Dorito never minds!

When I started out writing this blog, I really didn’t intend to bring my family into it. However, I AM a family guy, and as a family, we’ve had some pretty good times with writing my posts. This one is a good example.


My wife was feeling a little less than optimal this morning, physically. It’s not age. She is just a spring chicken. Anyway, when I saw her sitting at the kitchen table, I noticed she seemed to be focusing on her not feeling so well. I could see in her expression where her focus was.


I reminded her that she needed to consciously shift her focus if she wanted any relief from feeling so miserable. I quickly explained a simple but effective technique that has been one of my favorites.


Think about whatever you are feeling, in a word or two. In her case, it was “pain” and “frustration” (due to feeling the pain). Then you need to think about what words would describe the opposite feeling. Again, in this case they would be “good” and “free.”


I wanted to make the technique more powerful so I substituted the word “good” for “Great” or “wonderful” and we stayed with “free.” Then we changed these adjectives to the noun form to make them into something real. GREATNESS and FREEDOM.


I asked her to repeat these words over and over again in her head or even better, out loud. While doing this, she needed to conjure up the feelings that were best described by these words. I gave the best example I could by actually closing my eyes and saying the words with the most feeling I could muster up.


My expression began to change to match the essence of the words I was saying. “Greatness! Freedom! I feel GREATNESS! I feel FREEDOM!” And I continued. I explained to her that the mind could be compared to a little puppy dog that just wants to go wandering off at every opportunity.


If we allow it to go wandering off, it usually gets itself (us) into trouble of some sort. We begin to fall prey to negative influences. Like a little puppy, you have to train your mind to stay on task. You have to keep it on a tight leash until it learns not to go off on every tangent.


My wife seemed to catch the general concept and she liked the idea of the undisciplined puppy comparison. She then said she was going to jump in the shower. I told her to enjoy the warm water caressing her muscles and imagine the water washing the pain and tension down the drain.


Later, when she came out of the shower, she told me she did what I told her. I assumed she was talking about allowing the water to wash her pain down the drain. She quickly corrected me by saying that she had to take a newspaper to the little puppy a few times, because he kept insisting on running off.


I asked if the puppy was OK, to which she replied “Oh yes, he’s still wiggling with excitement just to see I’m paying attention to him! He can be a naughty little devil, but yet he’s so sweet.”


With this, I knew she had captured the idea, and I was pleased to see that she was adding humor to it. This increases the effectiveness even more. She even went so far as to tell me her puppy was a tiny little Chihuahua named “Dorito.”



So I would like to dedicate this post to Dorito. Good boy!



Please leave your comments here or on my Facebook page.

Thank you,



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting

                                                                  Jeffrey Brandt Products

What if I don't reach my goals?

Even if I don’t reach all of my goals in life, I can honestly say life itself is a wonderful experience. I don’t see in terms of success or failure as most would define or recognize it. I see the experience in and of itself as success.



Everything we set out to do will bring some result. That result may not always be the same result we had originally hoped for but there is a result. It is how we choose to view this result, as something of value or otherwise that determines whether we would call it success or failure.


With this point of view, any experience can be seen as successful. We may gain knowledge, experience or wisdom. This, I find to have a more lasting value than the dollars, which would definitely be nice to have but not necessarily my primary objective in life. My goal, as anybody’s, is only to have security.


Many like to believe that money is security, but what do they do when they do have money? They immediately look to experience; what new experiences can they partake in now that they have the money to use? Personally, I don’t feel I have ever lacked in experiencing new and different things in my life and I have never been what I would consider to be wealthy.


I guess what I am trying to say is relax, and enjoy the journey. Don’t put your life on hold waiting to enjoy the arrival to your ultimate destination. The arrival only lasts a moment and it’s gone. There is much more to see and do along the way and much more to enjoy, if you truly live each moment along the way.


Self-improvement is the mile marker of life. It lets you know how far you have come along. This is the key to feeling secure. Every new experience in life is an opportunity to improve ourselves. Happiness is not something to achieve in life. Life is something we achieve in happiness.


If it were up to me to create one law that would take the place of all laws, it would have to be one simple word:



Love



Love others. Love yourself. Love life or God. Love every moment, every experience. Just, love. That’s all.


If I could give one gift to anybody, it would have to be the gift of faith. Faith can answer all prayers. Faith can change lives. If we believe in anything long enough and strongly enough, we will attain it. Have no doubt.


There are so many things in life that I want. Most anything in life, I may have. But this doesn’t really matter to me because I have all that I need, and that is faith. When I speak of having faith, what I am trying to convey is a most complete feeling of freedom. I want as much as anybody, if not more. However, I am able to separate myself from that which I possess. I see my life as a learning experience.


Given what I know now, I look back on my life and see that there are many things I would like to have done differently. But I have no regrets for doing those things the way I did. I didn’t lose anything in doing these things the way I did. They only resulted in ways I didn’t necessarily expect or desire. But I gained experience of things I may not have had, had I gone a different way. That is the essence of life for me.


I have never felt of myself as a failure, simply because I have learned from those experiences. By learning from our experiences we retain a lesson that cannot be taken from us. Use your experiences, both good and bad, to provide for your future, and you succeed. You will only better the quality of your existence. Your standing with others can benefit with good experiences. Your self-esteem or your character is the benefactor with not-so-good experiences, providing you take to heart the lesson therein.


Freedom is feeling good about your self. It is, knowing you are not a slave to your emotions, which can be self-destructive. You can be happy, in spite of your present situation or experience. This, I believe is the essence of the third Truth. That is the Truth of Religion, knowing your purpose.




Jeffrey brandt
Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.




All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting Jeffrey Brandt Products.

It is YOUR life, and only YOU can live it.

It seems everybody is looking for the answer to their questions outside themselves. You want the next book, the next program, the next course. This is all fine and well, but you have to realize the information you get from all of these sources is simply that: information. You can use the information to make a better decision, and hopefully you will. But the decision still rests with you to make.


Many people buy books with the best of intentions, only to let them collect dust on the shelf. Look, I believe in buying books. I have just over a thousand books in my personal library. But you have to actually use them to get the benefit of them. This means YOU making decisions.


Making the decision to live your life doesn’t have to be a difficult one to make either. It really comes down to thinking about where you are now, where you want to be. Do these two places match? If not, are you willing to do what it takes? Then, do it.


Other people, books, programs, etc. may be loaded with excellent tools that can make your way much easier, but even the best tools in the field will not operate themselves. They need an operator. In this case, that would be you.


Am I beginning to sound a bit redundant here? Good! It really is you who has to do the footwork. And it doesn’t really take a whole lot of information. In fact, you’ve probably noticed when you do read books on making a change for the better in your life, that most of the information you read rings true for you even before you put it to the test. Am I right?




Two very GOOD reasons




This is because you already have the answers inside of you, all those necessary to live a life on purpose. What good then are the books and programs? Well for starters, they inspire. They make you hungry enough to, hopefully, actually get up and do something with the information.


Secondly, they clarify. This can be vital for you if you’ve lived a typical life up until now. What I mean by typical is that you’ve likely been loaded down with a great deal of false information or misinformation throughout your life. Sadly, this has become the norm.


It seems the average person who buys and reads self-help books is well into adulthood. I guess this has a lot to do with our upbringing where so much faith is based on getting an ‘education’ that teaches us next to nothing about what really makes us tick. We grow up cramming an immense amount of knowledge into our brains, yet, we aren’t taught how to use that very thing. The brain!


So instead of focusing on how to better use our brain and thinking process, we find ourselves going back to school to get more knowledge, or attending work related workshops and seminars.


It usually isn’t until later that we begin to sense that there is something more than just seeking more knowledge. There seems to surge an understanding that what is missing is to be found inside ourselves. Bingo! We find ourselves picking up self-help books or signing up for a seminar.


Personally, I’d like to see more emphasis on this sort of thing for teens and young adults. Just think how much more effect this could have on our society as a whole? In any case, there does seem to be a common shift on the consciousness of humanity in recent times. This is a good thing. But let me say this; don’t wait for the shift as if it will change you personally. It won’t.


Only you can make this shift for yourself. Only you can control what goes in in your own mind. Influence from outside, yes, but even then, only because you have given your express permission to be affected in this way. Always remember: it is YOUR life, and only YOU can live it.



Lots of love,

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.










All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting http://www.shop.jeffreybrandtproducts.com/.

Be Unique!

Rollo May was a well known psychiatrist who wrote a book titled “Man’s Search for Himself.” He said in his book that the opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice … it is conformity.


Conformity is a misunderstood word. A few months back I wrote a blog post about harmony. I wrote that everybody is looking for harmony. Whatever else they may believe they are seeking, it really comes down to harmony. I also stated that the problem surges when we confuse conformity with harmony.

You see, conformity is a force that stagnates one’s tendency toward natural growth. When we begin to place more value on learning to conform to the accepted norms of society, we inhibit our natural desire to grow and be inspired.

We say children are so often rebellious. I say it is more that their spirit is seeking to express itself, as it was meant to do. By stifling that creative, expressive urge, we cause a blockage in what is only natural. I’m not suggesting we allow children free reign, either. Much of this “expression” is nothing more than experimenting with conformity to negative influences.

We all went through the same experience. Are you courageous enough to go for YOUR dreams? Or did you learn to “control” your expressive self until it eventually withered into atrophy? For the majority of us, our creativity has been severely hampered by our experience of growing up.

Well, it’s time now, as an adult, to step back and reevaluate your life. Like old outdated clothing styles, it may be time to shed much of your ingrained conditioning. Think about what tendencies you have that really are not serving your growth and freedom.

How much of your present behavior is based on ideals that only serve to inhibit your potential for a better life? Don’t accept your situation or character for what it is, only because it is. It can change. YOU can change. You are not cast in stone. You are malleable and plastic.

If you are not sure how to inspire a change that you wish to see, you can begin by looking to those who you feel are living that experience. Isn’t this just conforming to another ideal? To some extent, yes, but I’m not saying you have to copy that person.

You are to look to them for inspiration. When you can see the qualities that make them who they are, you can search for those very same qualities in your own being. They are there. If they did not also exist in you, you would never have been able to observe them in that other individual.

You have infinite potential, but this doesn’t mean to say that you are using it. The first step is always to bring your awareness to it. Then you must contemplate it. As you begin to contemplate it, it will, of its own accord, begin to grow. This growth is taking place in you. You are now becoming more of your own person, through self discovery. That in itself is very rewarding.

We’ve all heard this advice in different forms. “She dances to the beat of a different drummer.” “Take the road less traveled.” “Follow your own path in life.”

Don’t simply think about it, or even only talk about it. Do it. Or as Nike famously says, “Just do it!” Be yourself. Do something that only you can do as well as you. Sometimes this requires a learning curve, but do take that curve. Be your own master, and then you can show the world something they have never seen before, at least not in the way that you can show them. This is service of the highest order.





Enjoy your SELF,

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.





All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting Jeffrey Brandt Products.

The Power is in I Am

When you say the words “I am,” you are expressing your oneness with something. You acknowledge there is no separation. There is only one. Where there is only one, there is power in that what you are expressing is real. It is alive. It exists. “It” is YOU.


I am happy. Happiness exists because I am. I am bored. Or I am sad. I am sick. None of these exist in your world but that you expressed them as existing. I am is a powerful concept. Think about that.


I am bored. No, I am open to a new stimulus. I am seeking inspiration. I am sad. In truth, I am glad. I am glad for many things. I am sick. Scratch that. I am healing. I AM healthy.


Émile Coué said it well with the phrase “Each and every day in each and every way, I am becoming better and better.” What a beautiful phrase to start each day, and to repeat to yourself throughout the day. I did this for years, and I still catch myself saying it now and then.


I am peace. I am joy. I am God. I am love! I am…


What would you add?


I am complete. I am wealthy. I am prosperity.


Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton was convinced the biggest difference between the great and the insignificant is “energy” and “invincible determination.” Think about the power in those words: ENERGY and INVINCIBLE DETERMINATION! Wow. I can feel them coursing through my veins right NOW! Let’s add the I am: I am energy and invincible determination!! Now I AM Successful.


I AM.


The concept of I am is power, is love, is grace, and is connection. I am. I am all wisdom. I am all knowledge. I am ALL. Think about I am during the next few days. How do you use these most impressive words. Do you use them to empower your being? Or have you used them in a more disempowering way.


There is a tremendous key to be had and utilized by focusing on these two simple, seemingly insignificant terms. Insignificant they are NOT! I am.


I am glad you are reading this blog. I am appreciative that you find it inspiring, that you find ME inspiring. I am inspiring! I am inspired. I am the creation. And…


I am source.


Take these words with you as you begin your day, and create the I am you so deserve! Post your own I AM phrases here or on my Facebook page. How much power will WE create?



I am Thankful,


Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting Jeffrey Brandt Products.

The best time ever

Whether your goal is to make a million dollars, to lose those extra pounds, take a dream vacation, or buy a new car, your general attitude in life is the key to getting you there faster. You’ve got to be in a positive flow, predominantly. What this means is you’ve got to be happy, even excited most of the time.


Your positive energy combines better with the positive energy of the universe. Everything that is in harmony with your impulses of thought and emotions combines with your energy. What you put out will return, and it returns in greater abundance than what you sent out. Keep this in mind.


If you’re coming from a hard place, meaning your general level of animation is not very animated, I can give you a technique that tends to work wonders for many. It has to do with the cycles of consciousness.


Dreams, like everything in life seem to be cyclical. A dream precedes creation. From the dream, an idea surges. Ideas are opportunities. If we act on these opportunities, we create. With every act of creation, there is an explosion of energy. Ask any musician, writer, or inventor. He or she will tell you these moments are the most intense moments of life.


There is an incredible satisfaction that comes with experiencing something new. Our interest is sparked, and we begin using this newfound energy. As we assimilate what is new, we begin to feel comfortable in this new level of existence; and the energy begins once again to dissipate. As the energy dissipates, we begin to dream anew. And the cycle repeats.


This cycle is the same for eating, drinking, breathing, or sleeping. We need to eat, drink, breathe, and sleep. We also need to dream. Each of these cycles, of which there are seven, expresses a different level of the vibration of life.



Existence:


We are conscious beings. We are conscious and we are curious. We are the same as all living creatures in this respect. The plant grows toward the light. A dog arranges a comfortable place to lie down. We are present in more than just the physical world. We are all aware of our world of thought. We dwell in these worlds simultaneously.


It is important to maintain an awareness of your thoughts, as they control your essential way of being. Two people may have the exact same physical experience while they experience it in completely different ways. Understand this is a choice.



Eating:


Eating is the most basic level of vibration after existence. It is the most physical of them all. It is communion with the earth as much as is mere existence. This is the basis of sustaining physical existence. How well one eats is clearly reflected in his or her body.


Everything we consume is filled with vital energy. The better the food, the higher is its vibratory nature. Raw fruits and vegetables vibrate at the highest levels, while processed foods vibrate at much lower levels.



Drinking:


Water is fluid and promotes fluency of life as it animates us. As with food, the more natural it is the better. Plain water is better than the many sugary juices available in the market. Bottled water is usually better than tap water. Distilled is better than bottled. The natural water we find in fruits and vegetables is the best of all.



Breathing:


Breathing connects the physical with the spiritual. This is the force that transforms our experiences. Proper breathing can alleviate fear, depression, or anger. During an exam, breathing well can help us to recall information. Proper posture facilitates the mechanics of breathing.



Sleeping:


This is what clears the mind and promotes synchronicity of the body and mind. Proper sleep keeps us sane and gives us the ability to solve our problems. Also it is vital to strengthen the immune system.



Dreaming:


Everything new begins in dreaming. Inspiration finds a home in dreaming. Inspiration is the force of optimism. It is the force to go on to better things. Frustrate this inspiration and you kill off the life force within the creative type. For this reason, suicide and insanity rates are much higher in people who thrive on creativity: Artists, musicians, writers, and the like. This would include those who are lonely and are only dreaming of finding a significant other. Dreaming is only one step away from Holy Communion.



Holy Communion:


Holy Communion is a direct connection with the greatest creative force of all, that which we may refer to as God. In this state of vibration, there are no surprises and no questions. Everything we experience in this state is accepted as it is. Everything is known. We recognize the oneness we are with the world. It is the most comfortable state of existence we may know.


This is the goal of the yogi, the philosopher, and the saint. It is a state that every soul has experienced at one time or another. Although usually this state lasts only an instant, it can have a profound impact on our view of the world. It even changes the course of our lives. Without exception, this view is one of peace and calm.


Understand these cycles, and determine where you are in each, to help lift yourself when you are down. The technique is simply this: Focus on these cycles and bring each one to an active state. Contemplate your existence. Eat well, something natural, and know that it is building your body strong. Drink pure water and sense the difference it makes in your animation. Take a few deep abdominal breaths to energize or to calm down. It works equally well for either result. Lie down and take a cat nap, no more than twenty minutes. Get inspired with a new idea, and play with it in your imagination.


And finally, meditate or pray on your being connected to all that exists, feel gratitude. Enjoy your journey and be at peace. Life is an amazing experience. The best time ever? Right Now!



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.



The above was excerpted from my book, Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way, available through the Amazon.com link to the right of this blog. Also, newly available in a downloadable ebook format at my new site. Just click the link Jeffrey Brandt Products .






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

How fit are you?

Unless your goal is a physical goal, such as losing weight or getting into better shape, your mind is probably not even considering the physical aspect of goal achievement. Goals of a financial nature for example can be very demanding of us mentally and emotionally. That will tend to be where our primary focus will be, naturally.


This is good too; however it would be wise to note that partaking in any endeavor that can be emotionally stressful will be aided along greatly by being conscious of your physical self as well.


Exercising does much more than maintain and develop your physique. It is actually equally beneficial for your brain. Think about this, your brain requires approximately 80 percent of the oxygen you take in. What does exercise do for you in the way of oxygen utilization? It increased the efficiency of how oxygen is used in your body.


Exercise is a great way to flood your bloodstream with oxygen and this is of tremendous benefit to your brain. Get your circulation going at least once a day with either a brisk walk or some kind of light exercise routine. I’m not talking about anything too seriously intense here. You do want to get yourself moving, however, especially if you are spending a lot of time at a desk or computer.


Your body was made to move and move it must, if it is to maintain efficiency, even mental efficiency. Even if you cannot get up, get out, and do something physically invigorating, take a moment every now and then to stretch a bit. Close your eyes, relax your physical body and your mind. Concentrate on doing some deep, abdominal breathing. Then take note of how much better you feel afterwards.


Another activity you could try that can be just as rewarding as actually doing a physical activity, is taking a short walk through a wooded area, in your imagination! Take in the beauty of this place. Imagine that you are actually there seeing the water, the trees, the birds and animals. Smell the green all around you, and listen to the sounds. This is visualization, of course, but if you do it with conviction you will benefit as though you were actually there taking this walk.


Another benefit to this imaginary activity is that it actually trains your mind to become better at visualizing. This helps you when you do visualize on your goals already achieved. It’s like getting two prizes in one.


The most important thing to remember in working towards your goals is to have fun along the way. Try different things, and your spirits will be continually animated. This is the key to enlightened manifestation.



Be different,

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.










All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Success is a family affair

You may have heard that is important to maintain balance in your life. I would agree, but with a disclaimer: continual balance will not get you far in life.


If you study any of the people who accomplished great things in life, you will find a drive in them to be envied, if you’re determined to do the same. Highly successful people have a certain discipline that borders on obsession. Perhaps more than a few have actually crossed over that line.


I believe this is necessary if one is to attain any great difference in his or her experience. James Ray, teacher of The Secret, went so far as to say balance is bogus. Understanding the human machine, we know that continually pushing it in any one direction will eventually cause it to break. At the very least, your batteries may become drained if you push yourself too hard in any endeavor, for a certain length of time.


Yes, balance is something good in the long run to maintain your sanity, and to maintain any relationships you may have. However, if you are determined to do something really great with your life, you’d better be prepared to throw off the chains of balance for a time and go headlong into overtime focusing exclusively on your dreams.

Great achievement requires great effort

Sounds fair, doesn’t it? If you have family, I would recommend getting this reality out in the open as soon as possible to discuss it thoroughly. A grand goal will likely require sacrifices that spill over onto those closest to you. It must become a family affair, and it must be something all agree on.


If you’ve got the blessings of your family, you are truly blessed. Be sure you show your appreciation every chance you get along the way. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can wait until your ultimate goal is accomplished. You may not have anyone left to show that you appreciate. You will know when it is time to take a break. When that time comes, you really need to take that break seriously. Get your mind completely out of the goal mode for a while to make the most of your break.


This is when family can be a great thing to have. Do something fun, relaxing, exhilarating or whatever you feel. Then it will be time to get back in the saddle and ride once again. If you did a good job of shifting your energy during your break, you should be able to refocus on your goals with a renewed vigor.


Know the plan will require breaks if it is a large stretch of a plan. Take your breaks accordingly and continue. You will get there so long as you continue to reach. It is much easier to reach when you give yourself time to recharge, but know that real effort is required when you’re ready.


The rewards you will gain by keeping loved ones in the loop are truly priceless. Not everyone will be as supportive as they. Let them know it with your sincerest appreciation.



Family first,

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Course Correction

Did you ever think about your actions when you are driving down a long stretch of road that apparently has no curves? The road may be as straight as an arrow, yet how often do you need to adjust your steering? Most people don’t even give this a thought, as driving has become almost totally automatic. Think about it the next time you are driving and notice how many slight adjustments you are making on a constant basis.


Flying is the same. A typical flight from point A to point B may appear to be a straight course, but the pilot (or autopilot) must make continuous adjustments to arrive at the correct destination. I’ve heard it said that an airplane is off course as much as ninety percent of the flight. Yet, it always seems to arrive on target and on time.


Consider this well when you are trying to reach a certain goal and you begin to feel you are making little or no headway. As long as you are moving forward in the general direction of your determined goal, and you are making your course corrections as needed, you will arrive.


Will you arrive later today or tomorrow? That I don’t know, but I do know that moving ahead and correcting your course is an obvious plan to succeed. The important thing to remember is that action is necessary. And it must be action that will move you in that direction.


Large goals may be a while in coming, and there may be need for numerous course corrections. This is where your perseverance comes in very handily. Don’t give up hope. Keep plugging away, enjoying your journey. Reward yourself for the little successes en route.

Two heads are better than one

It may help also to have a partner along the way that can help give you objective feedback as to what actions to take. This partner can also be of use to hold you accountable that you are actually taking the necessary action and not simply talking about it.


One very important point about choosing a partner in your venture, you want it to be someone who is of the mindset to inspire confidence. Sometimes we need someone to believe in us even as we ourselves may be in doubt. So more than just accountability and feedback, we want a coach. Realistic yes, but you want someone who will push your limits just a bit, someone who will make you stretch. After all, isn’t that the primary reason for our wanting to reach a goal, to grow?


So get behind the wheel, or get into the cockpit, take the wheel, or take the joy stick, hit the gas and go!



Bon Voyage,

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

One Bite at a Time

Achieving a new goal means stretching yourself. Depending on the goal you have in mind, you may have to stretch far beyond your current comfort zone. Keep this in mind when you do set your goals, and also while you are striving to reach them.


If you are barely earning thirty thousand dollars a year at present, and you decide you want to increase this to $100,000, you have to realize this means you will have to make some significant changes in the way you have been doing things. Is it wrong to set such an ambitious goal for yourself? Not at all, but you will have to rethink your ideas of what you can do.


This seems obvious enough when you look at those who have already achieved what you want to achieve. Most people, however, have unrealistic expectations. They want the results without putting in the required transformation. Transformation is key, and it begins with your mindset.


When you imagine this goal having already been achieved, and you coax the corresponding emotions, and you dwell upon them until you manifest the feelings in your body that your goal is believable, you have done your part to initiate the manifestation process. From this point, you must remain open and free from negative energy, whether in the form of judgment, fear, or doubt, and be alert for ideas and opportunities that will surely come your way.


When these ideas come, you must act upon them immediately with faith in that doing so will definitely bring you closer to your coveted goal. If it is a big goal, you will likely have to pass through various steps that will get you closer, but not there. That is OK. Keep in mind that a journey of a thousand miles does begin with one step, but still many more steps will be required to complete the journey. Keep the faith.


It helps too, to celebrate the completion of each small step. Do something special for yourself, as this brings into focus the energy of gratitude. Gratitude will only work to accelerate your next steps. If you disdain the journey, you will find yourself losing motivation before you have arrived. Be grateful!


Big goals are good. But they can’t always be swallowed whole. Like eating an elephant, you can do it. How? One bite at a time.




Bon apetite,

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.





All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Be an eccentric

Be an eccentric. Be in love with life and love to experience what few ever have. Learning new things is the payment received for investing in new experiences. New experiences bring growth. Thrive on growth because growth keeps an active mind. An active mind is an open mind. An open mind is the best tool to have in overcoming obstacles. It breaks paradigms, and breaking paradigms to overcome obstacles is the surest way to feel good.



With experience often comes suffering, but we need to see this suffering as that which helps us to appreciate what we have been through. There is great satisfaction in this view of suffering. Don’t fear the pain of suffering, but don’t seek it either. Accept it as it comes and know that within it lies another lesson. Life is the lesson. Learn it well. You might feel good, even as you are suffering.


Equally important to personal growth is seeking the opportunity to share your growth, your experience, with others. This is, perhaps, the greatest gift you can give to others; and giving is the best expression of your being alive. Give everything of yourself without reserve. You can never run out. The more of yourself you give to others, the more you become. A part of you is carried on in all whose lives you have touched, both now and in generations to come. Remember this when you are dealing with others. Always give the very best of yourself.


As giving to others is important, acceptance of others must be included. The world is full of individuals. Each individual is another world in the making. Grant each person the sovereignty to be his or herself. This is the true meaning of giving. As our world is revealed to us in its own time, so is the reality of every other individual. You cannot make a flower bloom before its time, and you cannot keep that flower from blooming without killing it.


We are all on a journey made unique for each one of us. This is where it all comes back to having an open mind. Do not judge. Keep your mind open, and keep on growing in your own right. Finally, keep on sharing yourself, but with acceptance of those whose experiences are still different from your own.


Suffering is not a good thing but neither is it as bad as we may believe. It is a part of life. This part of life is something I don’t believe any person has been able to completely avoid. The amount of suffering seems to be related in some way to how intensely we relate to the essence of life or how intensely we are searching for that essence.


Those who have suffered the most in history have also been blessed with having custody of an internal peace that is nothing less than enviable. What these souls have left behind has been noted as pure love, and they have given us hope for a better life. We look to these people for inspiration.


On the contrary, those who seem to have suffered little personally tend to leave behind a legacy of torment and shame. There seems to be nothing enviable in their ways other than the temporary power many of them had experienced before their fall. It is easy to see the internal conflict they experienced along with this false power, even more so toward the end of their reign.


The majority of us fall between these two extremes. We will neither experience great personal struggle leading to a profound peace nor will we seem to fall into a life of inborn power that ends with disgrace. We live our mundane lives very superficially—without risks, with no threat of great loss, and no chance for significant personal growth. Is this a bad thing? I doubt that it is. If one experiences no calling, that one is content to simply be. Period. For some, perhaps, unknown reason, that person is not yet ready for this journey of self-search.


If one is to receive a calling, he or she will be made aware of this calling in the proper time. Like a flower opening up, we can do nothing to change this timing. It seems the moment one receives this calling is the moment one begins to truly suffer.


Growing up and leaving our home behind can bring with it its own kind of pain. We accept this pain as we know there lies greater opportunities beyond. The whole of life is based on transition, and as with any transition comes something given up to receive something new. Understand this. Suffering really comes down to our attachment to that which we must let go. It is the sense of blockage of that which must be let to flow. Life is fluid.


If you are called to do something great with your life. Step forward with no thought to what you are leaving behind and know that you are coming in to something so much better. Be humble in your present stance and bold in your decision.



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Sincerity is inherent to passion

Sincerity is inherent to passion, but I want to talk about this specific aspect of passion today. I feel sincerity is perhaps the most important quality of a successful pursuit in service to others. Without sincerity, any transaction is lacking. Focus is diluted. Genuine gain for both sides is hampered.



Adding sincerity to your every dealing you have with others sparks a common energetic bond between you. You become an ally. You become a friend. You bring common good to the fore. Without sincerity, you may “make the sale”, but you do so in an injurious way that will surely be detrimental to future dealings. Perhaps even dealings with others, as your lack of sincerity will stick to the energy you transmit. Others will pick up on this and not feel right about dealing with you.


People do not have to be consciously aware of any of this matter of energy. The energy is real, and on a subconscious level we all respond to it. Sure, we can be misled: however, there will be no bond to hold us together after an initial deal.


When you deal with others you want to build a relationship, if you want to grow and be successful in the long term. You want success for the client as much as you want success for yourself. This builds genuine trust. It all comes back to your being sincere in every part of your dealing.


It also helps immensely if you are sincere in every aspect of your life, not only those related to your business. You want to be consistent in every part of your life. In this way, you will feel better, and others will “know” this.


As you might already have noticed, I do speak a lot about energy. I believe everything is about energy, everything is energy. That is why these ethereal qualities that I ask you to develop and promote in your life, can mean so much to your future. I truly believe we are entering into a new understanding of who we are. The days of deceiving others for material gain in the business arena are quickly coming to an end.


Everywhere you look, you see businesses failing, I believe, because they are not being run with integrity, values. Oh they talk about them, but you cannot fool the universe. If you are not sincere in your desire to be of service to others, your days in the business are numbered.


I like to think of service as “serve-us”. It’s me and the client, together, for the common good. We both have to win. This brings me to something that many would consider to be crazy, until they see the whole picture.


How many business owners do you imagine would even consider sending a potential client to do business with a competitor? Think about this one now. Most businesses tend to specialize in a specific niche, although they do serve a broader niche. Let’s say a particular client comes to your business and wants something very specific, and it happens to be in the area you are not too keen on, but you do know that your competitor down the street does a fine job in that specialty, quite a bit better than you. What to do?


Explain to that client that you would love to be of service to them, but you honestly feel they would be better served in THIS specific case, if they would go down the street to your competitor’s store. Feel free to explain exactly what you’re specialty is, and that you would be only too happy to serve this client in the future. Think about it.


What kind of impact would this make on that particular client? That is SINCERITY. Do you think that particular client just might tell others of this meeting? Do you think others just might think of you when they are in need of what you are selling? Yes, sincerity might cost you a sell in the moment, but I would say it will guarantee your future, if everything else is in order.



Happy to be of service to you,


Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Make your life passionate!

What is your passion? How do you feel when you are participating in your passion? Do you feel passionate? How much do you want to live a better life, to experience more abundance, have better relationships? Are these things that make you feel passionate?


Passion is a wonderful gift to the human condition. It fuels the greatest accomplishments. It breaks down and plows past the most insurmountable obstacles. It lights the way through the darkest of nights. It clears the path of the densest jungle. Passion is the key to achieving your goals quicker, easier than you could ever imagine. In part, because you feel you have achieved your goal even before you have actually achieved it on a physical level.


Did you catch that? You feel as if your goal has already been achieved before the fact. That is to say passion gives you the optimal mindset to achieve your goals. Passion contains all the confidence, belief, energy, and emotion you need. It is like the miracle drug for those who are off course from a life of dismal failure. Add passion and all suddenly becomes well again.



So how do you actually use passion to achieve your goal if your goal to live a life of abundance?




First of all, you have to really know what your passion is. For me, my passion is helping others to reach their goals. You have to find YOUR passion.


Next you have to dive into your passion to learn all you can about it. For me, that meant learning about what the difference is between those who realize their goals from those who don’t. The answer, by the way, is mindset, the way they think. If you think studying and learning something is boring, you haven’t yet found your passion. If you are learning about your passion, you will love learning more and more about it. It will be a continuous venture that absorbs you. Time stands still for you when you are involved with your passion, no matter what you are doing.


Once you learn a certain amount about your passion, the most natural thing in the world to do will be to begin sharing it with others. Sharing, you ask? How does this bring me abundance? In openly and eagerly sharing your passion, you will be attracted to and attract to you people who are in alignment with your passion.


How do you share your passion? You choose the medium that is most in line with who you are. This may be through writing, speaking, creating audio or video, or teaching. What do you charge? Nothing. What? You don’t charge a thing, for now. Why? You are building a following of loyal fans. These people will learn that you really do know your stuff when it comes to your passion. As you transmit your positive energy, they will pick up on this and become hungry for more.


When you get to a certain point again, you will find the depth of your knowledge in your area of expertise to be sufficient to begin offering more than quick simple advice. You will be ready to create a more complete package of the wisdom of your passion.


If you’ve built a good following of hungry, loyal fans, you will easily be in a position to have them asking you to sell them your prime package, whether it be a book, an audio or video course, a seminar, or whatever other means you have for delivering your more intense package.


Notice I didn’t mention anything about trying to sell people on your knowledge here. That was old school. Things have changed. People want to buy what they feel they need, but they don’t want to be told what they need. You have helped them decide for themselves through educating them about your vast storehouse of what interests them. You have created a bond of trust by giving them much for no charge.


If what you give them is valuable and you deliver it with genuine passion, there is no need for the hard selling tactics of yesteryear. You will have already pre-sold them on your brand. You simply make it known that you have this package, whatever it may be, and they will ask YOU how they may get it. This is creating a win-win situation.


You must provide a package that holds real value, of course, but more than this, you want to overwhelm them with the quality of what they receive. This will make them very happy now, and assure that they will want more as you develop more products down the line.


All of this is possible with passion. It is possible only with passion. Without passion, you are trying to live in yesterday’s world, today. Make your life passionate!




If you have noticed I am passionate about this subject, that is because I AM. You might imagine also that I have something to sell you. I will tell you this: You’re right. But, I’m not ready to release it just yet, because as you can probably also imagine, I’m passionate about making it the very best it can be. I want you to be overwhelmed with what you receive.


Keep in touch with this blog or sign up on my [Facebook] fan page to keep informed. What I have coming out very soon is going to absolutely blow you away!





Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.





All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Vancancies of the Soul

"Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge." ~ Source unknown





When speaking or writing about the importance of avoiding negative thought and replacing it with positive thought, I often hear people tell me they are “trying” to stay positive in spite of their current situations. This tells me two things about these people. First, they view life as a struggle. Second, and related to the first, they believe outside influences have a powerful effect on their lives.


Now when I think about the first part, that life is a struggle, I imagine two opposing forces at work. This I can relate to as I suffered from this same belief for years. You must understand there is only one force working within you, and that force is your own. Now you might wonder how you could feel struggle when there is only one force at work. Let me give you an analogy.


Your physical body uses muscles to carry out the task of movement. Your muscles can perform only one single task. They contract when activated, and they relax when they deactivate. Think of your arms, for a moment. You have among the many muscles biceps and triceps. These are opposing muscles. You use your biceps to bend your arm at the elbow. Your triceps are used to straighten your arm.


These are opposing muscles, and you can activate them at the same time and create a tension in your arm. In the natural state of a healthy person there is always a certain amount of this bilateral tension. We call it muscle tone. This is a good state to have, and it has no detrimental effect. On the contrary, having good muscle tone is a sign of good health.


Of course you can artificially increase this tension by intentionally flexing both your biceps and triceps simultaneously. How would you feel if you had to remain in this state for any length of time? I would be willing to bet it would become very uncomfortable very quickly.


This is what is happening on a mental level with those who view life as a struggle. When you focus on your opinion of your life, your life circumstances, you see it as being difficult. In receiving the message that your life is difficult, your amazing brain begins at once to seek out confirmation by bringing to your awareness “proof” of just how difficult your life really is. (You gotta love it).


At the same time, however, you are thinking how much you would like to have a perfect life, or at least a better life. You begin on a conscious level to “see” a beautiful life, an easy life, a blessed life, an abundant life, or whatever. Anything but the life you believe you actually do see. Can you see the dissonance created by this way of thinking? You are lying to yourself. You are “trying” to convince yourself to believe something that you sincerely do NOT believe.


In effect, you are setting up two distinct ideas. In this case, you are going to be let down every time, because your belief is what your mind sees as the goal. It pays no heed whatsoever to what you say you want, unless you can back that up with faith that it is real. If you are thinking something to the effect of I wish my life were easy and positive, you will attract more to make you WISH it were as you want it.


This brings us to the second part, believing outside influences have a powerful effect on our lives. I said this is so closely related to the first because it is again based on wrong belief, wrong yes, but a belief nonetheless. If you believe outside circumstances can have a strong effect on you, they can. Now no one lives in a bubble, and I don’t mean to say there is or should be no effect. We are sensitive for a good reason.


Like muscle tone is a good thing, we can’t for very long implement unnatural, excessive tone through actively straining our muscles for any length of time. We want a little struggle in life to make us feel good about what we accomplish. Overcoming challenge is rewarding, it feels good. Being sensitive to our surrounding circumstances gives us necessary feedback as to how we are doing in creating our life. You’re not happy with something about your life? It’s time to change that.


There is no reason to fret and fill yourself with hopeless despair. Simply change your perspective and begin searching for the means to get what you want. If you begin looking with the confidence that it exists, you will find it. Every time you try something, simply believe it will work, and if it doesn’t, so what? You learned that you must continue.


Have you ever watched a child’s first attempts at walking? He or she will get stood up and try to take a step, foot zigzagging before it likely comes back down in the very same position, and then crash! Down on his or her bum! How many times will this happen? Does it ever look like that baby is thinking, there’s no use in trying any more, like it just wasn’t meant to be?


It looks more like that baby is not thinking what ifs at all. It looks more like he or she sees others doing something and he or she has already decided that that is exactly what he or she is going to do. There is no built in failure mechanism, only a success mechanism. This success mechanism runs clean, as there is no contamination yet built up inside of it. There is no looking for someone or something to blame. There exists only determined ambition to do what he or she intends to do.


The child is the master at goal seeking. The same goes with language acquisition. We adults seem to be too worried about not saying something right to say anything at all, when learning a new language. No matter what it is you are trying to learn, Don’t give a second thought to how difficult it is, or that something outside is going to get in your way.


Simply follow the innate ability you have to accomplish what it is you want, even being positive. Forget about the world in seeking your goal. The world has no effect. The effect you feel is of your own making, and YOU can unmake it when you choose, as easily as you choose.



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.





All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Snap!

Ok, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. My wife had kind of a tough time growing up. Well, I guess I did too. Come to think of it, you probably did as well. What am I saying? I would imagine the great majority of us did not come from a totally blissful childhood. So what?



We are all adults now and none of that should matter anymore, right? Well it shouldn’t but for a great number of us, there still lingers the tendency to look outside ourselves for the cause when things don’t go our way. My computer crashed. The traffic was a nightmare this afternoon. These stupid rules don’t even make any sense! Why aren’t people more considerate? Etc., etc., etc.



Actually I’m quite a positive thinking guy nowadays, but it wasn’t always that way. I began reading self-help and personal growth books many years ago, and I’ve come a long way toward being immune to negative thinking. I do have moments, but that is all they ever amount to being. Just moments.



When I am around someone who does happen to be replaying negative events in their conversation with others, I try to distance myself. I will leave the area if I can. There are times or situations, however, when this is not always possible. What happens when we’re talking about family members? At the risk of upsetting my wife and daughter, I’m going to let you in on a recent experiment we did.



I always wake in the morning all bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to start my day filled with enthusiasm. That’s just me. My wife and my daughter, on the other hand, seem to take a little while to get in the spirit of things when they first wake up in the morning. There we are sitting together eating breakfast, when out of nowhere one will make a comment about something, and the other will inject a sarcastic remark or something in a negative vein.



I am very sensitive to maintaining a positive mindset at all times with no exceptions. If I make it known that something said was not very pleasantly worded, (for the sake of an example let’s say by my wife) she will then say “well our daughter started it when she said…”



Then my daughter would jump to her own defense and explain that she only said that because of some other reason. It always reminds me of the “he started it, she started it” scenario. I just want to scream I don’t care who started it, I’m going to finish it!



Well, Thinking about all of this one morning while my wife and daughter were still sleeping, I got an idea. I went digging through some old drawers to find three rubber bands. I had just found them when they were getting up. I was in an unusually good mood this day, even for me.



My wife asked me what the rubber bands were for, but I told her to wait until we were all three ready to sit down and eat. After everybody was ready to sit down at the table to eat breakfast together, I gave each one a rubber band. I put mine on my wrist and asked them to do the same.



They did so, although I sensed a slight amount of trepidation. This time when my wife asked me what these rubber bands were for, I explained:



“Anytime you have a negative thought I want you to snap yourself with this rubber band, on your wrist just like this.” I snapped myself to give them an example. Then I added “anytime any one of us says something negative, each one of us must snap ourselves. All of us.”



At hearing this, my daughter claimed injustice in that if it wasn’t her saying the negative thing, why should she be made to suffer the wrath?



I went on to explain. In reading a book by Joe Vitale and Dr. Hew Lin, Zero Limits, I learned that we are all responsible for EVERYTHING in our experience. That means not only what we think, say, and do, but also whatever we are aware of no matter who or what was the “cause.” If we are aware of it, we somehow have attracted that experience to our lives.



This was a tough pill to swallow for sure. Especially for me who always considered myself to be so positive. How could I be responsible for my wife and daughter’s negative conversations at the breakfast table? But I do believe what Dr. Hew Lin was saying in his book. (You’ve got to read it if you haven’t yet done so).



Anyway, my wife and daughter agreed. My daughter actually thought it was kind of a cool little experiment once she thought about it. So there we were eating our ritualistic breakfast, when before long, something was said. I snapped my wrist, and I pointed out that they each had to do the same. Ouch!



They did it, and then whoever it was that made the negative comment added that she wasn’t really being negative. She was only expressing the truth. Snap! Again I snapped my wrist and asked them to do the same. Then we continued eating.



Before long, it became apparent that this was probably the longest stretch of non-conversation we had ever experienced at the breakfast table. I wasn’t the only one who noticed, because my wife began to snicker. Our daughter asked what was so funny. I explained that it seemed everyone was afraid to talk now, and that I was actually enjoying the silence.



Then the conversation started up again. It wasn’t long before my wife said something negative. My daughter caught it first this time. She snapped her wrist and made sure we did the same. This made me proud!



By the end of our breakfast this day, we were all laughing and having such a good time. It was truly a transformational experience.



When I decided on doing the rubber band experiment, I wasn’t sure how long it was going to last. They both seemed to enjoy it as it really has raised our awareness of just how many times we let little negatives enter our thoughts and speech. We still wear the rubber bands, and yes you will still hear a few snaps every now and then, but the change in energy around this house in the mornings especially, has completely changed for the better.




I’m sorry I don’t remember where I first heard about the rubber band idea. It’s not my idea. I’m thinking it was from a book by Mark Victor Hansen or Jack Canfield. But the idea of extending it to include the entire family was my own idea using what I learned from Zero Limits.


And by the way, I did run this blog by my wife before I went to publish it to make sure she was ok with it. She laughed all the way through reading it. She gave me permission to share it with you, my friends.


Jeffrey Brandt
Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.




All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

How many times will you say Thank You today?

You’ve probably heard it a million times: Your thoughts create your experience. Well, maybe not a million times, but then again… Anyway, thoughts are the activity of the brain, and the result is the manifestation of vibrations of energy that are based on those thoughts in relation to your current beliefs.


When your thoughts are of a positive nature, and your beliefs are in congruence with those thoughts, the energy you manifest is harmonious. You feel good! Well, I don’t think I need to explain the opposite, do I?


Gratitude is a powerful feeling. Wouldn’t you agree? Actually gratitude ranks right up there with love as far as its power. Gratitude is the feeling of being blessed by the connection you have with another living being, an idea, or feeling. Gratitude is that feeling of being connected.


I’ve been giving gratitude a great deal of thought recently. And it is amazing all of the examples I’ve noted that I’m not the only one. It seems like the moment I decided to give the idea of gratitude more of my conscious focus, I began to hear others using it more, Seeing it written about, and of course, I’ve never felt more inclined to express it in my own life experiences. Thank you!


Gratitude can truly be contagious. And like any force, when it is expended, there is an automatic response. You’ve heard the law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Think giving someone a sincere heartfelt thanks will not get a positive reaction out of them? Try it.


In fact, that is what I’d like to challenge you with today. If it is the end of your day when you are reading this, be sure to pick it up again tomorrow. Actually it is a challenge you should look to completing everyday. But for the sake of going easy on you, in case you’re not the most grateful character, I will just say the one day challenge.


What is the challenge? Be grateful! Not only be grateful, but I want you to show it at every opportunity you have. Say thank you to everybody you meet today, and really mean it. It shouldn’t be too hard to find something to be grateful about with every person you meet today. And I don’t just want you to show your gratitude through your words.


Do kind things, just because. Go out of your way to help somebody. I’m not talking just for your friends, family, and coworkers. I want you to be especially on the look out for ways you can do something wonderful for a stranger.


A good friend of mine was sharing an experience the other day about talking with a bank teller (I believe it was). The bank teller seemed to be deep into reading or studying a book when my friend first approached. During her business dealings, my friend somehow managed to discover the teller’s favorite candy bar. When she finished her business, she left, went straight to the nearest store, and she bought his favorite candy bar. She then returned to the bank and gave it to him! Wow!!!


That really made his day. Talk about being an unexpected act of kindness. This is all I’m asking of you today. Show your gratitude, and show it by exhibiting unexpected acts of kindness. You will be amazed at the newfound energy that comes your way. Enjoy it, and be sure to feel very grateful!



Smile,


Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

The Secret and the Law of Attraction

I don’t know how many books altogether I’ve read about the successful mindset and, more recently, about the Law of Attraction. I’ve read most all of the books by Joe Vitale, Bob Proctor, James Ray, John Assaraf, Jack Canfield, and the other teachers that were presented on the hit DVD, The Secret.


Beyond these teachers, I’ve delved deeply in to the writings that inspired them. I have read and studied the enduring works of Napoleon Hill, Robert Collier, Prentice Mulford, Wallace Wattles, James Allen, and numerous others who were less well known.


There are many who, although they were not a part of the mass attention garnered by The Secret, credit their own success to the very same principles. These would include Mark Victor Hansen, Robert Allen, Marc Allen, Dan Kennedy, T Harv Eker, and many others. I’ve read and studied them as well.


There are also teachers of the same ideals, but more with a spiritual focus, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, and others. Again, I’ve read and studied them.


I’ve studied, however briefly, the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism Jainism, Christianity, and other less known religions. Again, I see the same message in their essence.


I’m not saying this to impress anybody, really. I’m saying this because I want to make a point about something that tends to cause trouble for so many. There are so many different sources of information that all point to the same thing: Our thoughts matter! Our words matter! Our feelings matter! Our actions matter! Our world is a reflection of the above.


By focusing more on our thoughts, words, feelings, and actions, we have the ability to transform our lives. This is what it is all saying. It doesn’t matter if you are reading the Bible, The Secret, Think and Grow Rich, etc.


Even with this being the case, there exists so much controversy surrounding this concept. When the subject of the Law of Attraction comes up, it never seems to fail that you will hear someone stating that it is all a bunch of rubbish. What is rubbish about thinking positively, about hoping for the best, and being attentive to ideas to help you get there?


That really is the gist of it. There is no magic in any of this. It is all about altering your perspective of yourself and your world. It is only asking you to become more in tune with the effect you may have on the outcome of reaching your dreams or not. This is the essence. In expressing the essence of anything, you will get a superficial understanding at best. You will certainly not get enough of an understanding to legitimately condemn something.


This was the problem when the DVD, The Secret, came out. There were many people, who were ready to hear this message that jumped on and took off to find great success. There were many others, who were simply not ready to hear the message that tried what they thought was the correct application of the secret and they failed. Did the secret fail them?


No. They simply didn’t have enough understanding of the depth of the Law of Attraction. The DVD, The Secret is what I like to consider an introductory level teaching of the Law of Attraction. The message is correct, but it is a simplified version. It did the most amazing job of bringing the idea to the masses. How many had never even heard of this concept before the movie’s release?


If you are one who has tried and failed, please understand this only means it was not applied correctly. There really is a lot of information in relation to how it works. What you may have is the “what” it is, but you need to learn more of the “how.” If this is the case, know that there is so much very good information out there. Check into any of the books I’ve recommended on the subject. Check out any of the writers I mentioned at the beginning of this posting.


If your desire is strong enough, you will find it. Keep your spirits up. Keep on reading this blog. Use your web browser. There are so many options for you. Don’t give up.



To your dreams,

Jeffrey Brandt






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

The challenge: Family and friends

Is the path to growing yourself always smooth?



Obviously it is not, or there would be no hesitation to take it. It may get rough, challenging, and difficult. Understanding the path will help you better prepare yourself for the journey. The issue of your current relationships with others is one issue you would be wise to understand. Many would be success stories have crashed and burned because of a lack of this understanding.


The moment you definitely decide to grow as a person, you become a different person. The very decision to grow causes a shift in your energy. You are no longer in status quo mode. You are in growth mode. This means change. You may change, but others in your circle may not be ready, willing, or even interested in changing themselves.


This sometimes causes a rift of conflicting emotions. This can be especially noted between you and family members or close friends. Most who have become truly successful in making a change in themselves, whether it be losing weight, getting more fit, earning more money or whatever, would agree that more important than the goals they achieved is the person they had to become to achieve those goals. In stretching and reaching for your goals, you are becoming a different person. This is the best part. You are growing and becoming a bigger and better person. Others will look at you differently.


Some will look at you with pride and respect. Some will look at you with jealousy and criticism. Still others will look at you with genuine concern. They will be thinking you are only setting yourself up for failure and will be let down. They fear for you. You must understand none of these ways that people look at you have to have anything to do with you. They have to do with them. These people are looking at you through their own mindset, not yours.


It is your mindset that will get you what you want, not theirs. And it is their mindset that will keep them right where they are. Remember, you want change. You seek to grow. Your mindset is the key. Your commitment is the fuel. Your action is the vehicle. Now get moving!


Besides, you might consider where these people are that are criticizing you or trying to give you advice. Are they where you want to be? Chances are they no better off than you, and you want to move on. If you’re going to take advice, take it from someone who is where you want to go. If you don’t know anyone personally who is at the level you desire to be, you can find them in books and audio tapes or CDs. Learn from them. They have what it takes to help you grow.


As you do grow, you may find your circle of friends going through a change. “Will I lose my current friends?” This is an often asked question. Changing circles of friends is a normal occurrence in any person’s life. When your life changes, your environment will also change. Then there is the sticky situation of family.


It does happen that conflict develops when one family member is for some reason drawn to take a different path in life. Family bonds are normally quite strong, but in the end, you must follow your heart. This does not mean to blow off your family in any way. What it means is that you do what you can to help another member see what you are doing and why. Grant them the sovereignty to hold their own beliefs and judgments, but you must be true to yourself.


Surely you would at least do the same for them, would you not? Whatever you do, don’t argue your point. Simply continue to make yourself available as you always have in the past. Allow your results to speak for themselves. Remain humble in your stance. After all, the most fundamental purpose of life is to grow and to share. Keep this in mind and you won’t go wrong.



To your growth,


Jeffrey Brandt





All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Show me the Money!!!

What is money?

Just a mention of the word money tends to stir emotions within us like few other words do. And the emotions that get stirred can be very contradictory, indeed. It seems to represent something that we all want more of, but at the same time we may feel guilty about our very desire to have more. Why?


Consider your health for a moment. If someone tells you they are thinking about changing their diet, or their routine to include more exercise, in exchange for receiving better health, what would be your response? Would it be something like this? “No, no, no! You’ve got enough good health. You don’t need any more. Here, have some more dessert.”


Consider education or knowledge. Your child comes home one day and says to you the following: “I want to go on to college after I finish high school. I want to invest in my future by learning more.” And your response, would it be: “Absolutely not! I believe you already have gained more than enough knowledge to get you through life just fine. Stop growing. Stop learning.”? Well?


I know this sounds a tad bit ridiculous. At least I would hope so. Well what about money? First of all, what is money? Money is a means of exchange. For what do we exchange money? We exchange it for services, products, information or resources.


In other words, we give someone money when they provide a service for us. A doctor, a lawyer, a mechanic are all service providers. We pay each according to the value they provide. We pay someone money to get a new car, a house, a book, a newspaper or other products. What we pay them depends on the value we place on the product. We pay someone for information we feel we need. We pay someone for the resources they provide for us, such as with agencies, brokers, etc.


People tend to create some sort of stigma around the idea of having “too much” money. Think about this. If you knew someone who came to you (perhaps your child) and said to you he or she wanted to provide greater service to the world. “I want to really help change people’s lives for the better.” What would be your response?


Isn’t that just the first half of the equation to earning more money? By providing a better service, product, information or sharing better resources, you do deserve better compensation.


The ideas many of us grew up with concerning money seem to be twisted in a way that really can be a hindrance to living a comfortable life. We have conflicting ideas which cause us to feel contradictory feelings. These feelings then manifest in actions that are not always the most efficient.


Understand the beliefs you have about money are likely well imbedded, and may not be all that observable on a conscious level. To really become aware of your own beliefs, you need to take some time and really meditate upon your thoughts and feelings surrounding this issue. Discover what your root beliefs are about money. Often you will find they are not even logical. The beliefs we grew up with are rarely logical. Examine them in light of what you know today and see if they are valid for you.


What you believe is what you will achieve. If you believe the desire to bring in more money warrants guilty feelings, you will never allow yourself to bring in more money. If for some quirk of fate you receive a large amount of money, you will soon get rid of it. Look at the majority of big lottery winners a few years after.



My answer to the opening question? Money is a blessing. For a job well done.


Abundantly yours,

Jeffrey Brandt
Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.





All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.