Affirmations Archives - Page 12 of 19 - Rex Sikes' Daily Inspiration and Gratitude

Do You Have What It Takes To Succeed Big?

“People who acquire the ability to take full possession of their mind may take possession of everything else to which they are justly entitled.” said Napoleon Hill.

Hill studied over 500 of the most successful and richest people worldwide of his day, given entry from Andrew Carnegie who commissioned him to make the study.

From the study of the 500 certain behaviors, principles and laws, were extracted. These were then tested. Taught to others to see if they too could get the same or similar results. They did. It worked! Hill’s offering changed the world for many!

If It Is Possible For One Person It Is Possible For Any Person

Napoleon Hill, through his works and books, has been said to be responsible for the success and creation of more millionaires in history than anyone else. His works are just as relevant and applicable today as they were 80 years ago.

Hill and others have encouraged people to take possession of their own mind and make it give them the life they want. He taught how to develop and control one’s mind. It is the ONE thing in the universe over which a person MAY have complete control.

It is not unlike taming a wild beast. It takes dedication, patience and love. It takes persistence, repetition and reward. It may not be easy at times. The beast may appear to win some of the time but you must be in charge. The effort pays off big for those willing to pay the price.

Your Past Does Not Equal Your Future

It does not come cheap said Hill. It costs you your time, energy, devotion and takes as long as it takes any individual. Some will be quicker than others for no known or apparent reason. If you are willing to commit to it, once learned, you can write your own ticket.

Through the process you control your mind, your emotions and learn how to aim and direct your mental faculties and behaviors at becoming successful. You must learn how to use your mind in a particular fashion.

The first step in becoming successful is knowing your Definite Chief Purpose in life. What are you born to do? Why are you here? What brings you the greatest amount of pleasure? What could you not live without doing or being?

You Must Be Willing To Pay The Price For Success

Through self examination, questioning, and reflection you determine you purpose. From there you set goals that are consistent with you fulfilling that purpose. These goals can be stepping stones or rungs of the ladder to your ultimate destination.

You must want this more than anything. It must consume you. You must think on it day and night. You must imagine yourself already in possession of the good you desire. See, hear and feel your wants fulfilled. Visualize and affirm your success most of your time!

Feel those incredible feelings of gratitude and appreciation. It is through repeatedly thinking positively about it and feeling the good feelings you get your subconscious mind working on your behalf. Your subconscious is the gateway to getting your desires.

Correct Repetition Forms Reliable Positive Habits

It requires constant focus and repetition. You need to acquire the ability to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay focused on the acquisition of your desire regardless of what and while present circumstances may be contradictory.

You do that by developing an active faith. Not a religious belief in icons but the tenacious belief that you will have what you want. Because you KNOW someday you will have what you want you continue to strive toward making it happen without quitting.

One of the powerful practices to assist you along the way isn creating value for others. Going the extra mile or doing more than is expected of you, or more than your are being paid for AND following the Golden rule are critical.

Mastery Is An Ongoing Process Not A One Time Event

Through these practices and by developing and maintaining a pleasing personality Hill says you can attract to yourself others who are interested in helping you, support you and even invest in you or provide capital for your ventures.

You form a Master Mind Alliance. A small collection of members are all of one deep abiding accord and work together in perfect harmony. Perfect Harmony is the key. The Master Mind works together in pursuit of one common goal in perfect harmony.

Otherwise, it is a mere collection of people interested in a topic It is popular these days since the term sounds important. These are not real mastermind alliances. The true Master Mind Alliance exponentially enhances the members resources and abilities.

Success Breeds Success

It can because each member has different abilities pertinent to your pursuit. A Master Mind Alliance assembles based on the resources you need to fulfill your purpose. It’s not a club. A real Master Mind opens up incredible doorways you can’t begin to imagine.

Hill states that by cultivating these qualities and the ability to be a leader of your own self, make quick decisions based on accurate thinking and evidence, not gossip or opinion are important ingredients for making what you want to happen.

A leader must inspire others and must be willing to do whatever is asked of followers. A leader has to have a quality mindset and remain positive even when defeat appears imminent. One can not give up and run.

Learning: The More You Do The More You Are Able To Do

All in all Hills work is the science for learning how to make your career, your finances, your relationships and your life what you want them to be. It is simple but not always easy.

You must keep going and never quit. You develop the mind skills to learn from challenges instead of letting them defeat you. You pay a high price for all this but in the end the reward outweighs the price you paid.

Few will every take the journey. Many will begin but few will follow through. It is action and follow through that is important. If you want to drive to visit New York City you must keep going until you get there.

All Challenges Are Temporary – Failure Occurs When You Quit

If you quit anywhere along the way the truth is you stopped traveling toward you destination. You quit or gave up, whatever the reason. Some will say it is too difficult and never begin. Others will say it is all about money or not their values.

Everyone will have their own reason why or why not their life works or it doesn’t. Excuses and blaming others or circumstances will never get you the life or the riches or the relationships you desire. You must realize that.

Do not put it off until everything is right, or until you have enough knowledge, or friends, or money or whatever EXCUSE you use to delay moving forward, only DELAYS moving forward. The time is never right. The time is always NOW. There is no other time.

Now Is The Time – Right Here Is The Place – There Is No Other

Begin today. right where you are. You have everything you need right there within you to be a huge success. Yes, of course, you don’t believe it and you don’t know where it is otherwise you’d already be that big success. BUT YOU DO. Yes, it is like an acorn seed.

Everything about the mighty oak is contained in the seed. It simply has to be released. If released and nourished it will become an incredible oak tree. You will succeed when you release your inner resources and abilities and nourish those along the way.

Lastly, those who succeed, aren’t greedy. The true success doesn’t step on or crush others to win. The true success doesn’t need to. The genuine success celebrates the advancement of others, is not envious but realizes success never happens in isolation.

Success Never Happens Alone It Takes Cooperation From Others

It take others to succeed. The truly successful person succeeds with others and brings them along too. Celebration, gratitude and appreciation are inherent within those who are genuine. Enjoy being successful with others. Help them along.

Encourage and support. Reciprocate. Be kind, understanding and loving with people. Be relentless in your pursuit of your Definite Chief Purpose. Embody the principles, take possession of your mind and you can write your own ticket!” Rex Sikes

It is your day! How will you spend it?

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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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How To You Motivate Yourself To Succeed

“In order to succeed or reach a big dream or goal you have to be filled with passion. Napoleon Hill called it ‘white hot burning desire’. If you want to succeed in your career or life it must drive you.

It’s not a wish or want because that has no force to drive you. It must be something you cannot imagine living without. You must have it! You do every legitimate thing you can until you do. It compels you!

Once you have a burning desire to fulfill your purpose you move forward with great intensity. Every successful person shares this in common. They know precisely what they want! They go after it!

Motivation Comes From Doing Not From Waiting To Do

They know they will make it happen! The don’t let anything stop them from achieving their desire. No matter what the odds. They do what it takes! They keep the faith and are positive they will succeed.

They are committed. They have chosen a purpose or a goal they intend to fulfill. The have written it down and committed it to memory. They dwell on it day and night. They imagine life and what it is like to live with their accomplishment. It consumes them!

They visualize it and affirm it often through out each day. They direct all their energies to making it come true. True Motivation comes from doing! Motivations doesn’t come before you do it.

Once You Start You Motivation Will Follow

They learn from set backs and plan changes. Most all of them have faced criticism and even ridicule from well intending family and friends. The Wright Brothers own father thought they were damned in hell for attempting to fly. They didn’t let that stop them.

Most people though Ford’s idea of a horseless carriage totally inane, after all, they already had a good horse. The more you do the more you can do! Prove it to yourself! Start and motivation will follow!

Ford’s own engineers thought what he wanted was impossible. They said it couldn’t be done. He told them to keep trying until they could do it. After a time, they came back and said it was still impossible. He told them to not return until they did it. He knew it was possible!

Most People Make This Mistake – They Wait To Be Motivated

They came back after a year with news that they had created what he imagined. A good thing Ford wasn’t hampered by the same thinking his engineers were. Ford pushed them to persevere!

Ford changed the world. Roadways led to highways and interstates. Towns, service stations, fast food restaurants, motels and more sprang up. An entire infrastructure was financed and constructed creating new industry. All because Ford envisioned a new way.

The Wright Brothers changed land and sea transportation to air. They reduced the amount of time travel took and made the world smaller. We travel outer space as a result! They imagined flight first!

The More You Do The More You Can Do

People have changed the world with a single idea that they were convinced they would accomplish. They persisted and they did. Jim Carey stood high in the hills of Hollywood at night. Alone with a vision.

He imagined the moguls of Hollywood hiring him and paying him millions. He made it happen. Oprah Winfrey went from rags to riches with a media empire. The stories are countless. Winners win! Be a winner too! You can do it. Take action! Don’t wait.

If you believe it you can achieve it. Pour your energy into making it happen, and you devote yourself to its accomplishment no matter how long it may take. Make it happen! You must believe and expect to do it. No one will do it for you. They will do it for themselves.

You Are Where Your Thoughts Brought You

You must live your dream day and night and let nothing distract you. Do not succumb to temporary defeat or quit. If you quit it is over. Keep going, never give up! Persist, persist, persist, again and again.

You will succeed faster if you are nice to others. Go the extra mile all along the way. Provide great value to them first. Be friendly, optimistic and fun to be around. You will get further faster if you enlist the friendly and harmonious co-operation of others.

You do that by being friendly and supportive first. What goes around comes around. No one makes it on their own. You make it with others! Celebrate others success and they will celebrate yours.

You Will Be Where Your Thoughts Take You

Begin where you are! Begin right now. Conceive it, and believe it. Be passionate about it and ideas for plans will come. The how never comes first it comes through action. You see as you travel.

Edison didn’t know how to light the world until he made a working light bulb. He tried 10,000 times. He didn’t know how to make a light bulb work until AFTER he succeeded. You get more excited moving forward! Go as far as you can go. From there you will see farther.

Don’t wait until you know how. Begin today and the how will become evident along the way. That is how it works. Once you direct your energies powerfully toward your purpose your mind opens up.

You Cannot Escape Your Thoughts

It helps you discover ideas and opportunities previously closed off to you. Energy begets energy. When you direct it positively good things are possible. Enjoy! Celebration makes everything easier. Gratitude greases the wheel. Think and feel positive! Celebrate, be grateful, and make your dreams come true!” Rex Sikes

Enjoy the day!

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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

To Tithe Or Not? Does It Work?

“Is there are secret to giving? What about the practice of tithing, does it work? How does this relate to your career, your life? You may begin to have many important insights into how your mind works as you read this. Reflect on these. You could learn about yourself and your beliefs and practices.

I am going to share with you a small portion of a consulting session with a client who asked me a question on the practice of tithing. I was not coaching on tithing it was simply a question that came up during conversation. I am sharing some of our conversation around the topic.

A Conversation On Tithing

Client: ‘The only thing that is a little unsettling is the whole tithing thing. I’ve heard before when you put it out that it comes back to you, but I can’t help but be a bit nervous about it.

Rex: That is the point of doing it. It can unsettle anyone.

Client: A little easier if you’re making a little more money.

Rex: That is a belief many people probably have. Think about what you manifested in the past. Remember, my example of ‘goldfish’. Do you remember, what you accomplished?

Rex: Another belief, maybe. So? So, it has been a while? So what? What does that mean? Does it mean you can or can’t now because it has been a while? Look, I can not tell you what to do.

I can only say you will encounter yourself through this notion of tithing. You will encounter your beliefs about limitations and your possibilities.

It is a potent opportunity to examine your beliefs. We all have them around things. So? What you decide, whether to tithe or not, is what you decide.

Client: Well, one does have to pay the bills.

Rex: Another belief… or excuse … or a reason you could examine.

Client: Who do we give the money to?

Rex: I imagine the church you chose to practice tithing with.

Client: Now this is not an excuse, but I’m not quite sure how I would do this as when money comes in, I put it in an account and pay my employee and other business expenses out of that account (taxes, etc) so I’m not quite sure how I would tithe for myself.

Rex: You write a check out of your business or your business writes you a check and you write one from that. I don’t know, How do you pay yourself?

I am not an accountant nor financial advisor so I can’t really tell you what or how, because I don’t know. It is all up to you and your decision anyway

Client: I don’t write a check to myself, I simply transfer money from business into personal checking when personal checking gets low.

Rex: Look, you will do what you will do. If you don’t do it, don’t do it and let t go. Don’t worry about it. If you do, do it. Let it go and don’t worry about it. You can tell the church you aren’t prepared to do this yet. What can they do? Kick you out? I doubt it.

It has to be your congruent decision. Which way you decide and whatever you decide is okay. Just make the decision and be done with it. Don’t second guess it. Accept you made it. Relax. You can change it if you don’t like the decision you made.

If you learn something about how you think and what you believe and what you are open to and what you aren’t by this challenge then excellent. That is the challenge of tithing. You have the opportunity to explore. Learn all you can. Forget the worry.

Client: Do you tithe weekly, or? I forget. I guess I’ll figure out a way to know how much to tithe.

Rex: Well, you can’t base your decision on my decision. Tithing is a belief and practice from some religions. Some people feel very strongly that it works. I know some who say it doesn’t matter. I know some who say it doesn’t work.

What the ‘truth’ is, I haven’t a clue. I suspect if you tithe and believe it works it does. If you tithe and believe it won’t then it won’t. I think it is all about uncovering the beliefs we have about money, giving and receiving.

It is beliefs about the nature of the universe and our abilities. That, for me, is what I think the practice is mostly about. It is a practice in which you have to exercise your faith one way or the other.

Do you give and believe 110% you will get back or do you give but then doubt? I think it makes quite a difference. That is why I say it is about being congruent.

Client: Oh. I’m just wondering how you figure out 10% of what comes in, especially when you have an employee to pay. I’m not trying to make this difficult, I’m just trying to figure it out.

Rex: Well, you either go with the gross or the net. if you want to tithe 10% on what you make then it is on the net. The bottom line is if you want to tithe you can always tithe what you feel you can and increase it as you are able.

Rex: Or you step out on faith and tithe the specific 10 and expect the return as promised without wavering. It is really an exercise in developing strong faith. What if you sacrificed and gave 10% and didn’t see any return at all for a long time for a year? Maybe never.

How would you talk and think about it? Then after a year, wow, you got it all back times 10 or 100. How would you think and feel and believe then? Or you step out on faith and give money and spend a year worrying about it and fretting about it and never get anything back?<

It is about faith and expectations and about being in charge of yourself and your beliefs and your thought process. If you did it and got nothing back monetarily but were happier and healthier overall would that be sufficient? See, we all make our own bargains about these things.

Thoughts About Tithing

We talked a bit further. I point out the conversation because it is similar to many we have with ourself or others. We want to do the right thing when we don’t know what the right thing is. We want to be assured in advance that we aren’t doing the wrong thing. We can’t actually know either.

If you do something and it turns out terrible that is what it is. If you do something and it turns out fantastic that is what it is. You have to be willing to take responsibility for either and know that no matter what, no matter how wonderful or how devastating, that you always will land on your feet and that you can begin again if necessary.

No one else can tell you what you need to do. Most of us try to avoid pain and loss and maximize gain and pleasure. When it is in question we vacillate, sit on the fence, fret, worry, hope and doubt. We don’t know what to do or how to do it. THAT is exactly why FAITH is involved.

It Is All About Faith And What We Believe

If you don’t like that answer there isn’t much I can do to convince you to. You will either embrace it now or at some time in the future or you will never. That is your journey. FAITH IS IN THE INVISIBLE. We can’t see it. We don’t know the outcome. We don’t know how. If we did it wouldn’t be faith that was necessary.

To step out in faith means to believe when there may be no logical reason to. The Bible is ripe with stories of faith, whether true tales or myths they are potent examples for our benefit. Noah built an ark, Job trusted the lord, Daniel entered the lion’s den, David rushed Goliath, Jesus went to the cross, Peter denied his lord.

You might wish to grow your faith with lesser challenges. If you can’t believe in something put your faith into something that is a stretch but plausible. Practice using your faith to manifest opportunity, money, good things and build it up from experience. The point of manifesting and attracting is that is requires faith.

Examine Your Beliefs And How They Do Or Don’t Serve You<

If you don’t have faith IT would be silly to engage. You might believe you can win the lottery and spend all your money on tickets and still lose. Perhaps, you had doubts. Perhaps, you just didn’t win and yet you did believe 110%. You have to accept the outcome and if you aren’t prepared to do that then take smaller leaps of faith.

First Disclaimer: I never suggest gambling or playing the lottery. I never give financial, legal, medical or psychiatric advice. I am not qualified professionally.

Second Disclaimer: Faith, as used here is not the faith of some Christian or religious thought. I use biblical examples. The faith here does not require someone to believe in any spiritual deity. Faith, as used here, and by me, means the full and compete belief in oneself and the ability to accomplish one’s purpose.

Faith can be built up. It can be tested. The Bible says we are already given faith so it is a matter of exercising it. Whether or not you believe the Bible isn’t my point. You don’t have to in order to learn about faith. You exercise your faith as you do any muscle.

You believe many things about yourself. You believe you can and can’t do things. You believe some positive things about yourself and unfortunately, you probably have some limiting ones you entertain too.

You put your faith in many things. You trust, believe and have faith that the chair you are sitting in will hold you up. You believe the house around you will continue to stand. You believe summer will give way to winter and then summer again. You believe these things.

You Already Believe So Many Things

You believe your TV remote will work, given there are batteries in it. You believe the sun will rise tomorrow. You believe your car will start. You believe electricity lights you lights and heats or cools your house. These are examples of the faith you use every single day.

I want to share a tiny bit of what Napoleon Hill said in ‘Think And Grow Rich’.

‘FAITH IS the head chemist of the mind. When FAITH is blended with the “vibration of thought,” the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence…

‘FAITH is a state of mind which may be induced, or created, by affirmations or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principle of autosuggestion. As an illustration, consider one main purpose for which, presumably, you are reading this book.

The object is, naturally, to acquire the ability to transmute the intangible thought impulse of DESIRE into its physical counterpart— money. By following the instructions laid down in the chapters… if you can CONVINCE your subconscious mind that you believe you will receive that for which you ask.

What The Mind Can Conceive And Believe It Can Achieve

Your subconscious mind will act upon that belief, then pass it back to you in the form of FAITH, followed by definite plans for procuring that which you desire.

…THOUGHTS WHICH ARE MIXED WITH ANY OF THE FEELINGS OF EMOTIONS CONSTITUTE A “MAGNETIC” FORCE WHICH ATTRACTS OTHER SIMILAR, OR RELATED THOUGHTS.

A thought thus “magnetized” with emotion may be compared to a seed which, when planted in fertile soil, germinates, grows, and multiplies itself over and over again until that which was originally one small seed becomes countless millions of seeds of the SAME KIND!

…read ALOUD twice daily the WRITTEN statement of your DESIRE FOR MONEY, and to SEE AND FEEL yourself ALREADY in possession of the money! By following these instructions, you communicate the object of your DESIRE directly to your SUBCONSCIOUS mind in a spirit of absolute FAITH.

Through repetition of this procedure, you voluntarily create thought habits which are favorable to your efforts to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent. (This procedure is NOT restricted to monetary gain alone.

The Results You Get Are The Product Of Your Thinking

It can be used to help you achieve WHATEVER IT IS that you DESIRE STRONGLY, so long as it does not violate the laws of God or the rights of others.)’ SO said Napoleon.

I think this is pretty clear. Use repetition to develop strong positive thinking, feeling and believing habits. You must be totally aligned and congruent inside about your passion. You have a strong burning desire, for what it is you want. You believe, without doubting; you absolutely know you will make it happen. THEN you will get it!

I think tithing is a way of confronting your beliefs about it. I don’t think you have to tithe. I do think going through the process of honestly considering it is a great exercise in uncovering what you think and believe. You will encounter yourself and your reasons pro and con. After that, it is your decision to make, if you choose to.

This isn’t really about tithing it is about your beliefs about anything. Can you make it in your career? Will you have the life you want? The conversation is included because we have lots of beliefs about money. Be glad when we have an opportunity to examine what we believe about anything.

Our beliefs govern what we think is possible or not. What we believe is possible determines what we will and won’t do. This is why Henry Ford said, ‘If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.’ Money issues drive most of us. What do we believe about money, ourselves, our abilities, the future? The larger issue is: Are we willing to examine our beliefs to take better charge of ourselves.

The purpose of taking control of your thoughts is to live the life you deserve to live. Maximize your abilities to make your dreams come true. Then you have the health, wealth, love, success, free time, and more that you have been seeking. Put your brain to work for you to get what you want. You are always getting results one way or the other. Are you getting the kind you want?” Rex Sikes

Another great day to have some more fun!

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There Is A Magic Ingredient That Makes All Of Life Better

“Did you know there is something that determines your happiness, your success, your victories more than anything else. It is the ‘magic’ ingredient! I bet you already know what it is.

It is your attitude! You say, ‘Really, attitude? Well, of course, I already knew this.’ See, I knew you’d think something like that.

Your attitude is comprised of your beliefs and what you think is important, your values. It is your mindset. You (and I) aren’t born with attitude. You develop it. You can change it. You can make it serve you OR you can serve it.

Whether IT serves you or YOU serve it is critical. If you have a poor attitude you are the servant. If your attitude is right, IT serves you. You have heard of a ‘winning’ or ‘winner’s attitude’.

Your Attitude Determines Your Circumstances

If you have a poor attitude know this: YOU are not stuck with THAT attitude. You can change it to better serve you. Your attitude is your chronic, habitual thinking patterns. It is your OLD reliable thoughts.

If these suck, you need to replace this old habit with a new and better, more productive, thinking habit. It takes a little time and effort true, but it is far simpler than you might believe. AND what you believe is JUST THAT. It is what YOU believe.

‘A happy person is not a person with a certain set of circumstances but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.’ Hugh Downs. We tend to think happiness comes by having the right people, things or circumstances in our lives. It doesn’t. It IS the other way around.

Your attitude determines whether you find the world a friendly and inviting place or not. Your attitude determines your circumstances and how you navigate them more than anything else. Your thoughts create your reality. YOUR THOUGHTS create YOUR REALITY!

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

‘Your attitude determines your altitude.’ This last statement is a quote sometimes attributed to Zig Ziglar. There is a slightly longer version.

‘Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.’ Said another way, ‘Your success is determined by how much you desire it and not by your talents.’ This is very close to what I think Napoleon Hill says. I paraphrase below:

You must have a Definite Chief Purpose. You must know what you want. You must want to achieve it with all your heart. You must be passionate about it. You must want it with a white hot burning desire.

You must have complete faith in yourself. You must believe you will achieve it in spite of any obstacle or negative circumstances. You must keep going and persist, until you do. Stick with it! Make it happen!

Your Attitude Determines Your Experience Of The World

‘Whatever the mind of man can conceive, and come to believe, it can achieve.’ Napoleon Hill. Everything first originates as a thought or an idea. That is why he said you can THINK and grow rich. Riches originate within. Riches, happiness, success, health begin in the mind.

Your thought, your mindset or attitude, is critical to your success and happiness. What you think determines how far you will go. Henry Ford said, ‘whether you think you can or you think you can’t you are right!’ I say, never let a thought stop you from a positive good!

Thoughts are powerful. Thoughts become things. Still, when all is said and done, it is, after all, just a thought. A mental packet of energy. YOU chose what YOUR thoughts WILL BE! Make ALL your thoughts SERVE YOU instead of you serving them!

‘He rarely hits the mark or wins the game, who says, I know I’ll miss while taking aim.’ Allan Guiterman. You must already know this. If you don’t think you will you RARELY will. You are less apt to succeed if you think you are going to fail. Think YOU will WIN!

Your Attitude Determines What You Make Happen

Another Guiterman quote. ‘What one approves, another scorns, And thus his nature each discloses. You find the rosebush full of thorns, I find the thornbush full of roses.’ I’ve discussed it in these blog pages many times. Your mindset or attitude determines what you find.

Out brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) looks for proof in the world for what we already believd. It looks for a match. It has no vested interest in what that is. If you think negatively it will find that as much as if you think positively. It doesn’t care BUT you should.

You are so much more likely to succeed and have what you want when you take charge of your attitude. When you take control of your thoughts and feelings. When you decide you are going to make things happen you will.

If you decide the world is friendly and you can be, do and have anything you want your RAS will look and find that evidence for you. That is what it is designed to do.

Your Attitude Determines Whether You Win Or Lose

Hill stated, anything you turn over to your subconscious mind by emotionally charge repetition, you subconscious will work to make reality. This is already working for you and I.

We can’t escape it. We can only aim it. We are either predominantly positive or predominantly negative in our thinking. What we think most and how we think most of the time, determines the kind results we get back. We get either positive or negative results.

If you wait for ‘magic’ to happen or for things to come to you on their own, you might just wait all your life. The time is NOW to fashion and craft the winning attitude that carries you across the finish line. ‘If IT is to BE IT is up to ME!’ William Johnsen. You decide!

Your Positive Attitude Can Make Everything Much Better

Everything changes for the better when you change your attitude for the better. All of your life will transform. If you begin to believe this is possible THEN it IS possible. Make it happen!

If you don’t believe it, for you, it won’t be possible. You determine the outcome by what you choose to believe. That is how it works. It is always a choice whether you recognize it as one or not. Choose!Take responsibility, take charge.

Put yourself in the driver’s seat. Take control. Don’t wait for others or circumstances to be right, create the circumstances. It is time to be the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. It begins with your thoughts! It ALL begins with your attitude! Remember, ‘Your attitude determines you altitude!” Rex Sikes

Make the most of your day!

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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

Are You Ready To Transform Your Ho Hum Life Into A More Worthwhile, Successful, Positive One?

“Today, let’s keep it very simple and very brief. Let’s nutshell it all. Do you want your life to improve for the better? Do you want more happiness, success, love, fun, wealth, better health and well-being?

Do you want to live without worry, fear, and doubt? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be filled with joy and be at peace too? All these and more can be yours. It is simple.

Feel Wonderful

Focus on the best feelings you have and make it a point to have more of them. It is not that you can’t have great feelings readily available it’s that you don’t think it is possible for you. It is!

That is the thinking you must overcome. It is possible! You can do it! You deserve to do it. You won’t, though, if you don’t believe you can or if you won’t do what it takes. Believe in yourself. Have faith!

Fill your mind and your time with the best thoughts and the most wonderful feelings you are able. If you are down low it isn’t necessary that you become over joyed. It is alright if you move from down to okay. You climb a ladder one rung at a time. Move along!

Think in terms of moving in a direction. You may start off slow and small but you speed up and make improvements along the way.

Think Positive Thoughts Speak Positive Words

Celebrate, be grateful. Live with appreciation for anything and everything. Nothing is too small nor too large to feel gratitude for. Nothing is too negative to not find some aspect to be thankful for.

Learn to look for the silver linings hidden in the dark clouds. The more you are filled with genuine thanks for everything the quicker your life transforms. Count your blessings! Feel the feelings!

Only you can do this for yourself. No one can do it for you. The more you focus on feeling wonderful the more wonderful you will eventually feel. What you think about you bring about!

Do not seek happiness and complain you don’t have it. Focus on and notice the distance decreasing not how far you must travel. Learn to manage your mindset and expectations.

Stay focused on feeling better bit bit, however small that bit may be. Step by step you will make your way. Be gentle and encouraging of yourself as you journey. Keep your talk and self-talk positive.

Live Love Laugh Celebrate

Love yourself. Accept yourself even if you don’t feel like it. Respect yourself and speak well of yourself. Think the best. Speak to yourself nicely.

Love yourself as if you are a small child learning the way for the very first time. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Be gentle, nudge yourself along. No one is perfect when first learning to do new things.

Smile more. Laugh! Skip, sing, dance and move. Go for walks. Spend some time out doors sitting quietly enjoying nature. Walk barefoot, ground yourself. Relax, meditate take time for yourself. Have a bath and make yourself comfortable. Enjoy pleasant simple activities.

You eat an elephant bite by bite. No reason to bite off more than you can chew. Take it easy. Have faith. Know that if you do even just a little bit each day, that is more than you might have done and be happy. A little bit each day adds up. You will surprise yourself soon.

Keep Doing It Don’t Stop

Listen to motivational and inspirational audio. Read positive material each day. Seek out positive and productive people to spend time with. Attend positive events and seminars if you are able.

Look for the positive in all circumstances, events and people. Keep focused on what you can do. Celebrate and feel the very best. You can do this bit by bit. Just keep at it. Keep doing these things.

Soon you will be more positive than negative. Soon you will feel better and better. You will become what you think about most often and the results you get will reflect that. You will live with more joy and delight than you can presently imagine! Don’t wait. Transform your life into something amazing. Begin today!” Rex Sikes

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HEADS UP!!! Soon Daily Inspiration And Gratitude will have a new home. A new URL, a new look and feel. All this content and new content will be delivered there. Some of you get this blog emailed to you,

I don’t know whether that will continue or not. I do know you will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter. I hope you will stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. So will you stay with me? I sure want you to. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place.

Make today count!

Enjoy what is glorious about you today!

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Perhaps The Most Important Question You Ever Ask Yourself

“As a young actor, with my buddies at the time, we entertained a question. Turns out it is a very important question. At the time we only gave lip service to it but didn’t ask it in our hearts. Maybe the others did but I certainly didn’t. It was nothing more to me than a mere intellectual curiosity.

That question was and is, ‘If your success were absolutely guaranteed 25 or more years from now. Without question, you would be then a huge star. You would have everything you want. It is yours. How would you live your life between now and then?’

(Okay – housekeeping note – this is a long one. But do please read to the end. I didn’t want to divide it into installments as I could have.)

Most of us assumed we would stay in workshops and continue the pursuit. Then after discussing the question we continued to do what a lot of actors and others do. We went on complaining about our agents, managers, the casting directors who weren’t seeing us and all the producers and directors who were missing out on our great talents.

We went to classes, those who had part time jobs did them, others worked full time while trying to pursue a career. Some married and with children some without. Juggling a career in the movie business with partner, kids and job can be quite a challenge. Being single, lonely and alone is challenging too.

It is hard in show biz and you know what, it is hard in any career. Becoming an actor, film director, producer, writer, editor and all the rest it’s tough to get in and it is tough to sustain. There is no formula you can follow out of college. Everyone succeeds is an individually unique way.

While traditional businesses offer more provincial routes to success it is not easy there either. Whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer, politician, engineer, realtor, investor, banker, fireman, educator and on and on each has there own share of difficulty and sacrifices that require making.

So back to the question regardless of what career you are in or which one you want to be in. Back to the question even if it isn’t a career that concerns you but life in general. “What would you do if happiness and success were absolutely guaranteed but not for a very long time from now? How would you live between now and then?’

Here is the reason I ask. In order to succeed in anything, the easiest way is to believe you will succeed. You have to know what you want, you have to have a burning desire for its fulfillment and you have to have faith that it is yours and on the way.

You must believe you can make it happen. These were conditions and principles put forth by Andrew Carnegie (at one time the world’s richest man) and through Napoleon Hill (the author of Think & Grow Rich) commissioned by Carnegie to study success.

Hill stated that, ‘whatever the mind of can conceive and believe can be achieved’. It begins with thought and how we manage our thought. It is brought forth by our intense feelings, our passion and desire for its attainment.

It is delivered through unrelenting faith that we will succeed no matter what obstacles rise up before us. It is ours and we will persist until we can claim it.

Said another way, ‘What we hold in our head we will some day hold in our hands’, and ‘What we think about we bring about’. I would add in, ‘what we totally feel in our hearts, all the incredible feelings’ puts the fuel in our engines to get us where we want to go.

Great, we know the formula. What does that have to do with the question. The question is what do you do between now and then when success is unconditionally guaranteed? If you believe that is true, which I did not as a young actor, I thought it was a nice, fanciful idea but nothing is guaranteed, you will operate in a particular way.

You will live from this conviction and it will shape everything you think and do. If you unquestionably know it is yours you live with the confidence that you will have it. It feels good to own it even if it takes a while to claim it. It is yours. It is a given. You are successful and happy. Why would you ever let anything rain on your parade in the meantime?

You have everything you want coming to you. Celebrate and be glad. If you compare now to then and you focus on what you don’t yet have then you get pain and end up in a world of hurt. THAT is what I did. I thought, nice idea but I am suffering and I need it now. You must not think like that!

You must focus on what you want and what you know is coming your way and not on what you don’t want and don’t have.

You will never be happy or successful focused on negativity. You won’t get rich focused on lack. You get happy and rich and successful by first being those on the inside. If you knew ultimately you would triumph why would you ever chose not to live like a successful, happy victor? You wouldn’t if you were convinced you would be, do and have everything you want.

That is Carnegie’s and Hill’s third principle. In order to be successful you must expect to be successful. You must know it in your mind and heart and soul and in every fiber of your being. You must be unstoppable and never deterred.

Every cell, every atom in you knows you will win. This is the mindset we must have to have what we want.

Instead, I focused on my bills, girlfriends or no girlfriends, not having the big home or cars as others did. I focused more on how I wasn’t working enough and how unfair it was that others got breaks that I didn’t. On and on and on it went. I was consumed by all the woe in my life. Whether actual or imagined.

So the question was posed, I thought about it and dismissed it as a curiosity. Nice to entertain but unrealistic. Yet, later I learned that Hill studied over 500 of the wealthiest, most successful powerhouses of his day and that since his work others have done similar and guess what.

Carnegie and Hill were correct. You have to know what you want. You have to feel it as already belonging to you. You have to know this and want it and feel it coming to you with your entire being! You must keep that faith. In the future you are already victorious! You will have everything you want when you truly believe it.

Decades ago I would have called that magical or mystical,fairytale thinking. Nice but cheesy. NOW I know so much better how true it actually it is. It has worked in my own life and continues to and I have seen it work, and helped make it work in countless others’ lives.

When we know what we want we determine where we want to end up. We know what the end result is. We do not yet have to know how to get there but we must know what we want to be, do and have. If we don’t define it and clarify it there is nothing to aim at. The mind needs a well defined clear target.

We must feel it with a burning desire. If we don’t want if very much we won’t do very much to make it happen. We will be lazy and accept whatever. We will drift and not amount to much of anything.

Think about all those romance movies where the valiant swashbuckling hero has to overcome all sorts of tremendous odds in order to win the lady’s heart. He has to win her, overcome insurmountable odds and difficulties and make it back to claim her love.

He has to really want her to fight for her all the way! He has to know that he will fight to the death and come away winning her hand or he is not all in. You must be all in. You must be passionately and wholly committed. You can’t play half assed and expect to win the prize.

WHY? because with a clear target and positive powerful emotions your brain then totally gets it. There is no question about what it is you desire. It is completely clear. Message received!

In order to keep the mind on track you have to stay on target. That is where faith and feelings come in. You have to feel it is yours. You deserve it. It is yours no question.

There are no doubts, no worry, no fears. It is only a matter of time that this or something better will be fulfilled. You are all in and will never give up no matter what.

Now your brain goes to work for you. It makes connections, associations, organizes and utilizes all your resources and abilities to help you make it happen. You become confident in yourself, positive and powerful.

You trust yourself to make it happen. Where there is will there is a way. You are a champion, of course you will triumph! There is no other outcome that could happen. Your success is guaranteed!

Your mind is alerted to possibilities and opportunities. You become sensitized to these in the same way as when you purchase a new car and suddenly, notice all the same make and model on the streets. You look for opportunity and discover them where none seemed to previously exist.

You find yourself drawn to likeminded positive successful people. You discover events and circumstances working for you. Obstacles and challenges provide lessons which you extract, and you adapt and adopt and continue to move forward.

If you know success is yours you let nothing stand in the way. You know that ultimately nothing can or will prevent you from claiming what it is you want. You are already a success within!

So while it may sound like magic this is what we have learned from successful people during the past century and from well beyond that. This is how the kings and rulers think. This is how those born to wealth and privilege think. This is how the successful shakers and doers think. Their mindset paves the way for the results they want to achieve. ‘As above so below. As within so without.’

It is true there are some of trust fund babies who squander their good fortune and make a mess of their lives. By far the majority of successful people will, IF THEY WANT YOU TO KNOW IT, tell you they always knew they would do well and succeed at whatever they wanted. There was NEVER any question. NEVER ANY QUESTION!

For the rest of us we need to cultivate this mindset. We weren’t born into circumstances where we grew up knowing one day all this would be ours. We didn’t have a life where money was no object.

Anything and everything at anytime could be had for a price and we could afford it. We didn’t live this way. Good or bad, right or wrong, thankfully or not we have to develop the winner attitude on our own.

The greatest news for human kind may be that it is ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE to do! WE CAN DO IT! We can change our lot in life by taking control of our thoughts and feelings and we can begin getting the results we want, and may have always wanted.

THIS is why it is true that the past does not equal the future because no matter what failure, heartbreak or disappointment you may have had in the past YOU CAN RIGHT NOW CHANGE IT FOR THE BETTER!

The decision is yours. You can blow it off as I did the question or you can decide now to turn your life around and start getting everything you deserve. You can live abundantly without having to deprive anyone else of anything too. You can make your dreams come true.

The decision is yours. The time is now. It is a journey but a worthwhile one and the true value of which you will only know once you get on the road. Become unstoppable. Become convinced that you will be, have and do everything you want.

Put these practices to work and discover what I and countless others have discovered, and are discovering. This mind stuff works!!! It absolutely, truly does! There is amazing, dynamic energy and power in a committed, firm decision. It may be unlike anything you have ever experienced up until now.

If you are like some people you may have to get close to hitting bottom before you act in your own best interests. I was like that. The painful signal value had to be really loud, strong and hurtful to get my attention.

If you are like some others, you see the value of an opportunity as it is presented to you. You can make the decision without having to suffer.

Sadly, there will be those, in both groups who do nothing because they simply don’t know any better. That was me too. I couldn’t see opportunity when presented, I was suspicious. I didn’t know enough consider something as that question worthy of my attention so blew it off.

Then I had to let life circumstances and my own negative and bad feelings get strong enough to make me exclaim, ‘I don’t want to live like this anymore! I must do something.’ I began to search.

THIS is what I found. Even then, I dabbled. I dipped my toes in. I went a way for a few years but I kept encountering myself again and again in less than glorious ways. Finally, I decided, ‘I really can’t live this way. I have to change and I will do whatever is required to change it!’ In that moment, I became freer.

I decided I was 100% responsible for anything and everything that happened to me. I would be a victor and a champion. I would fill my mind with positive thoughts and my being with positive glorious feelings.

If I fell I would commit to getting up. If I didn’t feel like it I would forge ahead anyway. There were many times I fell and countless times I didn’t feel like it.

Bottom line: If I can do this ANYONE else in the world can do this too. I am not special, I am not smarter, I am no one at all, just another person on a journey. I committed to it and change began happening.

Slowly, no evidence at all that anything was changing, but in time I felt better. No miracles, nothing. Shit still hit the fan. At first, I was confused and wondered why bad things were still happening but I soon learned it was my response to situations that made the difference. Wondering why only threw me back into negativity.

I learned I had to manage my thinking and steer it back to what I wanted and to focus on what I now have and what I am creating for the future. I have to and had to apply these principles repeatedly to make them a habit.

I was used to doing things other ways before so I had to learn the new ways and make these automatic, AS automatic, as the old ways of doing things. Once that happens it does get easier and easier.

Eventually, I began to notice, not only feeling better and better as a result of my mind, feelings and life becoming more positive, but small wins. Little things, positive things began happening more and more frequently and as they did I felt grateful and celebrated all I could. Gratitude opens a doorway to let so much more come in!

More wins, eventually, bigger wins. The seed sprouted, the tiny plant grows before becoming big and strong. Even more. The feelings and thoughts and results I were getting fed each other. As I felt better more things good seemed to happen. As more good things happened the better I felt. It is as if I can’t separate the two. It is quite glorious!

YET, still there are challenges and that is absolutely okay. I learn from them. I am resolved to being a life long learner. One can’t know everything. So I learn from opportunity and challenges alike. It is so wonderful!

I still fall and I get back up. Not each one is easy to get back up from but it is far easier than before. There is just no way to share how incredible this all is in my life. Words just don’t seem adequate. You really have to experience it for yourself as countless, COUNTLESS others have.

Countless, but the number is far smaller than those who won’t. That is truly sad. They are used to doing things the way they have been doing them. A wise old friend spoke these words, ‘I am awakened, it is true. Once I slept but I awoke and it is glorious. You are sleeping now but one day you too will awaken. That is just how it is.’

We are ready when we are ready. No blame, no excuses, nothing. We come to change in our own time. I love my life and I didn’t always feel that way. I love it and adore it. Funny, but as I typed these words I just had an agent phone me to come in for a call back in two days.

Make your dreams come true. Commit to yourself and making your world better. When you do you find you also want everyone else to have a better world too. Great things await you if you will only claim them and make them yours. If you haven’t already done so do it today!” Rex Sikes

Make today incredible!

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What To Do When You Don’t Feel Like It

“What do you do when you don’t feel like it? You want to but you don’t? You wish you felt like it but… You know it would be good for you to do it. What are you supposed to do?

DO IT ANYWAY!

Somehow, some people have grown up thinking that if we don’t feel like it then we shouldn’t do it. Our feelings run the show. I am not sure this is normal or natural. For example, It seems that some people have been brave and did amazing things while filled with fear. I am sure they didn’t ‘feel like it’.

They were terrified but acted anyway. They did not let fear stop them. Some people are idiots who have no fear when they should have, but sometimes ordinary people behave in extraordinary ways.

Gandhi fasted. I am sure he felt hungry. He resisted the urge to meet violence with violence. He found another way. Victor Frankl was imprisoned, held captive, yet, felt free within his spirit. He did not let his captivity or his captors crush him.

We have been mislead. We are told feelings matter. They do, but not in the manner we think is most important. It is important to recognize and validate feelings. Feelings drive the show in messaging the subconscious.

We should feel good most of the time in order to make our lives what we want them to be. We should feel good in pursuing our goals and in getting what we want. Feelings are indicators when we are off track and focused on what we don’t want.

Consider The Concept Of Enlightenment

Whomever we are, we are not our thoughts, we are the thinker who thinks the thoughts. We are not our feelings. We are the one who produces feeling in response to our thoughts. We are beyond our thoughts and feelings, yet, most of us think we are our thoughts and feelings.

Some people think if we ‘can’t’ do it, well then, it can’t be done. If we don’t ‘feel like it’ then we won’t do it. Neither of these statements are accurate unless we accept them as accurate. If we accept these notions as true then we are limited by these notions. Still, we know others have accomplished much even when facing incredible personal or real world odds.

Let’s make it even simpler. There are those who, by discipline, exercise ever day even when they don’t feel like it. It’s true, not every day seems like a good day to go to the gym. Some maintain eating a particular way or diet even when they don’t want to.

The military conditions people to do all sorts of things when they may feel otherwise. People don’t have to feel like it in order to do it. Although most of us think we have to because if we don’t feel like it then we just don’t do it.

There may be times when this is acceptable. There are times when it isn’t. Your employer won’t tolerate it for very long if you don’t feel like coming into work often. There are things we do because we must even when we don’t want to or feel like it. So we are capable.

If it is good for you, in your best interests, and you don’t feel like it GO AHEAD and do it anyway. Don’t be a victim to your less than glorious thoughts and feelings. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and just do it anyway. Use some intestinal fortitude.

Become Disciplined

Perhaps, that is what discipline is. The ability to be consistent and persistent in spite of our feelings or obstacles that may attempt to prevent us. We stay on course no matter what the distractions.

We focus and aim at the target and do not waiver. Sometime you just have to stick to it. Don’t be like a cork bobbing on the water going wherever the current takes it. Be the captain of your ship. Be in charge of your own power so you can steer yourself and get yourself to wherever you want to go.

You should be the victor and not the victim of your thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. You can be a champion. In order to be a champion you have to stop with the excuses. You have to take responsibility. You have to persist and be willing to see it through even if you don’t feel like it.

You don’t feel like cleaning the house. Do it anyway. In fact, do it first before you do anything else. Don’t let it sit out there as a task looming over you. Get it out of the way. Take charge, take action.

Take a small step in the right direction and then do another one after that. Then another and before you know it you will be done. Every time you go in and out of a room make it a point to put something away. Soon your house will be cleaner.

Find ways to accomplish whatever you need to. Stop excusing yourself for not feeling like it! DO it anyway. You will feel better about yourself in the long run. It can be a good feeling when you push through it because you discover you were capable all along.

The trick is not to play the blame game or the excuses game. Just do whatever is in your best interest. Be responsible. Take responsibility for your thoughts, your feelings and your actions. Run them instead of letting them run you. You can be aware of them without letting them dictate who you are and what you are able to do.

You Have Choices

Something, has come along and upset your life. Some bad event. You got thrown off course. You feel like chucking it. At this moment you don’t want to put on a happy face and feel better. You prefer to curse it and stew in it. Okay that is a choice. How soon do you think you will feel better? Time will take care of it. It may?

What have you learned by this? Sit and let things do whatever they do. Wait and when ready resume. It is an option probably valid at times. However, you are not in charge. Something else is in charge of you. Think about that for a moment.

You could take charge. You could determine your destination and the course you want to travel. You could make it a point to do something that makes you feel a bit better. You can do anything positive to feel a bit more positive.

You begin to move in that direction even when you may not feel like it. You inch your way along until you can take bigger steps. You don’t deceive yourself with limited thinking. You don’t whine, complain, blame yourself, the circumstances or anyone else.

You push through it and surprise yourself that you can exceed your limitations. You discover you can go much further when you allow yourself, even if you have to force yourself. What have you learned by this? Think about this for a moment.

You can be victim or victor. It really is up to the decision you make. After all, it is your life. You may not be in a prisoner in a cell like Victor Frankl, you may be a free person. If you are a free person act like it. Be free. Act free.

You Are Beyond You Thoughts And Feelings. Act Like It

Use your feelings Don’t be used by your feelings. Recognize them for what they are. They are a signal system. The indicate whether or not you are on track and closing in on your goal. When you are feeling positive you are on course.

When they are less than glorious they indicate you are off track and you are paying attention to what you don’t want. You won’t make your life better thinking and pursuing what you do not want. So the negative feelings provide you the opportunity to change direction and move back towards what you do want.

Don’t be a prisoner of limited thinking. Stop thinking ‘I can’t’ and begin thinking ‘I can!’ Exceed your limits. Go beyond them in ways that delight and surprise you. Don’t let your thoughts or feelings stop you from doing something that truly benefits you or others. Find the ways to let go and make it happen. Start living your positive dreams!” Rex Sikes

I’ll share more that you can do to feel ‘like it’ when you don’t in upcoming blog.

Be good to yourself today!

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If Your Personal Computer Is Sabotaging You; Fix It!

“Have you tried to make a change and found it difficult? Perhaps, it worked for awhile but then you reverted back to the old issue? Even though you may have promised yourself ‘this time will be different’ it wasn’t very long until it was back the same? If you answered yes to these questions you may need to look at self image.

People think or verbalize statement such as ‘that is just not me’ or ‘I would never wear that’ or ‘i can’t stop eating’ or ‘I just have a lot of nervous energy’ or ‘I could never do that’ and more. Many more! These ARE affirmations of our self image. NO they aren’t Positive Affirmations.

Careful, You Are Already Using Affirmations

No, they are not the kind we talk about when we say you need to repeat affirmations for success but they work exactly the same way. We already DO think and repeat these over and over again just as we are encouraged to do with the Positive kind! We live these daily.

These self image affirmations we utter work to keep us consistent. They work to keep us consistently the person we say we are. Who we are is a result of the self image we maintain. They affirm what we are like and what we can and can’t do. These thoughts and utterances of ours affirm our boundaries. They work REALLY well!

They maintain our limits. We have an internal image of who we are and what we are capable of and what we deserve in life that we live from and fulfill. We produce or don’t produce results consistent with who we are and what this image of ourself is.

We won’t do anything inconsistent with our self image. When we do try to change behaviors we find it difficult because we are attempting to do something ‘unlike’ us. We tend to think of ourselves as a smart or dumb person, fat or thin, happy or unhappy, successful or not, rich or poor, easy going or not… The list goes on.

Become Aware Of All Your ‘I’ Statements

We can get a clue as to what our self image actually is by paying attention to our thoughts, these notions about ourself, and the utterances or exclamations we make during the day. When times are good and when times are rough ‘we show up’. If we pay attention we can begin to get a sense of who we are on the inside.

We have a composite of images, sounds and feelings of who we are and who we are not. We can even look at our own internal images on our own inner movie screen and see who we think we are. Who and what do we represent ourself to be inside our head?

From the dawn of time, ancient practitioner of these arts have attempted to get us to maintain a positive self image and move beyond our boundaries into happiness, well-being and success. Some have used their approaches with incredible results!

Maxwell Maltz was a plastic surgeon who, because of his work making people pretty and repairing damaged looks, began to explore this area. He did this because people surprised him. An unhappy patient would come to him desperately wanting to look a certain way. He’d provide it but the person remained unhappy.

At first he was confounded. He wanted to know how this was possible. Though they didn’t exist, as we know them today, it was as if an internal computer was running the show. Whatever the programmed software was dictated the results one gets. Today, we know the results you get on a computer ARE determined by what the software is programmed to do.

Self Image Runs The Show

He provides numerous examples in his books. What he discovered was his patients had an internal picture, an image of who they were. Regardless of the outer change they lived from the one inside their heads. The internal image, this self image, runs the show just as a computer does. Whatever is within is what gets output consistently.

Maltz began to explore what people were doing and what they could do differently in their imagination to get what they wanted. As a doctor and businessman he wanted satisfied and happy patients.

His works have sold steadily since 1960. He became a mojor proponent of personal change and development. His break through book was called Psycho Cybernetics. It is as relevant today as it was back then. You can find it and read it. Read it over and over!

He proffered that behaviors stem from our self image. This is the mental picture we have created of ourself. Many people attempt to change behaviors but find this nearly impossible because the behaviors they want to change are automated habits.

Maltz’s patients wanted to become happy by changing their appearance. This rarely worked because they (we) have a persistent automated self image. In order for their lives to be happy (our lives to be happy) they had to work (we have to work) on the inner person before anything else.

There Is An Order To Positive Change; A Recipe

Maltz reasoned that most people encounter difficulty because they put the cart before the horse. They tried to change the behaviors first and that should not be the first order of business. Imagine a ladder with self image at the top run and behaviors further down on the rungs.

In order to change these behaviors Maltz stated you first had to change the mental image. Once you change your internal picture of self your behaviors can change. You change your personality, your self image and your behaviors change because a self image change is a higher order change. It governs the rest.

We know that thought precedes action. To change our feelings and behaviors we must first change our thoughts. Humans have not accomplished or built anything that they first didn’t create inside their heads and then build with their hands. Our own personal changes are accomplished the same way.

If we want to succeed in the outer world we must first succeed in our inner world. Who and what we think we are determines how we feel about ourselves and what we will do to achieve our dreams (assuming we have dreams). If we want to be happy in life we must first be happy within. ‘As within. So without. As above. So Below’ is an ancient principle.

Join me in my next blog! I’ll continue to share what Maltz and other thoughts leaders insist will get you the most change in the least time in the easiest fashion. When you know how to work with your own system it is much easier. There are precise things you and I can do to be, do and have anything we want in life. Join me next time and spread the word Life is and can be glorious for you!” Rex Sikes

Have a remarkable day! See you tomorrow.

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How To Stop Being An Ass And Keep An Open Mind

“Keep an open mind. You hear about this frequently. You are told to have it, or acquire it, or maintain it. Some people even think they possess one. Do they? Do you? How can you tell when you are open to new ideas or when you shut down?

Do you jump or rush to conclusions? Do you believe there is a right answer to the problem? Do you believe there is only one correct solution to any given situation? Are things cut and dried, black or white, right or wrong? Do you grab onto the first thing that you hear about, or that enters your mind, and establish it as a fact?

Symptoms Of A Closed Mind

When you have a closed mind it is easy to pass judgement. You tend to lock onto things and argue your points or refuse to let go and see that other possibilities exist. Everyone else is wrong! You know it and you can tell. There ought to be a law for goodness sakes!

My definition is simply: Contempt for a new idea prior to examination is a sign of a closed mind.

Many people dismiss out of hand an idea without exploring the merits of the idea simply because it does not fit their existing gestalt or mindset. To quickly refuse to even examine another point of view is a sign that the door to the mind is definitely shut.

What To Do About It

Explore! I always say exploration is the doorway to adventure. Be willing to journey elsewhere in your mind to discover what is possible. You can do this without even leaving where you are at. Simply decide to explore an idea or a concept, and research it. Read about it, examine it while keeping as open minded as possible.

When the tendency to shut down arises, you stop it. When you begin to think this is BS stop it! Hold it in check. Determine to see it all the way through prior to labeling it as bunk. It requires discipline, especially if you are quick to make judgements, but hang in there.

Sometime you habitually shut down so fast it is instantaneous. When you become aware that you are being closed minded and that you have already shut the door, open it back up. It may be difficult but do it anyway. The more you open it back up the better you get.

Awareness is the goal. You want to be able to recognize when you shut down, or are about to shut down so you can do something about it. Be grateful when you become aware that you are closed minded because that is when you can begin to change it.

Ask questions. Become curious

Examine your own judgements and try to determine from where they arise. Do you base your opinions on something you saw or heard, are these from your past? Did you learn them from someone? Who else specifically that you know thinks or believes as you do? Who is it that believes these particular idea to be true?

Ask Yourself Directed Questions™

Direct your mind to positive things you can think about. Wonder in your mind how it might be better. Look for how you might enjoy the different possibilities. Ask questions that lead you into the behaviors you want to acquire or do more reliably.

How delighted will I be to discover I am able to entertain new ideas, that I otherwise might have resisted? In how many different ways am I easily and naturally able to stay open and enjoy new ideas? How soon can will I begin to enjoy the benefits of keeping an open mind and entertaining new view points? How much fun can I have in exploring new ideas and topics?

Challenge Your Own Thoughts

You can boot strap it and challenge your own thoughts. You can ask questions such as Who specifically says this is true? What makes it true? How is that possible? How might it be otherwise?

Who holds other contrary views? What realistic reasons may they have for holding their point of view? What might I be missing? Do I know everything about everything? Who died and left me god?

In other words, be willing to look for and find other authorities who may have very valid reasons for holding these new ideas. By the way, the ideas may be ancient they may only be new to you. OR they may be brand new ideas. Challenge your own infallibility. This is important.

None Of Us Enjoy Being Wrong

We seek to be consistent in our beliefs. We do not like it when ideology conflicts. So we dismiss it before given it the time it is due. You need to ask yourself whether you view point is accurate 100% of the time.

You can ask, ‘Always? In every single circumstance? Is it true for everyone, everywhere in the world through all time?’ OR ‘Never? Has there never been a single example of it being otherwise? Nobody in the entire world for all time never ever felt differently?’

You might ask, What causes you to think this way? What examples, evidence or experiences do you have for maintaining this point of view? Are their reasons from your past why it is important for you to maintain this position?

What would happen, or be the worst that would happen if you didn’t think this? What would happen if you held the other person’s point of view? How would you, or the world change if you didn’t believe this? Is it possible there are other points of view?

Apply The 100% Test

If something isn’t true 100% of the time why limit yourself? If you don’t have a monopoly on the truth why act as if you do? Let some of these things go. Learn something new. If you aren’t god why act like it? Broaden your horizons. Educate yourself in new ways of thinking and being. Examine things from different perspectives or points of view.

If it isn’t true for all time and all people in all places there are things to learn. Learn about different cultures and practices in different places and times. Expose yourself to new thought and new ways to think and be. Reflect on how it is possible for people to believe and think different things.

Listen

Listen to listen. Listen to undertand. Listen to Learn. Listen without speaking or challenging or arguing. Listen for no reason at all except to better understand and appreciate the speaker and her point of view. Too many of us are only waiting our turn while listening. We are waiting to speak and make our points rather than to reflect on and understand his points.

Ask questions to understand not to counter argue. Ask for clarification. State back in their words what you understand the person to have said and listen to the other person clarify it for you. Determine if you understood what they meant.

Hear it. Pay attention. Seek understanding. This means you are active in the process. You are accepting and open and available and interested in their point of view.

Sometimes when listening this way and they are finished do nothing but accept it. Don’t provide your views. Sit with it. Let them be heard. Appreciate the other person and their point of view without making your points. Silence at times is golden. At other times share and contribute.

Meditation

Mediation is great for helping to keep an open mind. Especially beneficial are those forms of mediation where you watch thoughts come and go without attaching to any of them. When you are able to be quiet and simply witness thoughts arising you can become free of them. You can become open to many new awarenesses.

The Benefits Of An Open Mind

When you are able to view many options simultaneously without closing down an entire new world of possibilities opens up to you. The world becomes more alive and so do you. Everything is more colorful and flavorful.

You have more choices. There are more options. You discover there is more to enjoy than you previously allowed.

You can begin to think outside the box. You become free. You are freed of the weight of thinking you know all the answers. Nothing keeps people back as much as not considering alternatives. When the mind snaps shut you close off to opportunities and advantages that may be beneficial to you. Literally, you are not able to see them.

You explore new territory and venture further than you could before. You not only think outside the box but you can move beyond old boundaries. Instead of stopping yourself where you used to you now give yourself permission to go further. The further you go the more you are able to see.

You open up to more fun because you are willing to entertain new ideas and try new things. You can play more, experiment and enjoy discovering. Life does become an adventure when you are willing to explore. You may even try new foods, clothes and places to go. Who knows?

When your mind is flexible you are better equipped to examine options and find solutions to problems. After all, there are many ways to bake a cake, cook an egg, make a bed. There are many roads to Rome. Lot’s of ways to dive into a pool…

You don’t get stuck trying the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result. Your thinking expands and your world expands. More flexibility means more options. More options means more solutions. More solutions means greater possibilities!

Change happens. You change! When you are open, exploring and having fun you can change your thoughts to serve you better. Your thoughts and beliefs must change first if you want to change your behaviors and keep the changes. You can think better, feel better and learn to develop positive new habits.

As you change you become filled with more positive energy. You become more alive. More affirming. You become more tolerant and accepting. You include more into your world. We become freer and lighter and have more physical energy when we are not resisting and trying to maintain everything. Your thoughts are positive so is your energy.

You are less negative, more tolerant, having more fun and more fun loving. You can enjoy better health, better relationships with family and friends and associates. You can devote more time to that which is truly important. There is far less to argue about and divide you from others. You may become more loving and have a greater ability to be loved because you let go and accept others for who they are.

When we let go of how others and the world is wrong; when we drop intolerance for positions other than are own; when we are able to embrace new ideas and people and include more in are life incredible things happen. We find more friends and fellowship.

When we get entrenched and spend out energy defending our positions we are wasting energy. It isn’t worth it. Instead, we conserve and direct our energy, we focus it in beneficial ways.

We can all point to someone we think is closed minded. Don’t be just like that person! Be open. Accept and embrace that person and allow that person to be who s/he is.

If that person never comes around to your way of thinking so what? What is the worst that can happen? Can you love and accept that person anyways? Go on give it a try! And while you are at it love, accept and embrace yourself!” Rex Sikes

Imagine how wonderful today can be!

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Dream Big: Don’t Let The Details Stop You!

“What do successful people have in common? What is their mind set and behaviors? Why do they succeed while others don’t? Is there a difference between them and the other people?

Can you do what they do to get the results they have? Yes absolutely!

It is important to know what you want and to dream big.

Know your definite chief purpose and develop a burning desire or passion for it’s fulfillment.

Dream big and keep the dream before you in your minds’s eye. Think about it day and night. What consumes you controls you.

Don’t fret about the details.

Do not get caught up in the how. Do not let not knowing how you might accomplish it stop you from going after it. Go after it.

Go as far as you can go and when you get there you will see farther. Enjoy your dream. Make it fun and delightful to make it happen.

What you think about you become.

What you focus on you get. What you think about you bring about. So imagine your big dream as already completed.

Imagine what it is like to be there already. How does it feel to have made it happen? Enjoy these feelings! Let these feelings move you forward.

If life were perfect how would it feel?

How would it feel to be, do and have everything you want? Don’t just answer, ‘it’d feel great!’ FEEL IT!

Accentuate and savor the feelings. Live these feelings again and again each day. Let them drive you. This is what you want after all. You want to feel more of this. THIS, these feeling is what it is about.

Never get hung up in the details when you can feel this way.

The details will resolve themselves and you will find a way. You will develop a plan for making your dream come true.

The the more you keep it alive in your mind the more it will become clear to you. Follow your plan as it unfolds. You don’t need plans to be perfect or in their entirety the entire plan prior to beginning because plans change.

All people who succeed big pursue their dreams

People who succeed pursue their dreams and work their plans. The are dedicated and on target but flexible to change their plans along the way. The persist and adapt.

They never give up they just adjust as needed. They never let a detail stop them from getting what they want. It never occurs to them that they won’t succeed.

Read biographies of top achievers

Read the biographies of those who succeed and you will begin to see the elements they share in common. I share these here in these blog pages for you to read and re-read.

Successful people keep the big picture in mind and never let the specifics deter them. The goal is getting to the destination not how they are going to get there. Keep this in mind!

As for the journey delight in it.

Keep this in mind too! Delight in not knowing. It gives you opportunity to trust yourself and know that you are moving forward anyway.

Celebrate that good things are coming and happening to you even if you don’t know when or how. Have fun on the journey and delight in all things. When you get there you will see farther.” Rex Sikes

Have a wonderful day!

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