An Instructive Week at Inspired Abundance

It's been a very instructive week here at Inspired Abundance.

I've been very focused on the launch of our 7 Steps to Happiness program. The eCourse is ready and we've already received testimonials from several people. The eBook and Audio Book are ready and the teleclasses are in progress. It's neat how it has all come together. And we're ecstatic with the positive feedback we're receiving from people who have had the opportunity to preview the material.

We're also within a week or so of launching a new membership based website, in which we're partners, focused on self growth and personal development. It's exciting because we've been working on the project for several months now and it's all coming together in a way in which I beleive is unique and will offer tremendous value.

And of course, we're also going to be restructuring our Inspired Abundance website and newsletter this summer to make it more focused.

So as a result of all of this "activity", I've found my blogging frequency has slowed right down.

But despair not, for we'll be picking up the pace again shortly with more focused and original posts and articles you can only find here at Inspired Abundance. Have a great week-end.

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

What is the meaning of life?

If you're like me, it's easy to get caught up in this question and even find yourself trapped in a kind of vicious circle trying to make sense of your purpose and balancing that with your "reality".

How do I live and fulfill my purpose? How will I still pay the bills? How will I put food on the table? Will I ever find the time to just enjoy my life, or am I destined to spend all of my time in the pursuit of it?

These are common questions that we all have from time to time ... or even most of the time.

This is the theme I'll be focusing on this week. To get us started, here's a brief 4 and a half minute clip from Abraham that talks about the meaning of life. Enjoy.

Announcing 7 Steps to Happiness eCourse

Announcing 7 Steps to Happiness.

Today's post is going to be a commercial, so please forgive me for that. I've been absent from posting the past week because I've been busily pulling together the website for our brand new 7 Steps to Happiness program.

We're pleased to announce that we're ready!

Visit our website at http://www.7stepstohappiness.com/ and sign up now for our free eCourse. We've also completed an eBook and Audio Book which are available as well.

In our program, we build on many of the concepts I've written about in this blog and/or on our Inspired Abundance website.

So if you'd like to discover a program that is simple to use, really works (it's based on what Michelle and I ourselves have learned) and which can begin to change your results almost instantly then check it out!

So follow the link to 7 Steps to Happiness and discover simple steps that can help you start living a better life.

The Secret of Fearless Living: Guy Finley

Do you know the secret to fearless living?

Today is the official launch of the new book from Guy Finley, entitled The Essential Laws of Fearless Living. In his book, Guy shows you new ways to lift your life to breathtaking heights -- including the one great secret to being wise, fearless, and free.

One of the key themes of Guy's book is that you have an unlimited storehouse of untapped energy lying within you.

This is a concept we've discussed often in this blog. And the secret to living fearlessly lies in your ability to tap into that storehouse, and learning to operate from a position of faith, trust and belief.

This will be the topic for tomorrow's post, but for today, go out and get Guy Finley's new book. Click here to discover the secret to fearless living and begin to set the course for your life of inspired abundance.

What Do You Want?

What do you want?

In my coaching practice, I've come to understand this may be the single most powerful question I can offer.

If you're like me, you no doubt catch yourself "raging against the machine" from time to time, complaining about the person who cut you off in traffic, your boss, the governement, the way the kids misbehaved, the credit card bills ... whatever.

There is stuff that pisses you off and so it's natural to want to complain about it.

Yet, the truth of the matter is that the more energy and focus you put into this complaining, the further away you push yourself from whatever it is you really want. As a matter of fact, what you're really accomplishing is entrenching yourself as a victim.

So how can we jolt ourselves out of this downward spiral and get refocused quickly when we catch ourselves doing this?

Simple ... come back this one magical question.

What do you want?

This question is very powerful. It can immediately enable you to shift out of the negativity and place your attention on what's really important to you now ... wealth and freedom, peace, a new car, a new house, more time with your spouse, a life of inspired abundance ... whatever it is that matters most to you.

Now, as you become more focused on what you want, you can picture yourself enjoying those things in your mind. The more you begin to visualize what you really want, the more clarity you are able to begin to find around it, and the further away from the negativity you move yourself.

Notice how this in turn assists you to refocus and begin to draw on inspiration to generate ideas about things that will move you closer to what you want.

It's a powerful technique. Next time you catch yourself raging about everything that's not right, ask yourself what it is you do want and see what happens.

Power of Team and Teamwork

The power of team is an astonishing concept.

Team work in any endeavor is paramount to success. Together, with focus on a common goal, we get to leverage each others energies, skills and creativity to accomplish amazing things. And there's an enhanced level of excitement when you get to celebrate your victories together.

If you're like me, you already know this intuitively, but find there are times where you insist on being the lone wolf. And rarely is that inclination going to be for your highest good.

But enough rhetoric about team work and the power of team. Sometimes pictures say everything ... even a short 24 second video.

So who's on your team?

Personal Development Success: The Art of Exceptional Living

Why is personal development so critical to personal success? Have you learned to master the art of exceptional living?

Today I have for you a video from Jim Rohn, who is one of the pre-eminent teachers of the past century in the field of self growth and personal development.

Jim Rohn is credited with inspiring and teaching the likes of Anthony Robbins, Les Brown, and countless others various success principles in the areas of personal development, financial independence, education, relationships, and much more! And he has been a prominent figure in our own growth as we travel on our path to a life of inspired abundance.

One of the key tenets of Jim Rohn's teachings is that you needn't be a super-achiever or unusually creative, but rather you need only work on developing yourself and increasing the value you provide to others.

You don’t have to endure great obstacles. You don’t even have to do exceptional things. You just have to do ordinary things exceptionally well by learning from both your own personal experience and from the experiences of other people.

In this 9 minute video, you begin to pick up some key principles from Jim Rohn as he discusses the art of exceptional living.

He discusses the importance of self education, developing new skills, and how to start your own personal development and success journey. After viewing the video, click on Jim's picture to learn more about Jim Rohn and his Art of Exceptional Living program.

Use Leisure Time Well: Build Your Dreams

Are you using your leisure time well? Are you spending that time working to build your dreams?

Let's assume you have taken the time to get clear on where you're going and have built the habit of planning ahead in all important aspects of your life. You have a clear vision of a life of inspired abundance that's well entrenched in your mind. And you feel passionate about it.

The next key element is to take action that will move you towards your goals. But how do I find the time to do that if I'm working a full time job, doing chores around the house, and raising a family?

Where on earth to I find the time?

You've no doubt heard the expression we all the same 24 hours in a day. And of course it's true.

Perhaps the key disinction between people who wish they were successful and people who are, is in the choices they make about how to use their time.

In my own experience, I notice that the most successful people I know tend to always be doing something with their time.

While others ... often including me ... are vegging in front of the television complaining that they don't have time to get things done, the most successful people I know seem to always be doing something purposeful.

Even when they are doing something leisurely with their time, there's still a notion of purpose around it ... "I'm relaxing watching the big game because I need to be well rested for a networking function I have tonight." And if they are reading or relaxing or doing "nothing", it always seems to be along the lines of reading a book that is assisting them in growing, or they're working on writing their next book.

So it all comes down to choices.

Every day, we make choices about where and how to spend our time. And when we have "free" time, we still make choices about how to use that time.

So the question becomes, how can I choose to better use my time to help me move towards my goals in life -- my vision of where I'm going?

For me, whenever I catch myself moping or feeling sorry for myself reaching for a beer and a bag of chips (they go so well together!), I know that's a clue that perhaps I can be making better use of my time and invest some of it working towards my dreams.

Here's another nostalgic, 10 minute video from the 1950s that raises many valid points about how to use your leisure time in that quaint by-gone way.

Know Where You're Going: Benefits of Looking Ahead

We've talked about the importance of knowing where you're going and the benefits of looking ahead to your future many times in this blog. The life list of a couple of posts ago is an example of this.

As the saying goes, "if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there".

This is a fundamental principle of personal success and development ... and it's not at all new.

What do you want from your life? Have you written it down? What is your plan? If you're intending to build a life of inspired abundance, what does it look like?

I love old vintage films. Here's a 1950 Coronet film that explores the benefits of career planning while in high school, as well as the benefits of planning ahead in your daily life. This film was designed as an educational film for kids, but as I watch and listen to it, it occurrs to me the "advice" still holds ... and not just for kids.

So here's your chance to invest 10 minutes in a a fun, nostalgic look at days gone by.

But at the same time, ask yourself whether you've really taken the time to know where you're going and are planning ahead. And if you aren't, what are you going to do about it?

The Power of Belief: Top 10 Quotes on Beliefs

The Power of Belief
"If you believe you can, you probably can.
If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't.
Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad."
(Denis Waitley)

Beliefs are such powerful little creatures ... without us even necessarily being conscious of them, they tend to govern what we do, what we aim for and how we feel about ourselves and our possibilities.

I'm continuing to learn first hand how tremendously empowering -- or limiting -- beliefs can be.

Here are some quotes on the power of belief that I believe provide a wonderful summation of the subject.

1. "Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives." (Anothony Robbins)


2. "In any project the important factor is your belief. Without belief there can be no successful outcome." (William James)


3. "I can believe anything provided it is incredible." (Oscar Wilde)


4. “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” (Gail Devers)


5. “For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.” (Stuart Chase)


6. “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” (Joan of Arc)


7. “If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” (Mahatma Ghandi)


8. “The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs.” (James Allen)


9. “Miracles happen to those who believe in them.” (Bernard Berenson)


10. “One must marry one's feelings to one's beliefs and ideas. That is probably the only way to achieve a measure of harmony in one's life.” (Napoleon Hill)
    

Your Life List: 100 Things To Do Before You Die

Where is your life list of the 100 things you want to do before you die?

What would you most want to do in your life if you knew tomorrow was going to be you last day?

One of the most valuable exercises you can do for yourself is to set aside some quiet time, reflect on what it is you really would like to do or see in your life, and then start writing them down.

Your goal is to come up with a list of 100 things to do in your life -- your Life List.

If you can't come up with 100 things (I couldn't) ... that's okay. But keep adding to your list as you think of ideas. Carry the list around with you.

More importantly, begin looking for ways to do the things on your list. Start to make your life about living and experiencing your life list -- that list represents your path to a life of inspired abundance.

As you find yourself completing/living an item on your list, cross it off and then add another one. So at any point in time, you will always have a life list with 100 items that you are living towards.

I'm finding that when I remember to view my day in the context of me living my life list, I look at everything very differently than when I forget. It helps to create a sense of calmness and a feeling of being on purpose that is uplifting and energizing.

Try it and see whether your life list of 100 things to do before you die has the same positive impact on you. Here's a video I came across that might just assist you.