3 Steps To Transforming Your Life

3 Steps To Transforming Your Life


Share

by Jim Donovan

1. Pre-Visualize The Outcome You Desire
Whatever the situation is, you can affect the outcome of it by imagining the IDEAL scenario ahead of time. Use as much sensory detail as possible. What does it look, sound, smell like? What emotions do you have as you imagine the success of the situation? Feel them as if they were real. (Eventually they will be!) Hold this idea in your mind. Believe that it is possible.


2. Learn To Focus ALL Of Your Attention At Will
Resist the urge to constantly multi-task and instead use the secret of the most successful people in the world by putting yourself in "the zone". Remember that being in the zone is full and complete attention the moment your are in. Give all yourself to that moment. Be ALL IN.

Try this the next time you are having a conversation with someone you love: Give all of yourself to that person as you LISTEN to them. Resist thinking about what you will say next. Just listen to them with all of your attention. Experiment with this focus for one week and notice if your interactions and relationships change.

3. Learn To Turn Failure Into Your ALLY
Contrary to popular belief, failure doesn't have to be something that only causes humiliation and ego bruising! Remember that while there is no excuse for being unprepared, failure simply tells you how NOT to do something. That's all. Everything else we project onto our failures is simply a waste of our precious time and energy. Use the energy of failure to propel, rather than stop you.

Failure is not the enemy. Fear is your enemy.
If you aren't failing in some way, you may not be pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone...

Ok... so I know I said three steps, but while we're at it, how about some honest reflection?


Answer these questions as truthfully as you can:

Fast forward to the moments before your very last breath.
1. How will you feel about the life you lived?

After you die...
2. How do you think others will remember you?

You have the gift of being alive now.
If you aren't doing what you love and if you feel like you aren't living out your true purpose, I'd like to invite you to change something.

When do you feel most alive?

Share
by Jim Donovan
There is an excellent Congolese song I learned from my dear friend Elie Kihonia called Mutwashi. In the song, the lyrics translate as "We are giving thanks for being alive today." In light of the recent events in Haiti, this sentiment has never felt more true to me. Just to have the opportunity to wake up and live again is a gift. Seeing people being pulled alive from the rubble after ten days gives me pause to reflect and remember to be grateful not only for my family, health and abundance- but also for the chance to try again.


I'm interested to hear from you on this...
When do you feel most alive?

Wisdom for the Next Seven Generations

Share

As an experiment, I posed the following question to many of my friends to see what kind of answers I'd get:  

If you had 3 pieces of wisdom to pass on to the next seven generations, what would they be?

The following are the unedited answers they gave me...I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did!
Feel free to add to this "wisdom list" by leaving your comments below...
Peace,  Jim Donovan

Doug Patterson

1. If you don't ask, the answer is always no.
2. Doing what the average person does gets you what the average person gets.
3. Your place in the universe is sacred.

Thomas Batchelor

1. always wear footwear that you could run for your life in.
2. stay true to yourself, and don't pander to others.
3. learn how to do your own oil changes, it'll save you money and connect you to your vehicle. Put a sticker on your dash with the mileage when you change the oil, every 3000 miles faithfully. Use a quality oil and filter each time, and it will more than pay for itself in the long run, and recycling the oil is good for you and the environment.

Mike Krach

I always try to pass this thought on to my students: Dream as big as you possibly can and if you truly want that dream then pursue it as if nothing else matters.

Becky Mills Bouille

From "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz
1. Be Impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

Rachel Allen

1. Proceed until apprehended
2. Take nothing personally
3. Be present in all moments...thats where joy and grace exist..

Mitranand Baumann

1,be respectful humble helpful and loving.2,eat well be thankful, remember we live in a magical plane of existence and the universe supports and wants to help you don't delay ask God thats your job,thoughts are creative.3,be creative,drum..celebrate life and take time to sit quietly in the early morning hours...( i know i cheated that is really more than 3) lol

Toni Kellar

1. Don't consume more than you really need: honor all our precious resources.
2. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
3. Be yourself: live out your life purpose.

Connie Popp

Always question everything. Trust (and act on) your instincts. Follow the golden rule. And, as my mom taught me, don't idolize people (although respect and admiration are ok), no matter what title they hold, because they are simply humans, like us.

Sue Fishkind Field

trust your inner voice, no matter what people become in life we are all just human, hindsight is 20/20

Stacey Greenholt

1. Listen to those older than you. They have been there and their wisdom is valuable.
2. Learn to save your money.
3. Get to know yourself and do what makes you truly happy, despite what others think of you. Who are you living for?

James Matt Holcomb The only thing you can trust other people for is to be themselves. If you put on to them an obligation, whether explicit or implicit, and expect them to live up to it, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. You can either love or control, the two are mutually exclusive. So, expect only from yourself, obligate only yourself, and love ... See Moreeveryone else for who they are and allow them the freedom to be who they are. If you are successful in this, it therefore follows that nobody can hurt you emotionally, nobody can let you down, nobody can anger you, nobody requires your intervention, nobody deserves your pity, and you fully own the choice of how you interact with the world.

Oh, and the key to understanding the true meaning of life is to play the bones.

Tammy Nadene Torrens

1.Hardships make us strong. Problems give birth to wisdom. Sorrows cultivate compassion. Those who have suffered the most will become the happiest. 2.The course of our lives is determined by how we react--what we decide and what we do--at the darkest of times. The nature of that response determines a person's true worth and greatness. 3. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Caren Knox

1. Be yourself. You were put here, exactly as you are, to be a piece of the Earth-puzzle. Don't try to be somebody else's piece!
2. Follow your truth and inner knowing, no matter what.
3. Be kinder to your kids, connect with them, understand why they do what they do; don't coerce, manipulate, or punish.

Tracy Leskey

Eat locally...no matter where you are, embrace all seasons, and use sunscreen.

John Buynak *don’t eat the yellow snow, I know…but its not lemon.

Brian Lyons

1. Believe in the truth that GOD will never give you more than you can handle.
2. Everything happens for a reason,even if you don't know what the reason is at the time.
3.It's better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not.

Teresa Rodriguez

1. Don't believe everything that's inside your head.
2. If there is a choice between being kind or not, choose kindness.
3. Say "Thank You" whenever possible.

Carmen Capozzi

Give me the solution. Not the problem

You are the architect of you destiny !!!

Curtis Webb Jr. I'm a big business quote guy...
1) Serious matters require serious people. - Marvin Worthy
2) To get what you want, you have to be willing to risk what
you have. -Scott Welch
3) Our future lies not with one genius in a garage, but in connecting the garages together. -Todd Welch

Deborah Metzger 1. Who knows what's good or bad - from a sufi story
2. Is that so? mantra

Andrew Gilch

1)if wishes were fishes,we'd all cast nets in the sea.

2)just because you're the loudest,doesn't make you the rightest.

3)say what you mean and mean what you say.

Holly Greene White

Acknowledge the TRUTH that you are MORE than the flesh-bone-blood Being that you physically see, hear, touch and smell ... you are a part of the Divine who has once again decided to come forth to this physical time-space-reality to expand his consciousness and spiritually evolve. If you remember this ... all things will come into alignment for you.

Yesterday at 11:00am ·

Beth Mcahren

Relax into the tenth dimension.

Amy Morrill Borlaug

Life comes at you fast at times, take it all in and slowly. There is always a meaning behind everything the universe has to offer...

Darin Goldenberg

Listen before u speak.
Think before u speak.
Always keep compassion in ur heart.

Jennifer Dean Will

Take it easy on yourself & be forgiving of all the mistakes you make. Learn from them, but be forgiving.
And, then apply that same thing to everyone else.

Christine Trotz Cosgrove Live on less than you earn. Listen to your mother, she wants what's best for you. Say it if it needs to be said, keep your mouth shut otherwise

Nadine Bergeron The only things that matter in the long run are learning how to love each other, sharing your talents, and enjoying this life we have to the fullest!

Andrew Gilch

...mis-interprintation abounds,
eschew obfuscation,
and never date a girl that can beat you up

Jeff Kolbfleisch 1) Lord loves a working man... 2) Never trust whitey... 3) See a doctor and get rid of it... - Navin R. Johnson (The Jerk)

Valerie Chambers-Barber

What more can one say...
Be yourself
Pay it forward
Spread positive vibes!!

Jim Gagnon 
1. Be kind.
2. Be grateful.
3. Be awake

Georgette Januse

To thine own self, be true...... A quiet mind, can be healing..... History repeats itself..... Choose happiness!

Mandy Manuel Odum

Respect and care for the elderly, for you too, will be old one day.
Keep an open mind, things may not be what you think they are.
Be positive in all things. Or, find the good in everything.

Melissa M. Bailey

1. Always stay true to yourself.

2. All people are equal and deserve your respect regardless of
their status or situation until they
disrespect themselves.

3. My mothers advice since I was a kid,
"Don't make an ass of yourself!"

Jim Pyecroft

Do not take that which is not given.
A ship that sails with the current has no rudder.
War Sucks!

Laurie Pisarcik Connolly
As I am one for those pithy quotables, here are a few of my wisdom-laden favorites:

1. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.
2. You are always stronger than you think you are.
(Because you are connected to the Divine whether you
realize it or not, and accept it or not.)
3. Authenticity means acting like the kind of person you most
want to be.
4. Everything can be taken from us but one thing...the last
of the human freedoms...to choose one's attitude in any
given circumstance. ~Viktor Frankl
5. Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were
to live forever. ~Mahatma Gandhi
6. Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening.
Treat it with care. ~Buddha
And three of my own:
7. Good manners are but kindness and respect walking
companionably hand-in-hand.
8. Do not assume the answer will be no. You'll never know
until you ask.
9. Live vertically, breathe deeply, and walk forward.

Thank you for letting me ramble on with all these rich thoughts for the soul. I stuck to the three of my own, but could not resist sharing these wonderful gems of wisdom from others on this eve of the new year. Happy New Year to all, and thanks to Jim's request, we shall all walk forward that much more fortified.

Ohh, just one more because it is so fine!

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~Lao Tzu

Mandy Manuel Odum

I forgot the most important one: If you love someone, tell them so. We never know how much time we have.....

Kerri Vaughn

be thrifty, show compassion, practice generosity

Todd Dalton say what you mean...mean what you say

Stacy Wright

1. always act ethically - you will be free from the heavy burden of shame and regret
2. consume only that which nourishes your body, mind and spirit.
3. allow time to listen - to yourself and others.

Peter Shefler

1. Trust yourself. Listen to your inner voices. Take away everything others have said about who you are and see what is left. Hold yourself tight.

2. Know how to listen to others. It is only then that we can really hear what they are saying. Just be there with them without interruption, without needing to respond ~ this is the greatest gift to them, and to your relationship with them.

3. Create! Express yourself. Take off your magical cloak that hides you and share your truest self with the universe. Do this at least ten times a day! Then, go to bed with visions of sugar plums for tomorrow's awakening!

Feel free to add to this "wisdom list" by leaving your comments below...