Fitting in or having the life you desire?”

In a conversation with a friend one day, when asked how I was as I moving through a problem that came into my life, I replied that I was focusing on solutions. She responded that she would do the same but since everyone else was complaining about everything, she felt she wouldn’t fit unless she did the same.

You need to ask yourself “Which is more important – fitting in or having the life you desire?”

“The definition of Insanity is doing the same things
and expecting different results.”
~ Albert Einstein ~

When you start focusing on your DESIRES, and you start to have them and accomplish them, you will not longer “fit in” with the people who choose to focus on the problems and the excuses. Only you can decide if you want to fit in with the people who criticize and complain, or fit in with the group of people who are having and accomplishing their deepest DESIRES.

As you write your LIST of DESIRES, answer these two questions with each one:

How will I change?How will this change my life?

Be deeply honest with yourself. Will you feel more freedom? Will you feel happier? Will you be more generous? Will you be afraid of what others will think and say? Will you be nice or mean?

Some people stop themselves because they are afraid of actually having what they really DESIRE; others are afraid of becoming “like those mean or dishonest people”; others are afraid people may not like them.

Make an agreement with yourself how you will grow in a positive way.

When you write how you will change next to your DESIRES, you will be reinforcing your positive change every time you read your LIST.

”When you rise above the masses you will always become a target.
Just as a flower grows taller than the surrounding grass,
and becomes a target for the nourishing sunshine,
it also becomes a target to be cut down.”
~ Sumner Davenport ~

Willingness & Willpower

Your Willingness opens your mind to new creative ideas and inspired thoughts and your eyes will see new opportunities. Being willing is being receptive.

Willingness means to nourish your intention. Intention is “tending” to your desire from “WITHIN”.

Willingness is following inspired and positive action instead of attempting to force results.

Willpower, on the other hand is hard work, forcing you to do something. If you attempt to FORCE a result, it’s similar to forcing a square peg into a round hole. It may go in there, however, there are gaps and broken edges. The final result doesn’t appear to fit the desire, does it?

“You are what your deep, driving desire is.
As your desire is, so is your will.
As you will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny.”
~ The Upanishads ~
As Translated by Eknath Easwaran

You will change

When you start to focus on what you desire – YOU WILL CHANGE!

“Things do not change; we change.“~ Henry David Thoreau ~

As you start to focus on what you desire – your behaviors will begin to change. And as you begin to reach your goals and receive your desires – you will change.

If your desire is to have more money, and you focus on having that, you will change – you will find yourself behaving with more ease of spending as your money increases. You will begin to think and act with more confidence that you will continue to receive the money you desire and deserve. You will begin to focus on having even more money, and watching for the opportunities that will bring it to you.

If your desire is to have a healthier or slimmer body, and you focus on having that, you will change. Your behavior will change. You will relinquish excuses and watch for ways to support yourself in having the body you have always dreamed about. You will find your self-image will change as your body changes. You will find your body changing as your self image changes.

If your desire is to have more “things” and you focus on having them, you will change. You will find yourself enjoying the things you already have, the new things you get, and you will feel confident each time you add a new thing to your list of desires.

When you start to receive those things that you are placing you new focus on, you will begin to raise the level of your desires. Your faith and self confidence will increase. You will complain less and watch your words more carefully.

People will notice.

Some will admire you, some will criticize.

”When you rise above the masses you will always become a target.
Just as a flower grows taller than the surrounding grass,
and becomes a target for the nourishing sunshine,
it also becomes a target to be cut down.”
~ Sumner Davenport ~

Enjoy your transformation. Start by admiring yourself. Lead the way.

Being a Mentor

It was brought to our attention recently that someone was teaching Simple Keys tools without giving credit for where she obtained these tools.

We sat in on one of her classes. She had a cover over my book and read from it several times, always without acknowledging the book title or the class where she learned the keys.

After she finished the class, we approached her to introduce myself and to chat about her teaching process. She complained that when she took the Simple Keys class, that the tools worked for her so she wanted to use them with her students. We asked her why she was hiding the book from her students.

After discussion, she admitted a few things:
(1) She wanted to get the praise and admiration of being the teacher.
(2) She was afraid that if she told her students where she really got the tools that they wouldn't want to learn from her and instead they would want to go directly to the Simple Keys course or to the books themselves.
(3) Her students were having difficulty understanding the keys so it took more effort on her part to assist them in getting the same positive results she had seen happen from students in my classes.

However, what she began to understand during our conversation was that by her hiding from her students that she herself has a mentor she was stopping the flow of them seeing her as a mentor. And by taking the credit for what was written by someone else, was a form of stealing; and she admitted that some of her students were not paying as agreed and her class sizes were not growing.

We suggested that she do an experiment at her next class where she intended to use one of the Simple Keys tools. This time, she was to tell her students that this was a tool she learned from her mentor and that this was a Simple Keys tool. She was to explain why and when she used this tool and the personal results she got when she used the tool.

She called a few days later, almost in tears. She had received feedback from her students that it was the best class ever. They went on to tell her that it was easier to grasp what she was teaching them when she gave personal examples because it then felt that then they could see how it would work in their lives.

Following up with her again a few weeks later, she was excited to share that her class size was growing, and one student paid her the best compliment– “You are my mentor because you are real.”

We believe we are all here to learn from each other, and there are many messengers. The message we deliver is not new, it is only our interpretation of the message. The difference is when we take responsibility for our interpretation or our sharing of another’s interpretation.

www.selfinvestment.com/same-message.htm

http://www.simplekeys.org/

The purpose of life

"The purpose of life is to be happy. Ones own mental attitude is the most influential factor in working towards that goal. In order to change conditions outside ourselves, whether they concern the environment or relations with others, we must first change within ourselves.

Inner peace is the key. In that state of mind you can face difficulties with calm and reason, while keeping your inner happiness."

~ Dalai Lama ~

It Works

It's unknown whether Michael Phelps read It Works with Simple Keys, however, he followed the timeless message presented in the book, and we are all aware of his results. (unless you have been under a rock during the Olympics)

Step 1 - Write down your goals and intentions

This year Michael Phelps revealed how he had a piece of paper, his intention list in his bedroom and after his remarkable wins at the Olympics in an interview with Bob Costas: “What was on that much talked about piece of paper? You wish lost or your intention list?”

Phelps:” I think you saw it. It was all there, I think the only difference was the 200 fly, but other than that everything was pretty close to, pretty close to identical to what was written on the piece of paper.”

Step 2 - Read your written goals and intentions daily – envision them

Phelps talks about using his imagination to fuel his goals:” The biggest thing that I've been thankful for is that I have been able to use my imagination. When some people said it's not possible and it can't be done, I think that's when my imagination came into play.“

"I think it really shows that no matter what you set your imagination to, anything can happen. If you dream as big as you can dream, anything is possible. I saw so many quotes saying it's impossible to duplicate it, it won't happen. It just shows you that anything can happen.

Step 3 - Take action

Phelps:“ I’ve been able to have a lot of hard work and Bob (his coach) and I have gone through a lot together. It's all paid off."

Another important Key -

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but the really great people
make you feel that you too can become great.”
~ Mark Twain ~

Another behavior Phelps adopted was to only share his goals with the one person he trusted to maintain that vision (His coach). Doing this he could prevent naysayers from attempting to tell him why it couldn’t be accomplished and perhaps this also helped him to replace the message a middle-school English teacher once told him that he would never be successful with the positive vision and support form his coach.

Accomplish your dreams

Write It Down

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” ~ Helen Keller ~

Write down on paper in order of their importance, the things and conditions you really desire. Do not be afraid of desiring too much. Go the limit in writing down your desires.

What Do You Really Desire? Although this is the starting point, it is where many people stop.

For years countless have been telling themselves, “they can’t have”, “can’t afford”, “can’t be” and “shouldn’t do”. They have adopted the belief that other people can, and they can’t. Their daily conversation is filled with more frustration of what they don’t have, than talk of their dreams and desires

Now is the time you can choose to keep your old thoughts, beliefs and excuses or accept that you CAN have what you really desire when you are ready to (1) identify what you desire, (2) write them on a list and (3) take the action required.

Ask yourself - what do you really desire? Just for now, for the sake of this exercise, ignore all those old thoughts of "can't have" for a minute and just write your list.

Then choose 3 items on this list of your desires that are the most important to you right now, and write specifically how much, what kind, where...anything that specifically defines each desire.

The clarity is important. If it's money you desire - How much money do you desire? If it's a new body weight or look - What exact body weight and measurements do you desire? If it's a new home you desire - What size and style of home do you desire? In what city or neighborhood do you desire to live? If you desire a new car - What kind of car do you desire? If you desire a vacation - Where do you desire to take your vacation?

On a clean sheet of paper, write only your top three specific desires. Attach a photograph or a clipping from a magazine that depicts your desire to this page. Carry this page with you every day. Look at it first thing in the morning, again at lunch and again at dinner.

Do not concern yourself at this point how any of this is going to be manifest or delivered to you. This step is to clarify for yourself what you DESIRE.

“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”~ Martin Luther King, Jr ~