Success University 02 (Nov 08 - Jan 09)

[winston]

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Column By Mike Brescia
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How Much Would Massive Success Really Cost?

In our back yard is a large, gorgeous maple tree. In the summer, it's home to a number of birds.

Last year, at the end of a long branch, which extends to within 7 feet of our upstairs bathroom window, a family of robins built a nest where they lived all summer until the weather got too cold.

Both our cats just lay in the windowsill for hours all summer watching the birds come and go less than 7 feet from their window perch.

Now keep in mind that the winter was absolutely brutal. 14 feet of snow. The wind that blew like no winter that I can ever recall. Never as often and as hard as that year, it seemed. It was just miserable from mid October until April.

Yet this bird's nest, sitting on a long branch wide open to the chilling, hammering winds and cold that snaps electrical wires like tooth picks, stayed right there.

Every day, I'd look out at this nest and there it was, gripping that branch...

And I've got to believe that the robins that built the nest were no smarter or more skilled in nest building than any of the robins in my neighbors' trees.

They simply didn't want their home to fall apart no matter what. So they build it to withstand the worst possible conditions.

No short cuts. No excuses.

Tell me, what if you were to take every little task you do today, and do your absolute best? What if you were to mow the lawn as well as you could today?

What if you gave your all to every customer or prospective customer? How much more effort would it take to be the best husband, wife or significant other than you normally put in?

What would it really take to avoid eating beyond being comfortably full? To finish your homework and then read for another 30 minutes for good measure?

You know, the difference between failure, moderate success, an OK marriage, an undistinguished career and a raging success in any one of those areas is usually miniscule.

It's not that much more effort. Often it's hardly any real work at all.

Every single day I get emails from people who have given up hope of ever being really happy and satisfied in life. "I'm beyond help." "I'm happy that you're doing this work for other people... Too bad it can't help me."

They read the articles. They may even buy our tapes, and either don't listen to them as prescribed, or when changes do begin either with positive progress or with negative tension created by the rapid changes happening, they quit because the change is uncomfortable at first.

"Whoa! That's not me! Who am I kidding? Better slow down."

The bottom line is, change is always wanted on some level but hardly ever completely enjoyable at first.

If there is one thing that you MUST beat into your head every day like a mantra is that success at anything is
simple. It's so simple!

It's just a matter of repetition of little thoughts and little actions.

For example, to allow yourself to do shoddy work once and then again is to create momentum. A third time is like an avalanche...

Hard to stop it. The fourth time is virtually guaranteed.

When the brownies or chips and soda make it into the shopping cart every week, that's it. Run past that aisle.
Achieve a little success. Get a little momentum going the other way.

When the sitcom wins out consistently over the homework or baseball practice in the back yard, then you are creating a rotten habit, which develops a character. Done long enough, and that becomes who you are...

But thank God that with just a little effort we can change those things by making only slight direction changes.

The nest in my back yard is now housing a new family of robins who didn't have to do a thing. They just moved in. All the work was done already. They just hung a few pictures, threw out a "Welcome" mat and called it home.

And once you change the momentum of any downward slide you may be in, it's deceptively simple to stop the slide, make a few right decisions and your entire destiny can change.

If I was to get in my truck right now and drive due west for just four days, I'd be in North Bend, Oregon. But if I was facing only about 5 degrees to the south, in the same four days I'd end up in Los Angeles, California... about 960 miles away.

Now hold your thumb and fore finger about an eighth of an inch apart. Go ahead. Do it. You see, most of the time the difference between horrible, devastating failure and massive, glorious success is only that far apart.

In the next seven days, will you have chosen to stay on course?

Keep reminding yourself of how important each hour and each decision is. Do that every hour today, and I guarantee that no matter what doesn't go right, you won't be too terribly bothered by it.

And isn't that the direction you wanted to go in today?

[winston]

Bye-Bye Weeds! by Mike Brescia

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Today's Empowering Quote
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"What is the hardest task in the world? To think."
-Emerson

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Today's Empowering Question
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"When I did (some thing) right, how did I do it?"

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Today's Fast Session
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No doubt, you have plenty of times that you can recall where you did something very well. You felt good. Your mood was positive. Your focus was on the task or game...and you were ON.

You said the right things. You hit the ball, made the shots, ran like the wind. Mistakes, if they happened at
all, were brushed off and forgotten about. You were definitely in the ZONE and wanted the day to go on forever.

But it didn't...

The next day wasn't quite as good, possibly. And within a day or two or six, things were back to normal... average. Not good, not bad. Just vanilla.

Is this you?

If not, then congratulations. But even life's top performers don't regularly pull rabbits out of the hat in every area of their lives. It's too common for many people to be miracle workers at home or at work, but miserable
failures at just about everything else.

Too often, in the area that works, it's more a factor of doing that one thing for so long that you get proficient at it. Repetition over the years has worn the grooves of mastery.

It happened over time, almost without your awareness. It just came because you did the same thing again and again. Through all your mistakes you learned how to get things done fast and easy.

It's too bad you didn't have a course to teach you how to get these same results in everything you do, no matter what it is... training that could help you regularly have this incredible feeling that nothing was above your capability.

But thoughts just kind of pop in and that's the way it's supposed to work, right? 'How could I control my
thoughts?' you think. 'They just pop in. I feel a certain way because that's just who I am,' you say.

Wrong...

We get our beliefs if they SEEM accurate. A few mistakes and BOOM! We define ourselves as not good at something. It seems to make sense. If other people confirm our suspicions, then it must be true. Someone does something we don't like or doesn't look right and BOOM! we make instant judgments about them without a second's thought. If the first bite doesn't taste familiar, WHAM! Don't like it.

Most people get a belief about a thing and stay with that belief forever, whether it's true or not.

Where that can be the most detrimental is when it's a limiting belief about yourself and your worth.

Just because you made a particular mistake a number of times doesn't mean that you'll never be good at something.

Your mind doesn't have to be on autopilot. Thoughts don't have to just pop into your head. You can control your thoughts. And when you do start to take control of your mind, your emotions and actions can be similar to the greatest successes the world has ever known.

When I took the Silva Mind Method training course in the early 90's, I would get into my "alpha state" and repeat, over and over, statements that affirmed my success and ability. I told myself that there wasn't anything I couldn't do. I took all my limiting beliefs and put them on a mental screen and wiped them off one at a time.

Gone. Adios. Arrivederci. Au revoir.

Any belief that didn't support my new goals got cleaned away. And positive affirmations re-patterned new beliefs of ability, self-worth and confidence.

Keep in mind, I did this regularly. And I still do.

After all, your mind is thinking constantly. And it's impossible to tell yourself that you're a genius once and
have it stick. Not when you follow it up with a very human mistake an hour later, and the first thing you're tempted to think is, 'See, I knew I was fooling myself! I am a dunce!'

Your current beliefs took time to take root and the new ones will also take time. Think of your mind as a field.
You're planting seeds now. The new shoots will come up and produce fruit, but you've got to water and fertilize them. You've got to pull the weeds out constantly.

But what you'll have for your effort is some of the sweetest, juiciest crops of empowering and TRUE beliefs you could ever have. With these new beliefs will come powerful emotions and determination that will astound you. Sweet Success!

And the nice thing is, your new beliefs are always in season!

[winston]

There is not a source of not Well-being. There is not a source of sickness. There is just the disallowance of wellness. In every particle of the Universe there is that which is wanted and lack of it.

Excerpted from a workshop in Syracuse, NY on Thursday, October 17th, 1996

All Is Well

[millionairemind]

5 Principles for Success
Succeed at the Highest Level
December 3, 2008

Have you ever had an area of your life you wanted to change, and you were committed to making that change, but you still didn’t do it? Why does this happen? Is it because you don’t know how? Are there circumstances that prevent you from making that change?

While we can come up with a variety of reasons why we don’t follow through on what we say we want to do, inevitably it boils down to our mindset. Eighty percent of success in anything is psychology, and only 20 percent is mechanics. Most people know enough to get the job done, but they’re not doing it because their psychology is not in sync with their goals.

If you want to change your life in any area, there are five keys to succeeding at the highest level that will not only create the change you want to make, but also make that change sustainable and lasting.

1. Raise Your Standards

While this may sound like a tired old thought process, none of us who are honest can deny the truth that changes do not last long term until they become a part of our identity, until we literally begin to see them as the standard we live by. Raising your standards truly means turning your shoulds into musts. Everyone has a list of shoulds: ‘I should spend more time with my kids.’ ‘I should spend more time with a business plan.’ ‘I should lose some weight.’ I should, I should, I should. People don’t actually change. They just end up what I call, “shoulding” all over themselves. Convert those “shoulds” into “musts” and your entire life changes.

I’ve seen this example so many times when people have no money, but then one of their parents becomes ill, and they find the way to generate the money to cover the incredibly expensive cancer treatments. If you look at anyone who seems to have a superior life to yourself, I guarantee you they have a superior standard in that area. If you see someone who works out five times a week, it’s not because they have more time than you have. It’s because it is a must for them. They never miss. They identify with the standard and they live it every day.

When you feel that you absolutely must get something done, you will fi nd a way.

2. Change Your Limiting Beliefs

Even when the goal is crystal clear, and it’s truly a must for you to achieve, is that enough to succeed? Often it can be. But if you fi nd yourself either failing to act or pulling back, or even sabotaging yourself, there’s one reason: You have Inner Conflicts. Those can show up in fears and doubts, or they can show up as limiting beliefs in the form of fear or doubts. You may have a burning desire to experience absolute financial abundance, to be wealthy. But you may also have a conflicting belief that says: ‘I don’t want anyone to judge me.’ These two goals are in complete conflict. Or you have a desire to achieve a goal but simultaneously believe that you’re not strong enough, smart enough, or educated enough to make it happen. Unless you uncover these inner conflicts, they will cause you to fail.

One of the most important things I do in all of my seminars, in all of my coaching, is help people discover the conflict and realign themselves. When a human being is completely aligned, when everything inside of you is moving toward what you want without any holdbacks, there is a level of certainty that moves you to action on a consistent basis. And it will cause you to tap your fullest potential, creating results beyond your wildest dreams.

3. Model Strategies That Work

Remember, success leaves clues. There’s a Pathway to Power; a way to achieve what you want in a shorter period of time. And the way to find it is to model someone who’s already achieving what you want. If someone is successful at anything, whether they have a great relationship, are extraordinarily successful in business, or they have the body and energy that you desire, they’re not lucky. They’ve got a set of strategies that they apply and those strategies work. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You don’t need to reinvent a way to succeed. Throughout my life, I’ve always believed it’s been best to learn from others. That’s how you compress decades into days.

4. Intensify Your Emotions

It’s inevitable that life will hit us with something that feels like a crushing blow, whether an illness, a business setback, or a problem within your family. But this is a critical moment that, if faced directly, will give you the muscle of life—psychological strength—if we can simply look at it as a gift from God and find a way to use it.

Lance Armstrong’s a great example. When he faced cancer, what did he do? He didn’t give up. He intensified the emotions that he had to find a way to succeed more than he ever had in his entire sports career, even though he thought he had maximized his capabilities. And what happened? After conquering cancer, facing another biker was nothing. He won seven Tour de France events in a row. Remember, he had never won any Tour de France before that. He turned something that could have been the most traumatic moment of his life into a launching pad for some of his greatest victories. He chose to intensify his emotions and fi nd a way to conquer, not be defeated by what life offered him. These are the moments that determine our destiny.

5. Give Much More Than You Expect to Receive

Ultimately what shapes the meaning of our lives is not what we get, but what we give. If you can make it your goal to each day fi nd a way to add more value to people’s lives than anyone else, then you’ll never have to worry about success. But if you’re constantly just trying to make a deal, trying to make a trade—‘I’ll give you this if you give me that,’ you’ll find yourself struggling to prosper. Remember, the secret to living is giving. We’re not made to be selfish. We can succeed and achieve, but what we want deep in our souls is to feel like life matters, that we’re givers, not takers. If each day you can sincerely feel like you’ve given something of value to those around you, I can promise you you’ll experience the ultimate victory of life; a life of meaning and joy.

[kennynah]

let's just narrow down "success" in the context of profiting from the markets, through trading/investing....

that said... i submit a quote by someone famous(the name escapes me now...but not the quote )

Statistics are like bikinis.... What they reveal is suggestive
But what they conceal is vital

This simple yet profound (anything that relates to bikinis, is profound enough to me) statements, can be interpreted in various fashion. I choose to focus on one possibility and that is :

Knowledge is that VITAL key to success in the business of trading/investing...... to put this point across very succinctly (and apologetically, as it does come across as being brashly as well), I ask this simple question....

Do we all know the probability of success of all of our trade/investment positions before we even open these positions? If we dont, we SHOULD.

And then, knowing that we should, HOW then do we know the probability of success ? If we have the answer, this will inadvertently provide us with an edge over the rest, and hence have a better chance of profiting.

If somehow this escapes you, don't blame yourself, i had to read it 3 times to be sure of my own writing..hahaha... however, specifically, i mean.... a purchased stock/derivative position at $x has a what probability of success in y period? This is what i mean when i speak of "probability of success of a given position"... Do you honestly know?

Before you hit that "hidden" button for the answer, in case i've lost you already....the question is :

HOW do we know the probability of success of an open position? For those of us, unsure of the answer, I'd suggest a "best guess" effort.....then click on the hidden button

Hidden Content:

The answer lies on 2 major data
a) Historical Volatility
b) Implied Volatility

I hope this helps....but of cos, these could well be very wrong answers

[winston]

What Would Really Happen? by Mike Brescia

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Today's Empowering Quote
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"Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something. Where are your choices taking your life? What do your behaviors demonstrate that you are saying yes or no to in life?" - Eric Allenbaugh

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Today's Empowering Question
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"The thing I'm doing right now... is it bringing me closer or farther away from my goal?"

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Today's Fast Session
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What would happen if...?

Now THAT is a great question.

It's one that can lead you in creative directions when asked constantly.

It can also be used strategically to keep you on the right path - away from bad decisions.

This question is asked constantly in the design of software, buildings, automobiles... in fact it's probably
the most asked question in the world.

What would happen if...?

But in our personal lives, in our every day decisions concerning our health, our career, our relationships, this
question is often shelved, locked away, hidden from.

Most people are terrified of it.

Because when we ask it, if we're honest, we usually get the truth.

We get the "consequences" that we can't ignore.

That's why it's avoided like the plague.

More promising ideas have died quick, horrible deaths by avoiding this question than maybe any other reason.

What would happen if I ate that piece of chocolate cake?

What would happen if I cheated on my husband?

What would happen if we tested the new software for only two weeks instead of the usual four weeks?

What would happen if I tried to remember all my appointments this week without writing them down?

You see, if we don't ask, we can't fully consider the consequences. And when we don't think about what would happen as a result of our thoughts and actions, we can't be smart.

We lose opportunities by the boatload.

In the sports world, it's known as putting yourself in a position to win. Great managers know that if you can stay close, you have a chance.

Because if an unlucky bounce occurs, you've killed your chances to win if you'd made a bunch of dumb errors, unwise decisions or if a referee's call goes against you.

Achieving great victories, or simply getting any long-term project done on time, on budget and done correctly doesn't usually happen because of one great decision or one spectacular action.

It's done by making a lot of good decisions, which, added up, can be a great, great outcome.

People like "home runs," but success at anything isn't about having a great 30 seconds a week ago.

When a person loses 30 - 50 - 80 po'unds or more, for example, it isn't because they said no to the cheesecake at the Christmas party.

It was literally thousands of individual decisions made each day guided by an overriding purpose, and great
questions asked constantly.

When someone builds a company to a million, then tens of millions and hundreds of millions in sales, it's not only because they're so "smart" - many big companies have been built by people with less than average intelligence, average memory, less than average grades in school, no people skills.

But the ability to ask...

"Is this the best use of my time and resources?"
"What would happen if we changed this feature?"
"What would happen if we changed directions completely?"
"Is this product still going to be needed in the next year, two, twenty?"

...is the one of the single most critical abilities you can develop in yourself and in your team.

What could happen if I have one more drink? Could I get pulled over - get into an accident? What would happen then? How much would that cost in insurance, fines, attorneys and lost wages? What else could I lose? Do I want to risk all that?

Companies in the vinyl record pressing industry that didn't ask, "What is the next opportunity?" missed out on
CDs and were gone almost overnight.

People who never consider all the consequences of eating "just one" brownie will always be looking for the "diet that works," hiding from the questions.

Asking forces you to see what you may not want to face.

But wouldn't it be better to have the answers?

Wouldn't it make it easier to reach your goals? More fun? Would success come faster?

Wouldn't you be happier -after weighing the negative consequences with the positive ones- making the decisions that will send you in the right directions? Wouldn't you find it easier to say no to the "tempting" but bad decisions if you focused on the ultimate consequences instead of turning away from them?

You know the answer!!
Don't you?

Man, I hope you feel more empowered now. You should...

Because the habit of asking empowering "what if" questions is one shared by successful people in all areas of life.

Make this a part of your every waking moment, and the opinion you hold of yourself will grow by multiples, due to your better decisions and better outcomes.

You'll probably gain one or two more productive hours every single day.

And you'll be less scared of life... able to smile even during the many important and impactful decisions you must make every hour of every day.

So, what else could happen if this became an "always on" unconscious habit?

[winston]

In your moving yourself up the Emotional Scale, your business will begin to prosper in new and profound ways! Your business, your relationships, your finances cannot grow beyond your emotional response—nothing can grow beyond your emotional response. Everything matches your Set-point of emotions on every subject that exists.

Excerpted from a workshop in Tampa, FL on Saturday, December 6th, 2003

All Is Well

[winston]

Abraham is not about guiding anyone toward or away from anything. We want you to make all of your decisions about your desire. Our only desire is that you discover the way to achieve your desires.

Excerpted from a workshop in Monterey, CA on Tuesday, March 20th, 2001

All Is Well

[winston]

How Much Anxiety is Legitimate? by Reid Peterson, M.A.

Have you ever experienced a time when you realized that what you were so anxious about was created more in your mind than what was actually real? Many of us do, nearly all the time. Anxiety is a concern or worry about past or future events, taking from our personal power in the moment. How much of it is legitimate? Especially since anxiety and fear are normal human responses to certain conditions.

This article will give you some tips on how to discern real and legitimate anxiety from made up. You'll learn some important questions to ask when anxiety has caused too much discomfort. You'll also understand what you need to do in order to reduce anxiety.

The first thing to understand is that anxiety is mostly made up in the mind, but it's powerful, and often dominates many of the thoughts. Anxiety is natural and normal. At any given time, in any situation, someone may be experiencing anxiety. It's common, catchy, and it's controlling. Our minds attract to it. Sometimes, even crave it.

Anxiety does have some positive attributes though. For some people, it's inspiration to take action. It also triggers a "fight or flight" response to fear, which can keep us out of danger.

You will want anxiety for certain situations, especially if you tend to procrastinate. If you do, anxiety will get you up and doing something, helping you achieve accomplishments. You'll worry enough about the anticipated result that it will motivate you to do something about it.

But many people get a bit more anxious about things than what they need to. If you become overpowered by anxiety, it will hinder you from being able to fulfill daily functions. It will victimize you, and sometimes, cause the feeling of helplessness.

When you are victimized by anxiety, your mind is working against you. This is the point where anxiety is no longer legitimate. This is also the time where you will want to start doing something about it.

In order to recognize how much of anxiety is legitimate, first notice how familiar your thoughts are. Do they race in your mind, over and over again? If they are very recognizable and/or predictable, your mind is creating more of the madness than what really exists.

Once you have tracked the thoughts to determine how familiar they are, ask yourself the question "how is this serving me?" If in response, you feel a sense of panic or more anxiety, your body is telling you that it's not at all serving you and your mind has overreacted to the anxiety.

You can also ask yourself "Is this really me?" You'll get an answer that will help you discern what's legitimate or not. The crucial thing about this question is that you'll need to be honest with yourself. If you are, you'll most likely get an answer that your mind has been playing tricks on you.

Do you want your power back? Want to feel calm and relaxed?

Illegitimate anxiety is created in the mind and you can do things to regain control over the unnecessary thoughts. You will need to use the power of your imagination to create thoughts and images that help you calm down. Remember your imagination? You can use it to relax yourself.

Doing things to be more present is the key to reclaiming your power and releasing anxiety. Anxiety is mostly about the past and future. Constantly reminding yourself to be more present will help you regulate and reduce unnecessary anxiety created in the mind.

[winston]

Overwhelment is about you not being up to speed with what you told the Universe that you want. The Universe is yielding to you. You're just not ready to receive it right now.

Excerpted from a workshop in Philadelphia, PA on Monday, May 13th, 2002

All Is Well