On Your Mark ...

Setting the stage for sustainable success.

"Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction." Brian Tracy

One of the most important factors in predicting success with this program is thinking of it not as a short term, quick fix, but rather as a permanent lifestyle change, while if sustained over a prolonged period, will create new habits that'll squarely place you on the road to outstanding success. It's a marathon, and not a sprint.

Along with this thinking comes the need to prepare in advance for a variety of things that you'll need on your journey.

The first is to schedule time on a daily basis for you to begin to work through the exercises and build some new thinking habits. First thing each morning is recommended, early enough so as to not interfere with other personal or family commitments. I've found that weekdays are generally adequate, and I'd suggest setting aside 20 – 30 minutes a day.

Next, ensure that in order to do that, you have a comfortable spot where you can sit and relax with enough light for reading, in a quiet area so that you'll not interrupt others, or be interrupted. Many parts of the program require you to read out loud so you'll want to make sure that both the time and the area supports this activity.

You should purchase both an alarm clock and a small kitchen timer. The alarm is needed to make sure that you conclude your session in a timely manner. The timer is used to time specific exercises in the meditation section of the program. You'll also need some additional supplies that are listed below that will be used to throughout the program in creating your success scrapbook. Two weeks have been allocated to completing this section so please mark your calendar and get started.

Getting Started Checklist

_________ Schedule 30 minutes of quiet time each weekday AM.

_________ Select a comfortable chair.

_________ Ensure adequate lighting.

_________ Make sure it is a quiet area.

_________ Purchase a basic kitchen timer.

_________ Purchase a small portable alarm clock.

_________ Make the area relaxing and inviting.

_________ Purchase a 3 hole punch, scissors and a glue stick.

_________ Purchase a high quality ½" 3 ring binder.

_________ Purchase 12 dividers and some heavy stock paper.

_________ Purchase plenty of lined paper.

_________ If you don't already have some method of booking meetings and marking checkpoints in a calendar, please add this to the list as well.

Congratulations ...

You've Successfully Completed of Step 1 of 12.

Get Set ...

Using meditation to quiet your mind.

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions." Albert Einstein

One of the first things that's important to recognize is that every one of us is at a significantly different level of awareness and understanding in regard to thought management skills.

Some are well on their way, positive, open minded and ready to get started. Others may be struggling, not so optimistic, and not at all ready to begin moving forward with building a new life.

With that in mind, I quickly recognized the need to build a foundation for growth that include some basic thought training through the introduction of some basic meditation.

With just a bit of work with the fundamentals of meditation, I've found that people become much better at learning how to manage their day to day thoughts, recognizing that they do in fact have power over them, can stand up to the destructive ones if needed, and can make room for the development of new and more productive thoughts.

Without this basic understanding of what thoughts are, the impact they can have on our emotions, and the consequences they can ultimately have on our lives, it's extremely difficult to begin to develop and execute the skills associated with building the life of our dreams.

One of the better books on the market that I'd recommend for getting started is "8 Minute Meditation" by Victor Davich.

It's a quick read, but one that gives you some basic meditation techniques for simple 8 minute periods over an 8 week period. As the weeks progress, you'll find a gradual broadening in the exercises which results in slow, steady progress in the development of the fundamentals and gives you an better appreciation for the impact that our thinking can have in our lives.

In reading it, I'd hope you begin to develop an understanding of what thought itself is, the influence it has on shaping your environment, and the impact it ultimately has in creating your future.

With some practice, you'll begin to learn detachment skills that'll allow you to completely walk away from less constructive thinking, on demand, regardless of your environment. Destructive thinking brings nothing good into your life, and it can only be stopped through learning to ruthlessly and systematically take out these negative, destructive thoughts by substituting them with constructive, positive ones. Ones better aligned with helping you create the future you deserve. Think of it as weeding. If you fail to recognize them for what they are – destructive and unrealistic – and don't rip them out by the roots, they'll continue to grow and take over the garden of your mind.

There are a variety of different ways to practice the skill of letting go of thoughts on demand.

One is to imagine your thoughts simply as being clouds in the sky and as they come into your consciousness, simply observe them as they make their way across the sky without giving them any emotional attention whatsoever. Just let them go and watch them float over you eventually drifting out of sight.

Another is to think of your thoughts as a series of different parachutes filling with air behind you and holding you back from living the life you deserve. By simply pulling on the quick release pin of an imaginary cable connecting you to each one of the thoughts, you release yourself completely and can feel yourself shoot forward. Relax and enjoy the feeling of empowerment as you choose detachment over attachment and observe the chutes simply falling to the ground behind you, one after the other.

You may also want to think about deep breathing throughout the meditation exercises so that you not only benefit from clearing your mind, but at the same time benefit from relieving some of the tension in your body which will put you in a better position to make room for some of the positive, constructive thought programming outlined in the steps ahead.

Please set aside adequate time and stick to the full recommended eight weeks when working through the exercises as it will serve you well in laying a solid foundation for all of the...