Reaping A Multiple Reward

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jr_seated_11

 

Today’s post is by Jim Rohn, one of my favorite motivational authors and success experts. Jim passed away in December 2009, but my wife and I were luck to be able to attend his memorial tribute and hear speakers such as Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy and Les Brown. This article is from Jim’s newsletter and it resonated with me. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Reaping a Multiple Reward by Jim Rohn

For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards. That’s one of life’s great arrangements. In fact, it’s an extension of the biblical law that says that if you sow well, you will reap well.

Here’s a unique part of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Not only does it suggest that we’ll all reap what we’ve sown, it also suggests that we’ll reap much more. Life is full of laws that both govern and explain behaviors, but this may well be the major law we need to understand: For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards.

What a concept! If you render unique service, your reward will be multiplied. If you’re fair and honest and patient with others, your reward will be multiplied. If you give more than you expect to receive, your reward is more than you expect. But remember: the key word here, as you might well imagine, is discipline.

Everything of value requires care, attention, and discipline. Our thoughts require discipline. We must consistently determine our inner boundaries and our codes of conduct, or our thoughts will be confused. And if our thoughts are confused, we will become hopelessly lost in the maze of life. Confused thoughts produce confused results.

Remember the law: “For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards.” Learn the discipline of writing a card or a letter to a friend. Learn the discipline of paying your bills on time, arriving to appointments on time, or using your time more effectively. Learn the discipline of paying attention, or paying your taxes or paying yourself. Learn the discipline of having regular meetings with your associates, or your spouse, or your child, or your parent. Learn the discipline of learning all you can learn, of teaching all you can teach, of reading all you can read.

For each discipline, multiple rewards. For each book, new knowledge. For each success, new ambition. For each challenge, new understanding. For each failure, new determination. Life is like that. Even the bad experiences of life provide their own special contribution. But a word of caution here for those who neglect the need for care and attention to life’s disciplines: Everything has its price. Everything affects everything else. Neglect discipline, and there will be a price to pay. All things of value can be taken for granted with the passing of time.

That’s what we call the Law of Familiarity. Without the discipline of paying constant, daily attention, we take things for granted. Be serious. Life’s not a practice session.

If you’re often inclined to toss your clothes onto the chair rather than hanging them in the closet, be careful. It could suggest a lack of discipline. And remember, a lack of discipline in the small areas of life can cost you heavily in the more important areas of life. You cannot clean up your company until you learn the discipline of cleaning your own garage. You cannot be impatient with your children and be patient with your distributors or your employees. You cannot inspire others to sell more when that goal is inconsistent with your own conduct. You cannot admonish others to read good books when you don’t have a library card.

Think about your life at this moment. What areas need attention right now? Perhaps you’ve had a disagreement with someone you love or someone who loves you, and your anger won’t allow you to speak to that person. Wouldn’t this be an ideal time to examine your need for a new discipline? Perhaps you’re on the brink of giving up, or starting over, or starting out. And the only missing ingredient to your incredible success story in the future is a new and self-imposed discipline that will make you try harder and work more intensely than you ever thought you could.

The most valuable form of discipline is the one that you impose upon yourself. Don’t wait for things to deteriorate so drastically that someone else must impose discipline in your life. Wouldn’t that be tragic? How could you possibly explain the fact that someone else thought more of you than you thought of yourself? That they forced you to get up early and get out into the marketplace when you would have been content to let success go to someone else who cared more about themselves.

Your life, my life, the life of each one of us is going to serve as either a warning or an example. A warning of the consequences of neglect, self-pity, lack of direction and ambition… or an example of talent put to use, of discipline self-imposed, and of objectives clearly perceived and intensely pursued.

Reaping A Multiple Reward by Jim Rohn, America’s Foremost Business Philosopher, reprinted with permission from Jim Rohn International C 2010. As a world-renowned author and success expert, Jim Rohn touched millions of lives during his 46-year career as a motivational speaker and messenger of positive life change. For more information on Jim and his popular personal achievement resources or to subscribe to the weekly Jim Rohn Newsletter, visit www.JimRohn.com.

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.

TMan

 Ted A. Moreno
Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612

Your Word Can Move Mountains: Five Steps to Integrity

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One recent hot weekend my family and I were checking out the pond at the Santa Anita Botanical Gardens. My youngest daughter, The Rock, started to insist “I want to go swimming!” Back in the car, she became even more insistent. We were on our way to my parents’ house, so  I told her “I give you my word that we’ll go swimming in the pool at Grandma’s house.”

Within minutes of arriving at my parent’s house, The Rock and Chicklet (my older daughter) had their swim suits on and were jumping up and down with excitement. “Can we go swimming?” “In a minute”, I said. I didn’t feel like going back into the sun. I’d already sat down, cracked a cold one, and was feeling cool and comfortable. Soon they were playing with their cousins as if they had  forgotten about the pool.  For a second I considered telling them that it was too late to go swimming but instead I jumped up and took them out into the pool. I had given them my word. How do I teach them if I can’t stick to my word?

It’s said the talk is cheap but the truth is that people cheapen talk. Consider that if you regularly cheapen your talk, then you cheapen the quality of your life.

We all know people who “are all talk”. When they say they are going to do something, we pay no attention, because they always say things but don’t deliver. On the other hand, we know people whose word is their bond. They say “I’ll be there at ten o’clock” and we know that come hell or high water they’ll be there because that’s how that person always is. We can say that person has integrity.

According to to Wikipedia:

The word “integrity” stems from the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). In this context, integrity is the inner sense of “wholeness” deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others “have integrity” to the extent that one judges whether they behave according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.

In other words, integrity is consistency between what one says and what one does.

Words can be incredibly powerful and creative.I’ve heard it said that there is no reality without language. If that statement is true, and I believe it is, then nothing happens without you first speaking it into existence. In Genesis 1:1 it’s written “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Bible goes on to say that God spoke the universe into creation.

In last week’s post I talked about declaring yourself to be who you want to be before the doing and having. In the declaring of who you are, you start to create who you want to be. This is  the power of your word.

The power of our word is developed first with ourselves by being in integrity with ourselves.  It’s easier for us to keep our promises to others than it is for us to keep promises to ourselves. Have you ever made a promise to yourself, knowing deep down inside that you probably won’t keep it? I know I have.  This is deadly, for two reasons: one, we can trick ourselves into believing we have integrity when we don’t. Second, what integrity we do have will always depend on what we commit to others. Truth be told, the most powerful promises we make are those we make to ourselves and keep.

When we commit to being a person of integrity, then our word starts to become powerful because we consistently do what we way we will do. In time, we come to trust that when we commit to something, it WILL happen. This is called creating your life through your speaking. “This I shall do” becomes not just a promise but the starting point, or genesis of what you will accomplish.

Eventually we can develop our integrity to the point where if we want to create something, we simply speak our intention and it begins to manifest it in physical reality. We know it will come to pass because we have created our word as powerful. Others know it as well. Our reputation becomes such: “If he said it was going to happen, then you better count on it happening.”

At this point, the speaking of something and the creating of it become one. We then have a clear sense of our own personal power and a deep belief in our ability to create whatever we want to create.

Here are five steps to developing the power of your word and creating yourself as someone with unshakable integrity.

  1. Start small. Commit to something you are going to do daily. Keep it simple. It could be reading for 5 minutes or sweeping the floor. Calling your mother, anything.  Try to do it for 21 days. If you really want to put yourself out there, commit to doing it at a particular time. The point is to get in the habit of doing what you say you are going to do.
  2. Clean up where you are out of integrity with yourself.Again, start with something small. Maybe your promised yourself you were going to work out three times a week but have yet to start. Simply acknowledge that you are out of integrity with yourself without shame or blame then recommit to something that you CAN do, that is realistic. Maybe one time a week. Or, choose consciously NOT to work out. Maybe it’s not something you are truly committed to and that’s ok. Be complete with it.
  3. Clean up where you are out of integrity with others.This might be tough but it’s essential. What have you promised  to someone that you haven’t completed? This might involve an apology, re-negotiation, or fulfilling the promise. Leaving these things dangling can be a heavy burden on your mind.
  4. Declare that you are going to do something big and audacious. You don’t need to know how you’re going to do it, just commit. Make yourself accountable to someone. It’s gotta be big! Do this then see what happens…
  5. Realize and accept that you will fall out of integrity. You will break your word. It’s what humans do. Don’t make it mean anything. Re-commit, re-negotiate, clean it up, and move on.

If your talk is so cheap that even your dog rolls his eyes when you speak, then you need help. I’m giving $100 off of my four session hypnotherapy package if you call before August 13 to book an appointment. Make your word a force to be reckoned with.

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.  

TMan

 Ted A. Moreno
Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612
 
 

You’ve Got It Backwards! It’s BE, DO, HAVE.

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Have you ever heard anybody say “If only I can  have this (car, house, relationship, etc…), then I’ll do what I want to do, and then I’ll be (happy, successful, fulfilled etc.)”. Sadly, it seems that all too often people get stuck in “If only…”

That’s because it’s not the having or doing that matters. It’s the Being. Got it?

Question: Who are you Being now? Are you being relaxed? If you are, then you are doing something very different than if you were being tense or nervous. That’s because doing comes out of Being. However, many of us believe that if we just have the right thing, we will do what we want and be successful, happy, fulfilled, peaceful, etc. In my experience, though, that’s backwards, yet it’s the formula that most people follow, and it’s called

  HAVE  DO  BE

(If I have this, I will do that, and I will be what I want to be.)

Let me ask you another question. Who do you think  you are? (Hint: Who do you say you are?)  Who you say you are is who you declare yourself to be. What you say you are is probably going to reflect what you do.

Listen to your own language. Do you say you are happy? Or miserable? Do you say you are competent? Or a loser? Do you say you are lucky? Or cursed? You are what you say you are, what you declare yourself to be.

Listen  to other people’s language. How often do you hear “I am tired” or “I am sick of this” or “I hate that” (I am hating). Compare what their experience of life is to those who say things such as “I am grateful” or “I’m cool” or “I’m fantastic” or “I’m so good I wish I were twins!”.

Some might say, “Oh, they can say that because they have a good job, good marriage, or good luck.” But consider, just consider, that they have those good things because of who they declare themselves to Be. Maybe they understand that the universe works like this:

BE  DO HAVE

(If I am who I want to Be, then I’ll do what that type of person does,  and then I’ll have what that type of person has)

I didn’t come up with this. I learned it in the Landmark Forum, then read it in Conversations with God, then had it reinforced by T. Harv Eker. It’s how the Law of Attraction works.

Let’s examine this statement: “If I have the perfect job, then I’ll  make lots of money (do) , then I will be successful.” The underlying assumption is “I am not yet successful.”

Now try this: “I am successful (Being).  I do the things successful people do, and I have the things successful people have.” It starts with a declaration of Being. EVERYTHING starts with BEING.

You must declare yourself to BE what you want to BE, then DO the things that that person would do, so you can have the things that that  person would have.

It can’t be that simple can it? Well yes, but it’s not easy! Let’s say I declare that who I am is happy. This is a state of being. Does happiness start with what you do? Absolutely not! It starts with an  idea, a thought,  a happy mind set. If declare myself to be happy, then I make the choice to be happy,  so I now I do the things that happy people do. Like, for instance, smile. What is it about these happy people that they are always smiling?? What is up with that? Are they smiling because they are happy or are they happy because they are smiling? Does it matter?! They have a happy life! If I want a happy life, then I’m just going to have to do what those happy people are doing.

 What do happy people do? My advice is this: find someone who you know is  happy and ask them; they won’t mind telling you because that’s what those darn happy people do, they seem to like to spread thier happiness around, can you imagine that? Who do these people think they are?

Um….happy? Duh!

I stood up one day in 2000 and declared to the world (or at least a small segment of the world) “Who I am is transformation.” I wanted to change my life. I didn’t know what the heck transformation involved but it sounded good. (This was before I became a hypnotherapist.) So I started talking like a transformed person. Acting like a transformed person. Hanging out with people who wanted transformation. Reading books about transformation.

Now, I am Transformation Man! Don’t sell me on your shortcomings, I won’t be convinced! Don’t try to convince me you’re a terrible person, I won’t believe it! I’m a stand for your greatness, do you get that? Why? Because that is who I declare myself to be, and when I stand in the place of transformation, I am powerful. It doesn’t matter that sometimes I feel weak because how I feel has nothing to do with the committment I have made – to choose powerfully to walk the path of my own personal evolution.

Let me ask you one more question. WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE? Scarlett O ‘Hara declared “As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again!” as she scarfed on a wimpy carrot, but that didn’t matter. In that moment, she BEcame something other than just hungry.

If you are not who you want to be, then you must do the same. Declare who you want to be as who you are now. Say it out loud, declare it to the  universe, tell who ever will listen, write it down, make it your committment, your life’s purpose, your reason for being here. Scream it from the highest mountain, repeat it a thousand times a day. Then DO. Whenever, however, as much as you can, as often as you can. Ask for help. You’ll be stopped, challenged, maybe even ridiculed. Just keep declaring who you are, this is your spririt, this is your essence, this is your energy, this is your life for Gods sake!

Don’t waste another moment wishing, hoping or waiting for the right conditions to be who you want to be. Declare yourself to be it now, declare it with power and conviction. Then do something. And see what happens.

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.  
To hear a podcast of this blog, go to TedinYourHead.com episode 62
 
 Ted A. Moreno
Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
Specializing in Your Success
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612
 

The Elements of Change

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Snowstorm in Hyattsville

(This weeks post is written by Leo Babauta from his blog Zen Habits.)

Change can be a difficult thing. Most people want to change their lives, in some way, but find it difficult to either get started or to sustain the change for very long.

I’m happy to report that after years of studying it, I’ve become fairly good at it (though happily failing all the time). I actually relish change, not because I feel I need to improve my life, but because in change, I learn new things. Constantly.

What have I learned from my changes? I could write a book on this (and probably will someday), but the essence can be found in the space between the inevitable fact of change, and in the incredible resistance to change inside ourselves and in the people around us. We want to change, and yet we don’t. How do we resolve this tension?

It can be incredibly difficult, or it can be wonderfully joyous. I’m here to show you the elements of the joyous path to change. The difficult path … I think we can each easily find that on our own.

My Recent Changes

I’ve made dozens of changes over the last few years (read My Story for a partial list), but here’s a short list of a few I’ve made just this year:

  • Lost over 40 lbs since last year. I’ve not cared as much about losing weight — it’s just a number — but more about losing some fat and getting fit. The weight loss has really been a side effect of that focus. I’ve tried a lot of different methods, but I’ve found that only two things matter, and they’re ridiculously obvious: cut back on calories and increase the calories you burn through activity. Finding ways to do those two things has been the fun part.
  • Gave up our car and walk, bike or use public transit everywhere. I’ve slowly been reducing how much I use a car, and increasing biking and walking. Then we drastically made the change just a few weeks ago when we sold our van, moved to San Francisco, and have been car-free ever since.
  • Began walking more. Obviously this goes with being car-free, but even when we had our van I would walk for an hour or three on many days, just for the simple pleasure of it.
  • Eat foods with no or little packaging. From bulk bins or farmer’s market, with reusable containers, if possible. I strive for fresh fruits and a variety of veggies, plus beans and nuts and whole grains and seeds. None of this needs packaging, all of it is great for you.
  • Gave up almost all of my possessions. I was slowly whittling away at my possessions, then took a huge leap when we sold or gave away almost everything and moved to San Francisco. We’ve bought some furniture (mostly used) but haven’t come anywhere near the (modest) amount of possessions we had before.
  • Started working less. A task needs to meet a high threshold of importance for me to consider doing it these days. This means I work fewer hours but am more effective during those hours.
  • Drastically reduced the time I spend online. I love online reading, and connecting with others, but it can really eat up your life if you let it.
  • Focused more on being in the moment.
  • Stopped setting goals and planning so much. I used to be a rigid planner and goal setter, just a couple years ago. You can see it in my old posts here on Zen Habits. I’ve dropped that habit, mostly.
  • Instead, embraced going with the flow.

Again, this is a short list — there are others that are less noteworthy, and probably a few I’m forgetting.

The Elements of Change

So what’s the joyous path to making these changes and others? I’ve broken it down into six elements, many of which overlap and have very blurred lines. They’re useful, though, in considering how to make potential changes in your life.

1. Beating inertia. We all have inertia — that resistance to change, especially major change that disrupts our living patterns or way of thinking. Sometimes it’s not difficult to overcome — we can get excited to make a big change and want to overhaul a certain part of our lives. The joyous path, though, is in the middle ground between no change and drastic change. It’s in small changes — as small as possible. Small changes mean it’s not hard to get started, but also that the change is sustainable. If you make a drastic change, there is a great likelihood that it won’t stick very long.

If you’re feeling that inertia, set out to make as tiny a change as you can — just get out and walk for 5 minutes, or start writing or painting or playing your violin for 5 minutes. You can do anything for 5 minutes — it should seem ridiculously easy, but that’s the point.

2. Beating the resistance of others. This resistance can be even tougher to beat than your own inertia — very often people in our lives do not want change. They’ll be negative, or even actively try to stop us from changing. There are various strategies for beating this: ask for their help and get them on your side, or negotiate a way for you to make change without disrupting their lives too much, or if necessary, cut them out of your life for a little bit. Read more.

3. Finding the joy. Here is the key to it all. Forget the rest of these steps if you need to, but never forget this one. Doing something you hate is possible, for a little while, but you’ll never sustain it. If you hate running, you’ll never keep up the habit for long. You need to find the joy in doing the activity, and when you do, you’re golden. So either choose an activity that you love, or find something to love in the activity, and grab on to that.

4. Keeping the joy alive. Joy can be fleeting, and to keep it going, you need to nurture it. This is an art form, and I can’t give you step-by-step instructions here. If I could, I’d be a billionaire, as it would change the world. But some advice: be grateful for your joy, every day. Be in the moment with that activity, instead of having your mind drift elsewhere. Refresh your joy often, by starting over or approaching things from a new angle or doing something a bit differently. Find new people to share this joy with, people who love it as much as you.

5. Celebrating the little victories. We often get discouraged because we’re not as far along as we’d like: we don’t have those six-pack abs yet (after a month of exercise!) or we’re not a full-time blogger yet (after three months of blogging!). But we forget how far we’ve come. Every step along the path is a victory, not because we’ve accomplished a goal but simply because we made the step. Celebrate those steps — jump up and down in joy, scream Halelujah, brag about it on Facebook, post a victorious message in bold marker on your fridge. You rock.

6. Making it a part of your life. Whether a change stays with you forever or not, making a change has value, in the momentary joy you get from doing it, and in what you learn from it. But making a change stick can be a great thing. To integrate change into your life, it must become a part of your daily routine. If you want to meditate, you need to do it at a regular time: right after having your coffee and before showering for work, for example. Having the coffee becomes your trigger for this new habit, and as the coffee is already integrated into your life, it becomes an anchor upon which this new habit will be grounded. The more times you do the new habit after this trigger, and the more regularly you do it, the more firmly it will stick.

And lastly

One last note, to anyone making changes: you will fail. I don’t say that to discourage you, but to release you from the fear of failure … because if you already know it will happen, then there’s no pressure to avoid it. Failure is an inevitable part of change, and in fact it should be celebrated — without failure, we’d learn nothing. Fail, fail often, and learn. Then you’ll be better equipped for the next attempt. Find joy in every attempt, in every victory, in every failure, and the change will be a reward in itself.

Zen Habits is one of the Top 100 blogs in the world, with about 185K readers. Zen Habits features  articles on: simplicity, health & fitness, motivation and inspiration, frugality, family life, happiness, goals, getting great things done, and living in the moment.

Leo Babauta, the creator and writer of Zen Habits, is married with six kids(!), Recently moved to S.F., is  the author of a new best-selling book, The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential, in Business and in Life.

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.

TMan

 Ted A. Moreno 
Personal/Small Business Coach 
Certified Hypnotherapist 
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                        
 (626) 826-0612

 

Feeling Alive

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A dock at sunset on White Sands Island in the Maldives. Ever get the feeling that all you do is work and be responsible? Do the days seem to run into each other because the same thing happens day in and day out? Do you feel “stuck”? Henry David Thoreau said “Most people lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” Do you sometimes feel that Thoreau is talking about you? (note: you would be saddened and shocked by the number of people that would say yes to that question.)

It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day humdrum. When you ask people how they are doing, how often do you get “Same s..t, different day.”?

If you can relate to what I’m talking about, then you need to change some things up. You need to do something different. Here are some tips to bring more joy, aliveness and passion into you life. It all starts with connecting with those things that fill you up inside. The great thing about it, is that they are relatively simple things. Seems to be all about the simple stuff, doesn’t it?

  • Listen to music. Music is healing. Music speaks to our souls. Turn off the TV, and sit instead with your eyes closed listening to your favorite type of music. When was the last time you did that? Make a compilation CD of your favorite songs and listen to them in your car instead of listening to the news. I love classical music, and when I’m feeling dulled by life, I listen to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony or Bach’s Sonatas and Partidas for Solo Violin.
  • Play music or sing. Do you have a dusty instrument laying around? Pull it out and see if you can become friends again. Could be as simple as a wooden flute with holes or as complex as a grand piano. Have you always wanted to learn an instrument? When would now be the best time to start? Guitar is easy and cheap.
  • Watch your all time favorite movie. Turn of the phone, grab your favorite brew and be taken away. My favorites: “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Casablanca”
  • Read.Something that keeps you turning the pages. Something inspiring and interesting. Make regular time to savor it. If you learn something, that’s a bonus.
  • Do some art. Let your artistic side come out. Do you like to draw? Paint? Photography? Work with clay? I don’t know how much a bag of sculpey is but I’m sure it’s not a lot. You don’t need to know “how”.  Just play, see what happens.
  • Dance.If you find yourself alone and the mood strikes you then get up and bust a move. Don’t be shy to dance alone. It’s all about freedom of expression. If you want to but can’t call me and I’ll help you bust loose. I dance. Usually by myself. Sometimes in front of kids and my wife. This morning I heard someone say they were so happy with their printer that they danced a jig. Cool. That’s my favorite “by myself” dance.
  • Start a garden. Plant a seed. Nurture it. Watch it grow.  Maybe you end up with fruit, vegetables or a pretty flower. Be a partner in the miracle of life. Get filled up with wonder. That will make you wonderful (or more wonderful than you already are).
  • Get a pet.Dogs, cats, birds, whatever. Play with your pet if you have one. Not just walk them. No room or too much hassle?  Get a fish. They’re easy and they don’t mess up your house. Mine just died. I had him for almost three years. We had a ceremony and buried him under the plumeria. Aquariums are peaceful. Get some frogs, or newts. Some people like snakes and lizards. They’re not for me but whatever floats your boat.
  • Get out into nature. Very Powerful. Go to a park and walk barefoot in the grass. Take a drive up into the mountains. Take a hike. I like lakes and streams, there’s magic in those places. My personal local favorite: Monrovia Canyon Park. Take the Sawpit Canyon Fire Road to the Ben Overturf Trail. Stop and hang out where it crosses the stream. I once saw hundreds of California Newts there after a rain.
  • Go to a museum.Want to get inspired? Stand in front of a painting that is 500 years old. It’s quiet and cool in museums. My favorite: Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Check out the Japanese Garden. Check out the Portrait of Pauline Astor at the Scott Gallery. Amazing.
  • Build something. Anything. A shed. A box. A model airplane. A real airplane.
  • Take a vacation. Yeah, I know. They disrupt my routine. Can’t afford it. You can’t afford not to.
  • Develop a spiritual practice.Whatever is meaningful to you.

It’s all about connecting with your inner sense of wonder and creativity and getting inspired. We are creative beings and when deprived of these essential qualities we shrivel and die. Perhaps not a physical death, but certainly a spiritual one. It’s up to you to give yourself what you need to thrive.

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks. To hear a podcast of this blog,  check out episode 44 at www.tedinyourhead.com

TMan

 Ted A. Moreno
Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612

How To Have Lots of Energy

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lightning-icon

I’ll never forget the time that I found instant energy. For a while I’d been trying  to find the energy to get started on all the things I wanted to do.  I’d be sitting in front of the television thinking “If only I could find the energy to get off this couch, my life would be a lot better.” I felt depressed and  unmotivated.

One day while watching Family Guy and eating Captain Crunch, someone knocked at my door. Too tired to get up, I shouted “Come in!” The UPS guy ran in with a package and dropped it right in my lap.

I was too tired to get up and a get a knife, so during the commercial breaks I used my spoon to saw through the tape and open the package. I pulled out the packing peanuts to uncover a strange glow wrapped up in some paper. I unwrapped the paper and to  my surprise, it was some Energy! I finally had some!

I jumped right up and cleaned the house. Then I wrote up my resume and went out and found my dream job. The money started rolling in. I started working out regularly, got real buff, and started dating a model. I learned to play guitar and  joined a band. We made a record and went on a whirlwind European tour that included fine dining at…

 I awoke to the opening tune of SpongeBob SquarePants. My bowl of  Captain Crunch was all over my lap. It was just a dream. “God, I’m tired” I said. The minute I said that my eyes got real droopy. I thought about taking a nap right then and there but the thought of the Captain Crunch all dried and crumbly on my pants was more than I could bear. I jumped up and shouted “NO!” I’m 35 years old! When is my life going to start?”

Then I noticed something  interesting. Just standing up and shouting had given me some energy! I found some paper and a crayon and wrote down my discovery: “Movement = energy”

I realized something else: the minute I said “I’m tired”, I felt tired! I wrote down this realization as well. “Whatever I say, my mind will obey. Energetic language = energy.”

I have a confession. This was not the first time I had fallen asleep while eating sugery cereal. One time I awoke on the couch to find my mouth open with unchewed Cocoa Puffs. I swear I thought I saw a fly flying away. It seems every time I eat a lot of sugar I get sleepy. I got a pencil and wrote this down: “Good nutrution = good energy.”

I was feeling a bit motivated now. I felt the stirring of energy inside me.  I decided to make a list of some things I would do with my bit of energy:

  1. change pants
  2. take all 12 cereal bowls off the coffee table and put them in sink.
  3. wash dishes while listening to Rush’s “Moving Pictures” really loud
  4. sort through three week-old pile of mail

Now I had some direction, some things I wanted to do. Curiously, this gave me even more energy. I had another insight and wrote this down: “Having a plan = energy.”

I was sorting through my mail  when I came across a letter from the landlord. “Ted, you are a month late on the rent. If you don’t pay the rent by this Friday I will evict you. Signed,  Your Landlord. (p.s. Judging by the overflowing garbage cans in your yard you obviously have enough money for a wide variety of cold cereal, cookies, and pastries. Suggestion: get a life.)”

The nerve! I was annoyed but also majorly freaked out. Eviction! How could I pay the rent on time if Wendy’s wouldn’t give me a raise?  I would have to find a better paying job and fast. I took the abandoned bird’s nest out of the spokes of my bike and rode down to the mall and collected a bunch of applications. When I got home, I wrote this down: “Purpose = energy”

I filled out a bunch of applications to drop off the next morning. It had been a busy day so I was feeling stressed out and tired. I wanted to sit in front of the tube.  I played my guitar instead and that energized me. I practiced “Blackbird” for awhile. I felt relaxed and calm now. Before I went to bed at 10:30 I wrote  down two things: “Fun = energy” and “De-stress =  energy”

The next day I woke up at 6:30.  I felt refreshed.  I scribbled “Good Sleep = Good Energy”. Out of habit I turned on the news: The Economy. The War. Terrorists. Floods. Car Accidents. I turned off the television, unplugged it and stomped on the remote. It occurred to me that compared to most of the world, I had a pretty good life. I was healthy, I had a place to live, lots of expensive cold cereal, and I had opportunity and the freedom to take advantage of it if I chose to. There was nobody bombing my house or my city. I felt blessed and was moved by this feeling. I wrote down “Gratitude = energy”.

I eventually took all my insights and made a sign that I hung on my wall:

” I Am Energetic”

  • I have abundant energy because I move my body by walking daily.
  • I have abundant energy because I say that I do. I refuse to say the opposite.
  • I have abundant energy because I have an energy producing diet.
  • I have abundant energy because I have a plan.
  • I have abundant energy because I have a purpose.
  • I have abundant energy because I have a good balance of work, play and relaxation.
  • I have abundant energy because I manage my stress.
  • I have abundant energy because I get enough sleep.
  • I have abundant energy because I focus on what is right with my life and I am grateful.

I started reading this every morning out loud because it energized me.

Here’s the key: nothing can give you energy. YOU MUST LEARN TO GENERATE IT.  Today, at 50, I’m grateful that I have more energy than I’ve ever had. I’ve found a sleep schedule that works for me (11-6).  I try to walk every morning.  Two days a week I’m a stay home dad with my two daughters, so I work 12-16 hour days four days a week and a few hours early on sunday writing this blog. I’m a little busier than I like (we both have huge families that we visit often), but I admit it’s my choice. I’m very conscious of how valuable time is. I have a purpose, a plan, and written down goals. I rarely watch television. And I never, ever say I’m tired unless I’m ready to go to bed. There have been a couple of health issues recently that lowered my energy, but I got my butt to my doctor, my chiropractor, and my acupunturist, and got it back. While writing this, my wife, who had no idea of this week’s blog topic,  came into my office and said “I’ve figured out that having energy is mostly in your mind”.  You can say that again sweetheart!

(Disclaimer: With the exception of the last paragraph, the preceding story is for eduational purposes only and is mostly a work of fiction. To the best of my recollection, I have never fallen asleep with unchewed breakfast cereal of any brand in my mouth. However, I did once have to remove a bird’s nest from the spokes of my bike.)

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.

TMan

p.s. Need more energy and motivation? Call me before July 10th to book a coaching or hypnotherapy session and I’ll give you my “Energy Generation” audio recording  at your next paid session.

 Ted A. Moreno

Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612

Don’t Let Them In! Five Steps for Keeping the Mental Mischief Makers Away.

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I hate to admit this to you, but when I was younger and much more foolish, I used to open my door to some pretty unsavory characters.

They weren’t even very likable, I just got comfortable having them around. They were familiar and I knew what to expect from them. I didn’t realize until much later how much hanging around with them was holding me back from what I knew I could be.

One day, there was a knock on the door while I was reading a book by the first self-development author I ever read, Dr. Wayne Dyer.  I opened the door to find  Cynicism,  someone I knew very well, standing there. I was dismayed to see that he had brought  Negativity with him, who I really despised, especially since he was always wearing that dumb “I’m With Stupid” T-shirt.

“Hey dude. It’s another crappy day. Perfect day for getting messed up”, Cynicism said. I noticed he had brought along a sixer of his favorite beverage, Notwieser Light.

I don’t know why, maybe it was the Dyer book, but I said “Sorry guys, not today”.

Negativity stepped forward and whined “Don’t be like that, homey! Let’s throw back a few and complain about the system!”

I hate being called homey. “No”, I said. “You guys get outta here. Now. I’m busy”

They shuffled off,  Cynicism grumbling “Thinks he’s too good now…”

I sat back down and felt weird. This was uncomfortable for me. I’ve always been a “nice” guy. I pretty much let in whoever wanted to come in and let them stay as long as they wanted. Right then, there was another knock at the door. I got up, irritated. I threw open the door expecting Negativity and Cynicism but instead, Possibility was standing there. I’d seen him a couple of times, but didn’t really know him too well. “Hey”, he said.”I thought I would drop by since I was in the neighborhood. Mind if I come in?’

“Sure”, I replied. “So tell me, what kept you from coming by before?”

“I’ve tried” he said.  “But I make it a point not to hang out with those other two clowns who just left.”

Cynicism and Negativity still come by and knock , but most of the time I just don’t open the door and pretty soon they go away. The odd times that I do let them in because I’m too tired to say “Get lost”,  I make sure they don’t stay very long. I haven’t seen Resignation and Despair in a while. Fear must have a key but I’m in the process of changing the locks. More and more, I find myself entertaining Possibility, who is always welcome, along with Hope, Belief, and Courage. Needless to say, life is much better.

Here are five simple steps to keep those Mental Mischief Makers from messing with your mind.

  • Stop Complaining. The MMMs are attracted to complaining like ants to sugar. They seem to have some special radar to help them find complainers. First they’ll allow  you to feel justified, then they’ll move in and take over the place.
  • Plant gratitude outside your front door. You know how some animals will not come into your garden if you have the right herbs  planted to keep them from eating your veggies? Gratitude is repellent to Negativity and in large enough amounts does a great job of keeping the  other jokers away too.
  • Take regular Inspiration Vacations. Read, hear, see things that inspire you. There’s no way that you will even hear those troublemakers knock if you’re involved in something that lifts you up and inspires you. Keep your mind in that place where your highest ideals reside.
  • Use Incantations. This is the magic that really acts like a spell to keep Negativity, Resignation, Fear, Cynicism, Doubt, and Despair away. Incantations are what you say to yourself to create what you want. Examples: I can do this, I have what it takes, I am up to this challenge, I am attracting money now, creativity flows through me. To make them really powerful, write them down and put them near a candle and light it. Seriously, I’m not kidding. Say these things a hundred times a day. Really.
  • Always be up to something. If you are up to stuff, making stuff happen, dreaming, hoping, planning, taking action, then you will be too busy for these those pesky MMMs when they come to visit.  You’ll see them for what they are: a distraction and a diversion from making your unique contribution to life.

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.

TMan

 Ted A. Moreno
Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612

Check Out This Video by Bob Proctor

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH8HjTsa8FU&feature=related]

I spent all weekend at a workshop and I’m ready to call it a day. So instead of writing something I thought you might enjoy this video by Bob Proctor. You may know Bob  from the hit movie “The Secret”.

For 40 years, Bob Proctor has focused his entire agenda around helping people create lush lives of prosperity, rewarding relationships and spiritual awareness. In 1960, he was a high-school dropout with a resume of dead-end jobs and a future clouded in debt. One book was placed in his hands – Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich – which planted the seed of hope in Bob’s mind. In just months, and with further support from the works of Earl Nightingale, Bob’s life literally spun on a dime. In a year, he was making more than $100,000 and soon topped the $1 million mark.

Here’s the link to another really great video by Bob.

http://www.bobproctor-training.net/

Let me know what you thought about the videos!

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.  

Tman

 Ted A. Moreno
Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
Specializing in Your Success
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612

Special Offer on Personalized Hypnosis or Motivational Recordings

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Would you like to have more motivation and confidence? Is there something in your life that is really stressing you out? A personalized hypnosis CD or motivational CD can be a great tool to help you make those changes.

I am offering a discounted rate for personalized hypnosis or motivational recordings from now until March 30th. What I will do is record a 20 to 30 minute personalized hypnosis or motivational recording based on information I will get from you in a phone interview. I’ll email the recording to you or send you a CD within 1 week. The cost is $75 including  $5 shipping and handling if you’d like a CD sent to you.

As a special bonus, if you call or email before Feb 28th, I will discount the price an additional $10. This is really a great deal as most of these type of CDs go for well over $100 if you order them on the internet.

Note: Not all issues are appropriate for a hypnosis recording. Hypnosis recordings are not meant to be listened to while driving a car or in any other situation which requires your full conscious attention.

For more information call (626) 826-0612 or email [email protected]

How to Keep from Catching the “Mind Flu”

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When I was 12 years old I read “War of the Worlds” by HG Wells. The book was really scary and the image of giant alien tripods  stayed with me for a long time. When I saw the most recent movie version though, something else stuck with me that I didn’t remember from the book.  (Beware: Movie Spoiler!) The aliens die in the end because they had no immunity to the diversity of bacteria and viruses to which we developed immunity millions of years ago. I thought that was cool; the aliens were killed off by the common cold. They probably weren’t getting enough sleep, being busy destroying the world and all…

Since I’ve had kids I’ve been catching two or three colds a year. Sheesh! I’m too busy to be sick!  Lately, though, since this whole H1N1 thing, I’ve been reading a lot on how to avoid getting sick. (Check out Dr. Mercola.com.)

I’ve come to believe that the key to staying healthy is to have a strong immune system so that you can fight the  cold and flu bugs that are always around us and that will inevitably breach your castle wall. For example, many health and wellness practitioners recommend keeping your immune system strong by getting enough sleep, avoiding sugar, taking the right supplements, and managing stress. They suggest that getting chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture or massage can be helpful as well.

Consider that your mind works the same way. Let me ask you, have you ever had the experience of catching the what I call the mind flu? Perhaps one day you became aware that you’d become so negative, discouraged, and defeated that even your dog didn’t want to hang out with you for fear of catching it.  You caught the negativity bug! Like Zig Ziglar says, you were infected with stinking thinking and needed a check up from the neck up!

What you’ve got to do is to immunize your mind to the virus of negativity that is always out there: in the news, on the internet, in social conversation, in your own language, in your mind.

So how do you keep your mental immune system strong enough to ward off the mind flu that always threatens us?  By taking your mind vitamins! Supplement your mind daily with positive material that keeps your mental immunity strong. Always be listening to motivational or inspirational material. Exercise and expand your mind by reading literature that challenges you and inspires you. How about a “mental adjustment” or “mind massage” by coming in for a hypnotherapy session?  It’s perfect for  a quick reduction in stress.

In last week’s post I suggested some links to audio files that have been helpful in keeping me inspired to be positive and focused on my goals. This week, I’d like to suggest some reading material that has really impacted my life  that can keep your mind so healthy that no negativity bug can infect it.

“Real Magic” by Wayne W. Dyer. I’ve been a fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer since I discovered a copy of “Your Erroneous Zones” on my parent’s bookshelf. (I picked it up because I thought it said “Your Erogenous Zones”. Hey, I was in high school.) Not everyone relates to Dyer’s somewhat New Agey philosophy, but after reading this book, I had people asking me “You seem really happy, what’ve you been up to?”

“Psycho-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz. For me, at the time I read this years ago, the idea of controlling your thinking  and positive mind programming  was an astounding discovery that I  didn’t completely get at the time.  I recently recommended this to a client who said it was the best book he’s ever read. In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece.

“Illusions” by Richard Bach. By the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a short but fascinating parable of a reluctant messiah in modern times. Easy to read but capable of creating a real shift in your perception.

“Unlimited Power” and “Awaken the Giant Within”. Anthony Robbins. Regardless of what you think about Tony Robbins, he’s come a long way from where grew up in Azusa, California. Here’s a guy that I’m told used to be called “Baby Huey” because of his weight and height as a kid. Now, with no credentials to speak of, he has become a multi-millionaire and arguably the reigning Self Help Guru of our times. In these two books he offers some practical techniques that are simple but effective.

“The World’s Greatest Salesman”. Og Mandino. This book was given to me when I was in sales training for door to door book sales. A must for any sales person.

“Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill. The grandaddy of success literature. Published  first in 1937, some claims suggest that it has sold 30 million copies since then. This book contains what many people consider the fundamentals of success. I really like the version I have, which uses updated language and cites modern success stories such as Bill Gates, Ray Kroc and Steven Spielberg.

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. I know, I know, I’m always taking about this book. Sorry, but it’s my blog! I’ve read it 4 times and will probably read it again.

Spiritual and Esoteric Literature. The mind and the spirit are linked. Don’t discount the ancient texts for keeping a happy and positive mind. The Bible and the Tao Te Ching are just two examples of essential guides that throughout history have given millions around the globe direction  for living. Some I have read but not all.  

As  prevention or  cure for  the mind flu, these books have worked for me and still do. I acknowledge that these are all older books; I realize there are more recent yet excellent books that I haven’t yet read. I invite you to post your comments on books that you’ve found to be life changing as far as your own personal development. I’d love to hear what has worked for you.