You have accomplished great things

My good friend, Pat Crosby, passed this email on to me and it was so inspiring that I wanted to disseminate it to others. I hope that it uplifts you as it did me.

Seasons Greetings, Friends!

Well here we are again and like the song says,
"...and so this is Christmas, and what have you done?
Another year over, a new one just begun..."

It's the time of year when many of us reflect on our year's events...

• Our goals; those attained and those unattained.
• Our dreams; those fulfilled and those unfilled.
• Our hopes; those dashed and those realized.

Perhaps you've achieved everything you set out to accomplish in the past 365 days. If so, Congratulations!

But what about the rest of us?

What about those of us who perhaps did not achieve everything we set out to do, or who encountered setbacks along the path of enlightenment we set out on 365 days ago?
Perhaps for some, the year was not as prosperous as we had hoped and some of the goals remained elusive. Perhaps some of the lessons we learned seemed harsh and our teachers overbearing.

Yet we continue to learn, grow and choose our own path...

We celebrate our small victories of the past 365 days.

And you have victories you can celebrate and that you can check off as "accomplished" on that big "TO DO" list of yours.

You have done great deeds and have overcome great obstacles. They may not seem like large or obvious accomplishments at first, but when you think about it you have:

• Impacted people in a positive way... CHECK!
• Expanded your views and your personal education... CHECK!
• Continued on the journey towards the ultimate you... CHECK!
• Lived 365 days of living, loving and learning... CHECK!
• Brought a smile to someone's face... CHECK!

You have accomplished great things. Write down each accomplishment and celebrate each and every one of them.

Every time you shared a kind word, smiled at a stranger, assisted someone in need, or gave to the needy... or every time you overcame adversity and chalked it up to a learning experience... or even every time you didn't flip out on the anonymous soul that cut you off on your way to the office!

You have accomplished great things.

Write them down and Check them off that big TO DO list of yours.

Each day has been an opportunity to create joy around you. Your actions have impacted the lives of those around you and the world is a better place for your participation in each of the past 365 days.

Have you had moments where you were less than brilliant? Of course you did. We all did! We all face adversity and moments of stress and indecision. So we deal with it and move on.
We all have learned from our experience, grown as individuals and done our best with the 365 days we all had.

The real question is...What will you do with the next 365 days?

How will you impact those around you? How will you make your world a better place?

What actions will you take to create legions of small victories that add up to mega accomplishment?

How will you share your light, your vision and your enthusiasm?

How will you take ownership? Will you write your book, spread you message, live your dream?

What will you do with your 365 days?

Write it down.

I leave them in your hands...

But will check back with you often.

With many blessings from my family to yours,

Mark Victor Hansen
Founder, MEGA Seminar Series

The Legend of the Loom

Today while sitting in the McDonald’s Play Place I began to read a story called “The Legend of the Loom”. It is the story of how the Navajo learned the sacred art of weaving. However, as is indicated throughout the legend, this weaving is as much a spiritual journey as it is a means to an end. Just as rugs are woven by the intermingling of threads, so our live are woven by the experiences and dreams that we hold on to and try to create.

For the Navajo each aspect of the loom and the work itself provides a connection to this world and its creators. For example, the four corners of the loom represent the four directions: North, South, East and West. The top bar represents Father Sky; the bottom of the loom represents Mother Earth. The left and right poles are rain and moisture, while the actual loom strands represents rain, the first essential for live.

As the story goes, White Shell Woman is taught the art of weaving by the Navajo Spirit known as Spider Woman (who is married to a spirit known as Spider Man – sorry Peter Parker your name is not unique). Anyway, this Spider Woman teaches White Shell Woman everything about weaving in four days and then sends her back to her village with this new-found gift.

It is interesting (at least to me) that under the direct tutelage of Spider Woman she was able to complete four rugs in four days effortlessly. However when she returns home she works nonstop, but is not able to finish her first solo rug. She becomes frustrated with her efforts and tries to destroy her half-finished rug. She was so enraged that she ripped the rug from the loom, tore it to shreds and then threw it out of her home. She was finished!

However, she found that she was unable to sleep that night; her dreams were uneasy. Upon awakening she sees the Spider Woman recreating the destroyed rug. And the advice that she gives White Shell Woman is as important today as it was when the Navajo Nation was strong and vigorous. Her advice?

“From the moment you begin to weave, your thinking spirit enters the rug. It lives in the spirit line. Even if you quit weaving, even if you rip and tear the rug as you did last night, the spirit remains and will haunt you until the rug is finished. Never give up.”

We each are given a loom, a gift if you will. We must use our personal gifts to help not only other people but ourselves. How many of us have unwittingly damaged our spirits by not completing our personal missions in life? How many of us have allowed ourselves to become bitter because of our lack of success? How many of us have then tried to shoot down other people’s dreams because ours didn’t work out as we planned it?

Moving into the entrepreneurial world, how many of us have gotten involved with a network marketing business because we wanted to achieve a level of financial comfort, of autonomy but have let bad experiences kill our dream and rip it to shreds just as White Shell Woman did? Or how many of us watched someone else effortlessly (or so it seemed at the time) sell a product, add someone to their team or otherwise build their business? And we think “Well, that doesn’t look too hard. I think I can do that!” only to find ourselves frustrated because we haven’t achieved our goals (product, business-building, financial benchmarks) when we thought we should have?

Do you have a dream of being self-sufficient, of being self-employed? Or do you yearn for the perks of working with a network marketing company that will allow you to duplicate your efforts through team-building? Are you seeking a way to earn sufficient money so that you can spend time traveling or doing outreach programs to help others? If this is truly your dream then follow Spider Woman’s words and Never Give Up!

The Navajo have a tradition, no, a sacred law, regarding their rug-making. No rug can ever be put aside until it has reached completion. These weavers will continue to work towards their goal (completing the rug) until the bitter end because they believe to do otherwise would leave their spirit trapped inside of the loom. Are you willing to trap your spirit inside the walls of discouragement, bitterness and frustration? Or are you willing to take up the challenge to work and overcome whatever obstacles are in your way to achieve the best use for your gifts.

The choice is yours. And as Spider Woman demonstrated, we can only complete our tasks with a complete understanding of what we’re trying to do. Education is one of the keys to success. And having someone who will share the ways and means of achieving in our lives is a true blessing. To begin your educational journey, please visit www.streetsavvymlm.com and request a free newsletter that will help clarify some common misconceptions about running your own business (and some of the immediate perks).

This story is a Navajo legend that was told by Sarah Natani and compiled with other American Indian Spider legends in a book called Spider Spins a Story: Fourteen Legends from Native America. Some of the background about the Navaho people (which I plan to look up) can be found in Walk in Beauty: The Navajo and Their Blankets.

The Winning Entrepreneur Mindset

I am working on a transcript of an interview with Ken Envoy and while getting my background information ready I stumbled upon this old blog post that I thought was very appropriate for this blog.

On this journey towards financial independence and building a successful business that my children can have to fall back on, I find myself getting impatient at times with the daily struggles of keeping all the balls in the air. I get quite frustrated with myself and the difficulties of running a business. It just seems to be such a slow process.

And you know what, it is! And after reading Ken's Blog from almost two years ago, I understand why it's so slow (and why that's a good thing).

I hope this helps you as much as it helped me.

March 07, 2007
Develop The Winning Entrepreneur Mindset
Ken's Blog

People are so impatient nowadays. Fast, faster, fastest... instant gratification is the name of the game. They want overnight success ("before breakfast" preferably!). But that is simply not part of building a business from scratch. A real business takes time and effort.

Yes, even online ones. So many Netrepreneurs somehow think that the Internet suspends fundamental laws of the business world. While building a business online does involve less risk (you don't have to mortgage your house!), it still takes real "sweat equity" to build a business that generates long-term, evergrowing profits.

Elad Shippony, a successful SBIer, says it so well in this 1-minute video.

Even seasoned business people succumb to "the lure of the speed of the Web"...

I had an interesting conversation with a friend, a successful Montreal real estate developer, the other day. She wanted to start a site that would make her company the "Montreal real estate development" epicenter, connecting international investors with local developers.

Great idea. Tight niche. Winnable. High Return On Investment monetization models.

"So Ken, how long would it take?"

"About 3 months to start seeing some traffic, 6 months to be growing solidly, and you'd be well known in a year. In 18 months, you would absolutely own that space. You would be the "go-to" person for Montreal developers to sell their projects internationally, and vice-versa you would also be the entry door for international investors looking for strong opportunities in Montreal."

Her reply? "That long???"

"Well, maybe faster if you put 20 hours per week into it, but let me ask you something. Consider the last real estate development you did..."

"How much money did you make while looking for a property, finding it, optioning it, clearing all the legals, and then closing on it?"

She answered... "Nothing, of course."

"It cost you time and money, right? And how much did you make when you broke ground and dug the hole?"

"Uh, it actually cost us quite a bit."

"And did you make a lot while pouring cement and building the structure?"

Silence.

"And how much money did you make while doing all the finishing work?"

Chuckles.

"How about while advertising and promoting, yet all you could collect was deposits?"

She answered, laughing... "OK, OK, OK... I get it. Actually, we're 3 years in and we're finally at break-even, Ken. And when we sell the final units, we make our money."

"Yes, and then you have to start all over, with no more money to be made from that development. Your Web site, however, will keep on earning and growing and earning some more. It's a brilliant concept, but the basic laws of business still apply to the Internet, albeit with far less financial risk. You have to invest to build the foundation for future rewards."

Bottom line?

Owning and building a business, whether it's online or offline, takes work, especially in the first few months. Develop what I call "The Winning Entrepreneur Mindset"...

Realize that you invest time (at less than minimum wage) and energy upfront now to build what will be a thriving business that yields long-term, evergrowing dividends later. You are not a 9 to 5 employee, sitting in your safe little cubicle, earning your safe little paycheck (although you can keep that job while building your online business).

You will make as much money as you deserve, through the sum of all your good decisions and hard work. The harder and better you work, the sooner will your Web business yield profits. Long-term profits that grow steadily and that ultimately enable you to quit that day-job and earn you more "per hour" than you could have dreamed.

Be a tortoise-entrepreneur...

"Slow and steady" wins the race.

All the best,

New York Times best selling author explains why everyone should own a Network Marketing business

To get your free copy of Robert Kiyosaki's CD on the Network Marketing industry click here.

In the meantime enjoy the article below:

WHY NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO CHANGE

A friend I flew with in Vietnam called me the other day. He said,
"I've been laid off again. What do I do now?"

Jim and I went through flight school and Vietnam together. When we
returned to the states, he got a job as a pilot with the airlines and
I began building my business. Jim was absolutely in love with his
work. He loved flying and the company he worked for. Unfortunately,
the company was with Pan American, which for those of you who are old
enough to know that Pan Am went out of business, even though it was
once the number one airline in America. After five years of taking odd
jobs, he finally was rehired by an airline whose name I will not
mention, because it is still in business today, but just barely. This
is the airline he was laid off from.

"I'm 53 years old." said Jim. "I still have two kids in school. I have
nothing saved for retirement. And worst of all, how am I going to find
a job that pays me $85,000 a year, especially when all I know is to be
a pilot?"

Job Security Is An Obsolete Idea

For those of you who have read my books or come to my seminars, you
may know what I think about the idea of job security. I have said it
for a year, "Job security is an obsolete idea." The reason I say this
is because the issue of job security was the issue for my parents, the
World War II generation. My parents grew up in the Depression and to
them, just finding a job was a challenge, so when they found one, they
clung on to it for dear life. Once they retired, they did not have to
worry because the government pension, Social Security and Medicare
were there to take care of them once they were through working. We do
not have that luxury.

For those born after the WWII generation, job security is not an
issue. The reason I say job security is not an issue is because there
are plenty of jobs. Always remember that McDonald's is always hiring.
I still see help wanted signs everywhere. So the problem is not
finding a job. It is long term financial survival. For my friend Jim,
a well-educated, highly skilled man, hard working man, the question
is, where is he going to find another pilot's job that pays him what
he needs when the airlines today, are downsizing? How will he
continue to pay his mortgage, pay for his kid's college education,
and put enough aside to retire on?

When Jim asked me for advice, I said, "After you find a job, this time
why not start a part-time business?"

"What kind of business?" he asked.

"Why not build a network marketing business in your spare time? Why
not build something you control and you own?"

"No, no way." He said. "I just want a high paying job. I want to fly
again. I'm not interested in network marketing. But thanks for the
advice. I'll call you back when I find a new job with another airline.
I love flying and that is all I want to do."

Lifetime Job Security Is Over

Jim has not called back. It has been almost three weeks. Obviously, he
did not like my advice but for you, I would like to give you the
reason I offered him that advice. As I write, President Bush is in
China and our military is in Afghanistan. If you cannot see the
writing on the wall, let me open your eyes. The days of lifetime job
security and your mutual funds going up by 20% per year are over. If
you think your mutual funds will carry you after you retire, I think
you had best make other plans. Why? Because what has just happened to
my pilot friend Jim, will be happening to millions of people. The
idea of high paying jobs and pension funds that increase by 20% per
year is an obsolete idea. America is at war, battling an invisible
enemy, an enemy without a country. On top of that, China is expected
to pass the U.S. as a world financial power in less than ten years. It
does not take a crystal ball to see that there will be plenty of jobs
in America, but fewer and fewer will be high paying. Why? Because the
Chinese are smart, hard working, and willing to be paid less... much less.

Jack Welch, the retired CEO of General Electric said recently, "20% to
30% of what is produced in America will soon be produced in China." In
other words, in order to compete with China in the world economy, we
must produce for less or lose. Highly skilled pilots like my friend
Jim need to work for less, if they want to work. Pilots need to work
for less, many other professions will need to work for less and
produce more in order to survive. If you have been watching the news,
between the stories of Anthrax and President Bush in China, you may
have caught a glimpse of Bill Gates and other American business
leaders shaking hands with the Chinese. Let me say this, these leaders
of American business are not there because they
like Chinese food.

Network Marketing Is The Business Of The Future

The reason I suggested that my friend Jim start a network marketing
business on the side is because becoming a business owner is a very
wise strategy, especially at this time in history. Starting your own
business gives back some control over your life. If you think your
boss or company can protect you from the geopolitical forces that are
at play today, I think you need to rethink that thought. There is an
old song that said, "For you better start swimming or you'll sink like
a stone, for the times they are changing." Our leaders are in China,
not in the war zone. That should tell you how much things are going to
change and change soon.

The reason I recommend network marketing is because network marketing
is the business of the future. Back in the late 1990's, it was often
difficult to talk to people about network marketing when the economy
was so strong. It was hard to talk to people about network marketing
when their mutual funds were going up by 20% per year. But those days
are over. If you ever wanted to get ahead of the curve, now is the
time to open your mind and look at this business of the future. Now is
the time to talk to people when they too are looking for new answers
and new ways to find true long-term financial security. A network
marketing business is one of the asset classes. It is a business. If
you work hard and build the business, that business will give you the
excess cash to acquire the real estate and stocks that will give you
true long term financial security...security you can
pass on to your loved ones. You can't do that with your job, no matter
how secure it is.

My friend Jim the airline pilot is also a casualty of the September
11th event. The problem is, he is not willing to make changes. My
prediction is that for employees who are well educated, well trained
and ambitious, the next few years will be tough ones. Why? Because
well educated, ambitious, high paid employees are often the first to
be downsized and once downsized, they often find it harder to find a
job at the pay scale they were used to. In the Industrial Age, if you
were well educated, hard working and experienced, you were desirable.
In the Information Age, experience and age are liabilities, not
assets. So with each passing year, it gets harder to re-enter the job
force and find a high paying job in the new economy. As my rich dad
often said, "The rules have changed. If you want to do well, change
with the rules." Unfortunately, we are in time of crisis.
None-the-less, for the brave at heart, now is the time to make
changes, changes that will give you life time financial security which
is far better than job security.

Network Marketing - It's an Asset, Not a Job

I am sometimes asked, "Why do so few people make it to the top of
their network marketing system?"

The truth is, the top of the network marketing system is open to
everyone — unlike traditional corporate systems, which allow only one
person to reach the top of the company. The reason most people do not
reach the top is simply because they quit too soon. So why would
someone quit short of the top?

Most people join only to make money. If they don't make money in the
first few months or years, they become discouraged and quit (and then
often bad-mouth the industry!). Others quit and go looking for a
company with a better compensation plan, but joining to make a few
quick dollars is not the reason to get into the business.

The Two Essential Reasons to Join a Network Marketing Business

Reason number one is to help yourself. Reason number two is to help
others. If you join for only one of these two reasons, then the system
will not work for you. Reason number one is to help yourself. Reason
number two is to help others. If you join for only one of these two
reasons, then the system will not work for you.

Reason number one, means that you come to the business primarily to
change quadrants — to change from the E (Employee) or the S
(Self-employed) quadrant to the B (Business owner) or I (Investor)
quadrant.

This change is normally very difficult for most people — because of
money. The true 'E' or 'S' quadrant person will not work unless it is
for money. This is also what causes people to not reach the top of the
network marketing system: they want money more than they want to
change quadrants.

A 'B' quadrant or 'I' quadrant person will also work for money, but in
a different way. The 'B' quadrant person works to build or create an
asset — in this case, a business system. The 'I' quadrant person
invests in the asset or the system.

As a 'B' or an 'I', sometimes you don't get paid for years; this, a
true 'E' quadrant or 'S' quadrant person will not do. It's not part of
their core values. Risk and delayed gratification disturb them
emotionally.

Delayed Gratification and Emotional Intelligence

One of the beauties of network marketing is that it focuses on
developing your emotional intelligence as well as your business skills.

Emotional intelligence is an entirely different matter from academic
intelligence. In general, someone with high emotional intelligence
will often do better than someone with high academic intelligence but
low emotional intelligence. That explains, in part, why some people do
well in school but not so well in the real world.

The ability to delay gratification is a sign of higher emotional
intelligence. In a recent study of emotional intelligence, it was
found that people who could delay gratification often led more
successful lives than those who could not.

This is why the educational system inherent in a good network
marketing opportunity is so important. It's the emotional education or
emotional intelligence aspect of their programs that I find so
valuable for people.

Many people write me and tell me they loved my book, Rich Dad, Poor
Dad, but I fear that many of them don't get the most important point
of the book: Lesson #1, "The rich don't work for money."

Once I have built or bought an asset, that asset works hard to make
money for me. But I will not work for money — I will work only to
build or buy assets. Those assets make me richer and richer, while I
work less and less. That is what the rich do. The poor and middle
class work hard for money, and then buy liabilities instead of
investing in assets.

What Kind of Asset is a Network Marketing Business?

Remember, there are two reasons to be successful in network marketing:
to help yourself, and to help others. Reason number one means helping
yourself get to the 'B' side of the quadrant. What about reason number
two? Remember, there are two reasons to be successful in network
marketing: to help yourself, and to help others. Reason number one
means helping yourself get to the 'B' side of the quadrant. What about
reason number two?

The beauty of most network marketing systems is that you don't really
make much money unless you help others leave the 'E' and 'S' quadrants
and succeed in the 'B' and 'I' quadrants. If you focus on helping
others make this shift, then you will be successful in the business.

If you only want to teach yourself to be a 'B' quadrant and 'I'
quadrant person, then a true network marketing system won't work for
you. You may as well go to a traditional business school, which
focuses only on your becoming a 'B' quadrant person.

The beauty of a network marketing business is that your goal is to
create assets, which are other 'B's working under you — and their job
is to create other 'B's working under them. In traditional business,
the focus is for the 'B' to have only 'E's and 'S's working for them.

The type of business I was taught to build is a business with me at
the top and 'E's and 'S's at the base. I really don't have room at the
top for many other 'B's, which is why in my businesses, I strongly
recommend that all my employees look into network marketing as their
own part-time business.

The traditional corporate system really is a pyramid, because there
are a few 'B's and 'I's near the top, and more 'E's and 'S's at the
base. A network marketing system is a reverse pyramid: its primary
focus is to bring more and more 'B's to the top.

One type of pyramid, the traditional type, has its base on the ground;
the other type has its base in the air. It's a pyramid that pulls you
up instead of pushing you down. A network marketing business gives
everyone access to what used to be the domain only of the rich.

"The Boss Movie"

I stumbled upon this great movie that encouraged me to continue to work towards my goal of making my work-from-home business a success. I hope that you find this as encouraging as I did. It was created by The Bare-Foot Executive, who is a fountain of encouragement for everyone who is striving (and succeeding) in making their own way in the world.

Click on the picture and Enjoy!

Are You Letting Fear Control Your Life?

Today I received some news from my husband that brought to mind the words of Napoleon Hill. He tells us in his masterpiece "Think and Grow Rich" that "The prevalence of these fears (fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love of someone, old age and death), as a curse to the world, runs in cycles. For almost six years, while the depression was on, we floundered in the cycle of FEAR OF Poverty."

This sprang to mind as I listened to my husband describing the scene down at Goldman Sachs last night. He works for Williams Lea, a British outsourcing agency, and they've already laid off fifteen people with more to come. Yesterday, he found out when he arrived for the graveyard shift, Goldman Sachs laid off over 3,200 people. Why? Because they had a loss this last quarter -- the first loss since 1999! And because of this momentary downswing in their profits they've now left 3,200 people without jobs or hopes of even finding new jobs quickly because other businesses are reacting with the same type of FEAR.

During a Mastermind Session hosted by John Milton Fogg with Michael Losier, he explained FEAR this way: "FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. See, fear is never about the past, it’s always about the future. Fear is always something that hasn’t happened yet. So that means it’s always a story. "

Right now we have lots of false evidence abounding in the news. We're being told that there's no money available, hence the layoffs and other cutbacks. We're being told that unemployment is at an all time high. But the government just gave these businesses BILLIONS of dollars to jump start the economy. The money is out there, we just have to find ways to make sure that our businesses are the ones benefiting from it. We need to understand that the reason that jobs are drying up is because of the company's fear of what might happen so they're performing amputations before they even know if the limbs are a threat. As Mr. Hill mentioned in his book, the Great Depression was caused mainly because people believed that resources were virtually nonexistent and acted accordingly. It sounds crazy, but no crazier than the way companies are reacting right now.

Even as the stock market plunges, there are people out there making a lots of moola. Even during the Depression, there were many people who actually made their fortunes .

So, now it's time to put my faith in ourselves and our business as a way to support our family -- so I'm going to investing in advertising my virtual assistant business more effectively and effectively. I will get my website up and running the way that I know that it should be and stop making excuses for why I haven't completed my goals yet. I will allocate funds to maximize my "attraction" to clients and thus increase my financial bottom line.

Now, it's written down, on the internet, in my notebook and on my wall. So there's nothing to it but to do it, as the saying goes. I encourage everyone to look into their own situation and see the positive aspects rather than being distracted from your goals by the media driven fear machine. And if you don't have your own business yet, now is definitely the time to start one, even if it's just mowing the lawn. The tax benefits surrounding a home-based business (with more than one client if you're thinking about doing the virtual assistant route) will put money back into your wallet.

Stay tuned for tax tips I'm researching for a home-based business tax cheat sheet, so stay tuned!

BeliefBusters -- Another Personal Growth Tool

I want to introduce you to a resource you'll be benefiting from over and over again called BeliefBusters. It's all about how to transform those self-sabotaging, negative thought patterns and beliefs.

I've had a chance to take a look at BeliefBusters and I can't say enough good things about it. That's why I'm telling all my friends and colleagues they have to check it out. It has really helped my husband to overcome some personal issues and thinking that stemmed from growing up under a less than ideal situation. This program has helped him to open up and appreciate the things that make him a wonderful person and mate.

You really need to click here to find out more:

http://tinyurl.com/5vvdlo

You'll be glad you did!

P.S. I don't lend my name or reputation to many products or services, but Guerrilla Multilevel Marketing has my highest recommendation. I strongly urge you to check it out:

http://tinyurl.com/5vvdlo

Mental Cleanse – Chapter 6

Genesis 5:5-7, states that God created multiple languages at Babel to prevent the post-Flood humans from building a huge tower. The Creator acknowledged, at that time, that there was nothing impossible for people to achieve if they set their minds to a project. This is significant to me because a large percentage of religious people that I know insist through their words and actions that they have no control over their lives. Everything that happens is because God is in control. I personally believe that God actively presents us with situations that will help us to grow, if we step up to the challenge. But ultimately God has given us the power to change our lives if we dare.

We have all been blessed with the gift of imagination. This facility to dream and imagine is what sets us apart. Imagination is developed by regular usage and, I think, fueled by a curiosity about the world in which we live. I think that the main reason that there seems to be a stagnation of imagination is because of the myopic viewpoint that is taught to many of us since birth. We're taught to only be concerned with our own immediate interests. We're taught that we are superior to others, so why bother associating or investigating other cultures or customs. And even when we learn about history, it's never taught as a dynamic living process. The points are isolated and sucked dry of anything that would cause us to question why events transpired as they did. So, in order to create something great for ourselves, we need to cultivate our imaginations. Only by doing so will we be able to break free of the shackles of indifference and start building a life that we know should be our own.

The one point that really stands out in Chapter 6 for me is the need to harness my imagination and channel towards a specific goal. In this case, I have to channel it towards a financial goal that will allow me and my family to live in the way that I know we deserve. I have lots of imagination and lots of ideas, but if I don't set a specific, concrete deadline to achieve these goals, I will always be floundering.

The story of Frank W. Gunsaulus is one that I will carry with me forever. He had a great idea. He saw a flaw in the educational system and thought for years about what he would do if he had a million dollars. He thought about it, prayed about it, but it wasn't until he finally stood up to himself and said "I want that million dollars by the end of the week" did he actually accomplish anything. So, I have set myself a definite date to achieve my financial goal. Doing that has forced me to put a course of action together to meet this goal. It is truly amazing how setting the date has fired my imagination towards accomplishing that goal. I've made appointments to work with people who will be able to assist me in creating fundraisers for school and homeowner associations.

Before reading this chapter, how I was going to reach my financial goal was nebulous. I knew what I'd do with the money, but it was still in the daydream stage. Now, I'm doing concrete actions which will lead me to the life that my imagination conjured up. Now that I am working on a course of action, I am noticing the many opportunities that are, and probably always were, before me. And I thank Mr. Hill for reminding me that our imagination is an important gift that needs constant cultivation. And when we couple our imagination with desire and action we be will lead to the proverbial promised land of success that we all want.

My first Mastermind Group Session

The Mastermind Group has continuous weekly meetings to review the book Think and Grow Rich. Each week we consider one chapter from the book and see how the lessons contained within can help each of us to be a better person. It's so great to hear how differently each chapter affects (and reveals) portions of the group's life and belief system.

This week's chapter was very compelling for me. I found that I was
able to relate best to Mr. Barnes and his experience because of having to do
something similar in my own life. Henry Ford proved that being determined
to accomplish something, regardless of how "impossible" it may seem is
necessary to be able to attain any type of goal.

Regardless of what we are doing, there is always a time when our
goal seems impossible or inaccessible. If, however, we allow
ourselves to be stopped each time something came up that required us to
look outside of the box, we would be no better than drones or
robots. Humans have been blessed with the ability to think
outside of the box, and to continuously put ourselves into a box is
both unnatural and unhealthy. Yet, this is what most of us have been taught to limit ourselves since infancy. And when we were infants that was fine because we wouldn't be here (as evidenced by my son who likes to climb on top of tall things and lean over just to give me a heart attack). However, as we enter adulthood, many of the strictures that we were under have to be re-evaluated according to relevance and importance in our lives. Unfortunately, most of us live life on cruise control and never realize that we can "shift gears" at will.

That's why I found the explanation of Henley's poem to be so very interesting. The idea that the human brain is a magnet is a very strong word picture for me.
When I was in school we learned about convolutions in the brain and I've watched
documentaries on how the brain works and the imaging techniques that show how
different areas of the brain "light up" depending on what we are doing. It
also brings to mind one my computer programming teachers who explained that the
computer isn't right or wrong, it only does what it is programmed to
do. So, if we wanted better success with our programs, we had to set better
parameters.

So, our brains are just as impartial -- our programming (negative or positive) will set the parameters that our brain uses to make things happen. Our brain is our tool and is designed to attract only those things within its parameters. That makes a huge amount of sense to me. I have never been in true poverty, but neither have I been
financially well off either. I now realize that I have settled for what
was the "norm" for people that I knew. Everyone had money to take a
vacation once every 2-3 years and to cover the basic necessities, but no one
could ever say "I'm taking a year off" without expecting to be homeless.

It also explains why I was always able to get work when others in
my group were not. I never believed that I would ever be
unemployable. I went through the same interviewing/rejection/sitting
around agencies for the next lead experiences as my friends, but never once did
I doubt that I would find a job. And I was always the one who got the jobs
first. The others, the worriers and doubters, took much more time to
achieve the positions that I did. And according to their "programming" I
did all of the wrong things. I stood up for myself, said "no" first,
complained when I thought it was necessary and had no fear of speaking to those
who were my supervisors or bosses. Amazingly, I never once worried about
being fired because of my actions, whereas I had a few friends fired for silly
misdemeanors. I realize now that my brain was attracting my employers,
whereas my friends were attracting unemployment. Wow!

So, I need to re-evaluate my expectations and shake off the shackles of my upbringing, as well using the criteria for success to choose the people whom I will
associate with on a regular basis. No more doomsayers for me. Only then
will I be able to provide the type of lifestyle that I think my family
enjoys. And only by maintaining my focus on the good things that life has
to offer can I readily attain them.

Self-Analysis Questions

In order to start figuring out who this person, Cheryl Henderson-Khalid, is I needed a starting point. So, I chose to join a mastermind group that was using the book Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. That probably sounds like a crazy way to figure out what I wanted my purpose to be and how to achieve it, but in actuality this book on how to be prosperous is really quite deep and thought-provoking. As Mr. Hill himself describes this publication, it's really a textbook that needs to be studied, not just read casually.

Anyway, these are some of the questions that I was seeking to answer on my quest of self-knowledge. Perhaps they'd help someone else to begin to enjoy their lives free from the baggage that we all carry with us at one time or another.

SELF-ANALYSIS TEST QUESTIONS

1. Do you complain often of “feeling bad,” and if so, what is the cause?

2. Do you find fault with other people at the slightest provocation?

3. Do you frequently make mistakes in your work, and if so, why?

4. Are you sarcastic and offensive in your conversation?

5. Do you deliberately avoid the association of anyone, and if so, why?

6. Do you suffer frequently with indigestion? If so, what is the cause?

7. Does life seem futile and the future hopeless to you? If so, why?

8. Do you like your occupation? If not, why?

9. Do you often feel self-pity, and if so why?

10. Are you envious of those who excel you?

11. To which do you devote most time, thinking of SUCCESS, or of FAILURE?

12. Are you gaining or losing self-confidence as you grow older?

13. Do you learn something of value from all mistakes?

14. Are you permitting some relative or acquaintance to worry you? If so, why?

15. Are you sometimes “in the clouds” and at other times in the depths of despondency?

16. Who has the most inspiring influence upon you? What is the cause?

17. Do you tolerate negative or discouraging influences which you can avoid?

18. Are you careless of your personal appearance? If so, when and why?

19. Have you learned how to “drown your troubles” by being too busy to be annoyed by them?

20. Would you call yourself a “spineless weakling” if you permitted others to do your thinking for you?

21. Do you neglect internal bathing until auto-intoxication makes you ill-tempered and irritable?

22. How many preventable disturbances annoy you, and why do you tolerate them?

23. Do you resort to liquor, narcotics, or cigarettes to “quiet your nerves”? If so, why do you not try will-power instead?

24. Does anyone “nag” you, and if so, for what reason?

25. Do you have a DEFINITE MAJOR PURPOSE, and if so, what is it, and what plan have you for achieving it?

26. Do you suffer from any of the Six Basic Fears? If so, which ones?

27. Have you a method by which you can shield yourself against the negative influence of others?

28. Do you make deliberate use of auto-suggestion to make your mind positive?

29. Which do you value most, your material possessions, or your privilege of controlling your own thoughts?

30. Are you easily influenced by others, against your own judgment?

31. Has today added anything of value to your stock of knowledge or state of mind?

32. Do you face squarely the circumstances which make you unhappy, or sidestep the responsibility?

33. Do you analyze all mistakes and failures and try to profit by them or, do you take the attitude that this is not your duty?

34. Can you name three of your most damaging weaknesses? What are you doing to correct them?

35. Do you encourage other people to bring their worries to you for sympathy?

36. Do you choose, from your daily experiences, lessons or influences which aid in your personal advancement?

37. Does your presence have a negative influence on other people as a rule?

38. What habits of other people annoy you most?

39. Do you form your own opinions or permit yourself to be influenced by other people?

40. Have you learned how to create a mental state of mind with which you can shield yourself against all discouraging influences?

41. Does your occupation inspire you with faith and hope?

42. Are you conscious of possessing spiritual forces of sufficient power to enable you to keep your

mind free from all forms of FEAR?

43. Does your religion help you to keep your own mind positive?

44. Do you feel it your duty to share other people’s worries? If so, why?

45. If you believe that “birds of a feather flock together” what have you learned about yourself by studying the friends whom you attract?

46. What connection, if any, do you see between the people with whom you associate most closely, and any unhappiness you may experience?

47. Could it be possible that some person whom you consider to be a friend is, in reality, your worst enemy, because of his negative influence on your mind?

48. By what rules do you judge who is helpful and who is damaging to you?

49. Are your intimate associates mentally superior or inferior to you?

50. How much time out of every 24 hours do you devote to:

a. your occupation

b. sleep

c. play and relaxation

d. acquiring useful knowledge

e. plain waste

51. Who among your acquaintances,

a. encourages you most

b. cautions you most

c. discourages you most

d. helps you most in other ways

52. What is your greatest worry? Why do you tolerate it?

53.When others offer you free, unsolicited advice, do you accept it without question, or analyze their

motive?

54. What, above all else, do you most DESIRE? Do you intend to acquire it?

55. Are you willing to subordinate all other desires for this one?

56. How much time daily do you devote to acquiring it?

57. Do you change your mind often? If so, why?

58. Do you usually finish everything you begin?

59. Are you easily impressed by other people’s business or professional titles, college degrees, or wealth?

60. Are you easily influenced by what other people think or say of you?

61. Do you cater to people because of their social or financial status?

62. Whom do you believe to be the greatest person living? In what respect is this

person superior to yourself?

63. How much time have you devoted to studying and answering these questions? (At least one day is necessary for the analysis and the answering of the entire list.)

My Purpose

This is an online diary of my personal journey from one belief system to another. Although it is not a drastic shift, it is one that I hope will be able to help others live up to their full potential in life. Too many times we allow ourselves to be hemmed into the lives that others wish us to live rather than the life we should be living.

In my case I was being suffocated by a religion that doesn't favor individual thought or movement. Everything that made me unique was basically suppressed in the fear/hope that the end of the world was right around the corner and if I exercised any of my God-given gifts I might be lost along with the rest of Satan's wicked world. So, anything that I wanted to do (which was of course frowned upon) was done in secret. We aren't designed to live in secret and those petty secrets were killing me.

If you take anything away from this story please let it be that we are all important persons charged with the obligation to bring our personal gifts to the world. This gift may be as simple as the ability to spin a good story or compose poetry. Contrary to modern thought, you don't have to be on television or the movies to have a lasting impact on our fellow human beings. We just have to be present and willingness to share with others.