Be a Millionaire in 2 seconds.......................

if you respond within 2 seconds of me posting this!

Ok, not really. I don't really have a million dollars to give away, but I wouldn't be surprised, that if it was real- I would get the most comments EVER in 2 seconds award. Often, I am reminded of all the "get rich quick" schemes and how people are willing to blow 50 bucks on a lottery ticket just hoping it may be the one that makes them a millionaire. How many people have gone on fad diet, after fad diet- just to be heavier then they were when they started out on the first fad diet? Why do people quit so quickly after resolving to "get things done". People quit, because they do not see the results fast enough. They don't get the six pack they have always wanted within 2 hours and decide, what's the use? Or, they don't see that immediate promotion when they have worked 80 hours of overtime just so the boss could see how great a worker they are. Everything takes time. As quoted in the above poster,

"Nothing worth gaining was ever gained without effort." - Theodore Roosevelt

If you win a game without really trying, or without putting hours and hours of practice in, it isn't half as fulfilling when you know you did everything you could to prepare for that game, etc... and when you win it is that much sweeter. Same thing for any dream you have. If you don't put the work and time in needed to get there, then you won't. If you quit when you don't see results 15 min. after "working" at it... then you will never have Life: Your way.

In my very first post of this blog, I mentioned how it seems lots of people do dreaming and planning, but then they never do. Well, I think some of them do actually "do" but they don't keep at it when the going gets rough.

Oprah Winfrey says, " You have to believe that you can succeed, believe that you can be whatever your heart desires, and be willing to work for it."

If you really want to be a millionaire or really want to be an award winning actress or a world renown surgeon or lose 50 pounds, then realize it will take work, and a lot of it. Realize results won't come immediately, they take time, sometimes years and years- but if you are consistent and keep at it, no matter what happens, then you will get exactly what you desire!

Surround yourself

Surround yourself with people who love you and support you in all you do. I was speaking to a group a few weeks ago and during my speech I noticed a girl in the front row who had the awkward look on her face of confusion. When I saw her face, immediately my mind started racing "I'm doing a terrible job!" "I'm not getting through." "I'll never be a professional public speaker" " I should just quit now and walk out". Of course, I couldn't just stop speaking and walk out- I had to keep going. I quickly moved my eyes away from this girl so that I could concentrate. As I continued to make eye contact with more of my audience, I came across this other girl who was just beaming. She had the biggest smile on her face, this light in her eyes that made me know that I was in fact doing a great job. I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. She gave me that extra confidence boost I needed, without even knowing it. I did occasionally see if the girl in the front row would change her expression- but it never did change. That is when I realized, I can't focus on "who I'm not getting through to" and focus on who I am getting through. The people who support you and only want the best for you are the people who will help you get to where you want to be in life!

I have heard countless stories of people who have said that when they are told by someone "You could never do that!", then it lights an everlasting fire and they do it. Well, whenever someone says that to me... you can find me in a corner of a closet, with this face:

I need constant positive reinforcements. Negative ones, do not do a darn thing for me. Yes, for maybe .05 seconds I think to myself- "Oh, yeah! I'll show him!" hmphhhh.... and well- then I'm crying in a corner like a baby! So, find a group of friends who believe in you and support you and want the best for you... and you will be that much closer to having a life your way.

Just 15 minutes...............

Yesterday I posted about overcoming your fears and just doing what you have always wanted to do. Today- I want you to get a step closer. It isn't necessarily a fear that is stopping you, but more of a time issue-- "Oh, I can't start this project because it will take all day, so I'll just wait until I finish these other things, and get to that later", then the "later" never comes. Or, you feel intimidated by the project or moving forward and you just wait until you are "in the mood". This is where I bring in my 15 minute rule. I adapted this rule from The Flylady, at www.flylady.net. At first, this rule was for cleaning a certain area of my house, that I really didn't want to, and I would start with 15 min. a day. More often then not, that 15 min. got me over my "fear" and I would keep going, and it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought. Since that time- I have applied that 15 min. rule to a bunch of different "roles" in my life. Right now actually, I have set the timer for 15 min. - which means, I have 15 min. to write this post. It gets me in, it gets me out, and I feel accomplished and then I feel I can move onto other things. Sometimes it takes just a small accomplishment, to help us tackle the bigger things in life. It makes us feel like we can actually do it! We say to ourselves- wow I can do this?! What else can I do? I bet I could do this too.... and then you go for it. Time is ticking. :)

What is holding you back?

Why haven't you accomplished what it is you want to accomplish? Why don't you lead the life you want to lead and that you dream of? I have already mentioned the 3-4 things that need to be done in order for anyone to be what they want to be, or do what they want to do. Sometimes, when I hear someone say they want to do this or that, and I notice they aren't doing it, I really wonder why? Then I think about myself. Why am I not exactly where I want to be? Why did I start this blog 6 or so months ago- and just now start writing in it? The only conclusion I have come to is fear.

What am I scared of? What do people get scared of reaching for their goal? For me, I didn't start writing in this blog because I was scared people would think I don't have the knowledge for it. I was scared that no one would ever read it. I was scared that it might not take me where I want to go. Maybe my expectations are too high and I would get disappointed. Well, to tell you the truth- I am still scared! I'm still scared that no one will ever read it, or they will read it once and be like- ok, she is just rambling and has no clue what she is saying. But, this time around, I told myself, does it really matter? Does it really matter what people think? Does it really matter if this doesn't get me to exactly where I picture myself? NO! It's a definite start and I know that I can start learning by trial and error, and hopefully along the way inspire someone to do what they have always wanted to do, or be who they want to be, no matter what the outcome. Let go of fear and just do it. You never know what may happen, the possibilities are endless, but not unless you try!

Believing in YOU

My friend, Mikie, left me a comment on my last post that is VERY important to having the life you want to have and being what you really want to be - believing in yourself! Thanks Mikie- for pointing that out to me:)

Believing in yourself is so important! If YOU don't believe in yourself, then no matter who does believe in you- it won't matter, without faith in yourself! Do know at times you WILL fail- and your confidence can get a good swift kick, but that is where you stand back up, knowing that each time you fail, you have learned something new and can attack your goal again with that knowledge, and become even better at what it is you are aiming for!

As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe states, “Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”

Now, GO GET 'EM!

You CAN and you WILL!

This past year, 2007, I began to read a lot of books. I started out with a lot of self-help books, mainly because I would like to write a book, and was looking for what styles I liked, what I didn't, what other people were saying, etc.... As I read one after the other, it dawned at me, that ALL of these books are saying the same thing! They are saying it in a different way, and some add other things, some are tailored specific to a certain area... but they all come to the same conclusion. That no matter what you want to do in life, whether it is to have the best body, be a millionaire, be the greatest homemaker, sail around the world in 25 days, improve upon your character,etc.... There are THREE main steps you have to take - visualize in your head what it is you want to be or do, then you have to plan it out step by step, then you actually have to DO it! As I was reading these books, I kept thinking, MAN, there are so many of these self-help books out there, why??- and I feel like there are so many out there because people read and then get motivated for a little bit, and then they don't follow through on their plans or they just dream about it all day- and the DO never happens. So, they go out and get another book, to get their engines running again. I have enjoyed EVERY self-help/motivational book I have read. I get on a "high" every time I'm in the middle of reading one! They make me feel like I can do ANYTHING! So, this is what I want this blog to do for you! I want you to really feel and KNOW that you can do whatever you want-- and then I'm going to help you put it all into action! I want you to tell me what it is that you dream about doing, that you have always wanted to do! I want to see your dreams come true:) E-mail me at bertieranger4@gmail.com with your dreams or stories of how you made your dream come true, or you overcame the odds! For now, I'll leave you with a quote (and why you should come back to my blog everyday:))

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." - Zig Ziglar