Look For Opportunities, NOT For Problems

“Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity minded.”

— Stephen Covey   

Do you look for problems? 

Or do you look for opportunities?  

Seek and you shall find – if you’re looking for problems you will find them. 

And if you look for opportunities, you’ll also find them. 

But let’s look at the problem seeking for a moment…  

It is so easy to find problems if you look for them – & it seems like the older people get the more they look for problems (especially problems about other people).  

This is true for me at least – not me looking for faults in people, but realizing that people were looking for faults in me & my life.  

I never wasted my time or energy thinking about what’s wrong with someone – but I found out that people do that all the time. 

Some or many people are actively seeking scapegoats. Seeking someone to blame or find fault with.  

And I didn’t know that people were doing that until I ran into a brick wall of people’s opinions about me & my eccentric ways, as I prepared for fame.  

All of a sudden I went from opportunity & joy minded to problem minded. I went from living in peace to living in fear, and I began seeing problems with everyone & everything – which I wasn’t looking at before. 

I lost my energy and my mind in looking outside of myself, towards potential problems, and I’ve been working hard to get my mind back with myself since then. It’s been 3 years.  

I’m re-learning to lead my life & be true to myself. 

I’m re-learning to NOT be like the problem-seeking people. 

And I’m learning to NOT take on the fearful projections of the problem-seekers. 

I’m re-learning a lot. 

And I’m embracing MY perspective and MY beliefs. 

And not worrying if people see a problem with me having my own perspective – because they will. 

But some will love it too, and to those fans I say thank you.  

To Be Weird or To Fit In

“A secret to happiness is to be as weird as you like, and the wrong people will leave the party but the right ones will join the dance.”  

Weird. Weird. Weird. 

We all live in a yellow submarine. Well, I do at least, and that’s pretty weird. 

Kids are pretty weird, but they lose their weirdness as they try fitting in with others as they “grow up.” 

Conformity. Conformity. Conformity.  

Many of us are taught to conform. To “obey or else,” and that almost always takes our uniqueness away from us. 

People who are different almost always get ridiculed and made fun of by “normal” conformists – who have lost themselves in order to fit in. 

“They laugh at me for being different. I laugh at them for being all the same.” 

Maybe there can be a balance between fitting in and being your own person. 50/50 60/40 70/30 80/20 90/10, or whatever makes you live what you believe in. 

It’s okay to fit in, and it’s okay to be weird. 

You Need A Stronger Mind

“If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation.”

— Epictetus 

Some miserable people live their life looking for the next opportunity to provoke or bother someone. 

Don’t let it be you. 

Even if they go out of their way to insult you – you can’t get angry if you have a strong mind. 

The easy route is to be annoyed, to be miserable, to be distracted, to be hopeless, to be disempowered. 

And the hard route is to live as an empowered individual. To remain calm, centered, and uneffected by the hate & misery of others.  

Provocation is just another distraction sent by the ignorant to destroy your inner peace. 

The ignorant have no life of their own so they become lifeless parasites, literally like diseased bugs, trying to spread their disease – their hate, misery, violence, ignorance, pain, etc. and they’ll get you if you don’t put your bug spray on. 

And what is your bug spray in this situation? It’s focus. 

You must remain focused on your mind and your life. 

What are you doing with your life? 

Where are you going? 

What do you want your life to be like 2 years from now? 5 years. 10 years. 

Maintain a long term vision, add goals, and act toward your best life, and when other people call you “difficult” it’s because you can’t be provoked or manipulated. 

Stay true to your life path. 

Ignore the haters. 

Focus. Win.

Where are you going?

“If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there” 
― Lewis Carroll

Alice wandered around wonderland for awhile, not knowing where she was going. She experienced extraordinary wonders beyond belief, but she didn’t know what they all meant.

She didn’t know where she was going – she didn’t have a planned destination, so that is exactly what she experienced in wonderland.

Once you realize your dream, keep them with you. Your dreams are roadmaps on route to your destination, and they are yours for a reason.

Believe in your dreams, and watch them come true.

29 Power of Your Subconscious Mind Quotes from Joseph Murphy

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1— Identify yourself with your aim in life, and do not permit any person, place, or thing to deflect you from your inner sense of peace, tranquility, and radiant health.” 

2— “Do not let others do your thinking for you. Choose your own thoughts and make your own decisions.”

3—“Your mental attitude, i.e., the way you think, feel, and believe determines your destiny.”

4— “Every cell, nerve, tissue, and muscle of my lungs are now being made whole, pure, and perfect. My whole body is being restored to health and harmony.”

5— “The suggestions of others in themselves have absolutely no power whatever over you except the power that you give them through your own thoughts. You have to give your mental consent; you have to entertain the thought. Then, it becomes your thought, and you do the thinking. Remember, you have the capacity to choose. Choose life! Choose love! Choose health!”

6— “Once you understand that you do not have to accept them, choices open up for you.”

7—“Choose to believe that something good can happen and is happening now. Your greatest power is your capacity to choose. Choose happiness and abundance.”

8—“Busy your mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace, and good will, and wonders will happen in your life.”

9—“Never finish a negative statement; reverse it immediately, and wonders will happen in your life.”

10—“The way to get rid of darkness is with light; the way to overcome cold is with heat; the way to overcome the negative thought is to substitute the good thought. Affirm the good, and the bad will vanish.”

11—“As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment.”

He brings up Bible verses: 

12—“Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. MARK 11:23.”

13—“Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. MATT. 21:22”

14—“You must choose happiness. Happiness is a habit. It is a good habit to ponder often on Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report..”

15— “All of us have our own inner fears, beliefs, opinions. These inner assumptions rule and govern our lives. A suggestion has no power in and of itself. Its power arises from the fact that you accept it mentally.”

16— “Every thought is a cause, and every condition is an effect.”

17— “You grow old when you lose interest in life, when you cease to dream, to hunger after new truths, and to search for new worlds to conquer. When your mind is open to new ideas, new interests, and when you raise the curtain and let in the sunshine and inspiration of new truths of life and the universe, you will be young and vital.”

18— “The American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said, ‘Man is what he thinks all day long.’”

19— “As a man thinks, feels, and believes, so is the condition of his mind, body, and circumstances.”

20— “The process of all healing is a definite, positive, mental attitude, an inner attitude, or a way of thinking, called faith. Healing is due to a confident expectancy, which acts as a powerful suggestion to the subconscious mind releasing its healing potency.”

21—“Though invisible, its forces are mighty. Within your subconscious mind you will find the solution for every problem, and the cause.”

22—“Remember, you are spiritually recharged during sleep, and adequate sleep is essential to produce joy and vitality in life.”

23—“Know that in your deeper mind are Infinite Intelligence and Infinite Power.”

24—“Your mental attitude, i.e., the way you think, feel, and believe determines your destiny.”

25— “Over ninety percent of your mental life is subconscious. If you fail to make use of this marvelous power, you condemn yourself to live within very narrow limits.”

26—“Look at your fears; hold them up to the light of reason. Learn to laugh at your fears. That is the best medicine. Nothing can disturb you but your own thought.” 

27— “If you have indulged in fear, worry, and other destructive forms of thinking, the remedy is to recognize the omnipotence of your subconscious mind and decree freedom, happiness, and perfect health. Your subconscious mind, being creative and one with your divine source, will proceed to create the freedom and happiness, which you have earnestly decreed.”

28— “Remember, it is the world within, namely, your thoughts, feelings, and imagery that makes your world without.”

29—“Just keep your conscious mind busy with expectation of the best.”

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A 3-Step Process to Begin Creating YOUR Life

1—Define your ideal life.

Ask yourself: 
—“What does my ideal life look like?”
—“What does my ideal job look like?”
—“What do my ideal relationships look like?”

Continue this process of questions in each area you want to improve in.

2—Write down your answers.

It’s one thing to contemplate your ideal life, but when you write it on paper or a word doc, it enters the physical world and plants seeds into your subconscious.

3—Affirm your ideal life.

Your mind is like a garden, what you put into it is what will grow.

I have experienced this first-hand, “coincidentally” brushing shoulders with giants again and again. Affirm it daily. The more you affirm it, the more it will manifest.

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.”
—Buddha 

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
―Thomas Jefferson

“If you have a strong mind and plant in it a firm resolve, you can change your destiny.”
―Paramahansa Yogananda

This process is extremely effective in manifesting a life of your choosing. It’s simple yet requires great responsibility.

Some say “With great power comes great responsibility,” but it’s more like “With great responsibility comes great power.”

Great spiritual teachers spoke of this.
Great psychologists spoke of this.
Great philosophers spoke of this.
&Great scientists speak of this.

The path of Responsibility. 
The path of Empowerment.
The path of Truth.

The path to your Best Life.

The POWER of Belief

Was there a time when you believed in something so deeply you knew it to be true with all your heart and soul?

Maybe it was around Christmas time, a Holiday, or your first love?

Or maybe it was sitting in a chair you knew wouldn’t break?

Some things are easier to believe in than others, like trusting the chair you’re sitting in won’t break, but what if you could apply that same trust into areas of your life?

Here is one technique that has helped people such as Tony Robbins and many others acquire success:

Ask yourself, “If I had to believe my goals and dreams were possible to attain, how could I believe it?”

As you continue to ask yourself this question, and related questions to help grow your belief, your belief can grow. Here are 2 more questions to ask yourself:

“What would make me believe my goals and dreams are possible?”

And:

“What action can I take today to get closer to my goals and dreams?”

As much as we can think about our goals and dreams, actions are still needed, but it does begin with the mind by asking ourself questions.

Here are a couple quotes from famous people on this:

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” 
― Albert Einstein

“Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habit.”
― Laozi

I’ve asked myself these questions, as well as others, and it has led me to some pretty awesome things, like interning with Ryan Holiday, which started as an idea in my mind.

Here is the full story of how it came to be.

Belief is a difficult thing, but we can strengthen our beliefs by consistently programming our brains with quality questions. In time, we will see progress within ourselves, as well as on the outside.

9 Paulo Coelho Quotes on Being Tested in Pursuit of Your Dreams

1) “The closer he got to the realization of his dream, the more difficult things became…In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage. So he could not be hasty, not impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path.”

2) “It’s only those who are persistent, and willing to study things deeply, who achieve the Master Work.”

3) “‘I had to test your courage,’ the stranger said. Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World.”

4) “…You must not let up, even after having come so far. You must love the desert, but never trust it completely. Because the desert tests all men: it challenges every step, and kills those who become distracted.”

5) “‘Once you get into the desert, there’s no going back,’ said the camel driver. ‘And, when you can’t go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.’”

6) “What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’”

7) “He realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure.”

8) “…Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.”

9) “In his heart, he felt a strange sense of joy: he was about to die in pursuit of his destiny.”

45 Life Lessons

  1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
  2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
  3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
  4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
  5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
  6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
  7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
  8. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
  9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
  10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
  11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
  12. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
  13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
  14. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
  15. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
  16. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
  17. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
  18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
  19. Burn the candles; use the nice sheets; wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
  20. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
  21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
  22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
  23. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
  24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
  25. Forgive everyone everything.
  26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
  27. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
  28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
  29. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
  30. Believe in miracles.
  31. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
  32. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
  33. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
  34. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
  35. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
  36. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
  37. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
  38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
  39. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
  40. The best is yet to come.
  41. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
  42. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
  43. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
  44. Yield.
  45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

These are all so good.  I read this a few times!  Credit to Regina Brett.  Which is your favorite??

Think Big and You’ll Live Big

What does every successful person have in common?  They all think “BIG.”

The size of your thinking will determine your success.  Open your mind to see this truth now, or don’t, and continue living the life you have at this moment.  If you don’t like your job and want more from your life then REALLY open your mind to this idea.  You will watch your life prosper as you begin a journey to the life you dream of.

I’m sure you’ve heard that faith can move a mountain; that if you believe you can move a mountain you will!  This is true, but it is claptrap to think you can make a mountain move just by saying “Mountain move!”  That is impossible; people who think this way are confused with wishful thinking.  You can’t wish yourself into anything, but when you believe you can truly do something BIG, and I KNOW you can, the how-to-do it develops.  When you believe you’ll succeed you will begin to observe the best.  You will study how successful people approach problems and make decisions.  Belief is an essential element to success!!

Disbelief is a negative power.  When the mind disbelieves or doubts, the mind attracts “reasons” to support the disbelief*** When this thought first crossed my mind I instantly saw how I was already applying this to my life, so it made me reexamine my life.  Think doubt and fail.  Think victory and succeed.  BELIEVE, and watch your life expand tremendously.