You’ve read a book that motivates you to action;
you’ve read a motivational quote and got pumped up;
you’ve attended a seminar and listened to a motivational
speaker and feel you can conquer the world.

A week later the motivation is no longer there.
If it is still there, it is not as powerful or as strong
as it felt while you were listening or reading the message.

You must train yourself to hold on to the motivation.

Let me tell you about Keshia.

Keshia had attended the “How to Discover God’s Purpose for Your Life” seminar presented by the world-famous, motivational speaker and trainer extraordinaire, Dawn Fields (ha ha, how do you like that introduction. Big-Up to me!)

After the event ended, Keshia was pumped. She was excited.
She was on a mission to determine her God-given talents and
apply them to her life. She sure hated working as a waitress
and knew she had more to offer the world, to herself and to
her family.

Keshia made up her mind that she was going to
stay motivated no matter what happened. She had
a strong desire to change her life.

She went home and wrote out her goals on a piece
of notebook paper and posted it on the refrigerator.

After giving it some thought, she decided to make
several copies of her goals. In addition to the copy
posted on the refrigerator. She posted one on the
head of her bed. She posted one on the wall next
to the mirror in the bathroom. One was posted on
the front door of her apartment. Another was posted
on the inside of her closet door, right above the mirror.

Keshia figured this would be a great way to always be
mindful of her goals. No matter where she turned, she
would have a reminder. She even posted one at her station
at work.

Spending a lot of time in the car between school and work,
Keshia decided to purchase motivational tapes and CD’s to
play in her car. Why waste time listening to music of other
people who are living their life’s purpose when she could be
doing something to help her discover and live her God-given
purpose?

Whenever Keshia had a free second, she would daydream about
herself living the life she was meant to live. She would visualize it so clear and so precise that she could feel it.

Almost immediately after putting this into practice,
Keshia started seeing results. She thanked God every
chance she got. She thanked him for the immediate changes.
She thanked him for the changes she knew were about to
happen but hadn’t happened yet. She thanked him because
she knew within her heart that they were going to happen.

Keshia has trained herself to stay motivated. I’m willing to bet
the farm that Keshia will be living her life’s purpose in a
little no time.

Let’s look at what Keshia did to stay motivated.

1. Desire – She had a desire to stay motivated. You must have
a strong desire, a burning desire, in order to stay motivated.
You must have a reason to hold on to your motivation.
Otherwise, if the desire isn’t strong enough, the motivation won’t last
long.

2. Plan – She had an exact plan and wrote down her goals.
You must have an exact plan. It should be written out, something
you can look at and go back to from time to time.

3. Making her dream visual – She put up reminders to make her
goals purposeful and made it so she was always mindful of them.
You must constantly surround yourself with reminders to help you
stay focused.

4. Constantly thinking of her purpose. She changed her habits and started focusing full-time on her goals. You must change your habits from spending your free time watching television, listening to the radio or reading a novel, to thinking constantly and working constantly on your goals.

5. She repeatedly thanked God for his blessings she has received
and for those she knows she is about to receive. Have blind faith in the Lord that he will send you your blessings. He wants it for you just as much as you want it for yourself. Don’t ever forget to thank him. You can’t thank him enough.

Use the same strategy Keshia applied, and in no time, you too will be living the life God intended for you to live.

I’ve had problems with fatigue and a lack of energy all my life. It would be wonderful to know why. I’ve asked doctors, read books, and learned that some questions just won’t be answered in my lifetime.

I’ve also learned that even without discovering the root causes of my tiredness, there are things I can do to alleviate it. Here are some of energy boosters that have worked for me and others over the years. Sometimes it helps to use several at once.

Energy Boosters

1. Breath deeply. Three slow deep breaths help oxygenate the blood supply better, and especially seems to wake up the brain.

2. Move. Often just getting up and washing the dishes, or walking around the house helps boost energy levels.

3. Talk about something interesting. Get a tired person to talk about something they’re passionate about, and watch their energy level rise. This one really works well.

4. Have a cup of coffee. Caffeine makes some of us more tired when it’s abused, but short-term, it can work wonders.

5. Play energetic music. Different types of music have different effects on us, but you can do this one by trial and error. Once you find the ones that work for you, keep them ready.

6. Try any of those “energy drinks.” The verdict isn’t in on most of them, but it’s a cheap option to try. I seem to get something from the ones with Ginkgo Biloba in them.

7. Get better sleep. As long as you get at least five hours of sleep, the quality seems to be more important than the quantity.

8. Exercise. This is a longer term solution, but many people notice an increase in their energy level when they get regular aerobic exercise.

9. Take a hot and cold shower. One minute of hot water, one minute of cold, alternating for six minutes. This isn’t for those with weak hearts, but it will wake you up. Incidentally, research shows that this also revs up the immune system.

10. Go outside. Sometimes a little sunshine and fresh air can be very energizing.

By all means try to find the reasons for your tiredness or fatigue. In the meantime, though, why not try some of the energy-boosting methods here? None of them are expensive, and you just might have more energy, starting today.

 Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Definitely the most confusing road that you come across is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take?

There are no guarantees. This is one of the most essential things you must understand about life. Nobody alleged that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it will be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. There are many potential outcomes, which you cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you react to different situations.

Had you known that you were making an erroneous decision, would you have gone along with it? Definitely not, why would you choose a particular path when you know it would get you lost? However, think about results that occurred because you did make that decision? Was there something good that came from it? Did you learn a lesson?

You can’t allow indecision about whether your choice is right or wrong cause you to be immobile. You need to keep moving along your life’s road and sometimes that means having blind faith in yourself and your decision-making. If you have taken the time to know yourself and what you want from life, you can better your chances of making correct decisions, even when there are unknowns involved.

Life can be an exciting, albeit, bumpy at times, ride. Don’t let indecision find you sitting on the curb and watching everyone pass you buy. Risk it, take that chance, and you will not regret that you did.

Coming up with new dreams and passions can be fun, easy and inspiring – at least until you sit down and begin trying to sort out how to actually accomplish these wild goals. Suddenly, what seemed like such a clear and well-marked path takes on the aspect of an overgrown and thickly brambled wilderness of dangerous, unseen pitfalls and endlessly branching and unmarked trails. It’s enough to make you want to crawl back into your boring old life and forget the whole thing ever happened. But let’s try something a little different, first, and see if we can’t tame that overgrown jungle.

One of the best and most thorough ways to figure out how to do something new is called back-planning, or top-down planning. You begin by listing your finished goal at the top of the page, then working your way backward through each logical step that must come before the one above it. This is the best way to find out early where the gaps are in your information. In order to be truly effective, the list needs to be consistently precise and highly detailed, rather than broken up into large, ambiguous steps, any of which may contain many smaller, unknown pitfalls for the unwary. Here are two examples, one bad and the other good, based on the goal of buying a house. Read them from the bottom up.

Bad Example

Goal: Buy house in suburbs

*Close on house (there may be many steps involved here)
*Get inspection (how do you go about setting that up?)
*Make choice (based on what?)
*View houses (are they prioritized, is there a list of qualities?)
*Research neighborhoods (based on what qualities, and in what manner?)
Good Example

Goal: Buy house in suburbs

*Close on house
Step 5
Step 4
Step 3
Step 2
Step 1
*Approve and make offer or disapprove and repeat with next house
*Review inspection and legal reports
*Hire real estate attorney to review property legal issues
*Get quotes on real estate attorney (see Charlie)
*Hire independent inspector
*Get quotes on inspections (see Bob and Jackie for referrals)
*Choose top 3 picks based on priorities list, Needs/Wants list, and price and rank them in order of preference
*Research recent appraisals, compare to prices
*View properties in person
*Give them priorities list and Wants/Needs list and set up appointments to view properties
*Contract real estate buyer’s broker
*Ascertain loan approval for estimated purchase price brackets
*Research loan options/providers and chose best (ask Mary)
*Budget for down payment and fees
*Estimate down payment, inspection, legal, brokerage and closing fees
*Estimate property prices in chosen neighborhoods
*Research neighborhoods based on lists and pick favorites
*Create priorities list for structures and settings
*Create a Needs/Wants list for new home

As you can see, the second list is much more organized and detailed, and sets out the process in a specific, sensible order. Of course, if you already know what house you want to buy, or already have your favorite neighborhood picked out, you would eliminate those steps, just as you would have to change some steps and probably add quite a few more if you required the property for business purposes, etc. The trick is to make sure you anticipate every step and sub-step involved, and account for it, so that there will be a clear progression from start to finish.

One important feature of this planning method is that it assumes success from the get-go. Rather than standing at the starting line gazing out in stark terror over the vast and unfamiliar territory between you and your dream, back-planning makes success merely a final step in the process and focuses your attention on the nuts-and-bolts of getting there. Once it becomes obvious that your previously hazy and distant dream is clearly achievable through a series of defined and reasonable steps, items once thought out of reach suddenly fall within your grasp.

The observant reader will note one other notable difference between the two lists. The second list contains references to friends and acquaintances that might be able to help through their contacts, advice or services. Friends want to help friends, and having someone on your side who knows the terrain ahead can not only level the playing field where unhelpful (or even antagonistic) experts and complicated processes are involved, but realizing that you don’t have to know or do everything yourself in order to make this adventure successful gives you a calming sense of having it all under control.

What are the most important things you should accomplish today? Go ahead. Make a list of your priorities and put them in order of their importance. Write down the rewards and the consequences for each one. Your list has incredible power. It helps you propel yourself towards your most desired results.

Next, take your list of what’s important today (your WIT), and immediately begin working on what’s important now (your WIN). Your WIN represents each itemized priority from your list. When you get one WIN under your belt, immediately go after the next one; and then the next one after that.

Your WIT to WIN gives you the vision, direction and momentum necessary to achieve. And, armed with a high-priority, reward-focused list, you’ll actually enjoy the passionate pursuit of your daily desires and ambitions.

Now, your priorities won’t schedule themselves. They won’t autonomously pop up on your daily agenda. Take the time to identify what’s important today and your what’s important now. Then, follow up with a strategic plan of action.

Succeed in all that you set out to achieve. Make each priority a must and commit to whatever amount of time necessary to get your priorities done. Ultimately, your WIT to WIN will lead you to experience more success than you ever dreamed.

I don’t take notes anymore. Instead, I create one wildly colorful, creative and inspiring page whenever I need to make a decision, prepare a presentation, or plan an event. That whole two-column plus and minus approach? Gone.

Bring on the Mind Maps!

I read Tony Buzan’s first book on Mind Mapping back in the early eighties, but I was too caught up in the old-school world to see how it could be of use to me. I recently rediscovered Mind Mapping and it has become an integral part of the work I do with clients.

Tony Buzan created the Mind Map concept in the early seventies. Based on his brilliant observation that our brains do not process information in a linear way, Mind Mapping allows us to use words, images, and color in an effort to engage the right side of our brains in what is normally considered a left-brain task: organizing information.

We’ve already learned that one of the keys to maximizing our potential as humans is to forget that whole right-brain/left-brain divide. Instead of seeing ourselves as a logical person OR a creative person, we’re both. We’ve simply chosen to put more energy into developing skills associated with the analytical left or the daydreaming right. We must recognize that there’s a fine line separating analysis from daydreams and that in order to have a fully integrated brain, we need to do both.

We speak in a linear pattern. We can say only one word at a time, and we can hear only one word at a time. Similarly, we read in a linear pattern-words flow in lines across the page.

So when it came time to organize notes and teach the proper form for creating outlines, it’s easy to see why we turned to the tried and true linear approach. You know the format: Roman numeral one (I) followed by A, B and C, followed by 1, 2 and 3. We look for things to slot into each line in order to make it fit properly.

In school, we spent hours preparing these outlines for book reports, speeches, and term papers. In our work as adults, we do the same thing with agendas, meeting minutes, and project plans. Orderly lines of information. Black ink on white pages. Empty spaces.

Boring, boring, boring–and not the best way to use our brains.

Along comes Buzan, who says that we would be much better off if we allowed our right brains to get in on the game. So, instead of creating typical linear outlines, Buzan insisted on becoming radiant. He developed the concept of putting your central idea right in the center of the page. Your main points then radiate outward from the center. Each one of these points sprouts its own branches and twigs. He referred to this star-like pattern of ideas as Radiant Thinking.

The beauty of this is that you can see everything on one page. No time wasted sorting through pages. No need to flip through your notes to see your next point or find your conclusion–it’s all right there in front of you. No need for extra notes. No energy spent on rewrites.

He didn’t stop there. Buzan understood that color is a strong factor in helping us remember, so he encourages us to use different colors for each of the radiant thoughts and sub-thoughts. Instead of using only words, incorporate little line drawings and images to make connections between thoughts.

This is the way our brains work naturally. We don’t picture the word B-O-X when we picture a box. Instead, our brains conjure the image. We don’t always go from thought A to thought B to thought C. We’re just as likely to start with A, then head over to E, skip back to A and then saunter over to R. Our neural pathways look like webs, not straight lines. In fact, the more criss- crossed our connections, the more we’re able to synthesize complex ideas and come up with new ways to use old information.

Mind Maps give us an excuse to play. They give us a reason to keep a whole set of colored pens right on our desk for everyone to see. Mind maps allow our thuggish left brains to make friends with our timid rights. For once, there’s harmony on the playground!

Use a Mind Map for your next planning session, and watch the reaction. Raised eyebrows give way to smirks, which dissolve into delighted grins. Linear notes become circular masterpieces. Black and white becomes a rainbow. Words become pictures. Workers become creative. Work becomes the joyful collaborative experience it is meant to be.

Grab your markers and become radiant. Your brain is waiting to play!

In my lifetime, I have never witnessed enduring unconditional love from another human being. I do not believe it is physically possible. I think that once we have reached that position of being able to give it, we have already passed over to join with the one that is unconditional love. I believe that this state is only experienced spiritually.

It is our inborn desire to move to a place of unconditional love and that is what we strive to do, once we reach a measure of enlightenment that facilitates this kind of growth. As human beings, we attach conditions to our physical love (emotion). I will love you as long as you fit into a set of parameters that I can accept, and live with. Once you have crossed over the line, I can no longer love you. For humans, this is a matter of ownership. Love is not abstract, but something that is real and physical. It is a feeling that we possess and can access.

Universal love (Gods love) is abstract and impartial. It is not felt, but acknowledged. The creator acknowledges the love of humanity,by granting unconditional love (freedom) from him/her.

Humanity is free to screw up his whole life, come back in another lifetime and screw it up again and again until he no longer wishes to experience screwing it up and wants to move on. Can there be a greater example of unconditional love? Re-incarnation is the ultimate expression of unconditional love and helps us with the screwing up process. Every lifetime is a screw-up until we get it perfect, then it becomes a perfect screw-up. Unless of course we choose to call it something else.

There is no reason, save the one you give to your life for being perfect. You are just trying to get there. You do not have to be there. You can take as long as you want to reach that plateau.

This may seem strange coming from a spiritualist, but I believe it is my way of demonstrating unconditional love. We all take our lives away too seriously. We need to chill out. There isn’t any advantage to being able to stand back from our lives as the silent observer and judge ourselves without condemnation about who, what and where we are.

All of us are perfect the way we are. Each of us is in the exact place in time and space that is appropriate for us. We do not need anyone’s permission to be so. Because we are creating the circumstances and events of our lives, we can do as we please. Any punishment or retribution that we experience will come from others in this lifetime because we have chosen to experience that punishment at some level.

The more aware we are that we create our own experiences, the more freedom we will have to manifest others on demand. Any negative thoughts we may have about the process will determine how successful we are at it.

Once again, the greatest love of all is freedom to live our lives as we CHOOSE with the guaranty that we can do it over and over again until we know longer choose to.

Man does not have the ability to grant unconditional love to another, because in fact he cannot give it away, until he grants it to himself first.

Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy’s books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.

You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.

Whether you’re an executive, manager, professional, or entrepreneur, you need to think ahead. When you do it in a formal sense, it’s called it planning, when you do it informally it’s something like speculating.

Whether you’re planning or speculating, the exercise represents just the tip of the iceberg. For the plans or scenarios to amount to something, they have to be implemented. In turn, that usually involves other people.

Which takes us to the subject of communication: How do you convert those ideas in your head into instructions or position papers or even real plans?

I recommend writing, as in the sense of spending at least a few minutes to put the ideas to paper. Several benefits come out of the writing process:

First, you’ll force yourself to clarify what you’re doing and what you want others to do. As long as an idea remains in our heads, it’s not made accountable, so to speak. That is, we don’t subject our ideas to rigorous scrutiny when they’re just thoughts.

But, when we write out an idea, the strengths and weaknesses show up rather quickly; we force ourselves to look at the idea more critically. When I wrote the publishing plan for Abbott’s Communication Letter, for example, the writing process uncovered many key issues.

But, writing it down assumes even greater importance when we need to communicate with others. Since most thoughts for the future are inherently complex or uncertain, a written version of your plan enables you to explain much more.

As you’ve probably noticed, you can’t really deal with much complexity verbally, unless you’re making a speech or presentation. In face-to-face communication, for example, a train of thought often gets derailed by questions or interjections by the other person.

A written plan also communicates to others a broader scope than a verbal plan. After all, when you’re writing, you can bring in the past, cover the present, and look into the future. Or, you can illustrate your points with more detail than you can in a verbal report.

So, let’s subject this article to the writing test, to see if hangs together.

First, the article opened with the idea of looking or thinking ahead, and I assumed — note, I assumed — this thinking implied future action.

Second, you’ll see the idea to take action, or to get others to take action on our behalf, we need to be clear about the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ before we start. Of course, not every action needs this kind of launch; perhaps I should have said “For important projects….”

Third, I suggested the way to get this clarity is to write it out, but in retrospect, perhaps that simply reflects my bias toward writing. Perhaps you manage well simply by thinking, and don’t need to write.

Fourth, I next listed a couple of benefits that flow from writing, and looking back I see a that I had bigger projects in mind when I wrote it. Smaller projects may not warrant the writing process.

So, all in all, subjecting this article (at least the first part of it) to the writing process did have the desired effect, and I discovered a couple of assumptions that I wasn’t conscious of while writing. And, if I was writing a plan, especially a plan for a big project, those would be worthwhile discoveries.

In summary, writing down your ideas not only helps you clarify your plans or goals, but also helps you communicate what you want others to do or think.

Someone recently asked me the question: “How can I have more opportunities come into my life?” Good question, but I think my answer surprised them a bit.

I bypassed the obvious (and necessary) points about hard work, persistence and preparation. They actually were very hard workers. And they had the great attribute of being seekers, they were on the outlook. But I felt maybe they were missing this next and most valuable point – attraction.

I always thought opportunities and success were something you went after, then I found out that I needed to turn it around. Opportunities and success are not something you go after necessarily, but something you attract – by becoming an attractive person.

That’s why I teach development of skills. If you can develop your skills, keep refining all the parts of your character and yourself, your health, your relationships, etc. so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace – you’ll attract opportunity. Opportunity will probably seek you out. Your reputation will probably precede you and someone will want to do business with you. All of the possibilities are there by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract.

The key is to continue making yourself a more attractive person by the skills you have, the disciplines you have, the personality you’ve acquired, the character and reputation you have established, the language and speech you use – all of that refinement makes you more attractive to the marketplace.

Personal development – the never-ending chance to improve not only yourself, but also to attract opportunities and affect others.

Some people live in and talk about the past so much it’s as if they are “planning for the past.”

The “I’m an adult victim/survivor of (fill in the blank)” culture does a great disservice to the possibility of change. There comes a time when you have to give up the identity of victim/survivor and decide who you will be now and in the future.

Here are 5 emotional states that can change your life: disgust, commitment, desire, decision and resolve.

Some people confuse foolish stubbornness with determination.

Would you hire a carpenter or plumber who had only one tool in their toolbox? Of course not. And yet we often approach life situations with an equally limited supply of tools. It was Abraham Maslow that said “if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”

Have you noticed that common sense seems to be less and less common?

Sometimes I think God got it backwards. So much would be different if we could be parents before we were children.

Parenting is like eating with chopsticks, playing golf, or driving a car. It looks so easy until you try it.

Be careful of hindsight. While it may be 20/20, what might have been is not necessarily what would have been.

There is no such thing as “no-fault divorce.”

If the two greatest and most common phobias are flying and public speaking, I wonder what would happen if you had to give a speech on a plane?

I don’t know anyone who hasn’t thought of a great idea for a product or service and then see someone else make lots of money with it years later. So next time you get a great idea, put it into action.

I have just one question for husbands (or wives for that matter) who don’t believe in marriage counseling: “Do you believe more in dovorce?”

People who talk on cell phones in a movie theater should be made to clean up the floor after the movie ends, using only their tongue and bare hands.

The more I do this counseling thing, the more I realize two things: I’m really just a coach, and there is so very much I do not know.

Wouldn’t it be cool if teachers coming out of college were treated like star athletes? You know, a draft, multimillion dollar contracts and signing bonuses……

Most parents of teenagers have had the experience of playing “human alarm clock”, having to try and wake up their teen for school. Research shows that adolescents need more sleep than adults. There could be several factors involved in your teen being too tired to get up. One possibility many parents don’t think to check is that somewhere between bedtime and morning their kid has snuck out of the house and then snuck back in. Check for exit signs above the windows.