Tag Archives: Self Improvement

This Is Why You Aren’t Creating Success And Happiness Right Now

Horizons fensed-in-sunrise-phil-koch

“Imagine for a moment there is a god that created you. This god told you ‘I have given you everything you need to be healthy, wealthy, happy, successful in all ways. You will have love, possessions, your wildest dreams because within you is an incredible power’.

Welcome to Part 9 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the first 8 parts valuable. Ready, let’s go. Part 10 tomorrow.

Imagine this god sat you down looked you in the eyes and told you this to your face. This is god speaking to you! What do you do? You look god back in the face and say ‘bull shit’ and get up and walk away. You mutter to yourself ‘how ridiculous’ the old guy is.

You think to yourself ‘if only that were true’ but you continue to tell yourself it is not. What I just described may not be too far off from the actual truth. I don’t know if god created you or sat you down, but within you is something incredibly unique and powerful.

The Power Is Within You

Most people miss it. They miss the proper use of it. The point of the power is to enjoy all of life right here, right now and beyond. But they don’t. They use it to create worry, fear and anxiety. They use the power to live in lack, and struggle and wish it were different.

Why do you suppose people do that? If you do that, why do you? Many do. I have. What is it that goes on inside us? Well, for the most part we weren’t brought up being told we were powerful and unique and could enjoy right here and right now and beyond delightfully.

We were brought up told and believing life was hard. We probably weren’t good enough or smart enough to amount to much. Some people got it all while others had to make due with little. Life isn’t fair. Work hard, save money, retire and hope you have a good life.

Don’t Be Afraid To Give Yourself Everything You Wanted In Life

Perhaps, you didn’t get any of those messages? Perhaps, you got different ones. Regardless, if you aren’t living the life you truly want right now, it is for some reason. If you look outside yourself you will miss it altogether. If you blames circumstances or others you miss.

You have to look within. You must understand that most people sacrifice right now for a hope of a better future. They want things different then because they don’t like it now. They want to trade now in for a better time down the road. This is the problem.

NOW is all you have. It is what you got. It is what IS. There is no future yet. If you don’t like right now and want to escape it, what thoughts are you presently thinking? Are you thinking, ‘this is wonderful and glorious’ or are you thinking ‘this sucks’? Well?

Be Here Now

Most likely, a variation on the latter. As long as you think those thoughts you will end up with more of the same. What you continue to create is the same suck lifestyle. Own up to this. If your thoughts about NOW are negative you are creating more negativity.

Yes, you are hoping for something positive and better but you are doing the same old thing again and again hoping for a different result.  Do you get it? In order for THEN to be wonderful you must find the wonderfulness in NOW! Recreate how wonderful now is!

You may think, how absurd. Go ahead, remain the same. Isn’t that what you have done all along. I sure did. I always thought it was someone else’s fault, not mine. I always thought the present sucked but the future would be different. Then whined when it wasn’t.

Believe In The Power Within You

Until I did that over and over again enough, until I had enough, I perpetuated the cycle of less than glorious shit in my life. TIME for a change I thought! NOW WHAT? Focus on making it better. Concentrate and believe that I can do it. You know what?

That is a decent start. I had to learn I was responsible for all of my results. I had to focus on something other than what sucked. A major mind shift in direction for sure. I had to keep my attention on the new direction and not get sucked back into the old way.

AND it worked. As I progressed I discovered their was still a very subtle layer of discontent. I wasn’t progressing fast enough, I wasn’t leaving the old life behind quick enough. That bothered me. When was the brand new upgraded life going to kick in. Anytime Universe!

Realize The Power Within You – Trust The Power Within You 

Kick it into high gear god. C’mon now. I am waiting. THEN it occurred to me that I was not content. I was not happy where I was. I was assuming I was happy because I was actually, in fact, changing and better off than before, but not truly happy. I was stuck.

If I was truly happy it wouldn’t matter. I would be happy. I’d be thrilled with where I was and what I was doing. It would all be good. I’d be excited, enthused, eager and delighted. I wouldn’t be hoping that anytime now there would be a breakthrough.

THAT was the breakthrough. Gratitude, celebration, appreciation love NOW, embrace it, enjoy it, be thankful for each and every little part of it. Be grateful for each challenge, each blessing each moment. Live fully alive in now and delight in the present. Herein is magic.

Can You See The Miracle You Are

When you totally accept everything with delight you create more of the same. Your thoughts are ‘wow this is incredible’ and you create and attract more of the same. Your neurology, your spirit, your emotions, your body, your mind opens up to everything you missed.

You may not think so. Even now reading these words you may agree or not. When the student is ready the master appears. Your inner self will present when you are ready, if not at this time. Know this: You look at what you have always looked at in habitual ways.

You look at now as you always have. Your circumstances you see from you past conditioning. You are thinking old thoughts about your present. You need to change this to see what is there you have been missing all along. You have missed much I guarantee it.

I’m Pointing At The Moon – Don’t Look At My Fingers … 

You don’t see what IS THERE because you ‘know’ what is there. Do you understand this distinction? You are blinded to the things you miss because you have habitually looked at other things. Your focus has been elsewhere. NOW you need to shift your focus.

We miss so much wanting to be somewhere else. This is what it means to ‘stop and smell the roses’. It means STOP for goodness sake, stop. STOP STOP STOP! Smell the roses they are right here, right now. Fall into it fully! Don’t go anywhere else in your head.

It is all here right now. EVERY SINGLE THING you need to make an incredible difference in your life, to have the present and future you want IS WITHIN YOU RIGHT NOW! You may have to birth it, to develop it, to master it, but you already have everything needed.

… Look At The Moon

No matter what is going on right now you are doing one of two things. You are either supporting things as they are by the attention and energy you give it. Or you are not. You are either contributing to it on an ongoing basis or you are pulling energy away from it.

If things, right now, suck for you, what are you doing? Are you supporting it or putting energy elsewhere? Obviously, if they suck YOU ARE supporting it. It can’t be any other way. This is important. Your energy flows where your attention goes.

If you are focused on the problems, issues, the lack, the struggle you get more of the same. If you are quietly discontent hoping and praying for a better day, you don’t get more of the better day, you get more of the discontent. This IS HOW it works. DO you get it?

You Have Been Using The Power All Along To Get What You Got

STOP! Take the energy you use to support what you don’t want and put it into gratitude. Be genuinely thankful, appreciative. Love every second of your life and you will withdraw energy from that which sucks and you will be putting it into positive wonderful moments.

Your life will transform. Sure there will be times you want to whine and complain and focus on the old lifestyle. That is habit, that is your old programming and chronic conditioning. Understand that for what it is and keep you attention on what is right and what is good.

Life will upgrade quickly as you do. You can find yourself moving from one marvelous moment to another. Focus on how wonderful everything is right now and you will bring about more of the same. Each moment going forward is filled gloriously.

Have You Used The Power Wisely – If Not – Start Now

When god speaks maybe you should listen. You have everything you need to live a glorious life within you right now. Be willing to. If you aren’t willing well, that is your decision. But if you are willing a whole new world of possibility will open up for you. Live, love, laugh more. Enjoy and delight and celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

Be happy today for no reason at all. Just be happy!

If you like these posts please subscribe. If you think these posts would help others please share them. Help Spread the word. 

Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

Why You Must Learn Patience For Happiness And Success

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“You seem to be doing everything correct but it just isn’t happening fast enough, right? You have worked hard but you aren’t seeing the results you expected. Maybe you are wondering if you ever will.

Welcome to Part 8 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the first 7 parts valuable. Ready, let’s go. Part 9 tomorrow.

Change can happen in an instant. IT CAN and it does. Most often it requires some time. How much time you might wonder? That is a great question, but useless. How much time does anything require?

Almost everything requires some time. Even microwaving your beverage takes time. It takes an apple tree, to grow from seed to a fruit bearing tree, a good amount of time. Learn to wait well.

Patience Is Not The Ability To Wait …

Change and personal development take some time. Illumination can occur in an instant. You suddenly, ‘get it’, it gels and all comes together. You have a ‘satori’ moment of enlightenment. An ‘aha’!

Instantaneous! Then living from that new awareness and perfecting it requires time. The skills you learn from this blog, many of them, only take a few minutes to learn. Maybe, five minutes at most.

Still, it can take a lifetime to master them. ‘Getting it’, that moment when everything comes together is an exciting moment. Living it can be joyous too. Now you are living the process and that takes time.

… Patience Is How You Act While Waiting

That means you are back living in ‘real’ time. Be patient. Be patient with yourself; be patient in your struggles; be patient with the changes occurring, they will, in time; be patient with others; and life.

Learn to be patient and accept what is. If you ‘got it’ then nurture the awareness and learn to accept and enjoy the process. Time passes more quickly when you are having fun, if you hadn’t noticed.

The more you enjoy all of the journey the more there is to enjoy. Your neurology opens up and you discover more bliss, you allow for more insights and ‘satori’ moments. You get so much more in return.

It Takes 6 Months To Build A Rolls Royce … 

More time presents you with the opportunity to gain experience; to repeat successes and learn what works. From challenges you learn to develop your talents and abilities so that they grow strong.

Just as your muscles grow stronger from opposition and rest so does your ability to be in charge of your own mind. That after all is the goal, take back possession of your own mind so it serves you!

When you mind serves you, instead of it, you discover that all things truly do work together for good. So you are more relaxed while you create and make good things happen. You enjoy all of it. ALL of it.

… It Takes 13 Hours To Build A Toyota

Lighten yourself up. Stop carrying a load of concern about when and if. Give that a rest. Drop it altogether. If you planted seeds the seeds will grow, you will get, eventually, the bountiful harvest. Trust!

There is nothing like trust or faith. It means you hold to it even when there is no visible presence of it. You believe in the invisible. Don’t be mistaken, it isn’t trust in someone or something else. It is in you.

You trust that what is planted will come to fruition. It is your mindset and your attitude. Just as forgiveness isn’t about the person you forgive but about you letting go of the hurt or injustice for self.

Faith Is Taking The First Step When You Can’t See The Entire Way

Faith is for and about you. It is part of being able to control your thoughts and determine what you will think, instead of being plagued by random thoughts and thoughts of doubt and worry.

You decide what to think and feel. Your thinking and feeling becomes deliberate and intentional. As you learn this your life and results will increase positively in so many incredible ways.

It will delight you and surprise you. Ultimately, you will get used to it and it will become your ‘new normal’. You will live from more joy and positivity. You will have up-leveled yourself and your life.

Have Patience All Things Are Difficult Before They Are Easy

Pretty darn cool, if you ask me. You can attract fish using certain bait but you can’t make them bite. You just have to relax and let it happen. Let go of the result and enjoy the process. Relaxxxxxx.

If you dropped your line in the water that is all you can do. Take the analogy and realize if you have done your groundwork and planted seeds you will get back the kind of fruit from the seeds you planted.

If you plant corn you get corn. If you plant nightshade, a poison, you get nightshade. Whatever you plant determines what you get back. It will come about in the length of time it takes to manifest.

Just Because Something Doesn’t Seem To Be Happening Now …

A farmer knows when to plant, when to wait, when to add extra nourishment because environmental conditions change, and when to harvest. The farmer knows you can’t force anything.

Have faith. Trust and be patient. Your efforts will pay off. Enjoy the process. Gratitude is so important because you discover what there is right now to enjoy and appreciate. You can never be too grateful.

Continue with your daily diligence. Continue to gain mastery over your thinking and feeling. Remember, some things require a lifetime to master. Great artists are always improving their artistic talents.

… Doesn’t Mean It Never Will – It Will – Be Patient

They don’t get good and stop improving they continue as long as they live to master their art. The seek to grow and change and evolve. The same applies to learning how to change and transform.

The same applies to health, creating wealth and having happy and loving relationships. You don’t ‘do something’ once and then it is all taken care of. You live a healthy lifestyle in order to remain healthy.

You continue to invest and manage your money to remain wealthy. You continue to improve communication and loving behaviors to have long lasting satisfying relationships with family and lovers.

All Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

Keep heading in the same direction. Keep progressing you will get there. Trust it will happen and enjoy everything along the way. Make it a point to be completely involved and not miss any good thing.

You put your order in with the cosmic waitstaff now wait positively and patient. How you wait is important. How you wait is who you are. Spend your time productively. Enjoy all of life while waiting.

Don’t force. Allow. Do a little each day. Small repetitive action is quite powerful and can bring about great permanent change. Value what you do. Manage how you think and feel. Love life, be grateful and you will find more success and happiness coming your way. Smile more and have fun. Celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

Be happy today for no reason at all. Just be happy!

If you like these posts please subscribe. If you think these posts would help others please share them. Help Spread the word. 

Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

Why Change Seems So Difficult And What You Can Do About It

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“Have you found it difficult to make personal or professional changes? Have you struggled to try to change habits? Have you come to the conclusion that making changes is hard?

Welcome to Part 7 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the first 6 parts valuable. Ready, let’s go. Part 8 tomorrow.

Perhaps, your attempted to get ‘The Secret’ or the ‘Law of Attraction’ to work but you are not satisfied. Have you found it difficult for you but know others for whom it is easy?

Guess what? If it is easy for some it could and should be easy for all. Change does not have to be hard. It does not have to be difficult. It can be anything. Anything at all. Change can be easy.

Standing Is Harder Than Moving

Change can be easy, fun, exciting, smooth and relaxing or it can be tough, terrifying, and require you stick it out for the long haul. Making changes can be and is all things.

You may not want to hear this. Whether change is difficult or easy is completely up to you and nothing else! Your mindset, your attitude, your beliefs determine what it is like and how you will go through it.

It can be all things!  Just know that. You aren’t failing if it is tough. You are simply approaching it as you have learned to do. There is nothing wrong in that. Nothing at all. You learned it was tough.

If You Don’t Like Something Change It

You accepted that for whatever reason, most likely, very early on. Since then, perhaps you have tried and quit, or maybe you avoid having to change much all together. Anything is possible.

If that is the case, the good news is, change can be easy and fun! You can learn to enjoy it too. However, if learning anything new for you is tough and you don’t like it that is what you first must work on.

Learn to like learning. If you don’t like learning new things, eating new foods, learning new games, communicating better with your partner or family, then you should start there.

That will be the subject of another post at another time.

Change is just whatever it is. Your reaction to it is makes all the difference in the world. Easy or hard  it is up to what you think and believe it will be. Expectations shape situations and behaviors.

If You Can’t Change It Change Your Attitude

If you think it will be too hard you are apt to quit. If you think it will be a snap you are likely to proceed without a issue. Your attitude determines what it will be like for you. It always has. IT always has!

If it is tough you need to change your attitude and beliefs about change. The good news is that you can do this. Will it be easy or tough? GUESS WHAT? That is up to you? Get it? DO you GET IT?

You make up your world. You decide what it will be like and how you go through it. You determine whether you attract good things or less than glorious things. It is always up to you! It always has been!

If Life Were Just Easy Where Would All The Adventures Be

It is cyclic. If you think it will be tough it will be thus proving you are right and it is tough. Next attempt you get more of the same. You can break the cycle BUT it may be tough at first. Get it? DO you?

You really need to understand this. AT first it may seem tough. That is what is familiar to you. That is your habitual way of going about things. That is what you have been getting. Get it?

To change it DO something else. Take smaller steps or bites. Do some thing you find enjoyable, easy to do and continue to do, first. Find a partner. Get someone who inspires you to go on.

Drop By Drop The Tub Gets Filled

If you always do what you always did you always get what you always got. Vary it, shake it up, add some fun into the mix. Do anything else that brings enjoyment and optimism to the process.

Decide to be gentle with yourself NO MATTER WHAT. If there are some things that are difficult resign yourself to that being okay for now and understand that will get easier as you move forward.

Think positive about it. Force yourself if you must or have fun chanting out loud positive mantras and affirmations that support you in this. Visualize yourself easily making and adopting change.

You Must Become The Master Of Your Own Thoughts

You can control your thoughts and that is your first most important step. Learn that this is possible. You can control your thoughts and your feelings. You can think and feel predominantly wonderful.

How you think and feel determines how you act and your thoughts, feelings and actions determine the results you get. These three factors determine how you handle life circumstances.

Life is whatever it is. How you respond to it is up to how you learned to in the first place. Everything you do is pretty much the result of what you learned from early age on. It is your conditioning. Habits.

I Can’t Change The Direction Of The Wind …

Because you learned it, you can unlearn it or learn to change it to serve you better. It doesn’t matter whether you remember learning it or not. You can learn most anything at all. You really, truly can!

You can teach an old dog new tricks. It seems harder because the old dog has been doing the old way for a long time and is comfortable with it even if the old dog doesn’t like it. Even if it causes pain.

We opt for the familiar and the comfortable most of the time. It is easier even when we don’t like it. It is usually only when we get really fed up that we then decide to change and be different.

… But I Can Adjust My Sails To Reach My Destination

Still, the old dog can learn new ways. Be loving, patient, understanding, forgiving and accepting and the old dog will do just fine. Treat the old dog with respect and it will learn new ways.

You can dictate how you handle circumstances and not be the victim of them. It is all up to you. The first order of change is controlling your thoughts instead of being a victim of them. This is a must do!

Once you gain mastery over your thinking process everything else tends to fall in line. Life still is what it is but your ability to respond resourcefully grows immeasurably. Seek mental control.

Have Patience All Things Are Difficult Before They Become Easy

Change becomes easier and more fun when you are in charge of your attitude and mindset. Life does as well. Circumstances fall under your control much more than the other way around.

Understand this next important concept well. Understand it and own it. If everything is easy you will never learn to be tough when necessary. There are times that require you to be firm and strong.

There are times when you must be steel willed and persist no matter what. These times, though hard, don’t have to be a problem. Your attitude determines whether these are mountains or mole hills.

Life Doesn’t Become Easier We Become Stronger

If everything  were always easy and it was never tough you might throw in the towel when faced with challenge. You wouldn’t know what to do or how to do it. Skill comes from doing.

By having different forms and sizes of obstacles with differing degrees of difficulty you grow stronger and better equipped to handle anything. Welcome tough times too.

Welcome challenges and you become a victor over them. Life at times is thrilling and ecstatic and delicious, other times not so much. Whatever you get is what is, accept it, celebrate it and keep growing.

The Educated Person Has Learned How To Learn And Change

Discover you can be the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. It begins by taking charge of your thinking. Even if you have never done it before you can succeed at this. Develop certainty.

Even if you tried and failed numerous times, you can succeed if you make it manageable from the beginning. Do little things first. Little things can bring about great change in ways that will surprise you.

Make it a point to be grateful. Find the silver lining, discover the good hidden in the not so good. This a an important ability you want to acquire. You acquire it only by repeatedly doing it correctly.

Simple Joys Make The Greatest Memories

There is always something you can find, though it may be well hidden, so you might have to dig, but DO dig for it!  Master being thankful for where you are and what you have right now.

You will go further faster. Learn to enjoy and delight in all things and you will change beyond belief. The little things add up to great big things SO celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

How delighted will you be today?

If you like these posts please subscribe. If you think these posts would help others please share them. Help Spread the word. 

Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

One Big Reason Why People Keep Failing

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“Some things are tried and true. Sometimes, when you bake a cake you should just follow the recipe. Pioneers have blazed the trails for you to follow in their footsteps you don’t need to blaze another one.

Welcome to Part 6 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the first 5 parts valuable. Ready, let’s go. Part 7 tomorrow.

Sometimes, it is easiest to take the path of least resistance. Learn from the models who began where you are and have attained what you want because they know the pathway to that success. Listen.

Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Follow in the successful footsteps of others. Actually do what they tell you and take their advice. Listen and learn. Do and learn. Be glad if you have a successful mentor.

Learn To Listen Then Listen To Learn

It never fails to amaze me, especially in Hollywood. Someone will ask a famous writer or director to give them feedback on their script. ‘Please help me, tell me what I should do. What do you think?’

Instead of taking it, implementing it, and then coming back, thereby showing the mentor they could take advice, and that they are people of action and value the mentor’s input and time.

They say thanks and do nothing. They join the ranks of all those who ask and do nothing. Is it any wonder why ‘the big wigs’ get wary of helping others at times. They know few will do what they say.

Listen – Learn – Grow

The reason so many people fail is they don’t implement what already is proven to work. They try to do it their way. They want the faster route. They think they will find a short cut. They want it easier.

They will attempt to do it their way. I can’t tell you how many times I have been with someone who was asked ‘what should I do’ and when told, they respond with, ‘yeah, I think I’ll do it my way’.

Yup, they try to do it their way. They don’t listen or follow advice. They don’t listen or read instructions. They get some new fangled thingamajig and don’t look at the manuel to put it together.

Mentors Are Here To Guide Us To Their Best Knowledge

Are you one of these? Listen, Napoleon Hill modeled 520 of the most successful people on the planet in his day. Countless thousands have gone on to success following his discovered formula ever since.

It is as applicable today as it was then. However, some people who have never yet succeeded think THEY know what to do. They don’t and haven’t succeed. Thousands of others, read the book, and have.

However, most people never will. They just won’t do it. They will try it their way and give up. That is another part of why people don’t succeed, is they don’t follow through to completion. They quit.

Improve Your Life One Lesson At A Time

They do a little bit. If it gets tough or confusing they abandon it. They dabble they don’t actually do. They flit from one thing to another trying many things. They don’t commit to a plan of action that works.

To succeed you must be clear about what you specifically want to accomplish. You must feel passionate enough about it to keep going and not let anything stop you. You have to cross the finish line.

Of all the people who begin the race not everyone crosses that finish line. More than that won’t even enter the race. You have to start, you have to work smart, you have to follow through and complete it.

Winners Never Quit – Quitters Never Win

When it comes to success you must be headstrong in the right way. Being obstinate about doing what is tried and true, just because you feel like you want to, isn’t very wise. BUT go ahead if you must.

To succeed remain steadfast. See it through to the end. Be willing to listen to those who got there before you. If they started out as you have. If you have nothing, nor did they when they began, listen!

Chances are they know something you can benefit from. They blazed the trail. You know how you tell the pioneers from those who come later? The pioneers are face down with arrows in their backs.

You May See Me Struggle But You Will Never See Me Quit

They led the way through most of the hardship and they know the pitfalls. They know what might and might not work. Pay attention and learn. Don’t be gullible or stupid about it but listen up!

Remember, success leaves clues. Sometimes, just sometimes, the advice being given is worth more than its weight in gold. One idea at the right time can transform your entire life. Be open minded.

Study, learn and grow. To know and not to do is not to know. Information or knowledge is only power when it is correctly applied. Otherwise, it is interesting but not transformative.

To See Further – Stand On The Shoulders Of Giants

So stop spinning your wheels. Do what works. Apply it and keep applying it until you succeed. You will if you stick with it. It may or may not come easy but you must keep at it if you want to win.

Learn from mistakes. Celebrate and embrace all opportunity to grow and develop. Challenges make us stronger and wiser if we examine and learn from them. If you don’t, they just suck.

Inside ever challenge is the seed of opportunity but you must find it. Learn to learn. Learn to control your thoughts and feelings. Learn to take right action and get the results you intend to get. Act with intention.

Cultivate The Habit Of Being Grateful

Be grateful for the opportunities presented to you and that you can pursue your dreams. Many others can’t or don’t realize they can simply based on where they live in the world. If you can, then stop whining and start celebrating everything!” Rex Sikes

I wonder how many different ways you can feel delighted today?

If you like these posts please subscribe. If you think these posts would help others please share them. Help Spread the word. 

Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

Why You Keep Missing Opportunities And How To Correct That

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“Have you ever felt you were ready but opportunity just passed you by? Someone else booked the gig, got the job, had something nice seemingly land in their lap, but not you. Do you know why that might be? There is an answer and today we’ll look into it.

Welcome to Part 5 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the first 4 parts valuable. Ready, let’s go. Part 6 tomorrow.

Opportunity abounds. There are plenty all around us but frequently we miss them. Why do you suppose that is?  Perhaps, the truth comes in the statement, ‘when the student is ready the teacher appears’. The same thing could be said about opportunity.

Opportunity abounds but is often disguised, at times, literally and at other times because you don’t know what to look for. Either way you could be missing out. Certainly, you’d want to change that.

Opportunities Are Closer Thank Your Think

Napoleon Hill shared a fascinating story in his first book ‘The Laws Of Success’. It was a rainy day in Pittsburgh, one afternoon when a woman walked into a department store. You know how clerks can be. Either too helpful or not helpful enough.

Most of the clerks looked at the woman and decided she was not a shopper so they busied themselves with straightening shelves and racks. You might have thought as much too about her. She rambled the store aimlessly with no apparent particular purpose.

One young salesman, however, approached the woman. She told him she was not there to buy anything. She was merely looking, since it was raining hard outside. He assured her that was fine. She was welcome in the store and he engaged her in conversation.

Luck Is Where Preparation And Opportunity Meet

As the rain let up he escorted her to the door, helped raise her umbrella and sent her off. Before leaving she asked for his calling card. Time went by and the incident was forgotten by the young salesman. One day he was called into the office and shown a letter.

It was from a woman who wanted a salesman to accompany her to Scotland to take orders for furnishing a mansion.  The ultimate order was for an enormous sum. It was from the woman he was nice to. It was from the richest man in the world, Andrew Carnegie’s, mother.

It resulted in the young man advancing his career handsomely. Hill pointed out the salesman benefited greatly, but might not have, except for the fact that he took the time and was ‘courteous to an old lady who did not look like a ready sale’. No one else had.

The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In The Midst Of Every Opportunity…

Opportunity isn’t always apparent. You make your own by how you move through and act in the world. If you are genuinely nice you attract nice opportunity. THEN the opportunity presents itself, BUT it won’t happen if you try to make the opportunity.

Discovering opportunity works similarly to this. You buy something new, such as a new car. Suddenly, you notice that car everywhere. It happened to me in the last year. I see my model of the car multiple times a day. Prior to my purchase I was only casually aware of them.

Our brain has an area called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). One of its jobs is to find matches in the real world for our internal beliefs and attitudes. It’s why we ‘suddenly’ notice the other cars. Our brain is alerted to what we would otherwise not attend to.

…The Optimist Sees Opportunity In The Midst Of Every Difficulty

This is why some say we ‘attract’ our good fortune, that like things are drawn towards us. It is better stated, as the young salesman discovered, we create our own good fortune by our attitude and our actions. He didn’t prosper by meditating in his room, he acted nicely.

There isn’t anything wrong with meditation. I encourage it, practice it and teach it. Creation is an active process. So is attraction. If you want people attracted to you think and do those things that more readily result in that. Be nice first and others can respond in kind.

The people who experience the most good fortune and luck are not those who typically sit and wait for it to drop in their lap. They go first. They add value to others, they cooperate, work as a team, they are friendly and they are go-getters. They are pleasant to be around.

You Create Your Own Opportunity

A positive attitude gets you further faster than a negative one. If you focus on what isn’t working, what is wrong and negative you get what you focus on. If you focus on the competition and how they outdistance you, you will get back more of the same. Stop that.

You make your own breaks! In order to get ahead, focus on what you can positively do. Focus on solutions. Be genuinely nice and pleasant to be with. Be thoughtful and considerate of others. Maintain a positive ‘can do’ disposition. Be happy and grateful. Enjoy life!

If you aren’t already these things the good news is you can be. That is what this blog is about. I’ve spent decades assisting others to live their dreams. It starts with learning how to run your brain and mind so that it serves you and works for you they way it is intended to.

This Is The Beginning Of Anything You Want

You can transform yourself from less successful to more successful; From not so nice to pretty darn nice; From pessimist to optimist. It is all based on what you think about. What you think about most of the time is what you become and what you end up creating.

What you focus on and think about determines how you feel and behave. You results stem from those feelings and your actions. If you don’t like your current results, if you aren’t getting what you want, you can make positive changes to turn that around. It is simple.

Your current results are based on your previous thinking which stems from your early childhood conditioning. You are operating mostly on old outdated programs and old, chronic, negative thinking patterns and habits. It’s time for a positive working update!

A Simple Hello Could Lead To A Million Things

It is easy and it also requires effort. You will be changing old habits you have had for awhile BUT you can do it if you give yourself the chance to change. Anything is possible when you learn how. An easy first step is look for things to appreciate. Be grateful. Find them now.

Around you in your present life. No matter how few or how many. Take a daily inventory. This is an excellent way to begin. Read through these blog pages there are many suggestions because that is what this blog is about. Learn to be the you YOU want to be.

Fill your mind with positive, inspiring material some each day. Read a page or a chapter from a good inspirational book. I really like ‘Laws of Success’ and ‘Think And Grow Rich’ among others. Start now and soon you will notice a significant change occurring in you.

Every Experience Is An Opportunity To Learn And Grow

Have fun. Explore, and enjoy all of life’s little blessings. You find can find opportunity everywhere once you open yourself up to it. The best way to do that is to celebrate and enjoy more of life right now, this instant. So delight, have fun, enjoy others and celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

What will you do with this marvelous new day?

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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

The Reason Why 95% Of People Fail To Get What They Want

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“Going after and getting what you want requires tenacity. If getting rich was always easy far more people would be rich. Whether you want success in your career, book more gigs, get an ideal job, have more romance and love in your life, be happier or buy that new home, it requires effort.

Welcome to Part 4 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the first 3 parts valuable. Ready, let’s go. Part 5 tomorrow.

Success in all areas of your life, health, wealth, love, success, prosperity begins first in your mind. You must have the right mindset, attitude and beliefs. You must know you are capable of having what you want even when you aren’t exactly sure how to go about getting it. The results you are after first begin within you.

This Life Of Yours Is 100% Your Responsibility

You must know what you want. It must be worth it to you. You must be passionate about it and obsessed with getting it. It can’t be merely a passing fancy or you won’t last long in going for it. See it as having already happened in your mind. Affirm your ability to get it. Feel you can do it and perform the positive actions to get it.

Keep on working at it. Revise your plan.  Overcome and learn from obstacles and challenges until you arrive. Never give up if it is something you must have. Keep the faith always. This is the way you get what you want. You do not get it wishing and hoping for things to be different. You make it happen. You bring it about. Effort required.

You are always creating everything in your life. Your success and your failure. Your fun moments and your boredom. You never escape not creating what IS at any moment. Your response and your thoughts determine your feelings and your actions. Your mindset determines whether something is good or not good.

Accept Responsibility For Your Thoughts And Actions

You can’t escape this. I even suggest, if you are willing to, explore how what I just said isn’t true. Everything in your world, whether you enjoy it or not is up to you. Without your conscious participation none of it would exist as you know it. While this notion could be very abstract I simply mean you always determine the quality of your life.

Why do 95% not get what they want? Because they come up with excuses and reasons why they are not responsible for the outcomes and results they get. They will blame the world, god, others, the weather, the financial climate, themselves, their past upbringing, and anything else for why they can’t succeed as they want to.

The will consistently try to use these excuses and the stories they make up and tell again and again to explain why things are against them and it isn’t their fault. They have all the reasons, even great reasons why they should have but couldn’t get ahead. Their mindset isn’t supporting their success. It is inhibiting their success.

Be Accountable For The  Results You Get

You won’t succeed attributing your failures to others or things outside yourself. You must marshall your inner and outer resources and align them to go after, and continue to go after, what you want when the going gets tough. Your thoughts and attitude determine how far you will travel. Attitude is everything!

Your inner world must be rich with reasons why you succeed, why you can succeed and why you will continue to succeed. It must not be filled with junk logic and stories of how the world prevents you from reaching your  goals. EVEN if that WERE true it wouldn’t help you be or do or get what you want. Negativity doesn’t serve you.

Listen to coffee klatch conversation and you will hear the blames, the stories, the excuses, all the reasons why IT didn’t happen. IT never happens YOU make it happen. Listen, don’t try to change the person telling the stories it is up to them to learn and change themselves. Don’t argue with them, allow them to be who they are.

Take Ownership Of Your Mistakes

When we want to change and bring new things about; we want to think more positively or create new habits to replace old ones, when WE are making internal changes, these kind of stories and excuses can come up.  They’re part of our early conditioning. We learned them from others and made them our own.

We grew up being told things; we heard others discussing problems; we had our own experiences which we learned from. We soon realized  we may get in trouble if we don’t present the proper reason or excuse for our actions. We grew up learning to attribute certain things to ourselves and other things to others or the environment.

Much of our self attributions are negative. We blame ourselves for being stupid, weak, incapable and other negative things. We are afraid we won’t amount to anything or aren’t worthy. Perhaps, we feel we always have bad luck. That is the old negative chronic mental conditioning rearing its head when we blame ourselves or others.

Once You Take Responsibility For Everything In Your Life…

We blame ourselves, our parents, our teachers, our education or lack of it, the money we had or didn’t in early life, our home environment. Heck, we blame everything. As long as we blame we won’t accomplish because we are too busy finding all the reasons and excuses why we can’t and why we won’t. This is a given.

This is law. I’m not sure it is written anywhere, or if I just made up that it is law but figure it our for yourself. If all of your mental energies are focused on why something is wrong and can’t happen what is the likelihood it will? If you are preoccupied with YOUR personal story about what sucks what is RIGHT that you will find?

Not much right that is certain. In order to get what you want it helps if you take charge and shoulder that responsibility. If you get it or not own up to it. Then, if you wish to continue after it, you do what else you can do to potentially bring it about. When you take responsibility you put yourself in the position of power and control.

… You Can Transform Anything In Your Life

When you blame and excuse and tell all the reasons why you are unable you are a victim. If not in the real sense, you are in the mental sense. You live and think as a victim does, you have no control, no power, no ability to self-determine your present and future moments. Do you want to live without power or self-control?

Don’t look back on the past to make future changes unless your past supports you in that endeavor. Look to your successes to be more successful and not your failures or reasons why things didn’t work out for you before. Put on a positive, productive and powerful mindset and keep it on. That will help you to succeed.

You are not guaranteed success just by having a positive attitude all by itself. It is the beginning step you must have and must keep all the while in order to succeed. It is almost certainly guaranteed that you will not succeed maintaining a negative attitude. You won’t even begin to take action if you don’t think and feel it is possible.

You Are Responsible For Your Own Happiness

Why do 95% fail to reach their goals and dreams. Because they believe bullshit. They believe lies and stories they have been told and they keep telling for a long time. It is self deception. When we tell others our stories it is an attempt to save face and explain how circumstances, not ourselves, prevented us.

If you want to succeed. Get real. Stop the BS. Own up. Shoulder the responsibility, uncomfortable as it may first seem to be, but do it. Be responsible and accountable for your thoughts, feelings, actions and the results you get. Be honest. Be clear about it. Gear up your mind for success. Take control of it. Then success is much more likely.

When your mindset and attitude is right you feel right. When you feel right you do more of those positive actions that help you in your quest. You continue on despite the difficulty. Why? Because YOU are responsible IF you want to get the results. Others aren’t going to do your work for you. Get it? Own your changes! Own your actions!

Make Changes Or Make Excuses It Is Your Choice

Own the results you get favorable or not! Then you are a leader. You lead yourself. You are a commander. You determine what you want and you go after it. Others, if you are wise, can help in the spirit of friendly co-operation. You can assist others in similar fashion. Being in charge of yourself doesn’t put you in charge of others.

It can make you more attractive to others, Others may wish to help you because you are a person of passion, self determination, and inner strength. You are a positive force that others can recognize and respond to. Birds of a feather flock together. You can find yourself aligning with other powerful people to get things done.

So no more excuses. Find you inner champion. Take responsibility for all of your life. If you want more love be more loving. If you want better health engage in healthy practices. Be the change you want to become. Find the good in you and everywhere else. Find the reasons why it is possible, the solutions, and move forward. Look for all the reasons to be grateful right now and celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

Have a great day!

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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

Why You Don’t Make The Changes You Want To

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“What keeps most people the same? Why don’t they change? Even when they want to they don’t. What about you? Have you wanted to make changes but didn’t because you found it difficult? Why is that?

Welcome to Part 3 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the 1st and 2nd parts valuable. Ready, let’s go. Part 4 tomorrow.

The answers may surprise you. At the same time you may think, ‘but of course, that makes perfect sense.’ So, why don’t people change? What is it that keeps them the same even when they want to?

Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone

Comfort. People like comfort. If nothing is pressing them they will remain as is. They want to be comfortable. Isn’t that true? Don’t you prefer it? I do. I like it when things are comfortable and easy.

That is one reason. The second reason is discomfort. People hate being uncomfortable and will do anything to remain in comfort. Change means discomfort. So they avoid changing.

When the discomfort becomes intolerable THEN people will decide to change because they want to comfortable again. Comfort like inertia takes a lot of effort to get people to move, out of it.

Comfort Zones Are Expanded Through Discomfort

Discomfort is what they want to avoid so they remain the same instead of leaving their comfort zone. They will continue until it becomes too uncomfortable to remain the same. Notice the cycle.

Change means you will be uncomfortable. This is normal. All growth means to stretch, to expand, to move beyond. We even say there is such a thing as growing pains. Discomfort is part of life.

All growth is growth outside your comfort zone. If you attempt new behaviors, change beliefs, create a new schedule or take a different route to work you leave the comfort behind.

The Secret:  Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

It seems foreign and unfamiliar. You long for the old ways when you feel pain or discomfort. It was easier the old way. Simpler and more comfortable. The new way is too hard.  What do you do? You quit.

The old way wasn’t easier you wanted to change. You  just didn’t prepare for the changes you’d be making. You didn’t get your head on right. So you stopped and went back to  your comfort zone.

Yup, that is what we tend to do. We quit. We give in, resist change and remain the same because we hate being uncomfortable for any amount of time.  We really do. In order to change we have to face it.

You Can Never Be Happy If You’re Afraid To Be Uncomfortable

The way to move forward is to realize it won’t always be cushy. It is not going to be comfortable, especially at first, as you learn new things. Eventually, yes, you will get comfortable with the new ways.

BUT not at first. You might as well know this and accept it so you can work with it. If you want your life to change you will have to change some things in your life. You’ll have to change what you think and do.

You need to do some things you won’t like doing. If you know going into it there are some challenges, at least you won’t be surprised. You can determine to see it through no matter what. Stick with it!

The Magic Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone

Accept it. Understand that in order to grow you will have to leave your comfort zone. It may not be easy, you may want to stop or to flee but you have to push through it. That is just how it is.

Don’t be afraid of it, accept it. Most of life is about making the unfamiliar familiar. We grow accustomed, establish habit and routine. We get comfortable over time with new things.

Then we convince ourselves that the new way should always remain the same. It doesn’t and won’t. There will always be obstacles and challenges. It is called LIFE. The apple cart gets tipped over.

Your Only Limitations Are The Ones You Think You Have

If we want to develop new thought and behavioral habits we will be uncomfortable from time to time. Not all the time but sometimes. That is how it will be. Can you accept that? It is easier if you can.

When you purchase a new pair of shoes they are uncomfortable at first. Perhaps, too tight or they rub. They are brand new but they don’t fit right, yet. They will but you have to break them in.

You wear them a little bit at a time so they break in without hurting your feet. You wear them. They stretch. You get more used to them. Eventually,the new ones become more comfortable for you.

Live As If You Were Going To Die Tomorrow…

That is how it works. When you exercise your muscles get sore. They burn. They downright hurt. You may not like it but if you keep going you develop a tolerance for it.

You accept it as part of developing muscles even if you don’t like it. Muscles grow by breaking the tissue down and then nourishing the tissue and replenishing it. It grows by break down and build up.

I had a friend who enjoyed the hurt because he knew his muscles were growing larger. His exercise was paying off. He took the pain as a signal he was making progress. It is all your frame of mind.

… Learn As If You Were Going To Live Forever

When you plant a seed, the seed germinates and breaks through it’s outer shell. Without tremendous effort the seed would not grow into the plant it is destined to become.

When you are uncomfortable you are at the boundary edges of your being. Your beliefs, and values are challenged. It is not at all comfortable.

T. Harv Eker has said, ‘Comfort is the kiss of death to success. If you are comfortable you will never be successful. BUT if you are successful there is a good chance you will be comfortable.’

Everything You Have Ever Wanted Is Outside Your Comfort Zone

Do you get it? It begins with your mindset. If you want to change know that you will be uncomfortable from time to time, or for a while. Develop your mindset and you can make do it.

Make the important changes you want to and then follow through. Don’t allow yourself to talk yourself out of it because it feels to hard. Control your thoughts, what you say to yourself and out loud.

Stick with it even when it is uncomfortable and you will be pushing through the tough times. They will give way. You don’t need to always be coddled and comfortable. Persist and push through.

Change Is From The Inside Out

Women push through the pain of childbirth and many want to do it again.  Some right away. You can do nearly anything if you give yourself credit that you can.

95% of the people will never do this. They will give up, give in, find some excuse or reason to quit. When the going gets tough most people cave. Only the toughest get going and keep going to the end.

Believe in yourself and be willing to change. Then continue on the path until you arrive. Commit. Be grateful you have the opportunity. Even while it is difficult be grateful. Celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

Have a fabulous day!

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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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95% Of All People Won’t Do This But You Must To Succeed

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“From time to time, on numerous occasions, you will experience moments, hours, even days of doubts and fears. You may worry and feel anxiety and  want to quit.

Welcome to Part 2 of The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You. We continue on today. I hope you found the 1st part valuable. I truly hope so.

If you did please like it or share it with others using the buttons below or your favorite means. Remember, I welcome questions and comments. Let’s continue. Then more in Part 3 tomorrow.

Doubt Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will

It is natural. It is normal. When difficulties or disappointments arise you may want to throw in the towel. You may be afraid you won’t make it, you might doubt you will be successful.

When one joins the military that person knows up front basic will be tough. Even then some are not prepared for how tough. Those who make it through can go on and succeed.

The military doesn’t sell you on how tough it is but on what you accomplish by participating in the program. Most understand service may be incredibly demanding.

If You Are Going To Doubt Anything Doubt Your Limitations

The Military promotes the  end result. You will be disciplined, a patriot, you will help others, fight for freedom. They don’t tell you, although you know, you may loose limbs or life.

What do they want?  They want a few good men and women. Why, because that is all they will get. Better few of quality than many who aren’t. Few who begin any endeavor actually finish the endeavor.

Not everyone makes it through basic training. Still, many do. No matter how tough it is. They go all in. Either they feel they have no alternative but to succeed or it is worth it to them. So they do!

Most Things You Worry About Never Happen

If personal change and transformation is worth it to you you will continue the course no matter what. You will stick with it because you know the end is worth what it takes to get there.

Along the way you will doubt, have fears and worry. You will continue in spite of them. That is what the courageous do. It’s not that they aren’t afraid, they are, but they go on anyway.

Nothing will stop you. So it won’t be all rosy. You’d never learn to manage your worries, doubts and fears if you didn’t have them. That is precisely how you take control by facing them and overcoming.

Worrying Is Like Praying For What You Don’t Want

You prove to yourself you are bigger than your fears and problems. They do not prevent you from progressing and accomplishing your goals or dreams. You manage them and you control them.

Because you face them you become victorious over them. There is no other way. They will not magically disappear. The path will have pitfalls but you will navigate them and emerge the champion.

BUT only if you encounter what would have stopped you before and push through it. Don’t run away even though you may feel like it. If you do at first, come back. Keep going. By returning you will reign.

When You Doubt Your Power You Give Power To Your Doubt

The person who gets back on the horse after falling is the one who learns to ride. Keep coming back, keep going on. It will get easier and easier.

Life is never free from troubles. You get better at handling them. So remember this and determine to carry on no matter what. While you do notice your progress, validate your forward movement. Pat yourself on the back and celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

Enjoy and discover delight today!

If you like these posts please subscribe. If you think these posts would help others please share them. Help Spread the word. 

Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

The Secret To Success And Happiness Few Know And Won’t Tell You

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“When it comes to personal change most of the programs offering advice and solutions won’t tell you precisely what you need to know. They leave it out. Later, they tell you, if you are having difficulty making the program work, here is why, this is what you now must do. In the next few posts I will cover this topic area and more. Part 1.

It’s more honest and ethical to tell you what is required of you up front than to hook you, reel you in and then tell you, it is your fault it isn’t working. I don’t like that. However, it is useful to capture the imagination of people so they begin the journey otherwise they may not. BUT do tell them what it involves.

Many programs make it seem as if someone or something is going to help you from the outside. The ‘Secret’ will rescue you. Help will flow your way once you learn it. Well, learning it IS fine, but that actually is not enough. One, you must become it not simply learn it. Two, you are responsible for making it work nothing, no on else is.

Be Positive – Stay Positive – You Can Do It

If that sounds like bad news consider this post tough life. I want to tell you how it is. I don’t want to fill you with fluff or mislead you. Personal change and development is not magic. Yes, sometimes it can seem that way but the bottom line  there is a lot of work to do. Many people leave this out. There is work to do! Get over it.

Those who succeed are those who will do it. BUT few will. Many will begin but not follow through and actually accomplish much. Just as most self help books aren’t read past the first chapter most people, will begin, as they do on January 1, working on new resolutions only to abandon them some short time later. Fewer continue on.

Please, don’t be daunted by this, resolve to make a difference for yourself instead of being one of the many who drop out. Promise yourself to stick with it no matter what. Find a way to do just enough to make it possible. Stay with it and don’t overwhelm yourself with too much at one time. Drop by drop the tub fills. Be one of the few!

Drop by Drop – Bite By Bite – Step By Step

There is a lot of work. You are working on yourself to overcome chronic, old negative patterns and habits. You are working on yourself to get out of your comfort zone and overcome inertia, the tendency to do nothing. You are working to change your thoughts, feelings and actions so you can get better results and enjoy more.

You must decide to be in it for the long haul. You must dive in the pool and immerse yourself and not just dip your toes in. At times it will be easy at other times more difficult. That is how it is! It gets easier the more often you engage in the process and the longer you do it just as everything does. All things are difficult at first.

Remember, learning to read and write. There was a lot of effort involved up front. Was it worth it to you? You do it now without thinking about the process. Was it worth it to learn to ride a bike or drive a car? Now it is a reliable, easy habit. In order to make these abilities automatic you had to stick with them and repeat them.

The More We Do – The More We Can Do

You didn’t learn nor acquire the skills overnight and no one tapped you on the head and gave them to you without you applying yourself. In order for your life to be changed for the better you will have to change some things in your life. You will need to engage, and practice, and practice enough until you become it. You become it!

Learning to play the piano can be difficult at first, as is juggling, mathematics, speaking a new language, playing basketball, swimming, sitting up as an infant, crawling, walking and feeding oneself. Everything we NOW do we learned to do. We learned bathroom habits, hygiene and how to dress. Everything!

Consider this: as an infant you were far more tenacious than you may be right now. If you didn’t keep doing until you succeeded you would never have sat up and walked. You’d have starved had you not learned to feed yourself. BUT you never quit. You did everything you needed to in order to succeed. As an infant you were amazing!

Whatever We Want To Do With Ease – We First Do With Diligence

Growing up with others you LEARNED to give up. You LEARNED things were tough. You were TOLD you may not have it in you or you may not amount to anything. Blah, Blah. YOU BELIEVED THEM. You had already achieved so much and demonstrated you could learn to do incredible things, yet, you were influenced by others.

You may have been told you couldn’t learn well, you had a disability. We all got negative messages from well intending people. We modeled out attitudes we learned from watching others and concluded they were right when things got tougher. We tried three times and quit because that’s what we LEARNED to growing up.

Everything you do you have LEARNED to do, well or not, right or wrong. Yet, some people tell others they have learning disabilities. They don’t, barring neurological impairment. What they LEARN from others is HOW TO be disabled, how to make things tough, how to give up. This is what you also learn. You LEARN from messages.

If You Really Want To Do Something – You Will Find A Way

So be willing to work at it and do whatever it takes for as long as it takes and you will do fine. Only, afterwards, but, perhaps along the way, it will become worth it for you. At some point you will look back and notice how far you traveled and feel wonderful about it. It WILL  be worth it. Hang in there. Commit! Do it as that infant did it.

Those who begin and keep going eventually get there. Though the journey may be difficult at times, those who persist arrive. Those who quit don’t. Far fewer get there than the number who start. That is just the way it is. You and I need to decide which statistic we will be. Will we finish or will we abandon? It is up to each of us! Decide.

More in the next post. As always please feel free to ask questions and leave comments. Share these words with others who may benefit. AND Always, no matter what, find a way to enjoy the journey. Night and day are part of the same 24 hour cycle. Life is meant to live and enjoy. Sometimes it is hot, sometimes cold. Sometimes tough sometimes easy. Celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

Look and enjoy the good things you can discover!

If you like these posts please subscribe. If you think these posts would help others please share them. Help Spread the word. 

Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

NEW BLOG SITE LAUNCHES SOON – Do you get this blog emailed to you? You will have  to again subscribe to this blog, newsletter. I’d hate for you to miss anything when it switches. Subscribe and Follow Daily Inspiration and Gratitude!

How To Change Your Limitations Into Opportunities

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“Why do people opt for the less than glorious? Why do the maintain their problems and limitations? Why do they make changing hard work that requires effort? Have you ever considered this?

One of the reasons for this is that people adopt notions, beliefs, frames of minds and attitude that include concepts such as, ‘without pain there is no gain’. Or ‘it isn’t real or worth it unless you work really hard and suffer’.

Or ‘happiness is being unrealistic’, OR ‘you can’t be happy all the time’.  There may be  many reasons or excuses why someone opts to feel bad instead of feeling good. They may not think it is possible or that they deserve it.

Success Is An Attitude A Mindset A Decision A Commitment

They may put all sorts of conditions and requirements on it. They may have an unrealistic view of what it means to be happy or to be a positive thinker. I could go on and on I am sure. If you are a person who embraces some of these you might wish to consider them as things you assume are true but which may not actually be true.

It gets a bit tricky. People tend to defend their beliefs very strongly. They don’t want to believe that they may not be true. We think they are. We cling to them and insist we know what is best and what is right. We each feel as if we have a monopoly on the truth.

Most of us certainly act as if we do.  We don’t BUT we think we do. We are prepared to argue the case strongly to prove others wrong and ourselves correct. Most likely, we already have numerous times. We defend our beliefs even if they border on the ridiculous.

You Can Have Anything If You Give Up The Belief You Can’t

We just hate to be wrong about things. In order to begin to be free and move more freely into a new way of being we have to be willing to allow some room for anything else to be possible. We need to be willing to explore some other options even just a little bit.

Before you get into bed at night you remove your clothing. Perhaps, you put on other bed clothes that are more comfortable. Still, you change. You take off, you remove your clothes. Consider all of your beliefs as articles of clothing. Use your imagination!

Imagine! You can remove your beliefs in the same way. Take them off, fold them up, or hang them up and try some other beliefs on for a time being. Yours are still there where you left them. Don’t worry. You can always get them back whenever you wish, if you must.

As You Believe So You Are

Relax, they are right there.  What is the worst that would happen if you tried on other beliefs? Really, what is the worst thing that could happen if you believed you could always be happy? What if you believed happiness is a choice you can make? What if you make it?

Imagine believing differently for just a little while. What if you could entertain the opposite of limiting beliefs? What if you imagined you can find love, be successful, have all the money you desire, be debt free, own a great car and a beautiful home? Imagine it is all possible.

What if instead of thinking ‘I couldn’t’ or ‘I can’t’, you thought, ‘I could’ or ‘I can’? How might your life be different in a positive way?What if you created space, actually gave yourself some space, to allow for other possibilities? How freeing would it be? Imagine.

Belief Creates The Actual Fact

Can you give yourself permission to belief things differently? What would life be like if you had all the love, health, wealth and success you could find in life? Would you allow it? What if you could be truly happy in spite of any difficulty? Imagine your life differently!

If you could be and believe anything you wanted what might that be? What if you believed the exact opposite of what you already hold to be true? Can you entertain this notion for a little while. What might your life look like, sound like and feel like if you believed things more positively and productively more of the time? Visualize it!

Some people wear their beliefs as tight, clingy clothing. They may be better served to wear a more relaxed, loose fit. If you don’t believe you can get good things without suffering look around and find examples of others who have plenty of good things. You can too!

Always Believe Something Wonderful Is About To Happen

What do you think? Do you think you could believe that? Could you do that? Could you easily replace your beliefs that you have held for a long time with other beliefs? Do you think it would be difficult to do or easy? Because what ever you think you are right.

How you answer, mostly stems from your mindset, your model, your beliefs and attitudes of what is and isn’t possible, what is or isn’t likely, what you can or can’t do easily. If you want your life to change you have to change some things in your life. Really, you must.

Play with this. Notice what it is like to entertain other possibilities. Do you prefer these? If so, adopt them. If not, let them go. Realize any time you try something new on you might not be immediately comfortable. It may take some time to get used to.

To Succeed We Must First Believe We Can

So don’t be too hasty. Sometime, getting comfortable takes a little time. It’s okay. Walk a mile in someone’s shoes. Why a mile? Because it takes some time to get used to. Some people have difficulty falling asleep in a hotel bed, or in a guest room because it isn’t their bed.

They aren’t used to it, it is foreign, unfamiliar and not comfortable. Sometimes, it takes a while to enjoy a new food or beverage. You don’t instantly enjoy it. However, the more you taste it the more it grows on you. Sometimes you need to do it more than once.

So give the new beliefs a little time to discover if they fit. Play with them, live from them. Find out if they serve you better. Enjoy the exploration. Have fun, be gentle and explore your limitations and what it is like to go beyond them into new areas. Do it! Really.

Endless Possibilities Exist Just Beyond Your Belief System

It can be glorious and it can be a little frightening. Whatever it is, is what it is. Whatever it is it is all okay. Celebrate it and you will discover many nuances you might not have otherwise noticed. Find nuances. In fact, celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes

Enjoy today – Look for good things!

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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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