Impossible Dream?

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today
and the reality of tomorrow."

.

~ Dr. Robert H. Goddard   

 

Many of the things we take for granted today were once thought to be impossible.

 

Travel to the moon???  Impossible

 

Travel by air???  Impossible

 

Travel by horseless carriage???  Impossible

 

Speak to someone on the other side of the world???  Impossible

 

Connect with people using wireless technology???  Impossible

 

What do you want to see happen that people are telling you is "Impossible"?  Don't listen!  Anything is possible.  Start asking yourself the right questions... "How can I?"

 

If people are shooting down your dream, stop telling them about it.  Get rid of the negativity - it's your dream, not theirs.  People want to keep the status quo, so they are worried when you try to change it.........change it anyway.

 

To achieving your impossible dream!!

 

Fran Watson

Ten Commandments of Human Relations

1.      Speak to people.  There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word.

2.      Smile at people.  It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile.

3.      Call people by name.  The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of his/her  name.

4.      Be friendly and helpful.  If you would have friends, be friendly.

5.      Be cordial.  Speak and act as if everything you do were a pleasure.

6.      Be genuinely interested in people.  You can like every body if you try.

7.      Be generous with praise – cautious with criticism.

8.      Be considerate with the feelings of others – it s appreciated.,

9.      Be thoughtful of the opinions of others – there are three sides to a controversy – yours, the other person’s and the right one.

10.  Be alert to give service.  What counts most in life is what we do for others.

Be kind to one another

Fran Watson

What Makes You Tick?

"What Really Makes You Tick?"

Some questions you should ask to yourself. 

Are you stuck?  Or are you somewhat contented with life the way things are, but think, "what if?" Then maybe it's time to ask yourself some hard questions.

1. What do I really want? - this is the toughest question. 
What would I do if I only had a little time left to live?  What would I do if I had all the money I wanted/needed and could do anything at all?

2. Should I really change?  If so, what should I change?  What parts of me do I like and what parts do I want to get rid of or minimize?

3. What's the bright side in all of this?  Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? 

4. Am I comfortable with what I'm doing?  Truthfully?

5. Have I done enough for myself?  Do you really look after yourself or are you looking after everyone else?  Do you take the time to eat properly, to exercise, to grow mentally, to spend time with friends who make you happy?

6. Am I happy at where I am today?  If not, then how can I change what is happening?

7. How much could I have?  How much do I want?  How much am I willing to work for it?

9. What motivates me?  What makes me so happy that time flies by, that hours seem like minutes?  What makes my heart race, my face smile and my insides fill with joy?  People, places, things??

So, What Really Makes You Tick?  This is not an easy question to answer, but when you get to the point where you can answer it, everything will begin to fall into place and you will know where it is you are going and how to get there.

Why not leave a comment below once you discover what makes you tick?  Let's see all the different answers that come up.

To ticking!!

Fran Watson

P.S.  What makes me tick is sharing what I learn with others.  One of the things I have done for the past 11 years is public speaking with Toastmasters.  Click here to find out more.

Your 7 Day Program to Self-Development

"A Better You" Your 7 day program to self-development

I seem to lost count on how many times I've read and heard of celebrity marriages failing almost left and right. Not that I care (and personally I don't), it seems strange that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamour. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

1. Know your purpose:  Are you wandering through life with little direction -hoping that you'll find happiness, health and prosperity?

Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.  This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there's always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

2. Know your values:  What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values.

Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for 2012 - check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn't align with any of your top five values - you may want to reconsider it or revise it.  The number shouldn't discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dream of.

3. Know your needs:  Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically.

Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it's too late!

4. Know your passions:  You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life.

Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

5. Live from the inside out:  Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence.

Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us city slickers it's hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There's sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

6. Honor your strengths:  What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three - if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

7. Serve others:  When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being.

When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them. 

Self-development is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn't always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

To your success

Fran
P.S.  Check out  this Ultimate Success Program

Life has a way of getting in the way

Have you ever noticed that?

You have good intentions, you have a goal in mind, but something gets in the way.  You lose focus, your goal seems to have drifted off into the clouds.  Why? 

Because you didn't have a plan.

Your goal is in the clouds because you didn't determine the steps needed to reach it and so it began to slip away.

Has this happened to you recently?  It happened to me. 

I started this year full of expectations and ideas of things I wanted to accomplish, and here it is 3 months later and this is the first blog post I have made in 3 months.  It doesn't mean that I haven't been busy pursuing some of my goals, because I have.  I have been doing workshops on Time Management and Communication and Conflict Resolution.  I have been giving presentations at my Toastmasters Clubs, but, my goal to post weekly updates on my blog.... well, I didn't set an action plan in place and here I am.

Today I am determining to do better.  I am going to write down in my Day Timer a schedule for my blogs - for this blog - BANABU, for my Job Search Tips, my Marketing Tips and Diet Tips.  I am also going to weekly ensure that my webpage is updated.

This time next week there should, make that will, be another post, so help keep me on track.  Check in with me...comment on my blog. 

Till next time

Fran
http://www.franwatson.ca/bio.html

Jim Rohn

Have you heard of Jim Rohn?  He died December 5, 2009, two days after my brother, but his memory and his teachings live on in books and videos and tapes and CDs...  Recently someone sent me some YouTube videos and I thought I would share them with you.  Grab yourself a coffee or cup of tea, a notebook and sit down in a comfy chair while you watch and listen as he shares some of his wisdom with you.

The Three Keys to Greatness


Living An Exceptional Life

I hope that you enjoy these.  Let me know.

To your success.

Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca

The Bottom Line

FACE IT.....nobody owes you a living.

What you achieve or fail to achieve in your lifetime is directly related to what you do or fail to do.

No one chooses his or her parents or childhood, but you can choose your own direction.

NOTHING is carved in stone.  However if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. 

You can change anything in your life if you want to badly enough.  Too many of us are hung up on what we don't have, can't have, or won't ever have.  We spend too much energy being down, when we could use that same energy - if not less of it - doing, or at least trying to do, some of the things we really want to do. - Terry McMillan, Writer

Time plays no favourites and will pass whether you act or not.  Every time you wake up and ask yourself, "What good things am I going to do today?" remember that when the sun goes down at sunset, it will take a part of your life with it.

Excuses are for losers.  Benjamin Franklin said that "He who is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else."  Those who take responsibility for their actions are the real winners in life.

Winners meet life's challenges head on, knowing there are no guarantees, and give it all they've got.

It's TIME to TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE.  BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

"You can truly be whatever you want to be...you only have to want it badly enought to succeed."  Lillian Vernon. 

Dare to dream....to take risks...  Never think it's too late or too early to begin.

As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said:  "The Greatest POWER we have is the power of choice.  It's an actual fact that if you've been moping in unhappiness, you can choose to be joyous instead and, by effort, lift yourself into joy.  If you tend to be fearful, you can overcome that misery by choosing to have courage.  Even in darkest grief you have a choice.  The whole trend and quality of anyone's life is determined in the long run by the choices that are made."

So what do you choose to do today?

Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca

BANABU

I get a lot of email and sometimes I don't read it all (gasp!!)

This morning I was looking for a particular piece of mail and came across some stories that were sent to me around Christmas. They brought tears to my eyes and one in particular stood out as fitting the theme of Building a New and Better Universe and I thought I would share it here today.

The Old Man and The Gas Station

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go."

"Not without something hot in your belly." George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew ... Made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."

Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front.. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead.

"You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But Mister, please help ..." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new ." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on.

"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."

The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked.

"None for me," said the officer..

"Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"

The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."

George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer."

"Shut up and drink your coffee " the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

"That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued.

"Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.

"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."

The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George ... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."

George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus"

As it said on the bottom of this particular email -- "This story is better than any greeting card." (Although the season has passed) - MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS!

BANABU
Fran

Upper Limits

Are you fighting your Upper Limit Success Saboteur?

What I have noticed with business owners is that we have a unique way of sabotaging our business growth and success.

I've seen many clients go to a workshop. Perhaps this has happened to you. You go and get clear about the next marketing strategy for your business. You can't wait to get started. You get really excited about your newfound business clarity. Once you get home, you take a few steps toward creating a project you are excited about and then... Boom! Everything stops. It falls apart. For some reason, you get irritable and procrastinate or find all these "emergencies" arise that require your attention.

There is a very good chance you are bumping up against your Upper Limit of Success.

Here's what that might look like: you keep telling yourself (and others) that you never follow through with projects. Then, even though you are really excited about a project, you'll find some way to sabotage your success. It might be kids who need your attention, an emergency with your home, or suddenly you've just got to volunteer and be more involved in your child's school.

One of my favorite books about this concept is The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. He talks about how we all have a thermostat setpoint when it comes to love, success, joy and abundance. (Actually, I added joy as I find that most of us feel guilty when we really start enjoying something whether it's a business success, a creative project bursting forth, or for some of us, even laughing out loud from a place of joy can feel dangerous.) We're so afraid of what others will think, or that we are afraid others will feel bad if we are happy & successful or that somehow we aren't worthy enough to enjoy success bigger than whatever we have experienced before.

Our inner thermostat is the comfort level we unconsciously set for ourselves. For example, let's say that for the last two years you've made $100,000 in your business. You say you are ready to grow bigger. You say you want to double your income, but you've only ever made $100,000. It's not that you can't. It's that unconsciously you have a comfort level around that lower amount. It's amazing how you will find ways to keep yourself from allowing the success in. Maybe you've experienced a big, juicy, ideal new client contacts you and you procrastinate getting back to them.

What do you do now?

The first step to changing a belief is always awareness. You have to be aware of your repetitive thought, belief or action. From that awareness you can shift most beliefs. Just shining light on it will allow you to consciously shift your energy, start new conversations, make a new choice and take a new action.

I have a lot of clients who are writing books. Funny how everyone seems to be writing a book these days! What I notice is that some of them are always still in the writing process. I think there's an Upper Level Success Saboteur at work. You have to be able to imagine yourself as a published author, see yourself at book signings, knowing without a doubt that the time you spend writing is worthwhile -that people are there in the world who need to hear your message. It's easy to get caught in the "Who am I do write this?" attitude.

YOU are the one to deliver it to them.

Here's another example from a client who said she wanted to hold a workshop and kept getting frustrated that people weren't signing up for the workshop. Turned out she hadn't booked the hotel suite or her flight yet. She wasn't committed to her own decision. No wonder things were slow. As soon as she shifted, the enrollments started coming in!

The world is waiting for you to get out of your own way!

Notice how you say you are ready for a new project, to launch a new marketing strategy that will put you in the spotlight, or raise your prices and see how you find ways to pull yourself back into your comfort zone. Be compassionate. Notice and then laugh as you recognize what's happening. Then keep taking bite-sized action steps forward. Keep noticing when things like friends, family, emergencies seem to get in the way of you taking forward action.

And then make new choices. Take new actions. And raise that Upper Limit of Success to allow more in.

Written by Laura Howard West, Center for Joyful Business, http:/www.joyfulbusiness.com ©Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

I hope you enjoyed this article by Laura and that it challenges you to push your upper limits. Why not post a comment about your limits and how you would like to change them.

Push those boundaries!!

Fran Watson

Random Acts of Kindness

Random acts of kindness are those little sweet or grand lovely things we for no reason.



The unexpected kindness of a stranger

Submitted By: Betty

Yesterday, as I approached the front door of our public library, a white-haired gentleman stepped back to hold the door for me. You see, I have to go everywhere these days with a walker, and folks are constantly holding or opening doors for me, so this was not unusual.

However, I told the gentleman that the door had an automatic opener, and he did not need to stay to hold it open. He said "Here I thought I would have an opportunity to be useful."

At that, I backed up, let the door close, and allowed him to reopen the door, this time using the automatic control. His comment then was "Well, now I feel like I have accomplished something helpful and worthwhile today."

We never know, do we, how someone else is feeling… we seniors seem to feel we can take care of ourselves at all times. That random act of Kindness brightened not only my day, but to my joy and delight, also the day of that kind, gentle, white-haired senior citizen. I felt a glow for the rest of the day, and, hopefully, so did he!

So, gentle readers, never hesitate to offer kindness... you may find to your amazement that there is more kindness in your community than you ever believe possible.


"If you have not often felt the joy of doing a kind act, you have neglected much, and most of all yourself."
Author:A. Neilen

"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into a flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light." - Author:Albert Schweitzer

Check out the Random Acts of Kindness website for some ideas on how you can make life better for those around you.  You'll feel better for it!

BANABU
Fran Watson
http://www.banabu.ca/
http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/Stories/Features/Kindness-101.html#
 

Being Your Best

We moved our Japanese Maple out of the shade of the Aspens maybe a month ago, placing it closer to our front door in full sun. Before, a few leaves were red, most others green or kind of purple. Since being replanted it has exploded in an all over palette of red and crimson and scarlet and magenta. It is a constant delight. And we think it’s very happy! I hope this image delights you.

From:  http://paulandlayne.com/blog/

As I read this quote on Paul and Layne’s blog today I thought about how it relates to people. How often do we wither when we are in the wrong workplace, the wrong relationship, the wrong situation for us?

Think of the changes you have seen in people you know when they met the “right” person, got the “right” job for them or moved out of a bad situation. Just like the Maple, they burst into life and their happiness explodes around them affecting everyone and everything.

If you are in a bad situation, you owe it to yourself to move into the light. Expose yourself to the warmth and possibilities. Explore your potential. If it is your job, look around and find another one. Don’t be trapped by false thinking. Maybe you’ve been told, “You’ve got a good job with good pay, you should stay there.” If you are unhappy, then all the money isn’t going to make you happy. You owe it to yourself to explore the type of job you really want, one that will make you happy. You are worth it.

If you are in a bad relationship, it’s time to move on. If you are in an abusive relationship, it’s time to run as fast as you can away from the situation and get yourself into a safe place. Every relationship has its ups and downs, as well as some bumps and hiccups, that’s normal, but if you can’t find any of the joy, then why stay? But be honest, not deceitful. Don’t carry on with another person while you are still in the relationship. Make a clean break. You need to get to know yourself before you start over or you may find yourself in the same type of relationship you just left.

You are what you believe you are. Your thoughts make you. Think happy, positive thoughts. Let them course through your body and burst forth like the leaves on the maple. Be bright. Be happy. Be who you really are!

To being your best self


Fran

www.banabu.ca