Category Archives: Directed Questions

Stop Being A Loser: How To Become A Winner!

What You Think About You Bring About. (1) copy

“What can you do to feel better? What can you do to help make your dreams and desires a reality? Whether it is your career goals, a relationship, purchasing your dream home or having an incredible life there is something you can and must do to get it all working for you.

If you want to have what you want to have, and do what you want to do, it is important that you FIRST be what you want to and need to be. Everything you accomplish and gain comes first and foremost from who you are. It comes from the kind of person you are.

Identity Comes First – Who Before What

If you want happiness you must be a happy person first. That is the rule. If you want success and riches you must be successful and rich in your mind first then worldly riches follow. If you want to have great love and relationships you must love yourself first.

So before anything else you need to work on who you are!

So who are you? What kind of person are you? Are you a happy, positive, productive person? Are you a healthy, wealthy, loving person? Are you invincible and confident? Are you able to learn anything you put your mind to?

What image do you hold of yourself?

Building your positive self image is the most powerful practice you can engage in daily.  Every single day, at least twice and as often as you can, you need to spend time building this powerful self image. You spend time imagining the person you want to be. you go inside your mental movie theater and use your imagination to create the ideal you you always wanted to be.

See yourself as the person who is able to do and have everything you want to do and have. In your mind you ‘be it’ first. Thought precedes action. Then everything else will follow. What you think about you bring about. What you focus on you get. What you think about all day long is what you become.

If you can see it in your head you will one day hold it in your hand. This is why, Einstein said, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’.  Create the reality first on the inside and you will have it on the outside. Mind First then Actions Follow!

Everything You Do And Have Stems From Your Self Image

Use your imagination to see who you are. This is much more important than knowing how you do what you do or buy what you want. Use your imagination daily and it will become easier, richer, more vivid and more real.

If at first you only have a vague sense that is okay. It will clear up the more you do it. Stick with it. Spend 20 minutes twice a day if you can. At least. But if you truly can’t then do 5 minutes twice a day. After all, you are worth that much aren’t you? Your ability to visualize gets better the more you exercise it just as developing any muscle.

The important this is to image yourself and feel the feelings of being that self you want to be. Enjoy and celebrate how incredible it feels. Bask in the feelings. The feelings are the key component to your visualization. Your words and what you say about it is too. Use these together to reinforce you you want. Stay positive in all regards.

How do you build it? You build it by visualizing yourself as you want to be. See yourself as having already arrived. In your mind you act as if you are already everything you want to become.

You are already that! In reality it is true – you are already that person – even if you are not living as that person would. That is the real you, the ideal you, the person who is inside you that you need to let out. You ARE already that which you want to become. Claim it!

You affirm daily to yourself and out loud who this person is. You put a guard before your tongue so that your talk to others is only positive, to bless, heal and prosper yourself and them.  Your personal story and descriptions arise from this ‘ideal self’ so don’t go sabotaging your efforts by whining, complaining and blaming.

Ask Directed Questions™ that keep you focused on your ideal self. Ask questions that keep you moving in the direction you are moving towards. Direct your mind. So work on first establishing being the kind of person for whom all this is possible.

The most powerful visualization you can do for yourself is to first begin working on your self image.

Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

See you as you want to be. See yourself as whole, not broken. See yourself as complete. See yourself as happy, fulfilled, confident, successful. See yourself learning and continuing to evolve. See yourself smart, wise, experienced.

See yourself as you want to be! As you are meant to be. See yourself as divine, inspired, motivated. See yourself as powerful, positive and compassionate. See yourself as decisive and persistent and able to follow through. See yourself as worthy and deserving of all good things.

See yourself as someone who can learn to do anything you put your mind to. See yourself as someone who can accomplish what you set out to do. See yourself motivated, take charge and in control. See yourself going for it and completing it.

Imagine yourself as someone who is optimistic and expects wonderful things to come your way. See yourself as someone joyful on the journey.

See yourself as one  who listens and who is compassionate and thoughtful of others. See someone who is valuable, abundant and worthy and recognizes that in others too. See someone with much to be happy for and rich in all ways. See someone who is thankful.

Every Day Imagine The Ideal You

See yourself with loving relationships and good connections with friends, family and even strangers. See yourself as loving and kind and compassionate. See yourself as helpful and encouraging to others.

See yourself as someone who can speak confidently and appreciate meeting and being with others. See yourself as someone who likes to explore new places, activities and ideas. See yourself as someone curious and filled with life. See yourself appreciating the tiny miracles of each moment.

Imagine yourself as someone who likes to do new things. Imagine yourself captivated and fascinated by what you discover that is good and new each day. See yourself celebrating and being grateful for everything and everyone in your life

Imagine yourself to be the kind of person who will get up after falling down. See yourself as a person who persists and keeps  your commitments and promises to self and others. See yourself as someone who learns from mistakes and never lets anything get them or keep them down for long. See yourself as someone who is unstoppable and who is able to learn.

Imagine yourself as someone open and flexible. Imagine yourself as one who can and will make whatever you positive things you want to happen, that are good for you and others, happen. You are confident and capable. See yourself as willing to learn how to do whatever is necessary to make your dreams come true by applying yourself and discovering more of your resources.

It Gets Easier And Easier The More You Do It

See yourself as happy and fulfilled. See yourself, not only as worthy and deserving but, as able to enjoy all the wonderful things you want. Imagine yourself as meant to do and have these incredible things because you are the kind of person for whom these things are meant for. You wouldn’t want them if you weren’t meant to have them.

Visualize yourself as you want to be and see yourself as already that. Feel what it feels like to be who and what and how you want to be. Hear what you sound like when you speak out loud and the sound of your own supportive and encouraging self-talk.

See how bright and wonderful the world appears through your eyes. Live it! Feel it fully! Appreciate these wonderful feelings and wrap them around you. Bask in these. Feelings drive the show. From the images we make feelings arise. Use these positive feelings by enjoying and accentuating them.

THIS IS CRITICAL!!!

Imagine everything as if it were real right now. This instant! This is you and your current reality! Do not imagine it being sometime in the future, imagine you are it right now! Don’t delay it for another time. You subconscious doesn’t know when someday is. It is eternally present. It acts now.

Act as if you are already that which you want to become with powerful positive wonderful feelings and your subconscious mind will get the message and respond. This is what is meant by using autosuggestion deliberately to get what we want. This is the conditioning process.

Just as pro athletes condition themselves for success so do the rest of us when we realize how important and valuable it is. Athletes work at it every single day. The provide themselves the right nutrition, the right amount of exercise and rest.

Every pro athlete knows the necessity of having the right mind set to gain the competitive edge. This is what we all must do in everyday life!

Wrap The Positive Feelings Around You 

Everything we do or accomplish arises from who we are. Our self image is important. Our thoughts about ourselves critical. If you want happiness and success to follow you YOU must first be happiness and success. It is the ‘who’ who does and gets what one wants. Your self image is so important to all of your happiness.

That is the way it works. ‘To those who have more shall be given’. Start by making yourself happy, resilient, flexible, successful, blissful and all else will follow. Begin with the best of you! Spend time developing the self image you want. Be like an athlete dedicated to you. Be devoted to being and doing the best for yourself!

IT is a choice. You are not saddled with or a victim of anything that you can’t right now choose to make different. Each second you have a choice to perpetuate an old way or develop and live from a new way. If the old way causes pain and suffering or if it is not working then it is time to chose another way, a new way.

Self Image Development Is Critical To Getting What You Want

Every truly happy and successful person already does this. Either they learned it growing up, lucky them, or later they became aware of the need to consciously choose. You make a decision. It is a deliberate choice. You can make this choice right now for yourself.

Know this. It is very simple. It is easy although it may not always be easy. You have to commit and stick with it when times get tough. That is just the way it is. If you want a radical positive life change than you must invest in yourself, and see it through. Everyone who arrives has to go through this.

There are times when an athlete wants to give up. In order to become the best they need to push through it and continue. They need to apply the training skills they have learned to keep going.

There is no getting a medal if they quit. They use their mental attitude to keep moving forward. That separates those who do and succeed from those who give up and go home.

It takes some time. Just as it takes time to build a house it takes time to build your self image in a positive way. You lay a strong firm foundation and once you do that you can build successsfully on top of it.  Once you begin this process, as you lay the foundation, it will get easier because you have that foundation to support you.

Self Image Development Is Critical To Enjoying What You Want

Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first. You get better in time the more you repeat the process correctly. You build positive habits. Anything worth having is worth the effort you put in to gain it. You have to pay the price. It is not for free. You have to labor to get what you want.

As it becomes habit it becomes automatic and reliable. Still, there are times when you deliberately choose to direct it. You drive your car in the same way. It is habitual and unconscious. You should never get behind the wheel when not fully conscious, alert, and sober.

Driving requires your conscious awareness and the unconscious the skills you learned and made habit. It is both. Use your conscious mind to direct your unconscious mind to become who you are destined to be.

You direct your inner movies the same way a movie director does. Put it together how you want it to be. Write your positive story. Your mental screenplay. Direct your mind as a traffic cop does. Be in charge of the flow. Take control of what you accept and reject. Make it how you want it. You are a master chef with all the right ingredients and the skills necessary. Make a marvelous dish!

As you do this you will create the new neural pathways replacing the old limiting ones. You will change to a new mental address just as when you move from one residence to another in actual life. It takes awhile to learn and recall and travel to the new address but once you ‘get it’ you automatically go there and let go of the old one.

Replace The Old With The New Easily

Your new self image will replace the old one of you. The one you did not deliberately choose. It will replace the one you were provided by others. Now you are free to choose to be who you want to be. You are free to choose the kind of person you are. This is incredible freedom and power you have available to you.

Spend time visualizing yourself each day and you will be surprised at how life can change and become more wonderful. You will find new things to delight and appreciate. If you have never spent time there you do not know what you are not noticing. You aren’t aware of what you are missing. Begin changing your life for the better now!

Update And Upgrade Your Self And Celebrate The New You

As you visualize and improve your self-image you will begin to notice your life becomes more enriching. As you place you attention in these new areas you find and learn new things to appreciate. Celebration helps you move forward and feel wonderful.

It all builds on itself. Once you take the small necessary steps you begin to walk a journey that continues to become more and more glorious as you continue forward. You discover more beauty and glory than you could have previously imagined. You negotiate and navigate through troubles easier and more resourcefully.

It is a process. All along the way you continue to move forward. Whether you walk easily into the valley or on the straight-a-way or whether you struggle up a hillside you are moving forward. You create momentum and continue delightfully on the journey.

You are moving forward in the right direction! You are coming into your strength and creative power. You are evolving yourself in a positive direction. You are releasing the person you have always been meant to be. Enjoy the process. Begin now and do not stop. Keep going until it pays off because the pay off is magnificent!” Rex Sikes

Make the day magical!!

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON  –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home is coming!  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site.

Some of you get this blog emailed to you, I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter.

Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place. I might launch and update as we go along.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

How To Make Affirmations Work For You: video

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Why struggle for a long time to make positive changes? It is much easier when you learn how to add in a few simple and easy practices that can make all the difference.

Life should be wonderful and fun. How surprised and delighted might you be to discover you already have a powerful means for positive change available to you? Watch and listen to this short video. Meanwhile, I wish you the very best in all things. Make your day marvelous!

How To Make Affirmations Work For You – video snippet – link below

Video – use link to watch video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx3GBNAJLPQ

More Articles & Resources at Idea Seminars: http://www.idea-seminars.com/

Have a delightful day!!

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON  –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home is coming!  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site.

Some of you get this blog emailed to you, I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter.

Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place. I might launch and update as we go along.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

What To Do When You Are Bothered By Negative Thoughts And Feelings

horizons red sky and field

“Negative thoughts and feelings can be trouble. What to do when you have a negative thought? It can ruin your day. It could interfere with your ability to feel happy and successful, pursue your career and enjoy life overall. Some people try to avoid negative thoughts.

Trying to fight thoughts and feelings usually only exaggerates them and makes them worse. You have probably found that to be true, right? There is a way you can get free from them. Would you like to know how? Keep reading.

Thoughts come and they keep coming. Many are repetitive, habitual, chronic old thoughts that just run on and on. The reason you keep thinking the same thing may be because you never attempted to direct them before.

How To Change The Old Into The New

It is estimated we think over 60,000 thoughts a day. 60 percent or more are the thoughts we routinely think. They are the thoughts from the day before and the day before that. The reason we have these repetitive thoughts is because most people don’t bother to learn HOW TO think better.

We think because we think that is how it has to be. We don’t realize that thinking is a skill and a process as any other. We can be good at it if we want to be or we can accept however we learned to do it. That is a choice each of us can make once we realize we have that choice. It would be nice to be a talented thinker, wouldn’t it?

Just like training a horse it can take some time but you can learn to think in new ways. You can think in new positive ways just as reliably and automatically as the old way. The way you learn to think new thoughts is you choose. You make choices. You decide what to think.

Decide To Become A Talented Thinker

You claim and you regain control. You put yourself in charge and you begin to decide what to think. That is what affirmations,  Directed Questions™ and positive self-talk is all about. You choose the thoughts and images you want to fill your mind with. You choose the best thoughts to think about yourself!

If you are up late at night and watching TV or a movie that you don’t like because it produces horrible thoughts or images what do you do to quit being bothered? Some people say turn it off. That doesn’t work because then you think about the last things you saw over and over.

Instead, you change the channel. You watch something else. You tune to something you enjoy. Soon you will forget about the old horrible show and images because you will be caught up in the new more enjoyable ones. You chose to put your attention elsewhere.

You Are In Charge – Change The Channel

You make positive thinking a reality in the same manner. You switch what you are thinking about. You don’t try to stop thinking negatively because what you resist persists. You don’t try to shut the less than glorious off rather you add in more positive, powerful, enjoyable, glorious thoughts.

You make the new thinking a habit by choosing to  think and affirm the new thoughts over and over repeatedly. You think them and add positive emotion and enthusiasm while you say or shout them out loud to yourself. Think of the intense emotions used in military training or sports training. Make your feelings intensely joyful!

Over time, the new thoughts take hold. You begin to think them more reliably and you begin to believe them. They become a part of you. They begin to come naturally and habitually. The older thoughts you think less and less. Your new thoughts take hold.

You Form Habits By Correct Practice And Spaced Repetition

Just as when you change residence. At first you may find yourself inadvertently traveling back to your former address. In time that will happen less and less as you continue to return to the new home address. Soon enough the new address takes hold and you always go there. You learn to go where you put your attention. It is reliable!

It works the same way you make a pathway in the forest or pasture. You travel the same route again and again until a path is formed. It works the same way in the brain.

You create new neural pathways to travel by choosing the thoughts you want to think and repeating them again and again. The key is to use strong, intense, positive strong emotions while affirming. The emotions are what wires in the thoughts.

Choose Your Thoughts

Choose to think new thoughts.  Become aware when you aren’t. Make a correction by adjusting thoughts that run counter to what you want. Change to a positive channel. You will feel better too.

Apply, correct, apply correct and soon over time you get the knack and develop the new thinking habit. It is not just the words but the feeling you have when saying the words. Once you choose to think better thoughts your feelings improve too! It works both ways.

But What If I Think A Negative Thought?

It is okay. We all do. We are human.

Frequently it means that thought is a signal to get your attention. It is a signal that you need to put your attention on something in order to avoid or resolve a difficulty. The same is the case with less than glorious feeling. It means you are focused in the wrong place.

Perhaps, you are more focused on what you do not want than on what you want. Notice the thought or feeling, acknowledge it and put you attention where you want it to be instead. If the thoughts stop or the feelings change for the better you got the message.

You Have  A Guidance System That Provides Feedback

Once you get the message stop focusing on the message. Apply your positive thinking on making the situation better. If it alerts you to something you do not want FANTASTIC!! Now turn your attention to what you do want and concentrate on making this happen.

Switch the channel. Focus on the positive thoughts you want instead. It may be something triggered old associations. That is okay it may happen from time to time.

If it persists it may be you need to listen to your gut. Something requires your attention. Calm down, relax, and accept it. Listen patiently. Learn to pay attention to your inner guidance. Once you get the message you will experience relief or at least the nagging will cease.

The Goal Is To Feel Good Most Of The Time

The goal is to think positive thoughts and feel better MOST of the time. It doesn’t mean we never have other thoughts. So you chose to and do what you need to do to feel good most of the time. If 60, 70, 80 percent of your time is spent feeling fantastic life will be too!

Negative thoughts can be signals. No worries. Utilize them when you become aware of them. Take it as a signal to put your attention  on what you want to include rather than what you want to avoid or exclude. Sometimes they are extraneous and nothing to be concerned with.

They serve as a signal message or as feedback so you can better move forward. Isn’t that great?  We have an internal guidance system. We have our own inner GPS that can take us to where we want to go. Learn to appreciate it, use it and it will serve you well.

We are fortunate that we have this system of guidance. We are fortunate that we can control and choose what we think when we want to. Do we have to be positive and happy all the time? NO the choice is yours. BUT when one learns the power of choosing how to respond in any situation all of life seems to remarkably improvel

Accepting things as they are is important too. If, for example, one suffers a loss of someone close to them. Grieving is a normal process. Allow it. It is not about trying to avoid or alter it. Let it process. Take your time, be sensitive and when ready move on.

What About Negative Feelings?

To reiterate the same applies to feelings. More often than not it is a signal to get your attention to make a positive change in some way. Again, don’t focus on the negative feeling. Put your focus on what you want.

It may be telling you you are off course or focused on the wrong things. So change what you are paying attention to or what you are focused on. If you then feel better you know you made the right correction.

The bad or less than glorious feeling is feedback. It is a signal you are headed or heading off course and alerting you to get back on track. Celebrate it.

It Is A Signal, Feedback, A Message – Pay Attention

We are so lucky to have this available to us. Learn to use it! AND use it! Pay attention and shift your attention as necessary. Energy flows where you attention goes. What you focus on you get.

Monitoring feelings makes everything easier. You either feel good or great or not so good or bad. The goal is to live life feeling the best you are able most of the time. You want to live with joy and celebrating everything.

When you feel less than glorious you are being notified that something is out of whack and requires your attention. Then move step by step toward feeling the best you can. Do whatever you need to feel better. Choose different thoughts, ask questions, go for a walk, skip, sing, dance. Change the channel! Feel better.

Sometimes feeling a little bit better is enough. It moves you in the right direction. For example, right now you are sitting wherever you are. You want to enjoy yourself in a theme park but right now you don’t feel that wonderful.

Drop By Drop Fills The Tub – Bit By Bit You Will Get There

Take a step toward the theme park you want to be at. You are now one step closer. Step by step you will get closer and closer until finally you are there. As long as you are headed in the correct direction you are making progress.

You may notice the closer you get the more eager anticipation you feel. With each step you can leave the less than glorious feelings behind. You’ll move into better feelings until finally you are there enjoying all there is to enjoy! This is how we nudge ourselves along.

Notice that as the eagerness increases you are thinking different thoughts. You attention is no longer on not having or not being there but on the things that you can’t wait to do while there. You are thinking about the fun so your feelings and thoughts change as a result.

Stop Being Critical – Learn How To Let Go And Accept

Accept wherever you are without being critical of yourself. We think we should be further along and better at it than we are presently. In reality, there is no place to be other than in this moment where you are. You can’t force it. Accept where you are at. Love yourself.

You planted seeds now let them grow without any critical commentary. Have faith, trust the process. Let go and let them grow. They wil blossom soon enough but maybe not in your time frame. Let it go. Relax and allow. Be patient. Everything in its own time.

Don’t add insult to injury by heaping less than glorious commentary on yourself whenever you think, feel or do anything. Learn to let go of that old habit. The ability to let go and accept is part of evolving into a more positive and powerful person.

When you let go and drop negative running commentary you and your mind are free to focus on creating what you wan. You are more able to align your resources to enable you to do that. You aren’t distracted by the comments.  You are singularly focused and this is powerful.

You Are In Charge – Exercise Your Ability To Choose The Best

Free yourself up to be who you are. You are a person who has choices and who can decide. Even if you believe you never have you still  can learn how to take charge. Bit by bit. In life you make countless decisions on what to wear, eat, where to go, what to do, what to watch.

Chose your thoughts. Chose the best thoughts. Make thinking positively and powerfully a habit. Enjoy the finest feelings you can find. Spend more time enjoying thinking better and feeling better. Soon enough it will be a habit and overall your life will transform.

Find things to appreciate about yourself, others and the world. Find the best in each and every moment and circumstances. Put a smile on your face and believe in yourself. YOU can do this. Start now and everything can change in wonderful ways! You can be delighted and surprised!” Rex Sikes

How will you celebrate this new day?

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON  –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home is coming!  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site.

Some of you get this blog emailed to you, I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter.

Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place. I might launch and update as we go along.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

Why ‘The Secret’ & The ‘LOA’ Doesn’t Work For You!

horizon green creek and sky

“Why does ‘The Secret’ not work for everyone? Have you ever felt this way? Have you thought, ‘well I tried the Law Of Attraction (LOA) thingee but didn’t get very far’. If so then you want to read this. The Secret, the LOA, does work. It really does!

It works for everyone the same way. It rains and the sun shines on everyone equally; the good and the bad, the rich and the poor. It doesn’t care nor does it discriminate. It does take longer for some than others but it always works.

Why it takes longer for some than others is up to the individual. That is actually cool because it means it is all within your control. You are in charge of the results you get.

Do This If You Haven’t Yet Had The Success You Desire

If you go back and read Napoleon Hill or the New Thought Leaders or even the ancient texts they seem to agree in various ways with Hill’s language. Know what you want. Know your Definite Purpose. Clarify it. This is a must do first step. Make no mistake about this.

Next, it must be made into a Burning Desire. You must want it with every fiber of your being. Then you must have faith that it will happen. You need to expect its arrival. You conceive of it, you believe it and you achieve it.

Then YOU make a total commitment to make it happen. Never give up. Keep going until you make it happen. The Law Of Attraction is for proactive people. It works for people who make it work. LOA is about harnessing your attention, your energy, your focus and your abilities.

Some people believe they don’t have to do anything but think about it and it will magically manifest. That is NOT what the LOA actually is about. It is a magnifying lens. Anything you place before it expands or is exaggerated. If you look at wonderful things you are blessed. If you put crap in front of it don’t be surprised if life is crappy.

What you focus on you get. Whatever the mind can conceive and you can believe you can achieve. It is about what you ACHIEVE. Not what magically appears. It all starts with the correct attitude or mindset. It begins first in the mind. It involves your feelings and your actions.

Know What You Want – Believe You Can Make It Happen

Some of the reasons LOA doesn’t seem to work is because people believe wrongly about what it is. It isn’t the fast food, magic bullet, quick fix, chant it into being formula some think it is. IT IS a practical, proven means to get you off your ass and into success by putting timeless principles to work. It works when you work it!

Some people take longer than others to know what they want. For some it takes a while  to specify it. It takes some people time to hone it and lock in on one thing. They may go back and forth about what they want or are vague in the first place.

Precision is key. Focus is Key. Practice is key. Write it down. Make autosuggestion work for you instead of against you. Autosuggestion is always ongoing. It is not something you do once. It is a life long continuing process. It is the basis of getting what you already have.

For some the problem is they concentrate on what they do not want. The subconscious mind (or the universe if you prefer) doesn’t care of judge. It gives you whatever you focus strongly on. It makes happen whatever you think about accompanied with strong emotion.

Some People Inadvertently Get What They Don’t Want

Some people are great at getting what they don’t want. They are scared, or depressed, angry, resentful, fearful, anxious or worried. So they get more of these.

Their attention is on what they want to avoid and they feel emotional at the same time. THAT is the magic formula for creating more of the same.

Make autosuggestion work for you by visualizing what  you do want as if you already have it. Feel these feelings strongly. Enjoy these. Affirm what you want positively with strong emotion. Feel it!

Do these things repeatedly. It will work for you. Hill states read it out loud at least twice a day. Fill your thoughts with it all day long. What you think about you become.

Think in terms of already having. State emphatically, ‘I am confident’ or ‘I have confidence’ rather than thinking you will some day. Some day never comes. Claim it now! Be a champion. Act like it!

You Already Use Autosuggestion Even If You Don’t Know It

You already have everything you need. This issue is you do not yet believe that nor do you fully realize it. You already have all the resources you just have not tapped into them yet. They ARE within you. They truly are. You will discover this if you act like it is true.

Too many people wait and hope. They don’t believe or affirm what they want. If you remain unconvinced that is what you end up with. Convince yourself you can do anything you set your mind to do.

You can learn how and you can make it happen. Don’t make excuses. Make what you want happen! Affirm it. See it as if it already happened. Imagine it so strongly you can see, feel and touch it.

Do this everyday until it is a burning desire – a white hot burning all encompassing desire. You must absolutely want it more than anything. Some people aren’t there yet. Don’t wait. Do it! It will not happen by itself. You make it happen.

You must do what it takes and keep doing it until you get it. Many won’t even try and many don’t stick with it. Hardly, anything else needs to be said about this. If you give up YOU quit! Don’t expect to be a winner if you are a quitter.

Commit Don’t Quit – Stop Being A Wimp

Some ‘gurus’ tell you it is because of your past unconscious conditioning and limiting beliefs. While this may be accurate it is a slippery slope. Don’t use what they say to look for crap. Remember, you get what you focus on.

Hill said you would come to believe what is necessary through repetition of thought. By repeatedly filling your mind with what you want you re-condition your mind to believe. The principle which is tried and true is ‘A lie repeated often enough is substituted for the truth.’

This means if you stick with it long enough you will get it. You will come to believe it as you affirm it or claim it. It does work. Spaced repetition is what creates a habit. Repeating the correct action over and over again during a long enough period of time is how habits are formed. So you create NEW thought habits the same way.

When ‘gurus’ say it is YOUR limitations there is a tendency to look for, find and focus on what is wrong. This is not going to help but can hinder you. Yes you want to free yourself of the limitations but wallowing and sifting through garbage doesn’t make you better.

Think of weeding a garden. You plant seeds expecting a certain plant to blossom. Weeds may enter the garden. Extract them as you find them and get rid of them. You do not give those weeds any more thought than that. You concentrate of making your garden healthy.

Use Autosuggestion To Get What You Do Want

You do need to focus on what you want and the new beliefs you want to have. Autosuggestion is the process we use to build new thought habits.   We are always suggesting things to ourselves.

We are always already affirming either positively or negatively.  We are already imagining wonderful things or not so wonderful things. We are already thinking about what we want to include or what we want to avoid. BOTH types of thinking create the results we get.

Stick with positive affirmations and positive visualization to program your mind positively! Use Directed Questions™. Fill your mind with positive inspiring and motivational materials. Read & listen to positive, life affirming materials. Hang around positive people.

Find ways to stay positive and feel your finest. Be happy and enthused. Allow yourself to enjoy and celebrate everything! Smile, laugh, sing, dance. The better you feel the more you enjoy life! Radiate! Imagine you are a light unto the world. Your job is to illuminate and spread joy.

Love Life And You Will Get Everything You Want

Help others get what they want and you will be helping yourself get what you want. Enjoy the success of others. Hold every one in positive regard. Practice, hell, LIVE the Golden Rule. DO these things and you will transform your experience all for the better.

You will be better equipped to handle difficulty when it arises. AND you will be better equipped to enjoy life daily. Make tiny moments magnificent and make terrible moments tiny. Whatever you can conceive and believe YOU can achieve!

Yes, it may take time but do you want it or not? What conditions do you put on getting it? If you can be, do and have anything you want this year will you do what it takes to get it? Will you keep doing it if takes 5, 10 or 20 years?

The answer to that question determines whether or not you are in if for the long haul.

Never give up! Persist in spite of any and all difficulty. This is the most difficult concept for people to get because, sadly, most people lack will power, backbone, dedication and tenacity. Stick with it!

It is easy to give up albeit disappointing. You must not quit if getting to your destination is important to you. There are things I am working on that are only now beginning to come together. Some things just take time. Accept this. Whatever you resist, persists!

Celebrate The Journey Because Where You Are Is Where You Are

Life is a process. That means ONGOING. We can’t tell where we are while in a process. So give up trying to. Nothing is all at once. We don’t have all the information at one time. Let it go. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy the process. Celebrate everything and all will be better!

You cannot and must not compare yourself with others. Their path and yours are not the same in any way. You must not be locked into a time frame. You can work with deadlines but some things may take longer. THAT is just the way it is.

Think, ‘THIS or something better is coming to me.’ Think, ‘Good things are happening, and I don’t know when or how. Everything always works out for the best.’ Attitude really IS everything! It is ALL mind set!

How you are and others go about things is different. Stop comparing. Why you or they get something slower or faster is not worth suffering over. If you want something be patient. Anticipate getting it. Do not look at your present and complain you don’t have it yet. That will thwart it. Stop this!

Keep the faith regardless of what present circumstances are like. These have nothing to do with what you are creating. Do not be distracted by less than glorious circumstances or events that come up. Stay focused on what you want. Stay focused on celebrating everything.

Good Habits Get You What You Want To Be, Do And Have

The secret to the Law Of Attraction is the work you do on yourself. You must do the inner work. It begins in the mind and continues through into your actions and behaviors. Your attitude and your feelings determine how far you will go and whether or not you will continue when the going gets tough.

You must visualize and affirm and concentrate and focus on what you want to the exclusion of doubt, fear and worry. You must be passionate and want it and be convinced you will have it. Nothing wil stop you.

You must daily do the work and repeat it over and over until your subconscious mind takes hold and helps you with it. You consciously dictate again and again to your subconscious what it is you want.

Eventually, it gets it and things happen more swiftly. YOU have to lay the groundwork. You have to prepare the soil for planting, then plant, then nurture, then harvest. It takes time.

You have to dig the hole, lay the foundation, build the house. It takes time. You can’t rush it. If you do each step faithfully you will get what you want. You want to build it strong to last. Haste makes waste!

No doubt about it. You will make it happen. BUT remember it is YOU who makes it happen. It doesn’t happen to you. It is YOU working in co-operation with others who will make it happen.

Create a wonderful life for yourself. Commit to being the best, feeling your best, living your best and helping others to do the same. Your life will take on great meaning and you will be fulfilled!” Rex Sikes

Make marvelous this day!!!

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON  –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home is coming!  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site.

Some of you get this blog emailed to you, I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter.

Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place. I might launch and update as we go along.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

4 Tiny Changes You Can Make That Will Take You Far!

horizon single plant

“The truth is if you want to change your life it only takes a little bit of change to make a serious amount of large change. The tiny corrections you make will take you far in improving your life.

Whatever you focus on expands. You become what you think about. What you think about you bring about.

Use Directed Questions™, affirmations, positive self-talk and visualization to direct your mind to the best feelings you can find. Find them and concentrate on feeling those!

Pay attention to what feels good instead of what feels bad. Look for what is right instead of what is wrong.

When you are able to do this an entirely new world of possibilities opens up to you. The world becomes more alive and so do you. Everything is more colorful and flavorful.

Whatever is planted and nurtured will grow. What have you planted AND what are you nurturing? The results you are getting tells you the answer

Be receptive and expect good things to come your way without demanding anything. Practice gratitude. Really feel grateful. Discover your joy and bask in it. As you do these things you become more of these things. You transform!

Everyone faces challenges. It is not the challenges that sets successful people apart from the rest. It is their ability to realize disappointment or setbacks as only temporary. They are not defeated by defeat. They keep  going and so should you.

Something amazing happens when you take the focus off of yourself and your needs. When you begin to wonder how you can more fully benefit others you get out of your own way.

You stop thinking chronically about you, your life and limitations. You go beyond these and into your resourcefulness. You discover new things you never knew before. Celebrate and enjoy!

What goes around comes around. What you put out there comes back to you. When you smile pleasantly at others most likely they will smile pleasantly back.

When your thoughts and actions positively benefit others you too will be benefited. Benefits may come in the form of positive actions returned to you or just from feeling good for helping others.

These tiny changes can produce powerful positive results. It doesn’t take much to get big things in return. From one planted seed you can get a plant that produces lots of seed bearing fruit. Each fruit may contain scores of new seeds. Growth can be exponential!” Rex Sikes

Have a wonderful day!!!

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON  –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home is coming!  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site.

Some of you get this blog emailed to you, I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter.

Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place. I might launch and update as we go along.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

How I Overcame A Life Crisis And Made Life Wonderful

horizons dirt road blue sky

“If you have read my previous two blog posts on How to Get Through Any Difficulty and Past Any Limitations you know the answer to how you can transform positively and more quickly.

I continue to share more of the refinements and back story you can use to change more readily and easily.

This is Part 3 continued from How To Get Through Any Difficulty.

I kept repeatedly asking questions. I kept asking better and better questions, improving on them, tailoring them until I experienced changing and more relief. Soon, I began to notice myself growing in confidence and well being.

Keep The Positive Direction In Mind

I found myself though trial and error asking a better quality of questions. My questions became more more powerful and efficient. For example, instead of asking, ‘how long’ something would take I asked ‘how soon’ or ‘how quickly’ it would occur.

I asked, ‘how easily’ I might notice new things, or make changes, or direct my attention in positive ways.  I got clearer in my mind. I stopped  focusing on what I didn’t want.

I was becoming focused on what I did want. I focused on what I DID want to see, hear and feel. I concentrated on thoughts and behaviors that were positive, good and ultimately glorious.

I focused on feeling confident. I aimed my mind. I didn’t focus on the weakness I was overcoming  or insecurity but on feeling strong and confident already. I learned not to put it off but to think it now.

I did not say things such as, ‘I wonder how soon before I am not feeling insecure?’ You do understand why this is a poor question. If I say don’t think of a blue elephant what do you do?  If I say, ‘not insecure’ the same thing happens.

The brain doesn’t think in terms of ‘not’ or ‘don’t.’ I didn’t want to be asking ‘I wonder how soon before I am insecure?’ That is how the brain handles a negative. It drops it out. You have to say precisely what you want. You have to aim it towards what you DO want.

Use Positive Phrasing To Say What You Want

My direction changed from,’ I don’t want to, or I no longer want to feel this or that’ to ‘I want to be more confident and powerful. I want to think more positive. I want to see opportunity.’

‘I want to notice the good things in me and the world.’ ‘ I want to tell myself things and always speak nicely to me.’ ‘I want to be kind to me.’ ‘l want to be more loving and accepting.’

‘I not only want to discover these more fully but to experience and live these moment to moment.’  I asked how I could feel wonderful, powerful, delighted.  What I would notice or find and discover and be.

Soon I was asking, ‘How quickly will I discover how incredible it is to live each moment more fully and feel totally alive?’ I had no mental answers for any of it. I was learning there were word tricks that made things more powerful.

For example, I could live life ‘fully’ or I could live life ‘more fully’. Do you get the difference. The first one suggests I will arrive somewhere. The second one suggests I am already living fully and can add to that enjoyment by living more fully.

Another simple example is I could make changes OR I could ‘readily’ make changes. Another one is; I could ‘easily’ make changes. There are many ways to spice up the questions we ask ourselves to make them much more powerful.

Learn To Enjoy Life More and More

I wasn’t asking to get answers. Okay, well, some aspect of me still held out hope that she and I would get back together and I did want to know how soon and what to do to make that happen.

Mostly, however, I was in a process of transforming myself and discovering all the good things about me I didn’t know previously.

Around 5 almost six weeks after I first sat down I left my chair.  I faced the world. It wasn’t a powerful bursting onto the scene. It wasn’t lightening and thunder and trumpets announcing my return.

I felt pretty good yet, was still a bit apprehensive, I wasn’t sure of everything but I was a heck of a lot better off than I was in that chair. I was far better than living the events that led up to being in that chair. I was a world away from the trauma.

Eventually, she and I ended up face to face. It wasn’t ever going to be the same. We tried being friends. It wasn’t going to work. I was still pretty upset at the demise of our relationship and what had happened to me that started everything off.

Asking The Right Questions Is A Skill For Life

BUT I had learned I could ask questions to direct my mind. I had a new ability. I had a powerful new skill I could immediately use any place and time. I could use it with anyone and for anything. I was feeling better and getting some pretty strong results.

So I continued to ask questions. What almost happened, and I am so glad it didn’t, was that the method I discovered to rescue myself, I nearly treated as a life preserver.

Said differently. I could have used this to bail me out of a crisis situation and then left it behind as I moved into new things. Fortunately, I didn’t. I realized it was a skill for life.

I could have used it to stay alive and then move on. Had I done that nothing would have really changed. In real life you don’t carry the life preserver with you. That would be like carrying your sack of belongings.

Had we got back together it’s probable I wouldn’t have learned to transform my life. Maybe, I would have gone through something else. Who knows? I might have recovered, gone on as the same person, a bit better off but the same.

Sooner or later something else would have most likely occurred again that would put me back in a similar hell.

Use Questions Anytime Anywhere For Anything

Instead of abandoning the questions that got me to face the world I found I could ask them for all facets of my life. I could use them daily to make life better. I could use them to ease disappointment. I could use them to direct my attention to solutions instead of problems.

The best thing that happened, for me,  was we did not resume a relationship. Of course, I can say that now. Because we didn’t get back together I had to deal with it. I had to continue the process I learned in the chair.

I sat in the chair asking questions so that I could face the girl and the world. Now I had to ask questions to get along in the world without the girl. While it was difficult I now had a method for moving on forward instead of remaining stuck.

That terrible period of time lasted more than a year. I know it was the best thing that could have happened to me, ultimately. I am one of those who can look back and say, ‘had it not been for that crisis I would not have the wonderful life I have now. I am so grateful! Life really is good!!

End Chronic Negative Thinking

You can change more easily and powerfully than you might presently imagine. You may not think you are able because for many years you have thought the way you have. That’s just habitual or chronic thinking. You have been conditioned to not think it would be easy.

You can change your thoughts and you can change yourself. You can learn new habits, as I did in that chair, that will transform you. I learned the habit of asking questions. It replaced some old negative habits. You can learn too. Make positive questions a habit for you.

You can transform old and current wounds into opportunities and great possibilities. You can. You really truly can! BUT YOU have to decide to. It is up to you and no one else but you.

Everything can work out for the best! You have to give it a chance. You have to create that opportunity.

Organize your life around making the change. Ask yourself questions to direct your mind in positive ways. You don’t have to sit in a chair or isolate yourself.

You just add them in bit by bit until it is the preponderance of what you are thinking? Day by day, step by step you get closer.

You won’t though if you don’t take the first step.  You have to take the first step! Then keep taking more steps one at a time.

The Quality Of Your Life Is Determined By The Quality Of Your Questions

After my relationship and later encounters with the woman, who at that time was,’the love of my life, the woman of my dreams’ I realized I didn’t want her. She was fine person but not for me.

Why, I originally wanted her and the relationship  had little to do with her anyway. It fulfilled me. That isn’t meant to be a statement about her at all. She was and is a fine person.

I discovered that I wasn’t  loving her for her. I was loving her for me. While this made me feel good while we were together it wasn’t good for either of us.

It also really hurt me. It was not because of who she was or what she did. It wasn’t anything like that. It was because of the pre-existing holes in me when everything happened.

Anyway, time marched on. Life wasn’t perfect. It was life. I continued to ask questions and life improved and I moved forward. As I continued life did get better. Then, I noticed that with my improved attitude everything was much better. And then better again.

Eventually, I began sharing my process of questions with others. I sought out ways to present it in programs. I have been sharing it ever since. So many people have benefited from Directed Questions™.

I am sure there were people before me who discovered this in a similar way. Certainly, there have been a number who have come after me. I am not special.

Be Willing To Ask – Be Willing To Explore

In the worst moments of my life, when I seriously wanted to end it all, I found  a glimmer of light. I had determined that if I couldn’t get out of that chair then there would be no point to continue. I either did it or that would be where they would find me.

How do you think I feel now as a father of two of the most amazing children in my life? Do you think I am glad, at least a little bit, that I found a breakthrough? I am deliriously happy. Life is an incredible celebration and I am one of the luckiest people alive.

Sometime, I will share how a doctor nearly killed me. That was the event that led to all this.

Since that time nearly 40 years ago I have had other crisis situations. I’ve have had loss, death, disappointment, business go bust, divorce and minor and major upsets. We all do. The ocean is beautiful, calm and tumultuous at times. There are sunny days and stormy days.

Since learning to apply these questions and control and manage my thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs I have had much success, immense happiness and joy and I live and incredibly fulfilling life. It doesn’t matter what is going on outside of us what matters is what goes on inside us.

Take Control – Live As A Champion

You can discover more joy, love, peace, happiness and all good things when you dedicate yourself to you. Take control. Determine to be your own personal champion and live like it.

Take charge and live with passion.  Live with purpose. No one else can live it for you but you! If I can this so can you. You can improve your life.

Let go of the past, forgive yourself and others. Learn from it and then turn your back. Get into the now and live it fully. Have faith that tomorrow is going to be wonderful too.

Be grateful and live with gratitude. Feel it fully and bask in the wonderful feelings.

Ask questions, direct your mind. Affirm what you want. You become what you think about most during your day. So become glorious and positive and powerful. The future will be incredible. It all depends on what you do now. Begin today!” Rex Sikes

Every day is a new day! Begin anew!

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON  –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home is coming!  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site.

Some of you get this blog emailed to you, I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter.

Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place. I might launch and update as we go along.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

How To Get Through Any Difficulty!

horizons rolling hills and clouds

“Times may be difficult but did you know that transformation can be easy? It doesn’t have to be hard. Did you know that it can be fun too? Whether or not you read the preceding blog you are going to want to read these next two.

You can make changes more easily when you know what works and use it. Have you struggled for awhile? If so, it is time to utilize what works and transform your life. Wouldn’t you like to do that now? You can!

continued from previous blog: Use This Powerful Secret To Get Over The Past & Limitations. This is Part 2.

Send Your Brain On A Positive Search

When you do this repeatedly you are occupying your mind with positive powerful ‘things’ to search for. The brain works by searching and finding. The brain loves questions it doesn’t know the answer to because you aren’t forcing anything on it.

You are simply asking and the brain responds with, ‘I don’t know but I will go look!’ The brain never stops it runs on and on. So you want to fill it with positive and productive tasks to do that transform you will it is doing them. Get it?

The fancy word is Transderivational Search. Basically, it means a search for a broad match versus a specific or exact match or answer. It is an unconscious process, we all already do, in order to understand or make sense of language and communication.

Typically, when we ask a question we want or expect an exact answer. We ask, ‘where did you go?’  ‘What did you do?’ ‘Who are you?’ If we say, ‘what is for dinner?’  We don’t want someone to say food. So when I say ask yourself questions most people think I mean find an answer. I don’t

Bad Questions Produce Bad Results

When we ask of ourselves, ‘Why am I so stupid?’ The brain goes ‘let’s find out!’ Then it comes back with a host of answers. “When you were 4 you put your head in the toaster.’ ‘Your parents didn’t love you enough’. ‘You didn’t get to go to the right school.’ It goes on and on. That is its job. To find matches. Broad matches and it will find specific occasions.

When you ask a question like that and you get all those responses it is then easy to conclude, ‘I am stupid. I have always been stupid and will remain so. Look at all the bonehead things I have done. Why me? Why am I such a dope. Life sucks!’ Notice it spirals more and more into self pity, blame, hopelessness or despair.

We already do this. Some spend most of their time and their life doing this. Others occasionally, but the results are the same. The brain knows where to get the answers, the results are bad feelings and memories and reasons and self blame and criticism. It works reliably, automatically because it is a habit.

We Already Do This – Only Now – We Direct The Process

Why theseDirected Questions™ are powerful is because asking questions is what you and I already do. Only now, we ask them with intention. We actively direct them into areas we want to go into. We deliberately use them instead of being used by them.

I was in crisis when I was a young man. I was hurting badly. To say I was devastated and had bottomed out would be putting it mildly. I spent 6 months in utter turmoil with another in the gutter figuratively. At the point when I realized I must do something or die I made a decision to myself.

I vowed to not leave my apartment until I felt better.

I spent more than a month in a recliner chair in meditation and affirming and hoping and wishing. I got up to make something to eat and use the bathroom but I sat in the chair.

One day, I noticed I was asking myself questions such as, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ ‘Why me?’ ‘Why did she have to (do what she did)?’ ‘How come my life sucks?’

Determine Where You Want To End Up Then  Reverse Engineer

I used lots of expletives and wasn’t merely questioning I was suffering. ‘Why am I such an idiot?’ ‘How come no one understands me?’ Can’t they see I am hurting? and on and on.

All the while I was trying to affirm. Trying to white light the situation, pay attention to my breathing, watch my thoughts. My thoughts only seemed to bring me more and more pain and misery.

It was a terrible time. I had been through a really terrible year. I was once again at the end of my rope.

Believe me, when I say this was not the only time in my life when I did this. I remember running into the bathroom or bedroom as a child and crying and asking myself, ‘Why do I always cause my parents to fight?’ ‘Why am I so bad? ‘How come I am stupid?’

In my chair one day, and I do not know why or how, it occurred to me that I was asking questions that were hurting me more. I became aware of something. I noticed something for the very first time.

It wasn’t a flash of illumination but a slow and steady ‘dawning’. I began to slowly ask other questions like: ‘How might I begin to get over feeling bad?’ ‘How long will it take to feel confident again?’ ‘Will she and I get back together?’

‘What do I need to do and be like to win her back?’ ‘When will I be ready to face the world again?’ ‘What do I need to be able do that?’ I asked other questions, too, for certain.

Drop By Drop Fills The Tub

I began to replace the questions that made me feel bad with questions that gave me a bit more hope. It wasn’t all in one fell swoop but gradually the questions I asked became better more useful questions.

The more I replaced the bad ones with better ones the little bit better I eventually began to feel. I mean, I really did inch along. The mere inch created a glimmer. Just a glimmer but a glimmer of hope.

Notice my questions actually still started off on the problem.  I was focused  how long it would take to begin to be different and I was still focused on the problem.

BUT at least it was the first move in a better direction.  Within a few week or maybe two weeks I began to ask even better questions.

‘How soon might I start feeling better?’ ‘What will I have to do to notice things improving?’ ‘Where should I, can I place my attention to notice myself feeling better?’ ‘How much better can I feel?

‘How soon can I begin to feel confident again? ‘How good will I feel when my life is back together?’ “When I feel confident how will I most notice it? Where will I feel it in my body?’

Notice I did not ask (of course I did at first) because I was learning to change direction  ‘Will I ever feel better?’ or ‘Will we ever get back together?’ or ‘Will I ever be able to face the world?’

Good Questions Produce Good Results

These latter questions don’t get us anywhere soon. These tend to keep us stuck. You don’t know the answer but these aren’t aimed in any useful direction.

Many of us waste our time asking useless questions. We spin our wheels and stay stuck wondering, ‘what if’ or ‘what if it doesn’t’ or why am I less than glorious?’

Or we ask about other people, whom we really can’t do anything about. Just like circumstances and events we ask, ‘why won’t they love me?’ ‘will they ever change?’ I know because I have.

We have to ask questions about what WE can see, hear, feel, taste or smell and experience. Our questions are about what WE think, feel and act or behave NOT about the outer world or others.

I’ll continue. More in the next blog.

These are self-directed, directed questions. We aim our mind at discovering and finding and feeling and acting the positive, wonderful, good things we can.

Through questions we can open incredible doorways to adventure. We create no resistance because we are innocently asking? We are seeking. When we are seeking in the right places and open to finding the positive answers all things can begin to change!” Rex Sikes

Have a wonderful new day!

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON  –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home is coming!  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site.

Some of you get this blog emailed to you, I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter. Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place. I might launch and update as we go along.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

Use This Powerful Secret To Get Over The Past & Any Limitations!

horizons trees and shadows

Are you bother by the past? Do you relive less than glorious moments? Do you have regrets? Are you a survivor? Are there issues right now that you are struggling with? Do you want to be happier and healthier but find it difficult? There is a way transform all that and more. Would you like to learn how?

The Past Brought You To Now

Keep in mind the past has brought you to where you are today. It has been your journey. Each step of the way brought you to now. Some people spend most of now regretting or agonizing the past. Others have survived the past still tending to their wounds.

There are those for whom the past is golden and they spent most of their moments reminiscing and reliving. However one experiences the past there is only one thing that is for sure. It is over! It is no more. To carry the past around with you good or bad is as if you carry all your personal belongings around in a sack on your back.

That is too burdensome! That is far too heavy a load to keep carrying. Let it go. That was then. To let go of the past does not mean you do not learn from it. Learn from it and let it go. There are people, and perhaps you are one of them and already have, who look back at the worst time in their life and are grateful.

They are grateful for their past experience because they realize that without those times, or that terrible  incident, they would not be who they are, or where they are today. They consider it the ‘best thing’ to have ever happened to them. How you chose to look at and feel about it is important.

Celebrate Learn From And Let Go Of The Past

The past is nothing but a collection of memories.

If someone hurt you in the past years ago, and you each day feel that same hurt in your present, the only person hurting you now is you. That person hurt you back then. You are the one who keeps hurting yourself ever since.

Harsh, I know but it is accurate. Some would ask, who is crueler to you; the person in the past or you for keeping it alive? It is time to drop past hurt and trauma and move forward.

You can’t hope the past all goes away. Actually, it already has.  BUT you can turn your back on it. You can learn from it and learn to get over it. You can stop carrying it around.

This is how I discovered it is possible to change. I went through an excruciating time and was reliving it over and over. Until, I started to direct my mind differently by asking questions of myself.

I have taught countless others throughout three and a half decades the power of Directed Questions™. I have a special name for these because it is about the direction you set for yourself asking yourself a class of questions, not just any questions. People have been asking questions since the dawn of human kind.

Others have used portions of my work to spread the power of questions worldwide to millions. I am happy because it works and if you use this you too will discover the power.

Much of the material in my blog posts, including this one, comes from forthcoming books. I have a lot coming out soon. This material will be covered in two or more blogs. This be the first.

Ask Yourself Questions

‘What have you learned?’ ‘What lessons are there for you?’ ‘What do you need to know?’ ‘What do you need to do differently to not do the same things?’ ‘What possibilities exist because you went through those experiences?’

‘What can you now do differently if you would begin to?’ ‘How can these insights lead you into positive and permanent change?’

‘How is it possible that your past experiences contribute to you in positive ways now, regardless of what they were then?’

‘In how many different ways is your past a resource for you, a great learning?’ ‘How many more resources might you have because you lived through then?’

There are so many questions you can ask that will lead you into new ways of thinking and being.

You need to let go of the past. Honor it, honor you. Forgive yourself and forgive anyone from the past. Actually, forgive. Stop choosing to live in the past feelings. Stop preventing yourself from enjoying now and a wonderful future.

Ask yourself questions that move you from then to now and into a glorious future. You can if only you will.

‘How soon can I begin to notice myself paying attention to the little delights that make up right now?’ ‘How often can I discover people and things that make me smile?’ ‘In how many different and pleasant many ways can I draw my attention to this moment to notice how wonderful life can be?’

‘In what different ways can I put my attention deliberately on all the good things in my life?’ ‘How soon can I find myself learning from and recoding all my present and my past experiences as positive resources and learnings that I can be thankful for?’

‘How easily am I going to discover myself being grateful for all the experiences in my life?’ ‘How soon will I find overall well-being and comfort in knowing how strong and positive I am and that I can overcome anything and move forward?’

Direct Your Mind Towards What You Want To Include 

The number of questions may be infinite. The idea is to direct your mind and not get a word answer.  You don’t want to ask a question that you answer with yes or no, or a few words.

You ask a question you genuinely don’t know the answer to.  You may think you do but you really don’t.  For example, if I ask yes or no,’ do you like tea?’

There is an answer. You already thought of it. Right? If I say, ‘how ya doing?’  You can say, ‘meh, good, great, bad, not sure.’ If I say, ‘how much fun can you have today?’ You don’t honestly know, do you? You may say, ‘not much’ or ‘I don’t know’ or ‘little because today is busy.’

You could answer,  ‘I’m not in the mood’ but if you are honest you plainly don’t know. The question, ‘How much fun is possible for you today?’ is not the same question as ‘will you have fun today’ or ‘are you going to have fun?’ or ‘do you want to have fun?

How much fun can you stand  today? Do you get this? You will, if you haven’t yet.

The Direction Is More Important Than An Answer

If I said ‘how quickly do you imagine you could learn to play basketball?’ You honestly don’t know, do you? You may think it could take a long time or short time depending on various factors but you actually do not know. There is no actual real answer because only experience will bear it out.

The goal in Directed Questions™ is to direct your mind to look for the experiences in life you do not yet experience fully. It is about having insights and positive feelings and moving in a direction.

You could say you are seeking answers, but what you are actually seeking is all the good times, the resources, things about you and your world you aren’t presently noticing?

More in my next blog post. Think of it as helping a child to discover all the wonderful things around her. What is there she may not have noticed about herself yet? What can she notice about her abilities and the world around her to enjoy a wonderful life? Where would it be most valuable for her to put her attention?

The Directed Questions I want you to learn and practice are designed to help you to become truly curious and then truly captivated and fascinated by what you find. These questions direct your mind powerfully and positively into what you can be, do and have that you ost want and enjoy! Celebrate and delight!” Rex Sikes

Celebrate today!

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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I’M GOING TO LAUNCH THE NEW SITE SOON – COMING VERY SOON –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home.  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site. Some of you get this blog emailed to you,

I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter. Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

How To Stop Being A Slave To Your Thoughts & Feelings!

horizons road yellow lines

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could just stop thinking about things you didn’t want to think about? Did you know there is a way? Would you like to know what it is? It works! Before I get into what you can do let me ask you this. Have you ever watched a scary movie or a horrible show on TV or your computer late at night. It bothers you so you want to quit. You can’t stop thinking about it? What do you do? What is the best way TO STOP thinking about it?

If you said turn it off you’d be wrong. While that MAY work it usually doesn’t. When you turn off the scary show what typically happens? What happens once it is off? You KEEP thinking about! Right?

You turned it off to get away from it! BUT now all you do is think about it! Again and again. In the dark you cannot stop. You have to get up and turn on the lights. BUT still you keep thinking about it. That is the very thing you don’t want to!

The more you try to stop the more it keeps on. When you resist it what happens? You give it more energy. You are focused on fighting what you do not want so the more it persists! When you push back IT pushes back and vice versa. On and on it continues.

The way to change something or to stop something is not to fight or resist it. Nope!

What You Resist Persists

If you want to stop thinking about the horrible show turn the channel. Watch something else.

Get engaged with different upbeat content. Soon you will forget about the bad show. Brains don’t stop. They keep working. It takes more energy to try to shut them down than to re-direct them into a useful area.

You more easily think of something else when you direct your brain elsewhere. You withdraw your attention from what you don’t want and put your attention on what it is you do want. YOU CHANGE the channel in your mind!

I have called this Mental Aikido for decades because we redirect the energy of our thoughts.

A master of Aikido redirects the energy of an attacker. The master doesn’t resist the attackers energy or try to stop it. Rather the master utilizes it to subdue the attacker. We do the same thing with out thoughts. We don’t try to stop them. We redirect them into the positive.

If an attacker charges the master. The master doesn’t try to stop the attacker or block the attacker. The master will use the attackers momentum to pull him or push him into a different direction while tripping the attacker up and sending him to the ground.

The master won’t try to become a wall and stop the attackers charge. The master uses the energy offered to defeat the attack. I repeat: The master uses the energy offered to defeat the attack!

If you encounter something you don’t want. If you have negative thoughts or feelings or behaviors don’t fight them. They only persist that way. Acknowledge them and move on!

Turn Resistance Into Assistance

Redirect the energy. Think other thoughts. Read inspirational material. Listen or watch funny or uplifting audios and videos. Ask Directed Questions™ that lead you in more useful and positive directions. Divert your attention toward the positive.

Direct you attention to what you want, what feels better and which is more productive.

What else can you pay attention to? Get totally present. Notice and comment on what is immediately around you. Take inventory as you notice sights, sounds, feelings, smells and perhaps, even tastes. Explore the area around you. Comment on it. Put your focus there.

Become filled with gratitude and count your blessings. This is an excellent way to feel better instantly. Savor the wonderful feelings of those people, times, places and things you are most thankful for. Let your heart soften as you feel grateful. Soon you will feel marvelous!

Take a walk, work in the garden. Engage in some physical activity. Use your body differently. Change your physiology. Stand straight, smile. Put a determined look in your eye and walk as if loaded with confidence, positivity and self esteem!

Sing, skip, or dance. Jog or hike. But move and use your body differently. You can do any of these things or more than one.

Take Responsibility

You alone a responsible for your emotions. You are responsible for your own emotional well being. You alone can control what you think, feel and do. Only you. No one else can do it for you.

Might it take some time to get the knack of it? Yes, especially if you have lived your life as a victim to your thoughts and feelings and circumstances. Then it may take a little time. So what?

You can change from victim and become a victor. You can become a winner and a champion!

You simply must take control. Take 100% responsibility. Decide to commit to redirecting your energy whenever you notice it is less than glorious. If you don’t like it or don’t want it, or if you are feeling down and bad take it as a signal.

It is a message delivered to you personally so you can redirect your energy. Negative thoughts and feelings ARE signals that you are paying attention in less than useful ways to things you don’t want. Direct your attention toward the positive. Look into what you do want instead.

Energy Flows Where Your Attention Goes

You can’t stop the river! There is too much energy. If you try to dam it up you end up spending much more energy in managing it. You have to keep it from building up and overflowing. Even then you really cannot stop the river. It still is coming.

BUT, like the Aikido master, you can redirect the flow.

You can direct your energy into positive, powerful, pleasant, healthy, fun and fascinating directions. No need to suffer or remain the same when you can change yourself into anyone you want to be.

You can learn to do anything you want to do. You can have anything you want in life. All this is possible when you take charge of the brain between your ears.

Direct Your Thoughts And Feelings And Your Behaviors Will Follow

You thoughts instantly become things. Your thoughts become actions. When you think happy wonderful thoughts your body responds with action. You smile, your countenance lightens up, you feel uplifted, you might laugh. Your voice resonates. You feel on top of the world.

When you think angry thoughts you feel hot. You experience pressure. You become flushed. Your face gets red as your body responds. Thought become things. Thoughts produce action. Your body responds to your thoughts.

When you think sad depressing thoughts your face pulls downward. Your energy wanes. Your breathing becomes shallow. You feel lackluster and depleted. You shoulders slump forward and you compress your chest. You move sluggishly, slowly.

Thoughts Become Things

Change what you are doing. Even a small change in the correct direction matters. Space ships are guided by degrees. So are sailing ships. A one degree change of course now means hundred of thousands of miles difference later.

For example, a rocket aimed at the moon is constantly correcting its course very slightly. If it got off course by ONLY one degree after take off it would miss the moon by hundreds of thousands of miles. Just a small degree of change means a lot of change.

Change it into a positive direction. Tiny steps in your own best interest right now can have monumentally large results down the road. If you want a more wonderful and glorious future then begin today.

A Single Tiny Change In The Right Direction Can Have A Huge Positive Payoff

Take charge! Be responsible. Direct your mind in positive ways towards what you want.

Be your own best friend. Support and nurture yourself. Have fun while you change. Enjoy the process. Celebrate and fill yourself with gratitude and right attitude. You will discover so much richness and well being when you do! Commit to directing and re-directing you own mind. Don’t be a slave to your thoughts and feelings. Be their master!” Rex Sikes

Enjoy today!

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

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COMING VERY SOON –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home.  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site. Some of you get this blog emailed to you,

I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter. Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place.

Who Else Wants To Have More Fun & Overall Enjoyment!

horizon cloudy and lighting

“Would you like to have more fun and overall enjoyment? Would you like to accelerate your own personal evolution? Would you like to find ways to make changing more fun and easier than ever? If you answered yes then are you willing to do it? It is simple enough and easy enough. All you have to do is be sure to do it.

Fun and delight come from what you put your energy into; what you focus and concentrate on and what you spend time doing. You can increase the amount of enjoyment exponentially by doing these following easy things.

If you haven’t yet read my previous post about asking Directed Questions™ or any of my posts on this topic you may wish to do that now or when you finish this post.

Whether you make declarative affirmation statements or use Directed Questions™ two things are critical. Sincerity is one. You must honestly ask. Be curious. Be sincere when you make the statements.

Even if you don’t fully believe them, yet be sincere and feel good. When you take on the attitude of a child you get out of your own way. Be open, curious, available, eager and enjoy!

Questions are an immense help when you aren’t able to fully believe an affirmation. Rather than declaring something that feels off to you ask questions on how soon you might begin to fully accept it. Ask questions that eventually lead you into believing.

Trying to repeat an affirmation that makes you feel less than glorious is not the right thing to do. Feel great when you affirm!

Feel good! Feel incredible! It isn’t the words that are the most effective. The words help paint the pictures in your mind. You want to use words that enable you to easily visualize. You want to be able to imagine your goals and dreams completed, feeling wonderful. The words are an important part but not the most important part.

The feelings are most important! Emotions drive the subconscious mind. Whether happy or sad, glad or angry your feelings inform your subconscious what to pay attention to and respond to. This is why so many people get what they don’t want. They think about what they don’t want while emotionally agitated and the subconscious goes ‘okay your wish is my command!’.

Feel good when you affirm and ask questions to direct your mind. This is powerful information. Use it!

Feel your best. Feel enthused, eager, delighted, joyful, confident, relaxed or peaceful. The stronger the emotion when asking or affirming the better. The quicker they work. Emotions are the key! Your goal should be to feel the very best you can most of your day. All of your day. Make it a habit!

It’s easy and fun when you are feeling your finest! Everything works together and it is like greasing the wheel. Enjoy and delight in it!

While that isn’t always possible there are things you can do if you get off track and need to get back on track. See other posts in this blog about steering back to center when needed. Keep in mind that feeling best for as often and as long as you can IS life changing.

Find reasons to be grateful right this moment. Find reasons to give thanks and celebrate everything in your life now and you will feel better much more of the time. Make it a habit! Bring your awareness to what is good right now! Live in this moment! Feel alive. Ask yourself, what is good and new? Look for it and you WILL find it!

Learn to manage your thoughts and emotions and you will begin to live like a champion. Your inner mental images, your self-talk and your feelings will all be aligned and congruent.When congruent you are on your way to making your dreams come true.

That is when it is ‘full speed ahead!’ More and more your moments will become wonderful! You will find more to enjoy and more that is meaningful!

Doing these things will produce wonderful feelings. The wonderful feelings you have will make you want to do it more. It begins a marvelous cycle. Doing means feeling good means doing means feeling good. Keep it up and you positively enhance your daily life!

You make it a habit it when you correctly repeat it again and again over a period of time. Develop great, powerful, positive habits.

Everything works together when you are feeling your finest. Do what you can to feel wonderful. State your affirmations and ask your Directed Questions™ in the most powerful, positive emotional states you can experience.  Think the best, only speak the best to self and others and feel your best and magic will happen!” Rex Sikes

It is another incredible day to enjoy!

PS YOU may know someone who could really benefit from hearing this message. Feel free to share this with them via social media or email. Buttons below make it easy for you to do so.

PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!  Visit often. Feel free to comment. If you think others would benefit please share this blog with others.

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

HEADS UP!!!  COMING VERY SOON –  Daily Inspiration And Gratitude’s new home.  A new URL, a new look and feel. All this and new content will be at new site. Some of you get this blog emailed to you,

I don’t know whether that will continue or not. You will be able to subscribe to the blog and my new newsletter. Please stay with us. I’d hate to lose you or have you miss any blog you want to receive. I’ll let you know when the change is taking place.