Do your goals come with excess baggage?

What are the first thoughts in your mind when you read these statements:

I want to travel the world
I want to own the car of my dreams
I want own an apartment of my own

Do you hear a little voice in your mind that whispers something along the lines of:

I need to have the money first
How in the world I’m going to finance these dreams of mine?
Who in their right mind would give me what I want just like that?

Uh-oh, be careful.

Perhaps you would start to belief that you will need money first before you could achieve your wants or goals. That’s the sign that you’re picking up excess baggage on your journey towards your goals. And boy, would it be a gruelling journey dragging that weight around.

Especially after The Secret boom, many have tried to manifest their dreams and goals but to little or no visible results until much later. Some might have given up along the way.

It is not that LOA doesn’t work. The Universe just gets confused on what you really want to manifest sometimes. For example:

One moment you want to own that BMW, then the other second you want money because you want to be able to purchase the car.

See the Universe as a waiter taking your order. If you keep changing your orders, how can the waiter deliver what you want?

Check your thoughts. Be clear with what you want and leave the rest to the Universe. The Universe always knows the best way to lead you towards your goals or wants.

How do we chuck those excess baggage away?

As we progress through our lives, our belief system is programmed based on each experience we go through which then affect our thinking, actions and beliefs.

A few tools that help us focus on our goals rather than the baggage that comes with it are:

Vision board:
A vision board is a board where you put a collage of pictures, words or notes that reflects your wants or goals.

Put it at a place that you will see it often such as on the wall in front of your workdesk, next to your mirror or any other places that you are able to see it as often as possible. This tool can help you to stay focus on the goal, conditioning your mind on the outcome rather than the ‘how’s.

Prayer:
Another way you can do it is through prayer. Regardless of what religious background you come from, a little prayer can bring you a long way. Or if it feels more comfortable to you, offer a little request to the Universe for some help. (For more on the power of prayer with a scientific twist, my recommended read is “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Dr. Joseph Murphy)

Repeat your prayer whenever you feel down or negative about your goals. Say your prayer in the morning when you get out of bed and just before you sleep. This will help you set your subconscious mind towards your goals. This acts as a boost towards manifesting your goals. :)

Hope these 2 tips are able to help you focus on your goals and reduce your baggage or beliefs that come along with your goals.

Other methods that I highly recommend to release those baggages are (click for more info):

• The Work by Katie Byron
• Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

(Photo credit: wiseacre photo)

Break free from your baggage and run free towards your goals!

Self-worth

Have you had moments when you felt that you weren’t taken seriously? Or perhaps not important enough to be treated with more respect?

It could be when you were stood up for a date or when someone brushed your comments aside during a team meeting, whichever situation you find yourself questioning your self worth, ask yourself this:

Do I want to be treated this way?

By asking this question when you’re facing such situations it brings you to be more aware of your feelings while preventing you from going into a downward spiral of self-beating “I’m not good enough” chatter in the mind. This is especially beneficial when asked at that moment,

Nobody wants to be treated like their existence doesn’t matter (or to get to the point: crap).

Now that you’ve got your answer, say out it loud. Let that ‘NO’ be spoken and echoed in your heart, even if it’s just a whisper.

That’s right, you deserve to have be treated with more respect! Before you start ranting how you should not be treated that way ask yourself another question:

Am I treating myself with the respect I expect from others?

It is always easier to put the blame on others or be in a victim mode. But respect or your self-worth builds from within.

A good place to start is to be aware of your thoughts. Are you thinking that you’re going to be lonely and single forever or my boss sucks big time so I might as well don’t bother? (or along those self-defeating lines)

If you are please STOP.

These thoughts are not going to increase your self-value neither will it solve the situation.

Once you have checked what kind of thoughts are running through your mind, treat yourself respectively by looking at the bright side.

If your date stood you up, at least you know that she/he is not worth it because they didn’t respect your effort, time and even feelings.

If you boss brushed your comments aside during the meeting, probably he didn’t get the point yet, or it was not presented in the right setting. You can always give it one more try, show that you’re serious in what you do and chances are you will be shown the respect for your effort.

Please bear in mind that if you had your idea turned down it is not the end of the world. Now you know better which ideas don’t work with your boss so you won’t repeat the mistake in the future.

Ever person deserves respect and it starts from within. The value you put on yourself will reflect how other responds to you.

This is an important foundation for you set for yourself if you seek a more peaceful and happier life because the Universe can only give you what you believe in.

Start by asking yourself these 2 questions:
1. Do I want to be treated this way?
2. Am I treating myself with the respect I expect from others?

Photo credit aNne(♣):

The Opus

2 years ago when I watched and read The Secret, a door opened for me. It inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and strive for the things that I want. I worked harder than I did before, think more than I had before and gained so much more knowledge about personal development, LOA, The Work and EFT (and still continuing to do so).

We have all practiced LOA in our lives whether we're conscious of it or not. For me I realised the power I held in my mind through The Secret, setting a foundation for me to explore and learn.

When I got to know that The Opus was out I wasted no time searching for it and I watched it from start to end, not minding how late it was in the night (I had work the next day).

If you're already a student of the Universe who practices the LOA you will probably already know what is being shared in The Opus. To me the movie serves as a reminder to how we should attract abundance in our lives.

If you are still new to it and seeking to understand more of it this is a movie to watch (among numerous other literature and videos out there).

2 minutes of gratitude

The statistic below has be published in numerous places across the world in the Internet.

It takes less than a minute to finish reading the 'report' and another minute to contemplate your standing in life. All together it takes 2 minutes, just 2 minutes of your 24 hours to appreciate the present gifts in your life:

If it were possible to reduce the population of the entire world to 100 inhabitants, maintaining the proportions of people which currently exist in the world, it would be made up as follows:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 Americans (North, Central and South)
8 Africans
52 would be women
48 men
70 non-white
30 white
89 would be heterosexual
11 homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the world’s wealth
80 would dwell in inhabitable housing
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would have a computer
1 (yes, just one) would have a university degree

And consider this: if you are more healthy than sick, you are luckier than a million people who will not see next week. If you never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of prison, the agony of torture, the pain of hunger, you are luckier than 500 million of the world’s inhabitants.

If you have food in the fridge, clothes in your closet, a roof over your head, a place to sleep, then consider yourself richer than 75% of the world’s inhabitants.

If you have money in the bank, a wallet or some loose change lying around somewhere, consider yourself among those with the best quality of life in the world.

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Visions and dreams

"Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."

Napoleon Hill

This quote struck a chord within me when I saw it a few days ago. I've asked myself many times, "What is my visions and dreams?" but only to be left staring at the blank wall of my mind. Why is there a wall in the first place... why is it there and what is hidden behind that wall?

When we were children it was easier for us to let our minds soar in our imagination, dreaming of what we could be in the future, wondering about the 'what if...'s and 'what about...'s. However as we grow up our mind's vision gets narrower and eventually limiting ourselves in so many ways; leaving us staring at a wall - blocked. By then, we our childhood visions and dreams would've been concealed behind that wall and the more we let it stay behind it, the easier we forget about it.

Randy Pausch once said: "Brick walls are there for a reason"

I agree with him. During times when you feel that you feel stuck, uninspired or lost try and remember your vision, goals and/or dreams. When you can't recall them but you know that there's something deep inside of you that you may have long forgotten, get over that 'brick wall' to reunite yourself to your life's purpose.

Think about it, get help from your childhood friend to remind you of your 'crazy' dream, talk to people, walk down memory lane, watch family videos...do anything that can remind you of what you wanted but have lost track of. It could be dreams that you had since you were a child (you can count on the honesty to yourself to know what you truly want in life) or something that you've discovered throughout the years. Whatever it is, hold on to them as they will fill your life with purpose and fulfillment...and of course be the blueprint to your success.

Knowing what you want and identifying your goals or dreams is only the first step to a more fulfilling life. From this you will have a goal to work towards to; a lighthouse to lead you ship to your destination. As you set your destination and embark on your life's journey, remember to check your 'map', your goals/dreams, so you won't lose your way.

All the best and here's to a happier and more fulfilling life!

Cheers.

Thank you for reading this article! Do share your thoughts, stories or comments. Feedback is highly valued here at The Present Gift. Feel free to drop a comment or e-mail me – just click on the Contact tab at the top of the page for my details.

Success

For the past week I made decisions that I never saw coming my way so soon. I thought it would take much later for me face them but I floated with the current and I'm glad that I did.

Many times I've thought about my decision, doubted it, supported it, doubted it again but in the end I decided to root for it (read: myself) because doubts and fear won't get me anywhere. It'll only remain heavy in my heart while washing my self-confidence down the drain, spiralling down the never-ending gutter.

It's because of that decision I know I've set a solid foundation for my career and boosted my first step into financial indepence. And that's the scary part.

You can say (and I admit) it's the fear of success.

"People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them. We, their hearts become fearful just thinking of loved ones who go away forever, or of moments that could have been good, but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands. Because, when these things happen, we suffer terribly."

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

It happens to me and it is this fear that's holding me back from what I have the potential to gain. It's so scary that it immobilise you in your tracks while whispering doubts into your ear as you step outside of your comfort zone.

But I realised that everything's going to be just fine. What is there to be afraid of when it's not for sure that those threats exist in the first place?!

How can I be sure that my future employer would be disappointed in me when I'm willing to work my butt off?

How would I know that things would go wrong half-way when in fact everything's going to plan?

How would I know that I wouldn't be able to make ends meet when everything's just fine?


Rather than spend your time and energy worrying about things that don't exist, enjoy the things that do.

I've set on a career and secured a job before graduation. Shouldn't I be rejoicing it rather than fear about what could go wrong?

As silly as it may sound to some, I think there are many out there who share the same kind of fear of what lies ahead, the sacrifices we have to make, the unknown obstacles that drop on us unexpectedly and the things that we are not comfortable with...yet.

But tell your heart this:

“The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Not doing the things that you want or holding yourself back from the experiences that will bring your far in life because of fear would only bring more suffering. It brings no satisfaction at all.

Even though I've just made that first step towards a great life and haven't seen its rewards yet, I know that what's more important is that I didn't hold myself back and there will be no looking back wondering if I could've had a better life.

All I had to do was make that positive decision.

So can YOU.

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Here's an inspiring photo by tdoxie aptly named, Don't Fear What Lies Ahead.



Thank you for reading this article! Do share your thoughts, stories or comments. Feedback is highly valued here at The Present Gift. Feel free to drop a comment or e-mail me – just click on the Contact tab at the top of the page for my details.