Harmonizing Thoughts

Harmonizing Thoughts by Vic Johnson(excerpted from Day by Day with James Allen)





“A Person is the causer (though nearly always unconsciously) of his circumstances, and that, whilst aiming at the good end, he is continually frustrating its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts and desires which cannot possibly harmonize with that end.” —As a Man Thinketh
One of the examples James Allen uses to support this philosophy is a rich man who is the victim of a painful and persistent disease as the result of gluttony. He’s willing to give large sums of money to get rid of the disease and he fully expects that will be the cure. Unfortunately, he never addresses the gluttonous desire that is the cause of his condition. He can never achieve good health because his desires are not in harmony with the good health he seeks, regardless of the money he spends.



Wow, did I relate to the rich man. Not because of his money, but because of his attitude. There’s been so many times in my life that I said I wanted to get rid of negative circumstances, all the while I’m engaging in the actions (brought on by my thoughts) that could never possibly harmonize with the results I said I wanted.



Once I remember a big commitment and resolution on my part to spend more time with my family. I optimistically laid out a calendar of activities we would do together and got very excited about the “new me.” The way I had it figured, I’d probably be “father of the year.”
Well, I’m glad they didn’t publish the results of the “competition” that year, I’m sure I would have finished dead last. You see, despite my “aiming at the good end,” I hadn’t changed the thought patterns that had plagued me for years. Any type of crisis in my business was a justifiable reason for me to work late or to go in on the weekends. While my mouth said that my family was more important, my actions (and thoughts) said otherwise.
James Allen wants us to understand that we cannot change our circumstances without first changing our thoughts to harmonize with the circumstances we want. To think otherwise is just as foolish as the gluttonous rich man.



One of my great enlightenments came from Wayne Dyer’s You’ll See It When You Believe It. He wrote, “Work each day on your thoughts rather than concentrating on your behavior. It is your thinking that creates the feelings you have and ultimately your actions as well.”
And that’s worth thinking about.



—Vic Johnson



Reproduced with permission from the Chris Widener Ezine. To subscribe to Chris Widener's Ezine, go to http://pr1.netatlantic.com/t/12897414/31467344/590990/0/ Copyright 2009 Chris Widener International. All rights reserved worldwide.

Todays Quote - November 25, 2009

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

--Anne Frank

Decide to be Happy

Happiness isn't something that happens to you. It is something that you yourself do and determine upon. If you wait for happiness, you are likely to have a long wait. No one can decide what your thoughts will be but yourself. No day or circumstance is 100% 'good' and events justify either a pessimistic and grumpy outlook or a optimistic and happy outlook, depending on our choice. It is largely a matter of selection, attention and decision - a matter of to what we choose to give primary attention and what thoughts we hold in the mind.

"True happiness involves the full use of one's powers and talents." - John W. Gardner

Goals!!!

We all know goals are critical to our success. This week, here are a few quotes to help keep you focused on them:

"If you make the unconditional commitment to reach your most important goals, if the strength of your decision is sufficient, you will find the way and the power to achieve your goals."

- Bob Conklin

"Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along."

- Napoleon Hill

"Momentum, two ways to keep momentum going, always be planning something and constantly have greater goals."

- Michael Korda

Not Getting Results? Try Something new!

In a way, human beings behave like bees. If you place several bees in an open-ended bottle and lay the bottle on its side with the base toward a light source, the bees will repeatedly fly to the bottle bottom toward the light. It never occurs to them to reverse gears and try another direction. This is a combination of genetic programming and learned behavior.

Put a bunch of flies in that bottle and turn the base toward a bright light. Within a few minutes, all the flies will have found their way out. They try all directions – up, down, toward the light, away from the light, often bumping into the glass – but sooner or later they flutter forth into the neck of the bottle and out the opening.

We often allow ourselves to become locked in our present circumstances – even if we are unhappy and really want to be reaching in a new direction. What we're doing may make us miserable, but at least it's familiar. One of the most important factors in achieving personal success is the willingness to try things out, to experiment, to test new grounds. In fact, this is the only way to learn and progress: trial, error, feedback, knowledge, trial and success. It is a far better thing to try to succeed and fail, than to do nothing and succeed.

This week:

* Try it
* Change it
* Do it

Stop stewing and start doing!
-- Denis Waitley

Ten Steps to Goal Getting by Zig Ziglar

I've heard from a number of readers that they are fans of Zig Ziglar and that they would like to see more of his material. With that, I thought I would share one of my favorite lists. Enjoy, and see if you can add a few of these steps into your life today!!

Ten Steps To Goal Getting by Zig Ziglar

These ten steps will help you achieve your goals in 2009.

1. Make the commitment to reach your goal. "One person with a commitment is worth a hundred who only have an interest." Mary Crowley.

2. Commit yourself to detailed accountability. Record your progress toward your goals every night, and list the six most important things you need to do the next day. Daily discipline is the key to reaching your goals.

3. Build your life on a sold foundation of honesty, character, integrity, trust, love, and loyalty. This foundation will give you an honest shot at reaching any goal you have set properly.

4. Break your intermediate and long-range goals into increments.

5. Be prepared to change. You can't control the weather, inflation, interest rates, Wall Street, etc. Change your decision to move toward a goal carefully--but be willing to change your direction to get there as conditions and circumstances demand.

6. Share your "give-up" goals (i.e., give up smoking, being rude, procrastinating, being late, eating too much, etc.) with many people. Chances are excellent they're going to encourage you.

7. Become a team player. Remember: You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

8. See the reaching. In your imagination see yourself receiving that diploma, getting that job or promotion, making that speech, moving into the home of your dreams, achieving that weight-loss goal, etc.

9. Each time you reach a goal your confidence will grow so that you can do bigger and better things. After accomplishing any goal, record it in your journal, Weekly Planner or Palm Pilot.

10. Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals--what you will become is the winner you were born to be!

Today's Quote - November 8, 2009

"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent."

Sophia Loren

Thirteen Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Success by Brian Tracy

This is an excerpt from Brian Tracy's "The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success."

Thirteen Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Success by Brian Tracy

1. The Law of Control: You feel good about yourself to the degree at which you feel you are in control of your own life.
2. The Law of Responsibility: You are completely responsible for everything you are and for everything you become and achieve.
3. The Law of Direction: Successful people have a clear sense of purpose and direction in every area of their lives.
4. The Law of Compensation: You are always fully compensated for whatever you do, positive or negative.
5. The Law of Service: Your rewards in life will always be in direct proportion to the value of your service to others.
6. The Law of Applied Effort: All things are amenable to hard work.
7. The Law of Overcompensation: If you always do more than you are paid for, you will always be paid more than you are getting now.
8. The Law of Preparation: Effective performance is preceded by painstaking preparation.
9. The Law of Forced Efficiency: The more things you have to do in a limited period of time, the more you will be forced to work on your most important tasks.
10. The Law of Decision: Every great leap forward in life is preceded by a clear decision and a commitment to action.
11. The Law of Creativity: Every advance in human life begins with an idea in the mind of a single person.
12. The Law of Flexibility: Success is best achieved when you are clear about the goal but flexible about the process of getting there.
13. The Law of Persistence: Your ability to persist in the face of setbacks and disappointments is your measure of your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed.
—Brian Tracy

Today's Quote - November 5, 2009

"Character building begins in our infancy, and continues until death."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Character may be influenced by heredity and environment, but it's determined be choice."

- Michael Josephson

Can I Borrow $25 ?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'
DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.
SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then
You march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such
childish frivolities.'
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door
of the little boy's room and opened the door. 'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.
'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.
'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long
Day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then
looked up at his father. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.
'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied. 'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'


The father was crushed. He put his arms
around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.