Wednesday, September 29, 2010

In the beginning

Take a good look at some object you admire. It could be something in your home. It could be a particular bridge, building, or other structure. Perhaps a favorite automobile. I would like you to contemplate something.


For the sake of having an example let's just say we're considering the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, California. When did this bridge begin existing?


Was it the day it was finished? Well, did it just suddenly appear one day, and everybody dropped their jaw in awe of its presence as the mayor of San Francisco gave ceremony to it? I don't think so. It had to be built first.


Obviously you say. There had to be an army of workers involved in the construction of such a colossal structure. With this you may trace its existence back to the day ground was first broken. Again, I say I don't think so. It had to be planned out first.


Of course you don't just go about building the Golden Gate bridge without having very detailed plans in place to guide the construction workers. Perhaps you might say that the bridge actually began existing when the plans were first made.


But these plans had to come from somewhere, did they not? Somewhere in the mind of one sole individual a thought was sparked. A thought may seem like a trivial thing, but not every thought follows this description.


This thought was given the chance to grow until it became clear enough to be relayed to an architect, who then planned it out. With these plans then came the army of workers to build the thing.




Surely you can understand the gist of this story I have just related, but let's take a look at it in another light. You've heard many gurus of success suggesting that when you focus on your own goals that you should think of them in terms of already having been accomplished. Consider them a fact of record.


But how can I do that when what I am envisioning does not yet exist? I don't actually have the million dollars, the new car, the big house, etc. Wait a minute!


Let's back up for just a moment. When did the Golden Gate bridge actually begin existing? I say it began long before there was any trace of its physical existence. It began as a mere thought in the mind of one visionary human being.


I also say that your goal, whatever that goal may be, began its existence also in the very moment you conceived of it in thought. Everything begins with a thought, would you not agree?


Now think about that statement again with a certain emphasis: Everything BEGINS with a thought. Once you have thought it, it exists! A thought is ephemeral. It is something very delicate, that can easily be destroyed, if neglected or crushed. But will grow into something more liquid, if encouraged.


This liquid thing is what we call plans. Plans can change and evolve, but will not cease to exist unless we actively destroy them. If they are nourished and prodded along, even accelerated with the aid of others, who can now "see" them, they will indeed exist in what we generally consider to be real form.


Get used to the idea that this physical world is considered the real world only because someone decided that it should be considered so. The real world, in my opinion, goes much further along than merely what we can see with our eyes.


Don't be afraid to declare your goals as something real only because they exist solely in your own mind for now. They do exist in any case already. Give your faith to this truth and feel your "accomplished" goal with confidence. Try it and see what happens.



I want YOU to succeed!!



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way.






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 My Website.

Monday, September 27, 2010

A stubborn mind can be your greatest asset

There does exist a lot of fear in the world today. If you look at many of the world affairs, you can easily see not only evidence of this, but apparent justification for the basis of these fears. It doesn't matter whether you're thinking of the economy, the wars, the human condition or the environment, but this is not what I want to talk about.


I do receive a number of emails and messages from people who have what you might call "personal problems" as well. I often get asked for help in resolving relationship difficulties and people who are dealing with negative energy in too many forms to describe here. But I don't want to talk about this either.


What I do want to talk about then is the answer to all of these so-called "problems." You see I do practice what I preach. If you've read this blog for any time or if you've read any of my books, you will see that I am quite adamant about maintaining control of my own thoughts, in spite of anything that comes into my experience.


Now does this mean that I am claiming to be living free from problems? In no way. But I can tell you this, when a problem does come into my awareness, I have trained my mind to recognize it for what it is. I realize that something inside of my own thinking is lacking in harmony. And I do not dwell upon the "problem."


I immediately begin redirecting my thinking to thoughts of what I have to be grateful for, thoughts of abundance, thoughts of service to others. If what I sense is a physical need, such as realizing I've been pushing myself for too long to get something done, I listen to my body and put whatever it is aside for awhile to rest.


This can be frustrating sometimes as I tend to get overly ambitious at times with myself. I take that break and do it with a pleasant mind. Everything I do, I consciously do it with a contented mindset. When I am doing the chores that I do around the house that I may not feel are all that in line with what I would rather be doing, I make the conscious decision to do it with pride. For example doing the dishes or taking out the trash, or making the bed. When I make breakfast for my family on the weekends, I do with love, even when I'm not particularly thrilled at the thought of doing this at first. I make the commitment to change my thinking before I even start.



Simply put, I refuse to do anything in a grudgingly fashion. Refuse!




What all of this comes down to is really quite simple. Live in the moment. Whatever you are doing in this moment. Focus on that task only. Keep in mind what thoughts you are entertaining surrounding this activity. If they are not the most positive thoughts you can imagine, then imagine better thoughts. This you CAN control.


Right in line with living in the moment is living within yourself. It may be easy to allow yourself to be drawn into the negative conversations that tend to prevail in the workplace during break time. The same goes for anytime you are interacting with others in a leisurely manner. Negative commentary is so common we scarcely recognize it unless we train our mind to remain alert for it.


Don't get sucked up in this negative energy. Focus on the positive around you, or the positive thoughts that you create yourself. Dwell on your ideal life, your dreams and goals. Think about the plans you have and consider how you might move in the direction of their completion. You have options. Use them.


If someone tries to draw you into a conversation filled with gossip or whoa-is-me subjects, try to steer the conversation in a different direction or kindly excuse yourself, and then run as fast as you can away from there!


All I am asking is that you be more aware of what is going in inside your head. After all, it is what goes on in there that is creating your life experience, not the other way around. To be successful with this, you will have to develop a stubborn attitude, but know that you are worth it. You are a miracle in the works!



I want YOU to succeed!!



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way


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 My Website.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

I remember when

I can remember growing up in the northern United States. Winters were cold and we always had snow. My friends and I would bundle up for the cold, which was quite a task in itself with the many layers of clothing to keep warm. then we would drag our inner tubes or sleds outside and walk to the nearest hill.


We would struggle to climb this hill, dragging our sleds behind us all the way to the very top of the hill. Once we were at the top, we would look down at the adventure that awaited us. Finally we would climb on our sleds and with a little push, we were off and racing down the hill.


The ride down the hill never lasted as long as the long climb up again, but this didn't seem to matter to us. It was fun. Although the climb was work, our focus was always on that brief but exhilarating ride back down. This remained fun for many years during the winter months.


As we grew, however, the thrill seemed to fade as it seemed the work of climbing for such a brief ride was no longer worth it. Our idea of fun changed and we began to look for other things.


Years later we look back at those times. They will always be times to be remembered with fondness. the memories were planted deep in our psyches and they will be treasured for a lifetime.


I don't see kids doing this with the intensity we did nowadays. Sure you can still see it happening, but the sight is not so commonplace. Life has changed and become busier for most kids these days.


Thinking about this, I think about the many ways life seemed to be such a struggle when I was younger. I suppose every generation views life in this same way. How often have you heard someone say "Back in my day..."?


But you know something? For as much as we (or anyone) has struggled just to have a little fun, we don't dwell so much on the struggles we endured as much as the fun times we experienced as a result of these struggles. Anyone who struggled to achieve something when they were young to accomplish something, no matter how small, will remember these struggles with a smile.


Think about this when you are faced with struggles in your endeavors today to live your dreams. If the dream is worthy, whatever struggle you may face will be worth the trouble when you look back later.


Memories are not made only during childhood. Your whole life should be lived in the pursuit of creating even bigger and greater memories. Just remember the perspective you had when you were a young child. You were not focusing on the immediate struggle you faced to get to the top of that snow-covered hill. Your focus was always on the exciting ride you were about to experience.


When this becomes your focus, you are in the process of creating wonderful memories for some future day, when you will look back and smile at your struggles. This is life. It is meant to be lived, to be experienced. Challenge is only resistance which makes you better prepared for even bigger challenges ahead. And bigger challenges mean bigger rewards.



I want YOU to succeed!!



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way.


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 My Website.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Place Yourself on Top of the Mountain

I have a friend, Quinn, who knows the summits of many mountains. He understands the incredible perspective to be gained by reaching the summit of a new mountain. The challenge is in getting there. Once there, everything changes. There is a sense of pride of the accomplishment. There is a sense of awe of the view that can only be had from this place. Life from this view is beautiful and serene.


Life is filled with mountains. Not just the physical, geologic structures we commonly envision. There are mountains of a spiritual nature. There are mountains of an intellectual nature. There are mountains of every aspect of your being, your existence. You can view your life from the summit of any one of these mountains. It is easier than you might imagine. Indeed it is in your imagination that you may place yourself there.


Consider for a moment some goal you have that you wish to obtain. It could be in health, wealth, family relationships, or social status. Each idea is a mountain. And each idea can lift you to the summit in a moment if you but place yourself at the summit.


And this is the difference between these mountains and the earthen mountains we see with our eyes. You have the means to bring yourself to the summit of your own mountains at any time you choose. Doing so often and with purpose to understand your world from this perspective gives you the guidance you need to make it real for you.


If you have a dream, turn this dream into a mountain in your mind. Place yourself at its summit, and open yourself to guidance as to what you need to do to get there in your life. Then, immediately begin to do as you are inspired to do. Keep fear at bay by holding the image always in your mind of being at the summit.


Enjoy your experience in your mind. Enjoy the journey and consider it your own adventure. Make your imaginary mountain a part of your awareness, looking for the next step and bolding taking each step as the next one makes itself known to you. Your life will never be the same again.


I would like to thank my friend Quinn Calhoun for the inspiration to write this blog post. He has taught me much on my journey through this life experience.



I want YOU to succeed!!



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 My Website.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Nobody wants to fail

Nobody wants to fail, and most everybody knows this. Most want to succeed, but what few understand is this: so called "failure" is an integral part of the process to success.


Ask any champion in any area of life, and this person, if honest, will tell you he or she has also failed probably more than anyone else to get to be the success they've become. Who puts on a pair of tennis shoes and runs a four-minute mile?


I'll tell you who. It is the same person who has put on those shoes countless times and ran an eight-minute mile, a six-minute mile, a five-minute mile many times before reaching that coveted claim to victory of the four-minute mile.


I've heard the typical successful entrepreneur had to fail on average 3.8 times before successfully getting an idea off the ground to success. That's an average a four attempts to open a business before getting it right. And with a business, I would imagine it was a well-planned out venture involving a team and a healthy investment of capital and resources. A business is not something haphazardly thrown together and kick-started.


There was a book called The Outliers. In this book, the author mentions an interesting formula surrounding what we consider to be mega-success. This formula says that to become someone who stands out in any field, whether it be in music, art, business, sports, or whatever area, you will need to put in a minimum of ten thousand hours of practice.


The author cites examples such as The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and many others. Now ten thousand hours sounds like an awful lot of practice, and it is. However, This formula is also specifically relative to the ultra successful of each talent, skill or ability.


The average Joe (or Jane) may not be looking to become such a stand out success. Perhaps you're only looking to start a dream business that will allow you to do more of what you enjoy from the heart and still be able to pay the bills. You won't need to put in a minimum of ten thousand hours, but you can logically expect to pay a price in time, effort, and, yes, experience (otherwise known as failure).


I'm sure more than one person has thought success would be so easy if it weren't for failure. But hey, it wouldn't be so special either. Think about the privileges that seem to be reserved for the successful. Well to really think about it, don't you think that maybe the successful perhaps deserve to be a little more privileged?


It's not that everyone can't be successful. Rather it's the idea that not everyone is willing to pay the price to become successful. That price is the experience of sometimes more than just a few failures along the way. So, get off your butt, get out there, and start failing! Now! And by the way, enjoy it too. It'll give you something to share with others later on.



I want YOU to succeed!!


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 my website.

Monday, September 6, 2010

The essence of goal-achievement

The whole of my philosophy, when it comes to going after your goals and achieving them, can be summed up in two words:



"Have fun"



To expound on this with three words, you could say "enjoy your journey."


What it all really comes down to is growth. All that I have to say, and all any mentor has to say for that matter is commentary, nothing more. The message is the same. It's all about mindset. And it is a mindset that you already have. you were born with it. The evidence or the proof is that you, as an infant, achieved at least two miracles. You learned to talk, and you learned to walk.


Perhaps some of you learned two or three or even more languages, simultaneously. And you did all of this without effort! You already have the ability to achieve miracles.


My job, as I see it, is to awaken in you an awareness of this very fact. My job is to show you that the key to living your dreams is not to be found in learning anything new, but to unlearn all that you have learned during your lifetime that only serves to block you from realizing your God-given potential. You are a genius.


You already are whatever it is that you want to be. You only have to remove the brakes of misunderstood programming to find within you that which you naturally possess.


Your brain is a miracle of the highest standard. It knows how to function. It already does this job perfectly. It is doing a fine job of maintaining you at the level your current programming dictates.


If you wish to change the results you are getting in life, you simply need to steer your incredible mind in the desired direction to achieve the goals you decide are worthy of you. Stop aiming for the goals that were inadvertently programmed in you by others at a time when you were too young to know the effect of this programming.


Then, you may sit back and let your mind do its job. Enjoy the ride. Be amazed with the view along the way. Growing is the very best thing you can do for yourself, physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. It is stimulating to the senses. Continuous growth ensures you a better life.


Will your mindset ever get you to the point you may achieve goals without going through what we call the trial and error period of growth? Honestly, I don't know. I would venture to say that anything is possible, but I don't see this as anything to be concerned with really.


When you see how quickly and how well a child learns what he needs to learn, even going through this trial and error period, I think you would agree that making mistakes along the way does not really hinder growth in the least. Simply maintain your focus on the moment with your vision of the ideal in mind. You will get there.



I want YOU to succeed!!



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 My Webpage.