Who is Responsible for Your Life???

Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life - STARTING TODAY!
by Jack Canfield

This isn’t a trick question.

Certainly you know the answer—the person who has been responsible for the life you live right now: YOU.

Everything about you is a result of your doing or not doing... Your income. Debt. Relationships. Health. Fitness level. Attitudes and behaviors.

I've often said that you are either creating or allowing everything that is happening in your life.

I think everyone knows this in their hearts, but often times people convince themselves into thinking that external factors are the source of their failure, disappointment, and unhappiness.

External factors do not determine how you live. YOU are in complete control of the quality of your life, by either creating or allowing the circumstances you experience.
When I hear people complain about the state of their life (be it their problems with personal finances, weight, their jobs, or general dissatisfaction), I like to help them see things differently.

If they feel “stuck” and unable to move forward for whatever reason, I ask them to scrutinize both what is working well and what isn’t working well in their life and see how they’ve arrived at where they currently are.

For example, if a woman tells me she’s unhappy with her weight—she travels frequently, and has no to time to exercise or seek healthy foods—I point out that her weight is not a result of her travels and schedule. It’s an outcome of what she chooses to eat and how she chooses to move, regardless of her daily agenda. Why not make a conscious effort to pre-plan healthy meals and snacks, even if it’s on the go, and sneak in 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there to be physically active (hey, I know some frequent flyers that make it a habit of running through airports!).

If you’re frustrated with any area in your life, then it’s time to take a little inventory.
Certainly there are wonderful things happening, whether it’s your job, your romantic relationship, your children, your friends, or your income level. Your accomplishments are just as important as your missteps.

First, congratulate yourself on your successes; and then take a look at what isn’t working out so well. What are you doing or not doing to create those experiences?
Watch out! If you find yourself beginning to complain about everything but the choices you’ve made, then you need to take a step back. See if you can stop blaming outside factors for your unhappiness.

When you realize that you—and only you—create your experiences, you’ll realize that you can un-create them and forge new experiences whenever you want.
How empowering is that!

You must take responsibility for your happiness and your unhappiness, your successes and your failures, your good times and your bad times.

All too often we choose to claim the successes and blame the failures on others or other circumstances. When you stop blaming, however, you can take that energy and redirect it to focus on shaping a better situation for yourself. Blaming only ties up your energy. Imagine roping all the energy into a positive effort.

Some ideas to make this happen:

1. Believe, Believe, Believe! Have unwavering faith in yourself, for good and bad. Make the decision to accept the fact that you create all your experiences. You will experience successes thanks to you, and you will experience pain, struggle, and strife thanks to you. Sounds a little strange, but accepting this level of responsibility is uniquely empowering. It means you can do, change, and be anything. Stumbling blocks become just that—little hills to hop over.

2. Take no less than 100% responsibility . Successful people take full responsibility for the thoughts they think, the images they visualize, and the actions they take. They don't waste their time and energy blaming and complaining. They evaluate their experiences and decide if they need to change them or not. They face the uncomfortable and take risks in order to create the life they want to live.

3. Stop complaining . Look at what you are complaining about. I’m fat. I’m tired. I can’t get out of debt. I won’t ever get a better job. I can’t stand the relationship I have with my sister. I’ll never find a soulmate in life. Really examine your complaints. More than likely you can do something about them. They are not about other people, other things, or other events. They are about YOU.

4. Make an immediate change. Are you unhappy about something that is happening right now? Make requests that will make it more desirable to you, or take the steps to change it yourself. Making a change might be uncomfortable for you. It might mean you have to put in more time, money, and effort. It might mean that someone gets upset about it, or makes you feel bad about your decision. It might be difficult to change or leave a situation, but staying put is your choice so why continue to complain?
You can either do something about it or not. It is your choice and you have responsibility for your choices.

5. Pay attention. Looking to others for help and guidance is helpful, but don’t forget to stay tuned in to yourself—your behavior, attitude, and life experiences. Identify what’s working and what isn’t. If you need to, write it all down. Then…

6. Face the truth and take action for the long term . You have to be willing to change your behavior if you want a different outcome. You have to be willing to take the risks necessary to get what you want. If you’ve already taken an initial step in the right direction, now’s the time to plan additional steps to keep moving you forward, faster.

Isn’t it a great relief to know that you can make your life what you want it to be? Isn’t it wonderful that your successes do not depend on someone else?

If you need just one thing to do different today, than you did yesterday, make it this:
Commit to taking 100% responsibility for every aspect of your life. Decide to make changes, one step at a time. Once you start the process you’ll discover it's much easier to get what you want by taking control of your thoughts, your visualizations, and your actions!

© 2010 Jack Canfield
* * *


Article Used with permission:
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Are you "stuck" in this area? If you'd like me to personally help you clarify your vision for the year, align your goals with your purpose, and develop a detailed action plan to turn your dream into reality... www.TheSuccessPrinciplesWorkshop.com

Live Life Today

Do you believe that you have to wait until things calm down a bit before you get your act together?

Do you keep telling yourself that tomorrow you will get at that chore you’ve been putting off, that course you’ve been wanting to take, that phone call you’ve been going to make, take some time to look after yourself, go to the spa, take a hot bath, etc. etc.?

Well then, you are normal. Most of us are waiting until tomorrow, but the truth is, as Sarah Ban Breathnach says, “life never calms down long enough for us to wait until tomorrow to start living the lives we deserve. Life is always movement, always change, always unforeseen circumstances.”

So, what are our options? How do we begin working on this life of ours to make it more satisfying? Sarah says “We can accept, bless, give thanks, and get going. “ Wow, what a concept. Accept things as they are. Give thanks for our circumstances and then just get on with things.

As I read the thought for January 25th from Sarah Ban Brethnach’s Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, I was struck by how many things I have let slide. How many times procrastination has crept in and how many opportunities this has cost me. How many times have you had a thought, “I should call so and so”, but then let it slide only to find out later that something happened to that person, they moved away, or they died and that opportunity will never come again. How many friendships have you let slide? How many times have you turned down the chance to do something just for yourself – taking a nice long bath for instance. I can hear you now - “Oh, I couldn’t do that, there is laundry to do, dishes to be done, the house to clean, etc., etc., etc.” Well, those things will always be there. It’s time to stop making excuses. You will NEVER FIND THE TIME to do anything. You need to MAKE THE TIME to do what it is you want to do.

Sarah encouraged me to “Call a friend for lunch, begin to read or even write that novel, organize your papers, try a new recipe for dinner, smile at everyone you meet, sit and dream before a blazing fire, pick up your needlepoint again, act as if you’re grateful to be alive, scatter joy.” Simple things to get us started on LIVING out life instead of letting it pass us by.

Now it is your turn. Think for a moment about one thing that you can do that will bring you genuine pleasure…and then do it.

Think about one thing that will move your business forward…and then do it.

Think about one thing that will improve your relationship (if you are in one)….and then do it.

Simple things, and easy to do…IF we just go ahead and do them.

What will you do today????

Fran Watson

Saving Your Dream

Thirty Minutes That Will Save Your Dream
by Suzanne Falter-Barns
www.getknownnow.com

If you've got a dream you're intent on pursuing, chances are you're going to bog
down at some point. That's just the way dreams are. In fact, there's a little known
rule about this called the Second Rule of Thermodynamics, which states that sooner
or later everything returns to chaos.

In other words, expect your dream to come crashing down around your ears
periodically.

Yet, no need to despair; such meltdowns are actually good for your dream, because
they force you to stop and rethink your approach if you want to continue. That's the
only way you can find the footing to continue, and in that process, you're forced to
learn and grow. This is when I always pull out my trusty guided visualizations.
Nothing, but nothing, can turn your mind around quite as effectively as a good
guided visualization. It can create hope where there was none, clarity in a space of
confusion, and immeasurable inspiration. If you subscribe to the same notion that I
do – that all of our ideas and instincts around our dream are guided – then this is
where you'll find the mother lode of such information. A good guided visualization
will connect you with deep inner truths that most of us simply can't tap into
consciously.

So basically, you, too, can be a Ghandi or a Nelson Mandela or a Thich Nacht Hahn …
if you dig deep enough and surrender fully enough. (Those enlightened souls have
taught us that such round-the-clock access to the spiritual goods requires one heck
of a lot of meditation, not to mention a saintly obfuscation of the ego.) In the
meanwhile, the next best thing is to turn on the guided visualizations.

By guided visualization, I mean a recording of someone leading you through a
meditation. First they relax you; then they help you imagine yourself in a particular
place, or having a certain experience. A great guided visualization will lead you into situations where anything can happen and anyone can show up. You simply sit back
and observe as helpers show up, insights are gained, and instructions are received.
Sometimes the path you see is a familiar one you've imagined often with your
conscious mind, and the meditation serves as a wonderful confirmation of your plan.
Yet, other times it can be strange and dark, making no sense whatsoever. My own
students have come to me with alarm when they saw a picture of chaos, or violence
and degradation. And yet, in talking it over later, they usually recognize a deeper
meaning to the picture. Over time, if they repeat the process, they are often left with a greater insight than they anticipated.

For instance, Rosemary was a frustrated writer who hated her daytime job, and was
given to fits of gallows humor about it. When she first did my Discover Your Soul
Purpose meditation, she uncovered a chaotic back alley, full of lurking, menacing
figures. She did the meditation several more times and the situation only marginally
improved. Yet, what Rosemary took away from the experience was that her life was
out of balance, and filled with dark, negative energy. She quit her job, attended to
her failing health, and re-approached the meditation some months later. Now the
scene was remarkably different, a sunny courtyard in which she could see herself as
a writer for the first time.

In fact, Rosemary had not ‘done the meditation wrong', as she'd been quick to
assume. ("I must be the only person who didn't do this thing right!") Instead, her
soul was giving her a direct signal that she was tangled up in life circumstances that were obscuring her dream. The meditation, for all of its supposed lack of clarity, had really been clear as a bell.

The only real way to interpret the images we get in these visualizations is to check in with our gut. There may be age-old gypsy wisdom that water means good luck, or
that a duck is an omen of impending death … but I say that's all poppycock. The
only person who knows what your visualization means is you; your gut is the only thing that should ever guide your interpretation. What is it telling you about
what you saw -- that you need balance, like the confused Rosemary? Or that you
need courage? Could it be that you simply don't want to admit that what you saw is
actually true?

Often we get images of ourselves leading such a life of power and abundance that we
can barely stand it. It brings tears to our eyes as we acknowledge that we really can
do that thing we sorely wish to begin. In that instant, we see how small and
constrained we've allowed ourselves to become; yet, we also see how much impact
we could have, if only we could choose the right path.

Above all, guided visualizations give us permission to dream. They allow us to see
ourselves graphically living a different life, feeling the feelings, smelling the smells, and owning the power. We see a higher, truer aspect of ourselves, and in that
instant, understand how unstoppable we really can be.

This is the biggest reason I rely on guided visualizations in my work – because they
take you beyond the sugary platitudes about ‘going for it' and ‘reaching for the
stars'. Instead, they deliver you smack into your dream for a moment, so you can
see the impact and importance of what you're here to do.

Once you really know the true rightness of what that feels like, down deep in your
gut, nothing can keep from making that vision a reality. Even if the images you see
are more fleeting or obscure, they will leave you brushed with truth. This is the
wisdom that lurks in our bones; wisdom we can access simply by taking the time to
turn on a visualization.

Learn more about guided visualizations at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/soulpurpose.html

©2005 Suzanne Falter-Barns.. www.howmuchjoy.com & www.getknownnow.com
For information on how to find the time, energy, money to live your purpose in life,
download Suzanne’s free workbook, The Living Your Joy Companion Workbook
And get a daily blast of joyful tips from the Blast o’ Joy blog at www.blastojoy.com

To reprint this article, please use with this bio box intact. Thanks!

Here's to keeping your dream alive!!

Fran

Merry and Bright - and Safe

Fire and light safety tips for the holiday season


The holiday season is a special time of year but one that has greater safety risks than usual. The dry evergreen tree, those candles and electric lights you use to decorate or set the holiday mood, or the cosy fire you have blazing in the fireplace can all be fire hazards.

Here are some precautions you can take to prevent fires and help you and your family stay safe to enjoy the festivities of the season.

Decorative electric lights

-Use lights and extension cords that are in good condition and that have been certified by a recognized organization - the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC or cUL).
-Inspect cords and lights for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets/plugs, excessive kinking or wear. Check the cords periodically when they have been on for a while; they should not feel warm. If you find any of these signs, replace with an approved (CSA, ULC or cUL) product, or don't use.
-Never remove the ground pin, or file the wide peg of the plug, as this interferes with the electrical grounding.
-Never put extension cords through doorways or under carpets.
-Do not leave holiday lights on unattended. Turn off the lights when you leave work, and at home, turn them off when you are asleep or away.
Follow the manufacturers' instructions about how many sets of lights that can be strung (plugged in) together. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet (safer than working with a plugged in extension cord that is conducting electricity).
-Do not overload electrical outlets.
-Use only indoor lights and extension cords indoors, and outdoor lights and cords outdoors.
-Use mini or LED lights - they have cool-burning lights, and LED lights use less electricity.

Candles and oil lamps

-Place lit candles in stable holders (not wood or plastic) that cannot burn and are large enough to collect dripping wax. Place them where they cannot be easily knocked down.
-Trim candle wicks to a height of 5-7 mm (1/4 inch) before lighting the candle and again every 2-3 hours to prevent high flames.
-Do not go near a Christmas tree with an open flame - candles, lighters or matches, and never use lit candles on live or artificial trees.
-Keep burning candles one metre away from anything that can burn (e.g. papers, cloth, or drapes).
-Never leave a candle unattended. Extinguish it before you leave the room.
-Keep burning candles out of reach of children and pets.
-Avoid using decorative oil lamps with liquid fuel (usually poisonous) if you have young children in your household. If you do use them, keep the fuel locked away out of reach of children.

Keeping it real - the Christmas tree

-Cut trees become dry quickly and most will last about 14 days. If you are decorating a live tree for the workplace, you may want to take it down before people leave for holidays.
-When buying a live tree, give it a shake. Needles will fall if the tree is dry because it was cut too long ago. Pick a tree that does not lose its needles and with a trunk that is sticky to the touch.
-Cut 2 to 5 centimetres from the trunk of the tree to encourage the tree to drink more water.
-Water the tree. Ideally, it should have a sturdy stand that holds about 4 litres of water. Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times.
-Use a preservative in the water. If you are concerned about small children or pets drinking the water, use a small amount of sugar instead.
-Keep the tree away from heating vents or registers, fireplaces, high traffic areas, and exits so it won't dry out prematurely. As well, try to position the tree so you do not have to use long extension cords.

Decorations

-Buy only decorations and artificial trees that are non-flammable or flame resistant.
-Do not use angel hair (glass wool) together with spray-on snowflakes. This combination burns very easily.
-Do not use metallic ornaments on the tree. If they make contact with defective wiring they could become a shock hazard.
-Do not use nails, tacks, or staples to hang cords and lights. They can damage the wire, cause corrosion, or create a short circuit.

Fireplaces and wood stoves

-Always use a secure screen in front of your fireplace.
-Have the chimney cleaned at least once a year to prevent chimney fires.
-Burn hardwood which will leave less creosote in the chimney.
If using firelogs, follow the manufacturer's instructions and burn only one log at a time.
-Never burn wrapping paper in a fireplace. It can create a very large fire, with dangerous sparks and embers that could cause a chimney fire.
-Make sure the fire is out before going to bed or before going out.
-Ensure that the chimney is drawing well so that wood smoke does not come into the room.
-Keep children away from gas fireplaces. When in use, the glass doors can become hot enough to cause serious burns.

General fire safety tips

-Do not leave cooking food unattended on a stove.
Keep cooking areas free of flammable objects (such as potholders and towels) and avoid wearing long, loose-fitting sleeves that could ignite over the stove burner when cooking.
-Never smoke in bed or leave burning cigarettes unattended. Do not empty smoldering ashes in a trash can.
-Keep portable space heaters away from anything that could catch fire such as the drapes or slip covers.
-Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of the home, including the basement, especially near rooms in which people sleep. Test them once a month, and replace batteries twice a year.

Have a safe, healthy and happy holiday.

Fran

P.S. Here is a link to a Christmas gift for you http://www.franwatson.ca/Memories.zip

5 Gifts From The Heart

This is from an email I received today and I thought I would share it.


5 Gifts from the Heart

The gift of listening: At a social event or a sales call, listen carefully to what people bring up. Those topics are important to them. Ask questions and really listen to the answers.


The gift of attention: Is someone telling you what's bothering or worrying them? Give them your full attention. It works wonders in understanding their needs, and making them feel valued.

The gift of time: We live in a time-pressed world. Instead of doing two things at once, mentally slow down and be in the moment (when you have time, of course!).


The gift of humor: Laughter draws people to you. Take a moment to laugh with your clients, friends and family. A small dose of humor produces very positive side effects.

The gift of thanks: Take a moment to give sincere thanks to everyone who has helped you this year.

And now I'd like to thank you for giving me a few moments of your precious time each week. I wish you all the best for the holiday season and New Year.

Warmest wishes,

Lynda

Lynda@LyndaGoldmanInk.com


I hope you enjoyed this

Fran
P.S. Here is a Christmas gift for you - I compiled a book with Christmas Carols, Christmas stories and recipes. I hope you enjoy it. http://www.franwatson.ca/Memories.pdf

Life Is Too Brief Sometimes

Last Friday morning at 4:56 am, December 4th, 2009 my brother died. He was two years younger than me. He was much too young to die.

My mom, his son and my sister were all able to see him before he died, thanks to two of his friends (Terry & Wendy) who had gone down to visit him. They were able to get him to the hospital and contacted my sister who flew down to Florida right away and then she contacted my mother, his son (age 26), and me. We flew down the next day and went straight to the hospital where his son had to make the very tough decision to pull the life support and let him go. I stayed the night with him and was with him as he breathed his last breath. Then we got to deal with the red tape of getting his body from Florida to Toronto.

We spent 3 1/2 hours in a funeral parlour while a gentleman filled out paperwork. We thought he was the janitor as he greeted us in jeans and a shirt that looked like it had been attacked by cats - it had picks all over it. Where was the suit and the solicitous concern that is shown by the funeral directors and staff in our Canadian funteral homes? He even went on to tell us what he would do with my brother's body, things his son did not need to hear at that time. We learned that the body could not be shipped out for almost a week due to the Health regulations that had to be followed in order to get the required paperwork, since this was Friday afternoon and he could do nothing more until Monday.

My brother had gone down to Florida at the end of October to finalize the renovations on the condo that he had bought. He had barely moved in when he became too sick to enjoy it. We were to have joined him for Christmas this year, but the cancer took him too soon.

Life will not be the same without him.

At his funeral service, there were several people who spoke about him - a business partner, his sailing club, the Lion's Club (he had been given an Award of Merit that had only been given out 6 times in the past 28 years just last year), his riding club, his cousin, and myself. Each talked about the lives he had touched, the many things he had done and what a wonderful person he was. They touched on his love of "beer, butt, bike and books" as well as his caring and love of family and friends, and the number of people who attended attested to the fact that he touched many lives.

Life for the rest of us goes on......... but you will be missed - Rest in peace my brother. I pray that you are finally at peace.

Your big sister
Fran

Four Laws Of The Universe

This week, I'm dipping into an unknown manuscript by Sterling W. Sill that contains more than 100 unpublished Laws of the Universe. Unfortunately, there are only one or two copies of this manuscript in existence and it was never published.

Luckily, I have a copy and I'm sharing some of its wisdom with you. These four laws alone provide much guidance for building a good and profitable life.

1. The Law of the Rerun

One of the best tests of quality in literature is survival. We watch reruns of old movies on TV and read the classics because their ideas and characters speak to us long after the authors and actors are dead.

Psychologists tell us that when we run an idea through our brains it makes a little groove or engram. And each time the idea is rerun, the groove becomes a little deeper and broader so that we're forming attitudes or habits.

A valuable maxim says: practice makes perfect. If we want to become a great basketball player, we run the skill until it is memorized by the muscle.

Through repetition and drill we gain skill. We develop the habit of creating excellence.

Drill for skill works negatively as well. Sill writes, "If we practice failure and error we become prolific in bringing them about." If we rerun bitterness, resentment, antagonism, we make habits of them.

But when we rerun beauty, ambition, faith, kindness, inspiration they become part of who we are. Thus the rerun is the instrument through which we express our Divine nature.

2. The Law of Retribution

The word "retribution" may sound harsh, but Sill writes that the Law of Retribution simply means that no one can step between an act and its natural consequence. "For every wrong we do, every personality quality we leave undeveloped, every opportunity we fail to take advantage of, we pay a penalty."

Often that penalty is that the undesirable act incarnates, becomes a part of us. "If a person lies, his punishment is that he becomes a liar. If we think negative thoughts, we develop negative minds. If we don't study, the resulting ignorance attracts those undesirable qualities that have an affinity for ignorance."

The point of this law is not to punish us by inflicting pain and suffering, but to awaken us, to prod us into eliminating the wrongs from our system.

For it is one of the great unchangeable laws of the universe that we are all gravitating straight toward where we belong. At the same time, "we must bear the responsibility for the time we have strangled and the development of our personality that was stillborn."

3. The Law of Salesmanship

For his discussion about this law, Sill references the Bible, which one may read for its history, philosophy, theology, but it is also the greatest sales manual ever written.

In the Sermon on the Mount, it was said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you."

Jesus also said that the kingdom of God is within each of us.

When applied to salesmanship, the quote means: the first important thing in any success is to develop our character, our inner talents first, and then the sales will come easily as a natural consequence.

If we try to build success without developing courage, industry and service, we usually don't get very far.

We also don't get very far if we behave immorally. Really great salesmanship is founded on doing right. Any sale that does not profit both parties is wrong.
The very best way to be a good salesperson is to be a good person.

4. The Law of Self-Discipline

Sill writes that The Law of Self-Discipline is also the Law of Accomplishment. You can't have one without the other. Without discipline there is no excellence, no progress, no satisfaction.

History is full of people from poor circumstances who rose to great heights chiefly because they learned self-control and self-motivation. People who learn to manage themselves can reach any objective.

To develop discipline where it is lacking, practice something every day that you don't like. My mentor used to say, "Do the things that are uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable being uncomfortable."

The rewards of self-discipline are well worth the effort spent to attain it. We should set substantial objectives for ourselves and through the practice of self-discipline meet every one.

Now, those, in my opinion, are amazing lessons.



© Copyright 2009 - David Neagle's Life Is Now Inc.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?You may, as long as you commit to leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and include the following byline: David Neagle, Million Dollar Income Acceleration Coach, mentors entrepreneurs to quantum leap their current businesses past the 7-Figure income level in just 12 months. David invites you to download--as his GIFT to you--his legendary "Art of Success" 4-hour audio program. This audio series is a tremendously compelling and comprehensive program that demonstrates--once and for all--that Success has nothing to do with "getting" or "achieving", and everything to do with WHO we much BE to manifest our hearts' true desires. For an additional bonus, Text: success to the number: 85800

I hope you enjoyed this article.

Fran, Doctor of Purpose
"Helping People Find Their Voice"