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Control Your Thoughts

It is said that you have 20,000 thoughts a day. By learning to control your thoughts, you can live the life you want to live. I am grateful I have learned to be conscious and control my thoughts. As I grow, it becomes more important to me because I have more free time now. More free time means more thoughts bombarding my mind.

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Control Your Thoughts As You Get Older

When I was younger, I had so much going on that I didn’t have time to think. I focused on the ongoing activities that were happening around me. Now, there are fewer activities so without controlling the thoughts they could easily take over.

I control my thoughts and I live the life I want to live. I don’t leave it up to chance to determine the life that I’m going to have. The past doesn’t matter. It has happened, and there is nothing I can do about changing it. In fact, I would not want to.

Good or bad, my past has shaped me into the man I am today. All my mistakes were lessons to be learned. The challenges I went through built up my strength and perseverance. My future is what I want it to be. I determine my path by my thoughts, words, and actions.

How Do You Feel?

The person I will become is not the same person writing today. I am changing and improving as I write this post. The most important time in my life is right now. Not necessarily the actual events happening right at this moment, but how I feel about those events.

How do I feel and react to the things happening to me as I write? I feel joy because it makes me happy to put pen to paper. The feeling of my right hand resting on the sheet of paper in my journal. Listening to the quiet, soft sounds of the early morning. These are what is going on, and it goes beyond my five senses. It has become a feeling for me. I feel the energy in my body vibrating; the warmth in my chest as I experience joy in the smallest things.

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You can control your thoughts and determine your path. It is the difference between living unconscious or conscious. Being unconscious is letting the thoughts in your mind control you. You are not aware of most of the thoughts you are allowing to enter your mind.

Live In The Now

If you spend time thinking about the past and the future and it is causing you to feel worried and anxious, you live unconsciously. You don’t believe that you have any control over what is going to happen to you. Your unconscious mind allows negative feelings to take over, and you have no control over these feelings. That is not true.

Being aware of what is happening now, the thoughts you are having and, the feelings you are experiencing is living a conscious life. As life happens around you, how do you feel? For example, if someone cuts me off in traffic, it makes me angry. How does anger feel in my body? My chest feels closed, there is a pit in my stomach, and I feel the tension rising in my face and head.

Choices

At this moment, I have a choice, I can keep those uncomfortable feelings and remain angry, or I can release them. The moment has passed therefore, there is no need to hang on to the anger. You can control your thoughts and feelings by recognizing what is happening to your body and taking control of these feelings.

Recognize when your thoughts are making you feel uncomfortable and change them. Begin to think of the life you want to live, not the life you are living. Picturing yourself living your ideal life will change your feelings to ones of peace and happiness. It is a process that will take some time, but if you want to change your life bad enough, trust and enjoy the process. Control your thoughts, and you can control your life.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@agni11

https://unsplash.com/@neonbrand

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What Am I Afraid Of

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We are almost to May, and now is a great time to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis and see how far you have come in 2022. When you look at your weaknesses, ask yourself; What am I afraid of? Check if any fears hold you back. Many people overlook a big reason they aren’t moving forward, the fear of success.

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Ask Yourself, What Am I Afraid Of

Take a moment and ask yourself, what am I afraid of? There are many fears which can be reasons for your lack of success. One of the most prevalent fears is the fear of criticism by others. Some people care more about what others think of them than their success. Are you one of them? If so, stop! No one is more important than you.

I have a fear of heights or, a better way to put it, a fear of falling from great heights. Recently, I was able to experience this fear once again. My wife and I went to the Boca Museum of Art to see the Machu Picchu exhibit. There were almost 200 gold and pottery exhibits from the Incan Empire. In addition, there was a virtual reality experience.

My Fear Of Falling

I walked into the room, climbed into a pod, sat down, and put on my VR headset. After some brief instructions, I was standing in Machu Picchu. An Incan spirit guide appeared before me, and it all began. Next, we were given the power of flight by the Condor God and began rising above the great city. It happened so quickly that my fear of heights immediately kicked in.

It is incredible how real it seemed. I was not a few feet off the ground but thousands of feet in the air. Of course, this was all in my mind. In reality, my feet were only about a foot off the floor. I had to control my fear and keep telling myself where I was. Soon, my fear was under control, and I was enjoying my time flying above Machu Picchu.

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The Fear Of Success

My definition of success is making the most out of gifts you are given at birth in your lifetime. One thing that can hold you back is the fear of success. You might not even realize this fear exists in you. How can you be afraid of the one thing you strive to become? For example, many people would like to become famous, but their lives would have to change to do so. The brain is resistant to change, therefore; you have a fear of success.

The fear of success is powerful and deceptive. It can take the form of procrastination and excuses. If you are successful, you would have to establish another level of comfort. A promotion at work could mean more responsibility. Your fear of success in your mind could sabotage this goal.

What Fears Do You Have?

Whatever fears you have are created in your mind. You can learn to control your mind and also control your fears. Learn to make peace with your fears instead of trying to eliminate them from your mind. As many times as I have jumped out of airplanes and flown in helicopters, I still cannot eliminate my fear.

What am I afraid of? A few things, but I have control over them. Take control of your life and go out and get what you deserve. Never let any fears get in your way of accomplishing your goals. By being honest with yourself, you can see if you have the fear of success. Once you have identified it, you can control it like you can control all your fears. Nothing can stop you!

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@russ_jay

https://unsplash.com/@agnieszkam

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Celebrate Small Victories

Winning is hard. To win at any contest or life is a difficult endeavor; you must be at your best. Winning championships is even more difficult. Championships will only come after you have first won many games. Games are small compared to a championship, but they should be celebrated as much or more than being crowned champions. In other words, without winning the less significant games, there is no championship trophy to hoist. Make sure you celebrate small victories.

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Celebrating Small Victories

Living the life you want to live is like winning a championship. It can be hard to obtain, and you have to do the right things consistently to become the person you want to be. There are many victories along the way, large and small. Celebrate small victories as much as obtaining your ultimate goal.

Your eyes opened this morning; small victory. You breathe, and your heart pumps blood to your vital organs without thinking about it;  small victories. There is food in the refrigerator; a small victory. I can write this post; small victory.

In a previous post, I told the anecdote about the golfer cussing after each swing while Sofia and I celebrated every time we struck the ball well. Each bad word that left his mouth only brought him more bad swings. On the other hand, each time we celebrated returned to us good swings, and we got better as the day went on. Celebrate small victories.

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https://unsplash.com/@nixcreative

Find And Celebrate Small Victories

Look around and find everything you can be thankful for and celebrate all things. If you are losing weight and becoming healthier, celebrate the small victory of putting on your workout clothes. Celebrate starting your car and driving to the gym. Smile and feel the joy of walking into the gym and knowing you are becoming healthier. In Divine Timing, small victories will add up to huge, huge wins for you.

The other evening, Sofia and I were out by the pool practicing our golf swing, and she felt a raindrop. I looked up, and there wasn’t a cloud above us. We live in Florida, the sunshine state, so that is not unusual. Soon, one raindrop turned into 10, and 10 turned into 100. Then millions of raindrops poured from the sky for ½ hour.

Give Thanks

This is an excellent example of the Law of Attraction. If you give thanks for one raindrop, millions will follow. Imagine being a farmer during a drought and feeling a raindrop. Instead of celebrating the small victory and giving thanks, the farmer complained that it wasn’t enough. No rain would come. Conversely, if the farmer celebrated the small victory, a deluge would be on its way. Celebrate finding a penny just as you would finding millions. It is a small representation of what is out there for you. Feel the same way you would feel finding that suitcase of money, and soon millions will follow.

If you want to change your life, celebrate small victories. It will not take long before you start seeing the changes in yourself. Each change no matter how large or how small is leading you to become the person you want to be.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@lukephotography

https://unsplash.com/@nixcreative

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Find Your Inner Child

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Today I want to talk about belief. Many people lose sight of their dreams when they enter adulthood. We forget how to believe like a child. Our childhood beliefs become replaced by anxiety and worry as adults. Find your inner child and begin believing in your dreams again.

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Find Your Inner Child And Believe

The holiday season is a wonderful time to reflect on your childhood. As a child, you believed all things are possible without question. A man in a red suit, sleigh, and flying reindeer will fly around the world, in one night, and deliver presents to every child.

If you have been good all year, you get the nice present you asked for. In contrast, if you have been a bad boy or girl, you will find coal in your stocking. These unquestioned beliefs resulted in many a wonderful childhood. You might have grown up, but you should find your inner child and continue to believe once again.

Believe In Your Dreams

Believe in your dreams with the same unquestioning passion you had as a child. The only reason you stopped believing was you entered adulthood. Family, bills, your career, and all of the situations associated with adulthood kill your dreams.

Find your inner child and begin to believe you can change. The Bible says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24 NIV. As long as you believe and do not doubt, it will be yours. The timing though is up to God.

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Law Of Attraction

This is how the Law of Attraction works, Ask, Believe, and Receive. Belief, mixed with emotion, is the key ingredient in this formula. You must erase all doubt. You might ask for something but do not believe it in your heart, therefore, you never receive it. Ask God to release all doubt within you.

When you find your inner child, you have no doubt. Doubt comes into your mind through your experiences in life. As a child, your parents told you that Santa would come down your chimney and deliver presents on Christmas Eve. The next morning, Christmas Day, you wake up and find the gifts you asked for under the tree. You asked, believed, and received. There was never any doubt.

Reflect On Your Childhood

Today, reflect on your childhood and remember those wonderful days. If you’re not living the life you want to live, decide to make a change. Commit to your decision and begin to believe like a child. Dust off your forgotten dreams and start dreaming again.

Begin to develop daily habits of prayer, affirmations, and meditation. Tell yourself every day, “I release all doubt;” “I release everything that is holding me back.” Do this several times a day, every day, and begin to build belief. In time, your doubts will appear less often, and you will feel the belief building inside of you.

Ask God

Ask God for what you want and believe in your heart that you will receive it. Remember that the Bible also tells us to ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 ESV.

Take some time for yourself to relax and reflect on your childhood. Find your inner child and the ability to believe like a child.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@profwicks

https://unsplash.com/@carolynchristine

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You’re Not Lazy You’re Normal

Nobody I know would call me lazy except me. I have always made it a point to outwork everyone in the room. That is great, but I have always felt lazy like I was not doing enough. I needed someone to tell me, you’re not lazy, you’re normal. Doing anything has never been my problem. Starting to do something is where the problem comes in. It used to take a lot to convince my mind to do the required activity.

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I’m Telling You You’re Not Lazy You’re Normal

Has anyone else felt the same way about beginning a difficult task? For example, I need to paint the house. That is going to be difficult and time-consuming. My mind conjures up a plethora of reasons not to paint the house. It is cloudy, too hot; I might miss the second round of an insignificant golf tournament on TV, etc. The list goes on and on.

I ask myself, why am I so lazy? Then you get the paint and brushes and begin. Wives in the neighborhood see me and tell their husbands, why can’t you be more like him? He isn’t lazy. After several hours, I finish; exhausted. I have accomplished a lot of hard work but still, feel lazy because of the struggle to get started. Somebody, please tell me, you’re not lazy, you’re normal.

It’s All Physics

In reality, we are not lazy, and the reason we feel lazy is a principle of physics, the Principle of Least Action. The path you choose between two points will always be the path requiring the least energy. When I worked with explosives, I was taught that energy would follow the path of least resistance. I could “aim” the explosive blast by creating the least resistance in the direction I wanted it to follow.

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Your Brain Being Normal

Our brain is wired to conserve energy, and we will always gravitate toward the least amount of work. Choosing to watch golf would have been the least amount of work. That is why I was drawn to that option. It was not that I was lazy but that my brain was working normally. The house could have gone unpainted, but it needed to get done, and I did not want to pay someone to do it.

Change Is Necessary

I have had to change my behaviors to overcome my natural desire to conserve energy. If not, nothing would get done. Our ancestors had to develop behaviors to overcome these universal laws. Imagine if they did not, they would not have grown crops and died out. We would not be here today.

Today, everything is at our fingertips; Information, food, transportation, etc. It is easy now to fall into the trap of never leaving your house and submitting to the Law of Least Effort. Building the behaviors necessary to live a healthy life is more important than ever. When it is time for dinner, your brain will tell you to order food from your phone instead of cooking a healthy meal.

Keep It Simple

How can you begin to build the essential behaviors for personal improvement? You can do this by making the path as simple as possible and satisfying the Law of Least Effort. Meal prepping makes it easier to eat healthy instead of cooking daily. Cook all your meals for the week in one day. Taking a daily walk is beneficial and easier than going to a gym.

Create shortcuts or smaller tasks to achieve the behavior you want to change. Something as simple as taking off your heels after work and putting on walking shoes can satisfy your brain. The next thing you know, you are walking daily after work, and you have created a path of least resistance for your new behavior to develop. These new behaviors will create a new identity for you.

Do not try to do everything at once. Small steps every day will change the person you are over time. Patience, persistence, and perseverance are the keys to your success. Your brain will still choose the easiest option, but now you know; you’re not lazy, you’re normal.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@kennyzhang29

https://unsplash.com/@molliesivaram

Clear, James. “Chapter 12.” Atomic Habits: An Easy &Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, Penguin Randon House LLC, *New York, New York, 2018, pp. 149–158.

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Developing The Right Habits

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Developing the right habits is essential if you want to change your situation. Doing the same things that you are currently doing will get you nowhere. You must change your mindset, which includes developing new habits. If you are having trouble developing new habits, remember this question. What matters more?

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Developing The Right Habits For You

A great story to illustrate this point comes from the late, great Kobe Bryant. He was being interviewed by a reporter who questioned him about what time he woke up. When Kobe told him he woke up at 3 AM to get to the gym at 4 AM, the reporter was stupefied. Why so early? He asked. Kobe replied because my competitor gets to the gym at 5 AM.

The reporter couldn’t believe Kobe would wake up so early. He said, don’t you like to sleep? I know I do. Kobe didn’t reply, so the reporter asked him if this was a trait with which he was born. Did his father wake up early? Kobe replied, no. Then how do you get up so early, he asked? Calmly, Kobe responded, it comes down to what matters more.

What matters more, sleep or winning? For Kobe, it was winning. He developed the habit of waking up early so he could get in more practice time than his opponents. Whatever type of person you want to become, you must develop new habits. If you desire to be a great athlete, research the habits of great athletes. Are you an artist? Then research habits of great artists. Here is a post about the habits of the wealthy.

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It Is Not Easy

Developing the right habits is difficult. You must be consistent in practicing these new habits. It takes 21 days in a row before a habit will start to form. Some days are going to be more difficult than others. When you go through these days, ask yourself, what matters more?

Changing your routine means getting out of that zone of comfort you are currently living in. For example, most successful people wake up early. Just like Kobe, they want to take advantage of every minute of the day. But sleeping is good, and your bed is oh so comfy. You are safe and warm in your bed.

You feel so good that it is simple to close your eyes and go back to sleep. At that moment, ask yourself, what matters more? Becoming the person you want to be or going back to sleep? By getting up, you have time to read, meditate, exercise, journal, etc. One decision will change your lifestyle, while the other will keep you where you’re at in life. What matters more?

The Great Irene

Look at my post about the heroic deeds of Irene Sendler. Irene risked her life during World War II by smuggling Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. For Irene, what mattered more, was the lives of innocent children over her life.

Are you happy where you are at this point in your life? If not, you must change and begin stretching your comfort zone. Get a little comfortable being uncomfortable. Begin your change by researching and developing the habits of the person you want to become. If you want to improve your relationship, develop habits of people in good relationships. Do you want to be wealthy? Research the habits of rich people. If it becomes difficult to change, remember to ask yourself, what matters more?

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@lazizli

https://unsplash.com/@prophsee

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Using The Law Of Attraction

Normally, I would publish a podcast for today’s post. Unfortunately, my neighbors are replacing their windows, and I have been listening to grinding all week. The noise gets picked up on my microphone and ruins my recording. Always moving forward, this post is about using the Law of Attraction.

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The Law of Attraction

I’m writing this post specifically for people who want to make a change in their life. If you are content with your life and are happy, you might not find this information useful. On the other hand, if you are not satisfied and are looking for more out of life, read on. Hopefully, you will learn something about how to use the Law of Attraction.

I will talk about using the Law of Attraction and why some people say it does not work. To begin, let’s get an understanding of the Law of Attraction. It is simple, whatever you are thinking is what you attract. In the Bible, Galatians 6:7 states, You reap what you sow. If you sow good seeds (thoughts), you will reap (attract) good things.

If you want a better life, make the life you want to live your predominant thought. Your brain is working all the time. You are constantly putting out thoughts. Even now, while you are reading this, you are putting out thoughts.

You Attract What You Think

Most people do not pay attention to their thoughts. In turn, their lives become the result of those random thoughts. The life I am living today is a result of the thoughts I had in the past. My future will be shaped by the thoughts I’m having now. By controlling my thoughts I can determine the life I live in the future.

Do you know anyone who is always complaining? Their lives never seem to get better. In contrast, other people always have good fortune. Everything falls in place for them. They are the people you never hear complain. The bottom line is you can control your thoughts or be a slave to your thoughts. The choice is yours.

Law Of Attraction Steps

These are the steps on how to use the Law of Attraction. First, understand that we all live in an unlimited universe. You are part of and connected to the universe. The universe has to give you what you are thinking about if you believe it, can see it in your mind, and it feels natural to you.

Decide

The second step is to decide what you want. Do you want a better job? How about a new car or house? Would you like wealth and be financially free? Maybe it is time to settle down and start a family. Whatever it is you decide, believe that you can obtain it.

Visualize

Third, picture what you want. Visualize your desire. Meditate and see yourself as if it has already happened. See your friends congratulating you on the new job. Drive your car and live in your house in your mind. Picture yourself paying off that last debt. The best way to visualize what you desire is to create a vision board. Put pictures on your board of the things you desire. Put your vision board in a place where you can look at it several times a day. Burn those photos into your mind.

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https://unsplash.com/@davideragusa

Ask

Fourth, ask the Universe/God for what you desire. Verbalize and put emotions to your desires. Create a statement of what you want and what you will sacrifice to get it. Write what you will do to obtain it and put an end date on it. Read this statement twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Always fall asleep thinking of your desire.

Release

Fifth, release all worries about how or when you will achieve your desire. The Law of Attraction will show you how to get what you want. You will attract that knowledge. It takes time to develop the belief and get to the point where it feels real and natural. Do not worry if nothing happens right away.

Most people fail to attract the life they want to live due to a lack of patience. We live in a fast-food society, and everybody wants it right now. Develop patience and persevere. Nothing can stop your desire from manifesting except yourself. One negative thought can erase and rewind all of your work to the beginning.

Plant The Seeds

Think of the universe as fertile ground. The Law of Attraction says you will receive what you plant. Each thought is like a seed. In nature, a seed is dropped on the ground and the ground goes to work enveloping the seed. The soil nurtures the seed until it begins to transform and grow roots.

The soil provides food for the seed, and the plant emerges from the top. It works its way up until it breaks through the soil. The soil sustains the plant through its lifecycle. The seed does not have to do anything. It has little control over the timing.

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I grew up in a middle-class family. We lived a very middle-class lifestyle. Therefore, I could never see myself living any other way. Those were the thoughts that I put out, and that is what the Law of Attraction gave me. Now I can live whatever lifestyle I choose because I know how to use the Law of Attraction.

Believe You Can Do It

I believe most people would like to be wealthy but do not believe that they can ever achieve it. By knowing how to use the Law of Attraction and developing a habit of following the steps above, you can have anything you desire. Be patient and persevere because it does take time to develop belief and turn your belief into faith.

I hope you enjoyed this article on how to use the Law of Attraction. If you’ve ever used the Law of Attraction to manifest something in your life, leave a comment. Don’t forget to like, follow, and join my email list. I am very grateful for every one of you.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@coopery

https://unsplash.com/@davideragusa

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Destiny Is A Farce

2022 is off to a fast start for my family and me. Good things have been happening, especially in my wife’s business. With good things seems to come the bad, for example, resistance. Resistance happens to everyone and comes in the form of bad news, petty arguments, or other things that happen. Before I would’ve chalked it all up to destiny and that I was not destined for great things. Now, I know that destiny is a farce. Any negative that comes with the good is just life.

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Destiny Is A Farce

I now have the tools to fix resistance when I feel it and see it happening. By keeping my heart open, and letting everything flow through me, I do not allow resistance to stay. If a family member holds on to negative feelings, I tell them to “Let It Go.” I want to live in the Now, not in the past.

Our thoughts and how we handle life are based on our past experiences. The brain, being wired for survival, will establish a comfort zone based on our past teachings. The future will be in the confines of that comfort zone unless we change it. If we believe in destiny, then we believe our lives are set. We are destined to live as we live now.

Destiny Keeps You Stuck In The Past

Destiny keeps you stuck in the past. In my past, I always dreamed of wealth and helping others. I would search out ways of making money which always led to failure. It would leave me back with my paycheck to paycheck existence. As miserable as that was, it was my comfort zone.

It is by choice that I lived in debt and not with my promised abundance. I chose to live that way because of my experiences and beliefs. I always thought that was the way it was meant to be. It was my destiny to live a good life but never a great one. Abundance and wealth were just not in the cards. That was for the select few in the world, not for me.

Always A Dreamer

I believed that I was destined to always be the dreamer, but never live my dreams. The person who dreamed of exploring the world, but never left the dock and waved goodbye to the real explorers. That is how I thought in the past.

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https://unsplash.com/@museumsvictoria

Knowing now that destiny is a farce, this is not how I will live the rest of my life. I am created for better things. I am made by and from God, and everything I have done was done by God. God gave me the ability to make money and use my abundance to help others. It is my choice whether I believe in my abilities or not.

Stop Believing In Destiny

For anyone reading this who thought as I did, stop believing in destiny. Create your own destiny! The only difference between the explorers and the people on the dock is the explorers know destiny is a farce. Great writers and artists became great because they picked up a pen or brush and let their creative juices flow.

They didn’t believe it was only for other people to be great; they knew they could. If they were taught about destiny, they ignored the teachings. They dreamed, pursued their dreams, and became great.

The breath of life was given to you to be great, not just good but great. There is no predetermined destiny for you. You and only you can choose to pursue your dreams or not. Destiny is a farce.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@krisroller

https://unsplash.com/@museumsvictoria

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Definition Of A Growth Mindset

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The definition of a growth mindset is you believe your talents can be developed through hard work and good strategies. In comparison, the definition of a fixed mindset is you believe your talents are innate, they cannot be improved upon.

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Changing To A Growth Mindset

Change is inevitable. You go through many transitions as you advance in life. There are some changes that you cannot control, for example, aging; we are getting older by the minute. Other changes are completely under your control. A good example is your financial situation. By learning to control your thoughts, you can control your bank account. You have to go through different transitions before this is possible. Changing to a growth mindset take time, but it is worth it.

If you are happy with your current situation, whether that be financial, spiritual, or just life in general; great. God bless you and keep doing what you’re doing. If not, then you will have to go through transitions to a growth mindset to change. I have gone through many transitions in my life. They all have one thing in common. See if you can figure out what that is.

High School

I enjoyed my high school years. I was a popular student, part of athletic teams, and even was elected as a class officer. As good as those years were, I had to transition when I became a college student. Mentally, I had to destroy my high school life. I had to hang up my letter jacket and become a college student.

College

After graduating from college, I became an officer in the U.S. Army. Once again, I had to transition from a college student to an Army officer. I stored my college life in my mind and immersed myself as a soldier.

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Lots and Lots Of Pushups

Military Service

After leaving the Army, I became a Special Agent with DEA. For me to become the best investigator I could be, I mentally left the soldier behind. I grew my hair long and stopped wearing military clothing. DEA was about conducting narcotics investigations and going undercover.

DEA

Many agents never accomplished this. They kept the military haircut and clothing. A lot ended up in training because it was like the Army. It was their comfort zone, and they didn’t want to leave it. They weren’t willing to destroy their old self and transition to a new one.

Finally, Retirement

After 30 years, I had to make another transition into retirement. It was difficult, as I had to leave my career behind. My career was my identity. The thing I missed was the daily social interaction and the excitement. I knew that I would have to put my DEA life in the memory bank and move on.

I transitioned my mindset to that of a businessman and opened businesses. My DEA self was destroyed and that life became a memory. People ask if I miss it; my reply is always; no. Like all the other times I changed, they were great while they were happening, and I’ll always have fond memories. To grow, I had to move forward.

Destroy Your Old Mindset

If you want to have a better life, you must destroy your old mindset. You will go through transitions to a growth mindset. It will be necessary to immerse yourself in your new life. Your old life might have been okay, but you will need to give up your old habits completely.

Change Is Not Easy

Beginning to transition to a growth mindset isn’t easy. Your brain is wired for survival and will do everything to keep you in your comfort zone. It will always resist change. For this reason, the transition takes time. I know no one wants to hear that because we live in a fast-food society. You are used to getting your food right away or ordering from Amazon and getting what you ordered the next day.

These transitions to a growth mindset will require you to do a self-analysis. I wrote a post about negative traits which will stop you from growing. Look at yourself and see if you are holding on to any negative habits. One negative habit that will sabotage your efforts is gossip. Stop talking about other people.

Grow

Understanding the definition of a growth mindset will help you improve. To grow, you must transition from a poverty mindset to a mindset of abundance. You know you have a poverty mindset when you’re thinking about the negative things in your life. For example, your primary thoughts are your debt, toxic relationship, or life situation.

To achieve a mindset of abundance, you will go through the process of change.

You will make a decision and commit to it.

See yourself as who you want to be, not as who you are.

Speak positive affirmations daily.

If you have negative thoughts, immediately begin speaking and thinking the opposite.

Don’t expect immediate change.

After time you will see the transitions in your daily life.

You will begin believing in your new life.

Your belief will turn into faith.

You will never quit.

If you have any comments on the definition of a growth mindset, please reply to the comments section below. If you liked it, tap the like button.

InspireChief2 Comments
importance-perseverance-graduate-sunset-holding-cap-above-head

The Importance Of Perseverance

My family attended the graduation of our oldest daughter from the University of Central Florida last month. Two of the many colleges at the University were holding their commencement ceremonies at that time. As I watched the ceremony, I realized this was a perfect example of the importance of perseverance.

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After the opening remarks and speakers, they began awarding degrees to the graduates. They began with the students who earned their doctorate degrees. Next, the students were awarded master’s degrees. This part of the ceremony went rather quickly. The majority of the students were earning their baccalaureate, and there were over a thousand students.

The Importance Of Perseverance

The first students to walk across the stage or the distinguished students who graduated summa cum laude and magna cum laude. There were only a few of these. I began to think that the students were the only ones who didn’t struggle during the last four years. Studying was easy for them, and they probably didn’t change majors. The rest of the students understood the importance of perseverance.

I was not a good student in college. Consequently, I changed my major five times before I found one that interested me. I struggled and was plagued by procrastination, fear, uncertainty, lack of motivation, and even depression. Failing so many times I didn’t think I would ever complete the requirements for my degree. It took me five and a half years, but I persevered and made it.

My Daughter

My daughter struggled as well. She did not have high test scores. While her friends were attending a university she had to attend a local state college. After a very poor start and a “come to Jesus” meeting with me, she did well. She was supposed to stay at the state college for two years. Before completing her first year, she reapplied and was accepted for the fall semester at the University of Central Florida.

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So Proud!

At UCF, her struggles did not end. She had difficulty finding a major that suited her. She would procrastinate in courses that did not interest her. Her grades reflected her effort. Finally, she found her niche in kinesiology, and she excelled. She told me later that she almost quit more than once because it got too difficult. Something inside her would not let her, and eventually, she found her passion. She understood the importance of perseverance.

Reflections

As I sat in the arena waiting for the ceremony to begin, I began to reflect on her life. I was reliving important events of her childhood. I remembered the day she was born, her accomplishments on sports teams, and her high school graduation.

As the music began playing, signaling the start of the ceremony, I remembered a phone call I received. It was from her and she was screaming into the phone. I couldn’t understand what she was saying and thought something bad had happened. Then I understood the words, “Dad, I got in, I got accepted to UCF.”

As the processional of graduates continued, we finally spotted her walking into the arena. I could not have been prouder. It wasn’t that she earned her degree. A degree is not a guarantee of a good job or better life. I was proud because she didn’t quit. She conquered all obstacles.

Never Quit

I’m sure many other graduates went through equally difficult times. They all have one thing in common; they didn’t quit. The sheepskin that all graduates have does not mean that they are smarter or better than anyone who doesn’t have one. It stands for accomplishing what they set out to do four years before. That is the importance of perseverance.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@city_child

InspireChief10 Comments