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CONTENTSIntroduction

WEEK1:Take100%ResponsibilityforYourFuture

WEEK2:BeClearWhyYou’reHere

WEEK3:DecideWhatYouWanttoBe,Do,andHave

WEEK4:BelieveIt’sPossible

WEEK5:BelieveinYourself

WEEK6:LeverageTheLawofAttraction

WEEK7:SetGoalsThatInspireYou

WEEK8:TakeaGoalandChunkItDown

WEEK9:SuccessLeavesClues

WEEK10:UseAffirmationstoReleasetheBrakes

WEEK11:SeeWhatYouWant,GetWhatYouSee

WEEK12:ActAsIf

WEEK13:TakeAction,EvenIfYouDon’tKnowtheWholePath

WEEK14:LeanintoItandSeeIfItFeelsRighttoYou

WEEK15:ExperienceYourFearandTakeActionAnyway

WEEK16:BeWillingtoPaythePriceofSuccess

WEEK17:You’veGottaAsk

WEEK18:Don’tLetRejectionStopYou

WEEK19:ListentoFeedbackandUseIttoYourAdvantage

WEEK20:PracticeConstantandNever-EndingImprovement

WEEK21:WhatGetsMeasuredGetsImproved

WEEK22:BePersistent

WEEK23:LearnTheRuleof5

WEEK24:ExceedExpectationsinEverythingYouDo

WEEK25:SurroundYourselfwithSuccessfulPeople

WEEK26:AcknowledgeYourPositivePast

WEEK27:KeepYourEyeonthePrize

WEEK28:CleanUpYourMessesandYourIncompletes

WEEK29:CompletethePastSoYouCanEmbracetheFuture

WEEK30:IfIt’sNotWorking,FaceIt

WEEK31:TransformYourInnerCriticintoanInnerCoach

WEEK32:DevelopNewSuccessHabits

WEEK33:99%IsaBitch,100%IsaBreeze

WEEK34:LearnMoretoEarnMore

WEEK35:MaintainYourPassionandEnthusiasm

WEEK36:StayFocusedonYourCoreGenius

WEEK37:ReassessYourTimeCommitments

WEEK38:Say“No”toDistractions

WEEK39:BeaLeaderWorthyofFollowers

WEEK40:CreateaNetworkofMentors,Contacts,andCoaches

WEEK41:UsethePoweroftheMasterMind

WEEK42:ListentoYourGutInstincts

WEEK43:ListentoLearn

WEEK44:HaveaHeartTalk

WEEK45:TelltheTruthSoonerRatherThanLater

WEEK46:SpeakwithImpeccabilityAboutOthers

WEEK47:PracticeConstantAppreciation

WEEK48:BecomeKnownasaClassAct

WEEK49:DevelopaPositiveMoneyConsciousness

WEEK50:YouGetWhatYouFocusOn

WEEK51:MakeMoreBeforeYouSpendMore

WEEK52:ShareMore,ServeMore

WorkbookADAuthors

BINTRODUCTION

ecarefulwhatyouwishfor.You’veprobablyheardthatphrase

often. But did you know there’s actual science behind that

advice?Researchersinthefieldofneurosciencenowknowthat

thebrain isagoal-seekingorganism.Whatever idea, image,oroutcome

youthinkabout,talkabout,andfeelstronglyabout,youwillbringabout.

Of course, far from being a dark and gloomy prospect, this powerful

scientific phenomenon actually has the ability to improve every area of

yourlife—inwaysyoucan’tevenimaginetoday.

There’sevenatoolyoucanusetofocusyourthoughtsandacceleratethe

process of achieving your goals. It’s called anaffirmation: a statement

thatdescribesagoalasifit’salreadybeenachieved.

Whatdoesanaffirmationlooklike?

I’m blissfully watching the sunset from the veranda of my estate in

Tuscany is one example. I’m joyfully depositing a $100,000 royalty

check from my bestselling book is another. They’re statements that

stretch your mind with new thoughts and lavish images—and actually

workwith thebrain’sownprocesses tobringabout change inyour life.

When you bombard your brain with colorful pictures, exciting details,

and joyful emotions of what will be, a phenomenon called cognitive

dissonance occurs in your mind. Cognitive dissonance is the mental

discomfort—the uncomfortable feelings—you get when you hold two

conflictingbeliefsor ideas: (1)your lifeasyou’re living it todayand (2)

yourlifeasyouwouldlikeittobeinthefuture.Whenyoucontinuethe

limitingbehaviorsthatgotyoutowhereyouaretodayorbelievestrongly

that somehow you’re not capable of getting what you want—then you

suddenly begin using daily affirmations to visualize a better life—you

createa formofmental tensionthatyourbrainwilldoeverything in its

powertoresolvebyactuallycreatingthebetter,moredesirablelifestyle

foryou!

Psychologist Leon Festinger, author of A Theory of Cognitive

Dissonance,comparesthisprocesstohowyourbrainreactswhenyou’re

hungry:Itsendssignalstoyourbodytoeat.Inotherwords,itcausesyou

to take necessary steps to resolve your hunger. In the sameway,when

you begin using affirmations to visualize your exciting new futurewith

compellingpicturesandemotions,yourbrainwill likewisecauseyou to

takethosestepsnecessarytobringaboutthatexcitingnewfuture.

Bombarding your brain with thoughts of a better life through daily

visualizationandverbalizationwillactuallyforceyourbraintoresolvethe

cognitivedissonanceitdislikes.Affirmationsarethosehighlyvisualand

emotionallycompellingstatementsyoucanusedailytovisualizeabetter

life.

Everythinggreatthathaseverhappenedtohumanity...

hasbegunasasinglethoughtinsomeone’smind.—YIANNISCHRYSSOMALLIS

KnownprofessionallyasYanni,thecomposer,pianist,andmusicproducer

Howaffirmationscanchangeyourlife

Sinceyou’rereadingthisbook,you’veprobablydecidedyouwantyour

life to be different in some way. Whether it’s a more exciting career,

better finances, loving and supportive relationships,world travel,more

vibranthealth,orjusttheluxuryofacalmandorganizedlifethatworks

foryou,therearestepsyoucantaketowardgettingthere.

Thisbookisaboutthosesteps.

Notonlydoes it include recommendedaffirmations to get you started

on this powerful daily habit, it introduces you to a set of 52 powerful

principlesthattheworld’stopachievershaveusedfordecadestoexcelin

business, the arts, sports, philanthropy, politics, and more. These are

principles that I have studied, taught, and applied to my own life for

nearly 40 years—and thatRamGanglani has used for three decades to

achieve success in business, philanthropy, and private life. We’ve also

seentheseprinciplesworkinhundredsofthousandsoflivesbesidesour

own. Using the framework of these proven principles, Success

Affirmations is therefore not just a book of good ideas and positive

thoughts, it’s also a book of proven steps for creating success and

happiness.

Theseprinciplesalwayswork,ifyoualwaysworktheprinciples

Infact,ifyoumasteredjustoneprincipleaweek,asthisbookwillguide

youtodo,youcouldliterallytransformyourlifeinjustoneyear.

Butthekeyisthatyoumusttakeresponsibilityforimplementingthese

principlesinyourlife.Creatingadailyhabitofrecitingandinternalizing

your affirmations is just one of these principles—which you’ll find on

page45entitled“Week10:UseAffirmationstoReleasetheBrakes.”But

makenomistake:youalonehavetodotheworkof implementingthese

principlesinyourlife—youcan’tdelegatethemorskipovertheonesyou

don’t like. In fact, each one is integral to achieving overall success. It’s

justlikewritingabook.Beforeyoucanevenstarttheprocess,youhaveto

learntoreadandwrite,youhavetolearnstructureandsyntax,youhave

tolearntoputwordsintoasentenceandsentencesintoparagraphsand

paragraphsintochapters.Ifyouleaveastepout,thebookwillmakeno

senseandreaderswillnotbenefitfromit.Imagineabookwithnoperiods

orcommas,noparagraphsorchapters!Itjustdoesn’twork.

Inthesameway,eachprincipleanditsaccompanyingaffirmationsare

keycomponentstocreatingasuccessfulandhappylife.Yourlife.Noone

elsecancreateyourgoals,buildyourdreams,anddetermineyourfuture.

Motivational philosopher Jim Rohn put it this way, “You can’t hire

someoneelsetodoyourpush-upsforyou.”

Whetheryou’reexercising, settinggoals,meditating, studying,oreven

sleeping,somethingsyou justhavetodo foryourself togetanybenefit

from them. And like the principles I teach in this book and the

affirmationsyouwilluse to instill thoseprinciplesand theirbenefits in

your consciousness, if you’ll simply make a commitment to applying

themweekafterweekandstickwithit,you’llreapextraordinaryrewards.

40yearsoflivingtheseprinciplesandaffirmationsprovethattheywork

AlbertEinsteinoncesaid,“Theworldaswehavecreateditisaprocess

of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

Affirmations are the tool that, day by day, will slowly change your

thinking.Make even greater effort by implementing these principles in

yourlife,andthingswillbegintohappenthatyouneverthoughtpossible.

Ithappenedforme—andthisisJacktalking.

GrowingupinWheeling,WestVirginia,Ilivedinanaveragehome.My

dadwas aworkaholic andmymom, an alcoholic. I earned cashduring

summersworkinginmygrandfather’sfloristbusinessandasalifeguard

at the local pool. I made it through Harvard University on a partial

scholarship—servingbreakfastatthecampusdiningcommonstopayfor

books,clothes,anddates.Duringmylastyearofgraduateschool,Igota

part-timeteachingjobthatpaid$120everytwoweeks.Thathadtocover

myrentandotherexpenses.Tosay that Iwasoftenbrokewouldbean

understatement.Whenmoneywastight,IsurvivedonwhatIcalledmy

“21¢ dinners”—a can of tomato paste, garlic salt, water, and a box of

spaghettinoodles.

Iwaslivingonaverylowrungoftheeconomicladder.HowImadeitto

graduationisanybody’sguess.

But some time later, after I had started my career as a high school

teacher on the south side of Chicago, I was offered a job at a unique

foundationwhereIwouldbeteachingotherstheprinciplesespousedby

itsself-mademillionairefounder,

W. Clement Stone. I reveled in the opportunity to not only learn these

principlesformyselfbutalsohelpotherschangetheirlives.Thatwasthe

beginningof40yearsoflearning,testing,andteachingtheprinciplesI’ll

revealtoyouinthisbook.Iwentontoimplementtheminmyownlife—

eventually becoming amultimillionaire, authoring countless bestselling

books,originatingtheChickenSoupfortheSoul®bookseries,building

several successful companies, and becoming a top success coach and

transformationaltrainer.

EveryprincipleforsuccessinthisbookisonethatIpersonallylearned

throughexperienceanddevelopedaspartofthecurriculumInowteach

in more than 100 countries. Through the years, I have never stopped

learning, growing, creating new goals, and achieving them. And that’s

what Iwant foryou, too.The truth is, anyonecanconsistentlyproduce

never-before-seenresultsintheirlife,aslongasthey’rewillingtoputthe

principlestowork.

Decidewhatyouwant,believeinyourself,andusetheaffirmationswe’ll

giveyoutobeginlivingtheprinciplesandhabitsyou’lllearninthisbook.

Howtogetthemostoutofthisbook

Inadditiontohelpingyoufocusonachievingyourgoals, it’salsobeen

proven that positive thoughts reinforce and increase the good energy

vibrations you send out into the Universe—attracting beneficial energy

back to you. It’s a law of the Universe that success, abundance, joy,

mindfulness,andwealthincreaseexponentiallywhenwesetourselveson

acourseofpositivity.

Affirmationsareabigpartofthat.

Theyalsohelptorewireourthoughtpatternsandemotionalresponses

—creatingnewpathwaysinthebrainthat,overtime,replaceoldpatterns

thatkeepusstagnantandunproductive.Usingpositiveaffirmationsisn’t

just a tool for flooding yourmindwithpositive self-talk, it’s also a tool

that will help you conquer your fears, overcome obstacles, and

circumventroadblocksthatkeepyoufromachievingyourdreams.

Ineachchapterofthisbook,you’lldiscoverthreepositiveaffirmations

you can use to empower yourself—together with the success principle

behindthemsoyoucanputthemintopractice.Werecommendthatyou

choose one of these affirmations that speaks to a goal or need you’re

experiencingrightnow,andmakethatyourdailymeditation.Spendten

minutes every morning saying it aloud and visualizing it as if it were

already completed. See yourself in yourmind’s eye—living as if you’ve

already met that goal. Summon the emotions you’d be feeling—the

joyfulness,excitement,senseofsecurityorconfidence.Addothersensory

and sound experiences to your meditation that mimic what you’d be

experiencingwhenyourgoalsaremet—whetherit’sthewindonyourface

orthesoundofapplauseorthethrustofaprivatejetasitinitiateslift-off.

Feeltheemotion.

Ifyou like,youcangrabsomeindexcardsandcoloredfeltmarkers to

illustrate the affirmations on pocket-sized flash cards. But you should

alsobeginwritingdownnewaffirmationsthatfityourspecificgoalsand

lifecircumstances,followingtheguidelinesonpage48.Attheendofeach

day, spend tenminutes on the sameaffirmationsbefore yougo tobed,

and your subconscious mind will continue to focus on these goals

throughout the night.Move on to other affirmationswe’ve provided in

eachchapterasyoufocusonputtingthatprincipleintoaction.

Weekbyweek,yourlifewillbegintochange.

Justaswe’veseenincountlesspeoplewho’velearnedtheseprinciples,

youhaveanentirelifeofabundanceandjoywaitingforyou.Startusing

affirmationsandclaimit!

L

Week1

Take100%ResponsibilityforYourFuture

AFFIRMATIONSfor

MeditationandReflection

Iameasilyimprovingmylife—movingwitheasefromwhereIamnowtowhereI

wanttobe.

Iamconfidentlycreatingbettercircumstancesandexpandingopportunityfor

myself—respondingwithintelligencetoeventsastheyoccur.

Iamchoosingtochangemythoughts,images,andbehaviorstorespond

differentlyandproducebetteroutcomes.

Wedon’tnaturallywanttotakeresponsibilityforourlives.Wewanttogivethe

responsibilitytosomeoneelse.Weblamethemwhenourlivesaren’tgood.

—DONALDMILLERAuthorofAMillionMilesinaThousandYears:

HowILearnedtoLiveaBetterStoryet’sstartwithsomereallygoodnews:Youhavetotalcontroloverthethoughtsyouthink,theimagesyouvisualize,andtheactionsyoutake.Howyouusethesethreethingsdetermineseverythingyouexperienceinlife.On

yourjourneytoalifeofabundance,fulfillment,andsuccess,taking100%responsibilityforyourfutureisthestartingline.

Hereiswhereyouaretoday,andthereiswhereyouwanttobe—itisthe

fulfillment of your hopes and dreams. It is the realization of your life

purposeandyourultimategoals,andIamgoingtoshowyouthewayto

P

getthere.Together,wearegoingtoembarkonanexcitingjourneythatis

baseduponusingdailyaffirmations—positivestatementsthataffirmwho

youare,whatyoubelieve,andthefactthatyoualreadyhaveeverything

youneedatyourdisposaltosucceedinreachingyourgoals.Youmaynot

think that you do, but I am going to show you how to change your

thinkingandbuildablueprintforsuccess.

Iameasilyimprovingmylife—movingwitheasefromwhereIamnowtowhereI

wanttobe.

ositive energy will get your day off to a great start. Set a few

minutesasideeverymorningandrepeatyouraffirmationaloud

withconvictionandintention.Dothisagainatnightandletyour

subconsciousmindapplythatpositiveenergyasyousleep.Whenyoulet

itempoweryourthoughtsanddreamsduringthenight,youaretraining

ittothinkdifferently—toautomaticallyleantowardpositiveopportunity

andactionwhileyouareawake.

Repeatingaffirmationswillhelpyouconsciouslyimproveaslongasyou

take full responsibility for your life—that means every success, every

failure, and every indecisive thought or action you have experienced.

Regardless of the circumstance, placing the blame on the event or

outcomewon’tmakeadifferencebecause it’syourresponseto it that is

the game-changer—and your response, whether it’s your thoughts,

images,orbehaviors,istotallyuptoyou.Thetruthis,youdon’thaveto

settleforanythinginlifebecauseyoucankeepchangingyourresponseto

thecircumstanceyoumay faceuntilyouget theresultyouwant. Ifyou

don’tlikeyourcurrentresults,simplybegintodosomethingdifferent.

Iamconfidentlycreatingbettercircumstancesandexpandingopportunityfor

myself—respondingwithintelligencetoeventsastheyoccur.

I t’s easy sometimes to think things “just happen” to you—that you

were an innocent bystander or an unwitting participant.Don’t let

yourselfbetrickedintoplayingthatgame.Youaretheonecreating

or allowing it to happen. Start paying attention to what I call “yellow

alerts.” There are always signals that tell you something is off or

something isabout tohappen.Ifyoudon’tpayattentionto the internal

and external yellow alerts, you will needlessly suffer. External yellow

alertsarethingslikenewstrendsthatyourindustryisfadingorthesmell

of alcohol on your teenager’s breath. Internal alerts are things like gut

feelings, intuitive messages, and feelings of stress, tension, or pain.

Paying closer attention to your internal and external yellow alerts will

enableyoutochangeyouractionsorresponsesonceyoubecomeawareof

them.

Let this thought encourage you: Life becomesmuch easier when you

takecontrolofyourowndestiny.Don’tacceptthatthings“justhappen”

toyou—choosetocreatethelifeyoureallywant!

Iamchoosingtochangemythoughts,images,andbehaviorstorespond

differentlyandproducebetteroutcomes.

E

Week2

BeClearWhyYou’reHere

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamjoyfulandfulfilled,livinginperfectalignmentwithmylifepurpose.

Iamvisualizingaperfectworldwhereeveryoneislivinginharmonyand

experiencingtheirlifepurposetothefullest.

Iampassionatelyandjoyfullypursuingtheuniquecallinginmylife—everyday

movingcloserandclosertoachievingmygoals.

Decideuponyourmajordefinitepurposeinlifeandthenorganizeallyour

activitiesaroundit.

—BRIANTRACYAuthorofChangeYourThinking,ChangeYourLife

veryone has a unique calling in their life—something only you

cando,somethingonlyyouhavetheuniqueskillsandwisdom

to accomplish. Identifying, acknowledging, and honoring this

lifepurposemaybethemostimportantthingthatyoudoonyourwayto

creating a successful life. It’s certainly one of the most fulfilling. But,

without a clear understanding ofwhat you’re here on this Earth to do,

andpursuingthatpurposewithpassionandenthusiasm,youwillalmost

certainlyfallshortofanygoalyouset.

I

Mostpeoplehaven’tacluewhytheyareonthisEarth.Maybetheythink

knowing isn’t really important, or they are waiting for a personal

awakening, or they’re hoping that the answermysteriously appears on

their daily to-do list. Theproblemwithnot knowing isn’t just that you

losetimemakingU-turns,gettingstuck,andbacktrackingtotheforkin

the road—but that youget lost, sidetracked, orbecome stagnant.When

you loseyoursenseofdirection, itcancauseuntoldemotionalsetbacks

andturmoil,leavingyoufeelinghopeless,useless,orfrustrated.

Iamjoyfulandfulfilled,livinginperfectalignmentwithmylifepurpose.

nmymanyworkshopsandbooks, I offer exercises tohelppeople

identify their life purpose and assure they find meaning and

direction.

THELIFEPURPOSEEXERCISE1)Listtwoofyouruniquepersonalqualities,suchasleadershipandinnovation.

2)Listoneortwowaysyouenjoyexpressingthosequalitieswheninteractingwith

others,suchastosupportandtoinspire.

3)Assumetheworldisperfectandthateachofusislivingouruniquecalling.What

doestheworldlookandfeellike?Example:Everyoneisworkingintheirideal

field,inharmonywitheachotherandwithoutconflictordamagetotheEarth.

4)Combineyouranswersaboveintoasinglestatementthatdefinesyourlife

purposeandtellshowitcontributestoanidealworld.Example:Tousemy

leadershipqualitiestoinspireandsupport

innovativeentrepreneurswhoarebuildingsustainablebusinesses.

Iamvisualizingaperfectworldwhereeveryoneislivinginharmonyand

experiencingtheirlifepurposetothefullest.

T hese short exercises should help you discover that your inner

guidancesystemisfueledbyyourgreatestjoyswhentheyarein

alignmentwithyourpurpose.But let’s take it one step further:

Writedownthecommonelementsofyourmost joyfulexperiencesfrom

the first exercise so you remember them.Next, write your life purpose

statement from the second exercise and hang it where you will see it

everyday.Readyourstatementaloudeverymorningandatbedtime—the

wordsshouldmakeyoufeelinspired.

When you are doingwhat you love to do, you are also accomplishing

whatyou’regoodatandwhatisimportanttoyou.Yourlifewillbecome

morebalancedandopentoopportunities,people,andresourcesthatwill

benefityou.Asyoubegin livingyour lifepurpose, there’sasynergyand

universalmagnetismthatbeginsworkingwithinyouandtowardyou.The

things you do will automatically serve others and people will feel your

positiveenergy.

Make a commitment to determine your life purpose at all costs—you

simply can’t achieve abundance and success without knowing why you

arehereonthisEarth.

Iampassionatelyandjoyfullypursuingtheuniquecallinginmylife—everyday

movingcloserandclosertoachievingmygoals.

I

Week3

DecideWhatYouWanttoBe,Do,andHave

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamdefiningincompellingdetailwhatIwanttobe,whatIwanttodo,andwhatI

wanttohave.

Iamlettinggoofchildhoodprogrammingthatholdsmebackandreplacingitwith

positivethoughtsandimagesaboutmycompellingfuture.

IamfocusedonwhatItrulywantformylifebasedonmyownvaluesandlife

experience.

Theindispensablefirststeptogettingthethingsyouwantoutoflifeisthis:Decide

whatyouwant.

—BENSTEINActorandauthor

fyouweretodescribe“success,”whatwoulditlooklike?Nodoubt

itwouldincludeallthethingsyouwanttoexperience,accomplish,

and acquire—including those things on your “bucket list.”

Unfortunately, many people have the whole scenario backward—they

start withwhat theywant to have first, then, later on in life, they find

themselvesatapointwheretheyrealizetheydon’tknoweitherwhythey

D

arehereorwhattheir lifepurposeis.Theydon’thavethe innersuccess

they expected—and the deep sense of joy that should come from living

theirlifepurposeiscompletelymissing.

Let this thought encourage you: No matter what your age or

circumstance, you can always decide to do things differently. You can

starttheprocessofdecidingwhatyouwant.

IamdefininginclearandcompellingdetailwhatIwanttobe,whatIwanttodo,

andwhatIwanttohave.

oyouknowthatyouwerebornwiththeseedofwhoyouwere

meant to become already inside you? You were also born

withoutinhibitionsorfears—youcriedwhenyouwerehungry,

youcrawledallover theplace, you laughedat sillynoisesand faces.As

you got older, you were told to stop crying, to grow up, to stop being

selfish.You learned to ignore the thingsyou reallywantedand to fit in

withwhatyourparents, teachers,or society toldyouwasbest.Now it’s

timetoun-learnandreplacethesechildhooddecisions.

Michelangelo,therenaissancesculptorandpainterwhospentfouryears

lying on his back painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, said, “The

greaterdangerformostofusisnotthatouraimistoohighandwemiss

it,butthatitistoolowandwereachit.”Wow!

When we allow others to dictate our “wants” or determine what we

shoulddowithourlives,weendupsettlingforwhateverishandedtous,

or worse, pursuing a life we simply don’t enjoy. This can lead to

depression, anxiety, stress, and awhole list of negative outcomes.Your

life is exactly that—yours. No one can determine what your life

experienceshouldbe—otherthanyou.

Iamlettinggoofchildhoodprogrammingthatholdsmebackandreplacingitwith

positivethoughtsandimagesaboutmycompellingfuture.

Tpositivethoughtsandimagesaboutmycompellingfuture.

ohelpyoudecidewhatyoureallywant, try these twoexercises

thatIhavebeenusinginmyworkshopsforanumberofyears.

1)Makean“Iwant”list:

Writedown30thingsyouwanttodo,30thingsyouwanttohave,and30thingsyouwant

tobebeforeyoudie.Thebigthings—carsandhouses—willprobablybeatthetopofthelist,

butasyouworkyourwaydown,you’llrediscoveryourcorevalueslikemakingadifference.

2)Makea“20thingsIlovetodo”list:

Thinkyoucan’tmakealivingdoingthethingsyoulove?Whenyouwritethemdownand

reallythinkthroughwhatitwouldbeliketopursuethoseactivitieseveryday—andhow

otherspursuethemalready—you’lldiscoveryoucanmakeacareeroutofdoingwhatyou

love!

Find a place with a comfortable, quiet environment, and then clarify

yourvisionofthe ideal lifebeingclearandspecific.Includetheseseven

areas in your ideal life: work and career, finances, fun and recreation,

healthandfitness,personalgoals,relationships,andyourcontributionto

thelargercommunity.

IamfocusedonwhatItrulywantformylifebasedonmyownvaluesandlife

experience.

P

Week4

BelieveIt’sPossible

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamreleasingbeliefsandnegativestatementsthatlimitmeandcreatingnew,

positivestatementsthattellmemyidealfutureispossible.

Ichoosetobelievethingsarepossible,evenwhenIdon’tknowhowtheywill

happen.

IamworkingtowardfulfillingmygoalseverydayandIeasilymovepastthose

timeswhenmyexpectationsarenotmet.

WhenanyonetellsmeIcan’tdoanything...I’mjustnotlisteninganymore.

—FLORENCE“FLOJO”GRIFFITHJOYNERConsideredthefastestwomanofalltimebasedonthe

worldrecordsshesetintrackandfieldin1988

ractically everypsychology class in theworld teachesa concept

calledexpectancytheory:theideathatwerespondtoevents in

lifebasedonwhatthebrainexpectstohappen,whichit’slearned

fromourprior life experience. Inotherwords,peopleusuallydecide to

behaveinacertainwaybasedonexpectedresults.

Where we run into trouble, though, is when we let negative prior

experiencesandalackofself-confidencecontrolourdecisions;whenthat

T

happens,weact a certainwayandgetanegativeoutcome.Butwhat if,

instead, you intentionally heldpositive expectations in yourmind?You

couldachieveexactlywhatyouwantmuchmoreeasily.

Whenever a difficult situation or negative thought enters your mind,

writeitdown.Writedownwhatyouarethinking,whyit’saproblem,and

whathascaused it.Then,break these thoughtsdown intosmallerparts

andre-imaginethemaspositives.Now,putthepiecesbacktogetherand

createanew,positivestatementthathelpsyoubelievewhatyouwantis

possible.

Iamreleasingbeliefsandnegativestatementsthatlimitmeandcreatingnew,

positivestatementsthattellmemyidealfutureispossible.

here are two roadblocks that hold us back from achieving our

goalsandmakinggooddecisions.Thefirstoneisfearofwhatwe

don’tknow:Whatwillittaketogetmefromheretothere?How

willImakeendsmeetinthemeantime?Thosequestionswilldiscourage

youifyouletthem.Butallthosedetailswillfallintoplaceifyoubelieve

inyourgoalsandbelieveinyourself.

The second roadblock iswhat you think youknow that just isn’t true.

Think about that. Could a lot of what you think you know actually be

wrong? Relying too much on your own knowledge and experiences

without questioning your assumptions is a slippery slope. You need to

learn the real facts and use this information to become a possibility

thinker.

Your mind is an amazing instrument—you can let it absorb bad or

damaging information, or you can train it to produce positive thoughts

(byusingaffirmations,forinstance).Youknowthattakingresponsibility

andbeing incontrolofyour life is integral toachievingyourgoals,and

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you also know that you have the power to learn and un-learn thought

patternsandresponsesatwill.Onlyyoucandecidewhatyouwillaccept

and what you will block from your mind, so it’s up to you to avoid

negativeandincorrectdata.

Ichoosetobelievethingsarepossible,evenwhenIdon’tknowhowtheywill

happen.

apoleonHill, the author ofThink and GrowRich once said,

“Youcanbeanythingyouwanttobe, ifonlyyoubelievewith

sufficient conviction and act according to your faith; for

whateverthemindcanconceiveandbelieve,itcanachieve.”

That’strulyaprofoundstatement.

You see, it’s all well and good to practice positive thinking and self-

motivation,butwithouttrulybelievinganythingispossible,youwon’tget

very far.Let’s say you’vebeenworking toward apromotion for the last

year or two, and you muster up the confidence to speak to the Vice

President. You are confident in your ability and expect a positive

outcome, only you don’t get one, and you become discouraged.

Remember that, although you believed in yourself and expected a

differentoutcome,youarenoworseoffthanthedaybefore.Youhaven’t

reallylostanything.

Being confident and expecting a positive outcome is not the same as

instant gratification—if you’re expecting an unequivocal yes for every

questionyouask,you’reoff target.What it isactuallyabout ischanging

negative attitudes and thoughts and accepting the present. When you

believe in yourself and believe anything is possible, opportunities will

come from places and people you’d never expect, and the world will

respondinastonishingways.



timeswhenmyexpectationsarenotmet.

B

Week5

BelieveinYourself

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamfacingeachdaywithapositiveattitude,whichempowersmetotrulybelieve

thatanythingispossible.

Iamlivingpositivelyatalltimesandhavegivenupusingnegativephraseslike“I

can’t”becauseIknowIcan!

IamchoosingeverydaytobelievethatIamworthyanddeservingofsuccess,no

mattermyageormycircumstances.

Youweren’tanaccident.Youweren’tmass-produced.Youaren’tanassembly-line

product.Youweredeliberatelyplanned,specificallygifted,andlovingly

positionedontheEarthbytheMasterCraftsman.

—MAXLUCADOBestsellingauthor

ecauseyouaregoingtobesuccessfulandcreatethelifeofyour

dreams,youhavetobelieveyoucandoit—evenifyoucan’tsee

thewholepictureofexactlyhowitwillhappen.

Developing a confident attitude and believing in yourself is a choice,

regardlessofthelimitingbeliefsandnegativeconditioningyoumayhave

grownupwith.Youmustchoosetobelievethatyoucandoanythingyou

Y

set yourmind to—because you can. There are hundreds of studies and

volumesofresearchonthehumanbrainthatshowhowpositiveself-talk,

visualization, training,coaching,andpracticecanhelpretrain thebrain

sothatwecanaccomplishalmostanything,

If you don’t develop an attitude of success and belief in yourself, you

won’tdowhat’sneeded.Whetheryoubelieveyoucanorbelieveyoucan’t,

yourthoughtsbecomeaself-fulfillingprophecy.It’syourchoicetobelieve

ornot.

Iamfacingeachdaywithapositiveattitude,whichempowersmetotrulybelieve

thatanythingispossible.

ourbrainisdesignedtosolveproblemsandreachgoals,andthat

meansyouhavetogiveupphrases like“Ican’t,”“IwishIwere

ableto,”and“ifonlyIcould.”Thosenegativewordsdisempower

youandactuallymakeyouweaker.

Whenyouwereatoddler,youclimbeduponanythingthatstoodinyour

way. But little by little, your sense of invincibility was eroded by the

negative reactionsyoureceived fromyour family, teachers,and friends.

Eventually,younolongerbelievedyoucouldconquereverythinginyour

way.

Too often we feel the need to have others believe in us and in our

dreamsinordertobesuccessful,butyourdecisionsneedtobebasedon

your own goals and desires, not those of your parents, friends, spouse,

children,andcoworkers.Howcanyoupossiblyfollowyourheartifyou’re

sittingaroundworryingwhatotherpeoplethinkaboutyou?

Dr. Daniel Amen has an 18/40/60 Rule: When you’re 18, you worry

aboutwhateveryoneisthinkingaboutyou;whenyou’re40youdon’tgive

a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize that

D

nobody is thinking about you at all. Stop wasting timeworrying about

whatotherpeoplethinkandspendthattimefocusingondoingthethings

thatwillachieveyourgoals.

Iamlivingpositivelyatalltimesandhavegivenupusingnegativephraseslike“I

can’t”becauseIknowIcan!

idyouknowthat20%ofAmerica’smillionairesneversetfoot

in college?Even formerVice PresidentDick Cheney dropped

out of college! Plus, there are countless other examples of

peoplewhobecamesuccessfulintheirfieldorwhostartedanewpathin

life without “prerequisites” such as schooling, age, or finances—simply

becausetheybelievedtheycouldaccomplishwhattheywanted.

Take six-year-old Ryan Hreljac for instance: Shocked to learn that

children inAfricahad towalkmanymiles everyday just to fetch clean

water, little Ryan raised enough money to build a well in northern

Uganda by the time he was eight. Today, Ryan’sWell Foundation has

completed878waterprojectsand1,120latrinesin16countries.

ThefamouschefJuliaChilddidn’tevenlearntocookuntilshewas40.Shewas51years

oldwhenshelaunchedhershowTheFrenchChef,whichmadeherahouseholdname.

48-year-oldSusanBoyleskyrocketedontotheinternationalstagewhenshesangon

Britain’sGotTalent.Sincethen,shehasrecordedfivealbumsthathavesoldover19

millioncopiesandreceivedtwoGrammynominations.

IamchoosingeverydaytobelievethatIamworthyanddeservingofsuccess,no

mattermyageormycircumstances.

H

Week6

LeverageTheLawofAttraction

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamawarethatpositiveactionsandemotionsattractpositiveoutcomes;Iam

choosingtoradiatepositiveenergyintotheUniverseandreapingthebountyit

reflectsbacktome.

IamconstantlyawareofthepowerofpositivethinkingandIamsupportedbythe

Universeasitbringsmeendlessopportunitiesforgrowth.

IamaskingforwhatIwantseveraltimesaday,believingthatIwillreceiveit.

Whatyouradiateoutwardinyourthoughts,feelings,mentalpictures,andwords,

youattractintoyourlife.

—CATHERINEPONDERAuthorofTheDynamicLawsofProsperity

ave you ever tried to turn gravity on or off? Probably not

becauseyourealizethatitcan’tbedone.Well,there’sanother

powerful force in the Universe that—just like gravity—

surroundsusandaffectsus.It’scalledTheLawofAttraction,andmaybe

wecan’tturnitonoroff,butwecanharnessitstremendousbenefits.

Tobe successful, youmust learnhow touseTheLawofAttraction to

B

createthelifeyoureallywant.Ifyou’realreadyworkingonimplementing

theprinciplesinyourlife,thinkofthisasafreshopportunitytobrushup

onyourskillsandcheckyourprogress.Ittakestimeandconsistenteffort

totrainourselvestobehave, think,andspeak inonlypositiveways,but

the Universe rewards us exponentially with abundance, joy, and

unlimited benefits. Basically, we reap what we sow, and we can freely

choosetosowseedsofpositivity!

Iamawarethatpositiveactionsandemotionsattractpositiveoutcomes;Iam

choosingtoradiatepositiveenergyintotheUniverseandreapingthebountyit

reflectsbacktome.

asicchemistrytellsusthataphysicalobject,suchasahouseora

dogorthisbook,ismadeupofbillionsofindividualatoms—tiny

parcelsofenergy—thatbondtogether intodifferentformssuch

aswater,metal, and plastic. Similarly, our thoughts are also a form of

energy—easilydetectedasbrainwavesbystandardmedicalequipment—

that can interact with our physical world just like any other form of

energydoes.Whenweunderstandthisbasicscience,werealizethatour

thoughts can actually interact with the physical world and help bring

aboutwhatwewanttohappen.

ThecoretenetofTheLawofAttractionsays:Whatyouthinkabout,talk

about, believe strongly about, and feel intensely about, youwill bring

about.Onceyouknowthat,byusingyour thoughts,youcanhelpbring

about the opportunities, resources, and people who can help you

accomplish your goals, you’ll start paying greater attention to the

directionofyourthoughtsandwhatyoufocusonthroughouttheday.

IamconstantlyawareofthepowerofpositivethinkingandIamsupportedbythe

Universeasitbringsmeendlessopportunitiesforgrowth.

E verything—including you—is vibrating at a specific andunique

frequency. That means you can learn to use the power of

deliberate thought to stay in a state of higher vibration and

attractwhatyouwantinlife.Here’show:

StepOne:Askforwhatyouwant.

Decidewhat you reallywant and usewords that focus on that goal. Replace negative

imagesandthoughtswithpositiveones.Consistentlyaskforwhatyouwantandthenlet

theUniverseworryabouthowyou’llgetit.

StepTwo:Believeyou’llgetwhatyouwant,thentakeaction.

Believingmeansbeing confident that you’veput your future in thehandsof a greater

powerandthatyourgoalscanbeaccomplished.Takingactionisanotherformofbelief—

afterall,wewouldonlytakeactionongoalswebelievearepossibletobeginwith.

StepThree:Receivewhatyouwant.

Oneofthebestwaystobringyourselfintovibrationalalignmentwithwhatyouwantis

to use affirmations—statements of your goals and desires already achieved in present

time. Repeat them regularly so that your subconscious mindmaintains a vibrational

matchtowhatyouwant.

IamaskingforwhatIwantseveraltimesaday,believingthatIwillreceiveit.

S

Week7

SetGoalsThatInspireYou

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamclearaboutwhatmygoalsareandIknowthatIwillaccomplishthem.

Iamvisualizingmybreakthroughgoalasifit’salreadybeenaccomplished,and

I’mfeelingthejoyfulemotionsoflivingthelifeofmydreams.

IamamazedhowfarIcangowhenIsetgoalsandgoafterthemwithconviction

andconfidence.

Ifyouwanttobehappy,setagoalthatcommandsyourthoughts,liberatesyour

energy,andinspiresyourhopes.

—ANDREWCARNEGIEAmericansteelindustrialistandoneoftherichestpeopleinhistory

uccessisnotonlyanattitudeandbeliefsystem,it’salsoascience.

Expertson the scienceof successknow that thebrain is agoal-

seeking organism, and when you give it a specific goal, it will

workovertimetoachieveit.

Dr.GailMatthewsofDominicanUniversityconductedastudyproving

that people who write down their goals, then create action steps to

achieve them—and make regular progress reports to a friend—have

nearlydoublethesuccessrateatachievingwhattheywant!Thinkabout

I

it: by taking a few extra steps, you can be twice as successful as those

peoplewhomerelythinkabouttheirgoals.

ItmaysurpriseyoutoalsolearnthatthesmallpercentageofAmericans

whowrite down their goals and regularly review them earnnine times

moreoverthecourseoftheirlifetimesthanthosewhodon’t.1Thisalone

shouldmotivateyoutowritedownyourgoals!

IamclearaboutwhatmygoalsareandIknowthatIwillaccomplishthem.

fyouhavenocriteriaformeasuringthesuccessfulcompletionofa

goal,youdon’thavea truegoal—yousimplyhaveagood idea.An

actual goal that inspires action and unleashes the power of your

subconsciousmindmustincludehowmuch(ameasurablequantity)and

bywhen(aspecifictimeanddateforcompletion).

Oneofthebestwaystogetclarityonyourgoalsistowritethemoutin

detail. When you write it all down, your subconscious will know

specificallywhattoworkon,includingwhichopportunitiestofocusonto

bringaboutsuccess.Rereadyourgoalsthreetimesaday—closeyoureyes

andpictureeachoneasifitwerealreadyaccomplishedandimaginehow

itfeelstoactuallybelivingwiththatachievement.

Mostofourgoalsrepresent incremental improvements inour life—get

newcarinsurance,cleanthatcloset,finishthisweek’ssalespresentation.

But,whatifyoucouldworktowardaccomplishingabreakthroughgoal—

somethingthatsubstantiallyimproveslifeasyouknowit,suchasbuying

yourfirsthomeorstartingabusinessorfundingyourretirement?Those

arethekindofgoalsthatareworthpursuingwithpassion.Writedowna

few breakthrough goals for your vision—including a completion date.

Thenfocusonthosequantumleapsthatwillchangeyourlife.

Iamvisualizingmybreakthroughgoalasifit’salreadybeenaccomplished,and

OI’mfeelingthejoyfulemotionsoflivingthelifeofmydreams.

nceagoalisset,threethingswillemergethatstopmostpeople

—but they’re not going to stop you! They are considerations,

fears,androadblocks.

Let’s say you decide to double your income by the end of the year.

Beforeyouknow it, thoughtswillemerge likeIwon’thave time formy

family or I’ll have to work twice as many hours. These thoughts are

considerations.They’vebeeninyoursubconsciousalongtime,butnow

thattheyhavecometolight,youcanaddressthemandmoveon.

Fears,ontheotherhand,arefeelings:Youmayhaveafearofrejection,

afearofbeinglaughedat,orafearoffailure.Butfearsarealsojustpart

of the process of moving toward your goals. Knowing that in advance

helpsyouovercomethem.

Roadblocks are purely external circumstances that can be overcome

such as not having the money to start a new business or needing

additionaltrainingbeforeseekingapromotion.Roadblocksareobstacles

that appear in your path, but they also are just things youwill have to

dealwith.

Once you know to expect considerations, fears, and roadblocks, you’ll

realizethey’renotasoverwhelmingasyouthought.Learntoacceptand

confrontthembecause,moreoftenthannot,theyaretheverythingsthat

havebeenholdingyoubackinlife.

IamamazedhowfarIcangowhenIsetgoalsandgoafterthemwithconviction

andconfidence.

1StatisticsfromastudybyprofessoremeritusDavidKohlofVirginiaPolytechnicInstituteandStateUniversity.

W

Week8

TakeaGoalandChunkItDown

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamcomfortableaskingforguidanceandadvicefrompeoplewhohavealready

donewhatI

wanttodo.

Iamusingmind-mappingskillstobreakdownlargegoalsintosmaller,

manageabletasksandI’maccomplishingthemoneatatime.

Iamplanningmydaythenightbefore,whichallowsmysubconsciousmindto

workthroughoutthenightonaccomplishingmygoals.

Thesecretofgettingaheadisgettingstarted.Thesecretofgettingstartedis

breakingyourcomplex,overwhelmingtasksintosmall,manageabletasks,and

thenstartingonthefirstone.

—SAMUELLANGHORNECLEMENSBetterknownastheAmericanwriter,

humorist,andentrepreneurMarkTwain

hen you break down large goals into small tasks and

accomplish themoneat a time, you’llmove forwardmuch

more easily. It’s knownas “chunking it down.”That’s how

biggoalsareachieved.

Onegreatwaytodiscovertheindividualstepsistoaskpeoplewhohave

M

already accomplished what you want to do. From personal experience,

they can guide you through thenecessary steps and give you advice on

how to avoid common pitfalls. You can also purchase books or guides,

takeonlinecourses,orevenstartfromyourendgoalandlookbackward.

Imaginethatyouhavealreadyachievedyourgoal,whatdidyoudotoget

where you are now? What was the last thing you did? And the thing

before that?When you find the first thing you did, that’s your starting

point.

Iamcomfortableaskingforguidanceandadvicefrompeoplewhohavealready

donewhatIwanttodo.

indmapping isasimpleyetpowerfulprocess forcreatinga

to-dolistforachievingyourgoal.Itletsyoudeterminethings

likewhoyouneed to talk to,what informationyouneed to

pulltogether,whatthedeadlinesarethatyouneedtomeet,andmore.If

you’ve always dreamed of becoming an author and want to write your

firstbook—abreakthroughgoalthatwouldleadtoanextraordinarynew

career—youcouldusemindmappingtohelpyou“chunkdown”yourvery

largegoalintosmallersteps.

Here’s howmindmapping1works: 1)Draw a circle in the center of a

page. Inside the circle, jot down the name of yourmajor goal (write a

book).

2)Divideyourgoalintothemajorsubcategoriesoftasksyou’llneedtodotoaccomplishthe

primarygoalanddrawamini-circleforeach(interviewexperts,findanagent).

3)Drawseverallinesradiatingoutwardfromeachmini-circleandlabeleachlinewithits

correspondingsmalltask(writeanemailaskingforaninterview,hireatranscriberon

Fiverr.com).

4)Breakdowneachoneofthesmalltaskswithactionitemstocreateamasterto-dolist.

Iamusingmind-mappingskillstobreakdownlargegoalsintosmaller,

manageabletasksandI’maccomplishingthemoneatatime.

O nce you’ve created a mind map for your goal, you’ll have to

transform all of your to-do items into action items. List each

item on your daily to-do list separately, along with a

completion date. Transfer them to your calendar and schedule them in

theproperorder,thendowhateverisnecessarytostayontrack.

Werecommendthatyouplanyourdaythenightbefore—makeafresh

to-do list based on the current day’s accomplishments and outcomes.

Spendafewminutesvisualizingexactlyhowyouwantthedaytogo,and

your subconsciousmindwillworkduring thenight thinkingof creative

waystoreachthegoalsyousetouttoachieve.

Each morning, your plan should be to complete the most important

itemsonyour to-do list first.Here’s a tip formaking this a success:As

soon as you take out your list, identify five things you absolutelymust

accomplishthatday,thennumberthemonethroughfive,withonebeing

the item you least enjoy and five being the item you most enjoy. By

putting the itemyou least enjoyat the topof your list, itbecomesyour

first task of the day. Now, not only won’t you spend the whole day

thinkingaboutit,butgettingitdonefirstcreatesmomentumandbuilds

confidence,settingthetonefortherestoftheday.

Iamplanningmydaythenightbefore,whichallowsmysubconsciousmindto

workthroughoutthenightonaccomplishingmygoals.

1Tohelpyoucreateyourownmindmap,checkoutthefreeresourcesonmywebsitewww.successprinciples.com,orwatchmyvideo“CanfieldCoaching:MindMapping”onYouTube.

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Week9

SuccessLeavesClues

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamseekingoutandfindingcluesleftbyothersthathelpmeachievemygoals.

IamseekingoutandworkingwithmentorswhocanteachmewhatIneedtoknow

tobesuccessful.

Iamalertwhenpeoplespeakontopicsdirectlyorindirectlyrelatedtomygoals

becausetheycontainvaluablecluesthatIwanttolearn.

Longago,Irealizedthatsuccessleavesclues,andthatpeoplewhoproduce

outstandingresultsdospecificthingstocreatethoseresults.IbelievedthatifI

preciselyduplicatedtheactionsofothers,Icouldreproducethesamequalityof

resultsthattheyhad.

—ANTHONYROBBINSAuthorofUnlimitedPower

lues are easy to find if you’rewilling to look. Almost anything

you can think of has already been done by someone else—

whetherit’slosingweight,raisingafamily,orstartingabusiness

—andthat’sgreatnewsbecauseitmeanstheyhaveleftcluesabouthow

theyachievedtheirsuccess.Youcanidentifythesecluesandmimictheir

actionsonyourownpathtoreachthesesamemajorgoals.

For example, if you’ve just been promoted at the office and want to

eventually reach theseniorexecutive level, therearehundredsofbooks

foryoutoreadonthetopicsofleadership,personalsuccess,goalsetting,

human psychology, andmore. You can also readmy other books,The

Success Principles and The Power of Focus, or participate in my

Breakthrough toSuccess seminar.What’smore, just a phone call away

are people who are available as teachers, mentors, advisors, and

consultants.

Iamseekingoutandfindingcluesleftbyothersthathelpmeachievemygoals.

AcoupleofyearsagoIwasinDallaspreparingtogoonamorningnews

showandIaskedthemakeupartistwhatherlong-termgoalswere.She

saidshe’dalwaysthoughtaboutopeningherownbeautysalon,soIasked

her what she was doing to make that happen. “Nothing,” she said,

“becauseIdon’tknowhowtogoaboutit.”

I suggestedsheoffer to takeasalonowner to lunchand interviewher

abouthowshedidit.

“Youcandothat?”themakeupartistexclaimed.

Absolutelyyoucan—andtherearemanypeoplewithinreachwhowould

love to talk about what they do and how they came to be doing it.

Whatever your dream is, there is someone who has achieved a similar

dreamandhascluestoshare—butyouhavetomakethemoveandask.

Youcanevenoffertovolunteerorinternwithoneofthemsothatyoucan

getahands-onlearningexperience—talkaboutfindingclues!

IamseekingoutandworkingwithmentorswhocanteachmewhatIneedtoknow

tobesuccessful.

A t some time or another, you’ve probably thought about asking

anexpertforadviceyourself,butshruggeditoffwiththoughts

suchasWhywouldsomeone take the timeoutof theirday to

talk with me? Why would they want to potentially create their own

competition? Stop! You’re creating roadblocks in your own mind that

don’t even exist. Most people love to talk about how they built their

businessoraccomplishedtheirgoals.

Here are a few reasonswhywedon’t take advantage of this

resourcethat’ssoreadilyavailable:

We’retooreluctanttodosomethingnooneelseweknowisdoing.

We’d have to go out of our way or take time from something else—like friends or

hobbies.

Ourfearofrejectionoverridesourdesiretoaskforadviceorinformation.

We’dhavetodosomethingdifferent,andevenwhenit’sinourownbestinterest,change

isuncomfortable.

We’dhavetoworkatit,andfrankly,mostpeoplejustdon’twanttoworkthathard.

Iamalertwhenpeoplespeakontopicsdirectlyorindirectlyrelatedtomygoals

becausetheycontainvaluablecluesthatIwanttolearn.

H

Week10

UseAffirmationstoReleasetheBrakes

AFFIRMATIONSfor


I am “releasing the brakes” by letting go of limiting beliefs and focusing on the

certaintyofmysuccess.

Iamexpandingmycomfortzoneeverydaybyusingaffirmationsthatfillmy

subconsciousmindwithpositivethoughtsandimages.

Iamconstantlythinking,talking,andwritingabouttherealityIwanttocreate.

Everythingyouwantisjustoutsideyourcomfortzone.

—ROBERTALLENBestsellingauthorofMultipleStreamsofIncome

aveyoueverdrivenyourcarandrealizedthattheemergency

brakewason?Whatdidyoudotoovercometheresistanceof

thebrake?Didyoustepharderonthegas?No,youprobably

released thebrakeandthecaracceleratedon itsownwithoutanyextra

effort.

Wedothesamethinginourlives.Weholdontonegativeimages,toxic

experiences, and difficult relationships from our past that we haven’t

Y

processed yet. Sometimes our beliefs about reality are simply incorrect

andweharborguiltandself-doubtbecauseweeitherdon’twantordon’t

know how to let go. No matter how hard we try, the drag from these

experiencesandemotionscancelsoutourforwardprogresswhenwetry

toachieveourgoals.Butwewillneverbeabletogetexactlywhatwewant

in lifeunlesswe release thesebrakes—and thatmeans lettinggoofour

limiting beliefs, thoughts, and negative emotions like guilt, fear, anger,

andresentment.

Iam“releasingthebrakes”bylettinggooflimitingbeliefsandfocusingonthe

certaintyofmysuccess.

our comfort zone isbasically a self-createdprison that you live

in,madefromacollectionofcant’s,must’s,mustnots,andother

baseless beliefs created by all the negative thoughts you have

allowedtoresideinyoursubconsciousmindduringyourlifetime.

We create an endless loop of responses that reinforce negative or

erroneous behaviors, which keep us trapped in our self-made “comfort

zone.”Constantcomplaining(aswediscussedearlier) focusesourmind

on our present circumstances and gets us caught once again in the

endlesscircleofnegativeself-talk—thosecant’s,mustn’ts,andsoon.

But we can change the cycle. We can focus instead on flooding our

mindswith positive thoughts,words and images especially through the

use of affirmations. These affirmations—and the positive self-talk that

they bombard our brain with—actually create new pathways in our

subconsciousmind and steer us off the hamster wheel—that ingrained

cycle of insanity that we’ve created for ourselves. We are never truly

stuck.We can change—and committing to a steady diet of affirmations

willgetusthere!

TIamexpandingmycomfortzoneeverydaybyusingaffirmationsthatfillmy

subconsciousmindwithpositivethoughtsandimages.

hough we’ve provided a “starter set” of affirmations at the

beginningofeachchapterinthisbook,it’suptoyoutowriteand

beginusingaffirmationsthatarespecific toyourcircumstances

and life goals. Use the guidelines below to make your personal

affirmationspowerfullyeffective:1)Startwiththewords“Iam.”Yoursubconsciousmindinterpretsthesetwopowerful

wordsasacommand—theyarethemosteffectivewordsinourlanguage.

2)Usethepresenttense.Describewhatyouwantasthoughithasalreadybeen

accomplished.

3)Stateitinthepositive.Don’tthinkaboutwhatyoudon’twant—affirmwhatyoudowant.

4)Keepitbrief.Makeitshortenoughtobeeasilyremembered.

5)Makeitspecific.Vagueaffirmationsproducevagueresults.

6)Includeanactionwordendingwith-ing.Thisaddspower.

7)Includeatleastonedynamicemotionorfeeling.Whatwouldyoubefeelingifyouhad

alreadyachievedthegoal?

8)Makeaffirmationsforyourself,notothers.Don’tincludesomeoneelse’sactions.What

willyoubedoing?

9)Add“orsomethingbetter.”Ourexperienceoftenlimitswhatweaskfor.Alwaysaskfor

more.

Iamconstantlythinking,talking,andwritingabouttherealityIwanttocreate.

V

Week11

SeeWhatYouWant,GetWhatYouSee

AFFIRMATIONSfor


EachnightbeforeretiringIamconfidentlyreadingmylistofgoalsoutloudand

creatingimagesofthecompletedgoalsinmymind.

Byaddingsounds,smells,andfeelingstomyinternalpictures,Iammultiplying

thebenefitsmanytimesover.

Iamheighteningtheimpactofmyaffirmationsbyfocusingandclearlyvisualizing

them.

Imaginationiseverything.Itisthepreviewoflife’scomingattractions.

—ALBERTEINSTEINWinneroftheNobelPrizeforPhysics

isualization is the techniqueof closingyoureyesandpicturing

yourselfenjoyinglifeasifyourgoalshadalreadybeenachieved

—inrich,vivid,colorfuldetail.It’sseeinginyourmind’seyethe

placesyouwouldbe, thesoundsyouwouldhear, theemotionsyou’dbe

feeling,andtheactionsyouwouldbetaking.

Visualizationisoneofthemosteffectivetoolsyoucanusetoreachyour

goalsbecauseitacceleratesyoursuccessimmensely.

B

Itallowsyourbrain’sreticularactivatingsystemto“letthrough”ideas,observations,

people,andopportunitiesfromamongstthemillionsofimagesitprocessesforyouevery

day.

ThroughTheLawofAttraction,visualizationattractstoyouthepeopleand

opportunitiesthatwillbenefityou.

Whenmeditatingonyouraffirmations,repeatthemaloudandvisualize

theminvividTechnicolorsotheyproduceclearimagesinyourmind.Be

veryspecificonthedetailssothatyouraffirmationsreleasethecreative

powersthatfuelsuccess.

EachnightbeforeretiringIamconfidentlyreadingmylistofgoalsoutloudand

creatingimagesofthecompletedgoalsinmymind.

eforeChickenSoupfortheSouleverhit#1,MarkVictorHansen

andIcreatedamock-upoftheNewYorkTimesBestsellersList

with the book’s cover in the #1 spot. Within 15 months, that

dreambecameareality!

Make themost out of visualizing your affirmations by applying these

sameprinciples:

Addsounds,smells,tastes,andfeelingstoyourimages.Whatdoesitsoundlikeatyour

homeonthebeach?Howdoestheseasmell?Whatfeelingswouldyoubeexperiencing?

Useemotionstoaddfueltoyourvision.Whenconfrontedwithintenseemotions,an

imageorscenecanstaylockedinourmemoryforever.Usethisphenomenontoits

fullestbenefitbyinfusingyourvisionswithemotionandenergy!

Mostofusdon’tseethingsinbrightthree-dimensionalimageswhenwe

closeoureyes;actually,wedon’treallyseeanimageasmuchaswethink

it. To help you truly see and focus on your goals, find pictures of your

dream vacation, you at your perfect weight, a black Tesla P100D, and

thengluethemtoasmallposterboard.Thendisplayitwhereyoucansee

Y

iteveryday.Youcanalsowriteyourpersonalaffirmationsonindexcards

usingcolorfeltmarkers,thendrawillustrationsofyourdreamhouseor

perfectjob.

Byaddingsounds,smells,andfeelingstomyinternalpictures,Iammultiplying

thebenefitsmanytimesover.

ourbrainoperatesverydifferently fromyourphysicalbody.To

yourbrain,thereisnodifferencebetweenvisualizingsomething

and actually doing it. Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor, body

builder, film producer, and former governor of California, once said,

“Createavisionofwhoyouwanttobe,andthenliveintothatpictureasif

itwerealreadytrue.”I’dsaythatstrategyworkedprettywellforhim.

Youmaynotbeawareofit,butwhenyouvisualizeyourgoalsashaving

already been achieved, your subconsciousmindwill find away to turn

yourcurrentsituationintothenewvisionthatyouhavebeenfeedingit.If

you feed yourmindpictures of a beautiful home, a loving relationship,

and an exciting career, it will work on achieving those things. On the

other hand, if you are constantly feeding it negative pictures, like a

stressfuljob,animpossiblefeat,orafailingrelationship—guesswhat?—it

willworktoachievethose,too.

Setasidetimeeachandeverydaytovisualizeeveryoneofyourgoalsas

alreadycomplete.Thisisoneofthemostvitalthingsyoucandotomake

your dreams come true. Some psychologists say that an hour of

visualizationisequaltosevenhoursofphysicaleffort.That’saprettybig

claim, but still, imaginewhatwouldhappen to your life if youdid that

everyday!

Iamheighteningtheimpactofmyaffirmationsbyfocusingandclearlyvisualizing

them.

O

Week12

ActAsIf

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IambelievingandactingasifIamalreadywhereIwanttobe.

Iamexudingself-confidenceandaskingforwhatIwantwithcompletefaiththatI

willgetit.

Iamlayingdownpowerfulblueprintsinmysubconsciousmindtomakemy

dreamscometrue.

Believeandactasifitwereimpossibletofail.

—CHARLESF.KETTERINGEngineer,businessman,andinventorwithover186patents

neof thegreatest strategies for success is toactas if youare

alreadywhereyouwanttobe.Thatrequiresyoutothink,talk,

act,dress,and feel likeyouhavealreadyachievedyourgoals.

Acting “as if” projects to the world a sense of confidence and

achievement, sending powerful messages to your subconscious mind,

whichisdesignedtofinduniquewaystosolveproblems.Italsoprograms

your brain’s reticular activating system—the function that allows into

your awareness useful information from the millions of pieces of

information you process every day—to make you aware of hidden

Y

resourcesthatmayhelpyou.What’smore,whenyouactasif,TheLawof

Attractioncomesintoplay,sinceacting“asif”sendsstrongvibrationsto

theUniversethatyouarecommittedtoachievingyourgoal—andthatyou

areopentoacceptingandapplyinganythingitsendsyourway.

One ofmy favorite books is Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard

Bach,whowrites,“Toflyasfastasthought,tobeanywherethereis,you

mustfirstbeginbyknowingthatyouhavealreadyarrived.”Prettysound

adviceandoneoflife’sgreatestlessons.

IambelievingandactingasifIamalreadywhereIwanttobe.

ou canbegin rightnow to act as if you’ve already achieved the

goalsyouset foryourself.Onceyoustartactingsuccessful, that

outer experience will create the inner experience—the feelings,

emotions,confidence,andthoughts—thatwillleadyoutothefulfillment

ofyourgoal.

How would you act if you were already a straight-A student, a

bestselling author, an Olympic athlete, a top salesperson, a celebrated

musician,orasuccessfulentrepreneur?Howwouldyouthink,talk,carry

yourself,dress,treatotherpeople,handlemoney,andsoforth?

There are a couple of very important lessons we can learn from the

behaviorofsuccessfulpeople:theyexudeself-confidence,they’velearned

thepowerofasking forwhat theywant, theyspeakupaboutwhat they

don’twant, they take risks and celebrate their successes, and they also

saveaportionoftheirincomeandshareaportionwithothers.

Theseareallthingsthatyoucanstarttodorightnow.Theydon’tcost

more money, but they do require intention. And as soon as you start

acting“asif,”thepeopleandthingsthatwillhelpyouachieveyourgoals

inreallifewillstartbeingdrawntoyou.

IIamexudingself-confidenceandaskingforwhatIwantwithcompletefaiththatI

willgetit.

t’s imperative thatyoustartnowbeingwhoyouwant tobe—don’t

let any more time pass while you’re “thinking it over.” Why?

Becauseinactionisthesameasnevertakingaction.Startnowand

bewhoyouwanttobe,thendothethingsthatgoalongwithbeingthat

person,andsoonyou’llfindthatyoueasilyhaveeverythingyouwantin

life—health,wealth,fulfillingrelationships,andsocialimpact.

TaniaKotsos,authorandcreatorofMindYourReality,says:“Itisyour

subconsciousmindthatisthestorehouseofyourdeep-seatedbeliefsand

programs. To change your circumstances and attract to yourself that

which you choose, you must learn to program and re-program your

subconsciousmind.”

For thousandsof years this principlehasbeenwithus and yet so few

peopleactuallyputittouse.Letthosewordsinspireyouintoaction!

Iamlayingdownpowerfulblueprintsinmysubconsciousmindtomakemy

dreamscometrue.

I

Week13

TakeAction,EvenIfYouDon’tKnowtheWholePath

AFFIRMATIONSfor


AsItakeaction,allthingsarebecomingclearerandeasierformebecauseIam

constantlyattractingpeoplewhoareencouragingandsupportingme.

WhenImakemistakes,IknowthereissomethingvaluablethatIamlearningfrom

eachexperience.

IamenjoyinggettingfeedbackthatishelpingmemakethecorrectionsIneedto

becomesuccessful.

Thingsmaycometothosewhowait,butonlythethingsleftbythosewhohustle.

—ABRAHAMLINCOLNSixteenthpresidentoftheUnitedStates

t’s long been known by successful people that the world doesn’t

rewardyouforwhatyouknow.Itrewardsyouforwhatyoudo.Yet,

as obvious and practical as that statement is, millions of people

every day get tied up analyzing, planning, and organizing instead of

simply takingaction.They seem to look theotherwayhoping the rules

willchangewhilethey’repreoccupied.

In the end, however, what we know or what we believe is of little

T

consequence.Theonlythingthatmattersiswhatyoudo.

Whathappens thedayyoudecide to takeaction?Peoplewillwakeup

andstartpayingattentiontoyou.Peoplewithsimilargoalswill fall into

alignment with you. You will begin learning things from experience.

Things that once seemed confusing will become clear, and things that

once appeared difficult will become easier. You will attract others who

willsupportandencourageyou,andwonderfulthingswillbegintoflow

towardyou—onceyoutakeaction.

AsItakeaction,allthingsarebecomingclearerandeasierformebecauseIam

constantlyattractingpeoplewhoareencouragingandsupportingme.

here’sanexercisethatIuseinmyseminarstodemonstratethe

power of taking action. I hold up a $100 bill and ask, “Who

would like this $100 bill?” Lots of people start waving their

handsbackandforth.Otherpeopleshoutout,“Iwantit!”or“Giveitto

me!” But I just continue standing there holding up the $100 bill until

someoneactuallygetsoutoftheirchairandcomesupandtakesitoutof

my hand. When I ask the group how many of them thought about

standingup and comingup to take themoneybut stopped themselves,

halftheroomraisestheirhands.Whatdidtheysaytothemselves?

“Iwassittingtoofarbackintheroom.”

“Ididn’twantittolooklikeIneededitthatbadly.”

“Iwasn’tsureifyouwouldreallygiveittome.”

“Ididn’twanttolookgreedy.”

“IwasafraidIwouldbedoingsomethingwrongandthatpeoplewould

judgemeorlaughatme.”

“Iwaswaitingforfurtherinstructions.”

So,whatdidthepersonwhoactuallygotthemoneydothatnooneelse

I

in the room did to end up $100 richer? She got off her butt and took

action—shedidwhatwasnecessarytogetthemoney—andthat’sexactly

whatyouneedtodoifyouwanttobesuccessful!

WhenImakemistakes,IknowthereissomethingvaluablethatIamlearningfrom

eachexperience.

nordertobesuccessful,youhavetodowhatsuccessfulpeopledo,

and successful people are highly action-oriented. If you hold

yourself back for fear of looking foolish in one situation, you

probablyholdyourselfbackforfearoflookingfoolishinothers.Youhave

toidentifythosepatterns,breakthroughthem,andstopholdingyourself

back.

Most people don’t take action because they are afraid of failing.

Successfulpeople,ontheotherhand,realizethatfailureisaninevitable

andnaturalpartofthelearningprocess.Theyknowthatfailureisjusta

waythatwelearnbytrialanderror.

Once you embrace failure as part of the journey to success, you’ll be

muchmorewillingtojustgetstarted,makemistakesalongtheway,pay

attention to the feedback you receive, make the necessary corrections,

andkeepmoving forward toward your goal.Every experience youhave

willyieldmoreuseful informationthatyoucanapply to thenextaction

youtake.

So,bynow,youhavegonethroughthenecessaryfoundationalstepsto

success—createdavision,setspecificandmeasurablegoals,brokenthem

downintosmallsteps,visualizedandaffirmedyoursuccess,andchosen

tobelieveinyourselfandyourdreams.Nowit’stimetotakeaction.

IamenjoyinggettingfeedbackthatishelpingmemakethecorrectionsIneedto

becomesuccessful.

W

Week14

LeanintoItandSeeIfItFeelsRighttoYou

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamleaningintowhatIwanttodoandseeinganyroadblocksasopportunitiesto

developnewskills,greaterconfidence,andperseverance.

AsIleanintonewactivities,IamlettingGodknowthatIamwillingtousemy

talentstomaketheworldaroundmeabetterplace.

IamwillingtostartwithoutseeingthewholepathbecauseIbelieveitwilltakeme

whereIwanttogo—orevensomeplacebetter.

Ajourneyof1,000milesbeginswithonestep.

—ANCIENTCHINESEPROVERBhensomeonesays something important thatwillhelpyou,

orwhensomeonemakesyouanofferrelatedtosomething

youwanttodo,yourjobisto“leanintoit.”Dipyourtoein

thewaterandseewhatthatopportunityfeelslike.

Manyof theworld’smost successfulpeoplegot thatwaybecause they

paidattentiontoadooropeninginfrontofthem.Theyhadthecourage

andwisdomtowalkthroughthatdoorand“leaninto”theopportunityon

theotherside.Theyworkedseveralmonthsonastart-upcompany.They

M

did a free speaking engagement for a global organization.They spent a

fewhundreddollarsflyingacrossthecountrytomeetanewcontact.They

checked out the opportunity, learned something new, and determined

whetherthatnewpathwastheonethatwouldleadthemtotheirgoal.

Oftentimes, ultimate success finds you when you’re leaning into

something. That’s when you find yourself open to opportunities and

willing to do whatever it takes to succeed—without any expectation

whatsoever.Thetimeforthinkingisoverandthetimetotakeactionhas

begun.

IamleaningintowhatIwanttodoandseeinganyroadblocksasopportunitiesto

developnewskills,greaterconfidence,andperseverance.

omentumisoneofthewonderfuloutcomesofleaningintoit.

Momentum begins to build theminute you take your first

step towardmaking your dreams a reality. It’s a magnetic

force—an energy that attracts people, resources, and opportunities into

your life. Just when you need them—at the perfect timewhen you can

most benefit—theywill become available to you anddoorswill open in

waysyoumaynotexpect.Oftentimes, that’showgreat thingshappen—

butyouhavetofirstpreparethesoilinwhichtheycantakeroot,thrive,

andgrow.

Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights leader and Nobel Peace

Prizerecipient,said,“Takethefirststepinfaith.Youdon’thavetoseethe

wholestaircase.Justtakethefirststep.”

He realized that sometimes the exact thing you need to propel you

further, to help you achieve a breakthrough goal, is just ahead beyond

whereyoucanseeit.Unlessyoutakethatfirststepforward,you’llnever

knowjusthowcloseitis.Havefaith.Bewillingtotakethestepandlean

F

intoit.

AsIleanintonewactivities,IamlettingGodknowthatIamwillingtousemy

talentstomaketheworldaroundmeabetterplace.

irstyoujumpoffthecliffandyoubuildwingsonthewaydown.

SciencefictionauthorRayBradburysaidthat,andithasbecome

oneofmy favoritequotes.There isnoperfect timeor situation

for you to begin creating and achieving your goals. Don’t keep putting

thingsoffwaitingforaspecialsign,adoublerainbow,orfor12dovesto

flyoverheadinthesignofacross.

WhenMark Victor Hansen and I first releasedChicken Soup for the

Soul, I thought itwouldbeagood idea tosell thebook inbulk to large

networkmarketingcompanies. Iknewthosebookscouldmotivate their

salesforcetobelieveintheirdreams,takemorerisks,andachievegreater

success. So, I started cold-calling these companies—something I had

never done before. Sometimes I was told they weren’t interested,

sometimes I got hungupon, but eventually, not onlydid Imake some

significant sales, a few of the companies liked the book so much they

hiredmetospeakattheirnationalconventions.

Most of life is on-the-job training and some of the most important

thingscanonlybelearnedintheprocessofdoingthem.Youhavetojust

start—fromwhereveryouare—inordertogetwhereyouwanttobe.

IamwillingtostartwithoutseeingthewholepathbecauseIbelieveitwilltakeme

whereIwanttogo—orevensomeplacebetter.

A

Week15

ExperienceYourFearandTakeActionAnyway

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamconfidentlyandcourageouslyconfrontingmyfearsandmovingforward.

IamgrowingandfeelingliberatedbydoingtheverythingsIwasafraidtodo.

Iamreplacingmyself-created,imaginaryimagesandsensationsoffearwith

positiveimagesandsensationsofmydesiredoutcome.

Wecomethiswaybutonce.Wecaneithertiptoethroughlifeandhopethatweget

todeathwithoutbeingtoobadlybruised,orwecanliveafull,completelife,

achievingourgoalsandrealizingourwildestdreams.

—BOBPROCTORSelf-mademillionaireandfeaturedteacher

inthebookandmovie,TheSecret

s you move forward on your journey from where you are to

whereyouwanttobe,youaregoingtohavetofaceyourfears.

Fearisnormal.Anditkeepsyouonyourtoes.

Ifyouareoneof thosepeoplewhorun theotherwaywhenyou feela

pangoffear,beawarethatthere’ssomethingfarmorescary:neverreally

livingthelifeyouwant.Thetruthis,peopledolosetheirfooting,theydo

losetheirjobs,theydoforgettheirlines.WilliamG.T.Sheddoncesaid,

I

“Ashipissafeintheharbor,butthat’snotwhatit’sfor.”

You have already clarified why you’re here on this Earth. And you’ve

made a commitment to reach your goals. The only way you will be

successfulandeventuallybecomewhoyouweremeant tobe is to leave

yoursafezoneandtrustthatyouwillmakeit.

Iamconfidentlyandcourageouslyconfrontingmyfearsandmovingforward.

nmybookTheSuccessPrinciples:HowtoGetfromWhereYouAre

to Where You Want to Be, I talk about F.E.A.R., which is an

acronymforFantasizedExperiencesAppearingReal.It’soneofthe

primary reasons we fail to achieve our goals and fail to find true

happiness.Wemake incorrect assumptionsaboutwhat’s required tobe

successful and then we actually believe these assumptions. Sadly, the

limits we put on ourselves because of our erroneous beliefs prevent us

from being as happy as we could be, or achieving a great measure of

success.

It’simportanttorememberthatalmostallofyourfearsareself-created,

but once you decide that an idea is true, you attach yourself to it even

though it has little or no merit at all. Freeing yourself from your

erroneousbeliefscanbedifficult.Yet,becauseyouaretheonedoingthe

fantasizing, you also have the ability to end the fear by facing the real

factsandnotgivingintoyournegativeimages.

Here’s a little exercise that can help you overcome fear: Write down

somethingyouareafraid todo—likeaskingyourboss fora raise.Then,

writedownwhyyouareafraidtodoit—e.g.,Iwanttoaskmybossfora

raise,butIkeepimagininghewillsaynoandgetangry.See?Thatkind

of fear is not even real—you’re imagining a response that may never

happen,andyoumaynevergetthatraiseifyoudon’tovercomeyourself-

CcreatedfearandASK!

IamgrowingandfeelingliberatedbydoingtheverythingsIwasafraidtodo.

elebratedAmericanauthorandhumoristMarkTwainoncesaid,

“Ihave liveda long lifeandhadmany troubles,mostofwhich

neverhappened.”

Thinkaboutthat.Areyoulivingyourlifeworryingaboutandavoiding

imaginarytroubles,manyofwhichactuallyneverhappen?Wealldothat

from time to time—some of us more than others. The solution to this

problem is to train our internal eyes to recognize the limits we put on

ourselvesbyworryingandentertainingnegativethoughts—thendealwith

them.

Herearefourveryeffectiveapproachestoovercomingunfoundedfears:

1)Identifywhatyou’reimaginingthatfrightensyou,thenreplacethatimagewithitspositive

opposite.Writeit

intheformofanaffirmation.

2)Focusonthephysicalsensationsofyourfear,thenfocusonthefeelingsyouwouldliketobe

experiencinginstead.

3)Rememberatimewhenyoutriumphedinthefaceoffear—likegivingaspeechorpassingan

importantexam.

4)Ifyourfearissobigthatit’sparalyzing,scaledowntherisk.Takesmallstepsfirst,thentake

onthebigger

challengesatalatertime.

Iamreplacingmyself-created,imaginaryimagesandsensationsoffearwith

positiveimagesandsensationsofmydesiredoutcome.

B

Week16

BeWillingtoPaythePriceofSuccess

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamwillingtopaythepricetoachievemygoalsanddreamsonmyownterms.

Iamdoingwhateverittakestobesuccessfulandreachmygoals.

Iamcommittedtoinvestingthetime,money,andeffortrequiredtoachievemy

mostimportantgoals.

Practiceisn’tthethingyoudoonceyou’regood;it’sthethingyoudothatmakes

yougood.

—MALCOLMGLADWELLAuthorofOutliers:TheStoryofSuccess

andotherbestsellers

ehind every success story there is a tale of perseverance and

dedication. In order to be great, it takes a lot of education,

training, practice, discipline, and sacrifice. You have to be

willingtoputinthetimeandeffort—todowhatittakestosucceed.That

often means a steady diet of trial and error and constant practice—

generally in more than one area. But it’s thewillingness to do what’s

necessarythataddsthatextradimensionandpushesyoupastsetbacks,

challenges,roadblocks,andevenemotionalandphysicalpain.Ilovethis

quote from the great Bear Bryant (still college football’s winningest

coach):“It’snot thewill towinthatmatters—everyonehasthat.It’s the

willtopreparetowinthatmatters.”

Preparingtowinmeansdoingwhateverittakes—gettingtoworkearly,

taking extra courses, practicing the piano one more hour every day.

That’s what makes the difference between elite performers and people

whoarejustgoodatsomething.

Persevereandyouwillstandoutfromtherest.

Iamwillingtopaythepricetoachievemygoalsanddreamsonmyownterms.

Even though today’s multitalented, multimillionaire Oprah Winfrey

struggledwhenshewasalittlegirl,shewasdetermined.Shebelievedin

herself and honed her skills. Today she’s one of the most successful

womenintheworld.

Whenshewasaskedwhathersecrettosuccesswas,shesaid,“Thebig

secretinlifeisthatthereisnosecret.Whateverisyourgoal,youcanget

thereifyouarewillingtowork.”

Areyouwillingtodotheworkyouneedtodotoachieveyourgoalsand

dreams?Partofpayingthepriceisthewillingnesstodowhateverittakes

togetthejobdone—noexcuses.WhenM.ScottPeckpublishedTheRoad

Less Traveled, he participated in thousands of radio interviews and

continuedtodooneeachdayforthenext13years,keepingthebookon

theNew York Times bestseller list for 694 weeks. Pulitzer and Nobel

prizewinnerErnestHemingwayrewroteAFarewelltoArms39times.

What’smore,numerousstudies show thatpracticing towarda specific

goal is what helps elite performers overcome a lack of innate talent or

prevailoverotherdeficiencies.Imaginewhatyoucouldachieveifyouset

Wagoalandreallypracticeddoingthethingsthatwouldhelpyousucceed!

Iamdoingwhateverittakestobesuccessfulandreachmygoals.

henaSpaceXrockettakesoff fromCapeCanaveral, ituses

up a large portion of its total fuel just to overcome the

gravitational pull of theEarth.Once it is free of gravity, it

canprettymuchglidethroughspacefortherestofitsmission.That’sthe

result of building momentum. It’s like that in business and careers as

well;youhavetodowhatittakestogettotheplacewherepeopleseeyou

as an expert and a person of integrity. And, as long as youmaintain a

high levelofprofessionalism,youwillbeable to reap thebenefits fora

longtime.

One of the key pieces of advice that I constantly give people in my

trainingclassesandlectures is findoutthepriceyouhavetopay.How

canyoudecidetopaythepricewhenyouhavenoideawhatitcosts?You

mayhavetodosomeinvestigating—turnoversomerocks,makenotes,do

some research, interview some people—in order to find out what is

required for you to succeed (or even just take the first steps). Bear in

mindthat“cost”canrelatetomoney,health,time,labor,timespentaway

from family, andmore. Once you knowwhat the cost will be, you can

decidewhetheritisstillrightforyouorifthere’ssomethingbetteronthe

horizon.Beaware,beopen,andbeprepared.Godmayhavesomething

evenbetterinstoreforyou!

Iamcommittedtoinvestingthetime,money,andeffortrequiredtoachievemy

mostimportantgoals.

W

Week17

You’veGottaAsk

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamaskingforwhatIwantandneedwithapositiveexpectationthatIwillgeta

YES.

IambeingclearandspecificwhenIaskforsomethingandI’mgettingexactly

whatIwant—orsomethingbetter.

Ihaveboththecapacityandtenacitytopersevere,soIkeeponaskinguntilI

succeed.

You’vegottoask.Askingis,inmyopinion,theworld’smostpowerfuland

neglectedsecrettosuccessandhappiness.

—PERCYROSSSelf-mademultimillionaire

andphilanthropist

hat’s the worst that can happen if you don’t have the

courageandself-confidence toask forwhatyouwant?For

one, you’ll never get it, and two, youmay be blocking the

very thing that will lead to your ultimate success. And if you do ask?

You’llgetayesorano.Ano justmeans thatwasn’t therightdoorand

youmustcontinuetoknockuntiltherightdooropens.Ayes,ontheother

T

hand—well, that’swhat you getwhen you ask the right people and you

askenoughtimes.

Askingisoneofthemostpowerfulsuccessprinciplesofall,yetit’sstilla

challengethatholdsmostpeopleback.

Here’san importantpoint to rememberwhenyouareasking forwhat

youwant.Sometimeswhatwethinkwewant isn’t thebestthingforus;

sometimesweneed to reevaluatewhatweare asking for andwhy.And

sometimes,becauseweareaskinginfaiththatwewillreceive it,weget

morethanweaskedfor—wegetsomethingbetter.

IamaskingforwhatIwantandneedwithapositiveexpectationthatIwillgeta

YES.

here’s a science for asking for what you want or need in life.

Mark VictorHansen and I havewritten awhole book about it

calledThe Aladdin Factor. Here are some quick tips from the

booktogetyoustarted.

Askasifyouexpecttogetit.Askwiththepositiveexpectationthatyouhavealready

beengivenit—likeit’sadonedeal.

Assumeyoucan.Don’teverassumeagainstyourself.

Asksomeonewhocangiveittoyou.Researchwhothatis.

Beclearandspecific.Whenitcomestomoney,askforadefiniteamount.Whenit

comestorequestingaspecificbehavior,sayexactlywhatyouwantthepersontodo.

Askrepeatedly.Oneofthemostimportantprinciplesofsuccessispersistence.When

you’reaskingotherstoparticipateinthefulfillmentofyourgoals,somepeoplearegoing

tosayno.Morethanlikely,theyhaveverygoodreasonsfordeclining.It’snota

reflectiononyou.

Don’tassumeyou’llgetanowhenyouhaven’tevenaskedyet.That’srejecting

yourselfbeforeanyoneelsehasevenhadachance.Taketherisk—ifyougetano,

nothinghaschangedandyouarenoworseoffthanbefore.Andyoumightjustgetayes!

IambeingclearandspecificwhenIaskforsomethingandI’mgettingexactly

whatIwant—orsomethingbetter.

LwhatIwant—orsomethingbetter.

et’sdoa littleexercise togetyoumorecomfortablewithasking

forwhatyouwant.

Makealistofallthethingsyouwantbutyouhaven’taskedfor

—includethingsrelative tohome,work,oranywhereelseyoucanthink

of. Beside each one, write down why you haven’t asked for it—what’s

holding youback?Thenwrite downwhat you’remissing out onbynot

asking (agoodnight’s sleep, extra timewithyour family,apromotion).

Then,writedownthebenefitsyouwouldgain ifyoudidask(emotional

support,financialgain,helpwiththehousework).Now,dothatexercise

for everything in the following categories inWeek 3:DecideWhatYou

WanttoBe,Do,andHave:

YourFinances

YourJobandCareer

FunTimeandRecreation

YourHealthandFitness

YourRelationships

HobbiesandPersonalTime

YourContributionstotheCommunity

I get that sometimes people are afraid of looking needy or looking

foolish,butmostlytheyaresimplyafraidofrejection—theyareafraidof

hearingtheword“no.”Stoptakingitsopersonally.Youneedtohavenot

onlythecapacity,butthetenacity.Tobesuccessful,youhavetoask!

Ihaveboththecapacityandtenacitytopersevere,soIkeeponaskinguntilI

succeed.

O

Week18

Don’tLetRejectionStopYou

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamaskingwithconfidence,knowingthatrejectionisamythandonlyexistsin

mymind.

IamperseveringuntilIachievemygoals—orsomethingbetter—becauseIknow

thatwhatIwantalsowantsme.

Whensomeonesaysnotome,ratherthangettingdiscouraged,Imoveonknowing

thatsomeoneelseiswaitingtosayyes.

Wekeepgoingbackstronger,notweaker,

becausewewillnotallowrejectiontobeatusdown.

Itwillonlystrengthenourresolve.

Tobesuccessful,thereisnootherway.

—EARLG.GRAVESFounderandpublisherof

BlackEnterprisemagazine

nyourway tobecomingsuccessful,you’regoing toencounter

rejection somewhere along the line—it’s just anatural part of

life.Yourapplicationmightbedenied,youmightnotbepicked

fortheteam,oryoumightnotgetthejob.

To overcome rejection and keep moving forward, you have to see

T

rejection for what it really is—a myth. When your application isn’t

acceptedoryou’renotpickedfortheteam,youactuallyaren’tanyworse

off than before you asked. Nothing has changed, nothing’s been taken

away from you. You didn’t have that $50,000 line of credit before you

askedthebankforit,andyoudon’thaveitnow.

Soinsteadof feelingsadandrejected,askwhyyouwereturneddown,

honeyourproposal,andmoveontoaskotherfinancialinstitutions.The

reality is, you lose nothing by asking; all you have is something to

potentiallygain.

Iamaskingwithconfidence,knowingthatrejectionisamythandonlyexistsin

mymind.

oday, make a point to accept the idea that you are going to

encounterrejectionalongthewaytosuccess.Trainyourmindto

translate the word “no” into “next!” When Colonel Harland

Sanders left home with his pressure cooker and his special recipe for

Southern fried chicken, he received 1,009 rejections before he found

someonetobelieveinhisdream.Becauseherejectedrejectionover1,000

times, there are now over 19,000 KFC locations in more than 100

countriesandterritoriesworldwide.

Maybehisstorywillhelpyouthinkaboutrejectiononasmallerscale.It

maytakealittlelongertogetwhatyouwant,butsometimestheUniverse

hasdifferent(orbetter)plansforyou.Inthefinalanalysis,you’rereally

noworse off than before you asked.Don’t give up or sulk. Simply find

anotheropportunity.

MyChickenSoupfortheSoulcoauthorMarkVictorHansenisfondof

saying,“Whatyouwantwantsyou.”Rejectrejectionandgoforit.

IamperseveringuntilIachievemygoals—orsomethingbetter—becauseIknow

thatwhatIwantalsowantsme.

IthatwhatIwantalsowantsme.

nthefallof1991,MarkVictorHansenandIbegantheprogressof

sellingourfirstChickenSoupfortheSoulbooktoapublisher.We

flew toNewYork andmetwith everymajor publisher thatwould

see us. None of them were interested. We heard rejections like,

“Collections of short stories don’t sell,” and “The titlewill neverwork.”

After that,wewererejectedbyanother20publisherswhohadreceived

themanuscriptthroughthemail.Over30rejectionslater,ouragentgave

thebookbacktousbecausehejustcouldn’tsellit.So,wesaid,“Next!”

The following spring, Mark and I attended the American Booksellers

AssociationconventioninAnaheim,California,andwalkedfromboothto

booth, talking toanyonewhowould listen.Wewere turneddownagain

andagain.Stillwesaid,“Next!”

At theendof the secondvery longday,PeterVegsoandGarySeidler,

owners of Health Communications, Inc., a publisher of addiction and

recoverybooks,agreedto lookitover.They lovedit.Thosehundredsof

“nexts” finally paid off. Aftermore than 140 rejections, that first book

wentontosellover10millioncopiesandspawnedaseriesof250unique

titles.Thosetitleshavebeentranslatedinto43languageswithworldwide

sales of over 500 million copies! My advice to you? Believe you will

succeedandlearntosay,“Next!”

Whensomeonesaysnotome,ratherthangettingdiscouraged,Imoveonknowing

thatsomeoneelseiswaitingtosayyes.

I

Week19

ListentoFeedbackandUseIttoYourAdvantage

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamwelcoming,appreciating,andusingthefeedbackIget,andIacceptitasa

valuablegift.

Iamopenlylisteningtofeedback,whileatthesametimelisteningtowhatmy

body,myfeelings,andmyinstinctsaretellingme.

IamhappilyadjustingmybehaviorandmovingforwardasIapplythefeedbackI

getfromothers.

Feedbackisthebreakfastofchampions.

—KENBLANCHARDANDSPENCERJOHNSONCoauthorsofTheOneMinuteManager

t’s humannature towant only positive feedback from others, but

there’s also great value in constructive negative feedback that can

becrucialtoyoursuccess.

Positive feedbackcomes in the formof things thatmakeyouhappy:a

raiseorpromotionatwork,surpassingyoursalesquota,findingbalance

and inner peace, a loving touch, or making the bestseller list. These

things not onlymake you happy, but they indicate that you are on the

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rightcourseandmakingprogress.

Negativefeedback,ontheotherhand,comesintheformofthingsthat

make you unhappy: being broke, conflict at home, an unexpected

breakup,lossofajob,andinnerdiscord.Butthesethingsholdvaluefor

you, too, ifyouheed themandarewilling tomakeadjustments inyour

thinking and your behavior. Maybe you missed a turn in the road

somewhere, or you veered offtrack. In order for you to be successful,

you’llhavetolearntopayattentionandrespondappropriatelytoallthe

feedback in your life—both positive and negative—because it will teach

you what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, and what

changesyouneedtomake.

Iamwelcoming,appreciating,andusingthefeedbackIget,andIacceptitasa

valuablegift.

et’stalktodayaboutthevalueofverbalandnonverbalfeedback,

keeping in mind what we already learned about positive and

negativefeedback.

Nonverbal feedback comes through body language, actions and

attitudes.Haveyoueverbeen toabaseballgameandby the7th inning

theplacehasclearedout?That’sfeedbackinaction—thefansaresaying

thatthey’remoreinterestedinavoidingtrafficthanwatchingtheirhome

teamlose.Here’salessobviousexample:Haveyoueverclosedabigsale

only to find out your new customer placed his next order with a

competitor? That’s nonverbal feedback telling you that something’s

wrong. (It shouldalsobe telling you topickup thephoneand findout

whathappened.)

Verbal feedback comes in the form of others talking to you. Let’s say

you’relateagainforameetingandyourbossreprimandsyouinfrontof

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yourcoworkers.That’ssomeseriousfeedbackthat’scomingin“loudand

clear.”

But the best type of verbal feedback is the kind you initiate yourself:

when you ask your boss about the quality of yourwork, when you ask

yourcustomerwhatyoucandotomakehisjobeasier,whenyouaskyour

spouse how you can be more attentive or helpful around the house.

Seemslikeano-brainer,right?Makeacommitmenttodaytolisten—and

respond—to all types of feedback: positive, negative, internal, and

external.

Iamopenlylisteningtofeedback,whileatthesametimelisteningtowhatmy

body,myfeelings,andmyinstinctsaretellingme.

et’s look at some of the unproductive ways we respond to

feedback.

GivingUp:Feedbackissimplyinformation—consideritcorrectiveinsteadofcritical

anddon’ttakeitsopersonally.Thinkofitasacautionsign,notastopsign.

Gettingmad:Surelyyoucanrecalltimeswhenyouturnedhostiletowardsomeone

whogaveyoufeedbackthatyoudidn’tlike.Don’tmissoutonarelationshipanduseful

informationbecauseyoudon’tlikewhatyouhear.

Ignoringthefeedback:Youknowthosepeoplewhodon’tlistentoanypointofview

unlessitconformstotheirown?Don’tbelikethem.Feedbackcouldsignificantly

transformyourlifeifyouwouldonlylistenandrespond.

Finally, keep two other points in mind—especially if you’re trying to

createawinningproduct,relationship,orservice.

Somefeedbackisjustwrong.Isthepersongivingittoyouangry,resentful,

egotistical,orvengeful?Besurethatthepersongivingyouthefeedbackhasyourbest

interestatheart.

Isthereapattern?Ifotherpeoplearegivingyouthesamefeedback,don’tignoreit.

Giveupyourneedtoberightandlistentolegitimatefeedback.

IamhappilyadjustingmybehaviorandmovingforwardasIapplythefeedbackI

getfromothers.

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Week20

PracticeConstantandNever-EndingImprovement

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IampursuingconstantandcontinuousimprovementasIconsistentlyaskmyself,

HowcanImakethingsbetteranddothingswithgreaterlove?

Iamlearningsomethingnewandgettingmoreproficienteveryday,whichallows

metopursueevenbiggergoalsinthefuture.

Iamsteadilyachievingsmall,manageablestepsontheroadtomyloftiestgoals.

Wehaveaninnatedesiretoendlesslylearn,grow,anddevelop....Onceweyield

tothisinclinationforcontinuousandnever-endingimprovement,weleadalifeof

endlessaccomplishmentsandsatisfaction.

—CHUCKGALLOZZIAuthorofThe3Thievesand4PillarsofHappiness

fyouwanttobemoresuccessful,askyourself:HowcanImakethis

better?How can I do itmore efficiently?How can I do itmore

profitably?How can I providemore value tomore people?And,

equallyimportant:HowcanIdoitwithmorelove?

Most industries—perhaps yours—are changing at lightning speed.

Technology and information is, too. High-school seniors have never

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known a time when there were no smartphones or internet. You don’t

havetobecomeanITguru,butyoudohavetokeeppace.

It’sthesamewithyourprofessionandyourpersonalfinances.Areyou

keeping up your skills? If you’re a parent, what new ways have been

discovered for you to raise amazingkids and successfullyprepare them

for adulthood? Your only intelligent response is to commit to constant

improvement—for your career, your health, your family, and your

finances.

IampursuingconstantandcontinuousimprovementasIconsistentlyaskmyself,

HowcanImakethingsbetteranddothingswithgreaterlove?

owthatwe’veestablishedthatcontinuouslearningisoneofthe

keys to being successful, don’t limit your education to just

technologyor the field youwork in.Continuous learning can

bring personal improvement, too, like better relationships with your

spouseandkids,betterhealth,orlearninganewhobby.

Professionally,never-endingimprovementmightmeanupgradingyour

customer service program, the quality of your product, your online

marketing strategy, your sales skills, or your team-building skills. You

could also focus on improving your health and fitness, your ability to

manage money, or your interpersonal skills. You could also take

advantage of the millions of online resources that can help you attain

greaterinnerpeacethroughmeditation,yoga,andprayer.

Thepointis,keeplearning,keepgrowing,andkeepimproving.It’sgood

for your self-esteem and it’s good for your soul—whichmeans it’s also

goodforallyourrelationships,professionalandpersonal.

Iamlearningsomethingnewandgettingmoreproficienteveryday,whichallows

metopursueevenbiggergoalsinthefuture.

T oday,asyousetouttoimproveyourskills,changeyourbehavior,

orbetteryourfamilyorbusinesslife,considerstartinginsmall,

manageable increments to give you a greater chance of long-

termsuccess.Doingtoomuchtoofastcanoverwhelmyouorevenpush

you into failure. Instead, chunk it down. Startwith small steps,master

them, and then move on to bigger challenges. It will boost your self-

confidenceandrenewyourcommitmenttosucceed.Herearetwopoints

toremember:

1)Youcan’tskipsteps.Inourdrive-throughsociety,we’vecometoexpectinstantgratification—

buttobecomeamasteratsomethingwilltaketimetodevelopthedepthandbreadthof

experiencethatproducesexpertise,insight,andwisdom.

2)Applythepoweroftheslightedge.InTheSlightEdge,JeffOlsontalksaboutthecompound

effectofdoingjustalittlebitmoreoralittlebitlessofsomethingeachday—alteringyour

dailyhabitswithafewmorepush-ups,alittlelongermeditation,alittlemoresleep,oneless

glassofwine,oronelesshourofTV.Couldyouusethattimetofocusonwritingyourbook,

makingmoresalescalls,reading,exercising,doingyoga,meditating,ordeepeningyour

relationships?

Iamsteadilyachievingsmall,manageablestepsontheroadtomyloftiestgoals.

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Week21

WhatGetsMeasuredGetsImproved

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamconsistentlypostingmytargetgoalsandupdatedscoreswhereIcansee

them,whichmotivatesmetostayontrack.

Iamenthusiasticallykeepingscoreofmyprogress,positivebehaviorchanges,

financialgains,andtheotherthingsIwantmoreof.

IamkeepingmylifeinbalancebykeepingscoreofthetimeIdevotetomywork,

family,health,recreation,community,andspiritualgoals.

Ifyoucan’tmeasureit,youcan’timproveit.

—PETERDRUCKERManagementconsultant,educator,andauthor

ememberwhen youwere a first-grader and your teacher gave

you stars for projects you didwell and for getting to class on

time?Doyou remember the report cardyoubroughthome to

showyourmomanddadhowfastyouwerelearning?Youevenbrought

yourbestprojectshometoputonthefridge.

Well, nothing’s really changed since we were young—we still love to

trackoursuccessandseeprogress—exceptnowwecantrackthingslike

positive behavior, financial gains, and goals achieved. Itmay not be as

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visuallyobviousasadrawingonyourfridge,butitstillletsyouknowhow

youstandinrelationtothepastandtoyourfuturegoals.Justlikewhen

you were six years old, you still have that natural enthusiasm to keep

trackof—andimprove—yourscore.

Make a point today to keep score on things that would advance your

personalandprofessionalgoalsthemost.Postyourscoreswhereyoucan

easilyseethemtokeepyouaccountableandmotivated.

IamconsistentlypostingmytargetgoalsandupdatedscoreswhereIcansee

them,whichmotivatesmetostayontrack.

s a young child, you probably kept score of things that were

valuable to you—the number of marbles you collected, the

lengthoftimeyoucouldholdyourbreathunderwater,andthe

numberofgoalsyouscoredinsoccer.Youkepttrackofthingsyouwere

goodat,thingsyouwereproudof,andthingsyouwantedtoachievemore

of.

It’s not much different in business or your profession. You want to

developbenchmarks—andexceed them—because theyrepresentaboost

in profits and market share or an improvement in your professional

capacity. Those benchmarks are called targets or critical drivers. To

createthosetargetsandtrackyourprogress,youwillneedachecklistof

goalsyouwanttoreach.

Forexample: Ifyou’re inwealthmanagement,acriticaldrivermaybe

thepercentageofprofits youmakeonassetsundermanagement.Fora

healthspa,itmightbethenumberofupsellsyoumakepercustomer.If

you’reahandyman,itmightbethenumberofrepeatcustomersyouhave.

Be100%sureofwhatyourcriticaldriversarebecausetheyarethekeysto

keepingyoucontinuallyinspired,motivated,andempoweredtomeetor

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beatyourtargets.

Iamenthusiasticallykeepingscoreofmyprogress,positivebehaviorchanges,

financialgains,andtheotherthingsIwantmoreof.

fcourse,scorekeepingisn’tjustforbusinessoryourcareer,it’s

foryourpersonallife,too.

Ifyou’vebeenworking60hoursaweek—thenweekends,too

—you might want to look at the impact of that on your family

relationships, your health, and your time available to live a balanced,

holisticlife.Canyoukeepscoreintheseareastoensureyouimprove?Of

courseyoucan.

VinodKhosla,foundingCEOofSunMicrosystemsandlegendarySilicon

Valleyinvestor,admittedthatwhenhiskidswereyounger,hekepttrack

ofhowmanytimeshegothomeintimetohavedinnerwiththem.Simply

sayingyouwanttospendmoretimewithyourfamilyisn’tenough—you

havetomaketheefforttoactuallydoit.Keepingscorewillkeepyouon

track.

Infact,ifyouwanttobeahighachieverandbesuccessfulineveryarea,

you need to determine your goals for your personal life, family time,

spiritual journey, health, andwellness—and giving back to community,

society, and humanity. Set the goals, create a plan for reaching them,

thenkeepscoreofyourprogressinalltheseotherareas.It’sthatcritical.

IamkeepingmylifeinbalancebykeepingscoreofthetimeIdevotetomywork,

family,health,recreation,community,andspiritualgoals.

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Week22

BePersistent

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IampracticingpersistenceinpursuingmygoalseverydaybecauseIunderstand

thatit’soneoftheprimaryqualitiesofsuccessfulpeople.

Iamachievingmygoalsbyfollowingmyheart,practicingmydailydisciplines,

andstayingfocusedonmyhopesanddreams.

Iamconfidentlyseekingalternativepathsofactionwhenneeded,knowingthat

obstaclesandroadblockstomygoalscaneasilybeovercome.

Historyhasdemonstratedthatthemostnotablewinnersusuallyencountered

heartbreakingobstaclesbeforetheytriumphed.Theywonecausetheyrefusedto

becomediscouragedbytheirdefeats.

—B.C.FORBESFounderofForbesmagazine

istory is overflowing with examples of the virtues of

persistence. The most notable winners throughout the ages

would have encountered untold challenges before their

victories,yettheyrefusedtobedefeated.

Take some motivation to always practice persistence from these

successfulpeople:

T

HenryFord’searlybusinessesfailedandlefthimbrokefivetimesbeforehefounded

FordMotorCompany.

WaltDisneywentbankruptafterfailingatseveralbusinesses.Hewasevenfiredfroma

newspaperforlackingimaginationandgoodideas.

LucilleBallwasregardedasafailedactressbeforeshewonfourEmmysandthe

KennedyCenterHonorsLifetimeAchievementAward.

Being persistent when you encounter obstacles and roadblocks is a

requirement for success, and an important source of growth and

prosperity.

IampracticingpersistenceinpursuingmygoalseverydaybecauseIunderstand

thatit’soneoftheprimaryqualitiesofsuccessfulpeople.

here’s a big difference between being persistent and just being

busy, and the sooner you realize it thebetter off you’ll be.You

havealreadycreatedaplan foreachofyourgoals thatoutlines

thestepsyouneed to take tobesuccessful.Sometimes,yourdedication

and persistence can get you so engrossed in day-to-day activities that

your overarching goal gets buriedbeneath all the smaller steps you are

taking. Don’t let busyness cloud your focus on the big picture—your

ultimategoal.

If you’re spending time filling the hours instead of fulfilling your

dreams,you’renotmaximizingyourpotential.Remember thatTheLaw

of Attraction rewards positive, productive energy with even more

positive,productiveenergy.Don’tputlimitsonyourpotentialtoreceive

abundance, health, opportunity, happiness, and contentment. You are

goingtoneedthosebenefits togetyouthroughanyroadblocksandany

unforeseenchallengesyoumayface.

Brian Adams, author of How to Succeed, wrote, “Difficulties are

opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater

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experience....Whenonedoorcloses,anotheralwaysopens;asanatural

lawithasto,tobalance.”

Iamachievingmygoalsbyfollowingmyheart,practicingmydailydisciplines,

andstayingfocusedonmyhopesanddreams.

onsidera fewmorepeople totallydedicated tosuccess through

persistence:

AdmiralRobertPeary:PearyattemptedtoreachtheNorthPoleseventimesbefore

hefinallymadeitonhiseighthattempt.

ThomasEdison:IttookEdison1,000attemptsbeforeinventingthelightbulb.

OscarHammerstein:ThisBroadwaygeniuswrotefiveshowsthatfloppedbefore

hittingpay-dirtwithOklahoma!,whichranfor269weeksandgrossed$7million.

If you are solution oriented in your thinking, you will overcome any

obstacleinyourpath.Here’satipthatwillhelpyou:Whenyouencounter

anobstacle, findat least three solutions toyourproblem, thenevaluate

themcarefullyonebyone.Chooseapaththatoffersthebestsolutionand

persist!

Iamconfidentlyseekingalternativepathsofactionwhenneeded,knowingthat

obstaclesandroadblockstomygoalscaneasilybeovercome.

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Week23

LearnTheRuleof5

AFFIRMATIONSfor


I’menthusiasticallyreviewingmybreakthroughgoaleverydayandcompleting

fivespecificactionsthatareswiftlymovingmetowardachievingthatgoal.

Iambeingpersistentandconsistent,practicingTheRuleof5everysingleday.

IambeingrewardedwithafeelingofaccomplishmentanddeterminationasI

workthroughmyfivedailycommitments.

Successisthesumofsmallefforts,repeateddayinanddayout.

—ROBERTCOLLIERBestsellingauthorandpublisherofTheSecretoftheAges

henMarkVictorHansenand Ipublished the firstChicken

SoupfortheSoulbook,weweresoeagerandcommittedto

makingitabestsellerthatweasked15bestsellingnonfiction

authorsfortheiradvice.Wevisitedwithabookpublishingandmarketing

guruwhogaveusevenmoregreat information.WereadJohnKremer’s

1001WaystoMarketYourBook.

Wealsosoughttheadviceofawonderfulteacher,RonScolastico,who

told us, “If you would go every day to a very large tree and take five

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swingsatitwithaverysharpax,eventually,nomatterhowlargethetree,

itwouldhave tocomedown.”Thatmadea lotof senseand it ledus to

developTheRuleof5.TheRuleof5simplymeansthateverydayyoudo

five specific things that will move you forward toward achieving your

goal. Ichallengeyoutodothesame—commit todoing five thingsevery

daythatwillbringyouclosertoachievingsuccess.

I’menthusiasticallyreviewingmybreakthroughgoaleverydayandcompleting

fivespecificactionsthatareswiftlymovingmetowardachievingthatgoal.

iththegoalofgettingChickenSoupfortheSoultothetopof

theNew York Times bestsellers list, we implemented The

Rule of 5 everyday, doing things such as giving five radio

interviewsorsendingoutfivebookstoreviewersoraskingfivenetwork

marketing companies to buy the book as a motivational tool for their

sales people or giving a seminar to at least five people and selling the

bookatthebackoftheroom.Onsomedays,wewouldsimplysendout

five free copies to people listed in the Celebrity Address Book—radio

deejays and talk show hosts, television andmovie stars, directors, and

producers.

Wemadephonecalls,wrotepressreleases,calledintotalkshows,gave

out free copies at our talks, did free talks at churches. We did book

signings at every bookstore that would have us, visited gift shops and

cardshops—weevengotgasstations,bakeries,andrestaurants tocarry

thebook.Itwasalotofeffort,butoncewechunkeddownourgoalsinto

smaller action steps and persisted every single day, it paid off

handsomely.

Youknowwhat?Aboutoneyearfromthedayitwaspublished,Chicken

Soup for the Soul finallymade it onto a bestseller list.One action at a

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time,onebookatatime,onereaderatatime,thesustainedeffortofThe

Ruleof5ledtosuccess!

Thinkyoucan’tdo it?Ofcourseyoucan—anyonecando five thingsa

dayifthey’refocusedonagoal!

Iambeingpersistentandconsistent,practicingTheRuleof5everysingleday.

ouhavetocreateyourownsuccessstoryusingTheRuleof5.No

oneelsecandetermineyourdreamsandgoalsbutyou—andyou

will never find fulfillment or contentment trying to pursue

someoneelse’sdreams.

Takealookatthelistofgoalsthatyoucreated.Whatfivethingscanyou

doeachandeverydaytomoveclosertoachievingthem?Ifyourgoalisto

getaraiseorapromotion,youcouldget inearly,dressthepart,gothe

extra mile to make your customers happy, exceed your boss’s

expectations,andsoforth.Ifyourgoalistogetoutoftheratraceandbuy

a cottage by the sea, you could reduce expenses and increase savings,

updateyourcurrenthomeinordertosellitatahigherprice,seekouta

realestateagentwhocanfindyougreatpropertydeals,andcreateways

toincreaseyourcurrentincome.

So, what are your goals—especially your breakthrough goal? Add The

Ruleof5toyourdailyroutineandIpromiseyouwillgettherefaster!

IambeingrewardedwithafeelingofaccomplishmentanddeterminationasI

workthroughmyfivedailycommitments.

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Week24

ExceedExpectationsinEverythingYouDo

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamstandingabovethecrowdbyexceedingexpectationsandoverdeliveringon

mypromises.

Iamenjoyingthepersonalsatisfactionandthefinancialrewardsfromchoosingto

gotheextramile.

Iamputtinginalittleextraeffortandprovidingalittlemoreservice,whichmakes

otherpeoplehappyandmemoresuccessful.

It’snevercrowdedalongtheextramile.

—WAYNEDYERCoauthorofHowtoGetWhatYouReally,Really,Really,ReallyWant

owmanytimeshaveyouheardsomeonesay,“That’snotinmy

job description,” or “That’s not what I’m paid to do”? How

many people do you know who watch the clock and at five

minutestofiveo’clock,theircomputerisoffandtheirkeysareinhand?

Highachieversknowthatexceedingexpectationsmakesthemstandout

from the crowd. They can be counted on when it’s crunch time, when

someoneisshort-handed,orwhenthere’saspecialprojectthatrequires

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above-averageattention.They’reknownassomeonewhoisreliable,who

willget the jobdonewell, andwhomeetsadeadline.Successfulpeople

simply do more—they exceed expectations. And the payoff is so

worthwhile—theywilleventuallyexperiencefargreaterfinancialrewards

and immediately begin to experience a personal transformation that

manifestsasincreasedself-confidenceandgreaterinfluence.Evenbetter

—theydevelopadeepfeelingofsatisfactionandfulfillmentattheendof

theday!

Iamstandingabovethecrowdbyexceedingexpectationsandoverdeliveringon

mypromises.

oucanchoosetobeaphenomenalsuccessandexcelatwhatyou

do because exceeding expectations and going the extramile is

actuallyachoice.

There’sacommonmind-settodaythatdoingmorethanyouarepaidto

doisn’tgoodfortherestoftheteam—maybemanagementwillbeginto

takeit forgranted,ormaybewhenonepersonstepsupitwillmakethe

otherslookbadbycomparison.Oneoftheprimaryproblemstodayfacing

office culture (andother cultures, too) is that people just don’twant to

workharder—it’sallaboutthem.Theybelievethatworkingalittlelonger

is unfair, that putting limits on expense accounts means they are not

trusted,andthathavingadresscodeisaninfringementontheirpersonal

styleandcreativity.Butthatkindofself-centeredindividualisticthinking

oftencreatesabacklash.Theyarenota firstchoice forpromotion, they

haven’t proved that they havemuch loyalty or integrity, nor have they

developedmuch influence,whichexcludes themfromkeyplanningand

brainstorming sessions. That “me only” thinking isn’t getting them any

browniepointsorwinningthemanyawards,either.

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Oneofyourgreatestassetsisyourreputation,andgoingtheextramile

won’t go unnoticed—by your current employer or by others who will

providenewopportunitiesforyoutogrow.

Iamenjoyingthepersonalsatisfactionandthefinancialrewardsfromchoosingto

gotheextramile.

hen you exceed expectations, you will experience great

personal and professional payoffs, but so will your

community,company,colleagues,orfamily—everyonewins

andeveryonemovesforwardtogether.

Wherecouldyouexceedexpectationsandgo theextramileoutsideof

the workplace or your business? In today’s world, it often seems that

peoplearejusttoobusytohelpaneighborwithsmallrepairsorpickup

anemptysodabottleattheparkorholdthedoorforanelderlyperson.

Longgone,too,arethedayswhenpeoplegaveuptheirseatforamother

and baby or helped someone with a cane to cross the street. These

random acts of kindness come from the heart and from your sense of

selflessness and generosity. They, too, are examples of going the extra

mile inways that brighten someone else’s day—and it doesn’t cost you

anythingtodoso.

Plus,yougetrewarded,too,sinceaNationalInstitutesofHealthstudy

showed that giving of yourself activates regions of the brain associated

with pleasure, social connection, and trust—creating a “warm glow”

effect.Scientistsalsobelievethataltruisticbehaviorreleasesendorphins

inthebrain,producingthepositivefeelingknownasthe“helper’shigh.”1

Whatcanyoudotogotheextramileforothers?Surprisethemandgive

morethantheyexpect!

Iamputtinginalittleextraeffortandprovidingalittlemoreservice,whichmakes



1AsreportedinGreaterGoodMagazine,publishedbytheUniversityofCaliforniaBerkeley.

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Week25

SurroundYourselfwithSuccessfulPeople

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamjoyfullysurroundingmyselfwithpositivepeoplewhohaveasolution-

orientedapproachtolife.

Becausewebecomelikethepeoplewespendthemosttimewith,Iamspendingmy

timewithpeoplewholiftothersupratherthanputthemdown.

Iamfeelingenergizedbeingsurroundedbypeoplewhoarehappyandcommitted

tolifelonglearning.

Youaretheaverageofthefivepeopleyouspendthemosttimewith.

—JIMROHNBusinessphilosopherandbestsellingauthor

hen I was a first-year history teacher in a Chicago high

school, I dubbed the teacher’s lounge the “Ain’t It Awful

Club.” Clouds of cigarette smoke and emotional negativity

hungconstantlyintheair.Itdidn’ttakelongbeforeIwassickandtired

ofhearingthingslike,“Thereisnowayyoucanteachthesekids;theyare

totally out of control.” A constant stream of negative judgments,

criticisms, blaming, and complaining flowed unabated throughout the

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lounge.

ButbydroppingoutoftheAin’tItAwfulClub—byneverhangingoutin

theteacher’slounge—here’showthatfirstyearturnedout:Iwasselected

bythestudentsasTeacheroftheYear,anditwasonlymyfirstyearof

teaching!Ihadinsteadjoinedagroupofdedicatedteachersintheschool

librarywho actually believed they could overcome any obstacle in their

path. I wanted to be successful, and I wanted my students to be

successful, so I chose to become a conduit for positivity and

encouragement.Youcanmakethatchoice,too.

Iamjoyfullysurroundingmyselfwithpositivepeoplewhohaveasolution-

orientedapproachtolife.

arents are forever telling their children not to associate with

certain kids because they know we become like the people we

hang outwith. If youwant to be successful, follow the average

parent’sadviceandstarthangingoutwithsuccessfulpeople.

TheotherdayIranintoafriendwhostartedtotellmehowdifficultitis

forhertomeetsuccessful,unmarriedmen.WhenIaskedherwhereshe’d

beenlooking,sherattledoffalistoflocalbarsandnightclubs.Isuggested

shechangeherapproachandstartlookingwherequalitysingleguysare

morelikelytohangout.

Soitiswithfriendsandanyoneelseyouassociatewith.

Getactiveinyourindustryassociations,attendprofessionalconferences

and lectures, sign up for a retreat, get active in your Chamber of

Commerce or with other civic groups like Toastmasters, Optimists

International, and the Rotary Club. Volunteer to serve at your church,

temple,ormosquewithotherleaders.Getontheboardofalocalcharity

you care about. When you fly, upgrade to first-class or business-class

M

wheneveryoucan,anduseairlinepremierclubswhenyouhavealayover

attheairport.Therearelotsofplaceswhereyou’llfindhighachievers.Go

towheretheyareandmakesomeconnections.

Becausewebecomelikethepeoplewespendthemosttimewith,Iamspendingmy

timewithpeoplewholiftothersupratherthanputthemdown.

ymentorW. Clement Stone taughtme a valuable exercise

thatI’dlikeyoutodotoday:

Makealistofallthepeopleyouspendtimewithregularly,

likeyourfamilymembers,colleagues,gympartners,orthepeopleinyour

churchorcivicgroups.Then,putaminussign(–)nexttothepeoplewho

are negative and toxic, and put a plus sign (+) next to those who are

positiveandnurturing.

Doyouseeapatternemerging?Isyourfamilyorworkplacefulloftoxic

people?Areyourfriendsencouragingyouoraretheytriggeringalackof

self-esteem and undermining your self-confidence? Make an honest

decisionabouteachpersononyourlistbasedsolelyontheirnegativeor

positiveimpactonyourlife.

Nowcomesthehardpart.Seeallthosepeopleinthenegativecolumn?

Findawaytoremoveyourself fromtheirsphereof influenceorat least

reducetheamountoftimeyouspendaroundthem.Trytoreplacethem

withpeoplewhowouldfitintothepositivecolumn—orspendmoretime

withthepositivepeoplealreadyinyourlife.Untilyoureachthepointin

your self-development where you no longer allow people to affect you

withtheirnegativity,you’rebetteroffspendingtimealone,doingthings

likevisualizingyourdreams!

Iamfeelingenergizedbeingsurroundedbypeoplewhoarehappyandcommitted

tolifelonglearning.

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Week26

AcknowledgeYourPositivePast

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamhappilycelebratingbothmybigsuccessesandmysmallsuccesses.

IamrewardingmyselfwheneverIachieveagoal—encouragingmysubconscious

mindtocreateandattractevenmoresuccessinmylife.

Iamfeelingagreatsenseofaccomplishment,completion,andfulfillmentwith

everygoalIachieve.

Ilookbackonmylifelikeagoodday’swork;itisdoneandIamsatisfiedwithit.

—GRANDMAMOSESOneofAmerica’smostfamousfolkartists,

whoonlybeganpaintinginearnestatage78

oday,we’re going to learn to change thewaywe view our past

failures—anddiscoverthetruevalueofourpastsuccesses.

Afewchaptersbackwetalkedabouthowthebrainiswiredto

remember past events that were accompanied by strong emotions and

sensory stimuli (smell, sound, taste, sight, touch). Most of us

underestimatethenumberofsuccesseswe’vehadbecause,overtime,our

brainshavebeenconditionedtorememberourfailures.

A

Mostpeoplecanmoreeasilyname10failuresthey’veexperiencedover

thepastweekthan10successesthey’veachieved.Oneofthereasonsfor

thisphenomenonisthatourstandardforlabelingsomethingafailureis

solowcomparedtothebarweholdoverourheadswhendetermininga

success.Withaffirmationsthathelpyoucelebrateeven“small”successes,

you’ll be retraining your brain to remember the times you were

competent,skillful,insightful,hard-working,andsuccessful.

Iamhappilycelebratingbothmybigsuccessesandmysmallsuccesses.

cknowledging your positive past is important because of the

effect it has on your self-esteem. Let’s say that you and I are

playingpoker—youhave10chips,andIhave200.Loseoneor

twobetsandyou’reout,whileIwouldbeabletocontinueplayingfullout

—40timeslonger,infact!

Self-esteemislikethat—themoreyouhave,themorerisksyoucantake

andthelongeryoucanstayinthegame.

If your self-esteem is high, you can actually fail at something and it

won’tdestroyyou.Youwouldsimplydustyourselfoff, andsay,Next!—

immediatelymoving forwardwith adifferent approachoronto another

opportunityaltogether.

Tohelpyourbrain focuson those timesyou’vebeensuccessful,here’s

anexerciseIfrequentlyteach:

Divideyourlifeintothreetimeperiods(suchas0–15,16–30,and31–45

years old, and so on.) Then list three successes for each time period.

Betteryet,makea listof 100ormore successesyou’veachievedduring

yourlifetime.Posttheselistswhereyoucanreadthemanytimeyourself-

esteemstartstoslipalittle.

IamrewardingmyselfwheneverIachieveagoal—encouragingmysubconscious

LIamrewardingmyselfwheneverIachieveagoal—encouragingmysubconscious

mindtocreateandattractevenmoresuccessinmylife.

et’s lookatsomeotherways toacknowledgeyourpositivepast.

Eachoneisuniquelyeffective,soIencourageyoutogiveeachof

themachancetoworkinyourlife.

Createavictorylog:Keeparunningrecordofyourdailysuccesses.Attheendofthe

dayyouwillbesurprisedatthenumberofentriesyouhave.Attheendoftheweekyou

willbestunned.Bytheendofthemonthyouwillbeecstatic!

Displayyoursuccesssymbols:Whetherit’satrophyfromLittleLeague,anaward

fromToastmasters,oraframedcopyofyourfirstindustryrecognition,keepsymbolsof

successwhereyoucanseethem.

Do“TheMirrorExercise”:Uncomfortable,yes,butitwillhelpyougiveyourselfthe

acknowledgmentyoudeserve—fromyourself.Standinfrontofamirror,lookyourselfin

theeye,addressyourselfbyname,andappreciateyourselfoutloudforallthethings

you’veaccomplishedthatday:professionalachievements,resolutionsyoukept,and

temptationsyouavoided.Doiteverynightbeforeyougotobedforatleast40days.

Iamfeelingagreatsenseofaccomplishment,completion,andfulfillmentwith

everygoalIachieve.

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Week27

KeepYourEyeonthePrize

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamkeepingmythoughtsfocusedonthestepsrequiredtoreachmygoals.

Iamgivingmyfullattentiontothiscurrentmomentinmylife.

AsIsitandquietlycontemplatemyday,Iambringingmorefocusandawareness

tomymindwitheverybreathItake.

Naturalabilityisimportant,butyoucangofarwithoutitifyouhavethefocus,

drive,desire,andpositiveattitude.

—KIRSTENSWEETLANDCanadianTriathloncompetitoratthe2016OlympicGamesinRiodeJaneiro

ave you ever noticed that successful people just seem to be

more positive? They’re focused on their goals, they’re

possibility thinkers, and they expectpositiveoutcomeswhen

theytakeaction.

You,too,cankeepyoureyeontheprize.

Thefirststepistodetermineyourmostimportantgoals—thosethatwill

amplifyyourlifeandchangewhoyouareasaperson,aswellasgoalsthat

will involveyou in excitingnewprojects andpersonal connections.The

I

second step is to break those goals down into “baby steps”—individual

tasksthatwillslowlyandsteadilygetyoutoyourgoal.Onceyouknowthe

steps,youcaneliminatedistractionstofocussolelyonthosesteps.

If your goal, for instance, is to start your own small business, your

checklist of steps might include researching your industry, creating a

budget,acquiringfinancing,buildingyourpersonalsavings,researching

vendorstosupplyproducts,andfindingsubcontractorswhocanhelpyou

deliver services and market the business. Whatever your goal, list the

stepsyou’dneedtotake—ingreatdetail—soyouknowwhat to focuson

eachday.

Iamkeepingmythoughtsfocusedonthestepsrequiredtoreachmygoals.

like3x5note cards. In fact, I carrya stackof them inmypocket and

write down ideas that come tome about ways I can achievemy goals.

Theyhelpmestayfocused.

You,too,cancreatethehabitofstayingfocusedontheendgamewitha

listofdailytasksormilestonestoaccomplish.TimFerriss,authorofThe

Four-HourWorkweekandnumerousotherblockbusterbestsellers,calls

these tasks “MITs”—most important tasks. And whether you use your

smartphoneordayplanneroranapponyourdesktopcomputer,realize

that thiskindof intense focusandconstant reminderofyourgoalswill

helpyoustayfocusedonachievingthem.Mostsuccessfulpeoplewouldn’t

bewithouttheirto-dolistinsomeform.Youshouldn’teither.

Onceyouhaveaworking to-do list,nomatterhow longorhowmany

days it will take to accomplish it, you can add other daily habits that

support completion of your tasks. What are some strategies that

successfulpeopleuse?

Answeryouremailafter12noon,onceyou’veaccomplishedtheimportanttasksofthe

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day.

Dothemostdifficulttaskfirstthinginthemorning.

Getcomfortablewithhavingdifficultconversationssoyouwon’tputthemoff.

Scheduleappointmentslaterintheweekafteryou’veaccomplishedyourmostimportant

tasks.

Iamgivingmyfullattentiontothiscurrentmomentinmylife.

hatever you experience during the last 45minutes of your

dayhasthegreatesteffectonyoursleep.If it’stheevening

news, that’s whatwill be etched onto your subconscious—

war,crime,naturaldisasters,andgovernmentscandals.Instead,whynot

take that time to put thoughts into your subconscious that will help

propel you forward toward your goals? A powerful exercise called the

EveningReviewwillhelpyouinitiatenew,positivebehaviors.

Sit with your eyes closed, breathe deeply, and give yourself

oneofthefollowingdirectives:

ShowmewhereIcouldhavebeenmoreeffectivetoday.

ShowmewhereIcouldhavebeenmorelovingtoday.

ShowmewhereIcouldhavebeenmoreassertivetoday.

ShowmewhereIcouldhavebeenmorepatientorhelpfultoday.

As events come to mind, observe them but don’t be judgmental or

critical.Replaythemthewayyouwishyouwouldhavedonethemifyou

hadbeenmoreawareorintentional.

AsIsitandquietlycontemplatemyday,Iambringingmorefocusandawareness

tomymindwitheverybreathItake.

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Week28

CleanUpYourMessesandYourIncompletes

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamfindingwaystocleanupmymessesandincompletessothatIhavemoretime

tofocus

onmygoals.

IamjoyfullyattractingmoreabundanceandnewrelationshipsintomylifeasI

complete,dump,ordelegatepaperworkandclutter.

Iamcontinuallyclearingoutoldthingsinmylifetomakespaceforthenewthings

thatIwant.

Clutteredclosetsmeanaclutteredmind.

—LOUISEHAYAmericanmotivationalauthorandfounderofHayHousePublishing

ourmemorybankismadeupofwhatIcall“attentionunits.”You

canonlypayattentiontoalimitednumberofthingsatonce,and

every item on your to-do list—whether work-related or home

projects or personal and family issues—takes up a certain number of

attention units. Incompletes and messes like unfinished paperwork,

contracts that need completing, clutter, unresolved relationship issues,

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andongoinghomerenovationsconsumepreciousattentionunitsthatyou

needinordertoachieveyourgoals.Wecan’tembraceourexcitingfuture

if there are things left unfinished that nag us, annoy us, and take our

focusaway.

So why do we accept incompletions and messy environments?

Sometimes the reason is emotional or psychological. We might be

indecisiveonhowtoproceed.Sometimeswejustplainprocrastinate.But

20thingscompletedisbetterthan50thingshalf-completed,sowiththis

week’saffirmations,we’regoingtoworkondevelopingyour“completion

consciousness.”

IamfindingwaystocleanupmymessesandincompletessothatIhavemoretime

tofocusonmygoals.

here’s a simple rule about completion thatwill help you finish

what you start, it’s called “The Four D’s of Completion.” They

are:DoIt,DelegateIt,DelayIt,orDumpIt.

Assoonasyoupickupapieceofpaper,makeadecisionaboutit.Ifyou

canhandleitquickly,doitrightaway.Ifit’ssomethingsomeoneelsecan

doforyou,delegateitrightaway.Youmayhavetodelayitifitrequires

scheduling and planning. Or, if it’s something you probably will never

actuallygetaroundtodoing,regardlessofyourgoodintentions,dumpit

rightaway.Thegoalistogetitoffyourdeskassoonasyoucan.

The samegoes for yourhome.Worn-out clothes,old toys,paperwork,

overstuffed bookshelves and cluttered coffee tables, counter tops, and

garages alsouseup valuable attentionunits.And if you’re oneof those

people who support the mini-storage industry, more than likely your

storage unit is filled with things you don’t really need and can barely

rememberyouown.

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If youwantnew things to come into your life, you’re going tohave to

makeroomforthem.Evaluateandconfrontthepsychologicalorphysical

reasonsyouhaven’t let theseold,unwanted thingsgo. Incompletes like

clutterkeepabundanceatadistance—addressthem,letgoofthem,and

makeroomforyourpresentandfabulousfuture.

IamjoyfullyattractingmoreabundanceandnewrelationshipsintomylifeasI

complete,dump,ordelegatepaperworkandclutter.

owmuchdoyouneedtodo,delegate,delay,ordumpinorder

to complete the past and make room for new activity and

excitementinyourlife?Makealist—usethechecklistbelowto

inspireyourthinking—thenwritedownhowyouplantoaccomplisheach

one. Do the ones that will immediately free up the most mental or

physicalspacefirst.

Businessactivitiesthatneedcompletion

Unpaiddebtsorfinancialcommitments

Closetsstuffedwithclothesthatdon’tfit

Disorganizedtaxrecords

Junkdrawers”fullofuselessitems

Deskthat’sclutteredordisorganized

Familypicturesthatneedanalbum

Onemorething—youknowthoselittlethingsaroundthehousethatare

daily irritants? A screen door that needs repair, a tub that needs

recaulking . . .makeaplan to fix them.You couldhire ahandymanor

professional organizer to help you fix things or declutter. If you can’t

affordit,askafriend,neighbor,orafamilymembertohelp,andfreeup

somespaceformoreimportantthings—likeyourfuture!

Iamcontinuallyclearingoutoldthingsinmylifetomakespaceforthenewthings

thatIwant.

thatIwant.

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Week29

CompletethePastSoYouCanEmbracetheFuture

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamreleasingthepastandbecominglighterandhappierasIembracemyexciting

future.

Iamforgivingandlettinggoofpasthurts,andre-directingmyenergytoward

positive,goal-orientedactivities.

IamcreatingthefutureIreallywant,freeofpasthurts,withmyfullattentionon

thepresent.

Noneofuscanchangeouryesterdaysbutallofuscanchangeourtomorrows.

—GENERALCOLINPOWELLFormerSecretaryofState

hen someone has hurt you deeply—or even harmed you

physicallyoremotionally—it’shardtoletgoofthepastand

moveforwardtolivingasuccessfullife.

The Total Truth Process is a tool that will enable you to release any

negativeemotionsfromyourpast.Byexpressingallofyourtruefeelings

tothepersonwhohurtyou,youcanmovepastthehurtandreclaimthe

naturallyoptimisticpersonyouaremeanttobe.

Whenyouspeaktotheperson(youcanalsowriteaTotalTruthLetterto

sendthem,sharewiththem,orforyourselfalone),besuretoaddressthe

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negativeemotionsyou’recarryingbycompletingthesephrases:

Angerandresentment:I’mangrythatorIresentthat...

Hurt:Ifeelsadwhen...orIthurtsmewhen...

Fear:Iwasafraidthat...orIfeelscaredwhen...

Regretandremorse:I’msorrythat...

Wants:AllIeverwanted...orIdeserve...

Love,compassion,forgiveness:Iforgiveyoufor...

IamreleasingthepastandbecominglighterandhappierasIembracemyexciting

future.

e’ve talked before about the importance of positive energy

and the reciprocalenergy that flowsback toyouwhenyou

stayupbeat.Butbeingunforgiving,angry,ornegativeabout

apasthurtfollowsthesameLawofAttraction—you’llonlyattractmoreof

thesameintoyourlife.

Award-winning author Isabelle Holland said, “As long as you don’t

forgive,whoandwhateveritiswilloccupyrent-freespaceinyourhead.”

Whenyoudo forgive, itallowsyou to live in thepresentwhereyoucan

takeactionand create a successful future for yourself, your family, and

yourcompany.Here’show:

1)Acknowledgeyourangerandresentment.

2)Acknowledgethehurtandpainitcreated.

3)Acknowledgethefearsandself-doubtsitcreated.

4)Acknowledgeanypartyoumayhavehadinlettingthebehaviororeventoccurorcontinue.

5)Acknowledgewhatyouwantedanddidn’tget,thenattempttounderstandwheretheother

personwascomingfromatthetimeandtheneedshewastryingtomeetbyhisbehavior.

6)Letgoandforgivetheperson.

Iamforgivingandlettinggoofpasthurts,andre-directingmyenergytoward

positive,goal-orientedactivities.

O ver the years, I have sought—and found—thousands upon

thousandsofinspirationalstoriesfortheChickenSoupforthe

Soulbooks,andIlearnedthathumanbeingshavethepotential

toforgiveanythingoranyone,nomatterhowbrutalortragic.

About 10yearsago, I learneda techniquecalled tapping therapy that

proved tobeabreakthrough formanypeople forwhomgettingbeyond

their“past”wasexceptionallydifficultandpainful. “Tapping” isadrug-

free andnon-invasiveway to reduceor eliminatepost-traumatic stress.

Thetechniqueissopowerfulthatithasbeenusedwithgenocidevictims

inRwandaandBosnia, by a trainerof theBritishSpecialForces in the

Congo,andwith returningU.S. soldierswithPTSD.Tapping stimulates

the body’s own ability to release stored pain of any kind—including

emotional pain which the body also stores. The results are absolutely

miraculous!

InmybookTapping intoUltimateSuccess 1youcan learnhowtouse

tapping to free yourself fromstress, emotionalhurts andanxieties and,

ultimately,helpyousucceed.

IamcreatingthefutureIreallywant,freeofpasthurts,withmyfullattentionon

thepresent.

1TappingintoUltimateSuccess:HowtoOvercomeAnyObstacleandSkyrocketYourResultsbyJackCanfieldwithPamelaBruner(HayHouse,2012).

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Week30

IfIt’sNotWorking,FaceIt

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamacknowledgingwhensomethingisn’tworkingforme,andtakingactiontofix

it,nomatterhowuncomfortableorchallengingitmightbe.

IamrecognizingsituationsthatIamafraidtodealwith,boldlyfacingmyfears

anddealingwiththemanyway.

Whensomethinggoeswrong,Iamcommittedtofindingoutthereasonwhyand

takingpromptstepstofixit.

Ourlivesimproveonlywhenwetakechances—andthefirstandmostdifficultrisk

wecantakeistobehonestwithourselves.

—WALTERANDERSONAuthorofTheConfidenceCourse,formereditorof

Parademagazineandalifelongliteracyadvocatehenthingsaren’tgoingyourway,it’softendifficulttofacethem—particularlyifyou’vedevelopedyourothersuccessskillsandareaccustomedtobelievingit’spossible,goingtheextramile,andbeing

persistent.Butsometimes,thingsarejustatrainwreck.Sometimes,there’sjustnofixingthem—otherthantowrapupyourinvolvement,getthemtoastablepoint,andmoveon.Atothertimes,facingwhat’snotworkingactuallybringsaboutnewsolutionsorevenbetteroutcomesthanyou

wereworkingtoward.Butyouhavetorecognizethesesituationsinthefirstplace.Andthatcanbeverydifficult.

Back inWeek1:Take100%Responsibility forYourFuture,we talked

about internal and external alerts—those gut feelings you have or the

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suspiciouschargesonyourhouseholdcheckingaccount.Thesepatterns

andsignalshintthatsomethingisn’tright.

Don’t ignore these alerts—things will only get worse. If you are

committedtolivingatrulysuccessfullife,you’llfacefactsandbetotally

honestwithyourself.

Iamacknowledgingwhensomethingisn’tworkingforme,andtakingactiontofix

it,nomatterhowuncomfortableorchallengingitmightbe.

dmittingthatsomethingisn’tworkingusuallyrequiresthatyou

also do something about it, and often that “something” is

uncomfortable: exercising more self-discipline, verbally

confronting someone, quitting your job, or grounding your teenager.

Often, because facing these situations is so unpleasant, sometimes we

defendtoleratingtheminsteadofadmittingthattheydon’twork.

Howdoesdenialactuallyrepresentitself?Throughmythsthatwehide

behindandplatitudes that sound reasonable.Phrases suchas theseare

telltalesigns:

“She’s18.Wecan’tcontrolherforever.”

“I’mnotcomplaining,I’mjustventing.”

“CanyouaskJonathan?That’snotundermydepartment.”

“Boyswillbeboys.”

“Someonesmarterthanmeissupposedtopreventthat.”

“She’sjustdrowninghersorrows.”

“Mom’sneighborscheckonher.”

“Iknow,buthe’sprettystressedoutatworkrightnow.”

Thetruth is, ifwecouldgetpast thedenialandjust facethefacts, the

situationwould be less painful to resolve, our integritywould increase,

andwe’dfeelbetteraboutourselves.Butfirstwehavetogetpastdenial.

IamrecognizingsituationsthatIamafraidtodealwith,boldlyfacingmyfears

EIamrecognizingsituationsthatIamafraidtodealwith,boldlyfacingmyfears

anddealingwiththemanyway.

liminating denial requires that you learn to recognize bad

situationsandreactrightaway.It’salwayssurprisinghowmany

peoplefindrecognitionanddecisiondifficult.Youdon’twantto

admit that your marriage is failing because you’d have to face the

emotional stressofadivorce—especially if youhavechildren.But,once

you face facts, the ultimate solution might actually be marriage

counseling or a commitment to setting new goals and boundaries

together.Isn’titbettertoknowinsteadoflivinginfear?

Themoreyoucommittofacinguncomfortablesituations,thebetteryou

willgetat it.Andthesooneryoureact, theeasier it is tocleanupthese

situations.Taketimenowtomakealistofwhatisn’tworkinginyourlife

—focusing specifically on the seven major areas where you set goals:

financial, career or business, fun and recreation, health, relationships,

personal growth, andmaking a difference. Choose one item at a time,

decidewhatneedstobedonetofixit,thenmakeaplananddoit.Work

downyour listuntilyouget themallresolved—youwill feelanamazing

senseoffreedomasyoudo.

Whensomethinggoeswrong,Iamcommittedtofindingoutthereasonwhyand

takingpromptstepstofixit.

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Week31

TransformYourInnerCriticintoanInnerCoach

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamonlyallowingthoughtsthatservemeincreatinggreatersuccessand

happinessinmylife.

Iamjoyfullylookingforthegoodinmyselfandothers,whichmakesmefeelmore

appreciativeandoptimistic.

Iamtrainingmyinnercritictoactasasupportiveinnercoachbyfillingmy

thoughtsandself-talkwithencouragementandconfidence.

Amanisliterallywhathethinks.

—JAMESALLENAuthorofAsaManThinketh

esearchindicatesthatyoutalktoyourselfabout50,000timesa

day. That’s a lot of chatter going on in your head! But that

researchalsoindicatesthatabout80%oftheseinternallectures

arenegative:I’malways late . . .Ohgreat,anotherbadhairday . . . I

shouldn’thavesaidthat...I’llneverlosethisweight.Learningtoquiet

your inner critic and replace that negative internal dialogwith positive

self-talkwillhelpyoustayinabetter,moresuccessfulframeofmind.

After all, we know that our thoughts have a powerful effect on our

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attitude, motivation, physiology, and even our biochemistry. Since our

thoughts actually control our behavior, negative thoughts canmake us

anxious,scared,sweat,spillthings,forgetourlines,andmore.Consider

polygraphtests—yourbodyreactstoyourthoughts,whichareresponding

tothequestionsbeingasked.Yourhandsgetcolder,yourbloodpressure

rises, and other physiological responses occur. Similarly, your body

responds to positive stimuli, too—you feel relaxed, centered, and

cheerful.Reinforce that responseexperience throughpositiveself-talk—

you have thousands of opportunities every day to practice until it

becomesahabit!

Iamonlyallowingthoughtsthatservemeincreatinggreatersuccessand

happinessinmylife.

ouareinchargeofyourownthoughtsandself-talk,andyoucan

choose what to believe. Be aware of these types of negative

thinkingsoyoucanavoidthem:

Always-or-Never.Ifyouthinkthatsomethingwillalwayshappenoryou’llneverget

whatyouwant,that’sself-sabotage.Stopusingwordslikealways,neverandeverytime.

FocusingontheNegative.Choosetofocusonthepositive.

You’llbecomemoreappreciativeandoptimistic,whichwillattractmoregoodtoyou.

CatastrophicPredicting.Doyoucreatetheworstpossiblescenarioinyourmind,

whichyouacceptasacertainty?

MindReading.Unlessyou’reapsychic,youcan’treadanyoneelse’smind.Youdon’t

knowwhatanotherpersonisthinkingunlessheorshetellsyou.Don’tdoit.

Guilt-Tripping.Wordssuchasshould,must,oughtto,andhavetowillleadtoguilt,

whichisneverproductive.Guiltisanemotionalbarriertosuccess.

Labeling.Bylabelingyourselforsomeoneelsewithaderogatorytermlikejerk,idiot,

orarrogant,youcan’tseetheuniquenessofthepersonorsituation.

Personalizing.Thingshappeneverydaythataren’tdirectedatyoupersonally,sodon’t

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assignapersonalmeaningtoaneutralevent.Therearehundredsofexplanationsfor

otherpeople’sactionsotherthanwhatyournegativethoughtsconjureup.

Iamjoyfullylookingforthegoodinmyselfandothers,whichmakesmefeelmore

appreciativeandoptimistic.

hat if you could transform your inner critic into an inner

coach who supports and encourages you and gives you

confidence? With a little awareness, attention, and focus,

youcandoit.

Even though it chastisesand judgesyou,your innercriticactuallyhas

yourbestinterestsinmind—itwantsyoutobenefitfrombetterbehavior

—onlyyouhave to train it tostart tellingyou thewhole truth.Let’s say

youneed to lose20poundsandyouhaven’tbeen to thegyminseveral

months.Yourinnercriticmaybeangryatyoufornottakingbettercareof

yourself,anditmayevencallyoualazyslobfornothavingenoughself-

discipline.But itsunderlyingemotionisactually,I loveyouandIwant

youtobehealthysoyouarearoundforalongtime;Iwantyoutolook

good,havelotsofenergy,andbehappy.

Soundslikeacompletelydifferentmessage,doesn’tit?

Redirectingthejudgmentalvoiceofyourinnercritictothesupportive,

corrective voice of your inner coach takes awareness and persistence.

Once you start the process and have some experience making the

transition,theconversationwillswitchtoanon-emotionaldiscussionof

opportunitiesforimprovement,insteadofcriticism.It’slikehavingalife

coachinyourhead—forfree!

Iamtrainingmyinnercritictoactasasupportiveinnercoachbyfillingmy

thoughtsandself-talkwithencouragementandconfidence.

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Week32

DevelopNewSuccessHabits

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamdevelopingnewhabitsoffocusedactionandpersonaldisciplineand

maintaininghighlevelsofenergythatcontributesignificantlytomysuccess.

Iamconsciouslyeliminatinghabitsthatinhibitmygrowthandlimitmysuccess.

Iamsystematicallyaddingonenewbeneficialhabitatatimethatwill

dramaticallyimprovemylife.

Theindividualwhowantstoreachthetopinbusinessmustappreciatethemight

andforceofhabit.Hemustbequicktobreakthosehabitsthatcanbreakhim—and

hastentoadoptthosepracticesthatwillbecomethehabitsthathelphimachieve

thesuccesshedesires.

—J.PAULGETTYFounderofGettyOilCompanyandphilanthropist

neoftheproblemsofpeoplewithbadhabitsisthattheresults

oftheirpoorhabitsoftenaren’tconspicuousuntilmuchlaterin

life.Butwhenyouhave chronicbadhabits, like it ornot, life

willeventuallydeliver theconsequences.Negativehabitsbreednegative

consequences;positivehabitsbreedpositiveconsequences.

Successful people don’t just drift to the top—they apply focused

attention,self-discipline,andenergytogetthere.Sincehabitsdetermine

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our outcomes, successful people have to be hyper-aware of their habits

andbehaviors.

Startyourhabit-drivenpath tosuccessbyaddingonenewhabitevery

quarter;researchshowsthatifyourepeatanewbehaviorfor13weeks,it

willbeyoursforlife.Todayisthedaytostart.

Iamdevelopingnewhabitsoffocusedactionandpersonaldisciplineand

maintaininghighlevelsofenergythatcontributesignificantlytomysuccess.

obertJ.Ringer,authorofMillionDollarHabits,said,“Success

isamatterofunderstandingandreligiouslypracticingspecific,

simple habits that always lead to success.” According to

psychologists,upto90%ofourbehaviorishabitual.Thinkaboutthat—

fromwakingupinthemorning,toeatingbreakfast,todrivingtowork,to

going shopping, to cooking or eating out, to how you spend your

weekends, toall the little rituals youhavebeforegoing to sleep.Habits

arewhatkeepyougoing—theyallowyoutodomorethanonethingata

timeandtheykeepyourlifeinorder.But,somehabitsdon’tbenefityou

atallandyoumaynotevenbeawareof them—if they’redetrimental to

yoursuccess,it’stimetotakeaninventoryandreplacethemwithbetter

habitsthatmoveyouforward.

Weallhavegoodhabitsandbadhabits—buteverysingleoneofthemis

responsibleforwhereandwhoyouaretoday.Everyhabitproducessome

form of result. Because of that, it’s imperative that you become more

awareofyourhabits—especiallythenegativeonesthatcanholdyouback

fromsuccess.

Iamconsciouslyeliminatinghabitsthatinhibitmygrowthandlimitmysuccess.

T here are two steps to implementing new, beneficial habits that

willtakeyouinaforwarddirection.StepOneistomakealistof

allyourbadhabitsthatcontributenothingbeneficialtoyourlife

—and thatnegatively impact your current situationandyour future.Be

objective about your limiting habits—review the list below for common

pitfalls:

Procrastinatingorputtingoffdifficultconversations

Takingcallsduringmeetingsordinner

Workingduringvacations

Spendingbeyondyourbudget

Readingemailfirstthinginthemorning

Arrivinglateforconferencecalls

Eatingjunkfoodmorethanonceaweek

Filingtaxesorpayingbillsatthelastminute

Once you’vemade your list and identified negative habits, the second

stepistochoosemoreproductivesuccesshabitsanddevelopsystemsto

support them. If you used this strategy to implement just four new

successhabitsayear—oneeveryquarter—infiveyearsyouwouldhave20

newhabitsthatcouldbringyouwealth,health,happiness,andahostof

newopportunities.

Iamsystematicallyaddingonenewbeneficialhabitatatimethatwill

dramaticallyimprovemylife.

E

Week33

99%IsaBitch,100%IsaBreeze

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamenthusiasticallygiving100%tocarryingoutmycommitmentseveryday.

Iampracticingthe“noexceptions”ruleinordertokeepmycommitmentsand

achieveallmygoals.

IamcommittedtoexcellenceineverythingIdo,whichispositivelyimpacting

everyaspectofmylife,mycareer,myresults,andmyreputation.

Ifyoumaketheunconditionalcommitmenttoreachyourmostimportantgoals,if

thestrengthofyourdecisionissufficient,youwillfindthewayandthepowerto

achieveyourgoals.

—ROBERTCONKLINCreatoroftheAdventuresinAttitudesprogramusedincompaniesworldwide

verydaypeoplewakeupandfightwiththemselvesoverwhether

ornot theywillkeep theircommitmentsandactionplans.The

victory always goes to the ones who have a “nomatter what”

attitudeandtaketheir100%commitmentseriously.

Iadmitthatstartingoutcanbeabitshakysometimes—youmightneed

T

an extra push at first—but once you get moving, it gets much easier.

Dependingonwhatyouhavecommittedto,insteadofdaily(likegoingto

thegym,forinstance),youmayoptforfivetimesaweekoreveryother

day(likehavingasaladforlunch).

Somecommitmentsrequiredailypractice.Workingonyourto-do-listis

oneofthem,meditationorprayerisanother,repeatingyouraffirmations

throughout the day is a given. Today, decide to give 100% to your

commitments.

Iamenthusiasticallygiving100%tocarryingoutmycommitmentseveryday.

herearesomecommitmentsthatareentirelyuselessunlessyou

give them 100%. Think about giving less than your allwhen it

comes to quitting smoking, or texting while skiing, or

meditating, or motorcycle racing. It just can’t work, it would be

impossibletosucceed.

Moreoftenthanwerealize,wethrowobstaclesintoourownpathsthat

tripusup,delayourgrowth,andmakethingsmoredifficult—impossible

even. You drive to work with smokers, you can’t walk away from your

phone for 10 minutes, you allow the dog to distract you when you’re

meditating, or you don’tmaintain your engine or tires properly before

youhitthespeedway.Theyareallrecipesfordisaster.

And then there are roadblocks that we allow other people to place in

frontofus.Aneighborasksyoutohelpsetupanewprinterrightinthe

middleofyour family time,oryour teenagerstartsanargument justas

you’re heading towork, or a friend invites you over for lasagna just as

you’vestartedyournewdiet.Youhavetolearntosayno(maybeanother

time?)becauseanythingelsestripsyourcommitmentandspellsfailure.

No one can achieve your goals and dreams for you, and no one can

S

committotheirsuccess,otherthanyou.Youaretheonewhodetermines

yourdestiny.

Iampracticingthe“noexceptions”ruleinordertokeepmycommitmentsand

achieveallmygoals.

uccessful people don’t accept exceptions. Once they make a

commitment to something, it’s non-negotiable. If youmake the

100%commitmenttoexerciseeveryday,youwilldoitnomatter

what—evenifyouhaveanearlymorningappointment,orit’sraining,or

youjustdon’tfeellikedoingit.Whenyou’recommittedtomeditateevery

day for 30 minutes, work on your to-do-list, make 10 new sales calls,

practice the piano five days aweek, orwhatever itmay be—only 100%

commitmentwilldo.

One final thing: Always honor your agreements and deliver on your

word.Self-confidence,integrity,andmotivationaretherewardsfordoing

so,all ofwhichhaveawonderful impactonyour reputation,and that’s

rewarding,too.

IamcommittedtoexcellenceineverythingIdo,whichispositivelyimpacting

everyaspectofmylife,mycareer,myresults,andmyreputation.

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Week34

LearnMoretoEarnMore

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamhappilycommittedtolifelonglearningandself-improvement.

Iamcontinuallyincreasingmyknowledge,whichsubstantiallyincreasesmy

potentialtosucceed.

IamchoosingtobeteachablesothatIcanconstantlylearnandgrow.

IfIamthroughlearning,Iamthrough.

—JOHNWOODENLegendaryUCLAbasketballcoachwhowon10NCAAchampionships

anypeopleresisttheideaofcontinuouslearning.Theythink

it means going back to college or even starting college at

mid-life. Although that’s not necessarily a bad idea, that’s

not solely what “lifelong learning” means. Information is power, and

thosewhohaveawealthofinformationhaveagreatadvantageoverthose

whodon’t.Whatare someexcellentways toacquireknowledgeandget

aheadofthegame?

Make television time learning time: The average person watches six

T

hoursofTVaday—that’stheaverage.MymentorW.ClementStoneonce

askedmetoeliminateonehouroftelevisionadaytocreateanextra365

hoursper year to accomplishwhatever ismost important tome.That’s

over twomonths of additional time per year to focus onmy goals. I’m

askingyoutodothesame.

Now thatwe’ve found an extra twomonths to use for learning, we’re

going to discover ways to fill that time with educational and

informationalbenefitsthatmoveyoufastertowardyourgoals.

Iamhappilycommittedtolifelonglearningandself-improvement.

oday you’ll put into action the same learningmethods that top

achieversuse.

Leadersarereaders:Dr.JohnDemartini,oneofthewisest,brightest,andmost

successfulpeopleIknow,oncesaid,“Youcan’tputyourhandinapotofgluewithout

someofthatgluesticking.”Ifyouusedthatoneextrahouradaytostickyourheadina

book,beforelongyouwouldbeinthetop1%ofexpertsinyourfield!

Studythelivesofgreatpeople:Thereismuchtolearnfrombiographies,nomatter

whatthesubject’sskillsoraccomplishmentsare:sports,politics,spirituality,business—

theyareallfascinating.

Aweeklysystemforgettingsmart:Atwww.TheSuccessPrinciples.com/resources

youwillfindanextensivereadinglistoftimelessclassicsandotherbooksthatcontain

someofthelatestbreakthroughsinthepsychologyofachievement,neuroscience,

nutrition,andmore.Bookscanbeanexpensiveinvestment,somakeuseofyourlocal

librariesifithelps—orbuye-books,whicharelessexpensive.

Iamcontinuallyincreasingmyknowledge,whichsubstantiallyincreasesmy

potentialtosucceed.

T here are endless ways to increase your knowledge and build a

lifelonglearningprogram.Let’slookatafewmoreoptions:

Getoutandmixin:Attendsuccessrallies,conferences,andretreats.Fromnational

symposiumstolocaltalksandlectures,thereareenougheventsavailablethatyoucould

probablyattendoneeveryweekday—plusweekends!

Attendhumanpotentialtrainings:Thesearepersonaldevelopmentseminarsthat

focusonimprovingyourability,mind-set,network,andmotivationtosucceed.

Everyoneneedsoutsideinfluencestohelpthembreakoldhabitsandcreatenewwaysof

thinkingandbehaving.

Beteachable:Tolearnandgrowinlifeyouhavetobeteachable.Everysituation

presentsanopportunitytolearnandeverypersonhassomethingtheycanteachyou.

Sometimeswelackthehumilitytolearnfromorseethepotentialinothers,butwhenwe

adoptthatkindofattitude,webecomearrogantandunteachable.Youdon’tknow

everything—noonedoes.Beopentolearningnomatterwithwhomorwhereyouare.

IamchoosingtobeteachablesothatIcanconstantlylearnandgrow.

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Week35

MaintainYourPassionandEnthusiasm

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamjoyfulknowingthatI’malreadyasuccesswhenIfollowmyheartanddo

whatIlove.

IamenjoyingmyworksomuchthatIameagertogetupeverymorningandget

started.

IfeelhappyandfulfilledbecauseIamdoingwhatIwasborntodo.

Enthusiasmisoneofthemostpowerfulenginesofsuccess.Whenyoudoathing,

doitwithallyourmight.Putyourwholesoulintoit.Stampitwithyourown

personality.Beactive,beenergetic,beenthusiasticandfaithful,andyouwill

accomplishyourobject.Nothinggreatwaseverachievedwithoutenthusiasm.

—RALPHWALDOEMERSONAmericanessayistandpoet

hen you are happily doing what you love to do, you’ve

already won. When you do something with passion and

perseverance,you’realreadyasuccess.Truepassioncomes

from within; it has a spiritual quality, and it can motivate you to

accomplishincrediblefeatsofsuccess.

D

I’msureyouhavemetpeoplewhoarepassionateandenthusiasticabout

whattheydo.Theyhavepurposeandtheyaretotallycommittedtotheir

work.Caringaboutwhatyoudo,followingyourheart,andtrustingyour

ownideasofwhatmakesyouhappywillfosterenthusiasmandpassionin

your life. It comes not just from enjoying your work but also in

discoveringwhatelseyouenjoy,anddoingwhatyouwereborntodo.

This week, we’ll talk about passion and enthusiasm and how you can

developit,keepitalive,andevenpassitontoothers.

IamjoyfulknowingthatI’malreadyasuccesswhenIfollowmyheartanddo

whatIlove.

evelopingpassionforthemostimportantareasofyourlifewill

make your dreams and goals not onlymore attainable but it

willalsomakethejourneyalotmoreentertaining,relaxed,and

fulfilling.

Takealookatthekeyareasofyourlife:yourwork,yourmarriage,your

friendships, leisure time, and other associations, whether they are

professional, religious, or civic. Where do you lack passion and

enthusiasm?Whatwouldyoubedoingdifferently that you thinkmight

bring you those qualities? What can you change, stop doing, or start

doing that would make your life different? People who are passionate

aboutwhattheyaredoingaredoingwhattheylove!Theyhavefounda

waytomakealivingatit.Ifyoulovewhatyoudobutyou’renotfeeling

fulfilled, take a hard look atwhat has become a roadblock for you and

dealwithit.

When do you find that you are the happiest? What are you doing,

feeling, thinking—and who are you with? Those are indicators of what

you are attracted to and what could potentially bringmore abundance

S

andjoyintoyourlife—andthelivesofthosearoundyou.Isthereawayto

integrateanyofthoseelementsintootherareasofyourlife?

If you spend the time to really evaluate some of these issues and

emotions,youwillstart toseepathwaysthatwill leadyoutowhereyou

trulywanttobe.

IamenjoyingmyworksomuchthatIameagertogetupeverymorningandget

started.

o, howdo youmaintain joy andpassion in your life every day?

We talked about a few of the answers in earlier chapters:

discovering your true purpose, deciding what you really want,

believinganythingispossible,andbelievinginyourself,tonameafew.

Anotherway to succeed is to reconnectwithyouroriginalpurpose for

doingwhatever it is youaredoing.Before it got tobea run-of-the-mill

taskor justaboringnecessity,therewasareasonthatyoudidit—there

was a deeper purpose that turned those have-to-dos into want-to-dos.

Whatwasit?

Most of the time, lack of passion and enthusiasm stem from your

attitude.Youhavetotalcontroloveryourattitude—youcanbemiserable

andgrumpyaboutasituationoryoucanchoosetobepositiveandlook

forbenefitsandunexpectedopportunities.

Andhere’sabonustoconsider.Whenyoulivewithjoy,gratitude,and

enthusiasm, it’s impossible tokeep it toyourself.Youbecomeamagnet

forotherswhowillbedrawntoyourenergy—ofteninawaythatbenefits

you.

IfeelhappyandfulfilledbecauseIamdoingwhatIwasborntodo.

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Week36

StayFocusedonYourCoreGenius

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamconfidentlydelegatingthingsthatgetinthewayofmestayingfocusedonmy

coregenius.

IamenjoyingmorefreetimeandIammoreproductivewhenIdelegateminor

taskstoothers.

IamturningovercompleteresponsibilityonlessproductivetaskssoIcanworkon

thethingsthatmakemehappyandthatI’mgoodat.

Successfollowsdoingwhatyouwanttodo.Thereisnootherwaytobesuccessful.

—MALCOLMS.FORBESPublisherofForbesmagazineoyouknowwhatyourcoregeniusis?It’stheonethingthatyoulovetodoanddosowell,thatyouhardlyfeellikechargingpeopleforit.It’s

effortlessandfun—andcouldbeyourlife’sworkifyoucouldfindawaytomakeityourlivelihood.Successfulpeoplerecognizethevalueoftheircoregeniusanddoeverythingtheycanto

spendalloftheirtimedoingit—becausethat’swherethefinancialrewardsandthejoyare.

Alotofpeople(probablymost)gothroughlifedoingeverything.They

spend their timeonmenial things that theydon’t enjoydoing and that

providenofinancialreward(oranyreward,forthatmatter).Theirtimeis

consumedwithtasksthey’rebadatandthatcouldbedonebetter,faster,

L

andmoreeconomicallybysomeoneelse.Theircoregeniusgetspushedto

themarginswhile they spend hours doing less important and fulfilling

tasks.

Whenyouconcentrateondoingwhatyoulovetodo,notonlywillyou

bemoreproductive,youwillfindthatlifeismuchmoreenjoyable,too.

Iamconfidentlydelegatingthingsthatgetinthewayofmestayingfocusedonmy

coregenius.

et’s get to the root of whymost people haven’t arranged their

lives to focus 100% on their core genius. Why don’t people

delegatetasks?

They’reafraidtogiveupcontrol,evenoftaskstheyhatedoing:While

someoneelsewon’tdoitexactlylikeyouwould,therearemanywaystoaccomplish

something.Differentisn’twrong,itcouldevenbebetter.

They’rereluctanttospendthemoneyforhelp:Investingyourtimewhereyou

producethegreatestresults,likeincreasedincome,likelymeansspendingasmaller

amountofmoneywithpeoplewhocanfreeupyourtime.

Theydon’twanttoletgo.Manypeoplearecontrolfreaksandhoardersof

everything.Letthelittlethingsgo;theydon’tcontributetoyouroverallsuccessand

happiness.

They’vemadeahabitofdoingit:Youwanttocreategoodhabitstoreplaceyour

poorhabits,remember?Doingsomethingoutofroutineisunproductiveandcan

becomeaprettysignificantobstacletoreachingyourgoals.Thosearedestructivehabits

andit’stimetoquit.

IamenjoyingmorefreetimeandIammoreproductivewhenIdelegateminor

taskstoothers.

L et’s say you’vewritten your first book and you’re now eager to

beginaddingotheractivities toyourauthoringcareer:speaking

engagements,writinganewspapercolumn,doingcoaching,and

developing a training program for corporations. You need to cold-call

eventplanners,findcoachingclients,writeandfilmtrainingmodulesfor

corporations, and so on—but on top of all that, you’re still running a

small business and have a husband and two small children who need

yourattention.So, insteadofspendingyour timebookingspeechesand

writing corporatematerials, you’re lucky to get anything done.But you

couldbe closing twoor three speechesaweek if you focusedyour time

andattentiononwhatyou’rebestatandwhatyou love todo themost.

Looking at the big picture, wouldn’t it be worth hiring a part-time

mother’shelperoradditionalpersonatyourbusiness—ordoingwhatever

ittakes—soyoucanfocusonyournewcareer?

Take a look at your life—bothprofessional andpersonal—and identify

these three things: (1)What you enjoydoingmost, (2)What you enjoy

doing least, and (3) How you can move those less meaningful and

unproductivetasksoffyourplateanddelegatethemtosomeoneelse.The

goalistodomoreof#1:Whatyouenjoydoingmost.

IamturningovercompleteresponsibilityonlessproductivetaskssoIcanworkon

thethingsthatmakemehappyandthatI’mgoodat.

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Week37

ReassessYourTimeCommitments

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamcreatingsuperiorresultsbymaintainingbalancebetweentimespentatwork,

timewithmyfamily,andtimejustforme.

IhighlyvaluemyFreeDaysandFocusDays,usingmyBufferDaystoplan,

prepare,buildnewskills,anddelegatenonessentialtaskstoothers.

IamjoyfullystructuringmytimetogetthemostoutofmyFocusDayswith

abundanttimetopursuemypersonalinterests.

Theworldisenteringanewtime-zoneandoneofthemostdifficultadjustments

peoplemustmakeisintheirfundamentalconceptsandbeliefsaboutthe

managementoftime.

—DANSULLIVANFounderandpresident,TheStrategicCoach

his Principle, which is based on the work of Dan Sullivan,

president of The Strategic Coach, will help you approach time

management and scheduling differently. First, let’s look into

“vacationtime.”

AccordingtoastudybytheU.S.TravelAssociation’sProjectTimeOff,

54% of employees ended 2016 with unused time off. Not good—and

I

here’s why: If you don’t take your time off, you aremore likely to get

burnedout,getsick,andhaveyourrelationshipssuffer.Theproblemis

notjustunusedvacationdays;peoplearealsoreluctanttotakeanydays

forthemselves—evenifit’sontheirscheduleddayoff.Everyoneneedsa

complete Free Day now and then—free of business-related meetings,

reading,phonecalls,andemails—becausethosedaysallowyoutoreturn

to work refreshed, more creative, and more enthusiastic. And that

benefitsyou,yourfamily,yourcolleagues,yourclients,andeveryoneelse

youinteractwith.

Iamcreatingsuperiorresultsbymaintainingbalancebetweentimespentatwork,

timewithmyfamily,andtimejustforme.

f you reallywant tomake themost of your time and talents, you

needtolookathowyouusethem.Mysecondrecommendationisto

schedule Buffer Days.1 In a five-day workweek, you need to

scheduleadayor two fordoing things thatprepareyou for yourFocus

Days—days where you focus on using your core genius to produce

bottom-lineresults.

Buffer Days are set aside for doing things like traveling, training,

scheduling, attendingmeetings—any task or activity that will free your

timeandhelpyoumakeyourFocusDaysasproductiveaspossible.For

me,aBufferDaymightincludeoutlininganewspeech,takingaseminar

to improve my training skills, planning how to maximize sales of our

booksandaudioprogramsatmynext training, conducting research,or

any number of projects that supportme inworking onmy core genius

duringmyFocusDays.

WhataresomeoftheprojectsthatwouldfallintoyourBufferDays?The

keyistodothingsthatwillfreeupyourFreeDaysandyourFocusDays

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soyoucanusethemforwhattheywereintended—producingyourmost

importantbottom-lineresults.

IhighlyvaluemyFreeDaysandFocusDays,usingmyBufferDaystoplan,

prepare,buildnewskills,anddelegatenonessentialtaskstoothers.

ow, let’s take a look at FocusDays—where you focus at least

80% of your time on your core genius. These should be

incrediblyexcitingdays,onesyoulooktowithanticipationand

passion. These are yourmoney days when you get to practice the skill

thatyouarebestat—theoneyoulove,theoneyouwereborntodo.

ThekeytogettingmoreFocusDaysandFreeDaysistoschedulethem.

..inink.First,let’sdoashortbuthelpfulexerciseforclarification:1)List

the threebestFocusDaysyou’ve everhad.2)Writedown the common

elements. 3) Plan more perfect Focus Days—you now have excellent

insightastowhatmadethemsogreat.(YoushoulddothiswithyourFree

Daysalso.)

Thekeytoallofthisistobemoreintentionalinthewayyoustructure

yourtime.Starttodayandtakecontrolofyourtimeandyourlifesoyou

maximize your results and income—make every minute of your days

count. Only you have the information you need to succeed—your goals

and dreams, your natural talent, your self-confidence, and your belief

thatyoucanaccomplishanythingthatyousetyourmindtodo.

Onefinalsuggestion:Beginbyschedulingfourvacationsover thenext

year—fromafewlongweekendstoyourdreamvacation.Itwon’thappen

unlessyousitdownandmakeaplan!

IamjoyfullystructuringmytimetogetthemostoutofmyFocusDayswith

abundanttimetopursuemypersonalinterests.

1FreeDays,FocusDays,andBufferDaysareregisteredtrademarksofTheStrategicCoach,Inc.

Allrightsreserved.IamgratefultoDanSullivanforhisEntrepreneurialTimeSystemthatteachestheseconcepts.FormoreinformationonTheStrategicCoachProgram,gotowww.thestrategiccoach.com.

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Week38

Say“No”toDistractions

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamconsciouslyeliminatingfrommylifethosethingsthatstealmytime—Iam

sayingnowithoutexcusesandapologiesanditfeelsgreat!

IamlearningtograciouslysaynotopeopleandsetpoliciesaboutwhatIdon’tdo

sothatothersunderstandandsupportmyboundaries.

Iamconfidentlysayingnowithoutguilttothingsthatconsumemytimeand

energysothatI’mreadytotakeadvantageofthegreatthingswaitingformeto

acceptthem.

Youdon’thavetoletyourselfbeterrorizedbyotherpeople’sexpectationsofyou.

—SUEPATTONTHOELEAuthorofTheCouragetoBeYourself

eliveinahighlycompetitiveandoverstimulatedworld—you

can be reached 24/7 by cell phone, text, email, and social

media—ataclient’soffice,inyourcar,onthegolfcourse,in

therestroom(andeveninchurchorthemoviesifyouforgettoturnyour

ringer off). What’s more, call-waiting beeps during important

conversations,breakingyourchainofthoughtinaninstant.

With all thedistractions and encroachments onour time,why is it so

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hardtosayno?Weletlessimportantthingsbreakintoourschedulesand

infringeuponourday,theninstantlyregretit.

Whycan’twejustsayno?

Sayingnowithoutambiguityisoneofthehallmarksofsuccessfulpeople

whoareincontroloftheirdayandtheirfuture.It’snoteasy—infact,we

seem tobewired toaccept every request even though it comesat great

cost to ourselves andour families.Today, let’s focuson the affirmation

belowandprepareforchange.

Iamconsciouslyeliminatingfrommylifethosethingsthatstealmytime—Iam

sayingnowithoutexcusesandapologiesanditfeelsgreat!

oyousometimesfeelthateveryonewantsapieceofyou?Your

boss needs last-minute help with a presentation, your kids

wantaridetoafriend’sfordinner,yourparentsneedhelpat

theirhouseorwithsomepaperwork,yoursisterwantstotalkabouther

husband, and your coworkers want your help with a project that isn’t

evenpartofyourjobduties.Ontopofthat,localcharitieswantdonations

andyourpetswanttobewalked,groomed,andpettednonstop.

Tobesuccessful,youaregoingtohavetogetgoodatsayingnotoallthe

peopleand“opportunities”thatcoulddevouryou.Andyou’vegottosay

nowithout feeling guilty. “No” is not only a complete sentence, it’s an

acceptable response. In fact, everyone should have a mental list of

automatic declines—things they won’t do under any circumstances. Do

you?

IamlearningtograciouslysaynotopeopleandsetpoliciesaboutwhatIdon’tdo

sothatothersunderstandandsupportmyboundaries.

H ere are some tips for saying no without feeling guilty or

fabricatinganexcuse:

“It’snotagainstyou,it’sforme”:Oftenwegetsobusyshowingupforotherpeople

thatthere’sno“metime”leftinourweek.Butwhenyoureplytorequestswith,“It’snot

againstyou,it’sforme,”youcommandrespectforstandingupforyourownprinciples.

Saynotothegoodsoyoucansayyestothegreat:It’seasytogetcaughtupin

situationsandopportunitiesthataremerelygoodwhilegreatopportunitieseventually

disappearsimplybecausethere’snotimeinyourschedule.

Stopmajoringintheminors:Imaginehowquicklyyoucouldreachyourgoalsifyou

quitwastingtimeonminortasksandinsteadfocusedsolelyonthingsthatimproveyour

lifeinthelongrun.

Establish new policies for saying no and develop the confidence to

communicate this to your boss, coworkers, family, and friends, so you

don’t use all your available time for other people’s dreams, goals, and

priorities.

Iamconfidentlysayingnowithoutguilttothingsthatconsumemytimeand

energysothatI’mreadytotakeadvantageofthegreatthingswaitingformeto

acceptthem.

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Week39

BeaLeaderWorthyofFollowers

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamcommunicatingmyvisionclearlyandpassionatelytoothersandtheyare

trustingmyleadership.

IfeelcourageousandinspiredasIapplytheprinciplesofbeingagreatleader.

IamexperiencingmyconfidencecontinuallygrowingasIcoachotherstosuccess.

Themostdangerousleadershipmythisthatleadersareborn—thatthereisa

geneticfactortoleadership.That’snonsense;infact,theoppositeistrue.Leaders

aremaderatherthanborn.

—WARRENBENNISFoundingchairmanattheLeadershipInstituteat

theUniversityofSouthernCalifornia

uccess usually requires the help of others; therefore, most

successful people are exceptional leaders who can effectively

motivateothers.Theyalsohavecommontraits:

Theyhaveaclearandwell-definedvisionofthegoalsandfuturethey’repursuingand

theycommunicatethatvisiontoothersinwaysthatarecompellingandexciting.

K

H

Theyaremastersatmotivatingpeopletojointheirteamandcommit100%.

Theyareexcellentcoaches;theycanquicklyspotpotentialinothersandspurthemtogo

theextramile.

Theyacknowledgethepositivecontributionofothers.

Theyholdthepeopletheyleadaccountable,butmoreimportant,theyholdthemselves

accountable.

Theyinspiretheirpeopletogrowasleaders,too.

Iamcommunicatingmyvisionclearlyandpassionatelytoothersandtheyare

trustingmyleadership.

nowinghowtobeasuccessfulleaderwillbenefityounomatter

wherelifetakesyou.Fewofusaredestinedtobecomeleaders

onthelevelofNelsonMandelaorMotherTeresa,butwecanall

learn leadership skills that have a positive impact in our sphere of

influence.How?

1)Knowyourownstrengthsandweaknesses:Greatleadersunderstandthemselvesas

wellasothers.They’rerealisticabouttheirownskillsandcapabilities,andtheykeeptheir

emotionsincheckduringperiodsofintensepressureorrapidchange,whichcreatesasense

ofsafetyforothers.Admitthatyoudon’tknoweverything,bewillingtobewrong,and

alwayslistentofeedback.

2)Holdyourselfaccountableaswellasothers:Take100%responsibilityforyouractions

andresults.That’showyoubegintobuildtrust—bybeingreliable,punctual,andkeeping

youragreements.Youalsohavetobecourageousenoughtoholdothersaccountablefortheir

actionsandresults.

3)Inspireotherswithyourclearandcompellingvision:Yourfollowersmustbeableto

seeasuccessfulfutureforthemselves;theywanttobesmarter,better,stronger,more

confident,andmorecompetent.

IfeelcourageousandinspiredasIapplytheprinciplesofbeingagreatleader.

owelsecanyourecognizealeaderworthfollowing?Hereare

threemorequalitiesyoushouldworkhardtoestablishinyour

heartandmind:

1)Listenforpossibility:Peoplewanttofeelthatyouhearthem—thattheirinsightsand

opinionsmatter.Greatleaderslisten,notonlytotheirteam’sideasandconcepts,butthey

alsoshifttheirownfocusfromlisteningfornegativecommentstolisteningforwhatis

possible.

2)Coachothersforaleadershiprole:Youcan’tdoeverythingyourself.Butyoucancoach

otherstodeveloptheirownsolutionsandproblem-solvingabilities.Whenyoudevelopother

peopleasleaders,youfreeupyourowntimeandfocusforaccomplishingyourvision.

3)Maintainanattitudeofgratitude:Theeasiestwaytobuildtrust,enthusiasm,and

commitmentisbypracticinggratitudeandacknowledgingothers.Experiencingandshowing

gratitudeandappreciationimprovesyourmood,makesyoufeellighter,andhelpsyoufeel

lessstress.

Becoming a leader worth following will transform your future by

attracting other optimistic people into your world who can help you

achieveyourgoalsfaster.

IamexperiencingmyconfidencecontinuallygrowingasIcoachotherstosuccess.

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Week40

CreateaNetworkofMentors,Contacts,andCoaches

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamthrilledtobelearningandgrowingunderthewingsofmentorswhoguideme

towardsuccess.

Ilookforwardtonetworkingandbuildingstrongrelationships—that’showsome

ofthemostexcitingandunexpectedthingshappen.

Withtheexpertguidanceofmycoach,Iamjoyfullyleapingforwardineveryarea

ofmylife.

Studyanyonewho’sgreat,andyou’llfindthattheyapprenticedtoamasteror

severalmasters.Therefore,ifyouwanttoachievegreatness,renown,and

superlativesuccess,youmustapprenticetoamaster.

—ROBERTALLENCoauthorofTheOneMinuteMillionaire

ost people seek advice from their friends, spouse, or

coworkers on issues they are facing. But unless you want

recommendations on amovie, that’s probably not the best

groupofpeopletoaskforadvice.

Wehavediscussedhowsuccessleavescluesoftenintheformofpeople

A

whohavewisdomandexperiencetheycansharewithyou.Isn’titsmarter

toseekoutoneofthesepeoplewho’vealreadybeendowntheroadyou’re

traveling?Makealistofthepeopleyou’dliketohavementoryou—then

askthem.

Manypeoplehavereachedthepinnacleoftheircareersandarehappyto

impartwhatthey’velearnedasawayto“giveback”totheirindustryand

theworld.Makeacommitmenttoidentifythreepeopleyoucouldaskto

mentoryou,thencontactthemwithaspecificrequestofanhouramonth

oranhouraquarterora15-minutecalleveryfewweeks.

Iamthrilledtobelearningandgrowingunderthewingsofmentorswhoguideme

towardsuccess.

dam Small, founder of Nashville Emerging Leaders said,

“Networkingisthesinglemostpowerfultactictoaccelerateand

sustain success for any individual or organization!” Business

andcareersarebuiltonrelationships;networkingprovidesaplatformto

cultivaterelationships.Plus,italsohelpswith:

Generatingreferralsandincreasedbusiness:Networkinggivesyouhigh-quality

referralsthatareoftenprequalified.

Expandingopportunities:Networkingwithotherpeopleinyourindustry—orfellow

businessowners—providesopportunitiesforjointventures,partnerships,salesleads,

andmore.

Creatingconnections:Remembertheoldadage“it’snotwhatyouknow,it’swhoyou

know”?Well,it’strue,butit’salsohowwellyouknowsomeonethatcounts.

Obtainingusefuladvice:Networkinggivesyouuniqueopportunitiestobenefitfrom

adviceandexpertiseonbusinessissuesandevenpersonalmatters.

Use today’s affirmation to focus on expanding your professional and

personalnetwork.

Ilookforwardtonetworkingandbuildingstrongrelationships—that’showsome

Wofthemostexcitingandunexpectedthingshappen.

ouldyouexpectanathletetomakeittotheOlympicGames

without a coach?Or anNFL team to show up for a game

withoutanentirecadreofcoaches?

Well,coachingisn’tjustforsports.Businessandpersonalcoacheshave

been the “secret weapon” behind countless thousands of successful

people—andhundredsoftheworld’stopcompanies.

Agoodcoachwillhelpyouclarifyyourvision,stayinyourcoregenius,

confront bad habits and destructive patterns of behavior, help you

overcome roadblocks, push you to do your best, and show you how to

worklessandearnmore.

Ihaveexperiencedgreatsuccessthroughbeingcoached,andIhavealso

been fantastically successful in coaching others. You can access

information and read success stories online for the Canfield Coaching1

program, which I developed to help people more easily implement

successprinciplesintheirlife.

Withtheexpertguidanceofmycoach,Iamjoyfullyleapingforwardineveryarea

ofmylife.

1VisittheCanfieldCoachingwebsiteatwww.canfieldcoaching.com.

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Week41

UsethePoweroftheMasterMind

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamexperiencingthewonderfulpowerthatcomestousfromeachotherandfrom

above.

Ibelievethatotherswhosharemydesiretobeapositiveinfluencewillbe

attractedtomeandexchangeknowledgeandresources.

Iamjoyfullyconnectingwithmyaccountabilitypartnerwhosupportsmeand

ensuresthatIachievemygoalsandriseabovesetbacks.

Whentwoormorepeople...worktowardadefiniteobjectiveorpurpose,they

placethemselvesinposition,throughthealliance,toabsorbpowerdirectlyfrom

thegreatstorehouseofInfiniteIntelligence.

—NAPOLEONHILLAuthorofThinkandGrowRich

asterminding is a formidable tool and one of the most

powerful strategies used throughout history by successful

people.Whenhighachieversareaskedabout theone thing

thatcontributedthemosttotheirbecomingamillionaire,participationin

amastermindgroupistheirprimaryanswer.

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The foundational philosophy of masterminding is that more can be

achieved in less time when people work together—focusing energy,

resources, knowledge, and insights on creating solutions and

opportunitiesforoneanother—eveniftheyaren’t inthesameindustry,

lifecircumstances,oreventhesametown.NapoleonHill,authorofthe

1937 classicThink andGrowRich, wrote that if, as a group,we are in

tune with the Master Mind—that is, God, Source, Infinite Intelligence,

UniversalPower,orwhatever termyouuse for theall-powerfulcreative

life-force—we then have significantly more positive energy and power

availabletous,apowerthatcanbefocusedonoursuccess.

Iamexperiencingthewonderfulpowerthat

comestousfromeachotherandfromabove.

neofthebest-knownmastermindgroupsincludedHenryFord,

ThomasEdison,andHarveyFirestone,whometattheirwinter

homesinFortMeyers,Florida.Canyouimaginetheimmense

powerintheroomwhentheyweretogether?

The ideal sizeof amastermindgroup is fiveor sixpeoplewho should

meettogetheronceaweek,biweeklyoratminimum,oncepermonth.It’s

preferabletomeetinpersonandexperiencetheenergyofbeingtogether,

butitcanalsobedoneeffectivelythroughSkype,FaceTime,oranyone

ofmany video communications programs. The group can (and should)

consistofpeoplefromdiversebackgroundsandindustriesinordertoget

themostoutoftheexchangeofideas,thoughts,solutions,contacts,and

otherresources.By formingor joiningsuchagroup,you’llbenefit from

the variety of unique perspectives and knowledge in the room, all of

whichcanenhanceyourviewoftheworld,advanceyourowngoals,and

createnewopportunitiesmorequicklyandeffectively.

I

Your ideal mastermind group should be made up of people who are

already where you’d like to be in life or at least a level above you

financially. Never talk yourself downwhen asking—self-confidence and

positiveenergywillmakeyousomeonethatotherswanttoassociatewith.

Ibelievethatotherswhosharemydesiretobeapositiveinfluencewillbe

attractedtomeandexchangeknowledgeandresources.

f you can’t form a group right now, one alternative is to find an

accountabilitypartner—someonewho’senthusiasticandsupportive

of your goals andwithwhomyou can shareprogress or setbacks.

Bothofyouagreetoaplanthatsetsgoalsandtargetsthateachofyouare

workingtowardachieving.Youmeetregularlyinpersonorbytelephone

and hold one another accountable for making progress—meeting

deadlines,accomplishinggoals,andmore.

Havinganaccountabilitypartnerencouragesyou to follow throughon

your plans—having to report to someone else provides a boost in

motivationforgettingthingsdone.Ifyouhaveasmallbusinessorwork

from home—let’s say you have a two-person CPA agency, or you are a

freelance writer who works solely from home, or a sales person who

rarelygoestoan“office”—havinganaccountabilitypartnerisanexcellent

idea. Knowing that you have to report on your productivity tomorrow

makesyouworkharderandsmartertoday.

Here’s another great reason for having an accountability partner: you

have a sounding board—someone to listen to your new pitch, give you

feedbackonyournewidea,shareinformation,contacts,andresources.

Iamjoyfullyconnectingwithmyaccountabilitypartnerwhosupportsmeand

ensuresthat

Iachievemygoalsandriseabovesetbacks.

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Week42

ListentoYourGutInstincts

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamcommittedtobeingsuper-successful—Ihavedevelopedmyintuitionand

learnedtotrustmyinstinctsandfollowmyinnerguidance.

AsImeditateandbecomemorespirituallyattuned,Iamconnectingwithmy

higherselfthroughwords,images,andsensations.

IhavealltheresourcesIneedinmyownmind;

Iamtappingintomyintuitionandachievingagreaterlevelofsuccess.

Brainresearchersestimatethatyourunconsciousdatabaseoutweighsthe

consciousonanorderexceedingtenmilliontoone.Thisdatabaseisthesourceof

yourhidden,naturalgenius.Inotherwords,apartofyouismuchsmarterthan

youare.Thewisepeopleregularlyconsultthatsmarterpart.

—MICHAELJ.GELBAuthorofHowtoThinkLikeLeonardodaVinci

arlyeducationandtrainingtaughtustolookforanswersoutside

ourselves, yetmanyof themost successfulpeople in theworld

practice some type of daily meditation to access the vast

resources and wisdom inside themselves. Most of them have actually

learnedtodeveloptheir intuition, followtheir innerguidance,andtrust

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theirgutinstincts.Byusingyourintuition,youcanmakebetterdecisions,

bequickeratproblemsolving,accessyourcreativegenius,discernhidden

motivesinothers,createwinningstrategies,visualizenewopportunities,

andmakemoremoney.

With today’saffirmation,we’llbegin focusingonconnectingwithyour

coreself—lookinginsideinsteadofoutsideforanswerstoyourquestions.

Iamcommittedtobeingsuper-successful—Ihavedevelopedmyintuitionand

learnedtotrustmyinstinctsandfollowmyinnerguidance.

aveyoueverbeenthinkingaboutsomeoneyouhaven’tspoken

to inawhileandoutof theblue, theycall?Ormaybeyou’ve

hadan ideaabouthowtomove forwardonagoalorproject

you’re involved with—and the necessary resources magically show up?

Thatwasyourintuitionatwork,andyoucanlearntotapintoitatwillto

achievegreatersuccess.

Toconnectwithyournaturalintuitionanduntappedwisdom,allowing

it to speak toyou,youneed togetquiet.Somuchofourday isabusy,

harried, noise-filled existence.Meditation, on the other hand, removes

distractionsanddeepensourintuitionsowecanbetterrecognizesubtle

impulses,thesoundofourhigherself,orthevoiceofGodspeakingtous.

Duringyourmeditationtime,askitquestionslike:

ShouldItakethisjob?

Isthereanotherwaytoapproachthishealthcondition?

WhatshouldIdonext?

Whenyougetananswer,a feeling,oran ideaoutof theblue,write it

down so you don’t lose the information. Take immediate action on the

ideasyouget.

AsImeditateandbecomemorespirituallyattuned,Iamconnectingwithmy

TAsImeditateandbecomemorespirituallyattuned,Iamconnectingwithmy

higherselfthroughwords,images,andsensations.

rusting yourself is another formof trusting your intuition. The

more trust you have, themore success youwill have, too. You

don’t get credit forwhat stays in yourmind, you get credit for

whatyouwritedownandactuallydo.

Successfulpeoplenotonlyinquirewithinandtrusttheirintuition,they

live inastateofmindfulness.Mind-setmatters—a lot.Mindfulness isa

state of active, open, nonjudgmental attention on the present. Even

thoughyou focusa lotof timeonyour futuregoalsandhow toachieve

them, it is imperative that you stay grounded in the present—that you

takeactionandmaintainagrowth-orientedmind-set.

Developing mindfulness, trusting your intuition, meditating, and

learning to recognize answers, and inquiring within, will help you stay

focusedondoingthethingsthatwillgetyouwhereyouwanttogo.Inthe

meantime, remember that life isadance,andmindfulness is taking the

timetowitnessandenjoythatdance.Slowingdownandbeingmindfulin

thepresent,willactuallyhelpyoubuildamoresuccessfulfuturefaster.

IhavealltheresourcesIneedinmyownmind;Iamtappingintomyintuitionand

achievingagreaterlevelofsuccess.

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Week43

ListentoLearn

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamenjoyingadeepersenseoffulfillmentwhenactivelylisteningtosomeone,

whothenfeelsfulfilledasaresultofbeingtrulyheard.

Iampracticingtheartofarguinglessandlisteningmore.

Iamlearningtobecaringandpatientwhileactivelylisteningtoothersexpress

theirfeelings.

Theartofeffectivelisteningisessentialtoclearcommunication,andclear

communicationisnecessarytomanagementsuccess.

—JAMESCASH“J.C.”PENNEYFoundedtheJ.C.Penneystoresin1902

istening is something that goes beyond the hearing process—it

requiresconcentrationandattentionforyoutoprocessmeaning

fromwords.According toToastmasters International, thereare

fourbasiclevelsofhearingandlistening:

1)Non-listenersarepreoccupiedwiththeirownthoughts;theyhearwordsbuttheydon’t

listentowhatisbeingsaid.

2)Passivelistenershearthewordsbutdon’tfullyabsorborunderstandthem.

3)Listenerspayattentiontothespeakerbutgrasponlysomeofthemessage.

4)Activelistenersarecompletelyfocusedonthespeakerandhisbodylanguage.They

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understandthemeaningofthewordsandthe“messagebehindthewords.”

When you actively listen, you allow new ideas, opportunities, and

solutionstofilterintoyourawareness.

Iamenjoyingadeepersenseoffulfillmentwhenactivelylisteningtosomeone,

whothenfeelsfulfilledasaresultofbeingtrulyheard.

ithoutmastering the art of active listening,notonlywill it

takeyoulongertobesuccessful,butyouwill imposelimits

onyourabilitytogrow,learn,andearntherespectofothers.

There are two requirements to being a good listener. The first one is

arguelessandlistenmore.Haveyoueverhadtoredosomethingbecause

that’snotwhatwaswanted?Notdeliveringcanbecostly ifpayment is

contingentonprovidingaproductthatyourcustomerwantsandwillpay

for.Ifyouareasalariedemployee,havingtoredoprojectscanbecostly

forthecompanyandworse—itcouldcostyouyourjob.Listenandrepeat

the request toverify that you’re inagreementandyouwill eliminateor

greatlyreducethosesituations.

The second requirement is to be interested rather than interesting.

Somepeopleseemtothinkthatalwayspresentingthemselvesinthebest

light, getting your story out first, self-promoting, and flaunting your

expertise and intelligence with words and comments is the way to

successful relationshipswith others. But the road to success is actually

pavedwithhumility—thatis,focusingonothersratherthanonyourself.

Iampracticingtheartofarguinglessandlisteningmore.

H ere’sagreattechniquethatIlearnedfromDanSullivaninhis

Strategic Coach Program1 that will help you establish rapid

rapportwithanotherperson.Askthem:

1)Ifweweremeetingthreeyearsfromtoday,whathastohavehappenedduringthatperiod

foryoutofeelhappyaboutyourprogress?

2)Whatarethebiggestdangersyou’llhavetofaceanddealwithinordertoachievethat

progress?

3)Whatarethebiggestopportunitiesyou’dhavetofocusonandcapturetoachievethose

things?

4)Whatstrengthswillyouneedtoreinforceandmaximizeandwhatskillsandresourceswill

youneedtodevelopthatyoudon’tcurrentlyhaveinordertocapturethoseopportunities?

Asking those questions—and letting the other person talk without

interruption—will enable him or her to go through a process of

clarificationandfeelreallyheardbyyou.

Iamlearningtobecaringandpatientwhileactivelylisteningtoothersexpress

theirfeelings.

1LearnmoreaboutDanSullivanandTheStrategicCoachprogrambyvisitingwww.StrategicCoach.com.

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Week44

HaveaHeartTalk

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamcreatingadeeperlevelofconnectionandintimacybyfreelyexpressingmy

truefeelings.

AsIparticipateinaHeartTalk,Iamexperiencingadeeperleveloflisteninganda

releaseofunexpressedemotions.

IamfeelingfreeandoptimisticasIwillinglyletgoofanyresentmentsandold

issuesduringaHeartTalk.

MostcommunicationresemblesaPing-Ponggameinwhichpeoplearemerely

preparingtoslamtheirnextpointacross.

—CLIFFDURFEECreatoroftheHeartTalkprocess

ne ofmy favorite stories is aboutNan-in, a Japanesemaster

during theMeiji era,whoonedaywelcomedaprofessorwho

came to inquire aboutZen.Nan-in served tea.Hepouredhis

visitor’s cup full, then kept on pouring. The professor watched the

overflow until he could no longer restrain himself from saying, “It’s

overfull.Nomorewillgoin!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full. How can I show you Zen

unlessyoufirstemptyyourcup?”

Infartoomanyhomes,businesses,schools,andothersettings,thereis

noopportunityforpeopletoexpresstheirfeelings—theirhopes,dreams,

pains,andfears.Asaresult,theybecomefilledbeyondcapacityuntilthey

areoverflowingwiththeirownpriorities,problems,andworries.

Peoplecan’t listenwhen theyareburstingat the seams.Theyneedan

outlet to release their emotions before they can take in anything else.

They need to open up and getwhat’s bothering themoff their chest in

ordertocreatespacetolistenandprocesswhatyouhavetosay.You,and

they,needaHeartTalk.

Iamcreatingadeeperlevelofconnectionandintimacybyfreelyexpressingmy

truefeelings.

AHeartTalkisaprocesswhereeightagreementsarestrictlyadheredto

among 2 to 10 people—a larger group diminishes trust and can take a

longtimetocomplete.AHeartTalksupportsconstructivediscussionof

feelingsandissuesthatlimitcreativity,teamworkandinnovation.Heart

Talks promote productivity and camaraderie and goodwill, which are

vitaltoeveryorganizationandhome.

AHeartTalkfacilitatesadeeplevelofcommunicationwithoutthefear

ofcondemnation,interpretation,orbeingrushed.It’sapowerfultoolfor

bringing unexpressed emotions to the surface and developing rapport,

understanding,andintimacy.

Heart Talks can be conducted for many purposes and are useful in

finding solutions for a wide range of challenges, but they should be

implementedbeforetoomuchdamageisdone:

Athomeafteryourecognizethereiswithheldhostility,fears,ordistrust

Attheoffice,afteranemotionaleventlikelayoffs,amerger,anaturaldisasterorother

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tragedy,thedeathofacoworker,evenfinancialproblemswithinthecompany

Whenthereisaconflictbetweentwoormoreindividuals,teams,ordepartments.

AsIparticipateinaHeartTalk,Iamexperiencingadeeperleveloflisteninganda

releaseofunexpressedemotions.

re you ready to have your first Heart Talk? Here’s how to

facilitateone.

Haveeveryonesitinacircleoratatable,wheretheguidelines

are introduced or repeated. The group’s leader holds a small heart-

shaped object. Pass the object around the circle as many times as

necessarytoensureeveryonehashadtimeandachancetoshare.AHeart

Talk will end naturally when the “heart” has made a complete circle

withoutanyonehavingsomethingmoretosay.Thesearetheguidelines:

Onlythepersonholdingthe“heart”isallowedtotalk

Talkonlyabouthowyoufeel

Don’tcriticize,judge,orteaseanyoneforwhattheyshare

Keepconfidentialeverythingthatisshared

Passthe“heart”totheleftaftereachturn

Youcansay,“Ipass”ifyouhavenothingtoshare

Don’tleavetheHeartTalkuntilit’scomplete

AHeartTalkwillcreateamazingresultsinagroup:thesafeexpression

offeelings,the“lettinggo”ofresentmentsandoldissues,theopeningofa

space to resolve conflict, constructive ideas, mutual respect,

understanding,andamoreconnectedgroup.

IamfeelingfreeandoptimisticasIwillinglyletgoofanyresentmentsandold

issuesduringaHeartTalk.

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Week45

TelltheTruthSoonerRatherThanLater

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamactivelypracticingthehabitofspeakingmymindandtellingthetruth

sooner,nomatterhowdifficultthetopicorcircumstances.

Iamregularlybringingupimportantinformationandtellingthetruth,which

makesmefeelrelieved,energized,andhealthy.

Iamtellingthetruthassoonaspossiblebecauseitallowsmetodealinrealityand

findthebestresolution.

Inatimeofuniversaldeceit,tellingthetruthisarevolutionaryact.

—UNKNOWN(OftencreditedtoGeorgeOrwell)

t takes energy towithhold the truth, keep a secret, or keepup an

act.Weavoidtellingthetruthsometimesbecausetheconsequences

are uncomfortable. We don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or

we’reafraidtheywillgetupsetorevenangry.But,whennooneistelling

the truth,wecan’t solveanything fromabasis in reality.We justwaste

energythatcouldbebetterfocusedoncreatingmoresuccessinallareas

ofourlives.Wecanaccomplishsomuchmorewhenvitalinformationis

T

sharedandactedupon.

For each of us, there are three areas that need to be shared most:

resentments that have built up, unmet needs and demands underlying

thoseresentments,andunexpressedgratitude.

Telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable is one of themost valuable

practices,yetit’soneofthemostdifficulttodo.Weworrysomuchabout

hurtingotherpeople’sfeelingsthatwedon’texpressourowntruefeelings

andwehurtourselvesinstead.Butitdoesn’thavetobethatway—wecan

change.

Iamactivelypracticingthehabitofspeakingmymindandtellingthetruth

sooner,nomatterhowdifficultthetopicorcircumstances.

here’snoperfecttimetotellthetruth,butbecomingaccustomed

totellingitsoonerratherthanlaterisoneofthemostimportant

success skills you will learn. It can be uncomfortable. It will

likelycausereactions—sometimesemotionalones.Butifyougetintothe

habitofspeakingthetruthassoonasyouthinkit,that’sbeingauthentic.

Peoplewillknowtheycancountonyou.Yourintentions,goals,andplans

willneverbemisunderstood.Otherswilltrustyoumorebecausetheywill

alwaysknowwhereyoustand.

If there are somany positive benefits to bringing up the difficult and

tellingthetruth,whythendopeoplehesitate?Themostcommonexcuse

isIdon’twanttohurtanybody’sfeelings.Butwhat’sactuallyhappening

isthatyou’reavoidinghowyouwillfeeliftheygetupset.It’sthecoward’s

wayoutofhavingtoputallyourcardsonthetable.Hidingthetruthwill

alwaysbackfire,andthelongeryoudoit,themoreofadisserviceyoudo

toothersandtoyourself.

Youdon’tlikeitwhensomeoneisdishonestwithyouandwithholdsthe

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truth.Theywon’tlikeiteitherwhentheyfindoutyouhidthetruthfrom

them.Avoidallofthatbyspeakingupassoonasyoucan.Doneitinthe

rightspirit—withoutbeinghurtful—you’llgetrespectfortellingthetruth.

Iamregularlybringingupimportantinformationandtellingthetruth,which

makesmefeelrelieved,energized,andhealthy.

ere’s another thought on telling the truth faster. If you hold

backbecauseyouhaveafearofbeingjudged,youwillhaveto

monitor your conversations, remember who was told what,

and come upwith excuses aboutwhy you can’t do this or that. Simply

statingyourreasonandmovingon is freedom—it’spowerfulandshows

veryimpressiveself-confidence.

Finally,whenyoutellthetruthsoonerratherthanlater,youandthose

youliveandworkwithcandealwiththerealityofthesituationandfinda

workable solution rather than remaining stuck in some illusion that is

beingmaintainedbynotaddressingthetruth.

Iamtellingthetruthassoonaspossiblebecauseitallowsmetodealinrealityand

findthebestresolution.

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Week46

SpeakwithImpeccabilityAboutOthers

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IamincontrolofthewordsIuse;Ihavemasteredspeakingtruthandaffirming

life.

Iamonlyspeakingwordsthatbuildself-esteemandself-confidence,thatbuild

positiverelationshipsandrealizeddreams.

Ichoosetospeakwithimpeccability;mywordsaretruthfulandhavethepowerto

upliftandaffirmotherpeople’sworth.

Impeccabilityofthewordcanleadyoutopersonalfreedom,tohugesuccessand

abundance;itcantakeawayallfearandtransformitintojoyandlove.

—DONMIGUELRUIZAuthorofTheFourAgreements

verythingyousayproducesaneffectintheworldandeverything

yousay tosomeoneelseproducesaneffect inthatperson.You

are constantly creating either somethingpositive or something

negativewithyourwords.

Successfulpeopleknowthat if theydon’thavecontrolandpowerover

their words, their words will have control and power over them. They

knowthattobemoresuccessful,theirwordsneedtobuildpeopleup,not

H

tear themdown.Theyare consciousof the thoughts they thinkand the

wordstheyspeak.

Words are also the basis of all relationships—how I speak to you and

about youdetermines the quality of our relationship.When you speak

wordsof loveandacceptance, youwill experience loveback.Whenyou

expressjudgmentandcontempt,youwillbejudgedback.Learntospeak

with impeccability—findwords that are true, that affirm other people’s

worth,orkeepsilent.

IamincontrolofthewordsIuse;Ihavemasteredspeakingtruthandaffirming

life.

ave you ever thought about the outcome when you say

something about another person? In today’s world of

cyberbullying and online gossiping, it is all too easy to post

rumorsaboutsomeoneelseorunwittinglydisclosepersonalinformation

onlineoraddpejorative labels.Whatpeoplecasually (orviciously) type

oftenstaysonlineforever.

Thiskindoflanguage—oftendoneanonymously—isnotonlyhurtfulto

someone else, it brings youdown in themoment and creates a general

demeanorofspiteandmaliciousnessthatworksitswayintootherareas

ofyour life.Thisresult iswhyspiritual teachersandwriters throughout

historyhavewarnedusagainstgossip,judgingothers,andspeakingwith

malice.Ithurtsyou,too,becauseitkeepsyouinatoxicframeofmind—

preventingthegoodyouwantinyourlifefromshowingup.

Whenyouspeakbadlyofsomeone,italsoleavesalastingimpressionof

you on others. People will always wonder when theywill be the next

targetofyourverbalpoison.

Toavoidtheseoutcomes,focusthepowerofyourwordsonappreciating

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otherpeople’spositivequalitiesratherthancriticizingtheirfaults.

Iamonlyspeakingwordsthatbuildself-esteemandself-confidence,thatbuild

positiverelationshipsandrealizeddreams.

ne final but crucial point about speaking with impeccability:

stoplying,eventellingso-calledharmless“whitelies”andlies

ofomission.

Lyingseparatesyoufromyourhigherself.Plus,youerodeothers’trust

in youwhen you’re found out. The fact is, lying is characteristic of low

self-esteem.It’stheresultofyourerroneousbeliefthatyoucan’thandle

people knowing the truth about you. And that, unfortunately, is just

anotherwayofsaying“Iamnotenough.”Additionally,oftentimeswhen

welie,we’reafraidtofacetheresultwe’llget fromtellingthetruth.We

don’twanttodealwiththeemotionalreactionofourspouse,thecensure

ofourboss,orthedenialofourrequestfromaretailer,agency,orofficial.

Why go through the psychological turmoil of lying?Whyworry about

being found out or suffer the setback to your self-esteem when you

knowingly lie or live with the distrust you’ve created when someone

recognizes that you’re lying? Be at ease by speaking with honesty and

integrityinstead.

Ichoosetospeakwithimpeccability;mywordsaretruthfulandhavethepowerto

upliftandaffirmotherpeople’sworth.

P

Week47

PracticeConstantAppreciation

AFFIRMATIONSfor


AsIexpressmyappreciationforothers,I’menjoyingbeinginoneofthehighest

statesofvibration.

Iamlearningtoexpressmyappreciationtoothersintheirownlovelanguage,

whichisbothfunandfulfilling.

IhavetakenalifelongoathtoownthemagnificentbeingthatIam,toappreciate

myself,andtosharethatpositiveenergywithothers.

Ihaveyettofindaman,howeverexaltedhisstation,whodidnotdobetterwork

andputforthgreatereffortunderaspiritofapprovalthanunderaspiritof

criticism.

—CHARLESM.SCHWABFirstpresidentoftheU.S.SteelCorporation

eople don’t really complain about getting too much positive

feedback,dothey?Infact, theyusuallyrespondtoappreciation

withgreatereffort,moresupport,increasedloyalty,andabetter

attitude.

Being in a state of appreciation puts you into one of the highest

emotional,vibrational,andabundantstatespossible.Herearejustafew

G

waystopracticeconstantappreciation:

Playthe“GratitudeGame”:Stopwhatyou’redoingand,for20minutes,appreciate

asmanythingsaspossible—fromtherainoutsidetothetextmessagefromafriend.

Spendtimeeverymorningingratitude:Afterrepeatingyouraffirmations,spend

5–10minutesbeinggrateful.

Makeitagoaltoappreciatesomeone:Justlikeyousetothergoals,makeitapoint

toappreciatesomeoneforbeingapositivepartofyourlife.

Adoptanappreciationhabit:Regularlyshowappreciationwithakindword,a

returnfavor,oraniceemail.

AsIexpressmyappreciationforothers,I’menjoyingbeinginoneofthehighest

statesofvibration.

ary Chapman, relationship counselor and author of The Five

Love Languages, says that different people need different

formsofcommunication inorder to feel fullyappreciatedand

loved.Here’showtogetthemright:

1)WordsofAffirmation:Ifthisissomeone’slovelanguage,theyfeelmostcaredforwhen

yousharewordsofencouragement,appreciation,andlove.

2)QualityTime:Thesefolksfeellovedwhenyoushareactivitieswiththem—fullypresentand

engaged.

3)ReceivingGifts:Peoplewiththislovelanguagefeellovedandappreciatedwhenthey

receivegiftsfromyou—anythingfromasmalltokentoamajorpurchase.

4)ActsofService:Tocommunicateinthislovelanguage,dosomethingfortheotherperson

suchasrunninganerrandwithoutbeingaskedorsolvingaproblem.

5)PhysicalTouch:Justlikeitsounds,peoplewiththislovelanguagerespondtoapatonthe

back,awarmhug,amassage,orsexualintimacy.Intheworkplace,anappropriatehug,afist

bump,orahighfiveworksgreat.

Iamlearningtoexpressmyappreciationtoothersintheirownlovelanguage,

whichisbothfunandfulfilling.

T o become a master at expressing appreciation in another

person’s“love language,” learnwhatmakesthemost impacton

them.Here’showtoidentifywhatworks:

1)Observehowthepersoninteractswithothers.Becausemostpeoplespeakintheirown

lovelanguage,theirbehaviorwithotherswillgiveyoucluesaboutwhattheyfindimportant.

2)Listenwhentheycomplain.You’llfindimportantcluesinthosethingsthatbotherthem

aboutotherpeopleorsituations.Iftheycomplainwhenyouworklate,QualityTimeorActs

ofServicemightbetheirlovelanguage.

3)Payattentiontotheirrequests.Peoplewilloftengivehintsthatrevealtheirlove

language.Iftheyaskforahug,ormentionhowbadlytheircarneedscleaning,ortellyou

thatdoingsomethingtogethermakesthemhappierthandiamondearrings,they’vebasically

toldyouwhichlovelanguagetheyspeak.

4)Taketimetoappreciateyourself,too.Appreciatethepositivequalitiesyouhave,the

greataccomplishmentsyou’vemade,andthewonderfulpersonthatyouare.

IhavetakenalifelongoathtoownthemagnificentbeingthatIam,toappreciate

myself,andtosharethatpositiveenergywithothers.

D

Week48

BecomeKnownasaClassAct

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamtreatingmyselfandotherswithdignityandrespect,whichcreatesamutual

feelingofloveandappreciation.

Iamactingwithclassbybeingcourteousandgratefulandalwayshavinga

generousspirit.

Iamtreatingotherswithhighregardandmakingthemfeelnurturedandloved.

Ineverysociety,thereare“humanbenchmarks”—certainindividualswhose

behaviorbecomesamodelforeveryoneelse—shiningexamplesthatothersadmire

andemulate.Wecalltheseindividuals“ClassActs.”

—DANSULLIVANCofounderandpresidentofTheStrategicCoach,Inc.

an Sullivan’s strategic coaching program1 teaches that we

should do our best to act with class and be someone who

attractsotherpeopleofclassintooursphereofinfluence.

Howcanyoustandoutasaclassactinaworldwhereit’smorenormal

tobeaverage?Here’swhatDanSullivansays:

L

Develophighpersonalstandardsandthenlivebythem.Demandmorefrom

yourself—noexceptions.

Operatefromalarger,moreinclusiveperspective.Strivetobemore

understandingandcompassionateofothers.

Take100%responsibilityforyouractionsandyourresults.Classactstake

responsibilityfortheiractionsinsteadofhiding,blamingothers,ormakingexcuses.

Addsomethingofvalueinallsituations.Pursuebiggoalsthatrequireyouto

grow.Bringvaluetotheworld.

Iamtreatingmyselfandotherswithdignityandrespect,whichcreatesamutual

feelingofloveandappreciation.

et’s look at other attributes that Dan Sullivan says are the

hallmarksofclassactbehavior:

Focusonandimprovethebehaviorofothers.Becauseaclassactisagoodrole

model,peoplearoundthembeginthinkingandactingatalevelthatsurprises

themselvesandothers.

Maintaindignityandgraceunderpressure.Youcandothisthreeways:(1)

Remainimperturbableinthemidstofchaos.(2)Maintainacalmnessthatgivescourage.

Yourcouragegivesothershopethatthingswillturnoutallright.(3)Developand

expressthequalityofcertaintythateverythingisgoingtobefine.

Counteractmeanness,pettiness,andvulgarity.Thehallmarksofthis

characteristicareactingwithcourtesy,appreciation,respect,gratitude,andagenerosity

ofspiritinallsituations.

Expandthemeaningofbeinghuman.Classactsapproacheveryone,including

themselves,asuniquehumanbeingswithuniquecircumstances,andasaresult,they

constantlyfindnewwaystomakelifebetterforthemselvesandothers.

Iamactingwithclassbybeingcourteousandgratefulandalwayshavinga

generousspirit.

T ake a good look at your friends, partners, and colleagues—are

they class acts? If they’re not, that disparity is a reflection on

you.Decidetoreinventyourselfasaclassactandseeifyoustart

attractingdifferentkindsofpeople.Raisethequalityofyourattitudeand

elevateyourbehavior.Whenyoubecomeaclassact,peoplewillwantto

dobusinesswithyouandbecomepartofyoursphereofinfluence.They

seeyouasbeingsuccessful,andtheytrustyoutoactwithintegrity.

Class acts teach others how to treat them—they lead by example. Of

course,thefirstpersonyoushouldtreatwithdignity,respect,andesteem

isyourself—you’llteacheveryonearoundyoutotreatyouthesameway.

Ifyou’relazy,alwayslate,messy,anddon’tcareabouthowyouconduct

yourself, otherpeople are going to treat you the sameway. If youwere

having thegovernoror theDaliLamaover to yourhome,wouldn’t you

hiresomeonetohelpcleanyourhouseandbuythebest foodyoucould

afford?Well,whydon’tyoudothatforyourself?

Whenyoustartestablishinghighpersonalstandardsandbegintreating

yourselfwell,you’llgetbettertreatmentfromthosearoundyou.Notonly

that,butyou’llstartbeing invitedtoplaceswherepeoplewiththesame

elevatedstandardsare.

Iamtreatingotherswithhighregardandmakingthemfeelnurturedandloved.

1YoucanlearnmoreaboutDanSullivan’scoachingprogramatwww.thestrategiccoach.com.

F

Week49

DevelopaPositiveMoneyConsciousness

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iammakingpositivechoicesaboutwhattodowithmymoneyandenjoyingthe

energyofabundancethatitreflects.

IamcreatingallthemoneyIwantandneedtoaccomplisheverythingIwanttodo

inlife.

Iamreleasingnegativethoughtsandemotionsaboutmoneyandfeelinghappy

andfreetovisualizemydreams.

Alackofmoneyisnottheproblem;itismerelyasymptomofwhat’sgoingon

insideyou.

—T.HARVEKERBestsellingauthorofSecretsoftheMillionaireMind

inancialsuccessstartsinthemind.Whileitmayseemstrangeto

havelimitingbeliefsandanegativepredispositionaboutmoney,

it’sa fact thataffectsmanypeople.Messages thatwebelieve in

childhoodcarryforwardintoouradultyears.Then,ouradultexperiences

oftenreinforcewhatwethoughtweknew:Moneyisdifficulttomakeand

evenhardertomanage.Wealthisnotforpeoplelikeme.Lifeishard.

W

The key to havingmoremoney in your life is to change yourmoney

consciousness toamorepositivemind-set, then focusonways tobring

moremoneyintoyourlife—andmanageitwisely.Throughtheprinciples

you’re learning in this book—affirmations, deciding what you want,

believing it’s possible, and acting as if—it’s easy to gradually shift your

mind-setanddevelopapositivemoneyconsciousness.

What can you do to make more money? What does your daily

meditation reveal that is a previously overlooked way to accumulate

wealth?Canyourecruitmentorsorcoachestohelpyouthinklikewealthy

peopledo?

Iammakingpositivechoicesaboutwhattodowithmymoneyandenjoyingthe

energyofabundancethatitreflects.

hatdidyoulearnaboutmoneyfromyourparents,teachers,

andotherswhenyouwereachildoryoungadult?Areanyof

thesemessagessabotagingyourfinancialsuccess?

Wealth brings pain andmisery: It’s not uncommon for a child to be

exposed tovolatileargumentsaboutmoney (or the lack thereof).Those

memoriesarepainfulandcausenegativeemotionsattachedtomoney.

Becomingrichwouldviolatethefamilycode: Inmanylow-tomiddle-

income families, there’s a universal belief that rich people earn their

wealthonthebacksofthepoorandtakeadvantageoftheaverageperson.

Thisisn’talwaystrue,ofcourse,butinsomehouseholds,beingpoorisa

badgeofhonorandkeepsyouequivalenttoyourneighbors.

The “good life” comes at a sacrifice: Do you know how much your

parentshadtogiveupsothatyoucouldhaveamusicalinstrument,goto

privateschool,orcompeteinyourchosensport?Thesemessagesoflack

B

negativelyassociatewealthandeasewithhardshipandsacrifice.

Eliminatethesemisconceptionsfromyourthoughts.Moneyisavailable

inanalmost infinite supply.Whatdoyouneed todo topursuegreater

wealthandearnings?

IamcreatingallthemoneyIwantandneedtoaccomplisheverythingIwanttodo

inlife.

obProctor,authorofThePower toHave ItAll anda featured

teacherinthemovieTheSecret,said,“Thepresentstateofyour

bankaccountisnothingmorethanthephysicalmanifestationof

yourpreviousthinking.”Let’sturnaroundyourlimitingbeliefswiththis

powerfulthree-stepprogram:

1)Writedownyourlimitingbeliefaboutmoney:Ittakesmoneytomakemoney.

2)Challengeitwithstatementsthatareactuallytrue:Fortherightbusinessidea,

peoplewillinvestseedcapitaltogetmestarted.TherearemanybusinessesthatIcanstart

onlessthan$500,suchasconsulting,networkmarketing,orbecomingaserviceprovider.

Icangetapromotionandaraiseif

Ijointhecompany’sfreemanagement-trainingprogram.

3)Createapositiveturnaroundstatement:EverythingIneedtomakemoneyeasilyis

showingupatnocosttome.Sayitoutloudwithpassionseveraltimesadayforatleast30

daysanditwillbeyoursforever.

Finally,usethepowerofvisualizationtoseeyourselfenjoyingthe

thingsthatyouwant—asifyoualreadyhavethem.Addthesensationof

touchingit,feelingit,andhearingwhatitsoundslike.

Iamreleasingnegativethoughtsandemotionsaboutmoneyandfeelinghappy

andfreetovisualizemydreams.

I

Week50

YouGetWhatYouFocusOn

AFFIRMATIONSfor


IknowinthedepthsofmyheartthatIwanttohavewealthandthatitwillbecome

areality.

IamfocusedonthosethingsIneedtodoinordertoacquirewealthandfundmy

futurelifestyle.

IampayingmyselffirstandputtingasideapartofeverythingthatIearn,which

createsgreaterrewardsandbringsmeclosertoachievingmygoals.

Ifnoburningdesireforwealthariseswithinyou,nowealthwillarisearoundyou.

Havingdefinitenessofpurposeforacquiringwealthisessentialforitsacquisition.

—DR.JOHNDEMARTINISelf-mademultimillionaireandauthorofRichesWithin

fyouwanttoenjoygreatercashflowandhaveawealthofinvested

capitalthatpaysdividends,deciderightnowfromthedeepestplace

in your heart to accumulate wealth in your life. Don’t worry yet

abouthowyouwillaccomplish it. “Yougetwhatyou focuson” isarule

that applies to almost everything in life, whether it’s buying your first

home, reaching your sales goal, building a business, or winning a

competition.Butit’sespeciallytruewhenitcomestoacquiringwealth.

D

The first step to becomingwealthy is tomake a conscious decision to

become wealthy. The next step is to decide what “wealth” and a rich

lifestylemeantoyou.Hopefully,youdefinedyourfinancialgoalsinWeek

3:DecideWhatYouWanttoBe,Do,andHaveandalreadyhaveavision

in place. If you don’t, do it now. You can’t get very far in the area of

wealth-building without knowing what you want, creating a goal, and

visualizingyoursuccess.

IknowinthedepthsofmyheartthatIwanttohavewealthandthatitwillbecome

areality.

oyouknowwhat itcosts to financeyourdreamlife today—or

in the future? To make decisions and plan for your ideal

lifestyle, you’re going to have to research today’s costs and

estimateyourfuturecosts.Mostpeoplesaytheywantalifeofluxury,but

they’venevertrulydefinedwhatthatmeans.Let’sdothatnow:

Determinewhatitwouldcosttodooracquireeverythingyouwant.Youwouldlikely

needmoneyforluxuryhousing,food,clothes,insurance,cars,philanthropy,vacations—

inadditiontocontinuedinvestingorsaving.

Visualizethoseactivitiesandpossessionsindetail,writingdownthosedetailssoyou

canresearchwhatitwillcosttofundthem.Forinstance,whilemanypeoplesaythey

wanttoownayacht,theyhavenoideawhatthatreallyentails—includingmaintenance,

sliprental,insurance,fuel,perhapsevenacrew?

Determinehowmuchyou’llneedtomaintainyourcurrentorupgradedlifestylewhen

orifyouretire.Willyourhomebepaidoff?Whatwillyourmonthlycostsbe?

Becomemindfulaboutyourmoney.Doyouknowyournetworth?Doyouhaveyour

estateplanningcompleted?

To be financially successful, you have to knowwhere you are, exactly

whereyouwanttogo,andwhat’srequiredtogetthere.

IamfocusedonthosethingsIneedtodoinordertoacquirewealthandfundmy

futurelifestyle.

Wfuturelifestyle.

hile paying off your creditors and becoming debt-free is a

goodfirststeptowardbettermoneymanagement,thisnext

financial rule will surprise you: PAY YOURSELF FIRST.

Instead of paying bills or making new purchases, pay yourself first an

amountthatwillallowyoutoinvestforthelongterm.

If you don’t have an investment account—mutual funds, annuities,

stock-trading account—sit downwith a financial planner who can help

you establish one. Then, educate yourself about how it works, what

happenstothemoneywhenyousendregularchecks,andhowmuchyou

havetoinvestforittoprovideastableretirement.

It’s quite possible that, if you start early enough in life, you could

becomeamillionaireonyourinvestedcapitalalone.Thefactisthatover

99% ofmillionaires aremethodical savers and investors.Most of them

worked hard, lived within their budgets, saved 10% to 20% of their

income, and invested it into their businesses, the stockmarket, or real

estate.

Tosimplifypayingyourselffirst,arrangeforautomaticdeductionsofa

certainpercentfromyourpaycheckforinvestmentssoyoudon’thaveto

makeadecisionorremembertowriteacheckeverymonth.

IampayingmyselffirstandputtingasideapartofeverythingthatIearn,which

createsgreaterrewardsandbringsmeclosertoachievingmygoals.

S

Week51

MakeMoreBeforeYouSpendMore

AFFIRMATIONSfor


Iamfocusingonmygoalofbeingdebt-freeandspendingwiselyforwhatIwant.

IhavechangedmyfocusfromspendingandconsumingtoenjoyingwhatIalready

have.

Iamalwaysthinkingofnewwaystomakemoremoneybyservingtheneedsof

others.

Toomanypeoplespendmoneytheyhaven’tearned,tobuythingstheydon’twant,

toimpresspeopletheydon’tlike.

—WILLROGERSAmericanhumorist,actor,andwriter

uccessfulpeoplehavemasteredthespendinggame—theyarewise

abouthowtheypartwiththeirmoney.Successfulpeoplepayless

forthingstheywant,theylivebelowtheirmeans,andtheyspend

aslittleaspossibletoaccomplishagoal.

Regardless of where you stand financially—even if it looks hopeless—

youcanturnthingsaround.Youcanstillbecomedebt-freeandsavemore

if you persevere and stay the course. Focus and you will start to see

miraculous things happening in your life.When you change your focus

D

from consumption and spending to enjoying and being grateful for the

thingsyoualreadyhave,yourprogresswillincrease.

You’ll begin to measure success in debts paid rather than things

purchased,andyou’llbeabletoweighallofyourpurchasesagainstyour

goaltobefinanciallysecureanddebt-free.

Iamfocusingonmygoalofbeingdebt-freeandspendingwiselyforwhatIwant.

o you know howmuchmoney you spent last year? Here’s a

greatexerciseforself-discovery:Gothrougheveryroominthe

house—every drawer, cabinet, and closet—and take out

everything you haven’t used in the past year. Clothing, toys, car

accessories,electronics,crafts,kitchengadgets,doesn’tmatter.Putthem

all inyour livingroomorgarage, thenaddup theprice foreverysingle

item.Prettybigwake-upcall,right?

Overspendingwreakshavoconyourfinancialgoals.Whenyoufocuson

consumption,yougointodebt,youdon’tsaveenough,andyourplansfor

accumulatingwealthfallbehind.Onewaytocurbtheoverspendinghabit

istopaycashforeverything.

Next,reducethecostofyourlifestyle.You’llbesurprisedathowmuch

youcansavewhenyoutakeaconscious lookathowyoulive.Makeita

gametogettopqualitygoodsandservicesfornexttonothing.Thenget

creativeaboutsavingmoney.

Hereareafewmoretipstogetyoumovingintherightdirection:Stop

borrowingmoney. Don’t get a home equity loan to pay off your credit

cards. Pay off your smallest debts first. Slowly increase your debt

payments.Payoffyourhomemortgageandcreditcardsearly.Nowyou

haveaplan!

IhavechangedmyfocusfromspendingandconsumingtoenjoyingwhatIalready

Chave.

ommon sense tells you there are only two ways to havemore

money:spendlessormakemore.Onceyouknowhowmuchyou

want to make, you can decide what product, service, or

additionalvalueyoucandelivertoearnthatamount.

Herearesomeideas:

1)Doconsultingoutsideyourregularjob:Ifyouremployerdoesnotprohibitit,youcould

beginrecruitingclientsinyourareaofexpertisewhoneedtheuniqueindustryknowledge

youhave.Writeabrochurethatdetailsthespecificthingsyoucanhelpwithandreachoutto

yourLinkedInnetworktospreadtheword.

2)Identifyanewprofitcenterforyouremployer:Ifyouknowyoucouldgeneratemore

moneyforyouremployerbyleveraginguntappedassetssuchasacustomerlist,supplier

relationships,orobsoleteinventory,youcanapproachyouremployerwithaplantogetpaid

separatelyorevenpartnerwiththecompany—sharinginthatnewrevenuestream.

3)Dopart-timetasksforcash:OnlineportalslikeCare.com,Taskrabbit.com,and

Upwork.comconnectfreelancerswithclientswhoneedpersonalorganizers,project

coordinators,andcreativetypestodosingleprojectsorongoingworkattheirbusinessor

home.

=Iamalwaysthinkingofnewwaystomakemoremoneybyservingtheneedsof

others.

T

Week52

ShareMore,ServeMore

AFFIRMATIONSfor


EverycontributionImakeintimeandmoneyhelpsothersandexpandsabundance

inmylife.

IamgladlytithingaportionofallIearnbecauseIamgratefulfortheblessingsI

havebeengiven.

IamjoyfullyservingothersknowingthatIalwaysgetbackmorethanIgive.

Give,anditwillbegiventoyou.Agoodmeasure,presseddown,shakentogether

andrunningover,willbepouredintoyourlap.Forwiththemeasureyouuse,it

willbemeasuredtoyou.

—LUKE6:38NewInternationalVersionoftheBible

hroughout history, many of the world’s richest and most

successful people have also been the most generous givers.

Industrialist Andrew Carnegie, for example, funded lending

librariesaroundtheworld,eventuallybuildingmorethan3,500facilities

aroundtheworld—launchingwhat laterbecamethemodern-day library

system. And ever since the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book was

published,Mark VictorHansen and I tithed a portion of the profits to

E

humanitarian and environmental organizations. Because the serieswas

sosuccessful,we’vebeenabletogiveawaymillionsofdollarstohundreds

ofcharities.

With all the benefits that givers say they receive from sharing with

others,manypeoplestillfindtithing—givingofyourmoneyortimetoa

religiousorganizationoracharity—adifficultdecision.However,tithing

is one of the best guarantees of prosperity ever known because tithing

regularly puts into motion God’s universal force on your behalf and

createsaspiritualbondbetweenyouandtheGodofabundance.

EverycontributionImakeintimeandmoneyhelpsothersandexpandsabundance

inmylife.

arningmoneyandkeepingscorecanbefunandexciting,butit’s

ofutmostimportancetokeepinviewthebiggerpicture:thatthe

size of your income and your collection of stuff is not what

createsthefulfillmentyouenjoyinyourlife.Wealthforthesakeofwealth

canleadtogreed.

I love thisquotebyJuniorMurchison, founderof theDallasCowboys

footballteam,“Moneyislikemanure.Ifyouspreaditarounditdoesalot

ofgood.But ifyoupile itup inoneplace, itstinks likehell.”Whenyou

share your success and wealth with others, greater success is gained.

Morepeople benefit. Thepositive outcome from sharing applies to just

about everything, but it’s especially true when it comes to tithing both

moneyandtime.

BobAllen,thebestsellingauthorofTheOneMinuteMillionaire,didn’t

begintotitheuntilhehadlostallhiswealth.Eventually,hereclaimedhis

prosperous lifeanddeterminedthat this timehewouldtithe.Today,he

sayshehassomuchopportunity,hecouldn’ttapitallinonelifetime.He

I

also said this, “Youdon’t tithebecauseyouwant toget something.You

tithe because you’ve already gotten something . . . you tithe out of the

gratitudeyoufeelfortheunbelievableblessingandlifestyleyouhave.”

IamgladlytithingaportionofallIearnbecauseIamgratefulfortheblessings

thatIhavebeengiven.

“

tisoneofthebeautifulcompensationsofthislifethatnomancan

sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” So said

AmericanessayistandpoetRalphWaldoEmerson.It’strue.

Infact, just liketithing, it’sauniversalprinciplethatyoucannotserve

otherswithout it comingbackmultiplied toyourself.Peoplewho finda

way to serve as volunteers, missionaries, and mentors experience the

greatestlevelsofcontentmentandsatisfaction,aswellasdeepinnerjoy,

intheirlives.

Whenyouvolunteer,yougetbacksomuchmorethanyougive—oftenin

theformofbetterhealthandmorepersonalsatisfactionwithlife.

Butthere’sanotherbenefittovolunteeringthat’slikea“specialbonus”

for people who are already successful or are on their way to success:

volunteering enables you to meet all kinds of people you would never

otherwiseget toknow.Buildinganetworkof important relationships is

oneof the keys to success—and frequently, thepeople youmeet as you

servearethepeoplewhomakethingshappeninyourprofessionandin

yourcommunity.Theseconnectionsareunexpectedcareerandbusiness

rewards.

Thebottomlineis,giversget.Theworldrespondsmuchmorepositively

togiversthanitdoestotakers.Soaskyourselfwhatcanyougive,share,

andtithe?

IamjoyfullyservingothersknowingthatIalwaysgetbackmorethanIgive.

WHATDOYOUWANTINYOURLIFE?

DownloadourFREELifePlanningWorkbookatwww.SuccessPrinciplesPlanner.com

Tohelpyoudecidewhatyouwant instunningdetail—ineveryareaof

your life—we have a free workbook and life-planning tool you can

downloadnowatSuccessPrinciplesPlanner.com.

It’scompletelyfreeofcharge.

This exciting and thought-provoking planning tool will even help you

writeaffirmationsthatareuniquelyyourown—affirmationsthatwillhelp

youbringaboutthelifeyouwant!

After downloading and printing the planner, find a place with a

comfortable, quiet environment (even playing relaxing music without

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visionoftheideallifethatyouidentify.

Thedownloadableworkbookwillhelpyouplanindetailthesevenmajor

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Downloadtoday...andstartcreatingthelifeyouwant.

VisitSuccessPrinciplesPlanner.comtodownloadittoday.

http://www.SuccessPrinciplesPlanner.com

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JAbouttheAuthors

ack Canfield, known as America’s #1 Success Coach, is a

bestselling author, professional speaker, trainer, and

entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of The Canfield

Training Group, which trains entrepreneurs, educators, corporate

leaders,salesprofessionals,andmotivatedindividualsinhowtoexpand

their vision and accelerate the achievement of their personal and

professionalgoals.

AsthecreatorofthebelovedChickenSoupfortheSoul®seriesandthe

driving force behind the development and sales of more than 200

Chicken Soup for the Soul books, with 100 million copies sold in the

United States (and 500 million worldwide in 43 languages), Jack is

uniquely qualified to talk about success. Jack’s nationally syndicated

newspapercolumnisreadin150papers.TheChickenSoupfortheSoul

televisionseriesairedonboththePAXandABCnetworks.

JackisagraduateofHarvard,holdsamaster’sdegreeinpsychological

educationfromtheUniversityofMassachusetts,andhasthreehonorary

doctorates. Over the past 40 years, he has been a psychotherapist, an

educationalconsultant,acorporatetrainer,andaleadingauthorityinthe

areasofself-esteem,breakthroughsuccess,andpeakperformance.

ThefirsteditionofTheSuccessPrincipleshassoldhalfamillioncopies

in 29 languages around the globe. Jack’s other bestselling books—The

SuccessPrinciples forTeens,ThePowerofFocus,TheAladdinFactor,

DaretoWin,You’veGottoReadThisBook!,TheKeytoLivingtheLaw

of Attraction, Coaching for Breakthrough Success, and Tapping into

Ultimate Success—have sold millions of copies and have launched

complementarymultimediaprograms,coachingprograms,andcorporate

trainingprogramstoenthusiasticindividualsandcorporations.

Jackholds aGuinnessBookWorldRecord for having sevenbooks on

theNewYorkTimesBestsellerListonthesameday(May24,1998).He

alsoachievedaGuinnessWorldRecordforthelargestbooksigning(held

forChickenSoupfortheKid’sSoul).

Jack is also the founder of The Foundation for Self-Esteem, which

provides self-esteem resources and trainings to social workers, welfare

recipients, and human resource professionals. Jack wrote and

coproducedtheGOALSProgram,avideo-basedtrainingprogramtohelp

people in California transition fromwelfare to work, which has helped

810,000peoplegetoffwelfare.

Jackhasappearedonmore than1,000radioand televisionprograms,

including Oprah, The Montel Williams Show, Larry King Live, the

Today show,Fox& Friends, theCBS EveningNews, theNBCNightly

News, andCNN’s Talk Back Live, and onPBS and theBBC. Jack is a

featuredteacherin19movies,includingTheSecret,TheTruth,TheOpus,

ChoicePoint,TheTappingSolution,andTheKeeperoftheKeys.

Jack has conducted more than 2,500 trainings, workshops, and

seminars—and has presented and conducted workshops for more than

500corporations,professionalassociations,universities,schoolsystems,

andmental health organizations in all 50 states and 35 countries. His

clients include Microsoft, Federal Express, Siemens, Campbell’s Soup,

Virgin Records, Sony Pictures, General Electric, Sprint, Merrill Lynch,

Hartford Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, Coldwell Banker, Northrop,

RE/MAX,KellerWilliams,UCLA,YPO,theU.S.DepartmentoftheNavy,

andtheChildren’sMiracleNetwork.

JackhasbeeninductedintotheNationalSpeakersAssociationSpeakers

K

HallofFame,isarecipientoftheRotaryClub’sPaulHarrisFellowship,

was awarded the Golden Plate Award from the National Achievement

Summit, and received the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of

Massachusetts.HewastwicenamedMotivatoroftheYearfromBusiness

Digest magazine, received the Speaker of the Year Award from the

Society of Leadership and Success, and is a recipient of the National

LeadershipAwardfromtheNationalAssociationforSelf-Esteem.

TofindoutmoreaboutJack’sBreakthroughtoSuccessTrainings,Train

theTrainerProgram,CoachingPrograms,andaudioandvideoprograms,

ortoinquireabouthiringhimasaspeakerortrainer,youcancontacthis

officeat:TheCanfieldTrainingGroup

P.O.Box30880

SantaBarbara,CA93130

Phone:

805-563-2935and800-237-8336

Fax:805-563-2945

Email:[email protected]:

www.JackCanfield.com

www.CanfieldTrainings.com

www.CanfieldCoaching.com

ellyJohnsonhasworkedinthepublishingindustryformany

years;shewaspartofthesalesandmarketingteamatHCIthat

helped the Chicken Soup for the Soul series become an

international phenomenon. Kelly is the coauthor of Feeling Great:

CreatingaLifeofOptimism,Enthusiasm,andContentmentwithPeter

VegsoandDadiJanki.ShelivesneartheseainSatelliteBeach,Florida.

http://www.JackCanfield.com

http://www.CanfieldTrainings.com

http://www.CanfieldCoaching.com

R amGanglani is an entrepreneur, businessman, andmentor.

Dedicated and positive, hands-on and strategic, Ram’s career

spans sales, marketing, and communications, from Africa to

Europe,fromtheMiddleEasttoNearAsia.

Health Communications, Inc. Deerfield Beach, Florida...eventually becoming a multimillionaire,...

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