The doubts you have about your potential are nothing more than the lies your fears have sold you. You were built to be brilliant.- Robin Sharma

Do you remember when the last time you wanted to take a bold step and someone said, don’t do it? Do you remember how energetic you were when you were thinking about that one thing with passion? Given a chance, will you want to go for it again? Do you have something deep within you which wants to come out and give meaning to your life? Would you like to give a chance to your life to write the legacy you are born for?

Stand-up, Narrow Your Focus, Understand, Believe in Self, Accept Failure, Don’t stop, Be Persistent, WIN.

It’s Simple; But not easy.

Will you go for it? Remember, you already have lost one chance last time.

Change Begins With Choice

“Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.” – Jim Rohn

A book can cost as little as a couple of Starbucks coffees which tastes yummy for a few minutes, gives a surge of energy then brings you lower in mood. Or a book can cost as little as a week’s supply of newspapers which leaves your fingers grubby and your mind focused on negativity. You can buy a book in less time than it takes to queue in McDonalds, or order one from Amazon on your smartphone.

You may even have books at home sitting on the shelf. Someone slaved for hours, maybe years to bring that wisdom to you and you just leave it gathering dust.
Even a book you have read many times can give a new message at a different time because you are constantly evolving and so is your mind and your perception of beliefs and values.

“We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence.” – Jim Rohn

Other people can change but it takes time, commitment and life is ok, I’m ok. If ok is ok, then ok, read no further.

I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach when I was just ten years old. It is the story of the seagull within us all who refused to spend his life searching for scraps of food on the ground but wanted to find out how high he could fly. The elders, the seagulls who kept control of the flock, did not like this and felt uncomfortable and threatened by Jonathan’s quest and challenge to them all so they did what most people do: they banned him. Rather than seek to understand, they sent him away. Jonathan could have become downcast, depressed, even suicidal but he met new teachers who took him further on his journey until he went full circle and returned to his flock to share his new knowledge. It can't have been easy to be Jonathan, I mean searching for scraps of food is about all seagulls do.

When we decide to start this journey of personal growth, we threaten the status quo. Other people may feel uncomfortable by our questions so they pull away, keep the relationship superficial or even cease contact.

Why start something meaningful when it is so much easier to fall asleep on the sofa?

Who wants to read a book, listen to a motivational CD or make breakthroughs at a seminar when you can pour a third glass of wine and settle down to the next episode of a TV programme? Not everyone wants to be Jonathan but as I always say, “Everyone dies but how many people live?”

As children we dream unlimited dreams where everything is possible, even flying. Life is like one long brainstorm where the ideas flow and no-one interjects with rational assessment. Somewhere in the early teens, the grown-ups start finding reasons why our dreams are not achievable and these are totally based on their own beliefs and attitudes.

Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin group of companies, was diagnosed as dyslexic. His teacher said he would either end up in prison or a millionaire. He ignored the conventions, sought a loan from Coutts Bank dressed in a suit but without shoes, dared to believe and kept stretching his own goalposts. Now worth £4.2 Billion, the Virgin group has challenged the status quo of business, annoyed many companies who thought they had a monopoly eg British Airways and Sir Richard continues to surprise with his unique way of viewing the world and conducting business. Of course, he has also pushed himself with personal challenges in sailing and hot-air ballooning.

” We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today.” – Jim Rohn

Of course, if life is not how we would like it to be, then there are plenty of people to blame because it could not possibly be our fault, could it? When you think of all the times someone has won a promotion unfairly, been given a chance that should have been ours or has attracted the more desirable partner – well, life just dealt the cards that way, didn´t it?

I don’t believe so. As hard as it is to accept, I believe that we are responsible for the way our lives have turned out. I know there are choices I made that lead to circumstances, relationships, seizing of opportunities and other times when it all seemed like too much work so I held back.

Have you ever had an idea for a product but didn’t take it to market only to watch someone else earn the money or the glory? Well it was clearly someone else’s fault that you didn’t e.g. your spouse held you back, your boss made you work unreasonable hours etc. Sir Richard has never had to blame his wife for holding him back even though there were times when she wanted him to stop his death-defying challenges. He made the decisions and did it anyway.

Here’s an idea for you: for the next seven days, every time you shame, blame or justify yourself or anyone else, pop a Dollar/Pound/Euro in a vase and give the money to charity at the end of the week. It will give you a wake-up call.
So is it possible to change? The name of my company is CHANGE for a very good reason: I help people to change, not over years, but quickly. Sometimes in the flash of a moment.

There is no such thing as an unresourceful person, just an unresourceful state. We have all the resources within us. Sometimes other people can see potential in us, can see the limiting beliefs which are chaining us to the past instead of the future of no limits.

It takes a brave person to change but if you were not brave, you would not be reading this text. A change in mindset is so liberating and it can happen right now, this moment. You have the power to choose to change.

“Change is the essential process of all existence.” – Spock, stardate 5730.2

When would now be a good time to change?

©Antonia Harrison 2011. 

change

“Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.” – Jim Rohn


“We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence.” – Jim Rohn


” We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today.” – Jim Rohn


” We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today.” – Jim Rohn


Change is the essential process of all existence.” – Spock, stardate 5730.2

the glass jar by Antonia Harrison

A famous teacher sat in front of a group of new students. He placed a large glass jar on the table. He looked at the students but said nothing. 

Then out of a bag he took ten rocks and began placing them, one by one, into the jar until there was no more room in the jar. When the jar was filled to the brim with rocks, he asked his students:

"Is the jar full?"

They all agreed that it was. 

The teacher then took some pebbles from another bag and carefully poured them into the jar around the rocks until no more pebbles would fit. He again asked the group, 

‘Tell me, is the jar now full?’

The students said, yes, this time it was definitely full. At that point, the teacher opened a third bag, this time full of fine sand and began to pour it into the jar. He filled up any empty spaces between the large rocks and the pebbles until no more sand would fit in the jar.

He turned to the group and said, “Tell me, is the jar now full?” No one dared to answer.

The teacher said nothing and turned to the floor to pick up a jug of water. He took the jug and carefully poured the water into the jar. He turned to the group and asked, “Tell me, is the jar now full?”

There was silence. He turned to find a small pile of fine dry salt. He carefully dissolved it into the water, around the sand, the pebbles and the rocks until no more salt could be dissolved in the water. Once again he asked the group, “Tell me is the jar now full?”

“Yes,”’ said the teacher. ‘Now the jar is full. What do you think I’ve been trying to demonstrate to you?’ He invited the group to consider the meaning of his story. How did they interpret it? Why had the teacher told it? There were as many interpretations as there were people in the room. The teacher listened to each person. He reflected that each person interpreted the experience through their own particular and unique perspective through which they understood the world.

Then he gave his own interpretation that the jar represents our life so it is up to you how you choose to fill it. The rocks represent the most important and long-lasting ie family, health, your mission, your passion. The pebbles are the projects such as work, education, home. The sand is everyday routine and chores. The water represents the flow of activity and the salt is the extra we can take on when the important has been looked after. 

We have to make a solid foundation with the large rocks first because if we fill the jar first with sand, there won’t be any room for the rocks. Likewise, we should prioritize our time with the meaningful rather than all the small insignificant things we do every day. Focus on the important. 

What are the plans we postpone, the adventures we never have, the loves we let go by? Ask which are the large, solid rocks that keep our passion alive in us and put them into your jar of decisions now, because very soon there will be no room for them.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs on death: 


Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.




“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”




“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success By Carmine Gallo

Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

7 Phrases NEVER to Use

excerpt from Robert Pagliarini for CBS MoneyWatch.com

Comedian George Carlin famously spoke about the “seven words you can never say on television,” but the following seven seemingly innocuous words/phrases might be even worse. To say them is almost like dousing your goals, hopes and dreams with sulfuric acid.

Creating a better life is hard work! It takes little effort to maintain the status quo, but if you have a dream of making more money, getting a promotion, starting a business, becoming healthier, or improving your relationships, you’re going to need as much support as you can get. Strike these seven deadly words/phrases from you lexicon today:

1. When. This is a filthy word when it comes to improving your life. It sounds like this . . . “When I lose 10 pounds I’ll start dating again. When I’m a little older I’ll go for that promotion. When I complete my degree I’ll start that side-business.” Most of the time, our “whens” just don’t happen, or if they do, they take so long that we’ve forgotten what it was we wanted in the first place. “When” is rarely necessary, but just to be sure, ask yourself this: “Would it be illegal, unethical or immoral to start now?” If the answer is no, don’t wait for when.

2. Someday. There’s nothing wrong with having a “someday” list of things you want to do and places you want to go, but when you find that your “today” list is empty, you’d best start moving some of your future goals into the present. Someday is such a deceptive word. It makes you feel good by proclaiming you’ll someday achieve something, but months, years, and even decades can pass and you may find that your someday is still a long way away.

3. Willpower. According to behavior change expert Dr. BJ Fogg of the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, “Imagine willpower doesn’t exist. That’s step number one to a better future.” The problem with willpower is that most people either think they have it or they don’t. They’ll say, “Well, of course I ordered the double-fudge sundae. What did you expect from someone who doesn’t have any willpower?” Your genes determine the color of your eyes, NOT whether you order dessert.

4. Want/Wish/Hope. Don’t be a wimp! Stop wanting, wishing, and hoping to do something or for something to happen. If you want more control over your fate, you must take more responsibility for your actions and their outcomes. Don’t sit around expecting change to arrive in your mailbox. It takes a decision and it takes action, not wishful thinking.

5. Not good enough. How can a phrase with “good” in it be so bad? These three simple words will keep you from hitting the publish button, making that important phone call, or trying out for the audition. The solution? Flip it around. Instead of “This isn’t good enough…”, change it to “It’s not perfect but it’s good enough.” Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Just put it out there and see what happens. For more insight into this, listen to my interview on RicherLife.com with Peter Sims as we discuss his book, Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries.

6. I don’t have the time. The same guy who doesn’t have time to go to the gym with you after work will miraculously be able to free up an entire evening if you present him with free Lakers basketball tickets. It may feel like you don’t have time, but with some focus and pruning of non-essential commitments (e.g., TV), you can free up 20 minutes to two hours every night to work on those actions that will help you create a better life.

7. It’s not the right time. If not now, when? No, really: If you are waiting for the stars to align, it’s not going to happen. Instead of waiting for the right time, shift your thinking and look for the least worst time to get started.

Think back to an achievement or goal you’ve accomplished. It took vision, dedication, and perseverance. Not excuses. Stop castrating your future with these seven deadly words/phrases and start working toward a richer life.