The 14 Billion Dollar Question

What is my purpose?

That question is worth 14 billion dollar a year--- 14 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR! It has been reported that the self-improvement/self-help industry makes any where from 9 to 14 billion dollars a year. By self- improvement I mean diet, money, purpose, and relationship books, seminars, DVD’s, CD’s, and coaches. People spend their hard earned money trying to find the answer to a question that I will answer for you for FREE today.

So here it is:

Your purpose is the use your special talents, natural abilities, and God-given gifts, to enhance your personal and professional life, as well as the lives of every single person you come in contact with. In order to fulfill that purpose, you must spend time developing those talents, abilities, and gifts daily; so that you can exercise them effectively.

That is it. That is the reason you exist. That is your purpose.

If you still have questions concerning your purpose, you can write me a check for 14 Billion Dollars and I will spend a whole year reminding you of that every day!

To Blog…Nakeia

Dream Awake!

My daughter and I had an interesting conversation about dreams. She doesn’t have nightmares often, but there was one nightmare in particular that really has her spooked. All I will say about it is that it involves seafood and seems like more of a comedy scene in a cartoon than a nightmare. Nevertheless, she doesn’t want it to reoccur…and…she doesn’t want to eat salmon any time soon.

I shared with her my secret power to control my dreams. I am sure that I have shared this with you before, but I developed a way to control my dreams when I was a kid. There may not be any science to back me up, but whatever I direct my thoughts toward right before falling asleep is what I end up dreaming about. It has worked for me for years and it worked for my daughter last night.

The interesting thing about dreams is that they can occur while asleep or awake. A dream can be a fantasy or a terror. Either way I believe we all possess the power to control them…especially the dreams we dream while awake. Based on my own personal experience, this is truth and I don’t need a scientist to confirm it.

Today, focus on the dreams that you dream awake. Direct your thoughts toward a series of images, emotions, and goals that can go from fantasy to reality. Your personal and professional possibilities are only limited by your thoughts toward them. Once you understand the control you have to direct and focus your thoughts, you will unlock a whole new world of possibilities.

It seems the dreams of owning a house with a white picket fence or breaking a new world record has been replaced with the temporary reality of current circumstances. Whatever circumstances you are facing right now are temporary. Your life could change in an instant. One pone call or email could change your life. Dreams are not just for children. You must nurture your childhood dreams of becoming the best at everything you do.

Don’t take my word or the word of my five year old daughter. See for yourself. Dare to access your secret power to control the dreams you dream awake. Replace your terrible thoughts of anxiety with thoughts of fearless goals and you will begin to create a nightmare free life.

Dare to dream awake!


To blog…Nakeia

Challenge Update (Re-Focus Your Focus)

What area of your life gets the most attention?

Throughout the course of the day, where is your focus?

The thing that you concentrate your effort, attention, or emphasis on the most, is the thing that will be clearly developed in your life.

Stacy, my pick for the Leave 2010 With No Regrets Challenge, has decided that not being able to focus on her own personal and professional development has been her biggest regret. So, her goal for the next 95 days is to Re-focus her Focus. Stacy is going to re-adjust her vision in order to see her life’s purpose clearly. Over the past couple of weeks, she has discovered that her need to please others, her over extended daily routine, and her lack of clarity concerning her professional career has clouded her vision. Believe it or not, she has come to this discovery by doing less. Instead of being busy, she has learned to be productive. Instead of just listening to the advice of family and friends, she is listening to herself. Instead of focusing her effort, attention, and emphasis on the things that are going wrong in her life, she has re-focused her attention on the things that she wants to go right.

It is easy to get out of focus. Daily routines, family commitments, and unpleasant circumstances get in the way. But remember, the thing that you focus or concentrate on the most, is the thing that will be clearly developed in your life. For example, if you focus your attention on your lack of fluid income, you can not focus on ways to create a positive flow of income. Your focus or area of concern must be on the thing that you want to happen in your life.

Here is an exercise I gave to Stacy:

Write a list of things that typical go wrong throughout the course of one day. Create a list that spans an entire day from morning until evening (i.e. wake up late, traffic, can’t find parking, etc). Once you have completed your list, start the next day by focusing on the opposite of everything on your list. You can do this by creating a list that opposes the original list (i.e. wake up on schedule, no traffic, find parking, etc).

That is not an exercise in attitude, but in focus. If your attention is directed toward waking up on schedule so that you can avoid heavy traffic and find reasonable parking that is exactly what will develop into a regular routine.

Create a list of your own so that you can Re-focus your focus.

To Blog…Nakeia

In With The New!

Waiting is a trap.
There will always be reasons to wait.
The truth is there are only two things in life...

Reasons and Results...

...and reasons simply don't count.

~ Dr. Robert Anthony

The good doctor is right. There will always be reason to wait. Unfortunately, waiting will result in no RESULTS.

There is 101 days left in 2010. I want you to resolve to start the New Year with a New You. But here is thing, start your new year today. Don't fall into the trap of waiting.

Leave 2010 with NO REGRETS!

Waiting With A Purpose

As I prepared for this blog, the subject felt all too familiar. The words I began to type seemed to be a replay of something that I have either written or spoke about before. So I looked through my little notebooks, speech history, and blogs and sure enough---there it was---a blog I titled Tired of Waiting (revisit that one later).

Well, here’s a little more on the subject of waiting:

To wait is to remain stationary in readiness or expectation; to delay in hope of a favorable change; or to hold back expectantly (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary). During further research of the subject of waiting, I also realized that there are two types of waiting.

English 101:

Waiting is a verb that can be transitive or intransitive. A transitive verb is a verb with a direct object (purpose, aim, or goal). An intransitive verb is a verb with no direct object (purpose, aim, or goal). So, to wait transitively is to wait with a purpose…to stay in place because something is expected to happen. To wait intransitively is to wait with no clear purpose in mind…to do nothing expecting for something to happen. I know this may sound like a lecture, but I need to you to understand the difference.

Examples:
I am waiting for my business to grow because I have spent time in marketing development and have prepared a campaign designed specifically to attract new clients.
Vs.
I am waiting on my business to grow because it has been my life-long dream to own a business; and it has to work out for me.

Or…

I am waiting for the right time to start my business.
Vs.
I am waiting until I have a clear vision that I can translate into a business plan before I launch my new business.

Ralph Waldo Emerson asked the question---how much of human life is lost in waiting.

If you are in waiting…waiting to begin something new or complete something old…ask yourself this question:

Am I waiting with a purpose?

To Blog…Nakeia

The Unspoken Language

I talk a lot...no...a WHOLE lot.

But I know this to be true:

What I do, in life, is far more important than what I say.

Actions are an unspoken language that can not be misunderstood.

Today, don't say it---Do IT!


To Blog...Nakeia

Just a Reminder...

I received such an unexpected response from Friday's re-post. Some of my faithful followers sent me emails, text messages, and instant messages just to say thanks for the reminder. But what always catches me off guard, are the followers that I am unaware of ---the people that view the link from Facebook or people that are third party followers...

At the suggestion of one of my mentees, I took the time to read over some of my old posts. She was right...I am good! There were some strategies, quick tips, and my own personal experiences that helped me put some things back into perspective. She also right about the fact that give A LOT of my services away for free! Soon, I am going to have to start charging you Internet!!

Here is another good one:

Show Up...

During my last year of high school I experienced the worst migraine headaches ever. I mean the kind of headaches that would make my vision blurred, my speech slurred, and leave me completely incapacitated. I saw doctors and specialists. I tried medication and meditation. Nothing worked. It was so bad that I missed over 20 days of school and was told that I may not be able to graduate. I kept up with my assignments but the school’s policy stated that students were not permitted to be absent from school more than a certain number of days. In order to graduate, I had to turn in a note of explanation from my doctors which stated my medical condition and detailed how it could leave me unable to attend class. That letter of excuse saved me the trouble of repeating 12th grade.

An excuse is, among other things, an apology, justification, or note of explanation for an absence. It is acceptable to offer an excuse for being absent from class due to sickness. It is not acceptable to offer an excuse for being absent from the possibility of success. When you decide to make excuses, you are deciding not to show up to open the door when opportunity knocks. This is another area of my life that was difficult for me to shake. I was often guilty of making excuses. I gave what I thought were pretty compelling reasons why I didn't complete something I started or for something that I simply never started at all. When I realized what it really meant to make excuses, I made a pledge to myself never to do it again.

Join me and make a pledge to yourself ,today, never to excuse yourself from life again. Make a decision to be present. To be present is to exist. No more excuses. Show up! Your note of explanations will no longer be accepted.


If you are unsure of your purpose, confused about your next move, or are in an uncomfortable period of preparation, I suggest you join me in reading through my archives. In the words of my mentee, I am good at what I do. But even I need a reminder that will help put things into perspective from time to time...


To Blog...Nakeia