Grow Your Value!

Saat sedang berjalan-jalan di Mall Taman Anggrek, Jakarta, saya kebetulan masuk di sebuah toko perhiasan dan selintas melihat percakapan yang menarik antara seorang pembeli dan penjual. Mereka sedang terlibat tawar menawar sebuah kalung mutiara yang cukup indah, dan kelihatannya termasuk salah satu koleksi unggulan dari toko tersebut. Setelah tawar menawar beberapa saat, si pembeli akhirnya memutuskan untuk keluar dari toko itu, karena dianggapnya harga barang tersebut mahal.

Selang beberapa menit kemudian, ada pembeli lain yang masuk, dan kemudian mengamati kalung mutiara yang tadi. Dia kemudian mencoba sejenak di lehernya, dan setelah dirasa cocok, tanpa tawar menawar langsung dibayarnya barang tersebut dan keluar.

Apa yang menarik dari kedua kejadian tadi?

Barang yang sama, tapi dipersepsikan berbeda oleh dua orang. Tentu, yang membedakan persepsi keduanya adalah uang yang dimiliki oleh masing-masing orang. Semakin banyak uang yang anda miliki, tentu semakin murah harga barang tersebut di mata Anda.

Saya tertarik untuk membahas justru dari sisi orang pertama. Apa yang kira-kira dilakukan oleh orang tadi setelah gagal menawar barang tersebut?

Bila dia memang serius ingin membeli barang tersebut, mungkin dia akan mulai masuk ke toko-toko lain, mencari-cari yang lebih murah. Bila setelah `berjuang' keliling mall dan tidak juga menemukan barang yang harganya sesuai dengan isi kantongnya, mungkin dia mencoba mencari di tempat lain, atau mungkin juga mengurungkan niat untuk membelinya....

Fokus dari orang pertama ini adalah lebih kepada jumlah uang yang dia miliki, dibanding dengan nilai dari barang tersebut bagi dirinya.

Jika merujuk kepada teori Rich Dad-nya Kiyosaki, dikatakan disana bahwa orang rata-rata melihat dari seberapa besar pendapatannya, lalu menekan pengeluarannya, sedang orang sukses melihat dari sisi pengeluarannya, lalu meningkatkan pendapatannya.

Dalam lingkup kehidupan, bukankah sebagian besar dari kita juga memiliki sikap seperti orang pertama itu?

Saat kita menghadapi masalah, kita selalu mengeluh mengapa kita yang `kecil' ini mendapat masalah seberat itu.

James Gwee dalam Ultimate Power Motivation di Senayan mengatakan,

BAHWA YANG MENJADI POKOK PERSOALAN BUKAN BESAR KECILNYA MASALAH, TAPI BESAR KECILNYA VALUE ANDA.

Begitu value Anda ditingkatkan, maka masalah tersebut akan menjadi kecil di mata. Bukankah Anda saat ini sudah sangat mahir makan dengan sendok dan garpu, suatu hal yang menjadi masalah besar saat anda berusia dua tahun?

Dan bukankah Anda saat ini sudah sangat mahir bermain internet, sehingga Anda bisa membaca artikel ini, suatu hal yang mungkin sangat asing dan sukar beberapa tahun yang lalu?

Sayangnya, di dunia di mana kita tinggal ini, tidak semua orang mau berusaha untuk meningkatkan value di dalam diri mereka. Daripada berusaha capek-capek meningkatkan value, mereka lebih memilih untuk `menetapkan standard' mereka sendiri terhadap dunia ini. Sebagai contoh, ada dari mereka yang mungkin berkata ,"Karena kemampuan bahasa Inggris saya jelek, saya jadi tidak tertarik membaca buku bahasa Inggris. Kalau ada terjemahannya, mungkin saya mau baca".

Standard bahasa Inggris mereka sudah dipatok di nilai tertentu, dan daripada meningkatkan value standardnya, mereka lebih memilih buku terjemahan yang “lebih sesuai” dengan standard mereka. Di sisi lain, ada juga mereka yang berusaha “meningkatkan value” standard mereka dengan memaksa diri membaca buku bahasa Inggris sambil membuka-buka kamus.

Tidak ada yang salah dengan pilihan Anda, apakah mau mematok standard atau meningkatkan standard value Anda. Ini semua hanyalah pilihan Anda pribadi dalam hidup. Hanya saja, apabila Anda mematok standard Anda di satu titik tertentu, jangan mengeluh terhadap kerasnya kehidupan dan masalah yang dating kepada Anda.

Ingat, bukan besar kecilnya masalah yang menjadi pokok dalam kehidupan ini, tapi besar kecilnya value anda.Dan ada satu prinsip yang luar biasa yang dikatakan oleh Andrie Wongso tentang hal ini,

"KALAU ANDA KERAS TERHADAP DIRI ANDA, MAKA KEHIDUPAN AKAN LUNAK KEPADA ANDA. SEBALIKNYA APABILA ANDA LUNAK KEPADA DIRI ANDA, MAKA KEHIDUPAN AKAN KERAS KEPADA ANDA".

Jadi, lakukan pilihan yang terbaik, dan dapatkan hasilnya.

Sukses untuk Anda!

Anjing yang Pintar

Seorang penjual daging mengamati suasana sekitar tokonya. Ia sangat terkejut melihat seekor anjing datang ke samping tokonya. Ia mengusir anjing itu, tetapi anjing itu kembali lg.

Maka, ia menghampiri anjing itu & melihat ada suatu catatan di mulut anjing itu. Ia mengambil catatan itu dan membacanya," tolong sediakan 12 sosis dan satu kaki domba. Uangnya ada di mulut anjing ini."

Si penjual daging melihat ke mulut anjing itu dan ternyata ada uang sebesar 10 dollar disana. Segera ia mengambil uang itu, kemudian ia memasukkan sosis dan kaki domba ke dalam kantung plastik dan diletakkan kembali di mulut anjing itu. Si penjual daging sangat terkesan. Kebetulan saat itu adalah waktu tutup tokonya, ia menutup tokonya & berjalan mengikuti si anjing.

Anjing tsb berjalan menyusuri jalan & sampai ke tempat penyeberangan jalan. Anjing itu meletakkan kantung plastiknya, melompat & menekan tombol penyeberangan, kemudian menunggu dgn sabar dgn kantung plastik dimulut, sambil menunggu lampu penyeberang berwarna hijau. Setelah lampu menjadi hijau, ia menyeberang sementara si penjual daging mengikutinya.

Anjing tsb kemudian sampai ke perhentian bus, dan mulai melihat papan informasi jam perjalanan . Si penjual daging terkagum-kagum melihatnya. Si anjing melihat papan informasi jam perjalanan dan kemudian duduk disalah satu bangku yg disediakan. Sebuah bus datang, si anjing menghampirinya & melihat nomor bus & kemudian kembali ke tempat duduknya.

Bus lain datang. Sekali lg bus lainnya datang. Sekali lagi si anjing menghampiri & melihat nomor busnya. Setelah melihat bahwa bus tsb adalah bus yg benar, si anjing naik. Si penjual daging, dengan kekagumannya mengikuti anjing itu & naik ke bus tsb.

Bus berjalan meninggalkan kota , menuju ke pinggiran kota . Si anjing melihat pemandangan sekitar. Akhirnya ia bangun & bergerak ke depan bus, ia berdiri dgn 2 kakinya & menekan tombol agar bus berhenti. Kemudian ia keluar, kantung plastik masih tergantung di mulutnya.

Anjing tsb berjalan menyusuri jalan sambil dikuti si penjual daging. Si anjing berhenti pd suatu rumah, ia berjalan menyusuri jalan kecil & meletakkan kantung plastik pd salah satu anak tangga.

Kemudian, ia mundur, berlari & membenturkan dirinya ke pintu. Ia mundur, & kembali membenturkan dirinya ke pintu rumah tsb. Tdk ada jawaban dr dlm rumah, jd si anjing kembali melalui jalan kecil, melompati tembok kecil & berjalan sepanjang batas kebun tsb. Ia menghampiri jendela & membenturkan kepalanya beberapa kali, berjalan mundur, melompat balik & menunggu di pintu.

Si penjual daging melihat seorang pria tinggi besar membuka pintu & mulai menyiksa anjing tsb, menendangnya, memukulinya, serta menyumpahinya.

Si penjual daging berlari untuk menghentikan pria tsb," Apa yg kau lakukan ..??!! Anjing ini adalah anjing yg jenius. Ia dapat masuk televisi untuk kejeniusannya." Pria itu menjawab," Kau katakan anjing ini pintar ...??? Dlm minggu ini sdh dua kali anjing bodoh ini lupa membawa kuncinya ..!!!"

Refleksi:
Apa yang bisa Anda simpulkan dari cerita di atas?
Silahkan isikan pada kolom comment!

Berpijak Pada Masalah

Suatu hari keledai milik seorang petani jatuh ke dalam sumur. Hewan itu menangis dengan memilukan selama berjam-jam semetara si petani memikirkan apa yang harus dilakukannya.

Akhirnya, Ia memutuskan bahwa hewan itu sudah tua dan sumur juga perlu ditimbun (ditutup - karena berbahaya);jadi tidak berguna untuk menolong si keledai. Dan ia mengajak tetangga-tetangganya untuk datang membantunya. Mereka membawa sekop dan mulai menyekop tanah ke dalam sumur.

Pada mulanya, ketika si keledai menyadari apa yang sedang terjadi, ia menangis penuh kengerian.Tetapi kemudian, semua orang takjub, karena si keledai menjadi diam. Setelah beberapa sekop tanah lagi dituangkan ke dalam sumur, si petani melihat ke dalam sumur dan tercengang karena apa yang dilihatnya.

Walaupun punggungnya terus ditimpa oleh bersekop-sekop tanah dan kotoran, si keledai melakukan sesuatu yang menakjubkan. Ia mengguncang-guncangkan badannya agar tanah yang menimpa punggungnya turun ke bawah, lalu menaiki tanah itu.

Sementara tetangga-2 si petani terus menuangkan tanah kotor ke atas punggung hewan itu, si keledai terus juga menguncangkan badannya dan melangkah naik. Segera saja, semua orang terpesona ketika si keledai meloncati tepi sumur dan melarikan diri.


Refleksi:
Kehidupan terus saja menuangkan tanah dan kotoran kepadamu, segala macam tanah dan kotoran. Cara untuk keluar dari 'sumur' (kesedihan, masalah, dsb) adalah dengan menguncangkan segala tanah dan kotoran dari diri kita (pikiran dan hati kita) dan melangkah naik dari 'sumur' dengan menggunakan hal-hal tersebut sebagai pijakan.

Setiap masalah-masalah kita merupakan satu batu pijakan untuk melangkah. Kita dapat keluar dari 'sumur' yang terdalam dengan terus berjuang, jangan pernah menyerah!


”Happiness is not a destination but a day by day journey”
Build Assets!!! Or work til you drop

Freedom is Your Right

Ini adalah cerita tentang seorang tahanan di dalam sebuah camp kerja paksa.

Waktu itu ada suatu perang, suatu kelompok tahanan ditahan oleh para serdadu dan mereka semua setiap hari disiksa. Tapi ada satu orang tahanan yang tahan terhadap siksaan, dia bukannya mengeluh, setelah disiksa dia bukannya menangis, dia tidak menjerit tapi yang dia lakukan adalah pada saat disiksa dia hanya diam, menggertakan gigi menahan siksaan tersebut dan kemudian setelah siksaan itu berakhir, waktu dia kembali ke selnya, dia akan bersenandung dan besok pagi pada waktu semua tahanan berkumpul di tengah lapangan, dia akan berjalan ke tengah lapangan dan dia akan menyanyi, dia akan mengambil gitarnya, dia akan memainkan lagu-lagu yang indah, lagu-lagu yang ceria, dia katakan “Hidup ini indah.” Dia terus memberikan pengharapan pada orang-orang yang ada di sekitarnya.

Para penjaga marah melihat kelakuan orang tersebut, mereka merasa orang tersebut melecehkan, tahanan yang kurang ajar, makanya mereka memutuskan untuk mengambil alat musik tersebut, sebuah gitar kecil. Besoknya apa yang terjadi? Tahanan tersebut kembali ke tengah lapangan, kali ini tanpa gitar, tapi kali ini dia cukup hanya bernyanyi saja. Suaranya tidak merdu tetapi dinyanyikan dengan jiwa, terasa begitu menyentuh. Dia terus menyanyi, menyanyi, menyanyi. Dan saat itu para penjaga menjadi sangat marah sekali, mereka bergegas mendatangi orang tersebut dan dia langsung dihantam, dipukul, ditendang, disakiti. Besoknya, masih dengan wajah yang bengkak-bengkak dengan tubuh yang kebiruan, dia kembali ke tengah lapangan dan dia kembali menyanyikan lagu yang sama. Penjaga menjadi sangat marah sekali, akhirnya mereka mengambil orang tersebut, menyeretnya dengan memegang rambutnya, lalu mereka mengeluarkan sebuah pisau dan memotong lidahnya. Mereka berkata, “Saat ini lidahmu aku potong, dengan demikian kamu tidak bisa menyanyi lagi.”

Anda tahu apa yang dilakukan orang tersebut keesokan harinya? Keesokan harinya dia berjalan ke tengah lapangan, dengan rasa sakit yang luar biasa dan darah bercucuran dimana-mana, dia sudah tidak bisa menyanyi, tapi apa yang dia lakukan? Yang dia lakukan adalah dia menepuk-nepukkan tangannya. Dan Anda tahu? Para penjaga begitu marahnya, para penjaga begitu tersinggung, mereka langsung serentak berlari ke arah tahanan tersebut, dan mereka mengeluarkan sebilah pedang dan mereka menebas kedua tangan itu, putus. Akhirnya teman-temannya menolong tahanan yang sudah kehilangan kedua tangannya. Pada saat terseret, orang tersebut masih tersenyum. Dalam kesakitan dia masih tetap tersenyum. Dia diobati oleh teman-temannya. Anda tahu apa yang terjadi keesokan harinya?

Keesokan harinya, para penjaga terpaku melihat pemandangan di tengah lapangan, mereka memandang ke tengah lapangan dengan mulut terbuka, dengan penuh kekaguman, mereka melihat tahanan tersebut tanpa lidah, tanpa tangan, dia menari dengan badannya, dan dari tariannya, dari gerakannya, orang seakan-akan mendengarkan nyanyian yang sangat merdu. Sebuah nyanyian tentang kebebasan.

Anda mengerti apa maksud dari cerita ini? Dan ini adalah kisah nyata Saudara. Kisah nyata tentang seorang yang tidak membiarkan kebebasannya, kemerdekaannya, dan kebahagiaannya dirampas oleh orang lain. Karena dia sangat mengerti bahwa yang namanya kebahagiaan, bahwa yang namanya kebebasan, bahwa yang namanya kemerdekaan, kemerdekaan akan rasa tersiksa, kemerdekaan akan rasa terjajah, itu adalah hak dari setiap orang. Anda mempunyai hak untuk menjadi orang yang luar biasa. Anda memiliki hak untuk menjadi orang yang bisa dibanggakan.

Get Your Freedom & Make Your Dreams Come True!

Tidak Ada Jalan Yang Rata Untuk Sukses

Di pagi hari buta, terlihat seorang pemuda dengan bungkusan kain berisi bekal di punggungnya tengah berjalan dengan tujuan mendaki ke puncak gunung yang terkenal.
Konon kabarnya, di puncak gunung itu terdapat pemandangan indah layaknya berada di surga. Sesampai di lereng gunung, terlihat sebuah rumah kecil yang dihuni oleh seorang kakek tua.

Setelah menyapa pemilik rumah, pemuda mengutarakan maksudnya "Kek, saya ingin mendaki gunung ini. Tolong kek, tunjukkan jalan yang paling mudah untuk mencapai ke puncak gunung".

Si kakek dengan enggan mengangkat tangan dan menunjukkan tiga jari ke hadapan pemuda.
"Ada 3 jalan menuju puncak, kamu bisa memilih sebelah kiri, tengah atau sebelah kanan?"
"Kalau saya memilih sebelah kiri?"
"Sebelah kiri melewati banyak bebatuan."

Setelah berpamitan dan mengucap terima kasih, si pemuda bergegas melanjutkan perjalanannya. Beberapa jam kemudian dengan peluh bercucuran, si pemuda terlihat kembali di depan pintu rumah si kakek.
"Kek, saya tidak sanggup melewati terjalnya batu-batuan. Jalan sebelah mana lagi yang harus aku lewati kek?"
Si kakek dengan tersenyum mengangkat lagi 3 jari tangannya menjawab, "Pilihlah sendiri, kiri, tengah atau sebelah kanan?"
"Jika aku memilih jalan sebelah kanan?"
"Sebelah kanan banyak semak berduri."

Setelah beristirahat sejenak, si pemuda berangkat kembali mendaki. Selang beberapa jam kemudian, dia kembali lagi ke rumah si kakek. Dengan kelelahan si pemuda berkata, "Kek, aku sungguh-sungguh ingin mencapai puncak gunung. Jalan sebelah kanan dan kiri telah aku tempuh, rasanya aku tetap berputar-putar di tempat yang sama sehingga aku tidak berhasil mendaki ke tempat yang lebih tinggi dan harus kembali kemari tanpa hasil yang kuinginkan, tolong kek tunjukkan jalan lain yang rata dan lebih mudah agar aku berhasil mendaki hingga ke puncak gunung."

Si kakek serius mendengarkan keluhan si pemuda, sambil menatap tajam dia berkata tegas "Anak muda! Jika kamu ingin sampai ke puncak gunung, tidak ada jalan yang rata dan mudah! Rintangan berupa bebatuan dan semak berduri, harus kamu lewati, bahkan kadang jalan buntu pun harus kamu hadapi. Selama keinginanmu untuk mencapai puncak itu tetap tidak goyah, hadapi semua rintangan! Hadapi semua tantangan yang ada! Jalani langkahmu setapak demi setapak, kamu pasti akan berhasil mencapai puncak gunung itu seperti yang kamu inginkan! dan nikmatilah pemandangan yang luar biasa !!! Apakah kamu mengerti?”

Dengan takjub si pemuda mendengar semua ucapan kakek, sambil tersenyum gembira dia menjawab "Saya mengerti kek, saya mengerti! Terima kasih kek! Saya siap menghadapi selangkah demi selangkah setiap rintangan dan tantangan yang ada! Tekad saya makin mantap untuk mendaki lagi sampai mencapai puncak gunung ini.
Dengan senyum puas si kakek berkata, "Anak muda, Aku percaya kamu pasti bisa mencapai puncak gunung itu! Selamat berjuang!!!
Tidak ada jalan yang rata untuk sukses!

Sama seperti analogi Proses pencapaian mendaki gunung tadi. Untuk meraih sukses seperti yang kita inginkan, Tidak ada jalan rata! tidak ada jalan pintas! Sewaktu-waktu, rintangan, kesulitan dan kegagalan selalu datang menghadang. Kalau mental kita lemah, takut tantangan , tidak yakin pada diri sendiri, maka apa yang kita inginkan pasti akan kandas ditengah jalan. Hanya dengan mental dan tekad yang kuat, mempunyai komitmen untuk tetap berjuang, barulah kita bisa menapak di puncak kesuksesan.

Salam sukses luar biasa!
Andrie Wongso
www.andriewongso.com

Fokus Pada Hal Besar (Impian Anda)

Di sebuah seminar managemen waktu, seorang profesor membuat sebuah peragaan. Ada sebuah toples diisi dengan batu-batu besar sampai penuh. Lalu profesornya tanya kepada peserta seminar, “Kalau toples ini saya isi lagi, bisa nggak?” Professor mengambil batu-batu kecil lalu mengisi kedalam toples tersebut, dan masuk. Professor bertanya lagi, “Kalau saya isi lagi, masih bisa nggak?” Kayaknya gak mungkin Prof. Lalu professor mengisi toples tersebut dengan pasir, agak sedikit digoyang-goyang, akhirnya pasirnya masuk. Professor Tanya lagi, “kalau saya isi lagi, masih bisa nggak?” Kali ini gak mungkin Prof. Kemudian professor mengisi toples tersebut dengan air, sampai akhirnya toples tersebut benar-benar penuh.

Kemudian professor bertanya kepada peserta seminar, “ada yang tau apa arti peragaan ini?” Ada satu peserta yang angkat tangan dan menjawab, “Prof, sesibuk-sibuknya orang, pasti punya waktu.” Profesornya agak bingung, karena bukan itu yang dimaksud tapi ada benernya juga.

Lalu professor mengeluarkan isi dari toples tersebut, kemudian dibalik. Air diisi lebih dahulu, kemudian pasir, batu-batu kecil, dst. Belum sampai batu-batu kecil tersebut terisi, toples sudah penuh, sudah tidak bias diisi lagi. Nah, sekarang apa arti dari peragaan ini? Peserta seminar bingung, tidak ada yang bisa menjawab.

Akhirnya professor tersebut bilang, seringkali di dalam hidup kita, kita mengisi waktu kita dengan hal-hal kecil yang kurang atau bahkan tidak penting. Sedangkan hal-hal besar seringkali terlupakan. Hal-hal yang besar itu apa? Sesuatu yang menyentuh hati kita, sesuatu yang memang kita inginkan, impian-impian kita, seringkali kita lewatkan. Kita tidak focus terhadap apa yang kita inginkan.

Banyak orang melewatkan impian-impian yang seharusnya dia harapkan untuk kebahagiaan keluarga, orang tua, lewat begitu saja. Bagaimana dengan Anda?

Dream Big Bro!

Apa itu impian?
Impian adalah sesuatu yang benar-benar diinginkan, baik berupa materi maupun non materi sehingga Anda bersedia bekerja keras untuk mewujudkannya. Impian bukan sekedar keinginan tapi hasrat seseorang, sesuatu yang bisa memotivasi Anda.

Impian bisa disamakan dengan tujuan. Bayangkan bila Anda main sepak bola tapi tidak ada gawangnya. Atau Anda naik taxi kemudian ditanya sama sopirnya, “Mau kemana Pak?” Lalu Anda menjawab, “tidak tahu”. Apakah mungkin Anda akan sampai ke tujuan Anda? Demikian juga, bila Anda tidak memiliki gambaran sukses, apakah anda bisa sukses?

Banyak orang yang takut untuk bermimpi karena mereka kuatir tidak dapat mewujudkannya, mereka takut gagal. Banyak orang yang takut untuk bermimpi karena mereka kuatir akan ditertawakan oleh orang-orang di sekitar mereka. Karena mungkin impian mereka kelihatannya tidak masuk akal untuk saat ini. Saya katakan untuk saat ini karena mungkin saja suatu saat impian itu akan menjadi kenyataan.

Manusia selalu berpikir dulu baru bertindak. Bila Anda mengingikan sesuatu, Anda harus memikirkannya dulu. Segala sesuatu yang Anda dan saya lihat sekarang ini semuanya berasal dari pikiran, berasal dari impian.

Dulu Thomas Alfa Edison memimpikan agar kita memiliki cahaya di malam hari.
Saat ini kita memiliki lampu. Dulu Wright bersaudara memimpikan bagaimana caranya terbang seperti burung. Sekarang kita memiliki pesawat yang dapat membawa kita kemana saja kita mau, ke seluruh dunia bahkan sampai keluar angkasa. Dulu Walt Disney memimpikan sebuah taman baermain untuk anak-anak, sekarang anak mana yang tidak pernah mendengar Disneyland? Dulu semua itu tidak masuk akal, tapi sekarang?

Banyak orang yang bilang, “Kalau punya impian jangan tinggi-tinggi, kalau jatuh sakit.”
Ingat, jika Anda memiliki impian yang besar maka Anda akan mendapatkan sesuatu yang besar. Jika impian Anda kecil maka Anda akan mendapatkan sesuatu yang kecil.
Jika Anda memimpikan penghasilan Rp 1 juta/ bulan, maka Anda akan mendapatkan Rp 1 juta/ bulan. Tapi bila Anda memimpikan Rp 100 juta/ bulan, seandainya meleset pun, katakan saja Rp 50 juta/ bulan, jumlah tersebut masih tetap jauh lebih besar dari Rp 1 juta/ bulan.

Dream Big Bro!

Fendi Heri Yanto
Build Assets!!! Or work til you drop

Bambu & Pakis

Suatu hari aku memutuskan untuk berhenti ...Berhenti dari pekerjaanku, berhenti dari hubunganku dengan sesama dan berhenti dari spiritualitasku. Aku pergi ke hutan untuk bicara dengan Tuhan untuk yang terakhir kalinya.

"Tuhan", kataku. "berikan aku satu alasan untuk tidak berhenti?" Dia memberi jawaban yang mengejutkanku.
"Lihat ke sekelilingmu" , kataNya. "Apakah engkau memperhatikan tanaman pakis dan bambu yang ada dihutan ini?"
"Ya", jawabku.

Lalu Tuhan berkata, "Ketika pertama kali Aku menanam mereka, Aku menanam dan merawat benih-benih mereka dengan seksama. Aku beri mereka cahaya, Aku beri mereka air. Pakis-pakis itu tumbuh dengan sangat cepat. Warna hijaunya yang menawan menutupi tanah. Namun, tidak ada yang terjadi dari benih bambu. Tapi, Aku tidak berhenti merawatnya.

Dalam tahun kedua, pakis-pakis itu tumbuh lebih cepat dan lebih banyak lagi.
Namun, tetap tidak ada yang terjadi dari benih bambu. Tetapi Aku tidak menyerah terhadapnya. "
"Dalam tahun ketiga tetap tidak ada yang tumbuh dari benih bambu itu, tapi Aku tetap tidak menyerah. Begitu juga dengan tahun ke empat."
"Lalu pada tahun ke lima , sebuah tunas yang kecil muncul dari dalam tanah.

Bandingkan dengan pakis, tunas itu kelihatan begitu kecil dan sepertinya tidak berarti. Namun enam bulan kemudian, bambu ini tumbuh dengan mencapai ketinggian lebih dari 100 kaki. Dia membutuhkan waktu lima tahun untuk menumbuhkan akar-akarnya. Akar-akar itu membuat dia kuat dan memberikan apa yang dia butuhkan untuk bertahan. Aku tidak akan memberikan ciptaanku tantangan yang tidak bisa mereka tangani."

"Tahukan engkau anakKu, dari semua waktu pergumulanmu, sebenarnya engkau sedang menumbuhkan akar-akarmu? Aku tidak menyerah terhadap bambu itu. Aku juga tidak akan pernah menyerah terhadapmu. "

Tuhan berkata "Jangan bandingkan dirimu dengan orang lain. Bambu-bambu itu memiliki tujuan yang berbeda dibandingkan dengan pakis. Tapi keduanya tetap membuat hutan ini menjadi lebih indah. Saat mu akan tiba."

Tuhan mengatakan itu kepadaku. "Engkau akan tumbuh sangat tinggi"
"Seberapa tinggi aku harus bertumbuh?" tanyaku.
"Sampai seberapa tinggi bambu-bambu itu dapat tumbuh?" Tuhan balik bertanya. "Setinggi yang mereka mampu?" Aku bertanya.
"Ya." jawabNya, "Muliakan Aku dengan pertumbuhan mu, setinggi yang engkau dapat capai."

Lalu aku pergi meninggalkan hutan itu, menyadari bahwa Allah tidak akan pernah menyerah terhadap ku. Dan Dia juga tidak akan pernah menyerah terhadap Anda.Jangan pernah menyesali hidup yang saat ini Anda jalani sekalipun itu hanya untuk satu hari.
Hari-hari yang baik memberikan kebahagiaan; hari-hari yang kurang baik memberikan pengalaman; keduanya memberi arti bagi kehidupan ini.

Apa Yang Anda Pikirkan, Itu Yang Akan Terjadi

Luangkan 5 menit waktu anda untuk membaca kisah nyata dibawah ini,semoga sedikit banyak dapat memberikan manfaat bagi diri Anda...

Suatu ketika di Negara Eropa, seorang kriminal buronan negara berhasil tertangkap. Sang kriminal adalah buronan kelas kakap yang telah melakukan banyak sekali kejahatan.. perampokan.. pembunuhan..terorisme.. dan tidaklah terhitung daftarnya. Pengadilan negara menjatuhkan vonis hukuman mati kepadanya dan mereka mulai mendiskusikan hukuman apa yang akan mereka berikan kepada sang kriminal. Mereka memilih beberapa alternatif, diantaranya hukuman gantung, hukuman tembak, kursi listrik, ruang beracun, dll.

Pada saat diskusi tersebut berlangsung, seorang ilmuwan mencadangkan suatu metode baru sebagai percobaan untuk memberi vonis hukuman mati,suatu metode yang tidak pernah dilakukan sebelumnya. Mereka pun mendengarkan ide tersebut dan akhirnya mereka pun menyetujui ide tersebut dan membiarkan sang ilmuwan melakukan riset terhadapnya.

Sang kriminal dimasukkan kedalam suatu ruangan dan dibaringkan dengan tubuh terikat. Matanya ditutup dan dibisikkan "Kamu akan segera dihukum mati! dengan metode terbaru maka urat nadi di pergelanganmu akan kami potong dan darahmu akan segera menetes. Kamu tidak akan merasa sakit karena teknologi yang kami gunakan sangat canggih. Darahmu akan menetes perlahan-lahan dan akan membiarkan dirimu mendengar suara tetesannya. Secara perlahan kamu akan kehabisan darah dan tubuhmu akan melemah, detak jantungmu semakin perlahan.. semakin lemah.. sampai akhirnya kamu akan mati !

Mereka pun kemudian eksekusi, sang kriminal mulai merasakan potongan di pergelangan tangan kanannya, segera ia merasakan aliran darahnya menetes.. tes..tes... suara tetesan tersebut membuatnya tahu bahwa dia semakin kehilangan darah.. dan tubuhnya semakin lemah.. sampai jantungnya berdetak semakin perlahan.. dan tragisnya diapun mati.

Ironisnya... walaupun sang kriminal tersebut mati. Dia tidak sempat menyadari bahwa percobaan yang dilakukan terhadapnya bukanlah teknologi canggih untuk memotong pergelangannya. Tetapi.. yang mereka lakukan hanyalah.. mengambil sepotong es dingin yang tajam.. kemudian digunakannya potongan tersebut melewati pergelangannya yang
sesungguhnya tidak memotong apapun! Sang kriminal, yang dibuat percaya bahwa pergelangannya telah dipotong, mengikuti semua sugesti palsu yang dikatakan oleh sang ilmuwan. Walaupun yang dikatakan palsu, tetapi sugesti tersebut menjadi 'kenyataan' karena sang kriminal memang mempercayainya!

Apa inti cerita diatas?? Dalam otak kita, ada sesuatu yang dinamakan alam bawah sadar, dan apapun yang kita berikan kedalamnya, akan menjadi kenyataan! Tubuh kita akan mempercayai informasi apapun,walaupun itu palsu! Jika kita mempercayainya, maka tubuh kita akan bereaksi seolah-olah itu adalah kenyataan. Sama juga dengan kehidupan, Jika Anda menonton TV yang membentuk pikiran Anda dengan hal-hal yang tidak berguna setiap harinya.. maka diri andapun menjadi pribadi yang tidak berguna.

Karena itu, jika Anda menginginkan hal yang terbaik segera isilah pikiran Anda dengan hal-hal positif..Jika ingin sukses, isilah pikiran Anda dengan kesuksesan..

Apa impian Anda?

Apa impian Anda? Apa yang paling Anda inginkan dalam hidup ini?
Banyak orang yang ketika ditanya, apa impiannya? Jawabannya mengambang. Ada yang menjawab, “saya ingin memiliki banyak uang.” Kemudian ketika ditanya lagi, bila Anda sudah memiliki banyak uang, apa yang ingin Anda lakukan dengan uang tersebut? Banyak yang tidak mampu menjawab. Ada yang bilang, “saya ingin membeli rumah, membeli mobil, atau mengajak keluarga jalan-jalan keluar negeri.

Saya ingin memberikan suatu gambaran tentang impian. Coba Anda bayangkan, seandainya Anda memiliki anak, kemudian anak Anda meminta uang pada Anda, katakanlah Rp 100 juta. Dan ketika Anda tanya, “mau untuk apa?” Anak Anda menjawab, “mau beli mobil, buka usaha, dan lain-lain”. Anggap saja Anda memiliki uang tersebut, apakah Anda akan langsung memberikan uang tersebut? Atau Anda akan bertanya dengan jelas terlebih dulu?

Bayangkan bila Anda adalah seorang kepala sekolah. Kemudian organisasi siswa meminta dana pada Anda untuk mengadakan suatu kegiatan, katakanlah Rp 20 juta. Dan ketika Anda tanya, “mana proposalnya?” Mereka menjawab, “gampang Pak, nanti kami akan membuat laporan setelah dananya kami gunakan.” Apakah Anda akan memberikan uang tersebut?

Dari dua ilustrasi di atas, saya ingin menggambarkan bahwa Tuhan juga demikian. Bila Anda memohon sesuatu pada Tuhan, Tuhan juga ingin mengetahui dengan jelas, rincian dari permohonan Anda. Semakin jelas dan rinci permohonan Anda, kemungkinannya untuk terkabul akan semakin besar.

Bagaimana menurut Anda?


Fendi Heri Yanto
Build Assets!!! Or work til you drop

Two Ways to Get Wealthy

Here are two different ways that you can get rich. At first glance they look very similar, but understanding the difference between them can make an enormous difference in both the quality of life that you enjoy and the amount of wealth you accumulate.

There are many different ways to get rich. The reason that I am focusing on these two particular methods is that they can be successfully applied whether you are an employee, self employed or a business owner.

The first method is to spend less than you earn and then put the excess to work making money for you. The second method is to earn more than you spend and then put the excess to work making money for you. Do you see and understand the difference between these two methods?

Each of these methods has two parts and in both methods the second part is the same. However the first part is vastly different.

The first part of method 1 is to spend less than you earn. What you are doing in this method is to become skilled at budgeting. (For some great tips on budgeting without losing quality of life see my article "How to Invest 25% Of Your Income Without Losing Your Quality of Life")

Budgeting is a sensible thing to do but it has its limitations. The maximum amount of money that you can free up for investing is 100% of your current income and to do that you would have to find some way to live for free, a difficult challenge indeed.

If you are putting your main focus on budgeting then you will find that as your budget gets tougher and tougher your mental focus turns to what you can do without. In other words your focus is on lack or shortage whereas in order to get rich you need to develop abundance thinking. Too much emphasis on budgeting can create a mindset that makes wealth acquisition difficult.

The second way to get rich is very different. Earn more than you spend and then put the excess to work making money for you. With this method your focus is on increasing your earnings.

Creating a pool of potential investment money by increasing your income doesn't have the limitation we discussed above in regards to creating potential investment money by budgeting. There are people who earn double what you earn. There are people who earn ten times what you earn. There are even people who earn one hundred times what you earn. The potential for earning is open ended.

It is important here to note that in the method of earning more than you spend the "you spend" part should ideally remain constant. In other words don't fall into the trap of increasing your spending as fast as you are increasing your earning. If you think it is good psychology to reward yourself immediately for your increased earning then put 10% to 20% of your net increase toward your immediate lifestyle and the other 80% to 90% toward your investing.

I said earlier that the budgeting approach could lead to developing a poverty or lack mind set. The increased earning approach does not have this downfall. When your focus is on increasing your earnings you are developing an abundance mind set which is exactly the mind set that you want if becoming rich is your goal.

You may be wondering how you are going to achieve this increase in income. You can increase your income by combining two strategies.

The first of these two strategies is to make yourself more valuable.

If you are an employee then you need to make yourself more valuable to your employer by ensuring that what you do in your job and the way that you do it improves your employer's chance for gain.

In a small business your employer is probably the owner and the gain that they are interested in is bottom line profit. In a large corporation your employer is probably a manager who is also an employee. The gain they are interested in is probably a promotion up the corporate ladder.

If you are self employed or in business then you need to make yourself, your products and your services more valuable to your marketplace. By more valuable I don't mean that you discount your price. On the contrary, I am talking about improving your products, services, and customer service to the extent that you can increase your price faster than you increase your costs so that your percentage profit is increasing as well as your net dollar profit.

The second of the two strategies for increasing your income is to develop effective skills and effective habits for marketing your increased value.

For an employee it is important to accept the truth that you can be the best employee in the world but if no-one notices then you are unlikely to get a pay rise. See yourself as a product that needs to be well marketed and start studying how to achieve this goal in the most effective manner.

If you are self employed or in business then you need to market your products or service in such a way that the marketplace becomes aware of this extra value that you have developed and the benefit that your extra value will give them. Your marketing needs to make these extra benefits so enticing that people will be happy to pay in order to receive them.

Whether you are an employee or in business the combination of increasing your value and improving your marketing will lead to increased income.

In Conclusion

We looked at two different methods to get rich.

The first focused on reduced spending and investing the overage whereas the second focused on increased income, while maintaining your level of spending, and then investing the overage. We concluded that the second method has greater potential both from a financial and psychological perspective.


James Delrojo would like to help you by giving you his
ebook "Unleash the Success Power of Your Mind"
(valued at $27) completely FREE.
Go to http://www.YourSuccessMind.com

Feel Success, Live Success, Have Success

You can start right now and be successful? When you try to focus on the positive things in life you start to see more positive things. You need feeling, believing and positively and successfully, start reading books about positive thinking and being successful. Everyday you need to think and act successful, by doing this you will feel and become successful.

Remind yourself that you are close to starting everything from the beginning again. Get yourself a hobby anything that takes your mind off the world for a while will help increase your love of life and help you relax, eliminate stress, and enjoy peace. Without pushing yourself you will never become successful or have the ability to become successful.

Keep your plan with you at all times and read it aloud to yourself several times during the day. By allowing yourself the time, and I'm talking about just a few minutes here, to stop, breathe deeply and relax effectively, you can soon reap the rewards. To become successful you need to place your mind in state of happiness and positive thinking, by doing this you attract positive people and by attracting positive people you will attract successful people who will help with your success.

Here is your key to success. Passion is the key to meaningful achievement in any calling.

To answer this riddle, first you have to separate the behavior from the positive intention of the behavior. If we have a thought or we are depressed and we don't like this we can easily get rid of this negativity or negative thought by thinking of a positive thought, by feeling the positive thought with our emotions we are able to switch the universe to switch to the more positive thought and the outcome is more acceptable to you. If you change your behavior and your purposes, your life position is not as it used to be any more.

Any formula based on behavior patterns has a good chance of being successful.

It's important to commit your goals to paper, so write them down and display your goals where you will see them each day. Break down larger long-term goals into monthly or weekly goals so you can stay on track without feeling overwhelmed. Writing your goals will effectively enable you to put them into action.

What is it that's in it for you that will drive you to pursue the goals that you have defined. Be very specific about your goals. Only when there is a specific goal can you develop an effective strategy.

Einstein says that "imagination is the glimpse into the future" Every human who imagined and dreamed was able to bring this dream into reality by believing that it was real already. When you believe the universe has the ability to understand that this is not a dream but reality and the universe realigns to make it happen.

About the Author

David Marc Fishman is the owner of success site. Ask an expert via video. Try out the new online auctions website.

Creating vs Reacting – Create Goals with Awareness

At any given moment, you are either a cause or an effect. Are you consciously creating your goals in life? Or have you become the effect of what other people create and merely respond to the fallout of their creations?

You either act or react. To act and physically manifest in the world is why you have a physical body. Otherwise, you would have just as well stayed in the world of spirit.

Living life fully involves making a conscious commitment to the act of creation. Do you head for the gym, or just jot down the umpteenth game plan of getting in shape? Do you send the manuscript to the publisher, or continue to polish it?

What Prevents You From Creating?

There are a lot of things that can prevent a person from creating. Sometimes internal dramas get in the way. Sometimes people give their power away to others. Sometimes people make excuses like, “I’ll just accept whatever is God’s will”. They forget that God helps those who help themselves.

Staying TOO Busy Can Be A Distraction

That doesn’t mean to say that a person should go to the extreme of being frenetically busy busy busy! When a person is too busy in their life, they might not be focused on what they want for themselves. They might allow the busy-ness to distract them and lose sight of what it is that is important to them.

Be Clear About What You Want

Being aware of your path is important. Being clear about what you want in your life is the first step. Clarity plants the seeds of change in your garden. In order for your goals to manifest, you need some ongoing daily focus. When you can clearly focus on your goals, they manifest without effort.

Set Aside Time to Connect With Yourself

Setting aside time each day to slow down, go within and remember who you are and what you want is important. For some people this daily arena will be easy to create. For others, it may need a bit of discipline. Daily inner timeout is valuable. It allows you to say ‘hello’ to yourself, connect with your body and clarify your goals.

Create From Your Clear Source Within

A daily inner practice reconnects you with that clear source within that allows you to create. From this place, you water your garden allowing your dreams to flower. It allows you to drain away false dreams and the loss of power that can slow you down.

In this place, you begin to recognize where you have been living other peoples dreams and not your own. You might notice how some old beliefs have held you captive. In releasing the effect of life’s dramas, you can be in present time and be consciously aware of what you desire to create.

Things Happen!

When you reconnect to your clear source within, old dreams may be resurrected and activated with present time feelings and beliefs. As you release outmoded thoughts, beliefs, and goals, you are ready to take the next step. When you do take things from awareness to action, the act of commitment to your goal and creation summons a great response from the universe. Things begin to happen. Your goals manifest like magic!

Amirah © 2006 All Rights Reserved.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication is appreciated.

About The Author
Amirah Hall, Intuitive Life Coach, Author, Speaker helps individuals gain insight, clarity and understanding in their own lives making positive life changes. She helps uncover and transform hidden fears and beliefs that limit potential.

Get your FRe.e Stress Buster Audio Download http://www.soulmystic.com/contact2.php FRE.e monthly newsletter http://www.soulmystic.com/newsletters.html eMail:Amirah@soulmystic.com

Life Is A Test?

I rarely ever remember a dream. Even when I can remember what I was dreaming about when I have to get up for a drink or bathroom break in the middle of the night, I have forgotten all about it by morning.

However, last night I had a dream that made me analyze my life and my thought processes on a day to day basis.

I was dreaming about taking a test. I am not sure the subject of the test. I do remember feeling under pressure and I was struggling a bit with the content of the test.

Now, I have taken my share of tests in the past and can recall having these types of dreams while in college; but, why now?

I jotted down a few notes before going back to bed and did my best to decipher this brain spark this morning.

I am into several projects right now in which I am under the microscope, so to speak. But, am I? Is this all in my head? Do I bring all this pressure on myself?

Probably.

I try to be the best I can be; mentally, physically, and financially. I try to learn as much as possible to improve my abilities in these areas. This is great as long as I don't spend so much time trying to improve me that it harms my life in these same areas; i.e. stress, family, friends, health, etc.

We all see the "burn-out" in the self-improvement entrepreneur; the sacrifices made in the "important things" in life such as relationships and peace of mind.

Peace of mind should be a top priority for mental, physical, and financial success. Living life as some sort of constant test will hamper this process.

Realizing that progress is a "you vs. you" phenomenon and that you don't have to please someone else on a day to day basis is a great start.

Bryan Tracy, in his audio series from Nightingale Conant entitled "Action Secrets for Personal Achievement," talks about the need for certain people to get the approval of others. He calls this a symptom of Type "A" behavior.

Here are some of the other type "A" symptoms:

Having a sense of urgency to do more and more in less and less time.

Volunteering for more and more work at the office.

Feeling under pressure to get activities accomplished.

Being obsessed with your performance and having high standards for such performance.

The type "A" personality can't relax and enjoy an accomplishment, they feel like they have never done enough.

Compare self with others.

More concerned with things than with people.

Brings home work.

Talks about the boss, what the boss said, what the boss did… wants to please the boss at all times.

Has a sense of hostility towards those he or she feels to be competing against.

Type "A's" cannot admit that they are not in control.

If you fall into any of the above categories, making a decision to change may be a great first step. This decision involves trying to relax and still be productive and effective without the added stress we type "A's" like to impart.

There are two things that have worked in the past for me (and my clients) that I am going to focus on after this "wake–up call."

One is a daily exercise plan. Even when I am on the road, I usually do some exercise daily, but, there are times I get in a rut and don't focus on my planning and execution of a said workout. A daily routine helps relieve stress and will bring out creativity and problem solving abilities like no other activity!

It is a "reality check" for me as well. Things are brought into a better perspective after a good workout, no matter how long the workout is.

This is Stephen Covey's take on exercise (from his book The 8th Habit): "I am convinced that exercise increases our own sense of self-control and self-mastery, which enhances the totality of our lives and truly enlarges the space between stimulus and response."

The second concept is practicing daily solitude. This could be a twenty minute walk, a power relaxation/almost nap, hanging out on a park bench, etc. This is a time to let your mind "go" and let your subconscious work on goals, problems, and/or ideas that are filling your head - a "mind-cleansing" if you will.

I try to do two, one-hour solitude sessions per week to let my subconscious mind take over and do its thing for me. This is a time when I just sit back and take in the world, usually outside in a fairly secluded place without interruptions. I sometimes think about a couple of goals or issues in my life ahead of time, then sit back and let my brain work on things.

I tend to find some answers to problems as well as some pretty great ideas to take back to work with me. They not only help me achieve goals, but relieve stress at the same time. These two activities alone have probably added years to my life and helped me through some potentially stressful times.

Thus, the reason for my dream. I have been in situations recently in which I feel the need to "prove" myself. I am living my life as a series of tests… daily. I have felt out of sorts, not myself, lacking confidence.

All brought on by myself.

Life is not a test. To me, it is a series of learning experiences.

My goal is to strengthen the area between stimulus and response (see quote above and The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey) on a daily basis; mentally, physically, and financially. As that space continues to grow with experience and knowledge, my life and dreams will put a smile on my face.

Thanks for letting me think out loud today.

Sweet dreams.

by: John Perry

Don't Throw the Damn Towel

The flawless concert piano virtuoso spends every spare moment working out her chops. She probably hits more wrong keys during practice than a beginner, but you could never tell during her live performance. She gets there by applying herself.

The Olympic long distance runner pushes his body to get his best time. His goal is to win the race. He must discipline himself. No beer, chips or fatty foods.

And the burrito wrapper at the local taco shop works hard for his paycheck. When it's hectic, he must consistently wrap each burrito or taco so fast and tight: it won't fall apart. This is a sign of a pro.

To become that pro, you must stay in the race. Even after making multiple mistakes. There is truth to the action phrase: Practice Makes Perfect.

Which supports the Law of Increasing Intent. You intend to do something enough times—you naturally improve. You have to get better because it can't be helped.
But what happens when you hit a wall?

There will come a time when it feels like you're bashing your head against the wall. The burrito wrapper has maxed out at twelve wraps per minute. The mother is fed up with her baby throwing the cereal. Or the speaker fails to engage her audience.
What can you do?

You plot a new course. You experiment with a different technique. You ask for help. You come up with a new idea. You get creative.

The answer lies within you.
I participate in a speaking workshop. After I enrolled I made noticeable progress, but hit a snag in the following meetings. It began to gnaw on me. I chose to take a new direction, worked hard on it and made a breakthrough. I raised my personal bar.
You don't know what a relief that was. It became a confidence booster. This accomplishment becomes the new lower cap for rising to the next breakthrough moment.
Can you rise above your stagnation?

Absolutely. By tapping into your inner resources, you can come up with the most amazing answers. You can create breakthrough moments if you believe in yourself and the importance of your work. To begin, keep these principles in mind...
It's easier to rise when your purpose is clear. Mama eagle has to provide for her newborns. She must hunt for food. There are no guarantees she'll find any. But she must continue the hunt. Her resolve is clear.

It's easier to rise when it serves the greater good. The batter hits a fly ball to move the runner home. He sacrifices his personal batting average to accomplish a run for the team. The team prospers from his unselfish action.

It's easier to rise when you value your work. The fireman saves lives. The minister ties two into one. The motivational speaker changes hearts. People will value you if they see you treating your work with importance.

Every disciplined activity synergistically works on all your other activities. It tugs and pulls and seems to go nowhere until one day, you reach a defining "aha" moment. That's why quitting is not an option.

When life becomes stagnant—resist the temptation to give up. Don't throw the damn towel. Continue attending the meetings, reading books and expanding your mind. Your breakthroughs will manifest when persisting in positive activity.


Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more money through direct response marketing. He publishes Tommy's Tease weekly e-zine to inspire people to succeed in business and personal growth. Get your free subscription today at www.TommyYan.com.Get a FREE 5-week Secrets to Web Mastery e-course. If your websites aren't making sales or capturing leads, you can't afford to let it idle in Cyberspace. Read more...Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tommy_Yan

Doing Things (Your Way) - Have Fun Now

Today is January 4th, and while most people are looking forward with eager anticipation towards what the new year will bring, I find myself looking back to the previous week. You see, New Years is my favorite holiday, as every year, as far back as I can remember, the last two weeks of December have been a time of fun and enjoyment. Every year, many old friends come in from out of town and we spend days catching up, socializing, going out to dinner, attending parties, and just really enjoying ourselves.

Of course, every year, around the evening of January 1st, I start to feel a little down. You see, January 1st is when reality starts to sink in. All the friends I don't see very often have left, it's time for all the fun to stop, and it's time to put the nose back to the grindstone.

I have always accepted that feeling as a natural outcropping of the transition from "fun" back to "work." The holidays are a time of fun, and once they end, it's back to work. This year, however, I stopped and thought about the absurdity of that thought process.

First off, I am a speaker who speaks on improv comedy. The first point in my speech is to "choose to have fun." The first chapter in my book is "Have Fun." And hear I am accepting that the time for fun is over. Smacks a little of hypocrisy, eh?
Second, I left the security of a full time job and started my own business to live life on my own terms. If that's true, then why am I letting the calendar dictate my moods and when it's ok to have fun?

Third, regardless of your occupation and regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur or full time employee (or something else) life is waaaaaaay too short to limit these amazingly positive and fun feelings to a couple of days or weeks out of the year.

Here's what I realized: I, and most people, tend to look for external occasions to experience the peaks in life. How many people only treat themselves on their birthday? How many wait until an anniversary to really show their partner just how much they love them? How many wait until January 1st to reflect and plan big changes in their lives?

This is a problem. We need to break out of this cycle and create our own fate. This cycle comes primarily from doing things "other people's way." We look at how things are supposed to be, based on what every around is doing and telling us to do, and then try to design our lives to fit into that. What we should be doing is deciding on the life we want and fit everything else into our own ideas.

The most successful people in the world were the ones who didn't blindly accept what was given but rather went out and created the reality they wanted. As Robert Kennedy said, "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"

You don't even need to make a huge life-altering change to make this happen. Just realize that if there is something you want to do, then do it! If you are wistful for a time gone by, then do what you can to recapture it. Don't wait for a "special occasion" - it may never come.

In a way, we are all looking for permission to have fun and enjoy ourselves. Here is my holiday gift to you:
"You officially have Avish's permission to have fun and enjoy yourselves now, even though the next holiday season is 11 and 3/4 months away!"


***Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.comTo learn how to apply the powerful principles of improv comedy to your own business or life visit http://www.ImprovForEveryone.com/Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avish_Parashar

Do You Know Why Your Mind Is Stopping You From Being Successful

Do you know which is the most powerful part of your mind? Is it the part we call the conscious mind?... Or is it the part that we call the subconscious mind?

STOP! Think about it for a moment…

Your conscious mind is the part you are most familiar with – it does all your conscious thinking, it processes the information that comes in through your senses, it makes decisions that affect everything you do during your day and it’s the part that is your awareness.

That’s all pretty amazing! But, the power of your conscious mind is limited. There have been a lot of studies showing that your conscious mind can manage at most between 5 and 9 things simultaneously – it just can’t cope with more.

It’s your subconscious mind that is a real powerhouse. Your subconscious operates outside of your awareness, but just because you aren’t aware of it doesn’t mean it’s not doing much. Here are a few of the things your subconscious does for you:

* It manages all the muscles in your body, so that you can breathe, walk, talk, drive a car and much more. Sometimes hundreds of muscles have to be co-ordinated to achieve what you ask your subconscious to do – an amazing feat in itself!
* It processes, stores and retrieves vast amounts of information (there’s a lot of evidence that our whole life experience is stored somewhere in our mind - if we could just remember it!).
* It tries to protect you and do the best for you at all times. Like when you touch a hot kettle, and your reflexes snatch your finger away.

The Danger of Unconscious Thinking
Look at reflex reactions in more detail…
Snatching your finger away from hot kettle is obviously good for your survival. But the subconscious mind is so much more powerful than that. It learns from your past experiences how to respond to inputs from all your senses and your thoughts. It can help you respond without having to use the limited power of your conscious mind, almost as if you are on auto-pilot. One name for this process is “habitual thinking”.

Habits or as they are sometimes known, programmed responses, can be very useful for you: sensing people’s emotions by reading subtle tell-tale cues, driving a car, adding and multiplying numbers…All done instantly and without conscious effort.
However, not all the things that your subconscious mind has been programmed to do by your life experiences serve you as well.

In fact, all of us have negative as well as positive experiences in our formative years - and even as adults. When your subconscious mind is exposed to a negative experience it doesn’t have the reasoning power of your conscious mind to judge what’s happening to you. Instead it goes ahead as usual and forms a habit that you will have for the rest of your life.

Quite commonly people have bad experiences in their childhood – their parents go through a painful divorce, they get abused, they experience something really terrible – and this often leads to some very negative habitual thinking. Thoughts such as “I’m not worthy”, “I’m a failure”, “I can’t…”

These traumatic experiences can leave you completely trapped in negative habits as an adult.
More subtly, you may have an experience in childhood that wasn’t bad at the time but that led you to form a habit that is now bad for you. It can happen like this…
Maybe when you were growing up you learned that finishing all the food on your plate made your parents very happy. Maybe they re-enforced your behavior with a bit of guilt about “all the starving children in the world”. So you got into the habit of doing as you were told.

Now that you’re an adult, you might find it impossible to not eat everything that’s put in front of you. So now you constantly struggle to loose weight, you become frustrated, miserable, depressed because another part of your mind doesn’t like your appearance or the feelings of poor health…

Knocking Down Your Internal Obstacles
I have shown you how your subconscious mind has a tremendous amount of control over your life. Mostly it acts for your good and it achieves its purpose of helping you to live your day to day life in the best way possible.
But, sometimes the way it has been unintentionally programmed by past events leads to habits of thought that prevent you from getting where you now want to go. And these habits can imprison you as well as any real locked door in your way.
The answer to overcoming these negative habits ingrained in your subconscious mind is very simple, you need to change the programming.

Yes IT IS that simple…
But it’s very hard to do !!!

After all you’ve perfected your habits over years of use and now you are a real expert at doing all those things that you don’t want to do. Changing bad habits can be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do for yourself…
Luckily, there is help out there for you.

People throughout history have struggled with the problem of eliminating negative mental habits and solved it. Methods have been tried tested and refined over hundreds of years. The fantastic news is that you can have access to all this wisdom through books, tapes and seminars. In fact there are so many answers that there isn’t time to go through them all here.

So, get out there and start searching for a solution that works for you.


Kevin John works with a wide range of clients to help them overcome obstacles in their lives and businesses. If you want to learn about some useful tools to knock down your internal obstacles you can get the free 5 part e-course “Achieving your dreams” here: http://www.achieving-your-dreams.com/ecourseArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_J._John

Attention vs Intention

When it comes to staying in the moment, the key is to understand the difference between where your attention is and where your intention is.

From the dictionary:
Attention: Concentration of the mental powers upon an object; a close or careful observing or listening.
Intention: Course of action that one plans on following.
From these definitions, it is obvious that attention takes place in the present, and intention concerns itself with the future. And yet, most people reverse them and get into trouble. In improv, performers are trained to put all of their concentration on the present; to stay in the moment and work with the people around them. At the same time, they need to be clear on their intentions. They must have an idea of where the scene and action will go. As we have previously seen, an improviser must be willing to let go of that intention when things change (and that point create a new intention).

Time after time, unfortunately, performers reverse the roles. They put their attention on the future and their intentions in the present. An improviser may start a scene and focus heavily on where the scene will ultimately lead. By doing this, she is putting her attention on the future, and not on the people around her. By focusing single-mindedly on where she wants to go, she then tries to force things in that direction. Therefore, her intention is in the present. She intends for people to flow with her right now.

This unfortunate reversal happens often in life. A person in an unpleasant situation will put his intention on the now and his attention on the future. For example, take two people who hate their jobs. Let’s call them Steve and John.
Steve is unhappy, and he spends his time lamenting about how awful things are and how he wished it was different. If one of his co-workers does something to upset him (which happens quite often) he gets angry and complains about how she should do things differently. He spends a great deal of his time wishing and daydreaming of a better job.

John is also unhappy. He also dreams of a better job, but he doesn’t spend all day daydreaming. Instead, he focuses on researching other job opportunities, and he enrolls in a night class to improve his “marketability.” John’s co-workers also often upset him, but instead of wishing they were different, he uses it as fuel to be more productive in his job search.

So what’s the difference between these two?
Steve is clearly putting his attention on the future. Daydreaming and wishing don’t accomplish anything. At the same time, his complaining is indicative of the fact that he is trying to change things he cannot. His intention is in the present.
John has a much healthier approach. While his intention is in the future (“I will get a new job soon.”) his attention is on the present (“What can I do now to get a new job?”).Who do you think is going to get a new job first?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that in this example Steve is more negative and John is more positive. This balance between intention and attention is one of the key things that sets positive people apart from negative people.

Think of a situation in your life that makes you unhappy. If it’s persistent, it is likely that you have your intention and attention reversed. Try switching it up, and see how that helps.


***This article is an excerpt from Avish's book, "Improvise to Success!" To learn about the whole book, visit http://www.AvishParashar.com/store.aspAvish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avish_Parashar

Asking For & Receiving What You Want

Do you believe you deserve a wonderful, inspirational life? Do you think you can follow your dreams and live your visions?

All of us dream dreams and wish for a more honest way of spending our time on the earth. So many people know that if only they had this gift, or that skill, or that freedom, they would be able to drop what they're doing and immediately set off on their journey.

Just as setbacks and disappointments can be turned around and perceived as positive challenges, the same applies to those wishful longings. If only, we say, wishing we could pursue our passions in life and realise our full potential. If only.
If only what? If only you could let yourself? If only you didn't have so many commitments? If only you had the money?

Too many lives are stifled by the ‘if onlys’. Too many people lead lives of regret, wishing they had taken a different path or had made better use of their time, when in fact they're wasting that precious time by not deciding to take life by both hands and do something about it.

The only thing stopping you from achieving what you want is the belief that you have the skills and the courage to go for it. You simply have to remind yourself that you are capable of whatever it is you want to achieve - you only have to want it enough. You only have to make a space right there inside you for opportunities to come and find you ready and waiting.

And that's what it comes down to. Being open to what comes. Being aware that if you ask for what you want, and you are open and prepared to recognise it when it comes, you can have whatever it is you need.

This isn't about Santa Claus giving you a brightly packaged sparkly parcel if you sit on his knee. This is about asking the universe to fill you with energy to achieve what it is you want to achieve. If you envision what you want to achieve, and you see yourself being or doing the very thing you dream of, soon it will come knocking on your door in the most surprising of ways.

You have to ask for what it is you want and believe that it will come to you. Trust the universe to grant you your wishes.


Neel Raman, is an author, keynote speaker and coach to many. He has written ‘Hoops and Freedom’, an informative and powerful self-improvement book, in the form of an entertaining fiction story, targeted at those who want and demand more from life. To find out more about this book and his FREE offers, visit: http://www.HoopsAndFreedom.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neel_Raman

Are You Suffering From Ignorance?

Why do you settle for less? Why do you accept living an average life?

What a good start!

Here is a fact of life that you must know:
"Most people are living a mediocre life because they are ignorant of who they are."
You've a huge power inside, but your greatest problem has been ignorance of who you are and who you were meant to be. You're limiting your unlimited potential.

There is too much space out there. Don't stay in your cage, living a life of despair and dissatisfaction.

You are so unique and you're here for a purpose. The world needs you. You're crafted for everlasting success. You're magnificent.

You have to know that the foundation of everlasting success is realizing, believing and unleashing your true potential and expressing your uniqueness.
Bring your uniqueness to the world and you will be of tremendous value. Also, don't worry, money will follow!!

Set aside some time today and think of your strengths. Forget about your weaknesses now, because it is the easiest and first thing most people see in themselves.
Be different, look for your strengths and don't tell me that you don't have any strengths. I will not believe you. You were born great and fabulous. If you don't believe me, look at the face of a smiling baby and feel the sheer amount of happiness and hope expressed on his face.

Therefore, look for your strengths and start building upon those. Expand your strengths and work on them. Do things that utilize most of your strengths, and avoid doing things that highlight your weaknesses. Your strengths will take care of your weaknesses as time goes by.

My friend, it is time to learn how powerful you are. It is time to get rid of your ignorance about yourself and your capabilities. Unleash your giant and live a great life that you deserve.

Don't accept mediocrity, conversely, strive for everlasting success.
YOU can make a difference. I believe in you.


Mohamed Tohami is the Middle East's first self-help guru and founder of Tohami.com the #1 ranked website for everlasting success.Receive a FREE life changing ebook-- "Tohami's Success Secrets" when you sign up for “Make a Difference” weekly Ezine at: http://www.tohami.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mohamed_Tohami


Terjemahan

Mengapa Anda bertahan dalam kekurangan? Mengapa Anda menerima hidup yang rata-rata?
Permulaan yang baik.
Ini adalah kenyataan hidup yang Anda harus tahu.

Kebanyakan orang hidup kurang baik karena mereka tidak mengenali diri mereka.

Anda memiliki potensi di dalam diri Anda. Tapi masalah terbesar Anda adalah Anda tidak mengenali diri Anda. Anda membatasi potensi Anda yang tidak terbatas.

Ada banyak sekali ruang di luar sana. Jangan tinggal di kandang Anda, jangan hidup dalam keputusasaan dan ketidakpuasan.

Anda unik dan Anda berada disini untuk sebuah tujuan. Dunia membutuhkan Anda. Anda disiapkan untuk sukses yang abadi. Anda sangat luar biasa.

Anda harus tahu bahwa dasar dari sukses yang abadi adalah menyatakan, percaya dan melepaskan potensi Anda dan mengekspresikan keunikan Anda.

Bawa keunikan Anda kepada dunia dan Anda akan menjadi sangat bernilai. Jangan kuatir, uang akan mengikuti Anda.

Luangkan waktu hari ini dan pikirkan tentang kekuatan Anda. Lupakan kelemahan Anda sekarang karena ini adalah cara termudah dan hal pertama yang orang lihat di dalam diri mereka.

Tampil beda, lihat kekuatan Anda dan jangan katakan kalau Anda tidak memiliki kekuatan apapun. Anda dilahirkan untuk menjadi luar biasa. Jika Anda tidak percaya, lihat senyum seorang bayi, rasakan kebahagiaan dan harapan di wajahnya.

Untuk itu, lihat kekuatan Anda dan mulailah membangun di atasnya. Perluas dan olah kekuatan Anda. Kerjakan sesuatu yang mengandalkan kekuatan Anda dan abaikan sesuatu yang menonjolkan kelemahan. Kekuatan Anda akan mengatasi kelemahan Anda seiring dengan berjalannya waktu.

Sudah waktunya untuk belajar betapa luar biasanya Anda. Sudah waktunya untuk mengakui dirimu dan kemampuanmu. Lepaskan semuanya dan hiduplah sesuai dengan kehidupan yang layak Anda dapatkan.

Jangan menerima yang biasa-biasa, berjuang untuk kesuksesan abadi.
Anda bisa membuat perubahan. Percayalah!