Are You Being Choked By Weeds?
I discovered the other day that the little patch of plants I was so lovingly caring for were, in fact, weeds! I had planted some cabbage seeds and mistakenly thought they were my little cabbages until the weeds got bigger and I realised my mistake 
Being a novice gardener, I am learning all the time!
My mistake then had me thinking about my own life and what ‘weeds’ I am cultivating.
Some of the weeds in our life can grow rampant and totally overtake all the sweet, good things; whilst others may pop up here and there and make a slower transition into a fully grown weed.
Sometimes, we may not realise we are cultivating our weeds as weeds can look like something else entirely – just like my cabbage patch. It’s not until they start to grow and choke the good things that we recognise the damage that the weed is doing. And by then, it takes more effort to get the weeds under control. If they are a very bad pest, it can take a longer time to totally eradicate the weed.
Are your sweet, good things in life being choked by weeds?
You may realise you have a weed when you feel discontent, or unhappiness or unease in your life. Here’s how to discover your weeds and eradicate them (I recommend you download and print out the worksheet at the end of the list to help you further):
- Pinpoint an area in your life where you feel that something isn’t right… be specific. For example, if you are unhappy in your job or business, don’t write that down. Delve deeper to identify what specifically you are unhappy about. If you leave it too vague you won’t be able to find the weed.
- Once you have identified the source of your unhappiness, or discontent or unease, spend some time reflecting on when you began to feel that way so you can associate the timeline with a decision you may have made at that point in time.
- Next step is to identify the decision you made that led you to the path you are now on – the path that seems to have a few weeds in the cracks. Sometimes, we make decisions with very good intentions, and that may serve us very well at that point in time. But as you know, we don’t stand still; therefore, a decision you made some time ago may no longer be serving you.
- Spend some time reflecting on the decision you made and why it no longer serves you. What is different NOW? Are you the same person you were when you made the decision?
- Determine where the weeds are growing. From the timeline that you recognised in Step 2 to the point where you are now at in your life, what have you been doing to cultivate your weeds? Remember, weeds can sometimes be disguised as pretty flowers… we may initially think they are okay, so we pour a lot of water on them and fertilise and nurture them, then suddenly, BAM! They’re massive and we realise the pretty flower was a pest that is now encroaching on the values we hold dear in our life. (To determine your values, please click here.)
- Next, determine what steps you can take to remove the weed (or weeds) from your life. Take the approach you feel is necessary for your particular circumstance. For instance, a weed that is the source of your unhappiness, or discontent or unease may be one that you can immediately pour some weed killer on and quickly eradicate it from your beautiful garden (which is your life, your mind, your wellbeing). As an example, this may be an activity you are doing which you can quickly stop all together without any other ramifications to your life. On the other hand, another type of weed may be growing right next to something you value very deeply – if you were to pour weed killer it may very well kill off whatever is sitting next to it. So it requires you to spend more time in manually digging out each weed, taking care to preserve the other things next to the weed. The weed pulling exercise may take many forms – including (but not limited to) meditation, reflections, journaling, personal development, mentoring, and coaching; it’s important you find the forms that work best for you.
- Lastly, celebrate your courage and commitment in completing Steps 1 to 6. Take time to thank your higher self for supporting you on your weeding journey and reflect on the gifts that the weeds actually gave you.
Download the Weeding Worksheet. I suggest you use the worksheet following the steps above and use a new worksheet for every weed that you want to eradicate.
Happy weeding
3 Steps to Defining Your Life Purpose
One way to truly know yourself and experience fulfilment is to get in touch with your Life Purpose. With the frenetic pace of life, business and career pressures, it can be easy to be distracted and start living a life that isn’t aligned with your purpose in life. Have you ever felt miserable and as if your life is going nowhere, or not in the direction you thought it would?
Your Life Purpose works hand-in-hand with your values and, the two combined, give you the unwavering belief in what you stand for and ensures you live your life by design, not someone else’s making – you are happier and fulfilled when doing what’s most important to you AND expressing it in every part of your life.
Richard Lieder, who wrote ‘The Power of Purpose’ said it best:
“Purpose is the conscious choice of what, where, and how to make a positive contribution to our world. It is the theme, quality or passion we choose to center our lives around.”
Here are 3 steps to defining your Life Purpose:
1) No-one can define your life purpose for you. Your life purpose is something within you which firstly begins in deciding that YOU matter – YOU are unique and different from everyone else and YOU are special. For 15 minutes each morning, take some time out to sit in a room free of distractions. Look upon this time as an opportunity to sit quietly and concentrate on just being in the moment. Observe your breath and let your mind empty itself of trying to sort out the day’s problems. Instead, focus on you and experience a comfort within yourself. This may not come naturally at first and you may find your mind filling with your ‘to do list’. When you do, stop, concentrate on an object in the room or the nice scenery outside and clear your mind.
2) To find out what matters to you and define your life purpose, it requires delving into your life from various angles to discover any matching themes. Block out an hour in your diary, then find a nice quiet spot to answer these questions. In doing so, listen to your inner intuition – the little voice inside you. What does it immediately say to you? Write it down and forget about making the words or sentences perfect. Just jot down what comes to your mind.
- What do you love doing in your spare time or when working?
- What activities are you currently doing that you enjoy?
- What do you naturally do well?
- What are your 10 greatest successes throughout your life so far? (Note: this isn’t what someone else thinks, this is what YOU think)
- What causes do you feel passionate about?
- What are the 10 most important lessons you have learned in life?
- What things do people normally ask your help for?
- If money was not an issue, what daydream would you be fulfilling right now?
- Imagine you are writing your own eulogy. What things do you want to be remembered for at the end of your life?
- Picture yourself at 80 or 90 years old. You are happy, content with life, and feeling very blessed at everything life has gifted to you. Your mind wanders to your family, your friends and other relationships and you give a happy sigh… your heart skips a beat remembering everything you have achieved in your life. Reflecting on everything your life has been made up of over the last 80/90 years, what matters to you most?
- How would your life be different today if you knew it was impossible to fail?
3) Once you have answered your questions it is time to look for the common themes that have emerged. What patterns do you see? What seems to matter the most to you? If you are unsure of what the patterns are or what they mean, then consider asking a family member, friend or coach to help you in defining the themes.
Once you have defined your life purpose, don’t let it sit in your head. Next step is to write your Mission Statement. By writing down your own personal mission statement that is your life purpose, you are giving yourself permission to live by your life purpose and providing a tangible reminder each day of who you are and how you are living your life by your own design.
A Mission Statement is made of three parts.
1) Your talents and values – this is the essence of who you are
2) What you wish to accomplish and what contributions you believe you bring to the world – yourself and others
3) Quantifying your life purpose – the measurable results you wish to achieve by living out your life purpose – i.e. how will you know when you are truly living your life purpose?
When writing your life purpose use positive words and eliminate such things as “I should”. There are no ‘shoulds’ in a life purpose… your purpose is made of ‘I will”. Express yourself in the present tense, even if you may not necessarily be living all aspects of your life purpose in the present tense, at this point in time.
For brainstorming purposes, this is a great site to view what other folks have come up with for their personal mission statement:
http://www.missionstatements.com/personal_mission_statements.html
Once you have written your Mission Statement that clearly expresses your Life Purpose, don’t hide it in a draw. Display it proudly on your wall where you can see it everyday. If you wanted to take it one step further – and why not? – then consider getting your Mission Statement designed and printed, then framed. The design could encapsulate in a visual way how you live your life purpose.
I just love what George Bernard Shaw has to say about a purpose:
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”
Are you waiting for the world to make you happy, or are you going to design your own purpose and mission in life to make yourself happy?
Working with a coach can assist you in uncovering your true potential and accelerate your success. Get a free introductory session to learn more.
Are Your Doubts Holding You Back?
I was watching a video by Mary Morrissey in the new iLearningGlobal website today, and I’d like to share it with you.
It was all about directing power to create dispelling doubt.
When doubt creeps in, it can change the whole outcome of your entire life. Whether it’s doubt for something personal happening in your life… doubt for something you want to do with your business (or doubt that sees you not even getting off the starting block)… doubt for something in your relationships… and so on.
By entertaining the doubt, you are altering your decisions and outcomes; the entire vibration of your mind, which gives rise to ideas that make available the answers for you. This therefore can change the whole outcome of your entire life.
Can you recall a time when you initially listened closely and deeply to something that ‘felt right’ and, after making a decision to go forward with it, some doubt crept in that prevented you from taking action – from following through on your decision?
Maybe it was your own saboteur, maybe it was worry about “how” it would all come to fruition, maybe it was something negative you read in the newspaper, or maybe it was a lack of support or doubt by people close to you in your life.
The thing is, when you listen to that doubt and let that doubt rule your decisions (that you knew, instinctively, were right in the first place), you are altering the whole course of your life. You are holding yourself back from stepping out with passion and purpose to live your dreams!
Don’t be concerned about needing to know the answers immediately, or worrying about how it will all come together. When you are in harmony with your vibrations, the “how” will present itself to you.
“Stand guard at the portal of your own mind.” Emerson
Visit Mary Morrissey’s website for a free dream-building kit: http://marymorrissey.com
Are Your Goals Buried In The Garden?
Whilst we have good intentions at the beginning of a new year in setting goals, it’s a bit like planting something in your garden.
We love what we’ve planted and so we begin to water it and look after it. There’s a growth spurt so we water it some more. Then some distractions enter our life, and we forget to water it, suddenly the weeds encroach on what we’ve planted, and it dies. It’s a bit like goals.
Harvard Medical School conducted a study and the results were quite amazing. 70% of people who set goals don’t achieve them. However, 98% of people who call them Promises achieved their goal.
That’s a startling difference, don’t you agree? Would you prefer to be in the 98% or the 30% who achieve their goals?
America’s billionaire, Bill Bartmann (named as “One of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Last 100 Years”), has a fantastic 10-step process for setting and keeping your Promises:
- Ensure it’s YOUR goal, your vision, your quest; not someone else’s. “Our life is the most precious asset we have” Bill Bartmann. Don’t give up your dreams to make someone else happy.
- Call your goals a ‘PROMISE’. Our brain is an amazing instrument. It is usually inherent within us to keep our promises… when we promise to do X by X date, our brain and our heart kicks in and we want to fulfil that promise. On the other hand, our brain can associate goals with failure. Think about that for a minute. How many times have you promised something either to yourself or someone else, and you fulfilled that promise? Then think about how many times you have set goals and the amount of times you achieved those goals. Promises will outweigh goals.
- Clearly identify your Promise. Don’t be vague. Instead of saying I would like to lose weight, be specific… how much weight would you like to lose and by when?
- Use the tools around you as motivators to keep you going. Positive motivators may be the people you love – negative motivators may be those who say you can’t do it; prove them wrong and use it as a driving influence.
- Create a Promise Plan. Promises aren’t promises until you’ve written them down. Define what your Promise is; when you will achieve your Promise; where you will be when it happens; why you want it; who you need help from to fulfil your Promise; and an ongoing list of how you will fulfil your Promise. It is not necessary to know ALL of the how… have faith that you will find the answers as your travel through the journey. Bill Bartmann provided a great story as it relates to the how:
You have set off on a 200 mile trip in the dark. Your headlights are on which shines a 200ft path for you, which you follow. You don’t need the headlights to shine up the whole 200 miles… you only need to know each 200ft to get there. Your ‘how’ is like the 200ft path. You don’t need to know the whole 200 miles.
- Review your plan and Promise on a regular basis: 20 MINUTES EVERY DAY. By doing so, the how will materialise and the pieces come together. You are melding your conscious and subconscious which will give you the answers you need. Create a Tangible Vision of your Promise and stick it in a prominent place where you can see it every day.
- Remove any negative thoughts from your mind and tell yourself you WILL succeed. Feed your mind with positive affirmations. You could do this by sticking them near your computer, on your mirror or wherever else you see fit. Another great method is recording your affirmations and then playing them as you drift off to sleep.
- Inform others of your Promise… don’t hide them in the cupboard! Commit to your Promise and share your vision.
- Envision the results. Play your own mind movie and picture yourself already there. Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen cite a great exercise in their book ‘Cash In A Flash’. Write an article (from a journalist’s perspective) that appears about YOU and your Promise… imagine a journalist writing about your accomplishments – it’s made front page news!
- START! Do something now, today, to begin your Promise Journey.
What tools and resources do you use to accomplish your Promises? Share with me your thoughts 
What Is Your Symphony?
I was searching for a quote the other day and came across this little gem:
To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy, not rich;
to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly;
to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;
to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.
In a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.
~ William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), American minister
These words, written so long ago, really touched me and sang to my heart.
And it got me thinking. Companies, sole traders, and entrepreneurs usually craft a mission or vision statement that expresses their direction and promise to their company, the environment, their staff, or the people they serve, and so on.
At some level, we all have a vision or mission; even if it isn’t clearly defined, written down or spoken about. It’s that feeling in your heart that you know is your Life Purpose.
When I read William Channing’s last line “This is to be my symphony” I thought “WOW!” What a great analogy to a Life Purpose or Vision, which really is a symphony full of crescendos, crashes, and booms that can typify the gentleness, excitement, passion, promise and conviction that, quite simply, is Us; our life journey, purpose, and vision.
What is your Symphony? Please share in the comments below.
Your Brain Believes What You Feed It
What you think and feel can change the whole outcome of your life. A pretty powerful statement, isn’t it? Particularly when you relate it to your business.
So let us think about that for a minute.
Your brain believes whatever you feed it. It knows no better. It wholeheartedly accepts what you think, what images you hold, and what movies you play out in your mind. It doesn’t matter whether they are good or bad – positive or negative. Your brain accepts what you give it, trusts your judgement, and then kicks into gear!
Here’s a good exercise to see what I mean.
On a clear night when there’s a full moon and you’re ready to crash in bed, I want you to go and stand at your back door. You’ll see the outside world bathed in light and I want you to momentarily close your eyes and imagine it’s nearing dawn.
REALLY HANG ON TO THAT THOUGHT AND FEEL IT!
Because it does, somewhat, look that way. So it’s really the start of a wonderful day! And when your eyes are shut, you may be thinking about what you might be doing that day… you know, perhaps going for a picnic, thinking about the clients or prospects you need to contact in the afternoon, picking up the kids from school at a different time – whatever it is that you might be doing the next day!
Open your eyes. Look again at the light outside… you can actually believe that you will see the sun coming up soon and hear the birds chirping. I bet your bottom dollar you will feel wide awake and invigorated… ready to start the day! Why? Because you put those IMAGES in your mind, those THOUGHTS, and your brain believed it. So it triggered off all the “normal” things you might feel in the morning.
Another one…
Can you remember those really horrible days you have – where nothing seems to be going right? Everyone seems grumpy – including you – and the whole world seems out to get you! You can IMMEDIATELY reverse those feelings. How? I want you to sit back in your chair, put a smile on your face and remember the last thing you laughed about. Was it the movie you watched last night? Something someone said that left an indelible imprint on your mind? LAUGH! And even if you feel stupid, keep on laughing. Thing is, it will turn into a real genuine laugh, simply because it seems so ridiculous (although your mind doesn’t know that!) :)
You will feel your heart lift and, more importantly, feel so wonderful and good that you have eradicated all those bad feelings you were having. I encourage you to do it now, even if you’re not feeling grumpy or bad! Start laughing… think in your mind, oh my goodness, this is just so funny, and keep on laughing. You’ll soon be belly laughing and feeling really wonderful That’s the power of the mind.
So what makes you feel really good?
I mean – the real deep down feeling of satisfaction, contentment, and peace. Think about it. Because it’s those things which you can draw upon in your mind to lift and propel you toward greater things. For instance, you may find great contentment and a feeling of peace by lying down in a paddock of daisies and staring at the clouds.
Whatever it is that motivates and works for you, think about it constantly. Let your brain feed itself on those thoughts and images.
Just as a top athlete plays a movie over and over in their mind of winning, you too can play your own movie of having the biggest and best business, grasping within your hands everything you ever wished and hoped for – but only if you believe in it, and only if you feed those thoughts and images to your brain.
For it knows no better. It trusts in your judgement. And when you feed your brain something for long enough it will ultimately believe it, but more importantly, YOU will start to believe it and LIVE it. And when that happens, whatever you think and believe in transcends into something real.
Remember: what you think, what you feel and what you dream, is who you are and what you will become.
Seize life! Everything that you desire is yours
“I always knew that someday I would once again feel the grass under my feet and walk in the sunshine a free man.” Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom.
Article by Tara West © 2009
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Turning Dreams Into Reality
Can you remember when, as a child, you would lie on the grass, stare up to the clouds and dream? What happened to your dreams from your youth? Did they slip away on the wind, forgotten?
Some of us today think dreams are silly, that they won’t come true. Then others say that they don’t have a dream at all. However, most of the wonderful events in our lives, both past and present, have resulted out of dreams.
“I have a dream!” Martin Luther King exclaimed. He went on to change a nation. Henry Ford dreamt that a motor car could be affordable for everyone. Thomas Edison dreamed of a light globe that could be operated by electricity. Before he succeeded he failed more than ten thousand times. The Wright brothers dreamt of a flying machine. The evidence is around us today.
The secret to their success was BELIEF and PERSEVERANCE.
Your dream may not be as big as that of Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, or even a child’s. Nevertheless, what you have now is important to YOU and can be accomplished if you have the desire to do so.
D on’t be afraid to commit to your dream.
R ecord your dreams on paper.
E njoy the small successes along the way.
A motivating factor is picturing the dream in your mind.
M ake sure everyone knows your dream – you’ll want to succeed!
S ee things as a learning experience – never as a failure.
Never be misled by another’s perception of your dreams. When Marconi was discovering how to transmit sound through the airwaves, friends took him to a psychopathic hospital to be examined! He didn’t let this distract him. He believed in what he was doing.
What is your dream? Write it down and pin it where you can see it every day! If, the first time round, you don’t succeed, never think of it as a failure and stop. It is merely a stepping stone to success – a learning experience.
There is a French Proverb: “It is by believing in roses that one brings them to bloom.” Prove to yourself that your rose can bloom too.
Article by Tara West © 1994
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Your Authentic Power
What does it mean to be in your authentic power?
It can be fairly said that when someone is in their authentic power, they are coming from a place within themselves, which in turn creates a charismatic presence that others tune into. That is, the person’s language and actions epitomises who they are, as a person, and emanates a light that others recognise, believe in, and listen to.
Sometimes, when we think of power we think of someone who is wielding control and dominance. Look back in history and you more than likely can think of several people of influence – in their time – who lived up to this meaning; and it is usually these same people we don’t think fondly of!
But when we think of all the inspirational leaders, both past and present, who, in one way or another, influenced your life, then you are seeing someone in their authentic power.
Ghandi, Mother Theresa, The Dalai Llama, Nelson Mandela are just a few that come to my mind.
Who comes to your mind as a true leader? What traits do you recognise?
Leaders who are authentic in their power are genuine, speak from the heart, are factual, have strength in their words and posture, live by what they say, and seemingly without the need to do so exercise a calming influence and authority that is neither domineering nor condescending.
Do not be fearful of power. Authentic power is empowering, rather than disempowering, and does not seek to dominate over another human being. Your Authentic Power can change other people’s lives for the better, and YOUR life. The heart you touch today through your authentic power can be the catalyst and turning point for another.
There are many different kinds of power. True power comes from serving and helping others. Such behavior makes people respect you. They are willing to listen to your views and advice, and they support you. The energy of many people is thus channeled through one person. This kind of power is positive and authentic. Dalai Lama
How do you “get into” your Authentic Power?
We all have authentic power within us and you can tap into it whenever you desire.
Think back to a time when you felt extremely confident – in your own power. What did it feel like? What was happening when you felt that power?
William James (American philosopher) said:
“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, ‘This is the real me,’ and when you have found that attitude, follow it.”
Your Authentic Power is your values – who you are, what you stand for and believe in. When you follow what you believe in and what matters to you – what you are PASSIONATE about – you step out with conviction and purpose.
This is your Authentic Power that people subconsciously tune into and are drawn to.
Try this exercise and see how it works for you.
When you go out next to the store, the park or wherever you are going, before you head out, visualise and hold in your heart the person you are – no matter if you haven’t got there yet. If you want to be the next President of the United States, or a visionary missionary in a country most people haven’t heard of – whatever it is that is in YOUR heart.
Visualise it, hold it there in your inner space and LIVE it. Play a movie in your mind of YOU and what is happening in your life… the genuine influence that is surrounding you. Believe in your movie. Then go out and hold that person, YOU, and that movie in your heart and mind. I can guarantee that you will be amazed at the people that are attracted to you because you are emanating your own Authentic Power.
Article by Tara West © 2009
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