The last few weeks we discussed 3 key tools for a productive business mindset.  And as you implement these ideas into your business, you can notice how that mindset is making you more productive and therefore growing your business.

In this next series we thought we’d take a look at what motivates you to be productive at the business you’ve chosen.  We recognize the importance of passion in your business and know that owning and running your own business is too much work to do it for the wrong reasons.  

So let’s take a look at the purpose behind all this effort as we examine 3 Mindset Tools for Putting Your Purpose in Your Business.

1.  Your Primary Aim or the Reason You Get Out of Bed to Answer all those Emails.

In Michael Gerber’s powerful book, “The E-Myth Revisited”, he describes your primary aim as the answer to the questions Who do I wish to be? and What do I want my life to look like?  In a sense he is asking you to look at what do you really want in your life and to make sure that your business is congruent with that vision.  That your business is there to support your life, not the other way around.  Your primary aim will help you define your values in your business.  

Now money can be your primary aim.  As you’ve probably heard money does not buy you happiness, but it does make you a little more comfortable along the way.  If you dug deeper you would probably discover that money is a stand in for something else, a lifestyle, a certain level of security or even a source of self-esteem.  What we are suggesting is that you replace the word money with what you really want.

Knowing what your primary aim is allows you to approach your business in an entirely different way.  When you come across difficulties in your business you begin to welcome the challenge, instead of becoming overwhelmed by all of your problems.

2.  Directional Motivation or Are You Moving Towards Your Inspiration or Away From Your Discomfort?

Becoming clear on your primary aim puts your business into perspective and you can begin to look at the actions you are taking and why you are taking them.  Do you lie in bed thinking about what you get to do today and get excited or do you lie in bed thinking about what you have to do and want to pull the covers over your head?

We are primarily motivated in one of two directions – towards inspiration or away from discomfort.  Each has its purpose and if oriented correctly then motivation is not an issue.  Let’s take a look at each one and see how it operates.

When we are primarily motivated by discomfort, then the further away from the source of the pain or discomfort we get, the less motivated we are.  The more comfortable we are, the less motivated we are.  So we get inconsistent results, in our work or business, in our health and in our relationships.
 
Inspiration motivated people are those self-motivated, ambitious, forward thinking self-starters.  The closer they get to achieving their vision, the better they feel and therefore they enjoy getting things done.

This does not mean that all discomfort motivation is bad.  This type of motivation is important for recognizing and solving problems.  Safety inspectors are motivated by discomfort.  You wouldn’t want a police officer visualizing a crime free neighborhood.  You want your neighborhood police focused on what is wrong and out of place in order to prevent crime.

However, most of us are not in charge of safety inspection or crime prevention.  Most of us want something more from our businesses than we are getting.  Knowing how you are motivated to take action in your business will help you create more consistent results and therefore grow your business.

3.  Visualization or Is Seeing Really Believing?

Visualization is a powerful tool for growth and change in your life.  But many do not understand how it works and therefore don’t utilize it to it’s fullest.  The easiest way to understand the effect visualization has on your actions is to examine the common phrase “I just can’t see myself doing that.”

Usually this phrase is used in reference to some activity that you feel you can’t do.  Maybe it’s bunging jumping, or climbing a mountain or even making a million dollars.  You can’t see yourself doing it.  Therefore it feels impossible.

However, if you could see it, if you could see yourself bungee jumping or making a million dollars then it feels very possible.  And when something feels very possible then it is easy to take action on that idea.

Visualization is the key to “seeing” yourself doing something.  I once worked with an Olympic level athlete and he had trouble seeing himself winning the race he was training for.  He could see himself in the finals, but not on the podium.  When we worked with that picture and made it possible for him to see himself standing on the podium receiving the gold medal, then suddenly his attitude towards his training changed.  He began to let go of all the distractions and became much more focused.  Because he could see that outcome it suddenly felt possible and therefore his actions began to reflect that.

What goal do you have trouble seeing?  How can you change the picture to see yourself already having what you want?  Are you ready to take some action?

I do a lot of business networking and there is always that moment when you get to speak to the whole group about your business and what you do -- you know, the elevator speech.  Well someone invariably expresses how nervous it makes them to get up in front of a group.  I invariably respond “I know, I get excited also!”

Physiologically, there is no difference between what both of us are experiencing.  We both have shortness of breath, butterflies in our stomachs, rapid heartbeats, adrenaline pumping, sweaty palms, however, we give that physical experience completely different meanings.  They think that it is frightening to get up in front of a group and I feel excited anytime I get to share what I do.

So what is going on here?  Well physiologically our bodies are preparing themselves for a significant event in which we need to be focused and aware of our surroundings.  Mentally and emotionally though, we are doing something completely different.  That other person is probably playing the “what if” game.  “What if I screw this up?”  “What if no one likes me?”  “What if I forget something?”

I’m usually thinking about how I can be of service to the people in the room by educating them about what I do and how I can help them or their friends.

You see, I’ve learned a handy little formula that helps me keep things into perspective.  Fear minus Danger equals Excitement.  I learned a long time ago that when my body gives me a fear response and yet there is no real physical danger (no lions, tigers or bears waiting to eat me) that I’m really feeling excitement.

Think about it this way, when you are in line waiting to ride the latest rollercoaster that flips you up and down and all around, aren’t you feeling excited?  Or maybe when you’re in line for the latest sequel of your favorite movie?  Or you’re about to sign the lease on that great new car you’ve always wanted?  Aren’t you feeling your heart race and your stomach flutter and your palms sweat?  So how come you don’t say how afraid you are?

Because you realize there is no real danger and in fact this stuff is a lot of fun.

So here is what I want you to do – the next time you are about to speak in front of a group check out the room.  Is there any real danger?  No lions or tigers or bears waiting to eat you?  Good.  Then find a good reason to get excited and get up there and knock them out of their seats.

If you need more help, you can always check out our new hypnosis mp3 download Dynamic Speaking.  It will transform all of those old fears into excited confidence and you will just love to share the word.

I have firsthand experience of what Multiple Sclerosis can do to a person and how it can impact a family.  19 years ago my sister was diagnosed with MS while she was pregnant with her first and only child.  Her daughter has never known a mother without MS.

Now, me being a strong believer in alternative therapies, I spent years encouraging my sister to seek an alternative to the traditional approach her doctors were taking.  My sister, being like most people, wanted to believe in her doctor's knowledge and experience.  She wanted to believe that her doctor could help her.

Well, after 18 years of slowly and steadily getting worse, it took my sister witnessing the miracle of our cousin beating breast cancer for the second time for her to step away from the medical model and take a different approach.  My cousin was unable to do radiation or chemo and she was forced to find another way.  Fortunately she discovered a chiropractor and healer who got her on a raw food diet, among other approaches and today she is still cancer free.

My sister is now off her medications, eating raw and finally showing some improvement in her symptoms.  I worked with her using hypnosis for a few years before she made the transition to this new approach and know firsthand the power of hypnosis and healing.

We want to trust that our doctors know what they are doing, but here is what the Physician's Desk Reference says about MS: "15%-that's almost 1 out of every 7-of the people diagnosed with MS will show symptoms only once, and then never again.  Then there's the 50% of people diagnosed with MS whose symptoms show up & disappear every couple years, but who don't get any worse (especially during the first 10 years after diagnosis)."

With our nervous system being the communication system for every single function in the body, symptoms of MS are hugely varied.  Therefore diagnosis can be really difficult.  And most doctors treat the loss of any symptom as a mis-diagnosis.  So what's really going on here?

What we want for you is to know that there are choices in how you approach any diagnosis.  We are not suggesting that you ignore your doctor.  But blindly trusting is not serving you either.

That's is why I was so excited when our autoimmune disorder specialist, Roger Moore, PhD wanted to create a program on MS.  I felt that with his expertise on board we could create a truly powerful and healing program.  And we did.

Try our "Hypnosis for Multiple Sclerosis" hypnosis mp3 download.  Notice the results you get.  If you are unhappy, you can always receive your money back.

Really, what do you have to lose, except your symptoms.

Success is determined by our mindset.  How we think about our experience determines the emotions we feel and the actions we take.  So you can begin to realize how important it is to think good, positive, useful thoughts.

However, anyone who has tried to manage their thoughts has probably come up against just how big a task that can be.  We have millions of thoughts a day.  How can we make sure that each one is positive and useful? 

The truth is we can't.  However what we can do is remind ourselves on a consistent basis of what we want to be true.  This can bring your conscious awareness back to noticing what you are thinking and allow you to make any adjustments towards a more positive mindset.

This is the basis behind practicing affirmations.  You see a well crafted affirmation can help you focus yourself back on to your goals and support you when you come up against resistance.

We love affirmations.  In fact, we love the idea of using affirmations so much that we created a software program that will automatically remind you of up to 12 affirmations on you desktop.  So that while you are working you can be constantly and consistently reminded of that wonderful new reality that you are creating.

Some of you have probably downloaded the old version of our affirmation reminder software.  We are so excited to announce the newest update, which has the following upgrades:

1 - it works on all operating systems!
2 - it lets you choose how often you see your reminders!
3 - it lets you turn on & off the audio!
4 - it lets you share this software with friends, at the touch of a button!

So you've no longer got an excuse for not achieving those goals.  Or staying positive despite your circumstances. 

Check it out here.  It's FREE and you can send it to your friends!  You see we believe so strongly in the power of affirmations that we think anyone should be able to use our program.  No strings attached.


We'd love to hear your comments . . . what's your favorite affirmation to use? how has it helped you?

Can You Get In Touch With That Old Fear of Storms?

There is a lot of advice out there about how to overcome a Fear of Storms.  Most of it involves taking a more logical approach to learning about weather patterns and safety precautions.  Now, I’m not against information.  Being able to look an irrational fear in the face and understand what is really going on can be very helpful.

The problem is that old subconscious reaction is powerful and the subconscious does not always respond to rational explanations.  You see all of our old behavior has positive intentions.  As strange as it may sound, that irrational fear really wants you to feel safe.  It has just created a response to a situation that is no longer useful to you.  And that may be causing you plenty of unwanted stress and anxiety every time it rains.

The way out of your fear of storms is to get in touch with that fear.  The way to get in touch with your fear of storms is to become aware of what it feels like physically.  Is it heavy or light?  Does have energy or movement?  Maybe even notice if it has a shape or a color.  You see that physical sensation you’re feeling is your subconscious mind communicating with you.  And when you get in touch with the qualities of that sensation then you are creating rapport with your subconscious mind.

Now that you know what your fear of storms feels like and what it looks like you can begin to ask it some important questions.  “What do you want for me?” is a good place to start.  We have four basic needs – control, security, approval and separateness.  And all of our negative emotions come from a desire to fulfill one of these needs.  So ask your fear – “is this a need for control, security, approval or separateness?” and see what it has to say.

It will certainly transform your fear of storms if you understand that it is really a need for control or a need for security.  That is something you can take action on and really begin to transform.

If you want to lose that fear forever, then you should check out our newest hypnosis mp3 download Eye of the Storm, Fear of Storms Hypnosis.

 

 

Get Motivated and Get It Done

 

Do you agonize getting started on a project?  Do you dig through the mess on your desk because you’ve never been able to motivate yourself to clean it?  Do you procrastinate what is most important to you?  Then you probably have a motivation strategy based on discomfort and pain. 

We are motivated in two primary directions:  away from discomfort or towards inspiration; and the direction determines how effective we are at getting things done.  When we are motivated away from pain, discomfort or stress, then we don’t do anything until we feel uncomfortable and can’t stand the present situation.  When we are motivated toward pleasure, passion and inspiration, then we can’t wait to get up in the morning and move closer to our goals.

Why is this important to understand?  When we are primarily motivated by discomfort, then the further away from the source of the pain or discomfort we get, the less motivated we are.  The more comfortable we are, the less motivated we are.  So we get inconsistent results, in our work or business, in our health and in our relationships. 

Inspiration motivated people are those self-motivated, ambitious, forward thinking self-starters.  The closer they get to achieving their vision, the better they feel and therefore they enjoy getting things done.

This does not mean that all discomfort motivation is bad.  This type of motivation is important for recognizing and solving problems.  Safety inspectors are motivated by discomfort.  You wouldn’t want a police officer visualizing a crime free neighborhood.  You want your neighborhood police focused on what is wrong and out of place in order to prevent crime.

However, most of us are not in charge of safety inspection or crime prevention.  Most of us want something more from our lives than we are getting.  We want better health, more fulfilling relationships, or more money (some of us desire all three).  Yet we can’t seem to commit to the action necessary to make it happen.

So, how do we make the shift from discomfort to inspiration? 

1.  The first step is to create a vision of where we are going.  Imagine getting in the car and making decisions on which direction to turn based on what would make you most comfortable.  You would probably end up avoiding traffic and/or stop signs and traffic signals.  Maybe a nice drive down an empty country road with beautiful scenery.  Would that get you to work each day?

Now, when you know your destination, you take the most direct route, sometimes having to sit in some traffic or drive though areas with less than ideal scenery.  You put up with the minor inconvenience because getting to your destination is important to you.

So take some time to write down what you want and what it will look like when you get there.  Do you see yourself thinner, with more energy, maybe smiling as you look in the mirror?  Make the picture as clear, bright and in focus as possible.  See yourself having completed your goal.  You can even create a vision board with pictures that remind you of your goal.  Focus on it daily.

2.  The next step is focusing on how it will feel to complete the task.  In M. Scott Peck’s book, “The Road Less Traveled”, he opens the book with a simple sentence:  “Life is difficult.”  The sooner we accept this fact, the easier life becomes.  When we accept that life is difficult, then we can let go of our resistance to this fact and begin to focus on how we feel when we overcome the difficult moments. 

When we seek comfort without dealing with our challenges, we never fully enjoy those moments.  We usually feel guilty for avoiding something or we don’t fully enjoy the moment because we have the unfinished task hanging over us.  Instead delay your gratification, take care of what needs to be done and focus on how it will feel when you are done.  You will be rewarded for your perseverance.

So, after visualizing your scene, notice how it feels to have achieved your goal.  Really feel those feelings as you focus on the picture.  When you feel resistance, shift your focus and feel that feeling of completion.

3.  The third step is to use kind language toward yourself.  Take a moment and think of a critical person from your past, maybe a parent, teacher or friend.  Hear their negative criticism of you and your actions.  Does that make you feel good?  Do you feel motivated or is your inner child rebelling? 

Most of us talk to ourselves the way this critical person in our life did.  All of this criticism creates more stress and more negative self-talk and leads to us feeling bad and seeking relief.  Fear can motivate us, but there is a cost to our physical and mental well being.

Try this instead.  Say to yourself “It will be really nice when . . . “ and then notice how you feel.  Create and repeat affirmations.  It is especially useful to do this while looking in the mirror.  The more we are nice to ourselves and are non-judgmental of our faults, the more we will feel like taking action to improve our situation.

The good news is that we can all learn to let go of old patterns, learn how to use positive feelings, speak to ourselves in a nice voice and see how our vision will look when it is completed.  And enjoy the rewards of right action. 

If you want even more help getting things done, you can check our hypnosis mp3 program "Yes, I Can!".  It is designed to support you in getting all of your goals, both large and small, checked off your To-Do list so that you can enjoy your life even more.  Just click the link to read more about it.

Are You Glad to Hear that Bees are Dying All Over the World?

Then you probably have an irrational fear of bees (apiphobia).  Maybe you were stung as a child or have heard stories about Africanized Killer Bees.  Whatever the reason, isn’t it time to stop blaming the bees and get on with your life.  Bees are one of the most beneficial insects to human life.  Not only do they pollinate most of the plants that sustain life on earth, they also make great honey.  So, get over that fear and stop cheering every time you hear that bee colonies are collapsing and enjoy your summer outdoors where you should be-instead of in front of the TV.

So, hear are some helpful bee facts to help you learn to love the bees.  Also, check out our new hypnosis mp3 download, Stop and Smell the Flowers, and see how quickly and easily you can forget that fear.

1.  Bees have long been the symbol for accomplishing the impossible because aerodynamically, the body is too large for its wings.  They have to move their wings at such a high rate of speed to make it possible to fly (approx. 11,400 times per minute).

2.  Without bees, no flowers and many fruits would never blossom.  Bees are necessary for pollination.

3.  A bee actually tastes through its legs.  That is how it is able to determine if there is nectar in the flower it lands upon.  In fact, the legs of the bees are its most sensitive organs.

4.  Most bees only sting once.  There is a barb attached to the stinger, which pulls off when used.  Only worker bees sting, and only if they feel threatened and they die once they sting.

5.  Bees are excellent builders and construct their hives into six sided (hexagonal) honeycombs.

6.  Bees are the only insect that produces food eaten by man. The average honeybee will actually make only one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

7. A honeybee can fly for up to six miles, and as fast as 15 miles per hour, hence it would have to fly around 90,000 miles - three times around the globe - to make one pound of honey.

8. Honey bees communicate with one another by "dancing".

9. People think bears are after the honey when they rob hives. Actually they eat the bees and the larvae, which are a source of protein for the bears. They enjoy the honey, too.

10.  Honey has been used for millennia as a topical dressing for wounds since microbes cannot live in it. It also produces hydrogen peroxide. Honey has even been used to embalm bodies such as that of Alexander the Great.  Fermented honey, known as Mead, is the most ancient fermented beverage. The term "honey moon" originated with the Norse practice of consuming large quantities of Mead during the first month of a marriage.

So, isn’t it time that you learned to love the bee and all that it does for us.  You could even think each time you see a bee that “miracles are possible”.  If you are still feeling afraid and wish all of those bees would just die-then try our hypnosis mp3 download “Stop and Smell the Flowers” and release that fear today.

Why Are Affirmations and Self Hypnosis So Powerful Together?

We are firm believers in affirmations.  Affirmations are one of the most useful tools for creating your reality.  We've got some great tips for making them more powerful.  Before we begin, get our free affirmation reminder software to keep your goals and visions in front of you.

Another great tool: Self-hypnosis!

Self-hypnosis is a great way to speed up your progress and create something new.

There are many ways to engage self-hypnosis to make affirmations more effective.  You can look in the mirror while saying them.  Some people even recommend looking into your left eye (to access your right brain, the creative imagination).  You can write your affirmations down at night and in the morning.  We suggest you do it in cursive handwriting for better effect.

However, adding self-hypnosis to your affirmation protocol will dramatically speed up your progress.  Why is this so?  Because self-hypnosis instantly accesses your subconscious mind where real learning and change occurs.  Self-hypnosis is a great tool for quickly accessing your subconscious and installing the new affirmation as a belief.  Self-hypnosis reduces the amount of repetitions necessary to change the belief and therefore speeds up your progress dramatically.

We include a self-hypnosis affirmation track with every one of our programs.  That’s how strongly we believe in the combination.  Going throughout your day with an affirmation self hypnosis tool that keeps you focused on what you are creating is a great way to feel good and get things done.  Isn’t that what we all want?

It is also important to make sure that your affirmations are worded correctly.  When you sign up for our FREE affirmation reminder software, you also get a great FREE report that can help you to write more effective affirmations.  So what is keeping you from making the changes you desire now in your life?