Success...One Day At A Time

Stepping Further Into The Hornet's Nest...

If you haven't already read 'Part 1'...you can do so here -
God And Wealth. What's The Connection Here?

It's fascinating to see how the use of only words typed onto a computer screen can bring out some many varied and fascinating comments!

It's also not surprising to find that the INTENTIONS of some of my words do not always appear in the way that they form in my mind.

So...perhaps I should clarify an element or two.

God.

Just those three little words cause our emotions either to rise or fall depending on what we have believed in our lives up until this very point.

Now...I mentioned that I am not a believer in God.

But...perhaps what I failed to clarify is that, I believe that WE are PART of 'something'.

Therefore...if we are PART of something we ARE it (in the broadest sense, of course)

We are therefore co-conspirators on our race for a journey with an end - our lives. Or perhaps more accurately - co-CREATORS.

You see...I DO believe.

Except that I don't believe in a 'judge' that presides over what we do...I believe in a 'Universe' that we are part of that DIRECTS what we do - based on the messages we send it.

Of course...many of these messages may well have links to the Bible...or whatever book of the religion you may follow.

It's a sad fact that quite often...too many people get caught up in WHOSE messages are the 'true' ones...when it's the OVERALL message that is important.

Even still...many of these messages may not necessarily be the RIGHT ones.

Why?

Well...ANYTHING that is written, spoken, or otherwise communicated goes through a filter.

That filter is PERCEPTION.

Who's to say that the author of one particular religious work is 'right'...when another is 'wrong'?

Who's to say that the author of one particular PART of a religious work didn't (perhaps unwittingly) see the 'story' as they believed it to be?

Of course...WE can't prove that either way...so OPINIONS rule.

Mine is right for me. Yours is right for YOU.

And...we, as human beings, continue to INFLUENCE our own lives (not always for the better.)

Whether we 'believe' or not.

Believing is not the answer to everybody's 'problems'.

If it was...every single 'believer' who prayed would lead the life they want. They don't.

Every single person who meditated would be happy and successful. They aren't.

So...for us 'non-believers' - this raises the question of WHY?

For example...In order for me to live in this society...I need to get out of bed in the morning...and think about how to earn a living to pay my bills.

Whether I believed in God or not - I would still end up with the same result.

The Universe won't take care of you and I unless we actually make some effort ourselves.

Whether you believe that there is a single overseeing God or not...our lives are affected by cause and effect.

Praying for a better life won't GET me that better life unless I truly BELIEVE that I DESERVE a better life....and am willing to take ACTION towards it.

But...taking ACTION on its own isn't good enough, either.

Most of us spend huge amounts of our time IN action...yet never make something with our lives.

Until we realize that we are connected on two different levels...

1) To each other
2) To OUR 'God', 'Universe', 'Intention'...whatever you may want to call it

For people like me who have been put off of religion...it takes some serious effort to get PAST religion...and get to SPIRITUALITY.

For example...as I am writing this...I know that I, alone, aren't responsible for what I am writing. I'm not clever enough for that.

Until I begin each sentence...I haven't got a CLUE what I am going to write...yet it comes.

Because I KNOW.

I know that what I'm writing may well mean that thousands of people unsubscribe overnight because they see that I don't 'believe' in God.

I know that if my family ever read this...they would probably want to question my sanity.

Yet...I also know that, because I am LISTENING...then I need to get the 'message' out.

What message?

Well...the message that...it doesn't matter that you don't believe in A God where leading a happy and successful life is concerned.

It matters that you believe that there is more to life than DOING...and accept that perhaps you CAN influence the outcome of your life by suspending disbelief about what exists outside of the 'real' world.

Whether you believe in religion or spirituality is irrelevant.

Your aim should be the same...

To use everything that you have at your disposal to help create the life you really want.

To be continued...

God And Wealth. What's The Connection Here?

Question:

"What is your opinion about God and His Christ in terms of wealth creation, is He important and what role does He play?"

Answer:

Even though they always say never talk about politics or religion...I can't help myself!

This topic is particularly close to my heart as I am a non-believer. There...I've said it!

Why?

Well...to be honest, during my childhood, it seemed that I had religion almost forced upon me which put me off of the idea of there being an all-seeing God out there.

Remember...this is MY viewpoint. (And one, whichever way you may try - I will not be swayed from - which is where many people go wrong by trying to 'convert' others)

Let's make this clear - I am NOT 'against' organized religion. For many people it has a place in their lives which is great if it works for them. Just because it has a place in THEIR lives...it doesn't HAVE to have a place in mine or anyone else's.

Like with being successful - forcing someone into believing is one thing - but THEY are the ones who are still responsible for taking action backed up by that belief.

A lot of organised religions go wrong by painting 'their' God as someone who will punish you if don't do 'x'.

For me...this causes one huge problem because it allows many people not to accept RESPONSIBILITY for their own actions...and also makes people think negatively as they do someone through 'fear'.

In my book...ANY negative thought is a BAD thing and doesn't help in the slightest.

By the same token...if you believe in God and pray for divine intervention to 'save' you - then you're not using prayer in a way that it should be used (in my opinion).

Whether you believe or not...YOU are the SOLE creator of what happens in your life.

Which leads me on to my view as a 'non-believer'.

As I said...I'm not a believer in there being A God...but, since Connor came along and few unexplained things went one...I am a believer that there is SOMETHING.

Practically every single time that Connor was at a life-or-death situation - circumstances meant that either Lesley or I (or both of us) were in the 'right place at the right time'.

It's not a coincidence when things like this happen on a regular basis, I can tell you!

So...as a non-believer...this started to raise a few questions for me, which, to be quite frank - I couldn't answer!

So...I began to look inwards...and started listening more to my instinct for what I should do. I resigned from my well-paying job without any savings or prospective income - just because of that very same thing.

So...now...I'm building a picture of coincidence and gut feelings playing a role in my life...yet I still didn't believe.

Then prosperity kicked in.

By prosperity I don't mean in terms of unlimited MONEY - I mean in terms of PERCEPTION - which is a crucial thing.

My world changed on its axis when I realized that my life was more about WHO I am that what I did, or what I earned.

Yet...still I am a non-believer.

But...I DO believe that there IS a God...but WE are God. You and I.

As you are reading this...I am entering your brain and creating something.

- A memory
- A response
- A change in perception
- A reference to your current situation

How can I possibly do that - just by writing this? Well...I AM, aren't I?

At this point depending on whether you agree with what I am saying...I am creating an emotional response in YOUR head.

Scary, isn't it?

(That's why advertising works so well!)

In the same way that the books I read and the people that I meet FOREVER change my viewpoint on SOMETHING...I am doing EXACTLY the same with YOU.

(And me as well...because, when I write, strangely I always LEARN something - even though 'I' am the one writing it!)

Of course...this can be used in a negative sense by those people who promise you 'the Earth' and rip you off.

In any case...can you see the CONNECTION here?

Can you see (or feel) that, despite never having ever met me...you have a mental picture of who I am and what I sound like. Yet all I have done is write what I THINK.

And you have INTERPRETED that to build a picture, a perception, a view, in your mind.

Yet...YOUR picture may be completely different to the guy in a different country who has read EXACTLY the same things about me as you have.

Yet....I have still made that connection with them - albeit through a completely different set of 'filters' through which my words have to pass.

"That's fine Gary...", you may be saying, "But what has this got to do with a belief in God and wealth?"

Well...EVERYTHING!

The foundations have to be put into place before you build...and this is the first...accepting that WE do have a CONNECTION.

I can share more with you if you like...but only if you're interested, of course...

Are There No Limits To Excuses?

It's easy to assume that you can only go as high as you think that you can.

To someone who is cleaning the streets...the salary of a bank manager may well be far beyond their perception of what is POSSIBLE to achieve.

Yet...many people DO achieve the (not necessarily so) lofty status of manager...who can't ever comprehend earning a salary equivalent to what their CEO earns.

Yet there are many CEOs in this world...and many people who earn sums far in advacne of what the CEOs THINK is possible for THEM.

So...what's going on here?

Surely the guys like Bill Gates at the top of the tree couldn't have just got there because of luck?

Not if you define how lucky you are by the opportunities you create and implement.

It's so easy to wish your life away - yet never truly BELIEVE in what you are able to achieve.

It's not all your fault, though.

Your parents had a huge influence in how you view yourself, your abilities, and the degree to which you believe in yourself.

The area you were brought up in easily could just have influenced your view off people who are very well-off in comparison to others.

Even how your boss treats you NOW could have a seriously limiting effect on your self-esteem, and therefore your capacity for 'greatness'.

But...it's not ALL 'doom and gloom'.

Far from it.

Half of the winning of the war is understanding that you are in a battle in the first place.

Too many people ignore that voice in their head saying 'you're not good enough' - and try to carry on regardless with predictable results.

If you REALLY wanted to change...then don't you think that you would have stopped...

- Watching so much TV
- Reading newspapers
- Wasting your money on needless things
- Slacking at work for years

Well?

Of course...you will certainly come up with excuses as to WHY you don't have the time, or money, or talents to be better than who you are.

Which...to be honest...I would expect if you were a person who limits themselves by looking for why they CAN'T instead of how they CAN?

Your mind constantly is trying to please you by bringing into your life what you think about most of the time.

Isn't it about time that you actually got it to go and fetch something that you might actually WANT for a change?

It's up to YOU.

Tough Hurdling Over Procrastination

Last week I probably did a month's worth of work.

Even better...I did a month's worth of work on things that had been sitting there waiting to be done for the last six months!

How?

Well...to coin a phrase I've used often myself...

"If you could have done it yourself...you would have done so by now!"

Or in other words (in this case, anyway)...if I hadn't had the motivation to do it by now...then I needed help!

So I went out and 'created' help.

How?

I made myself accountable.

Better still...I made four other people accountable to me, too!

I established a little 'master mind' group that meets via phone every week...who collectively share their experiences and advice...and sets targets for the next week - the completion of which they are accountable for to the other members in the group.

Not only that...I have implemented a 'three strikes and you're out' rule for those who either...

a) Don't turn up every week
b) Don't complete their targets every week

Of course...we make allowance for the serious stuff of life getting in the way like family issues and vacations.

Aside from those - there are NO excuses!

And, by the way...I am included in this as well!

Sure...in some cases this may seem tough...but, to be honest, sometimes we ALL need a little 'tough love' to get us over that procrastination hurdle.

This accountability call is part of a little experiment I am conducting to see if my theories are right about a few things where success is concerned.

Time will tell whether it goes the way I imagine it will...but, at the very least...ALL of us who are accountable have ALREADY started/finished/worked on stuff that we had all put off for longer than we should have.

By any definition - THAT is progress!

And...in my book, that's a good a reason as any for YOU to find out ways to become accountable to other people for your (and their) success.

But Is All This Really THAT Important?

Have you ever considered how much you DO that actually doesn't help you one little bit?

We all seem to have so little time in our lives...but what do we do with all that time? I, for one, used to think that I had no 'spare time' whatsoever - yet now, I'm busier but at the same time have MORE free time!

How is that possible?

Well...it all comes down to what's important. Important in the sense that, if money was no object in your life, who and what would you still want from your life.

Yes, I know that money will always seem to be an issue (although it doesn't have to be)...but just humor me for a moment, and spend a little time with me considering the following...

- Who would you still want around you to share in your wealthy lifestyle?

- What activities/hobbies would you wake up looking forward to doing?

- What 'work' (yes, I DID say the dreaded four letter word!) would you actually WANT to do?

I bet you're wondering why you should 'work' even when you don't 'need' to.

Well...you DO need to!

Why?

Unless your mind has something to focus on apart from lying on a beach all day, or spending all day in bed watching TV, then you ARE going to get bored with life!

Honestly.

Ever wondered why people like Bill Gates and Richard Branson continue to work - when, quite obviously to the rest of us, the don't HAVE to?

Well...they do so because they WANT to...and get enjoyment out of doing so.

Richard Branson has said that "I don't think of work as work and play as play. It's all living."

I 100% totally agree with that.

As long, of course, that it doesn't get in the way of the OTHER things that are important in my life...like my family and my health.

Too many people forget that spending all hours to earn a big salary to 'provide for my family' almost always works to the disadvantage of the very same family 'unit' that they are trying to protect.

I've seen the looks on my daughter's classmate's faces as they are told that mummy or daddy can't come to the school play because they have an 'important meeting at work'.

Of course...in the real world...some sacrifices DO have to be made, but unfortunate though it seems, you will NEVER be able to tame that money 'monster'.

Remember a few years ago when you used to be able to live on HALF of what you might live on now?

The more you earn - the more you spend. It's practically one of those unwritten rules of human nature.

It doesn't HAVE to be that way.

But...until you come to a realization for yourself that all the money in the world can't replace being there to see your child's first steps, or to see the pride in their face as they read to you - then I will never be able to convince you otherwise.

For years - I used to be the sort of person whom I now wish that I never was where my family was concerned.

I got lucky...and got 'sent' a special needs son who needed the 24-hour care of both his parents.

I was even 'luckier' in a sense to be given my life back once he left us.

Even though, of course, I would rather have him around...I can now appreciate that just plain smiling and having fun is seriously underrated where leading a successful life is concerned!

YOU might well not be as lucky as I have been...but it's never too late to really look at what you do, day-in-day-out, and see whether what you are doing is THAT important.

People get ulcers because of stress at work...yet all it takes is a laugh with someone you love to wipe away all of that pressure (if you let it of course.)

Many things that we take for granted don't cost us a single thing - whether it's money, effort, or even time.

Yet, it's these very same things that we would most want to have in our lives when we 'make it'.

But, the time you have spent reading this is wasted unless you actually DO something about it.

Your life is in your OWN hands. You already know what's important to you.

I think that it's about time that you did something about it, don't you?

Achieve WHY More...Just By Doing Less

This week I have probably spent only about two hours actually sitting at my desk working.

Not because I was trying to be clever...but because my body finally called 'time' on my efforts at pushing my comfort zones!

Well...OK...the 'flu-type bug that I have had almost non-stop for a few weeks finally came to a head...and completely knocked me out for a few days.

Which was a GOOD thing.

Why?

Well...I probably needed the break away from working and creating for a while.

And...at the exact same time that I 'gave in' to feeling unwell instead of trying to carry on regardless...I began to feel better.

Once I had stopped fighting...everything became clearer.

So...I've spent the last few days lounging on the sofa reading, catching up on videos with Lesley...and generally letting the world of work get on without me.

Which, surprisingly perhaps...empowered me even more than before.

Why?

Well...as I'm writing this...I've been back at my desk for almost two hours - yet I KNOW that I probably accomplished as much *important* 'work' in the fifteen minute bursts I allowed myself for each of the last few days!

So...even though I am certainly feeling much better than I have done for a number of weeks...I'm going to continue with this 'experiment'.

So...in comes more 'quality' family time - out goes some of juggling that goes with trying to accomplish a number of often very different things at the same time!

In other words...it's back to basics...and the source of why I do what I do.

I do what I do because I want to ENJOY what I do...at the same time as enjoying LIFE.

Sometimes it can be difficult to remain focused on things as important as this when you are striving to make the most of what you've got.

Until the Universe pops up and reminds you WHY!

Dreams And Wishful Thinking

Question:

I am having trouble distinguishing the difference between dreams/wishful thinking and actual realistic goals and wants. I read that you can't want too much, that any desire is attainable.
How does a person to "keep the faith" when there are only small changes in a life that needs/wants big ones?

Answer:

I agree that it can be quite difficult to work out whether what you really want is, well, what you REALLY want!

Quite often...those very same goals that we write off as wishful thinking might well be achievable if we really thought about how to make them happen.

I am a firm believer that, in order to grow, we need to expand ourselves from where we currently are.

For example...it's pointless trying to go for a promotion if you THINK and ACT like any person would do in your current position. Unless you have 'outgrown' where you are - you will hardly be equipped to deal with the additional MENTAL responsibilities of a higher position.

That's why it is so crucial NOT to ignore those 'small changes'.

And...it's certainly as crucial to know that what you are, in fact, aiming for...is something that FITS the sort of person you want to become.

Keeping the faith is that much easier when you KNOW that this little thing that you are doing TODAY is in fact a building block to where you REALLY want to go.

Less than three years ago, I would never have dreamed that I would be a published author, a speaker, or that people would pay me for what I know.

Added to that...I would never have expected to learn HTML, or how to create an audio CD of my work, design a basic graphic...or be able to coach people with a great deal of success.

Yet...I didn't PLAN to learn all of these things.

I just decided that I wanted to GROW as a person...and EDUCATE myself about THREE things...

1. How I think and act...and what makes me 'tick'
2. How to market myself effectively
3. How to gather knowledge and convert it into action

These three things are fundamental to the success of ANY entrepreneur...but also work if you are in a career, a part-time job, or have an hour to spare at home whilst the kids are at school.

Once you decide to grow TOWARDS your ideal future...then you will certainly know whether what you are doing NOW contributes to it.

For example...practically EVERY CEO once worked as a clerk.

Every public speaker at one time had NEVER spoken in public before.

Every published author started with an idea and a blank page.

Every mother and father started off knowing absolutely NOTHING about how to be a good parent.

Every astronaut was once seven years old and had a dream of flying to the moon.

Wishful thinking?

Maybe?

But...SOMEONE has to be the CEO, the public speaker, the author, the parent, or the astronaut.

So - why can't it be YOU?

And...even if it isn't...don't you think that you would make more of your life trying?