I loved that movie Evan Almighty- especially when God (Morgan Freeman) says

“When you ask God for courage, do you think I zap you with courage? No I put you in a situation that calls for courage. When you ask God for great relationships, do you think I zap you with warm fuzzy feelings? No. I throw you in a situation that lets you exercise camaraderie.”

Beautiful isn’t it! He encapsulated in a single paragraph the secret behind The Secret. The secret behind manifestation.

You see, I’ve long understood that all those self-help programs, those manifestation methods, those attraction techniques do not ‘magically’ materialize your desire out of thin air. Rather, when you set your mind to something, you unconsciously set in motion a series of situations that inspire action.

Taking actions spells the difference between getting what you want. Or being frustrated.

Now here’s the real key to really adding magic to all your efforts. Take action today. Yep. Right Now.

Being in a perpetual ‘SomeDay’ mode will create just that… a life of wistful thinking.

How to you spend your free time?

Let me see. If you’re one of the millions of corporate blokes out there, you laze in front of TV, get drunk, read some old Men’s magz or just doze off. And while you’re at it, your brain shrinks while your belly bloats.

Aha! Is that a blush on your cheek? I thought so.

Leisure time that’s simply passive downtime is a monumental waste of time. It’s time that could have been spent more productively and yet enjoyably.

Consider the following activities that can get you a major rush. (more…)

I got a pile of stuff. Collections of old laptops, comics, shirts that no longer fit and even tax returns from 1997.

“Joe,” I told myself “I gotta throw some out. Otherwise, how can new stuff come in?”

Sigh. Till 2006, I never followed through on my self-chastisement. The stuff keeps piling up and investing in new cabinets added to the stuff.

How many of you suffer from the collection bug?

Stepping back, I realize that collecting nonestop can be dysfunctional at times. It’s the mind whispering, “you better hoard, coz you’ll never get something like this again.”

That’s a self-defeating mindset. It gets you on a poverty mode of thinking.With such thoughts, its impossible to see new opportunities and take on grand challenges that may truly expand one’s horizon’s beyond the current myopic view. Why? You’ll perpetually be hiding, hoarding and protecting. How can you grow under such conditions- how can you attract things beyond what you already have?

Today, I begin throwing out stuff.

Public speaking is said to be rank higher in the global list of fears than - guess what? - death! Why? Beats me. I just know that when I stand before the audience and pretend I’m talking one on one with a single person. And you know what? I lose all fear in a second.

Do you want a standing ovation the next time you deliver your speech? Try the following

1) Focus on the crowd, not yourself. Think of entertaining them. Don’t imagine them criticizing you.

2) Walk around. A lot. Act like you’re just bantering at the water cooler. This loosens you up.

3) Crack jokes. Smile. They’ll smile back. And you create rapport.

4) Tell stories. Everyone loves a great story! Watch how their eyes stop glazing over.

5) Finally- encourage audience participation. Ask them questions. Throw them opinions. Banter. Debate. Keep it quick flowing!

Now I came across a cool blog with great tips on the subject. You’ll want to check this out:
Standing Ovations

Since Day ONE of the creation, blokes like you and I searched for that elusive reason to life.

“Why are we here?”

“What is our purpose?”

“Does the world follow some rhyme or reason?”

And check out the great books and authors that elaborated on the idea: Summa Theologica, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, The ‘Quoran, The Bible, Jean Paul Sarte, Socrates, Paulo Cohello, Donald Trump.

Okay, I arbitarily inserted up that last name.

But seriously. You never realized you were in the company of such eminence! Give yourself a pat on the back, Mr. Philosopher.

Stop, and consider how, after all that rheotoric, prose, and giddy exhortation, few of these dissertations truly arrived at some enlightening, jaw dropping Meaning of Life that literally gave you the golden answer to your personal existence. (people still keep searching!) (more…)

You can sell Benzes to refugees during war time.

You easily part a nun from her vow of chastity.

No doubt- you’re the greatest at influencing people one-on-one.

But can you conduct killer power point presentations?

If you’re like 99% of all the presentors out there, I bet you ‘re a veteran at observing the MEGO Syndrome in audiences.

MEGO?

“Mine Eyes Glaze Over”

That’s right. Three minutes into the powerpoint presentation, the audience is restless. Some begin sneaking out the door. The more polite ones just pretend to listen behind dark spectacles. But you know where their minds went.

The MEGO Syndrome arises from five monumental presentation mistakes. Do the opposite and you’ll deliver utterly drool worthy power point presentations- and influence the socks out of your crowd.

1. Keeping Them Guessing. Many speakers fail to give a roadmap of their speech. So throughout the presentation, the crowd is asking ‘huh? What’s his point? Where’s this leading to?’ Guide them by the hand. Before the actual presentation, outline exactly what you’ll cover and let them know when you’ll finish.

2. Failing to Connect At the Beginning. Audiences don’t like to be preached to. They’d prefer to be talked with. Keep your style interactive. Open the talk by asking a rhetorical question, launching an anecdote, or saying a shocking statement- then invite a comment! You’ll draw them in like Pirahnnas to a pork buffet.

3. Looking at the Floor and Closing Your Body. I’ve seen it so often. The speaker assumes a closed body language. Guilty of this? Hands in pocket. Arms crossed. Legs tight together. Look stiff, and you alienate the audience. To invite the audience to appreciate your power point presentation, move around. Gesture. Smile!

4. DataDumping. I’ve attended hundreds of business presentations where the speaker fills the slide with size 9 font text crammed to the margin. Then they read each line. Good lord! We’re attending a presentation, not an online reading course! The best slides follow the 4 by 4 rule. Four words across, four bullets down.

5. Forgetting the Call of Action. At the end, the speaker jumps to “any questions?” without giving the audience a specific command. Is it to buy? To invest? To visit a website? Without the call to action, the audience is left wondering what you yammered about for the last 20 minutes of their valuable time.

So here’s my call to action for you: create drool worthy powerpoint presentations. Right now.
Your audience deserves it

Imagine for a moment that it’s Monday. The alarm clock rings at six. It’s like a thunderclap cutting through the haze of yesterday’s white whine and three hours worth of Friend’s rerun.

So you get up… and accidentally bang your knee on the bedpost. Dark murderous thoughts fire across your neurons as you amble to the bathroom where you stub your toe.

Bam. Suddenly everything and everyone is public enemy number one.

You snarl at the wife handing you eggs.

You froth at Junior offering you coffee.

And you kick the fat hairy walking sofa licking your hand.

The rest of the day obviously spiralled for the worst- in fact you almost get fired for biting off the boss’ head.

That’s the Law of Attraction working against you. What you think and feel attracts the same. The Law of Attraction is simply the manifestation of your mind in the real world.

Let’s do a little experiment.

Hold out your arms and ask a friend to push it down as you think of something great- like when you snagged a promotion or enjoyed a night of steamy sex. He’d have difficulty pushing.

Now repeat the same while thinking about debts, bills, war or your in-laws.

He should push it down very easily. What gives?

Your mind transforms your body. Simple as that. What you think and feel empowers or weakens you.

Do you want to go around the world lugging a bunch of energy-sapping emotions? Or do you want to dominate your environment?

Here are five amazing tips I’ve implemented to explode the power of attraction in my life:

1) Always ask yourself “What Great Things Can I accomplish today” upon getting up. This sets the tone of your day and primes you attract positive opportunities.

2) Always be grateful for the things you took for granted. Like simply that you’re breathing. Say “Thank you, Im still breathing! Im luckier than that bloke under the tombstone.” Gratitude naturally and easily conditions you for affuence and attracts more empowered men and women into your life.

3) Something bad happen? Shrug it off and flick it from your jacket like lint. This action rapidly kicks any negative thoughts that may attract bad things into your day.

4) Hang out only with positive people. Like attracts like. Remember that.

5) And finally… treat people the way the expect to be treated. They will reciprocate and hold you in high regard. Build your social network on the right foot and expect to fly to the top of your aspirations. Attract the right people, support them and they will attract for you the right conditions for success!

Submitted by Michael Cloud

Harry Browne revealed it again and again. In his books and essays. In his
speeches and interviews.

It’s in plain sight. Yet Harry Browne’s Most Powerful Persuasion Principle
is regularly neglected and ignored by more than 99% of libertarians.

To their detriment. And yours.

When you fail to use it, you usually fail to win others to liberty.

When you forget to use it, it costs you dearly. You are forced to pay higher
taxes and higher costs. You’re burdened with needless, painful consequences.
And so is everyone you care about.

What is Harry Browne’s most powerful persuasion principle? And how can you
immediately start profiting from it?

Talk about Big Government or liberty solely in terms of their impact on your
listener’s life.

How carefully will your friends, family, and co-workers listen to you when every word you speak is about them and their best interests? Read the rest of this entry »

Show Off A Killer Sense Of Humor

The best leaders keep the world in perspective. They see the bright side of things. They can find humor in most circumstances. They can laugh at the absurdity life often offers. Humor eases tension and takes the bite out of tough situations.

A sense of humor draws followers to the leader. It helps followers feel safe and energizes and activates their minds. Humor also plays a larger role as an essential element of effective living. Health professionals agree that those with a sense of humor have a greater sense of being and belonging. That feeling gets communicated and creates the rapport that attracts others to the leader. Some people say that humor must be limited within the serious business of work. Yet people laugh most often about the things that are most serious to them. Think of all the jokes you have heard about money, taxes, and even death. (more…)

Truly Numbing Criticism

While we shouldn’t needlessly flatter we must make it a goal to encourage. Regrettably, we tend only to welcome results as opposed to effort. Several of us condemn much more than we eulogize, thereby dampening fervor and squelching confidence. One teacher who was counseled about his fifteen-year-old student, Matthew, exclaimed, “He never does anything right!”

Anything?? Now that’s Impossible!

Grownups do it to adults as well. Why do several of us so concentrate on another’s fiascos or disappointments? Oftentimes, it is because you want to establish that you are smarter than me, that you are superior. Or, you want to demonstrate that you were right and that I was mistaken. Or, you want to express how much more honor you have than I do. (more…)