Love Makes Everything Work

The life we lead is because of the choices we make. These are the friends we've chosen. This is how we've decided to spend our time. This is how we've decided to take care of ourselves. Our choice alone. If we want our lives to change, we have to take responsibility for the world we create for ourselves. When we learn how to do this we can make our dreams come true.

Tell me if this sound familiar to you: Nothing works. You keep trying but nothing works. You've tried everything - or so you tell yourself.

The truth is: you've tried everything you know. And everything you know doesn't work. But you keep trying anyway. Because that's all you know. It's all your subconscious knows.

You want to make more money but you just can't find a way. You have these blocks that stop you from making the kind of money you want.

These blocks are planted on your subconscious mind. No matter what you do or try nothing works. And it's only because you've given your subconscious the wrong instructions.

Click here to rewire your mindset for success!

Instead of getting it to bring you the wealth you want, it's creating more struggle. Why? Because it's just following your thoughts and beliefs about money.

Do you think it's hard to make money? That you don't know how to make money? That you can't make ends meet? That you have to work hard? Or that you're just not one of the lucky people? That you weren't born into wealth.

If you think or believe any of the above or anything similar you'll always struggle to make money. No matter what you do, nothing will work and nothing will change. And it will only get worse. Because the longer you hold these limiting beliefs about money, the longer you continue leave those blocks in place - the worse things will get.

So turn things around today. Begin removing those blocks that prevent you from making money. Get rid of the limiting beliefs that stop you from making and having more. Get your subconscious to bring you the money you want.

You can make more money. You can make as much as you want and more. When you believe you can, you will.

And you can. You can get your subconscious mind to bring you the wealth you want. You can attract the money you need. You can make the right choices. You don't have to struggle. You don't have to work hard to make more money. You don't have to sacrifice everything. Believe in yourself and get your subconscious mind to create the wealth you want and deserve.

Make your dreams come true

I've spent most of my life learning how to make my dreams come true. It's my passion and my obsession. Today I want to share the top 5 lifestyle strategies from the experts so you can do the same.

This stuff doesn't require superhuman effort and it isn't restricted to a fortunate few. I spend every day doing the things I love, with people I respect, to create products and art I believe in. I had no special advantages. Anyone can do this stuff - including YOU, no - strike that - ESPECIALLY you.

Start by focusing on these 5 strategies.

1. Get clear on your purpose. Want to make your dreams come true? Clarifying your purpose is the single most effective thing you can possibly do.

   Having a clear understanding of your purpose allows you to make decisions quickly and easily. It keeps your goals on track. It helps you avoid mistakes and keeps you out of trouble. And it forms a simple quick-reference check-list for evaluating any commitment or action.

   Everything in your life is oriented around the compass needle of your purpose. If you're not sure what your purpose is, don't worry. That's normal. Get a notebook and pen and write down the vision for your life.

   And remember: your purpose must be relevant to you. Why? Because its YOUR purpose. Although it's great to "do more to serve your community" or "build a healthy body" or "enrich your vocabulary by reading the classics", if you don't care about those things then you'll be doing them a disservice to do them half-heartedly - and doing yourself a disservice most of all! Don't buy into a salesman's hype that they know what you need is what they have to sell you. This short life is yours to live as you see fit. Get comfortable with yourself, and know that it's okay to like the things you like and to pursue your own path. If your passion is good, and connected to true inner source, then it will be the right path - for you.

2. Follow a plan. You might reach a goal or two through guesswork and intuition, but that's just luck at best. And without a map you'll probably circumnavigate the globe to walk across the street. Maximise your effectiveness - and keep your weaknesses in check - by following a plan.

   It's actually pretty simple to chart your way to any goal IF you use these two strategies: deadlines and accountability.

   Deadlines force you to get serious, to meet your targets, and to own up when you're not staying true to your plan. Without firm deadlines it's too easy to make excuses in life, for instance to get caught up in endless email checking loops, or to sidetrack yourself with busywork that has nothing to do with your goal.

   And that's where accountability comes in. You need some way to keep yourself on track. I'm not saying you're going to lie to yourself and dream up all these great stories about things you've never really done - although I've known a few people who fall into that trap. I'm saying memory is fallible, and it's easy to imagine you're accomplishing more than you really are, just because you're "working on it". A system of accountability gives you a way to track your progress.

   These are your tools. Use them and you can accomplish any task you set for yourself.

3. Houseclean your life. Recognise that you can't possibly do everything, and you can't be all things to all people.

   Know also that in choosing to do one thing, you're also choosing not to do an awful lot of other things. Commit to people, actions or things only when they're in line with Item 1 on this list - your Purpose. Now if you make your purpose LOVE, to help others, then there can be no passion more powerful to help blast away the cobwebs of a life stagnant from procrastination.

   And for most of us, that requires some housecleaning. It's important to "clean house" on a regular basis, and to remove from your life those material things, practices and relationships that are no longer aligned with your goals. That includes people who drag you down, who you spend time with out of sheer obligation, who prey on your good nature, or who pull you back into bad habits when you're trying to change.

   Remove the superfluous from your life, and like a sculptor carve away absolutely everything that doesn't match the ideal vision in your head. When you do, new opportunities you never imagined will rush in to fill that space. You'll find it much easier to focus on those things that truly matter to you, and those dreams you're determined to make come true. If you're clear on your purpose, you'll also find it much easier to keep fresh clutter out of your life.

   Remember to pause every 4 to 6 months to reassess. Clutter has a way of creeping back in, just like dust in a room. Houseclean any new distractions and get back on track.

4. Embrace responsibility for your life. I think it needs to be said flat out, because so much of society sends us the opposite message. YOU are responsible for yourself. Responsible for what you do. Responsible for who you are. Responsible for the way you face the world and deal with it. You aren't a victim of your childhood or your past or your circumstances - unless you choose to be. There are no excuses.

   That's a tremendously empowering realisation, or at least it was for me. When I realised I was responsible for myself, I stopped making excuses and I stopped waiting for others to help me. Instead, I started changing my life.

   No, it's not easy. Nothing worthwhile is. But it DOES get easier if you're clear about your purpose and you embrace it with passion. When you're driven by that purpose, when every action you take is aligned with it, it's easy to stay on track and nail every goal you set for yourself.

5. Focus on direct alternatives. The actions you take to solve a particular problem or to make a change in your life break down into two categories: direct actions and indirect actions.

   Indirect actions are things that require the cooperation of other people. In other words, they aren't entirely in your control. If you think the only way for you to be happy is for your spouse to work out with you, then you've based your happiness on an indirect solution to your needs.

   Direct actions, on the other hand, are actions that you can take right now. They don't require asking permission. They don't require changing the world. They don't require attempting to force someone else to do something.

   When it comes to setting goals, all or almost all the steps you take toward your goal should be based on direct actions. That puts YOU firmly in control of your own destiny. To do anything less is to hand someone else control of your life.

So that's it. There's no magic potion. Dreams aren't bestowed from above. You have to reach out and take them. All it requires is hard work, strategy and the determination to see it through.

The truth about productivity

Many people believe there is a fancy, complex answer for being productive. Alas, it's simply "just doing it" and staying focused. But multi-tasking is so much more fun. However, slow and steady beats multi-tasking every time, because nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.

At a press conference early in his presidency, Dwight Eisenhower was asked for the name of his favourite author. "Harry Sinclair Drago," said Eisenhower.

The reporters looked puzzled. They obviously hadn't heard of Drago, even though he'd written several classics of western fiction, including Suzanna: A Romance of Early California and Whispering Sage.

So they asked Eisenhower for his second favourite. "Bliss Lomax," replied Eisenhower. If nothing else, this proved that Eisenhower was consistent, because that was a pen name used by, you guessed it, Harry Sinclair Drago.

Drago used at least eight additional pen names. He needed all those names because he wrote a lot. Over the course of his career, he wrote short stories, screenplays, articles, and more than a hundred novels. More than three full-length novels a year for 30 years.

When Syracuse University announced that it would be the custodian of Drago's papers, the thing that seemed to fascinate reporters the most was the amount he wrote. One of them asked him: "How did you write over a hundred books?"

"Four pages a day," replied Drago. That was an indication of his strategy, of making things work for you, one small step at a time.

1. Take one bite out of life at a time. Harry Sinclair Drago knew that, often, the secret of accomplishing big things is to break the big task into lots of small tasks. There's an old joke that illustrates the point.

   Question: "How do you eat an elephant?"

   Answer: "One bite at a time."

   You can make it a big bite or a small one. I bet Drago didn't start out writing four pages a day. It might have been as little as one hundred words.

   By breaking your big projects into little action steps and doing at least one step a day, you can accomplish great things. Just don't keep all your action steps in your head.

2. Get out of your head. I've met people who get the "baby steps" concept, but they still don't get anywhere because they never get to the action part. They come up with action steps like "Think about the plot for the novel" or "Analyse marketing options" or "I'll do this tomorrow".

   Those sound like action steps, but they're not. They don't result in real action. Real action is something out in the physical world that others can witness.

   Instead of "Think about the plot for the novel," try "Draft plot outline." Instead of "Analyse marketing options," try creating several specific action steps. They might include: "List three sources of information," "Contact source A," and "Prepare report on costs and benefits".

   Make a call. Make a list. Send an e-mail. Write a report. Do something. If you make it visible, you won't fool yourself about whether you're making progress. And to keep things moving, define action steps that are small enough that you're sure to succeed.

3. Make it small enough to get you going. You're more likely to succeed at small, easy action steps. So when you're feeling overwhelmed by all the things, or the big thing, you have to do, make your action steps smaller and easier. One clue that you need to break your goal into smaller chunks is when you find yourself procrastinating.

   Say that you know you need to get the house painted, but you're not doing anything about it. So make it smaller.

   What's the first thing you need to do? It could be: "Get some estimates." If getting estimates is still blocking you, make your next action step even smaller. Try: "Call three painting companies." If you're still procrastinating, choose a smaller step. How about: "Make a list of five painting companies to call?"

   At some point, you'll be down to an action step that moves you forward but isn't so big it stops you in your tracks. That gets you moving and gives you momentum.

4. Savour the small wins The principle of using small wins to build psychological momentum was presented in a Ph.D. dissertation at Stanford University in 1977. The theory: It works because it's a truly brain-friendly concept.

   When someone praises you, you feel good because your brain produces a chemical called dopamine. When you praise yourself by checking off a completed action step, you get the same physiological result. As you achieve one small win after another, you find it easier and easier to take the action steps that generate the wins.

   One way to keep things moving is to keep score. At the end of every day, Ben Franklin would ask himself: "What good have I done this day?" You can ask the question: "What have I done today to move my life and career forward?"

   Think about the action steps you took today. Think about how they helped you achieve your goals. Savour your victories. Remember that success usually isn't a result of achieving great big things all at once. Eat the elephant of a big achievement one bite at a time.

   Identify the next small step. Make it visible. Reward yourself for achievement. Then identify the next small action step.

These lifestyle strategies worked for me, and they'll work for anyone. Embrace them and you'll be well on your way to creating the life you've always dreamed of. Remember learn from others who are also learning. This gives you exponential learning results.

But most of all remember, what YOU do is what matters, and when you make love the life you lead, love makes everything work.

Yours in love,