Hard Work Vs. Wishful Thinking

Welcome to my blog!

Lately, I’ve noticed quite a few people waiting patiently for their “ships to come in.” The trouble is, they’re waiting at the bus stop! Not literally, of course, but they’re in an unproductive place, doing nothing except keeping the faith, believing they can manifest their intentions by remaining positive, or that God and the Angels will answer their prayers while they remain immobile. I believe in the power of prayer since positive energy brings positive results (Karma). But, “God helps those who help themselves” is an adage that is lost on them. Why is God not answering their prayers? We must meet God halfway: That’s how prayers get answered.

While I carried these thoughts in my head, I came across an article by Dr. Susan O’Malley, “You’re Never Too Old and It’s Never Too Late” in the November/ December 2015 issue of New Living. She hit the nail on the head, “You have to be willing to turn the ‘M’ of manifesting upside down into the ‘W’ of work. There it was! These words validated my beliefs. I felt the urge to harness her thought pattern. Let’s take a look.

Dr. O’Malley is an amazing woman. Her article was directed at mature people, but is relevant and timely across the board. She started medical school at 35 while six months pregnant and without a husband, became a physician at 39,  an entrepreneur at 50, a public speaker and writer at 62. At 50 she left the hospital emergency room to start her own medical spa which brought great financial success. “You can have a dream and you can be successful, but you can’t dream your way to success. You have to do the work.”

Yes!  If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m an advocate of creating and following a realistic plan of action which should lead to the road of success.

Dr. O’Malley states  “perseverance and personal responsibility were intrinsic to my success in combination with the following strategies”  

* Be willing to change course                                                                                                                 * Start With Small Risks                                                                                                                        * Ask For Help                                                                                                                                          * Let Your Goal Trump Your Humiliation                                                                                            * Admit When You Make a Mistake                                                                                                    * Stay Focused On Your Goal                                                                                                                   * Break Up The Task                                                                                                                                  * Work Hard

By the way, Louise Hay, the motivational speaker and publisher, started her empire in the much later years of her life. So maybe we will not accomplish what Louise Hay did, but we can accomplish what’s right for us. The point is, we all walk our own path and we judge success by our own set of standards. To be a success in our own eyes is an accomplishment. We must love and accept ourselves before we can love and accept others.

Wishing alone will not make it so. Take a look at your behaviors to recognize if you’re a dreamer or a doer. If your life is not going the way you would like, it’s not too late. Act now to make changes. Analyze. Investigate. Plan. Mobilize. 

Good luck.  Let me know how you do. I’d love to hear from you.

Next week’s blog post: How Our Thoughts Can Become Our Reality

 

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Finishing Before Starting-Yes, It Does Make Sense!

Welcome to my blog!

Every once in a while I get so bogged down with my “to do” list, I feel overwhelmed by the demands I put on myself. Right now I’m in that mode – feeling as if I’m roller skating towards the jumbled mass that awaits me, hoping to chip away at the brick wall blocking my peace of mind. You see, I’m a doer and cannot relax as long as there is something still needing my attention.  Ignoring it until it goes away is not an option for me, so I need to figure a way to handle it as quickly but responsibly as possible.

The important lesson is to start with a simple example, analyze the situation, make a list of possible steps,  act, transfer the specifics,  generalize, then apply it to a greater situation. Remember, your plan must make sense for you. Since we’re all different, we must find our truth and follow it.

I take greater satisfaction in finishing projects than in starting new ones. But how to get it all done so I can get on to the next thing? Hmmm. Lucky for me, I came across an article by Joel Fotinos, “When You Don’t Know What To Do Next, Finish Something” in the August/ September 2015 issue of Creations Magazine. I already think along these lines, but his article laid it all out.

Mr. Fotinos suggests the following for short-term and long-term goals: “List, Prioritize, Act. Start with the thing you least want to do. Assign a time limit. Create momentum that leads into completion of the next item on the list  ‘with a chain reaction that enlarges my life and helps me to achieve any goals I have.’ ”

Mr. Fotinos goes on to say, “Here are five things I’ve noticed when I take action:

* Procrastination Actually Takes More Energy Than Just Getting Things Done
*There Are Times I’ll Start a New Project To Avoid Something I Need To Get Done                                                                                                                                                    * Taking Positive Action Creates Positive Energy And Forward Momentum
* Taking Positive Action Is A Form Of Self-Care
* We Also Need To Create Balance By Relaxing And Playing”

Isn’t it wonderful that fun and relaxation are validated as we journey towards perfection!

Let’s take a simple example ( List, Prioritize, Act) and make a list of possible solutions:

Problem – You’ve borrowed 5 books from the public library, wanted to read all of them, haven’t started any of them but they’re all due back in 6 days.

Possible Solutions –

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

I bet you never thought there could be so many possibilities on this one. Surprising, isn’t it? Let’s see what I came up with and let’s compare possibilities. Of course, there are many more combinations and choices, but you get the idea.

My Possible Solutions–
1. Read day and night forsaking all other responsibilities and return those books on time.
2. Choose one, read it and forget about all the others.
3. Keep the books until you’ve finished each one, suck it up and pay those late fines.
4. Read one book, return the books on time, then start over,  borrowing one book at a time.
5. Return the books on time, purchase any unread books as ebooks to read at your leisure.
6. Return all the books, unread. Who needs this anyway?
7. Read what you can, return the books on time, scrounge around to borrow from friends.
8. Pretend they’ve been lost or stolen, and just pay the library for the price of the books.

 

You can see some possibilities help you reach your goal, while some are self-defeating. Let’s try to limit our possibilities to actions that will take us closer to the desired result. Don’t be an obstacle to yourself!

Let me know how you do. I’d love to hear from you.

Next week’s blog post: Your Intuition – Listen Up!

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