The first Time

I remember the first day I got my first bicycle.

Within an hour or so I was happily riding along the road in front of our house. Alas, a car came up behind me, blew the horn, and I fell over. Scared the driver as much as me. The good news is he stopped and waited for me to get up and out of the way.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

I like to share things that will help you find your Art of Fulfillment.

 

If you don’t write your goals down, if you don’t do a Vision Board, if you don’t take time and meditate on what you want, it’s harder to move forward.

 

There’s a new way of thinking about being happy and fulfilled. It is for you to think about and visualize an experience you would like to have.

 

Everyone of us has everything we need inside of us to be great.

 

So do what you need to do?

 

I would like you to think about significant emotional events that have happened to you in the past. It’s the events that have happened in your life that changed you. For example, from the time of that first mishap on the bike, I never again had any bicycle accidents - and I rode many miles - both on country highways and city streets - between the time I was about 10 until I was 16 and got my driver's license.

 

I want you to think about some of your first experiences that you’ve had in your life, and you’ll realize that it was a thought first before you did it.

 

One was probably your first day of school. Mine is still vivid.

 

Some might not be able to think back that far.

 

There was your first step.

 

Your first word.

 

It’s based around the fact that we get excited and focused in visualizing the first time.

 

How about when you visualized you going to high school?

 

The first time you drove a car.

 

The first time you rode on a plane.

 

The first time you saw the ocean.

 

I remember every one of those vividly.

 

It all starts with the level part of your mind where we don’t know what we don’t know.

 

It’s not even a thought and then one day you’re riding in the car with your parents and it hits you, I want to drive, you see everyone else able to drive, so you then set a goal of a new experience for yourself.

 

You will not move forward in life, without you having something to look forward to.

 

So think about your life and the things you want to do.

 

Remember your first job - and the first days on that job?

 

Mine was selling termite control treatments to homeowners. I was hired, but not given much training. I was a green country kid. 

 

When I made my first sale, I made so many mistakes that I had to go back to the customer SEVEN times before I got all the paperwork correct!

 

But I grew from there.

 

Can you relate to these thoughts?

 

The uncomfortable things you do and the fear you go through when you go on your first date, that first kiss!

 

It’s crazy how we can set our expectations and be excited in looking and moving forward to something that we want to experience for the first time.

 

The first time you took a trip out of your city, out of the state, and especially out of the country.

 

The first time you swam, your first vacation, your first road trip.

 

You may or may not have had some of those firsts. However, we each have our own firsts.

 

The individuals that live and love the most are always working on having many firsts.

 

Their first experiences.

 

Some of the events and experiences can be hurtful, tragic, emotionally scaring.

 

Some can be from blessing to blessing.

 

Miracle to miracle.

 

Victory to victory.

 

Related to this - and how to get to where you want to be - is the plan Jerry Seinfeld had. Seinfeld wrote about his process for learning stand-up comedy that has really helped many people create "healthy habits".

 

Basically, Jerry would put a calendar on the wall, and then every day that he worked on his joke writing and his routine for at least 3 hours, he would put a big, red X on the calendar.

 

So after a few days the big red X'sstarted to add up and when he saw thebig X's on his calendar, it made him want to keep it up.

 

He didn't want to "break the chain" when it came to the big red x's.

 

It's a simple idea, but one that's very powerful.  Why?

 

Because whenever you're trying to do anything to improve your health - or improve any other area of your life - it's really all about habits.

 

Let's say you want to start walking for 30 minutes each day.

 

The easiest way for this to happen is that your 30 minute walk needs to become a ROUTINE part of your day.

 

Just like showering, eating and brushing your teeth is.

 

And once it becomes a habit, you're good to go.

 

You won't feel any reason to bail out on it.

 

I've found that this works for exercising, as well as things like eating better, or even getting more sleep.

 

Whatever you're trying to do, the key is creating the MOMENTUM you need to keep it going.

 

And that means taking it one day at a time.

 

You can't cram 60 days of exercise into one day.

 

It's something you have to approach each and every day.  

 

Like I said, this is one of those simple ideas that can make a BIG difference.

 

Sooo, two things to do:

 

1. Think about the "new experience(s)" you want to have. Make notes and reminders to help cause it to happen.

 

2. Develop your ROUTINE that helps you build the MOMENTUM to get there.  

 

You CAN accomplish what you want. You CAN become the person you want to be.

 

Just do it! ....... Starting today.

 

James

  

James Sloan

Are you ready for a new beginning??!

Most people SAY they are ready for a new beginning, especially at the new year...

But rarely do we actually take any action to make it happen. Why?

Too often fear gets in the way.

Particularly one type of fear - Fear of Failure.

Fear of Failure Unmasked

In discussing the possibility and the potential risks and benefits of starting a new business, either online or brick and mortar, many concerns come up.

I have found that the concerns people most commonly express at the outset, “I can’t afford it” and “I don’t have the time,” generally function as smokescreens.

Each time I hear one of these responses, I think, Really? 

What you’re doing now has you broke and too busy to create the life of your dreams. How is that working for you?

It seems these two conditions provide perfect incentives to say “yes!” to opportunity.

Of course, I don’t actually express these observations out loud—people have to realize these things for themselves.

Nevertheless, in my 60+ years in business and thousands of discussions, I have never met anyone who was really stopped by a lack of money or time.

People get around limitations of time and money in all kinds of creative ways. I know a guy who sold his motorcycle to start a business so he could spend more time with his family.

I knew he loved that motorcycle, so I asked him why he sold it. He said, “I love my family more.”

A bit of probing often reveals that these excuses of “no money or time” hide an underlying force that most people balk at facing directly: fear of failure.

Most people will say they dream of a better life and wish they could find a real opportunity, but the paralyzing fear of failure stops countless dreamers in their tracks.

Over time I have discovered that fear of failure, in turn, conceals an even deeper concern for preserving one’s reputation.

The primary roadblock that stops people from going into business for themselves arises from a misplaced value of keeping up appearances.

If you’ve ever had a sense that a fear of failure keeps you from proceeding toward your dreams, please consider that you may not be afraid of failure as such.

Perhaps you’re afraid of looking like a loser to your friends and family. You’re afraid of not fitting in. Let’s examine that.

When you learned to ride a bike, how many times did you fail? The first day after I got my first bicycle I was riding along the road in front of our house. A car had come up behind me, the driver honked his horn, I fell over. In the middle of the road! A few days later I was riding all over - with no more mishaps.

No matter how many times you scraped and bruised yourself falling off, just like me, you kept getting back on.

Why was it okay to fail and keep going then, but not in business? Because not learning to ride a bike would make you an outcast.

All your friends would be riding past you and laughing as you walked to school. It’s all about conformity, and what matters most is what your peer group expects.

Here’s another example: When you finish second grade, you’re expected to go on to third grade.

If it looks like it might not happen, you get encouragement, special attention, maybe some discipline or tutoring. But failure is not an option. Why?

It’s simply because in your community people are expected to go from second grade to third grade. 

Later on you are now in tenth grade.

Do you go on to eleventh grade? That depends. Do most of the people in your community finish high school? If most of the people finish, then that’s what’s expected of you.

This confirms every parent’s intuition:You become just like the people you hang around.

And let’s face it; the majority of your friends and family are not likely to risk their reputations to start their own business.

You can get either encouragement or DIScouragement from your family - especially parents or spouses. (You can't choose your parents, but you should choose your spouse very carefully if you value peace and ENcouragement.)

The pull of conformity is stronger than gravity. So you have to choose either to pursue your dream or to fit in with the crowd.

Sadly most people would rather spend the rest of their days complaining that they lack the time or money to enjoy life than do anything about it—if that means defying their peers’ expectations.

What would people think? What will people think of you if you fail in business? Frankly, you probably wouldn’t care what people think about you if you realized just how seldom they do.

"In order to succeed you must fail so that you know what NOT to do the next time." Anthony D'Angelo

"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." Henry Ford

TRUE SUCCESS DEPENDS ON YOUR ENJOYMENT

You'll never achieve real success unless you like what you're doing. What you do is more important than how much money you make. 

How you feel about what you do is more important than what you do. The more you love what you're doing, the more successful it will be for you. 

Don't set compensation as your goal. Find the work you like and the compensation will follow.

You don't pay the price of success, you enjoy the price of success.

ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR SUCCESS

There is no shortage of opportunity. Everyday you’re presented with countless opportunities to be, or do whatever you desire. 

Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. Don’t miss out on an opportunity because you’re not prepared. Your preparation is absolutely essential. 

To achieve success, you must have self discipline. You must increase your knowledge and develop your skills. 

You’re always at the right place at the right time when you’re prepared.

Are you ready to make your "new beginning"?

The time to start is NOW.

It is just one month until Ground Hog Day. Soon after that, tulips and Easter will appear. Blink your eyes a couple of times and we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas again.

The year 2017 will zing by whether you make the changes you want OR NOT.

What are your plans for 2017? Have you made them yet?

It is time to get in gear. 

I will be here all year with advice and help. 

But only YOU can take the action you need to take.

I know you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, and please understand that NOTHING IS OUTSIDE YOUR REACH.