Choose to live the life that you design

The original topic of this post was going to be a continuation of the last post but when I sat down at my computer this morning to begin working I received an email from a friend that changed my mind. The email was a story about a man facing a great tragedy, he had fallen 10 stories off the top of a building. As he lay on the ground he realized he had to make a simple choice – to live or to die. He chose to live. When he arrived at the hospital he was in terrible shape and he could tell from the way the Doctors where looking at him that they had also made a choice and that choice was that he could not survive the surgery that they were about to perform. As they were preparing to begin the operation they asked him if he was allergic to anything and he responded with one word: Gravity! Despite the severity of the situation the doctors and nurses began to laugh and the energy in the room changed drastically. The man survived the surgery and was able to return home to his family.

Now most of us do not fall off buildings but we do make choices, hundreds of them everyday many of them without thinking about the effects they will have on us or the people around us. Each choice we make; every response we have to a challenge, a difficult client, bad weather, spilt coffee, or anything else has a ripple effect that determines what direction our lives take. We choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood, we choose to be grateful for what we have or to regret what we do not have, we choose to watch a movie that will make us laugh or a movie that will make us feel frightened or unhappy, we choose how we face challenges, and we choose how we treat the people we connect with.

Unfortunately life sometimes throws challenges at us that we don’t have control over - things happen in life, in business, and in relationships. But it’s not the challenge that defines us it’s what happens next and that we can control! By recognizing that passive reaction will not get you where you want to go you can begin to make real conscious choices with each step you take and each hurdle you face. Embrace every challenge as an opportunity to make a choice that will positively affect your life and the lives of everyone around you.

Today I choose to be happy, I choose to be grateful for the people in my life, I choose to take action and grow my business, I choose to live the life that I design.

In gratitude,
Leslie

The most powerful component of success is you!

Whether you are an executive, a consultant, an entrepreneur, home business owner, or an employee the most powerful component of your success in business is you. You are your primary product, best sales person, and marketing message – you are the creator of your success. As a result of that everything you do, think, feel, or say has a direct impact on your business and how quickly you will be able to achieve your goals.

Lets break that down…

Number 1: DO
For many people the ever-growing “to-do” list can start to take over. We get overwhelmed by the little and seemingly never-ending things that need to be done on a daily basis. So how do we break this cycle? Take ownership of your “to-do” list! Start by creating sections instead of one long list, break your tasks into categories like: Business Building, Administrative, and Success. Set realistic goals around your list, commit to doing at least one thing from each area each day. Set boundaries “I will spend 60% of each day focused on Business Building activities”, “I will spend 25% of each day on Administration” and I will spend 15% of each day manifesting my success”. Finally and most importantly: commit to yourself that you will embrace and enjoy every aspect of your list as each item brings you one step closer to your goals.

Business Building activities include things like; sales, product development, meeting clients, networking, business development, and marketing.

Administrative activities include invoicing, filing, accounting, and paperwork.

Success activities include reading your goal statement, listening to a piece of music that fills you with joy, visualizing your goals, reading a book on personal or business development, and taking a gratitude break.

As you complete each item on your list check it off. At the end of the day commit 10 minutes to review your list and celebrate all the things you accomplished. Do NOT focus on the things you may not have finished just accept the feeling of joy for the things you did get done. Put your energy into positive momentum by thinking about all the successes you had in the day (and yes getting your filling done counts as a great success!) concentrate on gratitude – be grateful for the clients you connected with and the sales you achieved or the steps towards sales you took. Recognize the value that your hard work has and celebrate that tomorrow you get to move even closer to your goals and dreams and that you are living everyday manifesting the life you want!

Whatever you do, do it with joy and purpose – life is too long to only enjoy the destination.

Thank you for your continued readership and support, I look forward to your comments and feedback as always! Our next topic on creating success will be Step Number 2: Think and Feel.

In gratitude,
Leslie

You can change your world!

I recently had the opportunity to attend an international conference down in the States. People had come together from all over the world to be at the event and on the first day it seemed like utter chaos just trying to get inside and get seated. There where people as far as you could see; all of whom where speaking to someone in their own language – there was a symphony of noise made up of English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, French, and Portuguese (and all of the different accents and dialects within those languages).

Once we were all inside and seated the presenters began the conference and the 25,000 people that were in attendance listened. Headsets had been provided to everyone there that did not speak English, those headsets were translating every word that was said in real time into the language of choice for the person listening. In addition to that sign language translators had been brought in to translate for people that could not hear at all. I realized the power of what was happening when the first speaker made a joke (in English) and the entire crowd began to laugh simultaneously. Later on in the day the announcer invited us to enjoy a moment and put on a song that came blaring out of every speaker with the force of a rock concert, as soon as the first 3 notes played 25,000 people got to their feet and began to dance… the song was YMCA by the Village People. In that moment 25,000 strangers were totally connected, every face was smiling, every person was on their feet and when we got to the chorus every arm was raised in dance.

The experience moved me in a way that I can barely begin to describe.

We had all come together with a common purpose – to better our lives and to find ways to help others, to attract and manifest the life that we desired (both personally and professionally). For 3 days we listened and learned and shared. I met people from all around the world all of whom had such positive energy that it just reached out and touched you. It renewed my energy and my purpose to share the Law of Attraction. It confirmed my belief that anything is possible and that a world based on peace, connection, cooperation, and harmony IS possible!

It was a shining example that people should not be pre-judged based on where they live, what they look like, how much money they have, or what language they speak. The thing that connects us all is what we feel inside and our desire to create a life of joy and prosperity for ourselves and the people we love. That feeling, that need, that energy is the most powerful force in the world and it connects every single one of us! The most amazing gift we can give ourselves and our loved ones is to focus on that energy and manifest joy and prosperity until it expands and touches every person we come into contact with. You have the power to not only change your life but to help change the world.

Have a wonderful summer and celebrate your life!

In gratitude,
Leslie

Figuring out what you REALLY want!

The Law of Attraction states that what we focus on, think about, and give our attention to, we attract into our lives. Unfortunately the things that tend to dominate our thoughts are the negative aspects of our lives – bills, work, stress, the things we don’t want. The key to using the Law of Attraction successfully is to focus on the things we do want! That might sound simple in theory but the truth is for many people figuring out what they really want in life can be a challenge. Years of being told what we can and can not do, societies expectations, commitments, responsibilities, and many other factors have affected our ability to dream without limits and visualize what it is we truly want! For this week’s challenge we are going to back to the time in our lives before the box that we live in started to take form and constrain us.

Visualization exercises - tapping into your unlimited dreams and potential: your childhood you

1) Think back to early elementary school. Every year for one night you had the chance to be anything you wanted - real or imagined – you could become your greatest dream and people would reward you with candy for it! What did you dress up as for Halloween? When you had the chance to become anything or anyone, what was it?

Note: there are no wrong answers here and you are not limited to just one answer! During a recent session a person replied with: A Lion – they felt that was a bad answer because it’s not real, you can’t be a lion when you grow up. The truth is that’s a great answer, it shows the core desire to be a leader, to be fearless, a fighter, to be respected.

2) When you were in early elementary school and school was still fun what was your favourite subject? (and yes Nap Time does count as a subject!)

3) When you were very young what was your favourite TV show? Who was your favourite character on the show and why?

4) What is your youngest career dream? When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up? What do you think it was about that career that made it so desirable or appealing to you?

Once you have answered those questions think about them and look for themes, look for common aspects that repeat themselves that your childhood self was reaching for. Figuring out what we really want in life is more then just saying “I want more money” or “I want to be happy” it is about defining the quality and shape of our life – the things that bring us joy, excitement, fulfillment, and self-worth. If you are living a life that brings you those things then the money will come and happiness will be inherent in every moment. By looking at our childhood we can start to form the picture that will get us there.

Thank you for visiting today and learning more about how to manifest the life you want! Please feel free to use the comment section under this post to share some of your answers to the above questions or share any questions and feedback you have, I love hearing from you!

If you would like more information on how we can help you achieve your goals in business and in life please email me at ldurand@shaw.ca to receive a copy of our new Professional Services Menu. Have a great day and have fun on your stroll down the path to your dreams!

Best wishes and happy thoughts,
Leslie

Creating a Mission Statement that attracts what you want.

Traditionally a mission statement is not something that small businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals give a lot of energy to either in their business life or personal life. Today we are going to try and change that! First lets examine the core word: Mission.

The word mission is very powerful therefore anything that you assign to it also has great power! If you are on a Mission to do something it implies that you are going to do something with great purpose and intent. If someone sends you on a Mission to try and achieve something – there is a plan, outline and very specific goal. Doctors and researchers often say they are on a mission to wipe out a disease, activists are on a mission to create awareness and change, big businesses have a mission that guides them, even Captain Kirk had a bold mission. Do you have mission statements for your business and your life? And if you do, are they working for you or against you?

A mission statement serves as a guide for you and lets the world know who you are, what you stand for, and is a large contributor to what you are attracting. Some companies have created (and publicly displayed) mission statements that are so detailed they are pages long – nobody reads them! Some Mission Statements are so generic they can't attract anything. You should be able to state your mission in 1 to 2 sentences and the person reading it or hearing it should be moved to action. If it is the right person they will be pulled towards you, if it is the wrong person they will be pushed away from you.

Your business mission statement should state three key things: 1) target market or ideal client 2) what do you contribute or provide to that person or group, and 3) what makes you distinct. It sounds like a lot to fit into 1 or 2 sentences but it is doable!

For example here is MacDonald’s mission statement:
We provide the fast food customer food prepared in the same high-quality manner world-wide, tasty and reasonable priced delivered in a consistent, low- key décor and friendly atmosphere.

There is no question about who they are attracting, what they are offering, or what makes them unique. The right people will be drawn to that and the people that are not potential MacDonald's clients will not be attracted by it.

Your personal mission statement should also state three key things: 1) who are you 2) what is your purpose in life, and 3) how are you achieving it.

For example one of my client’s personal mission statement is: I am a happy positive person who is actively manifesting my goals and dreams so that I can continue to grow and add value to the lives of the people I come into contact with that are also striving for their goals.

Your mission statement is often the first introduction people will have to your company or to you as person; define yourself and own your objectives. The next time someone asks you to tell them about your business or yourself what will you say and what will you be attracting?

Thank you for visiting today and learning more about how to use the law of attraction to create the life and business you want. I would also like to thank everyone for the comments on the Complaint Challenge, keep up the great work! Please feel free to leave your comments on today’s topic of mission statements or to share your mission statement!

Have a great day!
Leslie

How to stop adding fuel to failure.

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Complaining has reached epidemic proportions, it has become the standard for small talk – we bond over our unhappiness or irritations. Think about a crowded elevator on your way to work, if people speak at all it is usually in the negative: complaining about the weather, how slow the elevator is, “don’t you hate Mondays?” etc. Small talk with co-workers: complaining about the Boss or other co-workers, exchanging the horror stories of the day, complaining about life in general.

Now add that to the regular complaining you do and hear from other people and it becomes overwhelming! When we complain about what we don’t want, what makes us unhappy, or listen to and agree with other people’s complaints, we are in fact drawing more of that very thing into our lives. Complaints are one of the greatest sources of negative attraction and the fuel of failure.

In reality most of us don’t realize how often we complain or validate someone else’s complaints and it is that lack of awareness that makes it so insidious. You are sabotaging yourself in little ways all day and blocking the Law of Attraction from bringing you what you do want! So how do we fix this?

I have three challenges for you:

1) Pick a day in the immediate future and make a commitment to yourself that you will not complain for 24 hours – no matter what. Additionally, you will not validate anyone else’s complaints. If you catch yourself starting to complain think about the last post on the subject of language and change your words, if you have to state something about something negative find a way to do it without complaining. This does not mean that you spend the day in silence (quite the opposite actually), go out for lunch, talk to your clients, attend meetings, do everything that you normally do and more but do it all with out complaining. Warning: you will become very aware of the people in your business and personal life that are negative and complainers (which leads us to step 2).

2) Become a complaint converter. You can turn someone’s complaint around for example; said to you by a client: “sorry I’m late, traffic was awful” your reply would be: “I realize how valuable your time is and I will make sure the trip was worthwhile”. Your client will feel like that have been heard and their complaint has been validated but in reality it has been converted.

3) Become a complaint blocker! As you go through the first two challenges you will become more aware of the people and situations in your life when complaints tend to arise. Your challenge then is to block them before they even get said. Recently I was in a crowded elevator with several floors lit up, when we reached the second floor a person at the very back of the elevator started to say “excuse me” and push their way to the front to get out. As the remaining people in the elevator started to scowl and shift around to fill in the empty space I called out “Elevator Tetris!” The elevator immediately filled with laughter and the scowls turned to smiles and nobody had a chance to utter the complaints that were on the verge of coming out.

You have the power to effect change, to stop complaints from blocking your happiness, and to help others from adding fuel to failure! This three step challenge will work and you will benefit from all the positive momentum it creates and attracts to you, I know you will be successful. I also recommend that you forward this to anyone in your life that is fuelling their failure with complaints. Please share your comments and experiences with me and the other readers here so we can all learn from each other or simply let us know that you are accepting the challenge!

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and feedback on the last post. Have a great day and welcome to your complaint free universe!

Leslie

What are you Attracting?

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Don’t think about the Eiffel Tower.
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If you are like most people, you just thought about the Eiffel Tower – even though that’s the exact opposite of what I said. This is a great example of one of the core concepts we need to understand to begin successfully on the path to greatness. Essentially, what you think about and give your attention to is what you attract. Just like in the example above, the Law of Attraction can not distinguish between do and don’t; it simply responds to what you give your attention to.

Changing what we give our attention to begins with our language. The words Don’t, Can’t, Not, No, and Won’t are all negative and usually come in before we acknowledge or give attention to something negative. In order to apply the Law you need to give your attention to what you DO want and stop giving it to what you DON’T want.

When I began thinking about writing this post earlier this week I started really looking through my business correspondences from suppliers and clients (emails, letters, voicemails, ads) to see if I could spot any examples of negative attention – I was shocked. Out of the 15 random communications I selected 12 of them had written statements that were attracting negative results to them! Here are a few examples:

1. We will not be undersold.
2. Don’t hesitate to call.
3. There is no better product on the market.
4. You will not be disappointed.
5. The technology is not hard to learn.

In each of the 5 statements above the original writers are actually drawing the very things they don’t want into their businesses! Referring back to the Eiffel Tower example can you see how those statements are invoking the Law of Attraction in a negative way to the person that wrote them? By simply changing our language we can attract what we DO want. Here are the same 5 statements re-written:

1. We offer the best price.
2. Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance.
3. This is the best product of the market.
4. You will be extremely satisfied.
5. The technology is easy to learn.

Take a look at the business communications you are sending out and see if you can spot negative attraction, think about what you do want and re-write it to attract that to you. If you have any other examples of negative statements that can be re-written in the positive, please share them in the comments section! Thank you for visiting today, if you would like to be updated on future posts please subscribe using the link above. I would also love to here your comments and feedback about this post and any questions you have about using the Law of Attraction for future topics. Have a great day!

Best wishes and happy thoughts!
Leslie