Top Ten Ways to Release the Past and Leap into an Exciting Future
Author: Deborah Ager

1. EXPECT great experiences to come your way and they will. A lot of times, we think we'd like to have to have something or "it would be nice if thus and so happened." Adopt the attitude that what you want is going to happen and enjoy the coincidences and people that come into your life to make it so.

2. CLEAR out the past. Throw out old receipts, papers, give away books you haven't looked at in the past year, donate clothes you haven't worn in ages. Simplify and clarify by clearing out your closets and desks. What do you notice after you do this?

3. EMBRACE your past failures as having been a time for learning something new. If you like exercises, here's one to try. Make two columns on a sheet of paper. Think of five times you failed and write them in the left column with plenty of space between each one. Now think of several lessons you learned from each of those failures. Write down the lessons in the right column next to the items listed in the left column. This exercise shifts your thinking about your supposed failures and turns them into learning experiences.

4. WRITE a timeline of your life using only facts and no judgments. In other words, you might write "I was born in 1950 and my name is Sam" as opposed to "I was born in 1950, and that makes me old. My name is Sam and I always loved my name." The second example contains negative and positive judgments of the past whereas the first example does not. By writing a biography of your life without assessments and judgments, you'll begin to release those conversations so you can live in the present.

You might wonder whether positive judgments are okay. After all, they are positive and we hear so much about the benefits of positive thinking. In this case, you want to release ALL assessments and judgments so you see the past as a series of actions that happened and not as actions that mean good or bad.

5. FOCUS your thoughts on what you desire and not on what you did or didn't do one or five or ten years ago. I had a client who felt she should have attended a more prestigious school, and this thought kept coming up and trapping her in the past. After several coaching sessions, she was able to accept her choices to attend the school she did and to create a future focus. We're human. All of us will have something we wish we'd done differently, yet we don't need to continue using our energy reliving that experience.

6. FILL IN this blank. If could do anything, I would ______ to jump start yourself into thinking forward.

7. CREATE declarations. Declarations create our future actions. The words we speak create our reality. When we say "I will become president of a company" or "I will write a book" we open up an exciting world of possibility. When we say "I can't play soccer well" or "I stink at cooking" we close down possibilities for ourselves. HINT: Write your declarations in the present tense using "I am" instead of "I will." When we write "I will" the declaration becomes something that remains in the future. When we write "I am" we become aligned with what we want to do.

8. WRITE IT DOWN. Write your declaration(s) each day as many times as you want. Writing is a powerful way to encourage thoughts to take root in our consciousness.

9. VISUALIZE your future. Picture what you want in your mind. If you want a new job, take a moment to visualize what the office looks like, who your clients are (give them names), envision your co-workers and your work space. See as much detail as you can in your new environment. Include colors, smells, sounds if you can and don't feel like you need to force it. As you engage in this vision of your new life, what shows up in your body?

10. PRACTICE forgiveness. Is there someone you would not want to see on the street? If so, this drains your energy. Is there someone who makes you mad due to something they did a long time ago? This is draining your energy. Do you find yourself in conversations with people about something that happened a long time ago? Guess what? That drains your energy. Those conversations keep your mind in the past. Imagine that difficult person walking up to you. As they walk up to you, send forgiveness their way. This won't be easy at first AND it gets easier with time. Keep sending them forgiveness and, yes, even love until they are no longer a trigger for you. Take a break if this becomes difficult for you. It's perfectly okay not to complete this exercise the first time. The idea here is to keep that person from triggering your negative and angry conversations. Forgive them and they'll no longer have the power over you.

11. SAY GOODBYE. Invent a way to say goodbye to the past. Perhaps you want to burn something in a fire or pack items away in a box. As you pack away each item, say "I am released from the past and am now looking towards ___________.







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Deborah Ager helps people embrace change in adventurous ways. Visit her web site for the free Creativity Tips ezine, free articles and free resources.

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There Are No Accidents
Author: Paul Drayton

“The heavens themselves, the planets and this center,

Observe degree, priority and place

Office and custom, in all line of order “

– Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, Act I, sc. 3, 1.85



“There are no accidents.”

- Alan Walter



Everything you did today, everything you have accomplished in the past, everything you own and cherish, everything that exists, has followed an exact sequence of steps to its creation. If you follow these steps, your dreams will become a reality. If you don’t follow the steps or you don’t know the steps, your life will be a battleground of invisible enemies who seem to have nothing better to do than make your life difficult.

This is a lie. There are no enemies. There is only working with the laws or against the laws.

In the second year of my physics degree I began to see the incredible order and structure of laws governing the movement and interaction of all things around me. Years later I landed at Miami International airport and had the sobering realization that there are no accidents. Everything happens because it was made to happen. Everything happens according to the laws of the universe.

We accept there are laws governing the movement of the planets. We accept the laws of gravity and magnetism, yet we have difficulty seeing or accepting the laws that govern our movement through our lives.

I am constantly amazed at people who believe their lives to be the quirk of fate or fickle circumstance. They believe they have no control over what happens in the lives. “That’s just life” they say, as if that explains it. They don’t see through the apparent disorder to the simplicity of the Blueprint beneath.

This chapter is a quick tour through the entire Blueprint. It starts at the end and works back to the source of everything that happens (or doesn’t happen) in your life. In subsequent chapters we will look at each step of the Blueprint in detail. This will give you a clear picture of how and where to make changes in your life that will make getting what you really want as easy and effortless as possible.
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Taken from "Blueprint - Change Your Life From the Inside Out", the book Diane Kennedy, RichDad Advisor and Best Selling Author calls "The most concrete guide to personal growth". Get a free chapter....






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Since earning his degree in Physics, Paul Drayton has dedicated 12 years to bridging the gap between mystical and physical. For the past 3 years, Paul has been a professional life coach helping people to create more time, money and success in all areas of their lives. His clients include national celebrities in sales training and financial independence, as well as a leading expert in sports psychology. Paul has published articles in numerous national magazines.

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How to Create and Run a MasterMind Group
Author: Karyn Greenstreet, Small Business Coach

There is synergy of energy, commitment, and excitement that participants bring to a MasterMind Group. The beauty of MasterMind Groups is that participants raise the bar by challenging each other to create and implement goals, brainstorm ideas, and support each other with total honesty, respect and compassion. MasterMind participants act as catalysts for growth, devil’s advocates and supportive colleagues.

The concept of the MasterMind Group was formally introduced by Napoleon Hill in the early 1900's. In his timeless classic, "Think And Grow Rich" he wrote about the Mastermind principle as:

"The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony."

He continues ...

"No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind."

In a MasterMind Group, the agenda belongs to the group, and each person’s participation is key. Your peers give you feedback, help you brainstorm new possibilities, and set up accountability structures that keep you focused and on track. You will create a community of supportive colleagues who will brainstorm together to move the group to new heights.

You'll gain tremendous insights, which can improve your business and personal life. Your MasterMind Group is like having a objective board of directors.

What Will You Get From It?

** Experience, skill and confidence
** Real progress in your business and personal life
** An instant and valuable support network
** A sense of shared endeavor - there are others out there!
** Design things to be the way you want them to be, not as you've been told they "should" be

Who Should Attend?

People who:

** have a similar interest (such as a group for self-employed people, or a group for spiritual thinkers, or a group for people in a certain corporation or industry)
** have a similar skill and/or success level
have the desire and inspiration to make this year extraordinary
** want a supportive team of MasterMind partners
** want to reach or exceed their goals
** are ready to move outside their comfort zone
** are committed to making the shift from settling for an ordinary life to one that fulfills them on new levels
** are ready to let their desire to be passionate about their life and work overcome their fear of change
** want to explore specific topics and diverse views within the context of a group
** are willing to support, and provide privacy and safety, when others share what truly matters to them

How Does It Work?

MasterMind Groups can meet in person, on the telephone, or via online message boards. For those groups that meet in person or on the phone, typically a once-a-month meeting is scheduled.

Because of the group nature, a commitment is required. Look for highly-motivated people who are willing to ask for help and support, and are willing to offer help and support to other people.

How Do You Screen Applicants?

Before agreeing to let any new applicants into your group, it’s important to screen them to make sure they’ll fit into the existing group and that their commitment level is high. Decide in advance how many people should be in your group (5-8 is recommended), and only allow new members into the group with the unanimous consent of everyone in the group.

Even with a screening process your group is likely to run across people who say that they’re committed but then don’t participate, or who say that they’re honest but then fail to keep the trust of the group. Be prepared to ask people to leave the group who are not participating up to the group standard and do it quickly once the poor behavior becomes evident. A slacking member will bring down the energy and fun level for the whole group.

Group Rules & Etiquette

Establish the group’s rules and meeting etiquette in your first meeting, including picking a leader who will facilitate the conversation. Type up the rules for everyone to see (and to give to new members). Make sure you enforce the rules; don’t get lax just because you get to know one another better. On the other hand, keep the rules flexible enough that the meetings are fun and not overly structured.

For full information about screening applicants and group rules, see the detailed MasterMind article here:

http://www.passionforbusiness.com/articles.htm

MasterMind Groups create a win-win situation for all participants. New friendships develop and everyone grows because of the support and encouragement of the MasterMind Group.







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Karyn Greenstreet is a self-employment expert and small business coach. She shares tips, techniques and strategies with self-employed people to maintain motivation, stay focused, prioritize tasks, and increase revenue and profits. Signup for her monthly ezine, SelfEmployedSuccess - Send email to: subscribe@passionforbusiness.com

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