Taking action…

is the ultimate solution to every dilemma.

56 Things You Can Toss Out Now

by Christine Kane

We hold onto our stuff for two reasons: Love or fear. We either love things. Or we fear letting them go.

We cherish them and know they have value to us.

OR…

We fear that we’ll need them someday. We fear that we wasted our money on them. We fear what others will think if we let them go. We even fear making the decision to release our mistakes, so we don’t make any decision at all. Instead we passively hold onto stuff out of guilt.

Well, guess what?

When you begin to make choices from a place of LOVE and EXPANSION, then your world will change. Love is the clearest reason to do anything. If you don’t love it, toss it. Give it away. Your abundance and energy will increase when you begin to live by love, and not by fear.

Here are 56 things you can toss out (or give away) right now…

1. All the hotel key cards you forgot to turn it when you checked out.

2. The doilies your Aunt Missy crocheted 45 years ago that got handed down to you.

3. CD’s you haven’t listened to in three years or more.

4. The boxes of cassettes you’ve been meaning to transfer to CD’s.

5. The bread maker you haven’t used since 2003.

6. Your wedding dress

NOTE: You can say you’ve been saving it for your daughter, but here are three signs that your daughter doesn’t want to wear it: a] she’s already married and wore her own dress, b] she’s been roommates with a woman named Pat for nine years, or c] you don’t have a daughter.

7. Credit card bills from 1995.

8. The Allen wrenches from every piece of IKEA furniture you ever assembled.

9. The jacket you spent way too much money on and never wore. NOTE: Keeping it around just to punish yourself for your bad choices is like going to parochial school all over again.

10. Every scratching post or toy your cat doesn’t like. NOTE: Your cat didn’t go to parochial school so there’s no sense punishing him.

11. House plants you no longer love.

12. The stacks of O Magazine you swear you’ll re-read.

13. Every little zippy bag that came with a Clinique purchase.

14. Every unopened perfume that came with a Clinique purchase.

15. Leftover scrunchies in case you grow your hair long again.

16. The “Cherries Jubilee” flavored lip balm that makes you nauseous.

17. Every single regretful lipstick color you bought on a whim. (“Cherries Jubilee” is probably there, too.)

18. Your last four cell phones and all their chargers and blue teeth.

19. Single socks.

20. The Spode Christmas plates and mugs you don’t like. (Along with the Christmas bath towels and welcome mat.)

21. The framed posters you had in your college dorm room.

22. Old stereo wires.

NOTE: If your husband refuses to let go of any of these mysterious wires, try this: Put them (not him!) in a bin and label it “Random Cables and Wires.” After two years, bring it out of storage and kindly note that no one has thought about it in two years. Ask if it would be okay to let go of half of them. Repeat process until all mysterious cables and wires are gone.

23. The nails, screws, anchors, and cup hooks rusting in the bottom of your tool chest.

24. Remote controls that don’t remotely control anything you own.

25. Lamps, toasters, blenders, coffeemakers that no longer work.

26. The notion that you will ever be one of those moms that makes beautiful scrapbooks.

NOTE: Put your photos in boxes. No one will judge you.

27. Old blankets and linens you keep in case you suddenly have 27 sleepover guests.

28. College text books

29. Any boring decorative item that does little more than fill space.

30. Vases you don’t love or use.

31. Candle holders you don’t love or use.

32. Picture frames you don’t love or use.

33. Class notes from college.

34. The idea that you have to save every piece of your children’s artwork and school work because it might mean you don’t love them if you don’t.

35. The “good silver” you don’t use that was passed down to you.

36. Old VHS movies

37. Unlabeled VHS tapes. (And don’t waste your time watching them just in case.)

38. The stationary bike that got even more stationary after you got it.

39. The fabric pieces you’ve been collecting in case you ever become a quilter.

40. Flashlights that dimly light up only after you bang them over and over on your thigh.

41. Old keys that open some door somewhere in the past.

42. Suitcases you don’t use.

43. Old computers.

44. Old stereos.

45. Promotional duffel bags with ugly logos and bad acronyms stitched all over them.

46. Anything that makes you say, “But I got such a good price on it!”

47. Anything that makes you say, “But I paid so much for it!”

48. Half-full cans of paint.

49. Extra baby items/Old baby items.

50. Record albums. NOTE: Don’t spend your extra hours in a day trying to figure out if someone will buy them. Really. They won’t.

51. Gifts you never liked.

52. All the cross-stitch, knitting, or sewing projects you never finished.

53. Any glassware or dinnerware that is a “memorabilia” item from proms or sororities or sports events.

54. Old information packets you no longer need or that you can easily find on line.

55. All the hotel soaps that you took with you. (And stop taking them. You’ve got plenty of soap!)

56. The belief that you only have to go through the de-cluttering process once and won’t ever have to do it again.

Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her ‘LiveCreative’ weekly ezine with more than 4,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at www.christinekane.com.

There is No Perfect Plan

There is no perfect plan. Shut up and get started.

Are You Listening?

Interesting post from allergicgirl: are you listening when your customers tell you what they do or do not like? Apparently some chefs feel folks are being less than honest, saying they are allergic to something when they are not.

I say, if that’s what it takes to get you to not put nuts in my food, well, that’s what has to be done.

Nothing Can Stop You

There is absolutely nothing that can stop you if you don’t want it to. The only thing that can stop you is your decision to stop.

If they laugh at you…don’t stop
If they tell you it won’t work…don’t stop
If you’re afraid it won’t work…don’t stop
If they tell you you’re not smart enough…don’t stop
If you’re afraid you’re not smart enough…don’t stop

Go Get It…It’s Yours
———————–
RobWallis
robwallis@thewallisgroup.com

What Are You Afraid Of?

It’s a question I have asked myself so many times until I’m tired of hearing it. We prevent ourselves from doing so many things because we are afraid. Afraid of what people will say, afraid that we will fail, afraid that we won’t like the result, whatever. The bottom line is that YOU DON’T KNOW UNTIL YOU DO IT.

Most people, me included, spend so much time worrying about “what if.” My wife came up with a saying recently that I think is very appropriate: “Don’t focus on ‘what if’, only on ‘what is’”. What that means is, if you don’t know the answer, you don’t have enough information to be afraid. So many people are certain that they will fail. No matter what it is that you want to do, you don’t know until you try. And most of the time, it will cost you nothing to try. And you just might succeed.

As a wise person once told me, you have absolutely no right to have an opinion on any subject until you have actually lived it yourself. Don’t ask people who haven’t done it. In fact, don’t ask anybody. Most people can only give you their opinion through their own filter of experience, which may be completely different than yours. How do you know? You have to live it yourself!

YES, you can learn from other’s experiences, as long as they don’t scare you out of having your own. Stop worrying about failure; worry about what you’re missing when you try too few times.

And what if you fail? Sure, your pride might get hurt a little, you may even be out some money. But in the long run, even of you do fail, you will have learned a valuable lesson which you will know not to repeat.

Think: It won’t kill you (if it would, you probably shouldn’t be doing it in the first place). Now go out there, stop worrying and START LIVING!

————————————————————————————————–
Rob Wallis is a speaker and trainer specializing in personal development, productivity and time management. He is founder and CEO of The Wallis Group, a productivity firm located in California. Contact him at rob@thewallisgroup.com.

Quitting is not an option now

Found this interesting link on the “Motivate Me” blog site. How many times have you quit too soon?

——————–
Rob Wallis is an author, speaker and trainer specializing in success training and personal development. He is founder and CEO of The Wallis Group, a productivity firm located in California. Contact him at rob@thewallisgroup.com.

Alan Weiss, doing what he does.

“It costs virtually nothing to act successful. But you have to give yourself permission.”

See today’s profound post here

Why Success Is a Science (from ETR)

By James Arthur Ray

In his best-selling book Automatic Wealth, Michael Masterson devoted an entire chapter to the importance of developing wealthy habits. One of the things he said: “There is no one way to become rich. But there are a number of habits that some people develop that give them an almost supernatural ability to earn money and build wealth.” He then went on to discuss eight things that successful wealth builders do – eight habits that they have in common.

You’ve probably observed that people who are highly successful at any skill – not only wealth building – achieve their results by doing “certain things in a certain way.” Add to this the scientific fact that “like causes produce like effects” – and one thing becomes clear: If you and I consistently employ the same thought processes and actions as these highly successful individuals, we will produce similar results.

This is why success is an absolute science. If you apply the principles (thoughts and actions) of peak performers, you will accelerate your results far beyond your current level of achievement. Put it to the test.

In his book Psychocybernetics, Dr. Maxwell Maltz talks about our daily actions being a direct result of our habits. Since your actions are the cause of your results, it is fair to assume that your habits are what ultimately create the results you obtain. Habits are the things you and I do naturally and automatically, without thinking. Most of these habits were formed at a very early age and are now collected in your unconscious mind. According to Maltz, if you want to change your results, you must begin to form new habits.

Your current thinking regarding your abilities, your product, and your industry is habitual. It is buried in your unconscious mind, and it drives your behavior on a daily basis. Many times, this mindset is limiting, because it has as its foundation things said by a parent, teacher, coach, etc. that were intended to protect us from disappointment … but are actually disempowering. Things like: “Be realistic,” “Don’t expect too much,” and “Life is hard.”

To reverse this negative mindset and build the habits of a top performer, start by taking these four first steps:

1. Set a clear and measurable goal.

Make it a goal that you are excited about accomplishing. The human spirit will not invest itself in mediocrity – so if you want to succeed in overcoming limiting habits, your goal must create passion in you!

When you set your goal, keep two other important things in mind: It must be specific … and it must be measurable. Instead of “I want to make more money,” write, “I am earning a minimum of $70,000 per year.” This way, you will know exactly when you have accomplished the goal.

2. Write your goal in the present tense.

Notice that in the above example, the goal is in the present tense: “I am earning a minimum of $70,000 per year.” There’s a reason for doing this. It will cause you to fully associate with the achievement of your goal. Your unconscious mind is totally deductive, and, therefore it accepts anything that your conscious mind gives it without question. Consequently, correct phrasing is imperative. Instead of “I want to earn $70,000 per year,” write your goal as if you have already achieved it.

3. Write your goal every single day, carry it with you everywhere you go, and read it as often as possible.

Remember, you are developing habits of the highly successful – ways of thinking and acting that are new to you. So don’t think that this step is redundant. Realize that it has taken years to develop your current limiting mindset – and it will take concentrated effort to replace it.

4. Take action and make daily decisions with your goal in mind.

For example, you might ask yourself the question: “What decision would I make right now or what action would I take right now as a $70,000 income earner?” Answer the question – and act! If you act based upon your current status, you will continue to create your current results.

Any time you experience frustration with these action steps, realize that it is caused by your old mental “programming” trying to push you back into old behaviors. Don’t give in! The mark of a master achiever is a person who has the ability to give himself a command – and follow it.

[Ed. Note: James Arthur Ray, a leading expert on the psychology of success, has devoted his life to helping ordinary people lead extraordinary lives. Recently, James put together an enormous package titled "Focusing on the Science of Success." If you are ready to transform your life, here's how you can try out this program for 30 days.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

One More Step

Thought I would share a song I just wrote today about persistence:

One More Step

it’s a crazy world, there’s no doubt
where you become what you think about
seems like sometimes this life’s so rough
i just feel like giving up

that’s when i take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step

one day i met the luckiest man
asked him what’s your secret do you have a plan
he said, i don’t know but on this i can bet
the harder i work the luckier i get

and i always take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step

you gotta be in the right place at the right time
so be in a lot of places

and don’t forget to take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step
(c) 2008 Tig Wallis