Have you ever noticed people that jet-set across continents, whether for business, pleasure, or a mixture of both, never seem to lose grip on what they want? They have a clear vision of what they are looking for, and nothing seems to phase them. They’re not chasing a dream – they’re choosing and declaring what they want. Are you choosing what you want, or chasing a dream?

Here’s a better way to look at it: are you consciously choosing life and power, or are you falling victim to circumstance on your journey to your dream destination? Do things happen to you, or do you make things happen?  This is the elemental difference between reacting to life, and responding to it.  While they sound similar, they’re actually worlds apart.  Reacting to life is knee-jerk, emotional, and often comes with blame and elected helplessness – i.e. “it wasn’t my fault that didn’t work; there was nothing I could do – it’s your fault.”  Responding to life is taking responsibility for your place and impact in the world around you. It’s about noticing what is trying to emerge in every interaction (good and bad), and what energy and choice you made, and can make to impact it further.

Many people throw around the phrase, “everything happens for a reason,” electing to acknowledge that there must be something at work below the surface, but moments later find it impossible to see meaning in seemingly random events they don’t like.  I ask what the difference is.  It feels like it’s a type of selective responsibility – one in which you can claim power in accomplishment, but relinquish the responsibility in disappointment.  Look, if you’re not in command of your life, who is?

Wanna change it all?  Tired of struggling to find a better way? Do you want to actually reach those lofty goals?  Do you want to make it happen without relying on the miracle of a winning Lotto ticket falling in your lap?  Take responsibility for your life – your actions, choices, thoughts, judgments, dreams – all of it.  The good, the bad, the ugly – it’s your life, and you’re at the wheel.  Instead of chasing down what you want and reacting to the obstacles before you, choose the life you want, and respond to those same obstacles – this is the art of turning foes into allies, hurt into help, and rags into riches.

In everything you do, you’re committing to one thing or another.  Everything you give permission to (saying yes), you are also denying permission (saying no) to something else.  When you are chasing a dream you just can’t seem to reach, you’re saying yes and no to everything along the way – yes to failure, no to success; yes to struggle, no to learning; yes to familiarity (same old story), no to change / uncertainty etc.

So I leave you with an assignment:

1. With every interaction you have with people, places, things, events, circumstances – everything. notice what choices you’re making, and what you’re committing to.  Is it what you want? Are you choosing or chasing?
2. If (and when) something doesn’t go your way, immediately take a deep breath and ask yourself what is trying to emerge.  Are you going to respond and choose, or react as a pawn in the game?

I can’t reiterate this line enough:  It’s your life and if you’re not in command of it, who is?

“Sedit qui timuit ne non succederet. Audentes fortuna iuvat.” – He who feared he would not succeed, sat still. Fortune favors the bold.

Blake

Technorati Tags: attitude, attraction, being bold, choice, dream, faith, goals, lesson, personal power, reaction, reflection, responsibility, success, Virgil

I have made it so far through the book, that it’s about time I started getting the word out about it. I am asking for help in getting it published and on store shelves.  The additional funds will be used to get the new Suicide Prevention and Life Celebration charity started.  These are exciting times, and I would be honored if any one of my readers became a contributor.

“The Unlimited Landscape – Exploring the power within you” is about the journey to that ‘more to life’ place we’re all searching for. Sometimes it’s a quest for success. Sometimes it’s a search for deeper meaning in the world around you. Often it’s a combination of many things. This book is an experiential piece – filled with exercises and lessons to guide you in discovering your potential, and explore that power. It is written with humor and sarcasm because that’s the kind of guy I am – as if we needed another sarcastic writer in the world, right?

The book is really a stepping-stone for Applied Happiness, and myself. I am raising money to get the book published and on shelves, but I’m also using any additional funds to put together a charity for Suicide Prevention and the celebration of life. I feel in my soul that the emotions in this project, and the passion of the positive paradigm, will make the future charity possible – and I would be honored if you were a founding contributor to our success.

Please check out the fund page by clicking the book cover image above. There are incentives to donors as well. We have three packages that allow you to receive some great gifts for your donation. Check them out!

Peace, Love, and a million successes to us!

Blake

Technorati Tags: appreciation, coaching, fund raising, goals, gratitude, love, personal power, positive thinking, success, teaching

Jay Shafer decided one day to remove the clutter from his world and start over.  He designed and built an 89 square foot home, and began living there. Leaving the ‘everything big’ lifestyle behind him, his life transformed. I love this story. It reminds me how frivolous some of our attachment to material goods can be. Does anyone really need a 20,000 square foot mansion? Maybe they do. I don’t know anyone with one, so I can’t just come out and ask. I’ll update this post if I ever find that answer.

This begs the question of what do we really need in our lives to be happy. It’s not so much about becoming a minimalist and throwing out everything but toilet paper and three outfits – that’s a little too frightening for most of us. Instead, it’s about removing the “noise” and “stuff” with which we all seem to fill our lives. It’s about pulling away from owning things just to own things.

Personally, I remember being younger and spending money on a whole bunch of things I found cool. Now I can’t remember a single thing I got that was important. And I certainly don’t have any of this cool “stuff” to show nowadays. Why did it all disappear? Was it not too expensive and therefore disposable? Was it simply misplaced? Stolen? What happened to all my cool stuff?!?!

It wasn’t truly important to me, so it didn’t stick around. Because it truly wasn’t that important, I didn’t miss it, and I didn’t replace it. Imagine all the things in your life you could sell off, throw out, or donate – stuff you really don’t need, won’t miss, and won’t replace if gone one day. The minimalist credo is similar to “waste not, want not” and is a great place to start.

This becomes MUCH easier after a values exercise. You get a solid sense of your values, what motivates you, and what you need to move forward. You can then ask what this “thing” brings you that you cannot be without. If it doesn’t fill that space inside you, it really doesn’t have to fill that space in your house.

Try your own version of living little. See how it goes, and let us know!

Peace, Love, and a million successes to you all!

Blake

Technorati Tags: appreciation, attitude, clearing, goals, inspiration, lesson, personal power, reflection, teaching, wisdom

It’s difficult to see the world in color if your mind only lets in black and white. The eyes are judgment-less lenses to the world. Our perception of what they record is the hindrance we often live by. One man gets laid off (in this economy? you’re kidding right?) and we may judge that as a tragedy. He, however, may see this as a perfect opportunity to pursue more time with his family while he decides his next direction. Our burden may be his blessing.

“Don’t think of organ donations as giving up part of yourself to keep a total stranger alive. It’s really a total stranger giving up almost all of themselves to keep part of you alive.” ~ Unknown

Life is about experience, and part of that is in the perspective you take to experience what you want. What you perceive is reality, right? When you focus on something – I mean, intently focus – the peripheral details disappear. Everyone has experienced the blindspot of reality when intently focused. When you fail to perceive the details around you, and instead focus on what’s directly in front of you, the entire world can change.

This is such a cool place to play for coaches and people who like to challenge circumstance with personal awareness. Many people spend their lives in ‘victim’ roles, and can’t see a way out. “These things always happen to me.” “I’m just unlucky.” “I’ll never make anything like that happen – that dream is just plain out of reach.”

We’re going to play a little game now. Look below and follow the pink dots around the circle. Then stare at the black + in the middle for a few moments. What happens?

When you first see this image, you see the pink dots rotating clockwise. After you spend a few moments staring at the black + in the center of the image, you’ll see a green dot appear to be rotating in place of the pink one. If you keep focusing on that + in the center, the pink dots will slowly, but completely disappear. Wow, if this doesn’t ever prove we don’t always see what’s really there!

This is such a fun lesson, but it’s also up there in importance. I like to use this exercise with clients that see past their own perceived mistakes to make new things happen. I also like to break it out when too much judgment is being held to a perceived event. Sometimes we all focus so intently on the negative that all the pink positive pieces disappear. On the other side of the coin, sometimes we simply can’t focus on the goal, that we simply can’t see any green (money, satisfaction, time, positive qualities) at all. It can be very discouraging.

If you ever have trouble focusing on the goal because all you find yourself surrounded by are pink dots, come back here and focus until they all just fade away! It’s a beautiful life, my friends. Have a great time, and keep your eyes on the direction(s) you want to go, and you’ll never have trouble seeing what you want to.

Peace, Love, and a million successes to you all.

Blake

Technorati Tags: awareness, focus, fun, game, illusion, perception, personal power, perspective

Free Coaching Session!

With 2010 coming to the half-way point in the next couple of weeks, are you happy with where your year has taken you?  Are there things you’d love to change, improve, increase, or achieve?  Maybe you would only like a little clarity about where you are and where you feel you’re headed on this crazy winding road.  Have you had a day where you left your office for some lunch and thought, “what am I doing?” or “is this really all there is?” or even “man, it would be so incredible if I could only (fill-in the blank)”?

Coaching is such a powerful place to turn to when you’re looking for some insight and fulfillment in your life.  Maybe you’ve looked into getting a coach, but you doubted your ability to afford it…

GREAT NEWS!

We’re giving away 30 minute coaching sessions!  No, really, we are!  F-R-E-E !

Not only are we giving away the first 30 minute session, we’ve discounted our fees to help get you closer to your dream without taking away your savings!  Head to the contact page and send us a message to set-up a free coaching call (or face-to-face meeting), and take us for a test drive!  If you feel like you could benefit from having your own incredible coach, we are offering 30 minute sessions for $25 each for the first 90 days!  Imagine as much as 12 complete weeks of personalized attention, focus, and support to help you discover your best self and show you how to create S-M-A-R-T action plans to get you moving forward.

FOR PEANUTS!

For those of you thinking, “C’mon, there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” truly, there’s no risk. No contracts, no gimmicks, no strings, nothing. The time is yours,and the decision after your session is yours. No hard sell. No fine print. NONE.

Head over to the assessment page and see what you, personally, come up with. They’re free too. If you find some area of your life you might like to improve, we would be more than happy to give you the free session to touch on it. Call 847-754-9615 or send a message our way to set-up your FREE session today! 

As a bonus for signing up for your free session, we’ll send you the Applied Happiness Inspired Action Workbook at no charge! This 30 page workbook will help you get a head start on what motivates you, and what might be holding you back from getting what you want.  This is $10 value, absolutely free.

Don’t wait! This offer only runs through August!

Call or write us today, and discover what a coach can add to your life!

Audentes Fortuna Iuvat – Fortune Favors the Bold.

- The Applied Happiness Team

Technorati Tags: appreciation, attitude, awareness, being bold, clearing, coaching, gratitude, happiness, lessons, love, personal power, positive thinking, success, teaching, wisdom

Sometimes the most growth comes from someone asking a powerful question. Suddenly, everything seems to make a little more sense, and we know what we must do from this point forward. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. They are just meant to get your wheels turning, and maybe help you see the decisions you’ve been making, and the ones you’d like to make from now on.

1. We learn from our mistakes, yet we’re always so afraid to make one. Why?

2. What risk would you take if you knew you could not fail?

3. What is your greatest strength? Have any of your recent actions demonstrated this strength?

4. What are the top five things you cherish in your life?

5. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

6. When do you stop calculating risk and rewards, and just do it?

7. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

8. What do you most connect with? Why?

9. What one piece of advice would you offer a newborn child?

10. Which is worse – failing or never trying?

11. Why do we do things we dislike, and like the things we never seem to do?

12. What are you avoiding?

13. What is the one job/cause/activity that could get you out of bed happily for the rest of your life? Are you doing it now?

14. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

15. What are you most grateful for?

16. What would you say is one thing you’d like to change in the world?

17. Do you find yourself influencing your world, or it influencing you?

18. Are you doing what you believe in, or settling for what you’re doing?

19. What are you committed to?

20. Which worries you more – doing things right, or doing the right things?

21. If joy became the national currency, what kind of work would make you wealthy?

22. Have you been the kind of friend you’d want as one?

23. Do any of the things that used to upset you a few years ago matter at all today? What’s changed?

24. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you enjoy doing?

25. What you sacrifice the most to be, do, or possess?

26. Really, what do you have to lose if you go for it?

27. How different would your life be if there wasn’t any criticism in the world?

28. We’re always making choices. Are you choosing for your story, or for someone else’s?

Powerful questions can change the very fiber of our construction. They give us a chance to challenge our own ideals, and perhaps shed some light on what we are and are not committed to. It’s important to understand that we’re always committed to something. If it’s not success on out on our own, it’s staying safe in the comfortable success of someone else. If we’re not committed to creating our opportunities, we’re committed to floating around, hoping, waiting, and wishing for circumstance. What are you committed to?

Peace, Love, and a million successes to you, my friends!

Blake

Technorati Tags: inquiry, inspiration, motivation, personal power, powerful questions

I had a pretty poor day yesterday (Wednesday), and I was unsure how I was ever going to make it out still feeling good about my life.  We all have moments like that.  I am fighting with one of the companies I am doing contractual work for, and it looks like I may not get a paycheck for a while. We’ll just have to see how it all turns out.  I went home, grabbed my dog, and headed out to my friend’s place uptown. She bought me dinner and we just had a great time together watching the Olympics.  I laid my head down a little before 11, and tried to be grateful for the wonderful things in my life – even though I was still pretty worked up about the accounts payable issue from earlier.

I had a dream that spun my world in circles, and threw my train of thought out the window.

As a man, sometimes I dream about automobiles. Well, last night it was a brand new Escalade.

I’m driving around some random city in this beautiful new Escalade. I’ve got the windows down, the stereo up, the sun is shining, and I’m feeling pretty good about it all.  The monstrous truck starts to sputter and I see the gas gauge is broken as it wavers slightly, and then falls lifeless to E.  I look up as I roll to a stop, and suddenly I’m in the middle of nowhere.  I get out and I’m very, very upset. I’m cussing, and flailing my arms, and cursing the truck for doing this to me.

A man appears a couple hundred feet down the single lane road, and begins walking to me. As I’m cursing, he walks over and asks me what happened. I tell him the story angrily, and he smiles and tells me that I’m looking at it all wrong, in a tone that can only be described as uncomfortably mysterious – like any minute he was going to wave his hands and say, “That’s not a truck; it’s a kitten!” Poof, there would stand a kitten.

He asked me if I was just going to stand next to it and complain all day.

“You cannot stand here and expect magic to happen. Blake, keep walking down the road and have faith that another ride will come along.”

I didn’t even hesitate to follow his advice.  His voice was comforting – much like when mom tells you it’s all going to be okay when you’re sad as a kid.  Sure enough, just a couple hundred yards down, another Escalade pulled over and the back door opened.  I got in and looked back to see us pull away from the dead truck and the voice of reason.  I didn’t know where we were, but this nameless, faceless driver knew everything I wanted, and where to take me to get it. I simply requested something and had complete faith the driver would take me to it.  I felt so grateful for the new ride, and the random chance of meeting that man when my dream truck died.  I traveled all over in this new truck – guided only by faith that I would always reach whatever destination I asked for.

I woke up and felt like I had been given a gft in my sleep.  I was able to test drive the power of the Universe last night. I was able to run on faith.  And I would not have been the least bit surprised if I woke up with an Escalade keychain at my bedside.

Today I received a recommendation from a former colleague, a phone call from a friend in Ohio to speak at her company, and a brand new business contact for some design work. On faith alone, I have turned worry into wonderful gifts that will bring me happiness…and income!

Have a little faith, my friends. If one day your proverbial Escalade breaks down, you must keep walking and have faith that you’ll reach your destination. I promise you that you will. Every single time.

Technorati Tags: attraction, dream, faith, lesson, personal power, positive thinking

Your life as you know it is based upon faith. That’s right, even those that say they do not believe in fate, and instead choose to control their own destiny by working incredibly hard, making smart decisions, and following their own path are guided by faith. The faith they have is in themselves. No matter what the situation, the words, “have a little faith” echo through them. “It’s all going to turn out alright. It always does.” These are incredibly powerful affirmations! This is the stuff dreams are made of!

Holy cow…how cliche was that?

Napoleon Hill ["Think and Grow Rich"] wrote, “A mind dominated by positive emotions becomes a favorable site for the state of mind known as faith.”  When you smile in the face of adversity and what could be seen as an impassible crossroad, you have faith that you’ll get through it.  This is nothing new.  However, many people discount the power of faith because they feel more comfortable bonding with others about how “it’s just not possible” and/or “man, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.”

How often do parents tell their children that it’s going to be okay.  How often do you hear people talk about making it through a disaster or negative event because they “just knew they would get through it”?  Have a little faith in YOU.

It is important to remember three very powerful truths:

1 – Faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches.
2 – Faith is the basis of al miracles and mysteries that science cannot explain.
3 – Faith is THE ONLY KNOWN ANTIDOTE FOR FAILURE.

In my upcoming book, I spend a little time talking about the power of faith, and using it to propel you into manifesting incredible people, profits, and personal growth.  The greatest point I can make about faith is that it truly is the foundation for all your future success.  Success is built from the ground up, brick by brick. An unwavering faith in yourself, your abilities, and the Universe to back you up is 80% of the build process! The other 20% is action – another chapter altogether!

How do you get the faith you need to be the person you always dreamt of being?

“Know you have the ability to achieve the objects of your definite purpose in life. Demand of yourself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and promise to render such action” – Napoleon Hill, TaGR.

Wake up every morning, step onto the floor, and take a deep breath. With each breath, thank the Universe for the incredible day you’re going to have. KNOW how powerful you are, and commit yourself to believing you hold the cards to your success – and the faith that you’ll know when you hold em, and know when to fold em!

When you have complete, unwavering, unadulterated faith in yourself, you’ll never fold! You’ll have one winning hand after another! Trust me! Have a littel faith!

Technorati Tags: affirmations, faith, personal power, success