at:
http://www.aspirationsplus.com/information-support-subscription.html

Happy... or not happy!

Hi everyone...

A lot of what I do in my work  (which carries on into my non work life as well)  is to listen to people... listen to the words they use, listen to the way they say their words, listen to the words that they don't use... I also pick up a lot from their body language and their energy field.

And what I am hearing and seeing and feeling from people is that many of them are not happy -- even if they don't actually say the words "I'm not happy"... you can tell from what they say, how they say it and how their body language is, that they are not happy.

Now a lot of people have many legitimate reasons not to be happy... they may be experiencing a major tragedy or crisis in their life, they may be very unwell, they may have just got the sack... or a truckload of other reasons why they are not happy.

And for many people... I hate to say... not being happy has become a habit.  Sounds cruel, blunt, very uncaring and unsharing of me!  But I stand by that and I can give you many examples of what I mean!  Of course I am not going to name them!  And I bet... you also know people who fit that category!

According to Michael Neill, who wrote "Feel Happy Now", no one is under any obligation to feel happy and if you don't feel happy it doesn't make you a bad person. 

Neill goes on to say "but what I do want you to know is that it's possible for you to feel happy -- and that choice is yours to make at any moment."

I couldn't agree more!  Even in the midst of tragedy... there is usually something that can spark a fleeting moment of feeling happy.  Something someone says, something someone does, something in the natural environment e.g. a sunset... can bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart... and for a split second you can feel happy.  But many people get caught in the sadness of the tragedy and refuse to let any happy feeling in...

But if you choose to stay in the moment, to stay present in the now, you open yourself to accept all that the experience brings to you... and strange as it may seem, there can be beautiful times no matter what you are experiencing.  And I'm talking from personal experience having gone through quite a few tragedies in my life!

Neill outlines the benefits of making the choice to be happy:

• It feels good.  And according to Neill, the body has a natural predisposition toward pleasure (good feelings) rather than pain (bad feelings).
• It makes you healthier -- being happy releases certain chemicals that help your physiological systems function a lot better.
• It makes you younger -- again due to the production of chemicals when you are happy.
• It makes you smarter -- when you have a problem and you are distracted from the problem by something beautiful for example a sunset, or someone's well timed sense of humour, often when you return to solve the problem the answer is there.
• It makes you more successful -- happiness leads to success a lot more often than success leads to happiness.

Now I'm not saying, and nor is Neill, that you can be happy all the time... in fact if you were, I would say there is something seriously wrong with you!

What I am saying, however, is that it is possible to let happy feelings into your life no matter what you are experiencing.  It is your choice! 

You can choose to close your heart and mind to happiness... or let it in.  I know what I prefer to do... how about you?

Let me know what you think... click on the link below and leave your comments.  I'd love to hear from you!

Best wishes
Jeanne

PS have you received your complimentary copy of "#1 Ingredient To Fast Track Your Success!"
If not, subscribe to my website (not just to the blog) and the link is:
http://www.aspirationsplus.com/information-support-subscription.html

7 Tips On How To Get Rid of Celebratory Flab

Hi everyone...

No matter what country you are in... Christmas and New Year celebrations have drawn to a close... if not finished completely, it's certainly dwindled down to a trickle!

No matter what you did over Christmas and New Year to celebrate, it is more than likely you ended up a few more kilos (or pounds) heavier than you were prior to the holiday season.  Even if you stayed at home and did nothing, chances are you overindulged to some extent... by drinking more, eating more, eating... then more drinking... and don't forget the Christmas cake and pudding... and all those left overs that just Have To Be Eaten!  (My mum used to say "I have to eat it to save its life!" Yeah right mum!  I really believed that one!)

I would love $1 for every time I've heard "I've got to go to lose this weight I gained over Christmas!"... and this is expressed by both men and women... of all age groups!

So have you got a bit of unwanted flab??  Be honest! 

Well... here are 7 surefire tips to help you on your way to get rid of it!

1. Make a commitment right now!  Not tomorrow, not when the chocolate that you were given for Christmas (I was given lots!) is all eaten, not when the kids go back to school (kids are on holidays in Australia at the moment)... no excuses!  Just make the commitment to do it right now.
2. Make a contract with yourself right now... in that contract, put your name, the date, what you are committing yourself to do, and also add a completion date (the date that you are going to stop doing what you have committed yourself to do).
   Making a contract is more binding... it gives you more incentive and motivation to stick to it.  See it as any contract... and take it seriously as you would any other contract.
3. Set a short time period that you know you can stick to ... I have just set a 21day period for myself where I will not eat any sweets e.g. biscuits, cake, chocolate (its all sitting on the fridge and it doesn't mind waiting), ice cream...
   I know I can do this for 21 days... I'm in my 4th successful day already so I have only 17 days to go!
4. Set your timeframe with a particular event coming up... for me, on the 3rd of February I'm going away for 2  nights with a couple of friends... and once I'm away... I can relax!  And I will give myself that time off.
5. Start practising thinking, seeing yourself and feeling like a person who has no flab!  How would that person think?  What thoughts would go through their mind... e.g. this is going really well, I'm energetic, junk food has no place in my life.
   Each time you are thinking about the chocolate cake... change the thoughts immediately and have thoughts about how well you are going!
   Each time you see yourself as flabby... change it immediately and see the weight melting off you.
   Each time you feel flabby... feel yourself as an unflabby, wonderful, empowered person!
6. Make your actions congruent with your goal... in other words, no exceptions to my sweet ban.  Each time I automatically go to have a biscuit with a coffee I say to myself "will eating this biscuit bring me closer to my goal... or take me away from my goal?"
   You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out the answer to that one!
   So... if you have made a contract you know what you are going to eliminate.
   If you find yourself automatically picking up something that you have contracted with yourself not to eat... go for something that you can eat!  If you find yourself sitting for hours on end watching your favourite soapie... get up and move about!
   Drink lots of water... when you feel hungry, drink water!
7. Remember... what you think about and what you put into your mouth... is entirely up to you!  It's your choice!  No one else's... but yours!
   Empower yourself right now... and choose to have thoughts that will keep you on your path... and choose to put in your mouth only those things that will take you closer to your goal... and choose those actions that will lead you to success!
   Remember... your choice!

These are just a few easy-to-use surefire tips on how to get rid that flab! There are dozens more things you can do... and we can talk about them at a later time.

Let me know what you think... let me know what works for you... click on the comment link below, and leave your thoughts and experiences... it's always great to hear from you!

Best wishes
Jeanne

Have you received your complimentary copy of "#1 Ingredient To Fast Track Your Success!"?
If not you can get your copy by subscribing to Aspirations Plus website (you need to subscribe to the website to get it).  The link is:

http://www.aspirationsplus.com/information-support-subscription.html

The Wonder Of You... one minute video

Hi everyone...

I received an e-mail this morning informing me of a series of videos called "One Minute Shifts" that feature unique and inspiring messages from all kinds of personal development Masters.  These messages, delivered through one minute videos, are intended to shift people's minds and open ourselves to new wisdom.

The first video I received was from Deepak Chopra... entitled "The Wonder Of You". 

In this one minute video, Deepak "explores the mystery of the body in its growth from a single cell to a symphony of activities guided by an inner intelligence that mirrors the wisdom of the universe." 

I was glued to the one minute video... and all throughout I kept feeling "OHHHH WOW". 

It certainly did the trick for me in terms of providing inspiration... and that's why I'm enclosing a link for you.

You can find the one minute video at:
http://oneminuteshift.com/videos/wonder_of_you

Have a look... it is truly beautiful.

Let me know what you think... click on the comment link below and leave a comment about your thoughts and reactions.  I'd love to hear from you!

Best wishes
Jeanne

PS... have you received your complimentary copy of : "#1 Ingredient To Fast Track Your Success!"
If not, you can do so by subscribing to Aspirations Plus website
http://www.aspirationsplus.com/information-support-subscription.html

What Are You Thinking about?... Right at This Moment?

Hi everyone...

Can you answer the question posed in the title "What are you thinking about?... right at this moment?"

Is it a positive thought?  (For example, "I feel great", "this is going well", "this is working out easily")... a negative thought?  (For example, "I feel sad", "why can't I have that?", "it's his fault", "I'm useless")... or a useless kind of mindless thought?  (For example, a song you heard on the radio that you can't now get out of your head -- that kind of useless mindless thought!)

Ok... next question...
What do you predominantly think about throughout the day?

Do you have predominantly positive thoughts?... predominantly negative thoughts?... predominantly useless kind of mindless thoughts?

Ok... next...
Do you know what kind of thoughts you predominantly have throughout the day?
Have you ever thought about what you predominantly think about throughout the day?

Why am I asking all this?
Well... because your thoughts create beliefs you have about yourself and the world.  And according to the Law of Attraction... your reality... your life... your circumstances are the product of your beliefs.

How your life is depends on what is going on in your mind... going on inside of you.  And it depends on the thoughts that you predominantly have.

Many people, however, (including me) don't pay enough attention to the thoughts that they have each and every day.  I've learnt over the last couple of years to be more aware of my thoughts... because my thoughts create my feelings... and that is a powerful combination for what manifests in my life each day.

Many people put their mind on autopilot (including me)... but the thing is... if you begin to consciously become aware of what you're thinking... you can create a whole different reality than if you let your mind go on autopilot.

Your thoughts are so powerful in creating your reality!  That's a fact!  That's in all the law of attraction material... you can not find an exception to that.

My final question then... why not use your thoughts to your advantage?  Why not think thoughts that are going to create the reality that you want rather than the one that you don't want?

The bottom line is... if you want to change your life, if you want to improve it in any way, if you want to succeed in your relationships, finances and well-being, you need to pay more attention to your thoughts.
Remember: negative thoughts create negative beliefs that result in creating a life you don't want.
Positive thoughts create positive beliefs that result in creating a life you desire!

Simple!  Easier said than done!  But it is up to you!

And remember... the only thing that you can have total control of is your thoughts!  Use them to your advantage!  Take control of them... not the other way around!

Let me know what you think... I would love to hear from you!

Best wishes
Jeanne

PS have you received your complimentary copy of the "#1 Ingredient to Fast Track Your Success!"... subscribe to Aspirations Plus website:

http://www.aspirationsplus.com/information-support-subscription.html