Randy Pausch's full lecture on achieving childhood dreams

After posting the video of Randy Pausch and his appearance on Oprah, I came across this video of his full lecture at Carnegie Mellon.

Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

Here's the video ... it's 76 minutes long and well worth the entire time spent watching.

Law of attraction: frustrated with your results?

Are you frustrated in your use of law of attraction? If you find yourself focused on the lack of results in your life, even though you're trying to deliberately use law of attraction, it's a clear signal that you are out of alignment with your goals and desires.

So the obvious question then becomes, how do you break out of the cycle and become the person you desire to be? The answer, of course, is to start consistently being the person you desire to be.

This can feel very confusing.

One of the lessons I've learned, and continue to learn, is that by spending more focused time paying attention to me and who I'm being, I am able to accelerate the process by which what I desire is attracted to me. And of course the frustration I was feeling then disappears.

Why is that?

It's because of the consistency in who I'm being which automatically aligns my vibration with the outcomes I desire.

So how do I begin "being" the person I desire to be? Well ... it takes consistent practice.

Rather than reacting to any given situation or circumstance, I can instead choose my response. By taking an extra few seconds to ask myself whether this particular response is in alignment with who I'm intending to be, or whether it will move me closer to my goals, I can ensure I'm always improving my vibrational alignement.

Just by asking myself those questions, I am reminding myself of who I'm intending to be. And be then selecting the best response, I am momentarily being the very person I desire to be. And so I've accomplished being a vibrational match.

The more moments throughout the day I do this, the more consistently I'm being the person I desire to be and the more consistently I'm a vibrational match.

And that of course means I'm automatically getting more of what I desire. In my case, that's a life of inspired abundance.

So whenever, I feel things aren't going where I want, that feeling is my barometer which tells me how I'm doing. If I then reflect on my most recent thoughts and feelings, I always discover that I've stopped being who I wish to be. Every single time.

So that's my cue to immediately, in this moment, choose how I will respond right now in order to be a better match to who I desire to be. It's deceptively simple, yet it can be incredibly difficult.

Afterall, I am human -- we are all human. We will never be 100% masters at this. But that's part of the fun of it. Can I do better right now than I did a moment ago? This is the ongoing game I choose to play to eliminate that frustrated feeling and become a more accomplished player using law of attraction.

Thanks for reading.

Napoleon Hill Think And Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich is a seminal work in the field of personal development and is one of the key forerunners to the modern self improvement and wealth creation industries.

For me, Think and Grow Rich has definitely been one of the key foundational elements to my own personal growth and has had a profound impact on my thinking and my living a life of inspired abundance. The principles he teaches in the book can be life changing. It's a book which has literally inspired millions upon millions of people and continues to do so.

It was actually Andrew Carnegie who inspired, in fact "challenged" Hill to write the book, and Carnegie was a key influencer to Hill.

Here's a video I discovered on YouTube, in which Napoleon Hill shares what he learned from Andrew Carnegie and the lessons that inspired Think And Grow Rich.

Overcoming procrastination and law of attraction

Procrastination is something I find myself doing almost habitually every day -- which of course really intereferes with allowing law of attraction to work in my favor on a daily basis.

My procrastination may not be around everything ... in fact it's typically around very few things. But it's often around ultimately important things.

It's an interesting phenomenon. Typically, I will catch myself procrastinating around something I know intellectually is important for me to do and then I'll proceed to beat myself up for not doing it.

What a terrible recipe to follow. It's a sure fire way to create vibrational misalignment with what I'm intending. And it's definitely not going to support me in my intention to live a life of inspired abundance today.

But it's not always so easy to overcome procrastination. I often find there's some lingering "thing" going on that is causing me to procrastinate on those very things I've convinced myself I must do.

I've learned that procrastination is generally a symptom of some type of underlying resistance. The resistance may be due to a lack of belief about my ability to do something, or a fear or doubt that's sitting in the back of my mind. It's often barely conscious, but if I'm procrastinating around something then it's there somewhere in the shadows.

Here's an example.

I often find myself procrastinating around my book keeping. I convince myself I don't like it and so tend to put it off. But as I've examined what's going on more closely, I've come to realize I have an underlying fear of doing the book keeping improperly. And in my mind, I will even fast forward from there and imagine having some type of penalty slapped upon me by the tax man.

In response to this fear I procrastinate.

To overcome my procrastination what I've learned to do is to step back, take a breath and remind myself that millions of people in the world easily do their own book keeping. In fact, I probably do a better job with my book keeping than most. And I know I'll feel better once I've sat down and completed it.

That changes my thinking around the task and enables me to move forward through the procrastination. Once I've done that I am realigned vibrationally with my intentions and once again in an allowing state. Law of attraction is once again my friend.

So if you catch yourself procrastinating around a particular task, take a momen to get quiet and tune into what is really playing in your mind. Lock into the underlying feeling or emotion that's the root of the issue. Once you've located the root throught or feeling, change it to something that feels better.

You will immediately become unstuck and able to overcome or work through your procrastination. And then you'll be freely allowing law of attraction to work for you.

How to achieve your childhood dreams

Do you have any forgotten childhood dreams -- perhaps dreams you've forgotten or given up on?

My friend Peter, at The Wealthy Attitude, posted this on his website today. I found it very moving. Its message will serve me very well in my personal quest to live a life of inspired abundance.

Dying professor, Dr. Randy Pausch knows he is dying. This video will leave you thinking when it's over. Take 10 minutes of your time to watch it. It may do you a world of good.

And you may find yourself resurrecting some of those forgotten or set aside dreams.

How do I enjoy my life?

Do you ever have one of those days where you want to feel good, but things are going on that are or can easily drag you down? I'm having one of those days right now ... how do I enjoy my life today?

Let me explain...

The hard drive on my pc crashed on Saturday morning and I'm still waiting for the repair utility I'm running to complete its diagnostic and repair. Even though I knew better, I had not adequately backed up the majority of my key files, so it's making for some anxious moments. My whole business and my "life" are on that hard drive.

Whether or not the hard disk will be usable and its data fully recovered I do not yet know. The repair utility has been running for about 44 hours and counting, and it continues to move slowly through the damaged heads and sectors of the disk. I have no alternative but to allow the utility program to do its work, trust in the process, and await the outcome. It will be what it will be.

This is a perfect example of the type of situation where it is incumbent upon me to make a choice about whether or not I choose to let the circumstances ruin my day. And that leads me to ask a question: "With all of this PC drama hanging over my head, how do I set it aside and how do I enjoy my life as I work through my day today?"

I believe the way to enjoy my life is to stay "in the moment". That implies that my job is to see if I can remember that feeling of joy or bliss and recreate it again ... right now.

My job is not to "try" to remember as often as I can, nor is it to remember to do it again tomorrow and the day after. Neither of those examples is about this moment.

The only thing I must focus upon is connecting with the feeling of joy or bliss right now, regardless of what is going on. Regardless of the PC disk repair status.

It becomes a kind of internal game. "Am I able to feel joyous or happy right now? Great ... how about right now? And how about now? What about right now? And now?"

My intention is to live a life of inspired abundance. And the one thing I can control is what I choose to think and feel right now. There may be an external environent and set of circumstances all around me I can react to, but I always have a choice about how I react and where I choose to place my attention.

As for the PC disk repair, I'm curious to see how it will turn out and so that's the attitude I'm choosing to adopt. By focusing on feeling curious about the outcome instead of dreading a particular outcome, it's much easier for me to stay in the moment and feel good at the same time.

So, right now, as I'm writing this, I am enjoying myself immensely and I know the rest of the "stuff" will work itself out however it works itself out. My mind is on the one thing that matters, which is how I'm choosing to feel right now. And right now, I feel good. I am enjoying my life.

Personal development and self expression in a home business

What does a home business have to do with personal development?

Following up on yesterday's theme, the quest for fulfillment is such a strong internal driver for most of us. And we need look no further than the growing number of "disenfranchised" people (at least in the Western world) for proof of that statement.

Every day I encounter more and more people who are fed up with the path they find themselves on ... tired or bored with their job or career, frustrated about what they don't have, and desperate to make some kind of change.

They are seeking fulfillment.

This is what is really driving the home based business industry. It's fed by people's quest for fulfillment. Self fulfillment. It's fuelled by our need for self expression. We want to feel we're growing and contributing -- that we're making a difference.

A home based business ... or any start up business for that matter ... is an exercise in personal development. It's an opportunity to learn about yourself, discover where your passions really lie, and create something of your very own. It's an opportunity to experience a life of inspired abundance.

So the most successful home business entrepreneurs are the one's who have truly tapped into their life calling, or purpose. Because they're on purpose, they are passionate about what they are doing and it's that passion that carries them forward and drives them to persevere when they encounter challenges and roadblocks.

So if you're considering starting a home business, or perhaps operate one already but aren't enjoying the success you're seeking, ask yourself what you're truly passionate about. Since what you're really looking for is a vehicle of self expression, it's important that the business you choose to pursue is aligned with where you see your purpose.

By doing so, you will have a degree of commitment to your enterprise that far surpasses what you would normally bring. And ultimately, it's your passion and commitment that will determine the level of success you enjoy.

Tony Robbins on the art of fulfillment

What is the art of fulfillment? I saw this video of Tony Robbins for the first time yesterday in which he talks about the art of fulfillment and specifically our needs to grow and contribute.

This is very powerful stuff. For isn't fulfillment really what we strive for?

I looked up the definition of fulfillment in the dictionary. Here's what I found:

1. the act or state of fulfilling: to witness the fulfillment of a dream; to achieve fulfillment of one's hopes.
2. the state or quality of being fulfilled; completion; realization: a vague plan that had no hope of fulfillment.
3. the process or business of handling and executing customer orders, as packing, shipping, or processing checks.
4. a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires
5. the act of consummating something (a desire or promise etc.)

Well four out of these five things are about that feeling we get that makes us feel whole. And it's the feeling that we are growing and that we are contributing that leads to that sense of fulfillment.

So what a tremendous opportunity to once again get clear on what your true purpose in life is. What's your target? You'll know because it will be something you are passionate and emotional about. Tap into that emotion and then decide -- right now, today -- what you're going to do about it in order to move in the direction of your own fulfillment. That will put you on the path to inspired abundance.

Enjoy the video.

Do You Feel Your Goals?

When you set and review your goals, do you do so with the feeling of already having them?

I've put a lot of focus over the past week on what I desire. And yet, for all of the focus, it's been clear to me that I've been vibrationally out of alignment with what I'd like to see. I could feel it. Instead of feeling up and excited about the goals, I felt sad and disappointed.

Why is that? How is it possible that by focusing on what I want, I'm actually lowering my vibration and repelling it? That doesn't make any sense ...

Then I found myself reading Lynn Grabhorn's book Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings when it finally struck me ... feelings ... it's all about feelings.

Our vibration is determined by how we feel about the thoughts we're having. So if I can feel I'm out of alignment the second I focus on a goal, then that's my cue.

The trick with goals and goal setting is to tap into the feeling of already having them.

Let's say one of my goals is to have $25,000 in my bank account. So each morning I dutifully open my journal and write out my goal. Or perhaps I recite the goal, reading from a goal card. If by doing that I find I feel out of alignment in any way ... sad, unhappy, disbelieving, etc. ... then that means I'm focused on the absence of the money.

I'm focused on the wrong thing.

And by law of attraction, guess what I'm going to get? More absence of money, more of the money not being there.

So the trick that I've discovered works well for me is to ask how having the money (or whatever your particular goal happens to be) would make me feel. "How do I feel knowing I have $25,000 in my bank account?"

This simple little technique automatically allows me to align with having the money rather than with not having the money.

So if you find yourself feeling frustrated about your goals or find that they're just not manifesting the way you desire even though you've set clear goals, perhaps it's because you've been focused on the absence of the goal rather than the feeling of having it. If so, reframe your thoughts by asking how you feel knowing you have it. It will make a world of difference in your pursuit of a life filled with inspired abundance.

Focus on the feeling and you will always be in vibrational alignment of your goal.

What Is True Happiness?

I've come to believe that true happiness is about enjoying the present moment. I'm really building on the theme of the how to live a happy life video I posted yesterday which was shot while we were up North at a cabin for a few days as a little retreat.

So let me back up and provide a little more context for you. Last week after we had booked the cabin, the weather turned very cold and was not what I'd consider in any way appealing. It had dropped into the -30s and with the windchill we had days well into the -40s. It's cold.

The last thing I felt like doing was loading up the van and driving 4 hours so we could pretend to be popsicles for 4 days. I would fall behind on my website work. We wouldn't be working our business for that time. I'd rather be somewhere warm. Etcetera.

But a funny thing happened. The weather turned warm as we loaded up the van late last Wednesday afternoon. The wind died down and we had a fun, pleasant drive up to to the cabin. I began to enjoy myself. We got settled into the cabin, which was very charming, and time stood still ... I was calm, forgot about all of that "stuff" I was fretting about just hours earlier, and I started enjoying the experience.

As you will have noticed in the video, we had a ton of fun. We played in the cold and we warmed up at the fire place. We had so much fun enjoying the location and cooperating with the environment that we didn't want to come home. We were living a happy life, a life of inspired abundance.

And today, I'm still living a happy life. It's howling outside with winds gusting up to 70 kilometers (over 40 miles) per hour. The snow is blowing and drifting on the highway. Believe it or not it's actually warmed up so it's only -24 with the windchill after hitting -49 a couple of days ago.

I'm sitting in my home office. I don't have to venture anywhere I don't want to go. And I'm loving every moment of today. Because afterall ... today is what I've got. And happiness is all about enjoying wherever I am in the moment.

Make today a happy and joyous day.