Thread: self_titled's Personal Power II Journey

Requirements for the next 30 days:

1. The desire on my part to genuinely endeavour to improve
2. The commitment to complete the program each day and follow through with the exercises

Personal Power = the ability to act!
This is an ability that I already have within me - to take action and produce results. I can use my personal power by;

1. Recognising and understanding my desires
2. Using simple, systematic strategies to get greater results out of myself on a daily basis

Success and failure are not massive end states; they are the small victories and defeats that we experience daily and allow to snowball, ultimately becoming an effortless lifestyle. Power comes from concentrating your focus and taking daily action to improve.
The trick is to demand more from yourself than anyone dare expect!

To excel at anything, we must immerse ourselves in the subject content to experience it and study it first hand.
Repetition is the mother of skill!

The Ultimate Success Formula

1. Know your outcome (clarity is power)
2. Take positive action towards that outcome
3. Notice what you're getting back
4. Be flexible and change when/if required

Success leaves clues so we can use the technique of role-modelling to emulate the results and victories of people that have already achieved what we want. We must consider success building like exercising a muscle in our body. Eventually what was once impossible is now effortless.

Fear of failure is ultimate failure, since it stops us from trying anything at all. If something doesn't work, then simply try something else. Flexibility is essential for success; sometimes the greatest successes come off the back of failures.

As long as you've learnt something, you've succeeded and with persistence and commitment to applying the Ultimate Success Formula, successes become stacked until they become habits.

Exercise One - Two Actions To Change

1. Listen to Personal Power II program and write up Day One in Personal Success Journal
2. Reorganise Drumming System DVDs and watch introduction DVD

self_titled

Had a really good day today, which sets the standard that I must aspire to maintain. I will admit to being exhausted, but I feel good! Worked hard in work, completed bike training, completed some overdue admin, ran the local circuit, set up electronic drum kit, practiced some basic guitar, worked a little on a new song, and completed Personal Power - Day Two!

Humans are driven by two principal forces; their need to avoid pain and their desire to gain pleasure. These factors control every single thing that we do.

Procrastination is the opposite of using our personal power; it's needing to do something but not following through. We only procrastinate because we think that it would be more painful to take action than to not take action or do nothing.

The need to avoid pain is biological. To make positive changes in our lives we shouldn't look to discipline ourselves, we should instead change what we link pleasure and pain to. In most cases the need to avoid pain is a greater motivator than the desire to gain pleasure.

If we want to change our behaviour we must focus on how not doing something will mean more pain that simply getting it done. Weigh all major actions in life, ask: "Will this give me more pain and less pleasure, or less pain and more pleasure?"

Exercise Two - Examining My Pain And Pleasure Associations

Action: STOP SMOKING

What pain has stopped you from taking this action?
Fear of not being part of a social group, loss of perceived self image and identity, loss of a reinforced habit and recreational hobby, giving up the addiction to nicotine.

What pleasure is gained by not taking this action?
Occasionally enjoyable social situations, some strengthened acquaintances with other smokers, a sense of self image, feeds addiction, easy to satisfy impulse.

What will it cost you to not take this action?
Invites serious health risks both immediately and in the long term future, feel addicted and weak willed, decreased sense of taste and smell, financially expensive, smell is disgusting on clothes and breath, saps time and productivity, causes interruption throughout the day, disrupts sleep, disappoints family/non-smokers, actually decreases self image.

What do you gain by taking this action?
Better health, improved breathing, massive decrease in health risks, chance of a full recovery of lungs, renewed energy levels, increased self worth, pride of kicking the habit, don't smell terrible, more uninterrupted time to concentrate on worthwhile activities, improved sex drive, more money to use productively.

Action: GET A TONED PHYSIQUE

What pain has stopped you from taking this action?
Takes up too much time, requires planning and honest consideration, requires a lot of energy, physically painful and draining, requires honesty and discipline, healthy eating is not as accessible/tasty/fun.

What pleasure is gained by not taking this action?
Other activities offer an instant reward/pleasure without as much effort, I'm comfortable as I am since I'm not fat, junk food is quicker and tastier and more accessible.

What will it cost you to not take this action?
An already slightly tubby belly will continue to grow larger, ever decreasing self confidence, decreasing self image, low stamina and strength, miss out on physical activities, don't perform as well as other fitter people, embarrassment of having to 'suck in' when topless, poor posture, generally decreased health, weak willpower.

What do you gain by taking this action?
Increased self worth, increased confidence, personal pride, impressive strength and stamina, best self image possible, many more recreational options, can play more sports and activities much better, improved energy levels and alertness, improved posture, improved sexual performance, supports all other hobbies and ambitions.

Action: STOP NEEDLESSLY DRINKING SO FREQUENTLY

What pain has stopped you from taking this action?
Would be missing out socially with a lot of friends, actually genuinely have a blast sometimes, socially acceptable way to enjoy myself, gets me out and about, sense of loss of self image, branded 'weird' by choosing not to drink.

What pleasure is gained by not taking this action?
Occasionally really good times, meet new people, it's what people typically do to socialise, best way to catch up with old friends, belong to a culture, things happen/stories to tell, have a good laugh.

What will it cost you to not take this action?
Massive financial expense, dulls thoughts and alertness, massively unproductive waste of time, constant regret and thoughts of what I should be doing instead, saps time that could be spent productively or recreationally better, tend to say and do really stupid things that have consequences, two/three day hangovers, are drinking friends really genuine friends?

What do you gain by taking this action?
Focus and act upon the productive abilities that I really want, leave behind regret, feel sharp and alert, take back my time, improved health and respect for my body, save a massive amount of money, regain control of my life and focus on what I really want to achieve rather than defaulting on an unproductive activity.

Action: LEARN TO PLAY, WRITE AND RECORD MUSIC

What pain has stopped you from taking this action?
Easier instant rewards seem more alluring, 'I'm ****', lack of confidence, lack of ability, previous bad experiences, negative reinforcement when young, too late to achieve anything now, perceived difficulty in learning, not always fun, sometimes feels like work, everyone is better than me.

What pleasure is gained by not taking this action?
Uh... Easier instant rewards, lack of pain due to avoiding potential embarrassment and judgement.

What will it cost you to not take this action?
Over-whelming lack of self confidence, self worth, no respect for what I'm otherwise doing, no motivation to try anything else, feel like I'm just bull****ting myself and others, lack of pride, no life direction, feeling of never amounting to anything, never actually improve on the time and effort that I have already invested so far, presently a massive waste of money, giving up on my dream/lifelong ambition...

What do you gain by taking this action?
Self worth, confidence, pride, motivation, lifestyle, achievements, opportunities, fun, passion, creativity, passion, skill, enjoyment, respect, improved high value social circle, improved finances, independence, reason to get up and love each day, leave a positive impression on the lives of my acquaintances, on the lives of loved ones, and on the world as a whole.

self_titled

good luck self titled.
enjoy taking massive action today.

It not knowing what to do, it's doing what you know.
Tony Robbins

Hi self titled!

I am glad you decided to post your journal online - and thanks for you comments btw.

Your assignments are well detailed and very interesting. It shows you have given these questions real thought.

Keep going, I will certainly read your progress!

As the song goes: "Life will never be the same [...]"

Peaceful Warrior

Hey guys,

Thanks very much for the encouragement! I'm still presently on Day 8 (had a bit of a hiccup yesterday) but still feel great.

Peaceful Warrior: These posts are actually the abbreviated versions! I'm certainly taking a comprehensive look at my mental states and behaviours, that's for sure! I hope that you enjoy them and take something away from my learning, as I have from some of your posts. I believe this is a great way to effeciently role-model (discussed on Day One), since we're using the same tactics to tackle different problems!

I endeavour to write up the rest of my entries over the weekend, so that we're on equal standing for continuing next week!

self_titled

Good morning beautiful self.how are you today?

wishing you the very best.
remember to focus on what great changes you have made
list them,tell me what great decisions and actions you have taken over the last 8 days.

what are you proud of,how
does that make you feel?

Love
Lishy wishy
xxxxxxxxxxx

Another solid day; started brightly, worked hard, ate well and finished with a run, PPII - Day Three, and writing up this diary. Had some bother off the girlfriend for something that I can't comprehend as being "wrong". Seems that she has no respect for my personal life or privacy. This relentless intrusion annoys me, yet I struggle to understand why since I've nothing to hide. Anyway, despite some hassle, had a great day.

What specifically drives our lives are Neuro-Associations; whatever we associate in our nervous system to any situation will determine our resulting behaviour. Therefore what controls our lives are those meanings that we associate to any given situation. And in turn, that meaning determines our behaviour.

The neuro association with the most strength attached to it, will win over all other pertinent associations. Therefore to succeed, we must link pleasure to the desired activity and resulting behaviour and pain to not doing the activity and sticking with the old behaviour.

If we want to change our lives, we must constantly be aware of Neuro-Associative Conditioning; how we condition ourselves so that we associate things in a way that allows us to feel and behave how we want to at all times.

Every single action has an impact on our lives! Destiny is determined by daily feelings, decisions and behaviours to create the desired (or otherwise) end state.

The ultimate results from life start with what you do right now! Everything has a consequence, which ought to be constantly considered.

Exercise Three - My Current Neuro-Associations

Positive Neuro-Associations

• Being friendly, forthcoming and genuine to both people I know and complete strangers is an engaging and rewarding way to be for both myself and them. If people choose not to reciprocate, the that is their decision (and their loss!).
• I understand that the right motivation, guidance and positive action can result in massive achievements for both myself and loved ones.
• I am generous, unselfish and trusting with my possessions and money, providing that I feel that I'm not being taken advantage of. If I can help other people using my efforts, then I will try my best to do so.

Negative Neuro-Associations

• Going to the gym, eating healthy and generally looking after myself is difficult and does not reap worthwhile benefits considering the effort invested.
• I am too late in life to pursue my musical ambitions. Others are more capable, talented, creative and determined with such a massive head start that I would never meet the standard required.
• Procrastinating (TV, Xbox, internet, drinking, etc...) is a rewarding way to spend my life and there is always 'later' to start achieving my dreams.

self_titled

Never really caught form today; was almost late for my bike licence test, failed that test (second attempt), and didn't achieve much in work. Did eat well though and went out for another run that evening. Friction with the girlfriend again tonight, which is really tarnishing an otherwise awesome relationship. I can't understand if I genuinely am deserved of the hassle, or if she is just attention seeking and immature.

I understand that there must be some reason for her to explode the way that she does, but I really don't believe that the minor misjudgements or over-sights that I'm making are really proportionate to her reactions and the resulting friction. It's wearing me down and I find myself retracting from the relationship. I can't draw a conclusion now. I know that I am just getting annoyed for it messes up my attitude and efforts towards these activities of personal development. It puts me in a rubbish mood and I haven't yet the control to pull myself out quickly enough. Am I just making excuses or is this a reasonable reaction? I only want to the be the best that I can be!

The simple, daily input of constantly building upon small successes creates chains of positive success programming. We call this Neuro-Associative Conditioning. It is based upon Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which focuses upon changing the way people feel about things and how they behave (much like different therapies).

The moment of breakthrough in any therapy is when the meaning of what has happened in the participant's life has changed; they change what they associate to that person, situation or event. If the meaning doesn't change, their life doesn't change. The procession of transforming meaning (changing mental associations) is only determined by the participant's commitment!

"Reprogramming" considers that something is done or undone. "Conditioning", as the verb for taking action, implies that we make constant effort in one direction towards one desired behaviour.

There are three fundamentals to the science of Neuro-Associative Conditioning;

Get Leverage: you must reach the point where something must change, that you must change it, and that it must change right now. The point where not changing = pain, and making the change = pleasure! "Should" change, or "could" change, or "ought to" change simply won't cut it.
Interrupt Present Limiting Associations: present associations result in patterned ways of response. Doing anything to interrupt this conditioned pattern eventually destroys the old association (consider the metaphor of scratching a vinyl record with a knife).
Condition a New Association: link pain to the old conditioning and grow, opportunity and pleasure to the new thought pattern!

Exercise Four - Changing My Neuro-Associations

Action - STOP SMOKING

Get Leverage

1. Cigarettes cause diseases including cancer which cause long-term damage and ultimately death
2. Cancer is a gruesome and painful disease
3. Cigarettes are a financial drain
4. Smoking invites illnesses and lowers my health and energy
5. The habit of smoking wasters my time and productivity
6. Smoking actually lowers my self image and stinks
7. Smoking sets a terrible example to friends and family
8. I feel weak-willed and pathetic for every time that I start again/light up
9. Health, energy and general well-being will be noticeably improved after quitting
10. Not smoking promotes the whole lifestyle that I ultimately want to attain

I know that I can stop smoking because (get this!) I've done it so many times before! All I simply must do now is remain vigilant and not allow momentary slips to reintroduce the habit. Understand and feel the advantages to not smoking.

Interrupt the Pattern

• Remove all smoking paraphernalia from my life
• Immediately snub out any cigarette that I find myself smoking or about to smoke
• Read the health warnings on the pack sincerely
• Move any from the person/party/influence that has me considering smoking
• Immediately do something active or healthy or productive instead

Create a New Association
Imagine how good it feels to breathe deeply and without pain and/or congestion. Sincerely feel my new lifestyle: healthy, active and in the best condition of my life - full of energy, free from illness, and with extra money in my pocket!

Action - GET A TONED PHYSIQUE

Get Leverage

1. I'm starting to get a little tubby/fat
2. I'm embarrassed to take off my shirt without sucking in
3. My general fitness obstructs my goals
4. Junk food pollutes me from the inside out
5. My general strength and endurance is lacking
6. Sexual performance is directly linked to the above...
7. Eating less and better feels empowering
8. I'd look and feel amazing if I had muscular definition
9. My self confidence would improve much more
10. Getting into the best shape of my life promotes the whole lifestyle that I ultimately want to attain!

I know that I can get into shape because I've witnessed it happen to other people. I have all the faculties, resources and time I need to achieve this. All I simply must do now is remain dedicated and not allow laziness or poor decision-making break my habit. Understand and feel the advantages of getting into shape, and keep impatience at bay.

Interrupt the Pattern

• Stand up, take a deep breath, and quickly start changing into gym kit
• Think deeply and imagine attaining the goals that I desire
• Relive previous victories where my motivation has overcome laziness
• Get into state by listening to a pumping song
• Take off top and look in a mirror - am I how I want to look yet?!

Create a New Association
I want to experience being in peak physical condition for the first time in my life. Imagine how good it must be to look, feel and give my very best every day. The confidence of going into any situation with the knowledge that my body is in a peak condition to cope with any challenge/stress well.

Action - STOP DRINKING EXCESSIVELY

Get Leverage

1. Increasingly not enjoying being drunk
2. Produces an entirely unproductive mindstate
3. Wastes a vast amount of my financial income
4. Dissolves a massive chunk of my weekend
5. Unempowered and desperate social state and settings
6. Drinking alone does not build genuine lasting friendships
7. Detrimental to a healthily lifestyle
8. More time, energy, mental clarity and money for genuine progress
9. More money for genuine experiences/hobbies
10. Not relentlessly wasting my time drinking promotes the whole lifestyle that I ultimately want to attain!

I know that I can stop drinking excessively because I have been doing just that recently. I understand that it is possible to be responsible about when, where, why and how much I drink. By doing this I can then enjoy the hobby of drinking, rather than simply defaulting to it by means of escapism.

Interrupt the Pattern

• Keep busy with enjoyable, productive activities and hobbies
• Plan activities that support the lifestyle that I desire in advance of making drinking commitments
• Drive to any social meeting that I think could be of benefit (therefore denying the option of drinking)
• Sincerely consider the repercussions of drinking - what could/should I be doing instead?

Create a New Association
Relish in the positive, empowering activities and lifestyle that I am looking to achieve. Enjoy having a clear head and the opportunities and decisions that that affords. Use free time wisely in conducting more rewarding activities that continue to improve my personal development. Consequently enjoy the occasions that I do drink alcohol even more!

Action - LEARN TO PLAY AND WRITE MUSIC

Get Leverage

1. Dabbling does not fulfil what I really want to achieve musically
2. ****ing up/being rubbish at what I play is embarrassing
3. I have all the equipment that I could possibly need to get started
4. The disappointment of not progressing in this area constantly hurts
5. Procrastinating is entirely empty and wasteful compared to making progress musically
6. When I write a new song, or play well at a gig/practice, I absolutely love it!
7. Opens unbelievably exciting possibilities
8. I love the creative process and enjoy the outlet for my personal expression
9. This is what I've always wanted to do!
10. A life direction that I can pour my heart and soul in to - genuinely work and play with passion!

I know that I can become a writing, recording, gigging and touring musician, because I've had so many small scale victories to taste. I have seen friends of a similar standing to me simply work their way up to achieve my goals - whilst I'm left standing, watching, wasting... I know it is attainable with hard work, creativity, and the right influences.

Interrupt the Pattern

• Pick up the nearest instrument and play anything
• Listen to or watch a favourite song/gig to get into state
• Meditate upon short term and long term goals
• Surround myself with the right influences

Create a New Association
Break away from the 9-5 that I am stuck in and craft and rich and fulfilling destiny for myself. Enjoy the activities of learning and practicing by recognising how they can further empower my opportunities, experiences and enjoyment of life. Start taking positive action towards my dreams!!

self_titled

I had a few friends that weren't being respectful to me,and when they were around I felt suffocated like I couldn't grow.
I turned off from them,put my energies where I need,and gradually yet fastly, my life is transforming.

I hope you find the answer in your heart,take some yoga ,you will soon know what reaction you need.

love

Lish
xxxxxxxxx

Hey self-titled!

A couple of suggestions came to mind as I read your post. I offer them to you, in case they are useful.

David Deida, author of "Way of the Superior Man" talks about such reactions in women, and suggests to pay more attention to the emotions experienced and expressed by your woman than the actual content. He says men tend to take things literaly and look for a way to fix things. Women tend to express what they feel and want to be undestood. While I appreciate that this is a generalization, it has helped me greatly deal with emotional ups and downs of my wife and daughters. (I have a wife and three girls )

Also, you mention that this situations "messes up your mood" and hinders your personal development efforts. May I suggest that you use this situation as a training, as a part of your personal development? PPII contains a lot of tools you can use, such as:

• Two CDs on state management - can help you get back to the proper state for conducting your various activities.
• One CD on emotions - can help you understand your own emotions in the situation, and your girlfriend's as well
• There is another one on relationships - there may be something there as well
• The CD on the six human needs - By looking for what needs are most important to you, and doing the same with your girlfriend, you will be in a better position to respond skillfully. You will also perhaps see which need she feels is not being met.

I sincerely hope you can see more clearly into this, and understand what can heal this relationship and make it grow.
I gave some suggestions - cause I'm a guy but the way to untangle this is not in your head, but in your heart, in your feelings.

Best of luck to you.

Peaceful Warrior.

Hi guys,

Thanks very much for your constructive and insightful experiences.

Lish, I fully appreciate what you are saying about negative influences. I've had periods of my life when I've had to make the same difficult decision. I'm just finding it most difficult to decide if the same action is required now.

PeacefulWarrior, thanks again for your input. I am aware of the concept you describe (it's also mentioned in one of TR's PowerTalks with John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus) and I am conscious that this is something that I should be more mindful of. I also appreciate how you think I should consider such setbacks as "training" - I have caught myself on a few occassions (remember that the above entry is from over a week ago) and got up and got on with achieving things sharply after.

I guess the recurring frustration that I have is that; we'll have a problem, she'll blow up and get all excited, I won't react how she expects (as in, I don't take the bait), instead telling her why she feels how she does (and why it's such a waste of time and energy) and how to change that, and then nothing gets resolved until she spends a few hours/days thinking about what she's done/what I've said and then realises her mistakes and apologizes.

The frustration arises because I feel I have an insight now to a lot of human behaviour and find it difficult to appreciate her reactions most of the time. (Unfortunately I couldn't phrase that without coming across as arrogant - I assure you I sincerely am not.) It seems I am the mirror she is bouncing all her pains off as she is growing, but I can't decide if I have the stamina for it (having already dealt with a lot of my own stuff already).

ANYWAY!

That was not the entire point of this thread. It is something I'm addressing, and certainly manageable.

I mean, my life is mostly good at the minute! I've finially been back behind my drumkit, exercising, eating well, back into my Open University degree, looking after the pennies, stopped smoking, not drank excessively and still had a lot of good times with the missus.

I was about to type "it hasn't felt like a massive turnaround, rather a gentle background progression," but I just reread the above paragraph a few times and started beaming! I can authentically say the above for the first time in years! Sure, each area still has unlimited space to improve, but even after the few couple of weeks I feel great, and have no intention of letting up now!

So yeah, I'm gonna keep plugging away at this thread to catch things up for you all. I am most humbled and appreciative by your time and efforts to read and comment on my progress, so thanks very much guys! Hope you're each doing as well as (or better than!) I am!

self_titled

Altogether, a fairly successful week, despite the ups and downs. Managed to remain fairly disciplined in the areas that mattered most, namely; PPII, Personal Success Journal, fitness, healthy eating, working hard, and keeping tidy. Despite the victories, I still feel that I lost momentum towards the end of the week, particularly by arguing with my girlfriend (which is thankfully sorted now).

So the challenge is to keep momentum throughout the week. I think I need to be setting more quantifiable goals to support this. Additionally, I do need to managing working through PPII much better, since it's proving to be a mammoth task at the minute (starting relatively late each evening and having to work at it for upwards of 90 minutes). Still, I want this information to be absorbed and digested properly, so if that takes time, so be it.

The same old hiccup of not managing my weekends as best I could reoccurs, however this is improving and only requires a little more observation and careful application. I had a great (and cheap!) weekend this weekend; quiet Friday night in, motorcycle training on Saturday morning, massive walk with the dogs on Saturday afternoon, quiet Saturday night in, a good meal on Sunday and plenty of "quality time" with the girlfriend. If only I'd fit in some music practice and a harder fitness session, I'd say I had a perfectly balanced weekend!

How to get what you really want out of life on a consistent basis... The first step is to know exactly what you want. The common mistake is that most people think they want "a new car," "a better job," etc, but what they really want is the way that they anticipate these things to make them feel. Everything in life comes down to one thing: how you want to feel.

So whilst striving for a potential pleasure, or trying to avoid a present pain, we should learn to manage our states. If we want to change our behaviour, we must first change how we feel. Ability is not the major influence in how we perform at any one time. What really matters is that person's state of mind and how they are feeling.

What people can do is absolutely incredible, but what most people actually do is usually pretty disappointing. Therefore possibly the most important thing that we can learn to do with our lives is to learn how to manage our states.

Consider the cost of not managing your states; it could/will cost you everything you want from life...

Outside influences should only be allowed to contribute to our state of mind - not control it. Therefore how you feel at any given moment is purely determined by how you are directing your mind and body at the time. The result of not recognising, understanding and applying this principle is costly and will result in self-destruction by developing crutches and habits in an attempt to compensate.

So how do we manage our states? Consider that everything is why to first, then how to; at an approximate ratio of 80:20. There are two ways to manage our states;

• Control our physiology
• Control our mental focus

Controlling our physiology means that we must take control of how we use our physical body. In order to feel anything in life, we must feel in through our nervous system. IN return, how we feel is reflected through our physical body. Thinking of the contradicting postures of someone who is depressed against somehow who is happy and confident. The same applies with how we use our facial muscles.

To change our state, affirmations or intellect along won't cut it - we must change how we move. We use this concept all of the time, either positively or negatively.

By changing our biochemistry, we change our physiology, which changes our emotions, feelings and behaviours. By developing the habit of depending upon a particular crutch, we then introduce a dangerous downward spiral. Most bad habits are the result of people reaching for their crutch to comfort the negativity caused by that very crutch; smoking, drinking, over-eating, gambling, drug use, etc...

Develop the constant notion of measuring your level of performance form zero (dead) to ten (utterly unstoppable!), then make sure you are at the appropriate level for whatever your wish to accomplish. Ask: "On a scale from 0 - 10, what level must I be at to successfully complete this task?" Remember: emotion is created from motion!

By speeding up and increasing the intensity of our movements, our state of mind naturally follows. Learn to develop "power moves" - certain gestures or actions that instantly engage and empower a positive, resourceful state of mind. Also be aware of how we breathe, how we use our facial expressions and what we eat, which all can be used to reinforce any state of mind.

Out of a state of genuine heartfelt passion, you can create almost anything that you want in life. Become unstoppable!

Exercise Five - Triggering Passionate States

Talking dispassionately resounds in my head as slower and more difficult to bring particular images and relative concepts to frustration. talking with enthusiasm and genuine passion is a lot faster, excited and sincere, and obtains and retains the attention of my audience. Awareness of being in the first state, and then triggering into the second state is an important skill to develop.

Standing tall, legs wider than shoulder width, hands together, chest out and breathing deeply is a powerful stance for myself (think of Christiano Ronaldo about to take a free kick!). Clapping my hands or slamming my hands down on my knees is a sudden power move that snaps me into taking positive action.

self_titled

Did no actual work in work today, so used my time to; update my Monster.com profile, research alternative employment, catch up with some PPII entries in my Success Journal, as well as a few other general admin tasks. Once home from "work" I went straight out for a run, ate well and then completely tidied and reorganised my room.

Sadly, my Macbook seems to have a fault with its screen, which is a major pain, since I use it for pretty much everything. Used my old laptop to read through my next OU course's introduction to get into the headspace of studying again. Pretty good day again, but should've spent a bit of time drumming/playing guitar for the full house!

The power of focus is the second way that we can manage our states. Consider that the only experience that we have in life comes in two formats; what we feel and what we focus on. There is tremendous power in controlling the focus of our mind. We can control two things with regard to our focus; what we're focussing on and/or how we're focussing.

Since we can't possibly focus on everything at once, we become 'deletion creatures'. Most of the time, most of us fail to pay attention to the vast majority of what is going on at any one time. The consequence of this is that we then believe that our perception of the world is real. Therefore, if you want to know the quality of your life, just look at what you focus on!

Be cautious: No matter how good you have it, it is always possible to focus on something that doesn't meet your expectations. Therefore success is creating consistent pleasure in life and causing yourself to grow. Failure is being able to find pain no matter how good things are. In life, we get whatever we focus on - whatever you pay attention to, that is what your body/consciousness instantly experiences.

So how do we control our focus? The way the we evaluate things determines how we feel. So what is an evaluation? Evaluations are nothing more than questions.

Thinking is nothing but the process of constantly evaluating experiences; "what does this means to me?" & "what should I do about this?" Imagine that your computer is the ultimate computer and has the answer to any question imaginable. The only way to get information out of that computer is to ask it questions.

If you ask your brain a question with the absolute expectation of getting an answer, you continue to ask consistently that question, and then give your brain suitable time to answer, you will get an answer. Therefore our questions determine how we feel!

We should be wary of presuppositions; asking questions that assume a particular criteria or stance is already true for the questions to be valid. Therefore we can reframe questions to have neutral or positive stances. Asking a better quality question results in a better quality answer.

To ask an empowering question, we must ask with a sincere desire to know the answer. Questions do numerous things;

• Immediately change a person's focus
• Change what we're deleting/omitting
• Allow/encourage access to inner resources

We're never going to stop thinking/evaluating/asking questions, so we might as well empower ourselves rather than degrade ourselves. We must learn to constantly condition ourselves to ask the kinds of questions to create the kinds of focus that ultimately lead us to the higher levels of the success that we aspire to. There is no difference between the capabilities of me and someone who has realised their ambitions. The only difference is that they have learnt to use their mind and body with more power on a constant basis by controlling their state and focus.

Do no focus on what cannot be done - only focus on what is possible and strive to make that happen!

Exercise Six - Creating Questions for Success

The idea of these questions is that they are constantly within my conscious mind, affording me consistent focus on what matters most to me. Taking the time to answer these questions sincerely will help set me up to focus on realising my ambitions and values. By maintaining this focus, I retain control of my mind, state and efforts.

1. What do I have to be thankful for this morning/afternoon/evening and why should I be thankful for it?
2. If I am to consider today a success, what would I have liked to have achieved and how can I best make that happen?
3. What can I learn today that will enrich my life, and what can I teach to help improve others?
4. What can I do today to make someone feel good/better about themself?
5. What can I do today to improve my abilities as a musician - to further my ambitions in the most efficient, productive and enjoyable manner possible?

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