Preserve Your Wealth or Grow It?

So if a man begins to develop his body by exercising regularly and lifting weights and he eats all the right foods, while avoiding the wrong ones, we can all pretty much agree that he will be successful. He will develop a fine physique.

Now suppose upon getting this fine physique, he then decides to “preserve” it by not using it, because he does not want to “wear it out.” What do you suppose will happen to his fine physique? Will he be able to preserve it by doing this?

Of course not! Well I realize this sounds perhaps a bit silly to even ask, but how might we apply this same thinking to other areas of our life? Let’s say in money, for example. How many companies began with a great idea for a new product or service, grew that company until it became quite large and successful, only to change its stance in the marketplace?

Many companies, after gaining a good share of their respective marketplace somehow decide that they need to shift their focus from growth to maintenance or preservation. They begin to seek out ways to cut costs through finding cheaper vendors, becoming more tight-fisted with annual raises in salary for its employees, etc.

What generally happens to these companies? Do they continue to enjoy their coveted place in the market, or does this become threatened? Most employees can see this pattern and recognize it long before upper management even becomes aware of what is happening. That is if they become aware.

We can see the same thing in what we consider to be intelligence. Why is it that so many people act as if education stops after high school or college? Think about technology especially. You can know and understand a great deal about the newest technological toys today, but if you do nothing to continue learning, you will be technologically illiterate with a few short years.

Life continues to move along at different paces, depending on what area of life you wish to focus. Everything is changing, and we have to change accordingly or we will get left behind. With everything in life, we must continue moving forward or we get left behind. There is no standing still. It doesn’t exist.

Saving for retirement? Having a savings plan is very important. I fully encourage it. But there is something more you might consider. Savings alone is stagnant wealth. It has no power. A large savings can be wiped out rather quickly with a medical emergency, for example.

Have you heard of residual income? This is money that may come to you without your actually doing anything. I don’t mean to mislead you, however. You do need to first do something to create this residual income, but once you do that something, the income will continue for a long time after.

A common example is a book. You work to write that book and promote it when it comes out, and if it is successful, it will continue to sell for years to come. Most everybody has at least one book inside of them. Or perhaps you don’t consider this to be a possibility for you. That’s ok. There are many other options.

How many business owners have actually freed themselves from their business? You spend time in creating and building a business. You hire a good, reliable manager, and you let the business run itself. Another option is an online business that you can easily setup to run on autopilot. This is becoming more popular these days.

Another option is investing. You work hard and save as much money as you can. Then you use that money to invest in something that will likely give you a return greater than you need to live on.

Perhaps you are drawn to Real estate. This is another form of investing. If you have the means to purchase a property (or properties), you might rent this property to enjoy an active income while the property increases in value.

Are you creative? Create a new product. If you own rights to an invention you can sell those rights to another company and earn a percentage of the profits they earn by manufacturing and selling your product.

Can you sing, play an instrument, or write music? Record your talents and sell them. This can be a very pleasing way to earn some residual income.

Perhaps you have something you can teach others by way of audio or video recording. You could even write a course planner, a simple set of lessons on how to learn something that you can teach.

Perhaps you would like to sell someone else’s product. Network marketing may be the way to go. You work hard to get a good down line to work for you. Then you simply enjoy the fruits of their efforts. Think multi-level.


Here you have just a few ideas. Believe me when I say there are many more. Everybody has something to offer. The idea of your life is to find that something and cash in on it. Make it pay you in residual income, and you will not have money worries. There is one more thing about residual income.

Residual income doesn’t have to be a lot of money form one idea. When you get started with your first residual income stream, you will then have the time to look for or create another stream, then another, and another, and another. This is called Multiple Streams of Income (MSI’s). On this topic, we will talk more of next week. Until then, take care and bless.

Jeff 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 Search to Find Your Way

We all, in our own way, seem to be searching for some elusive quality to life. It may be fame, fortune, success, security, love, personal satisfaction, purpose, or any of a dozen other ideals. Whatever it is we are looking for, the search itself seems to be inherent to the human condition from the time an infant discovers the world through innocent eyes or reaches out with curious hands. Later, as the child learns to walk, the search grows to ever expanding limits. This search often takes us into adulthood and beyond. For some, this search may never end as long as they are alive. Few are those who find themselves truly satisfied with their life situation.

The world seems eager to comply with this search as well. This is evident in the energy and resources invested in advertising with the proposition of bringing satisfaction to this insatiable hunger for something. We have come so far in our development. Yet the need for continuing this search seems to be greater than ever before.

We find countless organizations, books, tapes, and videos promising to show us a better way to live. There is truth to many, if not all, of these methods. Yet many people who indulge themselves in taking them up continue to feel there is something more needed. Is this a bad thing, or does it necessarily signify a failure of some sort on our part? I doubt it. In any case, the search itself does bring to each of us moments of revelation that do seem to satisfy us, at least for a while. And this is a good thing.

The more of these moments of revelation that are revealed to us, the more we grow in our own right. Many have experienced enough of these moments of revelation to be ready to cement them together. In doing so, they may find a lasting satisfaction which will give them the ability to maintain throughout the inevitable trials and tribulations of life and the opportunity to share with others a better way. This is where I see the majority of us in this time of human history.

The world is a paradox. We can now see more evil and wicked deeds than at any other time in history. At the same time, however, we can see more hope for a beautiful new beginning than at any time previous to ours. It all seems to be a matter of perspective, of personal choice. It is as if the whole of human history has been dedicated to the construction of two separate yet parallel roads. One is built on the premise of fear and the other on the premise of love. Let this humble quest be one more brick to pave the way on our evolutionary path toward helping the latter reign triumphant.

I don’t believe in mere coincidence without a higher purpose. You picked up this book for a reason. Although it may not have all of the answers you seek, I believe it is what you need to see at this moment in your life. I believe it is important to realize that life tends to work out in this way.

We tend to come across exactly the things we need at just the right time in order for us to grow personally. The key is to recognize this because often what we come across is not so pleasant, but it is always something necessary to help us identify and achieve our higher purpose. Once recognized as something necessary, we may alter our life and maybe even welcome them. This would be the ideal.

The intensity of our desire to continue in this search seems to be in direct correlation with just how much pain we are experiencing in any given moment. In other words, the more pain one experiences, the more one feels compelled to search for deeper meaning to the pain being experienced. When we feel physical hunger, we seek food; although, it is not the food in its original form that we actually use. A carrot, for example, is good for the eyes. But you will not find carrot in the eyes. We must first ingest it, digest it, and assimilate it. We use the nutrients from this food to build and better our vision, and that which remains is then discarded.

The same is with knowledge, our spiritual food. When we hunger for answers, we seek knowledge; but we don’t use knowledge in its original form. Like food, we need to first ingest it, digest it, and assimilate it. We may then discard that which we don’t at that time need. The comparison is readily noted in the phrase “food for thought.”

Let this book be a snack or a smorgasbord. Whatever you find it to be, I am confident that you will find in it exactly what you need at this moment in your life. Kike with food, our hunger for knowledge will always return after a time of fasting. You will undoubtedly never find any one book to have within it all you will ever need in your quest for knowledge. It is therefore always recommended that we continually seek out further intellectual stimulation. For this reason, understand that a lifelong search is nothing abnormal. Rather it is the sign of a healthy mind, a growing mind. Let this be inspirational to you if you are one who feels compelled to continue this search until the end of your life.

This piece was excerpted from the book, Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way. It is copyrighted material but you are welcome to give out the link to your friends. If you enjoy it or anything else on this blog please show by supporting the book.


To your journey,

Jeffrey B. 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.

My Eccentricity

I am an eccentric, no doubt. I am in love with life and I love to experiences what few ever have. Learning new things is the payment received for investing in new experiences. New experiences bring growth. I 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. I have suffered, but I see suffering as that which helps us to appreciate what we have been through.

I don't fear pain. I don't seek it either. I accept it as it comes, and I know that within it lies another lesson. To me, life is the lesson. Learn it well, and you may feel good always, even as you are suffering.

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

As giving to others is important remember, tolerance 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 her self. This is the true meaning of giving. As our reality is revealed to us in its own time, so is the reality of every other individual. You cannot make a flower bloom early, 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 with tolerance for those whose experiences are still different from your own.

This was excerpted from my book, Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way. It is copyrighted material but you are welcome to share this link with others. If you enjoy this blog, show it by supporting my book.


Thank you.

To your journey,

Jeff 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.

It is HARMONY We Seek

Everybody is looking for, basically, the same thing:

Security, peace, comfort, happiness...

In short, it is HARMONY we seek. We seek a world that harmonizes with our ideals and beliefs, or we seek to harmonize with the ideals and beliefs of others.

To harmonize is a good thing. Consider the beauty of harmonizing notes in music, colors in art, movement in dance. Life is the same. A life based in HARMONY is a beautiful life.

There is a problem that surges when we confuse conformity with HARMONY. If every note in music were the same in tone and duration, you would no longer have a beautiful song. There would be no music. In color, there would be no art. In movement, there would be no dance.

With conformity, the energy stagnates. What happens to a river that stagnates, that no longer flows? The purity becomes corrupted. The natural balance is compromised. HARMONY ceases.

Consider this in life; we are all seeking to grow. There are a variety of methods to accomplish this. In every method, whether based in religion, philosophy, psychology, science, or just motivation, you will find people who swear by it as well as those who have had little or no success with it.

The burden of this book, Close Your eyes to Find Your Way, is to convey an understanding and acceptance of this simple Truth and to teach you to find your inner guidance, what works for you. The premise is that in the diversity of life we find real HARMONY. Share what works for you, but do not impose your way on others. We are all individuals, and we are all inherently good individuals.

To YOUR journey,

Jeff 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.

A Profound Way to Look at Your World

"Get to know yourself, and you will come to know a miracle!"

When you make a conscious decision to create a better life, it is in that very moment that the quality of your life takes a leap for the better. In this way, the conscious mind expresses its power. Keep in mind, however, it is the subconscious faculties of the mind that may either support or override that conscious decision. In other words, a conscious decision is short-lived, unless it becomes planted into the subconscious mind as your reality.


Welcome to a new understanding


The very first chapter of my book gets right into helping you with a simple, effective exercise that actually brings you to a place of uncluttered consciousness. This exercise is about letting go of our external baggage to find our essence. This external baggage can include feelings inspired by your past programming and experiences, the labels we use to identify who we are, our emotions, and the uncertainties we may have about our future.

Once this essence is revealed, the book goes on to explore the different views that exist and how they can all be traced back to this same essence. All conflict that exists between differing views, thus, is of a superficial nature. All diversity that exists is on a superficial level, and diversity is all a part of the grand scheme of nature. Nature loves diversity. And from uninhibited diversity balance is achieved.

It is when this balance is interrupted, or even threatened, that conflict results. The book reminds us that in every case where conflict results, that its cause can easily be traced back to superficial disharmony. It is from this understanding that all answers are to be found, by returning to this place of uncluttered consciousness. Once the foundation for finding harmony is well established, the focus of the book then shifts to defining and exploring the keys to success.

Almost without exception, the stories of the most successful have been wrought with a period of self-doubt or suffering prior to their success. I have written a very special chapter to address this issue. Essentially, this is an inspirational chapter that can give strength during this frustrating time.

It is true there are numerous books on the market that treat the subject of personal growth. The general consensus of these books is that we simply need to change our perspective to affect positive change in our lives. Although they are right on in their advice and revealing in their explanations, the common approach they teach has been purely intellectual. The trouble with simply trying to maintain a more positive perspective with a purely intellectual approach is that it is so darn hard to avoid being exposed to opposite views. Consider how we are literally inundated with negativity on a daily basis by the media, friends, family, etc.

Like dieting, simply trying to change our perspective doesn't work in the long run. A purely intellectual attempt is a conscious attempt. It excludes the subconscious mind, where some ninety percent of our mental activity takes place, including our habits.

Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way is written in a way to inspire thought on a more profound level than simply intellectual. It is written on an emotional level to connect with our feelings. This emotional element is necessary for the information to take hold on a subconscious level.In summary, this book deals more with the journey itself to success. It gives a unique perspective of what to expect along-the-way that other books tend to overlook. For this reason, I feel this book is unique and will fill a niche that needs to be filled.


NOTE:
If you are interested in this book, Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self, I’ve created a link for your convenience to the right of this blog.



Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please take a moment to send me our questions or comments. I will be happy to answer any questions. And if you like this message, send it along to a friend.To your journey,Jeff 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.

Live Your Life With Gusto!

Greetings!

Here we are finishing up another week. If you noticed, this week I tried to express my gratitude to a few of the writers who most powerfully influenced my own thinking. I got to tell you, it was difficult narrowing it down to only one per day. (Actually yesterday there were two). In any case, I am sincerely indebted to each one of these, and many more, in a great way. I recommend you read whatever you can by any one of these beautiful people.

Today I would like to introduce you to another incredible man, James Arthur Ray. I first heard about James while watching Larry King Live during one of two segments he did on the Law of Attraction. I was totally captivated by Mr. Ray’s energy.

After watching more of him in the hit DVD, The Secret, I searched for anything I could find by him. I first read The Science of Success, a great book on creating a wealth mindset. Later, he came out with another book, Harmonic Wealth. This book was more well-rounded, in that it speaks not only of the money aspect of wealth, but what he calls "The Five Pillars of Success."

Financial

Relational
Mental
Physical
Spiritual

He teaches that each of these aspects are important to maintaining a full life. He also says “balance is bogus.” Not meaning to be contradictory. Rather that any one of these aspects may take on more meaning in your life than the others at any given time for a while. You really need to be in touch with what your inner self is telling you.

What I learned from James Ray is that spirituality can go hand in hand with wanting to create a more abundant life, even if this means more money. Everything in life is spiritual anyway. This is a part of spirituality that causes much grief for many people. Many do believe that you cannot consider yourself to be a spiritual person while you are seeking to earn more money.

James Ray is a very spiritual person. He has dedicated much to the search for personal enlightenment. Enlightenment is growth and can only be had by seeking out a new path in life. Much of our lives are lived out merely by following the habits we have formed for ourselves. To grow, you must force your mind to think in new ways.

He uses the analogy of cutting your way through the dense jungle underbrush to create a new path. This may be very difficult to do. While taking the same path you have always taken before would be much easier, you cannot grow unless you do put forth the effort to hack out a new trail.

If you stick with your new path and follow it daily, you will find it gets easier to follow as the “new” trail becomes more worn. At the same time, the old trail will begin to experience a new growth of vegetation as it is not being used any more. Soon it will be much easier to follow your new path. And you will find you have grown. This is what spirituality is all about!

Some of the experiences James has had on his spirituality have been nothing less than fascinating. He has traveled extensively and studied in great detail different disciplines. He explained in an interview with Bill Harris (also of The Secret) of his experiences in the Amazon jungle, studying under a Shaman.

Shaman are well known for using many herbs and mixtures to enhance certain experiences. In one question Bill posed to James that was about the increased popularity of “New Age” thinkers and followers looking for drugs to “take a short cut to enlightenment.”. Bill asked if one could get an enlightening experience from a drug, might this perhaps speed up the process of becoming enlightened, rather than spending years in study and contemplation.

As James Ray explained, there does exist very powerful formulas that may shed a glimpse of what it is like to be enlightened, this effect is temporary. You still have to do the work. You still have to consciously decide every day that you are going to stay on this same path and remain focused on your growth until it becomes ingrained as habit. There are no shortcuts.

The path to enlightenment is a never-ending one, for sure, but it is a path on which we are all destined to follow eventually. Don’t be afraid to stretch your mind, to seek out a way beyond your mundane life. Most important of all, Live Your Life With Gusto!


Thank you,

Jeffrey B. 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.

T Harv Eker, The Missing Secret Teacher

T. Harv Eker is one amazing person. He is totally dynamic, outgoing, and ambitious. He holds no punches when he teaches the secrets of the millionaire mind. In his book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, he clearly explains the different ways people think and act when it comes to their financial affairs. He’s very blunt. Some may be offended, but if you stick with him, you will see that his methods work.

I heard he was to be one of The Secret teachers; however, he was on a speaking tour at the time of the taping. He would have done an excellent job. He’s a bit different than the others as you can see in his book.

I was so captivated by his book that I went out and bought it on CD also. This was the first book I bought in audio format, and doing so changed my life.

I downloaded the CDs onto my computer and then put them on my MP3. I listened to this book over and over again during my day while I was at work. While most people would listen to music, I was cramming Harv’s mindset strategies into my brain, and what a difference it made in my thinking!

After this experience, I began buying more audio books. I discovered this is exactly what is necessary to overcome all of the negative conditioning most of us grew up with surrounding money and our ability to earn it. I’m telling you, all that you may have heard about thinking positive and visualizing what you want in life works. The problem is not much thought is given to how much we each need to overcome before the new mindset can begin showing us our progress.

If you are serious about making a real and lasting change in your thinking, I would say to you go out and get audio recordings that teach what you want to learn. Even if you’ve “already learned” these things but are not getting the results you had hoped for, start saturating your mind with the information repeatedly, and you will see results sooner than you thought possible.

Understand that mindset is a habit. It took time to form, and it will take time to be changed. You cannot try something different one or two or even three times and expect it to stick. This is especially true with a mindset that has had years to develop and be reinforced. Give it time and be consistent. Use multiple means to insert the information into your head. Read books, listen to CDs, and watch Video. Spend your mentally idle time dwelling on what it is you want. Stay positive and expect the results you wish to obtain.

Another point to consider when it comes to learning what you need to achieve your goals is this: How much time does one dedicate to becoming a doctor, a lawyer, a mechanic, a plumber, an electrician or engineer? Now how much time have you really dedicated to becoming a better person?

I sometimes wonder how many people have read a book or watched a simple video like The Secret and claimed it didn’t work, that it was all garbage. You need to be realistic. Do you expect to change your life by reading one book and be done with it or by watching a 90 minute video? Your results will echo the effort you put forth. That is the law of attraction. What you give out is what you receive back.

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.

Robert Allen & Mark Victor Hansen

Two people I credit greatly for lighting the way on my own journey to success are Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen.

Mark Victor Hansen is probably most widely known as the co author of the stellar book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul, which he created with Jack Canfield, another one of The Secret teachers.

Mark was living on top of the world during the seventies. He was in the business of building and marketing those geodesic domes that were becoming quite popular at this time. They were cheap to build and very economical to heat and cool. There was one problem with these homes, however. The material used to construct them happened to be a petroleum-based product.

If you were around during the seventies, you may remember what happened to the market prices for oil and its products. They skyrocketed. This was absolute devastation for the geodesic dome housing industry. In fact, it collapsed almost overnight. At the time, Mark lost his entire lifestyle and his fortune. He ended up unloading box cars just to survive for a while, and you can imagine how this must have made him feel. He was down, but not out.

He remembered hearing a cassette tape a friend of his had given him years before. This tape had a very inspiring message of hope and prosperity. Mark searched for it for a long time before he finally found it. The recording was of Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret, the first self-help audio to sell over a million copies.

Mark credits listening and taking in this message for transforming his life. As we all know, once he teamed up with Jack Canfield the Chicken Soup for the Soul series was born. It was later that Mark then teamed up with another champion of the secret, although this man did not appear in the video, he exemplifies the ideas perfectly.


Robert Allen first became famous in Real estate. His book, Nothing Down, caused a big stir. He also had some major challenges to overcome before he did finally “make it.” It was when he joined forces with Mark Victor Hansen that things really became interesting.

You see, these two got together to write a series of books The first was called The One Minute Millionaire. This is a very complete book in that it explains many principles of enlightened wealth, but it is more than your typical book. It is actually two books in one. You should check it out to see what I mean.

The second book they wrote together was called Cracking the Millionaire Code. This is one of the most unusual books I’ve ever read. It was not so easy, and to be honest, it was a bit frustrating at times. I’m the kind of person who likes to devour books. This one took me a little while, but it was definitely worth the effort. Again, I don’t want to give away the reason this book was so unusual. You’ll have to see for yourself.

Their third book is the book that seemed to gel so many different concepts of wealth creation that I have been absorbing over many years. Cash in a Flash is a superb read. More than a read, it seems to get the juices flowing to motivate anyone who has even an inkling of desire to succeed in the financial world.

This book is filled with exactly what someone would need, if they are on the verge of breaking out and doing something great with their life. This last book was also written to be the perfect book for anyone who has been feeling overwhelmed by the present economy. This book will show you how to create your own economy. It really will!

Beyond the books, I must say Robert Allen has a wealth of tools and resources to help anyone who is seriously ready to make real change. His mentoring program is definitely effective.


Overall, what I’ve learned from Robert Allen and Mark victor Hansen is to restructure the way I think about my life. This is especially so when it comes to past experiences that I felt bad about. Everything in life can be used to build a better future. And more, some of the worst experiences you’ve had may contain some of the most powerful ideas to move you forward.


Your past experiences are like rocket fuel that you can use to lift you into the stratosphere, to know a success like you never dreamed possible. The key is to put into perspective those very experiences that have only served to anchor your dreams and ambitions.


You already have all you need to be successful. A book like Cash in a Flash will show you how. Come back tomorrow and we’ll discuss another great writer that has been a great inspiration to many. Until then, Thank you!

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 Thinking Man

Bob Proctor was probably the most stand-out of the teachers on The Secret DVD. He is also the one I most closely felt a connection with. I believe it is his manner of thinking so carefully about not only what he says, but how he delivers it. I feel this is an important quality to possess and develop. He is definitely a prime example of a thinking man.

He has also been in the business of developing personal potential for the longest of the teachers in The Secret. He explains the law of attraction in a manner any common person can truly grasp. He speaks of the energy we all work with, and how we are all connected by this same energy.

This energy that he talks about is generated by our thought processes. It is for this very reason that it is our thinking that we must work on, if we are to achieve anything worth while in life. Change the way you think, and your life will change accordingly.

He has written two very excellent books I would highly recommend you read. These books explain in a very simple way how to think in a more abundant way. The first book is You Were Born Rich, which you can get in a digital format for free at his website. Or you can buy the physical book through Amazon.com.

The second book is called It’s Not About the Money! This book also is available at Amazon.com.

It is so important to maintain focus on how we are thinking. Many people, on hearing this, mistake this to mean that simply thinking alone will get us what we want, as in our goal already manifested. This is not what is meant at all.

Thinking is energy. Period. When you combine thinking with emotion, you get supercharged energy. When you add faith, even if only in the possibilities, to your emotionalized thoughts, you open yourself to receiving clues from the universe about how you may achieve what it is you desire. Upon these clues or ideas, you must act. This sounds so easy, but for the majority of people it is anything but easy when they actually try it.

This is because of our past programming. Most of us have been programmed from birth to see lack rather than abundance. An idea comes to them, and they immediately think of a hundred reasons to dismiss the idea. “It can’t be done. But what if this happens?” And many other limiting ideas arrive. This is why you need to spend time working on your thought processes before you will attract anything great in your life.

Reading is an excellent way to work on this. Reading either of these two books is an excellent choice to begin. As I said, Bob does an excellent job at making this all easy to understand. And it is some really powerful stuff.

Come back tomorrow for a very special blog. To your future!

Thank you,

Jeffrey B. Brandt
MBDN Resource




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.

Joe Vitale: The Secret Teacher

Of all of the teachers in the hit DVD The Secret, Joe Vitale is one that stands out as one of the most charismatic. Joe, as are most of the others, is very prolific as well. He has what seems to be an endless list of books, CDs, and other programs he has either created or has played some role in bringing to the world.

His most popular book, The Attractor Factor, began as a very personal book he wrote for his sister. She was having some difficulties in her life, and he wrote it to help her, according to his own account. He originally had no intention of publishing it. What a difference it made that he changed his mind. He credits the publishing of that book as having a large part of his being chosen to appear in The Secret.

I mention this to point out what so many don’t ever consider. Many times we hold within ourselves something very valuable, but we never have the opportunity to grow because for whatever reason, we discredit the value it holds.

You have a talent, a skill, some knowledge that could potentially be very valuable to others, if you but decide to share it with others. In general, people do spend time on developing their own talents, skills and knowledge. But this is where they stop. They don’t go further to develop the means of using these things to help others, to market their “product” to the world.

Take some time to think about your own “products.” Do you play an instrument? Do you speak a second language? Do you enjoy shopping? Do you like to take surveys? What “products” do you have?

Write down a list of whatever it is that you can offer to others, to make their lives easier, better, more fulfilling and shift your thoughts to how you can deliver what you have. Think in terms of possibilities.

What you find may not be a million dollar idea, but it may lead to one down the road, if that is what you really want. More likely it will be something that can earn you a little extra spending cash. That’s always nice, and you will receive something more. You will enjoy the pride of knowing that you are providing for others something to improve their own lives in some way.

This just feels good. It feels good because it has everything to do with why we are here. We are here to grow and to help others to do the same. When we consciously become aware of this, our lives completely change.

You may notice that what I am getting at is a total change in mindset; from one of what I can get from the world to what can I give to the world. This is the key to finding opportunities where we only found roadblocks before. This is the way to open doors to greater possibilities than we ever imagined before.

Life is a gift. It was never meant to be a struggle. Look for the way to serve, and you will not have to struggle. You will grow because the more people you help, the more help will be attracted to your own circumstance. Understand this. The help that you attract for your own circumstance does not have to come from the same source you tried to help. In fact, it rarely does.

You may help one person, and at some other time an idea may come to you that will solve a problem for you. You may see no relation between the two incidents, but that doesn’t mean they are not related. It really doesn’t matter either. What matters is that in one way or another, things do work better when we are focused on service to others.

If you are interested in learning more about Joe Vitale, you may click here to visit his primary website. Thank you, and let me know how I may be of better service to you.

Jeffrey




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.

Dreams & Memories


Time is what we feel when our memories exceed our dreams. The moment we allow this to happen is the moment we grow old. We cease to feed our dreams and begin to feed upon our memories. Our memories become finite the moment we stop striving for our dreams. When our dreams die, our memories will soon fade.

Don’t stop dreaming. And don’t stop striving for those dreams. Keep the fire burning on into the night. The harder is the wood, the hotter is the flame. There are far, more uses for a hotter flame.

I wrote this back in 1993. I had gone through some trying circumstances, and I was looking for some inspiration. As always, that inspiration did show up. It came from within my soul in the form of these words. Words have always had special meaning for me. Thinking about this brought to mind something else I wrote, specifically about words, that I thought I would share with you today.

Let it be an inspiration to you to pick up a pen, or sit down at your keyboard, and write something. Or, at least grab a good book and read something inspiring. This is what it takes to change your world. I hope you enjoy this little piece that follows:

In the recently famous phenomenon called The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, it was said that everything begins with a thought. This is a simple concept to grasp and accept when we consider anything that has ever been invented. For example, we may consider the airplane, the automobile, the light bulb, and the refrigerator. It is easy to imagine the inventors of these things sitting around dreaming, as we all have, about some fantastic idea that does not yet exist. With the right focus and determination, they then carried their thoughts to fruition through persistent action. The result? They each changed the world with what began as a simple thought.

Even the bible states “In the beginning there was the word…”

Words, as we know, are nothing more than encapsulated thoughts. They are the vehicle we use to transport our thoughts. We share our thoughts with others by using words, and we receive the thoughts of others in the form of words. Words can be written and read, or they may be spoken and listened to.

Words have such a profound impact on our lives in every way. Yet, rarely is much thought given to this. Think about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and all of its amendments, Our Bill of Rights, and all of the laws and regulations, rules and instructions. Think of the words “I do.” Yes, words can change our lives. And they do so in both obvious and subtle ways.

Words can inspire emotions we were not feeling a moment before we read or heard them. They can change our physiological makeup. We are sitting around the dinner table one night when the phone rings. We answer it to find out some news, good or bad, and our very chemistry changes as a result of our reaction to the words.

Words hold within them a power unmatched. The saying that says a picture is worth a thousand words doesn’t exactly convey the whole Truth.


Consider this blog a treatise, a celebration of the written word in all its glory. Words have fascinated me for the better part of my life. I have been putting my thoughts down on paper, almost since I learned to write. I still have in my possession things I wrote back in the fourth grade in school. I am an avid reader of books as well. On average, I read a book every week. I read books to learn. And I don’t read them only once, but many times over and over and over again.

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.

What are we?

If we have been searching for the answer to this question for any length of time, we have probably at some point in our life heard the phrase “We are not a physical being having a spiritual experience, but rather a spiritual being having a physical experience.”

Well which is it? Surely, considering this as absolute truth can be enlightening when you first consider it. But then again, anything heard for the first time may make you feel all enlightened inside. There is a problem with this thinking when your reality smacks you in the face. For example when you open the mail box to find it stuffed with bills, or get into a gnarly argument with a close friend or spouse.

What happened to our satori experience of just a few moments before?

What happened is what often happens to us when we are on the path to discovering ourselves or the meaning of life. We run into the part of life we were trying to ignore. Stay with me and let me see if I can make myself clear on this. I promise you what I have to say is not mere rhetoric.

The whole truth is that we are physical beings. We are spiritual beings. We are emotional beings. We are intellectual beings. We are many beings. We are what we are in the moment. None is more real than the others. What is fast without slow to compare it to?

The subtitle of my book states it is a guide to discovering your higher self. At a recent book signing the question was asked of me, what if someone doesn’t believe they have a higher self? What I was hearing in my head was what if someone doesn’t believe in their whole self?

My answer to the question became first a clarification that I am not referring to the higher self as some kind of separate entity that we must somehow discover. My idea is that we exist on what we may consider to be different levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. My reference to the higher self then is only an understanding of the multiplicity that we are.

We see examples of people who become so wrapped in any one of the aspects of our being that they somehow become separated from the “real” world. Please don’t be offended if you in any way relate to one of the following; I am only generalizing here with common examples to make a point.

We’ve all heard of “nerds.” Those who are so smart on an intellectual level or on a technical level but their social skills seem to be nonexistent. Or we have been witness to the “holier than thou” ones who cannot seem to have any real fun in life, lest they be hypocrites (which they almost invariably are). How about those who just can’t seem to take anything seriously and wind up ruining an event for the rest of us? And, finally, there are those who are obviously only out to get what they want without any seeming regard for others.

What you have in these four examples is extremism in the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical realms of the human being. None should be catered to exclusively, or even predominantly.

A word of warning here also would be not to attempt to even out your focus at every moment either. Balance is not to be achieved artificially. There will be times when you are called to be more spiritual or more physical or whatever. That is fine for the time, like waves on the ocean. Focus moves freely and does not stay in one place for long. Relax in your search, and understand that whatever you feel is your truth for that moment. The key words being your and that moment.

We move through life and our beliefs may change. This is what life is about. When we realize this is when we begin to see the triviality of believing anything as absolute. When we realize that truth is not absolute, even after we had validated it on so many occasions, we see the underlying fundamental truth that we actually create our own truths. When this happens, the fun begins.



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.

Discovering Your Ideal Scene


I learned an incredibly powerful technique from Marc Allen’s book, The Millionaire Course. Marc Allen is a cofounder of New World Library out in Novato, California. He has also written several very simple and easy to follow books on creating the life of your dreams. His strong point, I would say, is in showing you how to create your “Ideal Scene.” From this point you can begin your journey with very easy steps.

What I learned from Marc was this technique: Imagine your life in five years time. Imagine that everything goes exactly as you want it to. You are successful in every way. You have all the money you could want. You have an easy and relaxed lifestyle, if that is what you want. Your relationships are perfect, and you are happy with every aspect of your life. This is your “Ideal Scene.”

Write your ideal scene down on a sheet or two of paper and read through it often. The idea is that when you do read through your ideal scene, you should be able to pick out a list of specific goals. You then need to write these goals down on another sheet of paper.

When you read through these goals, pay attention to how they are written. You will want to edit them to write them in a positive manner. You will also want to write them in the present tense. And make them very specific. Example:

Original: “I want to lose weight.”
Positive: “I want to be thin.”
Present tense: “I am thin.”
Specific: “I weigh exactly 120lbs.”

What you have done here is created an affirmation. An affirmation is a statement you can repeat often to help condition your mind to making the change you want. Now to be honest with you, the use of affirmations is not without controversy as to their effectiveness. In fact, there are many experts who feel they do very little to help modify our behavior. I guess what I will say is this; try it to see if it works for you. You really have nothing to lose in trying.

One thing you might try to make your affirmation a little more believable is put the tense into present progressive.

Example: “I am quickly reaching my ideal weight of 120lbs.”

Anyway, back to Marc Allen’s advice. Use these affirmations for a while until ideas begin to surface in your consciousness. These ideas may be possible plans you can use to bring yourself closer to your goals. Notice I said “closer” to your goals. That is because this becomes a process. It will take time, but your momentum may increase as you move closer to completion of your goals.

I know this may seem like a very simplified version. I agree. This is not something most people just grab a hold of and run with it. But it is a start. This is actually how I first started. My results were not very spectacular at all either. It would be much later that I began to learn some things that would help my journey take off like a rocket.

You can be sure you will learn much in the following blogs. See you soon!

Thank you and be blessed,

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 Secret and The Law of Attraction

Do you remember when the DVD, The Secret, came out? That was a phenomenon. I believe nothing else has ever done as much to bring the attention of the world to the idea that there may be something more to achieving goals than mere struggle and force. The idea that inspired the secret has been around a very long time, but it was not at all mainstream until this amazing video was released.

Whether you like the video or not, you have to admit it was a marketing phenomenon at the very least. Just to give you an idea of the timeline, the idea, according to Rhonda Byrne, came about toward the end of 2004 when her daughter, Haley, gave her a copy of Wallace Wattles’ book, The Science of Getting Rich.

This is the book that inspired her to delve into her search for the secret. She read the works of many other writers including one of the most influential ones, Charles Haanel, The Master Key System.

She heard along the way that there were a number of teachers today who were dedicated to helping spread this same message, mostly in America. She came to America and interviewed twenty four of them to create the footage.

She released the first downloadable version in March of 2006. It was mostly promoted by the teachers who appeared in the video. Each one of these teachers had their respective lists, and it was also promoted through the online community of LOHAS.

By the end of 2006 the mainstream media was beginning to take notice. Larry King Live did two shows in November. (This was when I decided to get the DVD). The hard cover book, The Secret, came out in November also.

It was in January of 2007 that The Wall Street Journal did a feature. This was the first National publication to do a story on it that I know of. In February Oprah did two entire shows. From there it was difficult to find anyone who had not heard of The Secret.

For all that has been said, good or bad, you’ve got to admit this video has touched a nerve in millions of people. I would say anything that can have that kind of impact has got to have a great deal of Truth in it. The idea is right on. So why has there been so much controversy surrounding it? It all comes down to the fact that we are all individuals with individual perspectives.

How we interpret our world is the most important factor in how we experience our world.

If anything works for one person, it can work for any person. It becomes a question of discovering within ourselves our core beliefs, the root cause of our perspective. When we do this, we also discover our power to change ourselves. By changing ourselves, we change our experience in the world.

Life becomes a journey, and a very exciting one at that. I followed through with what The Secret introduced me to. It became a journey that seemed quite difficult at times, but I’ve got to tell you it was a journey worth traveling.

I hope you will continue to follow this blog as I reveal more of this journey, sharing my perspective and doing what I can to help you manifest the life of your dreams.




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.

Hello and Welcome!

This is my first blog and I intend to grow it into something that will be most valuable for you. My name is Jeffrey Brandt and I’ve started a new chapter in my life just a few short years ago. It’s been an amazing journey and it is my wish to help you to enjoy this same type of journey for yourself. It is a journey of education and prosperity.

You see, I came from a place many know all too well. I was knocked down by the circumstances of my life financially. And I saw no way to get myself out of this bad situation. I could see no way out, but I knew there had to be a way out nonetheless.

I based my assumption on the fact that there have been countless people who had experienced far worse set backs in life yet they not only survived, they thrived. I’m talking spiritual freedom, and I’m also talking financial freedom.

I’m happy now and it is my goal to help you if you are one of those who are suffering from a bad economy or whatever else you may believe to be the cause. My quest for the answer begins in making the determination that I could become financially free. Next I decided I would find that way, doing whatever it takes.

This is the first key: Making a definite Decision.

From this decision, it was obvious that in order to find that way, I would have to begin searching. And so I did. For me my search began with books. Luckily, I love to read books, and I love even more when those books are about self-help and personal growth. This is a subject that has always fascinated me since I was very young.

At first, the books I read were pretty general in their aim. You know the feel good type of books. Their impact was always short-lived as you might expect. I kept reading them anyway because I figured there had to be something in them or they wouldn’t exist.

It was like digging through a pile of ore to find an occasional nugget. Often times these nuggets were in the form of a quote taken from another writer. I took this as my clue to look up those other writers and found myself on a fascinating journey. This journey began to lead me in directions I could not have imagined myself going earlier.

I will delve more into who these writers are and what I learned on the way in future blogs. I hope you will follow along to catch onto the wisdom of what I learned and help yourself to find prosperity and abundance in your own life.

I do welcome your questions and comments and will do my best to be of the greatest service to your needs. Thank you, bless you, and to your journey!

Jeff Brandt

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