THE SUCCESS FORMULA

 

The only way to get what you really want, is to know what you really want.

And the only way to know what you really want, is to know yourself.

And the only way to know yourself, is to be yourself.

And the only way to be yourself, is to listen to your heart. 

In the long run, those who don’t eventually go WIITHIN often go WITHOUT.

 Every great success started with an idea. The difference between the successful people and the rest of the population is that the successful ones had a desire to make an idea into a reality. And they had the self-confidence to believe they could do it so they took action. Action combined with a burning desire (tenacity) will make dreams come true every time!

It may sound trite and I’m not trying to sound like some positive thinking guru and go BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! But there are certain undeniable truths that exist among the success stories we have all heard and read before, and it’s just impossible to succeed without these elements being present. 

Let’s start with the goal. This really is where it all begins, with a goal/wish. My goal was to start a business and once it started making money, I would quit my job. I hated having a boss and being told what to do and I always got bored with the job. I felt like I was wasting my time therefore my desire to make my goal come true intensified. Once I realized this desire, I began studying about starting a business, and trying to find a good business that I could run out of my home. 

After a bit of study and spending money on investigating several different business ideas, I settled on creating financial software programs and the rest is history. Within 3 years I realized my goal of starting a software company and within 12 years I along with some partners grew that business scratch into a group of companies with just under $4 million a year in revenue.  

The point is, there is a success formula here that begins with a goal/wish/idea, and continues with an unfulfilled desire, then a plan to make it happen and finally the tenacity to get through the trial and error to get to the success. The plan may change because rarely does the very first plan work. However, a variation of that plan might. Or maybe you’ll have to completely start over again once, twice, maybe ten times. The key ingredient is the belief that not only can you do it but that you must! There’s no substitute. 

You may doubt that you can do this, you may doubt your ability. You may feel that you do not have the knowledge to succeed right now, in fact you probably don’t. But you can get it! All you need to do is apply yourself. You can do it! 

You’ve heard it before, but you must really believe it to succeed. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO, IF YOU WANT TO DO IT BAD ENOUGH! You got to want it! If you have that burning desire you will succeed, no question about it!

The following quotes are meant to give you encouragement to pursue your dreams, whenever I am feeling disappointed and depressed about not making progress in my business ventures I read these quotes to give myself the motivation to keep trying.

· The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Focus and decide on what you want. 

· When you state your intentions, you begin to discover all the things  standing in the way of making it happen. Be clear on what you want. 

· The more we focus on what we want, the closer we get to it. What we pay attention to grows closer to us. 

· Success is a byproduct of thousands of decisions. The little choices we make daily may seem trivial but they hold the greatest potential for our future. Try to make the right choices.   

· It is not your action that makes things happen, it is your intent. You will know when you are ready when the next logical step is effortless. 

· The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think big goals and win big success. 

· The greatest way to move to a new position in life is to outgrow your current position. Your focus will make your dream a reality. 

· Many people stand on the edge of defeat and turn and walk away not knowing that one step ahead meant victory. 

· Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Keep believing in yourself and your abilities. 

· The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed. 

· Most people fail not because they lack the skills or aptitude to reach their goal, but because they simply did not believe that they could reach it.

· The way you think determines the way you act, the way you act decides the kind of future that unfolds before you. 

· The mind does not have the ability to act above its present level of understanding. If you want to achieve more, you have to open your mind to learn more. 

· Take an interest in your future, that‘s where you will spend the rest of your life. 

· If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise. 

· The directive to do anything needs to come from your heart or your gut, not your mind. When you follow that, you follow your divine path. 

· Life changes when you least expect it. Tomorrow is uncertain so seize the opportunities that you have been given and make the most of it. 

· Everything you want in life is just outside your comfort zone. 

· To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.  

· When God takes something from your grasp, he's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.  

· Roadblocks are put in your path to force you onto a different path, a path that may be truer to your real purpose in life. 

· Procrastination is like waiting for a river to run dry before attempting to cross it. Do it now. 

· F.O.C.U.S.  -  Follow one course until successful 

· F.A.I.L. - First attempt in learning 

· E.N.D.  - Effort never dies 

· N.O.  - Next opportunity

 

 

LIMITING BELIEFS – WHY YOU SOMETIMES DON’T GET WHAT YOU WANT

Not all prayers are answered. Everyone knows that. Skeptics see this as evidence that prayer does not work. What they overlook is that for prayer to work it must be used effectively, with a clear understanding of it’s scientific basis. 

What if you find your prayers are not answered as you would like? What then? You must understand the principal reasons for such failure. These are: lack of confidence and too much effort. Many people block answers to their prayers by failing to fully comprehend the workings of their subconscious mind. When you know how your mind functions, you gain a measure of confidence. 

Your failure to get results may be a consequence of mentally making negative statements such as: 

• Things are getting worse
• I will never get an answer
• I see no way out
• It is hopeless
• I don’t know what to do
• I am all mixed up and I’m not sure what to do 

When you use such statements, you get no response or co-operation from God (your subconscious mind). 

If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. (Matthew 18:19) 

Who are these two who are spoken of? They stand for the harmonious union or agreement between your conscious and subconscious mind on any idea, desire, or mental image (thought). When there is no longer any quarrel between the different parts of your mind, your prayer will be answered. The two agreeing may also be represented as you and your desire, your thought and feeling, your idea and emotion, your desires and imagination. 

You must remember that whenever your subconscious mind accepts any idea or thought, it immediately begins to execute it. It uses all its mighty resources to that end. It mobilizes all the mental and spiritual laws of your deeper mind. This law is true for good thoughts, but it holds true for bad thoughts as well. Consequently, if you use your subconscious mind negatively, it brings trouble, failure and confusion. When you use it constructively, it brings guidance, freedom, and peace of mind. 

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1: 5-8)

Maybe you find yourself thinking; 

• I want to healing, why can’t I get it?
• I try so hard, why don’t I get results?
• I must force myself to pray harder.
• I must use all the will power I have. 

You must realize where your error lies. You are trying too hard! Never try to compel your subconscious mind to accept your idea by exercising willpower. Such attempts are doomed to failure. All too often you end up getting the opposite of what you prayed for.

Any time you try to force your subconscious mind to do something for you, you will fail. The results you want will become more distant instead of closer. Your subconscious mind does not respond to mental coercion. It responds to your faith or conscious mind acceptance. The thought “I will use my will power to overcome my failure” reinforces the thought of failure. Mental effort often leads to self defeat, creating the opposite of what is desired. To focus on the need to exert will power is to emphasize the condition of powerlessness. It is like deciding that you will do all you can not to think of a pink elephant. The decision makes the idea of a pink elephant dominate the mind, and the subconscious always responds to the more dominant idea. Your subconscious will accept the stronger of the two contradictory propositions.

When you diligently seek God, He promises that a reward is coming. He promises He will give you strength, wisdom, favor, good breaks, promotion, healing and restoration. When you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him, and you won’t be able to outrun His goodness and blessing!

Till the next time

Bruce

YOUR WORDS ARE IMPORTANT

When was the last time you seriously thought about the words you use each and every day? How carefully do you select them? 

Our words have tremendous creative power. Whenever we speak something out, either good or bad, we are giving life to what we are saying. WORDS can build a bright future, destroy opportunity or help maintain the status quo. 

Our words can run in different directions. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings” (James3:9). Unfortunately, the Bible warns that it’s very hard to control our speech because words spring from our hearts (Luke 6:45). 

In the book "Attitude is Everything" by Jeff Keller he says that your words reinforce your beliefs...and your beliefs create your reality. You should think of this process as a row of dominos that looks like this:

Thoughts > Words > Beliefs > Actions >Results

If you have positive THOUGHTS and reinforce them with positive WORDS then in turn it would strengthen your BELIEF and as a result you would take the ACTIONS necessary to wind up with outstanding RESULTS.

Never underestimate the power of your words in this process. People who feed themselves a steady diet of negative words are destined to have a negative attitude. It is a simple mater of cause and effect. You can't keep repeating negative words and expect to be a high achiever. And that's because negative words will always lead to reinforcement of negative beliefs...and eventually to negative outcomes.

Too many people go around saying negative things about themselves, their family, and their future. Things like, “I’ll never be successful. This sickness is going to get the best of me. Business is so slow I don’t think I’m going to make it. Flu season is coming. I’ll probably get it.” They don’t realize they are prophesying their future and they are going to get exactly what they’ve been saying.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21, NIV)

Here is the key: “you’ve got to send your words out in the direction you want your life to go”. You cannot talk defeat and expect to have victory. You can’t talk lack and expect to have abundance. You will produce what you’ve been saying. With your words you can either bless or curse your future. Make sure your words are what God says about you so you can move forward in the life of blessing He has in store for you!

No matter what you may be facing today, the words of your mouth can help set the course for your victory or set the course for defeat. You decide by what you say. When you wake up with an attitude of faith and expectancy you will be strengthened and empowered. But at the same time, if you go around talking about your problems or talking about defeat, it drains your faith and sets your focus in the wrong direction.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight....... (Psalms 19:14, KJV)

That’s why it’s so important today and every day to take inventory of what you are saying. When challenges and obstacles arise, declare that God is your refuge and strength. Declare His Word. Declare that He is for you. Keep the weeds out of your heart and mind by letting go of bitterness and choosing to forgive. Stay in step with God with your words and actions and receive His strength and power to be all He’s called you to be.

You have a choice

Recognize that just because you have said things in the past there's no reason to blindly continue doing so. While it takes some discipline and vigilance on your part to make changes in your language, it is well worth the effort. Therefore use words that are consistent with the path you truly wish to be on... take action along those lines... and watch yourself begin to travel in that wonderful direction.

Till the next time

Bruce

THE EFFORTLESS WAY

 

My Mother always talked about “the effortless way” to living your life and getting what you want. She would always say “when you put God in charge of your life you have no worries, no stress and everything becomes effortless. All you have to do is put everything in God’s hands and he will take care of it for you”. 

The effortless way that my mother always talked about meant that you put everything to God in prayer. Prayer is conversing and communicating with God. When we pray, we can talk to God aloud or within our thoughts. 

Prayer is an earnest desire that we take to God.  Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, it is our heart’s desire. But even sincere desire is not enough by itself. There must be BELIEF, too. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24 NIV). You must realize God’s ability to give you every good thing in life. You must believe in his readiness to do it. Model your thoughts after the Psalmists of old. They first asked for that which they wanted, then eliminated all doubts and fears by affirming God’s power and his willingness to grant their prayers. For prayer to be effective Faith is required. Without faith, prayer accomplishes virtually nothing…but with faith, anything is possible! 

Try to make prayer your first response instead of your last resort when facing a new challenge or an old temptation.

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. (1 John 5: 14-15)

Even when we are praying for or about things other than our own spiritual needs and growth, conversing with God cannot fail to have a pervasive and spiritually strengthening effect on all aspects of our personality. That conversation makes an indelible impression on our minds, and our consciousness of him remains vivid as we go through our day.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.  You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.  (Matthew 7:7-11)

Is there something you are believing God for today? Does it seem like it’s taking a long time to come to pass? Be encouraged because the Bible says that …through faith and patience you will inherit His promises (Hebrews 6:12 NLT). If you’ll stay in faith, if you’ll keep on seeking Him, it won’t be long until you see that breakthrough!

The problem is that most people give up just before they get their prayers answered. They stop when things get hard or when they don’t get the answer they want the first time. But the verse encourages us to continually ask and continually seek. That doesn’t mean that we seek Him one time and then stop. No, we must seek Him until we have his promise!

Asking is the golden key to receiving! Asking is admitting that we have a lack or limitation. Ask not and you will receive not. Fear is a hindrance which the enemy uses to cripple us so that we refrain from asking. Fear tells you, 'It doesn't make sense to ask, there is a global recession going on, so why bother to ask?”

We have to make known our needs to God in prayer, ask His help, and then we have to BELIEVE he will give us what we need. Prayer alone is not enough. We may pray incessantly, yet, if we do not BELIEVE that God will give us what we need, we have no reason to expect that we shall receive what we have asked for. 

So why do so many fail to receive that for which they ask? Because they are not persistent enough. They do not convince the God in them that their prayer is something they MUST have. They ask and knock once or twice, and because the door is not immediately opened, they give up in despair. Remember “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, No, he is being patient for your sake…"(2 Peter 3:9, NLT) 

Successful prayer requires three basic steps: 

1. Acknowledge or admit the problem
2. Turn the problem over to God, who alone knows the most effective solution or way out.
3. Rest with a sense of deep conviction that God will grant what you ask for. 

Doubts and hesitations only weaken your prayer. Do not say to yourself, “I wish I could be healed” or “I hope this works.” Your feeling about the work to be done sets the tone. Believe and know that whatever you ask for is yours. 

Today, submit your prayers to the Lord and keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking on the door, and it will be opened to you. Know that God is working behind the scenes. He is perfecting whatever concerns you. Don’t give up! Instead, start thanking Him for His faithfulness in your life. Thank Him for His promise that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek after Him!

Till the next time

Bruce

YOUR BELIEF AND THOUGHTS

IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?

We have often heard the expression that "we see what we want to see". Reality is just a matter of perception. Two people can encounter the exact same circumstance, but for some reason, one person sees the opportunity while the other only sees the problem. Which one is right and which one is wrong?

Opinions are like noses, everybody has one. But those opinions are our basis for reality, we need to take a step back when “bad” things happen and see if it’s really all that bad. Many of the negative things that happened in my life turned out to be absolute blessings. It just took a little time and perspective for me to see it. I bet if you look back on your life you can find things that seemed bad at first but they ended up being good. Maybe you just need to look at it a little differently or maybe use the perspective you now have to see it in a positive light. In life you have to "do what you have to do so that you can do what you want to do". 

· Everything in this world we see began with a thought. By thought the thing you want is              brought to you. By action you receive it.

· A thought is powerful only when it is backed by feelings. To ask for what you desire without faith or feeling will accomplish little.

· Whenever you are confused about why you did something, look for a belief. All behavior is caused by a belief.

· We alter our lives by altering how we think so be careful what you wish for because you may actually get it.

· The very thing you seek may be hidden within the very thing you fear. When you share your fears you may be rewarded with what you seek.

· Believe in what you are doing and you won’t have worry, doubt or insecurity.

· You are today where your thoughts have brought you, you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.

· Anytime you are struggling your magnetic point of attraction is directed to that which you do not want instead of that which you desire.

· Unless we get in the habit of planting positive thoughts into our  subconscious minds, it will continue to feed upon the negative thoughts that reach it as a result our neglect.

· Having confidence in yourself gives you confidence to be inspired by the success of others. Believe you have the same potential.

· The law of life is the law of belief. Man is made by his beliefs, as he believes so is he. It is not the thing believed in that brings about the result, but the belief in your mind.

· What you picture in your mind can attract to you whatever you fear or desire. Whatever you believe you are, that you are. What ever you believe you can do, that you can do. 

A dream written down with a date becomes a goal

A goal broken down in steps becomes a plan

A plan backed by action becomes REALITY 

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. - Dale Carnegie

Till the next time

Bruce

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

What you think you create. What you feel you attract, and what you imagine you become.

 

The universe is governed by law. Success is governed by law. Your subconscious mind is also governed by law. Our personal beliefs define our choices, shape our lives and, collectively, determine our futures. Nothing is more important than belief. If you want to change the world, if you want to change your world, if you want to succeed at work, in the marketplace, or in any other social endeavor or organization, belief is your Holy Grail.

 

The law of life is the law of belief. Belief can be summed up briefly as a thought in your subconscious mind. As a person thinks, feels, and believes so is the condition of his or her mind, body and soul (circumstances). All of your experiences, events, conditions and acts are produced by your subconscious mind in reaction to your thoughts. Remember, it is not the thing believed in, but the belief in your own mind that brings about the result.

 

Many self-help books and motivational gurus talk about the power of belief. The general message they are trying to put across is basically what Napoleon Hill had said, "What your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve". Is it true that everything your mind believes can be achieved or it is just some kind of motivational lie? Strictly speaking, the statement should be "what your conscious mind can conceive, and your subconscious mind believes, it can achieve".

 

Here is the reason why.

 

Your subconscious mind power is like a magnet. It attracts things that resonate with its beliefs. To put it bluntly, if you have a certain belief in your subconscious mind, your subconscious mind will vibrate based on this belief and attract events and people that resonate with or correspond to this belief. This is the Universal Law of Vibration and Attraction. It is a law that exists whether you believe it or not, just like the law of gravity. Let me repeat. This law works on you whether you believe it or not!

 

If your subconscious mind believes that life is tough, surely, your life will be tough. You will meet people and events that give you a hard life. If your subconscious mind believes that money is hard-earned, money will be hard earned. You will only be attracted to opportunities that will take a super-human effort to make a penny! Let me twist the words around and repeat the previous paragraph. If your life is tough now, that's because your subconscious believes that life is tough. If you are finding difficulties in making money, that's because your subconscious believes that money is hard to earn. There is no other reason and there is no need to blame other people for your tough life or your financial situation!

 

The message I'm trying to put across here is this:

 

"Your subconscious beliefs create your realities"

 

The above statement is probably the most important statement that one must fully and thoroughly understand in order to achieve true success in life.

 

We use our conscious mind power to conceive an idea, but our subconscious mind power to attract the result. Most people do it the other way around. They use their conscious mind to pursue the result, which often results in stress and worries. That's the difference between using your conscious mind power and your subconscious mind power.

 

What it means here is your reality or the life you are experiencing now is actually a reflection of the beliefs in your subconscious mind. Many people change from one job to another, but realize that they are still getting the same problem everywhere they go. What they don't understand is that instead of changing the external circumstances, they should change their inner beliefs.

 

Once their beliefs change, they will be attracted to new people, new jobs and the world around them will change according to the new beliefs in their subconscious mind. When participants of a workshop were told that their beliefs create their realities, a common negative response given was "I never believe in the kind of reality I'm facing, but why am I still experiencing them?"

You must understand that it is not what you think you believe that creates your reality. It is what your subconscious mind believes. You may think you believe that life is abundant, just because you've read some books about it. But subconsciously, you may not be convinced. So how do you know what your subconscious believes? The answer is fairly simple. Just look at your reality! Your reality is the mirror of your life. It reflects your inner beliefs.

 

Whatever order we issue to our subconscious mind, it promptly undertakes to carry it out. Whatever state of existence you declare yourself to be in, your subconscious mind assumes it exists and works within you accordingly. If a friend asks you: How do you feel today? And you reply: I am not well I have a headache or I don’t feel up to the mark at all today, you are unconsciously setting the subconscious mind to work to realize the state you declare yourself to be in. On the other hand if you say: I am well, happy and strong, the subconscious mind undertakes to realize that state.

 

Hence you can see what a wonderful power is within your control for your happiness or unhappiness, your condition of body and mind, and how necessary it is for you to use this power always in a positive direction. You are, in a word, what you think you are. This is not a theory, or a fad. It is a universal law.

 

Till the next time

 

Bruce

 

Believe in yourself! You’re divinely designed

 

And perfectly made for the work of mankind.

 

This truth you must cling to through danger and pain

 

The heights man has reached you can also attain.

 

Believe to the very last hour, for it’s true

 

That whatever you will you’ve been gifted to do.

 

Believe in yourself and step out unafraid

 

By misgivings and doubt be not easily swayed.

 

You’ve the right to succeed, the precision of skill

 

Which betokens the great, you can earn if you will!

 

The wisdom of ages is yours if you’ll read

 

But you’ve got to believe in yourself to succeed.   Anon