What you can Learn from a Locksmith

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Leslie| 3 Comments

Positive Thinking Tip: When results don’t come as fast as you want, trust that each epiphany along the way gets you one “tumbler” closer to your next victory.

Perhaps the reason “one book” or “one seminar” or “one program” was a MAJOR turning point for one person, but nothing more than a small stepping stone for another, is because achieving success is like opening a combination lock.

There are a finite number of discs that need to move into place before the lock will open.

Some people are raised in such a way, or have a natural-born inclination to live in harmony with the laws of success.

Sometimes those people have all but ONE of the discs already in place, so just one book or seminar or conversation with a mentor is all they needed to set them free and launch their lifestyle into the stratosphere.

Others have hundreds of discs that need to move into place.

But each time you increase your mental capital by learning more about how success really works, and by trying and failing and learning the lesson the experience contained, you allow yet another disc to rotate into place, and the good news is: that disc can stay in place for good.

One day, with just one more try, one more class, one more book, one more seminar, or one more conversation with a mentor, that FINAL disc will move into its proper position, and the lock WILL finally spring open.

You’ll probably tell everyone that that was THE BEST event or book or conversation there ever was… because it facilitated the most tangible results in your life.

The truth is, that each “aha” moment leading up to it was just as important and critical to your success as the last. If just ONE of the previous epiphanies had not happened, then that final event, book, or conversation would probably not have been the final disc.

So keep learning, keep seeking the next epiphany, because you never know… it just might be that final disc for you. If it isn’t, at LEAST there’s just one less disc to go.

Even if you’ve experienced a breakthrough before, taking it to the next level will always require the opening of another lock, sometimes just a little more complex than the one before.

But don’t worry, you’ll open them all, by just rotating one simple disc into place at a time.

Remember:

Your desire is simply a “possibility” seeking expression through you… honor your dream, don’t give up on it. One step, one rotated disc at a time and you’ll surely get there.

For more on this topic, watch the Stickman Video.

Join me for a live teleclass on this topic May 29, 2012 – Register FREE

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Posted in Life Lessons, Overcoming Adversity, Positive Thinking Tips, Success Mindset, Why Think Positive

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Grateful for… Everything?

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Leslie| 1 Comment

Positive Thinking Tip: When facing setbacks or obstacles, find a way to feel good about them. it activates the laws of success in your favor.

Question: How can I feel grateful for everything?

Answer: Through increased awareness of what’s really happening.

Now, I’m about to throw some heavy philosophical stuff at you. Ready for this? Read these next lines really carefully, one at a time…

Courage does not eliminate fear… but the right kind of knowledge does every time.

An awareness of truth in spite of appearances is the power behind faith, and faith can move mountains.

Lack of awareness is like darkness, which is merely the absence of light. A dark room can be illuminated with just a tiny light… it doesn’t take much to make a significant difference in a dark room. Likewise, knowledge has the same effect.

Are you smothered in the darkness of fear and uncertainty? Add just a spark of new knowledge and awareness to your mind, and the fear shrinks away like darkness in an illuminated room.

When you change how you feel, the nature of your surroundings begin to shift ever so slightly as well. People begin to respond to you differently. Someone who may not have had two words for you before may suddenly feel compelled to talk with you, and perhaps be the connection you need to help you reach your goal.

Or, maybe your altered mood will cause you to go somewhere you didn’t feel like going before… and what you need to reach your goal may be found there.

How the achievement of a goal all comes together for you will likely be a mystery until after it’s all said and done. In the meantime, all you can control is how you allow yourself to feel about what’s going on, and based on how you feel, you’ll either make choices that take you closer to your goal, or choices that keep you from achieving the success you desire.

Faith is a feeling of “hope” and “expectation,” both of which are necessary for success. So you might be wondering, “How can I have faith and feel good about all the bad stuff I have to deal with?”

It’s learning to believe in something that can’t be seen. It’s gaining additional knowledge that illuminates your mind causing the darkness of despair to shrink away. The truth is, there is a Law of Polarity that promises a potential blessing to compensate for every hardship.

I like to think of the story shared by Corrie Ten Boom who suffered many difficulties in the German Concentration Camps. At one time, she and her sister argued about whether they must express gratitude to God for even the fleas that infested their quarters. They were women of faith, but this was a tough thing to do. As it turned out, many of the prisoners were regularly troubled by the guards, but Corrie and her sister were left alone alone because of those horrible fleas.

In truth, as Napoleon Hill so eloquently stated, “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.” So yes, we can be grateful for even the fleas, and even the hardships we face today. In truth, all things can work out for our good if we expect them to, looking forward to the understanding that will eventually come, and then allowing the good to emerge through the tragedy like a gleaming sunrise after the coldest, darkest night. Remember, it’s always darkest just before the dawn.

As M. Catherine Thomas said it in her book, Light in the Wilderness, “…if you wish to feel the most penetrating power of the Spirit, try the experiment of giving thanks in the moment of disappointment, of tragedy, of the specter of ruin. When you are able to do it consistently, you will feel as though you have discovered and united with the mystery of life.”

Read the entertaining short story that has given NEW hope and an “I-can’t-believe-I-didn’t-know-this-before” awareness to people all over the world since 2005: The Jackrabbit Factor.

(Don’t worry; it’s FREE!)

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Posted in Inspiring Short Stories, Laws of Success, Motivational Short Stories, Overcoming Adversity, Positive Thinking Tips, Power of Subconscious, Success Mindset, Why Think Positive

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It’s PERFECT: The Mindset that Fixes Everything

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Leslie| 2 Comments

Positive Thinking Tip: No matter how painful or embarrassing it was, it’s ultimately for your good and Perfect for helping you reach your highest potential.

I had one week left to prepare for an important event where I would be presenting some critical information about a business deal to some very important people. A knot would tighten in my gut each time I thought about it, but I consciously did my best to breathe deeply and relax, knowing the best outcome would happen if I could only stay in a peaceful mindset.

The night before the presentation I wasn’t quite prepared, and I knew it… not for lack of trying, but merely for a lack of time. I stayed up most of the night putting together the last of my research, trying to line it up to be a cohesive, logical persuasion for those who would be making a decision the next day. How well I did at the meeting could mean the difference between thousands of dollars down the tubes, or putting us potentially more than $100,000 ahead within 2 more months.

Not long before I was to speak at the meeting, I was given some new information about others who would be in the room who I had not expected… which added to my pressure. Besides allowing myself to become overly concerned with ‘what should I wear?!’ I also had to be concerned with whether or not my equipment would work properly with no time to test it thoroughly first.

As the meeting began, I knew I had done all I could possibly do to prepare. I had to trust that my best would be good enough, and that my faith in God would help make up for my human deficiencies. It would have to… there was nothing more I could do.

While I intellectually relied on God to make it all ‘okay’, I couldn’t seem to quiet my stressed-out, frantic heart. I was flustered, lost my train of thought frequently, and basically ‘blew it’. The opportunity to secure $100,000 slipped through my fingers as I pushed myself to just get through the meeting and finish saying what I went there to say.

I felt sick inside. What more could I have done? I had given it everything I had. I knew the principles… I knew that ‘when something is really, really horrible, it is in actuality really, really phenomenal…’ but no matter how hard I tried to think right, I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that it had been a disaster, and nothing more.

I tried to call my mentor to help me get my head back on straight, because I knew that was critical if I hoped to glean whatever benefit there was out of the situation. I HAD to think right, for I knew that my future beneficial circumstances depended on it. However, I couldn’t get through, and my messages were never returned, as though they had never been left in the first place.

Finally, I thought of an old friend of mine who I knew would understand and could help. Why I didn’t think of her first, I’m not sure. I gave her a call, and she laughed with me as I told her how pathetic the meeting had been, and after I had let it all out, she told me one thing that made all the difference.

She said, ‘Leslie, the meeting was perfect. You did your best, and everything that needed to be said was said in just the right way. Those people heard just what they needed to hear, and anyway, who do you think YOU are to decide what should and shouldn’t have been said?’

I knew she was right. I had done my best to prepare, and I had turned it over to God… and so who DID I think I was to pass judgment on what God made of it? Suddenly, I began to consider that maybe my mistakes were exactly what God knew would happen, and what He allowed to happen because He had some higher good in mind for me and the others involved.

Who am I to say that the deal should have happened the way I had wanted it to happen, anyway? One thing for sure, is that when something doesn’t go the way I think it should have, it’s generally because God has something even better in mind, and He is working to knock off my rough edges to prepare me to receive the very best He has to offer.

I choose to believe that.

There are a lot of things I may never know about what ripple effects came out of that meeting. I have since been made aware of some very important ones that did. But if nothing more, it has given me a new tool for the times I am struggling to feel better about a bad situation. I tell myself now, ‘It’s perfect’ even when I don’t see how it possibly could be.

Even the most painful, difficult circumstances in our lives are ultimately for our good. They give us experience, they teach us right from wrong, they help us grow toward our greatest potential if we don’t fight it.

Okay, so I messed up a presentation. I don’t really have it all that bad, do I? Worse things have happened, and besides, in some way, I know that it was all for my good. I came away a little tougher, a little more compassionate, a little more trusting in God.

Whatever seems horrible in your life right now, you can choose to trust… choose to believe that it’s the perfect thing for your personal development right now. As you calm down and believe this, you’ll find that it makes a huge difference in where your life goes from here.

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Posted in Inspiring Short Stories, Life Lessons, Life Mastery, Motivational Short Stories, Overcoming Adversity, Peace of Mind, Positive Thinking Tips, Raw and Real, Success Mindset

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To Anyone Who Know or Cares About a Teenager

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Leslie| Leave a comment

I’m really excited about a new book that effectively teaches empowerment to our youth. Youth today often struggle with low self-esteem, bullies, or just living up to their potential in schoolwork, athletics, or music. You know your child has unlimited potential. Too often they cannot see within themselves what you see. You can help that teenager you care about with the breakthrough book, Your Superpowers.

My friend Steve Gardner has worked with thousands of teenagers on three continents. He has taught honor students, students with special needs, and regular classrooms full of high schoolers. He has worked as a councilor for youth. He inspires greatness wherever he goes. He is a currently a motivational speaker and his Superpowers Conferences help teens and pre-teens awaken to their true, divine potential. Now his book is on the verge of becoming an amazon.com bestseller.

BUY IT HERE

This is really an incredible opportunity, this book can connect with youth in ways that parents and teachers often can’t.

Check out what others have said about the book:

“Your Superpowers is a great primer to teach your children how to use the natural powers they have to create the life that they want.” – Jack Canfield, featured in the movie “The Secret”

“Your Superpowers is truly transformational– alive with possibility, passion, and inspiration! There is something special in your child just waiting to come out! your Superpowers will help you ignite that magic!” – Brian Biro, America’s Breakthrough Coach and author of “Beyond Success”

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Posted in Books Worth Reading