Getting the Hang of the 4-Hour Work Week

Some time back, I mentioned that I was reading the book The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. If you haven't read this yet, adn you are an entrepreneur (or you want to be an entrepreneur), I highly recommend the book.

As a self-diagnosed recovering control freak, it's hard for me to let go.

Just ask Mark, the guy I hired as my assistant. BTW, Mark and I are still working together, but he's not really my assistant. He's more like a junior partner...talk about your fast promotions!

The issue is that there are a number of things I just wasn't ready to let go of, to hand over to Mark. It didn't really have antyhing to do with him, but it had everything to do wtih ME.

Like I said, I'm a 'recovering' control freak. Baby steps, baby steps.

But this week (is it really only Tuesday?) I have yielded some control, and it feels absolutely fabulous.

It's funny, I give this same advice in my ebook, The Success Method -- you should pay someone to do anything you hate doing, or anything that causes you stress (or that you suck at). Sometimes I forget to take my own advice...and then later, when I remember, I marvel at how brilliant the advice is, and I wonder why I wasn't listening to myself sooner.

(In The Success Method I give you a specific formula to determine whether or not you can afford to hire someone to do these things, adn whether or not you can afford NOT to.)

I've found a remarkably affordable site to find people to do the stuff I need to delegate to stay sane.

Do you know about Elance? It is a remarkable place to find people to do the stuff that you either don't want to do, or that you're not good at. Writers, web people, illustrators and graphic designers, legal, administrative, you name it. It's outsourcing galore, and it's a constant theme throughout Timothy Ferriss' book.

I assigned out 3 projects in teh last couple of days, and I've already gotten my first completed project back from one of hte freelancers, and I'm absolutely delighted by teh results.

LEt me just give you one example:

There was a particular project (I won't bore you with teh details) that I was planning to do myself, simply because I didn't know anyone good who does this kind of work. It would have taken me about 10-12 hours to complete it, and via Elance, I paid someone $50 and got it back within 24 hours.

Hooray for Elance!

I'm going to be delegating a lot more in the coming months...this giving up control thing is actually an awesome feeling. Thank you Timothy Ferriss! I realize now, I haven't been nearly as lazy as I could be. Time to kick it up a notch (or down, depending on how you look at it).

QoD:

What is sucking up YOUR time that could be delegated out? The more necessary stuff you can delegate, the more time you have to do what YOU want to do.

Go for it!

The World Continues to Shrink...

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with my buddy Bill Hibbler and his hypnotic girlfriend Lisa.

A while back, I posted about what a small world this is ("Small World Gets Smaller" and "It's a Small World After All"), and meeting Lisa was further evidence of that. I liked her instantly upon meeting her -- she is one of those rare people who probably creates an instantaneous connection with every single person she meets. Bill and Lisa were traveling through Colorado, and they came out to our house in Castle Rock to visit. We all chatted a bit and then loaded up the kiddies in our car, and Bill and Lisa hopped into Bill's BMW and we all headed over to Mt. Fuji, our local sushi joint (good food, bad website).

As you can imagine, Andy and I were sharing our thoughts about Lisa during the ride to the restaurant (oh, come on, like you don't do the same thing).

Andy said he instantly liked her, had a good feeling about her, and when I said "that girl is bewitching," he kind of gave me a funny look.

"Do you mean 'bewitching' in a good way?" he asked.

"Ohhhh yeah," I answered. "She has a hypnotic way about her. I can see why they hit it off so well, so quickly."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Andy said.

Lisa has some of the most captivating eyes I've ever seen, and when she listens to you, she stares at you intently -- not in a creepy way, but in a I'm-looking-into-your-soul kind of way. I'll bet people with low self-confidence look away, her gaze is that intense.

And she's so interested in what other people are doing, and saying, and thinking about. I'd love to say that I'm just that fascinating of a person, but I get the feeling that this is just how Lisa is (or who Lisa is, rather). She is a person who loves people and is authentically interested in human connections.

And Bill is such a great guy. If you don't know Bill, you can read all about him in my earlier post "The Truth about Bill Hibbler." (Bill also co-wrote "Meet and Grow Rich" with Joe Vitale.)

About halfway through the meal (it was around 4PM, so I hardly think it counts as either lunch or dinner....it was just a cup of mint tea for me, and another glass of the spicy lemonade--Master Cleanse, Day 7, thank you very much) is when I realize Lisa and I already knew *of* each other, even though we had never met.

I love those moments, don't you?

Lisa is the artist who is designing jewelry (and other cool stuff) for my friend Suzanne, and she is also designing some items for my friend Aimee, who had told her about me in several conversations.

When we realized this, the light bulbs started going off and we had a good laugh.

Funny how we humans come together, isn't it?

It was a lovely afternoon spent browsing through Lisa's handcrafted glass jewelry and looking at our Australia pictures. And I was pretty proud of myself that I could spend an hour and a half at a sushi bar without breaking my cleanse!!

Here's your QoD:
When you meet people in extraordinary ways, do you tend to chalk it up to coincidence, or do you allow yourself to feel powerful, knowing that somehow, you orchestrated such a "chance" meeting?

Go for it, you powerful creature, you!

Master Cleanse, Day 5

First off, let me say I am not here to convince you of anything (except the fact that you CAN be-do-have it ALL. That's a given with me.) so don't go thinking ol' Amy has gone off the deep end with this one, OK?

I am currently on day 5 of the Master Cleanse. I have to say, I feel pretty good. By far, this is the longest I've ever gone without solid food (including that Christmas when I had a stomach bug, and had to sit around and watch my entire family eat my mom's killer lasagna, while I sipped plain broth. Then I went to a wedding the next night and ate a piece of dry bread. Those 3 days seemed to last an eternity!)

Here's a little self-interview, in case you have any interest whatsoever in a cleanse:

Why a cleanse?

Because I figure this is the only way to break my sugar addiction. I can't see the mental blocks I have around it yet, so I figure I'll start with the physical realm and clear whatever becomes apparent to me. And because some muscle testing revealed (while I was pregnant, and could essentially do nothing) that I have a few toxic organs (although I hate to name names, Mr. Liver), and I want to get all that crap cleaned up and out.

Why the Master Cleanse?

Because apparently I'm a sadist. Ha! No, seriously -- because I know some people who've done it and I'm intrigued by the mental and spiritual clarity that is supposed to arrive around day 8. I'll keep you posted on that. And I like extreme stuff, and I have immense will-power, as long as it's for a defined period of time (say, 10 days vs. the rest of my life).

Why now?

Why not? I mean hey, if not now, when? I first heard about it while I was pregnant, and then I was nursing, so now I have no more excuses. Also, my feet have been in really bad shape lately, and I asked for an answer RE: how I could properly take care of my feet, and this is what showed up. Go figure.

How's it going so far?

Knowing all the potential benefits of detox, I didn't specifically set out to lose weight (although I was hopeful) but I've already dissolved 7.4 lbs. I feel good (although I must say I really do not like the saltwater flush! so I am glad when that ordeal is over each morning) and I can see an increase in my energy level. My feet and ankles are no longer swollen, and I'm standing up straighter (better posture from detox? true for me, as strange as it may sound). My skin is also softening and is less dry than when I started. And I don't spend nearly as much time thinking about how I look, but when I look in the mirror, I look much better. It's all very strange, but very cool.

How long will you stick with it?

I am committed to completing the 10-day fast and breaking the fast properly (which actually takes about 2-3 days) but on day 9 I will decide whether or not to extend it longer. It also depends on whether or not my tongue turns pink, which I suspect makes no sense to you unless you've studied or completed the Master Cleanse.

Anything we can do to help?

Yep, if you've done the cleanse before, go ahead and post your comments/fabulous results/words of encouragement here on this blog. You know I love hearing from ya!

QoD:
How much attention do you pay to what goes into your mouth each day? Do you treat your body like a sacred space? If no, why not?

(if you answered "no" to that second one, don't beat yourself up about it. I didn't either, until now. I'm gaining a whole new respect for my body, and I'm finally starting to "get" this whole "my body is a temple" thing)

Go for it!

Uncommon Common Beliefs

Last night, Eva Gregory had me out as a Guest Expert on her group conference call. There were some great folks on that call, and I was impressed by the intelligent questions they all asked.

I talked about a lot of things (well, you know me) around money mindset, but one topic in particular may be of particular note to you. This is NOT something I've talked about before, so here goes:

It's no secret that nearly everyone has some sort of limiting beliefs around attracting money.

If you've been working on identifying your limiting beliefs around money, you probably have already noticed some of the more common beliefs (you've seen this part before):

Money is the root of all ______.
Money doesn't grow on ______.
Rich people are _______.
A day late and a dollar ______.

Get the picture? these are the ones everyone talks about, so I'm not particularly interested in those.

But what about the "uncommon common" beliefs? The ones that a lot of people have, but nobody is really talking about?

I gave these examples from my own personal life:

- it's not OK to have a lot of money (maybe you can create a lot, but you can't hang onto it)
- easy come, easy go
- if I make lots of money, I won't fit in (my friends won't like me, I don't fit in with rich people, I don't want to act like rich people do, etc.)

You could practically feel the wheels turning as people took those in. In fact, Eva herself was moved to share some surprising "a-ha"s that she gained from looking at these, just during the call.

During the Q&A session, someone asked me to list some more "uncommon common" beliefs that I had released around money. Since there were only 4 minutes in the call, I invited her to read this blog and look for some answers.

But it occurred to me later -- really, I couldn't think of any more on the spot. And I thought that was kind of strange, so I started to take a look at it.

And I realized that when I "clear" something, it's gone for good. It's so gone, I can't recall what it was, unless I really look. That's why I couldn't think of anything to tell her on the spot.

Fascinating.

I would highly recommend that when you are working with limiting beliefs, you only use clearing techniques that completely erase the old beliefs.

In my mind, that's why affirmations are my least favorite form of mental shift. (Don't get me wrong, I use 'em, but not to change a limiting belief...only to introduce a new belief.)

Allow me to explain.

Changing a limiting belief looks like this:

Current belief example: My nose is too big.
New belief example: My nose is perfect for my face.

If you only use affirmations to release the old belief and assimilate the new belief, it's going to take a long frickin' time! Because every time you look in the mirror and say "My nose is perfect for my face" you'll be thinking "BS!" It feels like a lie at first.

Some teachers will tell you to persist, to keep going, eventually you will assimilate the new belief.

But I say, who wants to wait THAT long? Personally, I prefer lightning fast results! And if Deepak Chopra has taught me anything, it's how to employ the Law of Least Resistance. (That's why some people think I'm lazy. But I'm OK with that, because really, it's true.)

Now let's look at the faster way to shift the belief.

If you could completely erase the limiting belief "My nose is too big." so that it was gone, gone, gone, without a trace, how quickly do you think you could assimilate "My nose is perfect for my face" ?

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. FAST.

When I coach people, I teach them hyper-fast ways to completely clear limiting beliefs, to make it easier to assimilate the new beliefs. We also cover some ways to do this in the Lightning Fast Results course.

So when you clear your limiting beliefs, do it fast, and do it permanently. The trouble with affirmations is that the old ones can come back, which means even more work.

Now, if you're thinking "that sounds too simple" then you probably have a belief around "you've gotta work hard to get what you want" or "nothing comes easily" or "work hard to get ahead" or "nose to the grindstone" or a million others.

See? There they are again -- those uncommon common beliefs. They're everywhere, aren't they!

The way I see it, there are 2 ways to identify them (usually, you gotta know what they are before you can release them).

You can either look for yourself.
OR
You can pay someone to look. (also known as coaching)

Personally, I recommend both. I'm extremely good at looking for myself, so good that I find new ones almost every day. But as good as I am, I still work with a coach (in fact, every successful person I know does) and I love my coach because she sees my blind spots. I pay her a lot of money to look for me, and see what I can't see, so I can clear it and create massive breakthroughs.

Here's your QoD:
Do you have a favorite clearing method? Once you clear a block or belief, is it gone for good, or do you have to keep clearing it whenever it comes up? Do you tend to resist things coming easily to you?

Just allow it!

A Cure for Boredom

First let me say, you're not going to like this.

In fact, you probably think I'm going to give you some fascinating thing to do, or to think about, as your cure for boredom. Or that I'll tell you to check out some new product of mine (or a friend's), to keep you busy and entertained.

Nope. Not even close.

Of course, just because you don't like the suggestion, doesn't mean it isn't effective. I'm doing the Master Cleanse right now (Day 3, woo-hoo!) and believe me, I don't like drinking a quart of salt water each day. But you can't argue with its effectiveness.

Fortunately for you, I'm NOT recommending that you drink saltwater to cure boredom.

Let me back up just a bit.

Until somewhat recently (the past couple of years), I used to think that boredom was a fate worse than death.

I even used to go so far as to say, "I'd rather be in pain than be bored."

So in order to avoid boredom, I would keep busy. Sometimes being busy meant doing things I liked. Other times, it meant subconsciously creating drama to keep me busy (i.e., not bored).

There was no boredom in my life. I just simply wouldn't allow it.

Then one day, I had the distinct opportunity (which I certainly didn't see as an opportunity at the time...it felt more like prison) to spend two full days with absolutely nothing to do.

I was bored.

And since I can't stand being bored, and I couldn't do anything (long story), I started to THINK.

And in my thinking, I searched for answers about my boredom. Why did I avoid boredom? What did it mean to me, to be bored? Why was it so terrible for me? How long has this been going on?

And the answers were quite shocking.

Apparently, I was avoiding boredom, because I didn't actually want answers to these very questions!

Creating diversions allowed me to avoid looking inward, and to avoid evaluating the relationship I actually have with myself!

SO what did I do?

(so glad you asked!)

Well, I wallowed in the answers for awhile. Pitiful, isn't it? Yeah, that was part of the wallowing, too.

Then I realized that I could actually choose to be "OK" with being bored.

As crazy or silly as it may sound, it was a lot like facing a fear.

Once I could face boredom, and experience it full-on, with nowhere to run except inside my own head and heart, then it lost its emotional charge for me.

And you want to hear the really strange part?

I haven't been bored since.

Seriously! I no longer fear being bored, therefore, I am no longer bored.

I also can NOW allow myself to have long periods of down time, without creating "activity" (positive or negative) to fill my time and stave off boredom.

Often times, when we feel stuck (or bored), it's because we've forgotten that we have the right to choose. Anyone who feels "stuck" anywhere in life has simply forgotten that they put themselves there, and that they can choose to stay there, or simply choose something else.

Since whatever we resist persists, we tend to create more of whatever we fear. Sometimes, just deciding to be OK with something (boredom, or whatever you're resisting currently), can make it go away completely.

It's really that simple, isn't it?

Here's your QoD:

Where are you feeling stuck or bored in your life? What has caused this? Can you see how YOU created the situation, and take responsibility for your past choices? Are you ready to make a choice now? Which will you choose -- to stay in the situation, or to choose to find an alternative?

Remember, nothing is permanent, so just choose! Go for it!

To Set Goals...Or Not To Set Goals? Here Is My Answer

I was recently asked an excellent question, and since I thought you all (that's "y'all all" as they say in New Orleans) might appreciate hearing my take on it, I decided to post it here.

The question is about goal setting. Some Law of Attraction teachers will tell you that setting goals is essentially admitting that you don't currently have what you want to create -- in other words, "I want this because I don't have this" is what you're sending out, and we know that whatever we focus on expands, so are we really just shooting ourselves in teh foot when we set goals?

(OK, so I've paraphrased, but hopefully you get the gist of what this person is asking.)

Here's my take on goals:

You don't get what you want, you get what you ask for, so you better be 100% certain that you are asking for exactly what you want!

When used properly, the goal setting process offers an excellent method for gaining clarity around what you want, defining exactly what it would be like to have it, and opening a door to allow it into your life.

Without goals, you can get fuzzy results.

For example --

Let's say you want a brand new hot tub.

Now let me take you through teh goal-setting method, and then I'll show you where most people get tripped up and caught in the "oh poor me, I want this and I just don't have it yet" trap.

BTW, if you just set the intention that you will receive a hot tub, and you don't set a goal around it, you may still get a hot tub. Unfortunately, it may not be the hot tub you want, and it may take a lot longer than you'd like. But there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say.

Now, if you're using the goal setting method, or you're coaching with me, I'd start by asking you a few questions, such as these (BTW, you can apply these to ANYTHING you want, not just a hot tub):

What kind of hot tub do you want? Be specific. Include size, shape, color, features, etc. Don't worry about the price, just pretend (teehee) for a minute that you really can have anything you want. And from that perspective, what kind of hot tub do you want? Write it all down. If you don't know what your options are, start window shopping online and see what's available. Ignore the cost for now.

Why do you want a hot tub? This part is critical -- identifying the underlying reasons for what you want and why you want it will provide a world of insight. Usually it will even provide additional clarity around the answer to the previous question.

What will it feel like to use your new hot tub? This is also important (ok, it's all important. I do my best to leave out the stuff that's not important.) because it helps you personalize (Nevillize) your goal and it will assist you in your visualization around the goal. It also helps you believe that you really can have it, because you know what it will feel like to have it.

Now, taking all your answers to the above into consideration, yuo can begin to formulate an idea of exactly what you want. This is the fun part because you get to go shopping.

This is the first place where some people get tripped up.

They may go shopping, but they're embarrassed to ask any questions because they know they can't afford to buy a hot tub today. They look at the beautiful spas for sale and think "oh, I don't think I could ever have that one, it costs too much. I wonder where the clearance hot tubs are."

NO NO NO! Remember, you WILL own a new hot tub, so start right now BEING a person who is planning to get a new hot tub!

What kinds of questions would you ask? What kinds of notes would you take?

When I'm window shopping, I take pictures with my phone or digital camera. If possible, I take a picture of ME with or holding or inside the thing I want -- it helps me visualize myself with this thing, taking ownership, taking possession right now.

If you wait until you have hte money to start shopping for it, you'll never get the money! You've got to claim it now if you want the delivery mechanism (money, resources, etc) to ever show up.

So go out and get very clear on the hot tub you want -- start shopping for your new hot tub, even though you don't currently have an extra $5,000-10,000 lying around (if you did, there'd be no reason to set a goal -- you'd just go out and buy it right now). You shop and shop and you go sit in the hot tubs -- you get brochures from the sales person, you find out whether or not they finance, you take measurements and check with your HoA, the whole nine yards.

After all this, you decide that you would love to have an 8-person hot tub with turbo jets, neon lighting, a waterfall, built-in speakers, beverage holders, adjustable everything, hydraulic cover lift, the works. Let's say this hot tub you want costs about $11,000.

Now it's time to set a goal.

Can you see how you've already taking possession in your mind? At this point, setting the goal is a mere formality -- but a powerful one indeed.

Most people get tripped up because they attempt to set some random goal, without doing any of hte above first. Then their goal may not seem entirely believable, and of course the goal can reinforce a sense of lack, or bring up feelings of undeservability.

Now, if you didn't set a goal in the way that I'm suggesting -- if you merely set the intention to get a hot tub, then don't complain when the cold tap on your bathwater stops functioning. Don't complain when you're at a garage sale, and someone is selling their 10-year-old, rusted out old hot tub, and it's at a price you think you can afford. Don't get mad when you move into a new house that has a hot tub...that's broken.

Don't blame the universe -- if you ask for something vague, that's exactly what you'll get.

Remember, you won't get what you want -- you get what you ASK for. So you'd better be sure that you're asking for exactly what you want! (That's where I find goal setting to be particularly helpful)

What are you waiting for? Just go for it!

QoD: Do you have a burning question? Email it to me at amy @ newsuccess.org

If you would like to schedule one-on-one coaching with me, click here for Coaching.

Is Perez Hilton a Success? That Depends...

I realize you may be thinking "who the heck IS Perez Hilton? Did she mis-type 'Paris Hilton'? Is Amy smoking crack??"

Up until 2 days ago, I didn't even know who Perez Hilton is.

If you're like me and you avoid Hollywood gossip like the black plague (which puts us in a tiny minority, trust me on this one), then you may not know the guy at all.

Apparently, he's spent the past two years of his life (maybe more) running a blog with celebrity gossip. He strikes me as a spiteful man (after hearing his name twice in the same week, I checked out his website...I was hard-pressed to find anything "nice" anywhere on it...even his comments that seemed sweet had sort of a backhanded quality about them) but for whatever reason, folks absolutely FLOCK to his website to read his latest comments on all the celebs.

He reminds me a bit of Howard Stern in that people who hate Perez Hilton seem to read his site just as much as people who love him (judging by the flaming comments and expletive litanies I saw posted under the comments).

I'll be completely straight-up with you here (as usual):

If it's success that you truly seek, you've got to leave bottom-feeding gossip like this behind you.

How on earth can you create massive amounts of money and success, if you spend time reading and listening to media that slams celebrities and completely picks apart people who are successful?

That's just confusing your subconscious mind, which is getting this message:

"I want success. Success = BAD."

And trust me, the "success=BAD" part is far stronger and goes deeper, because these media messages are designed to play into your insecurities. The media game has long been "Let's make fun of people who are wealthy and successful" because it preys on the insecurities of the average Joe.

Look, I could pull 3 people off the street and make fun of their clothes, their relationships and their behavior, here on my blog (not that I would), but no one would give a rat's patootie because those people aren't rich and famous.

If you keep reading Us Weekly and People Magazine and Perez Hilton's blog, I promise you'll spend the next several decades wondering why success keeps eluding you.

You've got to be absolutely judicious about what you allow to penetrate that brain of yours. Your subconscious mind is like a sponge, soaking up every little bit, so if you think "oh, a little magazine a week won't hurt" or "it's just a silly TV show" you are in grave danger of keeping your dreams at arm's length -- permanently.

My recommendation is to start an immediate media fast (or an "information diet" as the author of The 4-Hour Work Week suggests).

Do I refrain from 100% of all media? No, to be honest. This week, while we're readjusting to the time change from Australia to Colorado, we've been watching more TV than usual. I happened to catch an episode of Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List (which is absolutely a study in how to use the Law of Attraction to attract everything you don't want, but nevertheless I think she's funny) and we also watched part of Victoria Beckham's show. Perez was mentioned in both -- and checking out his blog reconfirmed my commitment to severely limit my TV intake again.

Beginning today, I'm back to watching strictly new episodes of Survivor (see? I don't even know when the season starts) and the occasional episode of Scrubs or Ellen! I know some people cut out 100% of TV, but you gotta do what works best for you. Just remember, media is like any other addictive substance...so if you think "I can quit any time I want to" then why not quit for a week, just to prove you can?

Now back to my original question. Is gossip blogger Perez Hilton a success?

Well, that would certainly depend on how you define success.

Is he wealthy? I have no idea. I know that the ads on his website sell for a small fortune, and there are heaps of ads already there. I also know he works out of a coffee shop. But that could certainly be by choice. After all, he loves the attention.

Is he happy? I have no idea. Sure, he smiles a lot, but I would think that (according to the basic Law of Attraction) someone who spends all their time seeking out misery and criticism would have a fair amount of self-criticism going on. In browsing through his media kit, I can see that he's certainly packing on pounds lately (generally not a sign of someone who's blissfully happy). I've never met the guy, but he traffics in pain and misery, so you do the math.

Is he good at what he does? Heck yeah. I heard that sucker gets 5.5 million hits to his website PER DAY and I looked him up on Alexa and he ranks 973 -- in other words, he is within the top 1000 websites on the entire INTERNET. (If that doesn't put things into perspective for you, consider that the top 100,000 websites account for more than HALF of all internet traffic). The guy is a publicity whore and he knows how to get media attention.

Apparently misery loves company.

Is he content? Doubtful. Gossip has an insatiable nature about it.

I'd be inclined to say NO, the guy is not a success. But that's by my own personal standards. You can decide for yourself.

So what's the lesson here?

First off, I would invite you to consider how you define success, and what your OWN success would look like.

Next, I would invite you to consider being more selective about what you allow INTO your precious mind. Remember GIGO? Garbage In - Garbage Out.

Why not make today Trash Day? Take out the trash and say goodbye to Hollywood gossip. Your success life will thank you.

QoD: Are you addicted to gossip? What would you do if you didn't watch any television or read any newspapers or magazines for an entire week? Would you find more productive ways to spend your time? Would you be forced to take a look at your own life, instead of disapproving the lives of others?

Go for it!

I'm Published in Zero Limits

OK, it's official -- I'm "published."

Sure, I've got ebooks, but now I'm in print.

Just pick up a copy of Joe Vitale's new book called Zero Limits and check out pages 91-92.

I admit, it was kinda weird seeing my name in the index! But there I was.

I have additional submissions appearing in upcoming books between now and March, and it's a very exciting time.

That's all for now-- you can buy Joe's Zero Limits book here. You can also get it on Amazon and in local bookstores, but those versions don't come with a bonuses listed here.

Your QoD: Can you imagine what your life would look like without limits? What does the phrase "zero limits" mean to you? Does it seem impossible, or intriguing? Are you thinking, "I wish!" or "Please tell me how?"

Just go for it. In an all-out, limitless way!

Help Me Color the World

About a week ago, I wrote about my change in perspective.

That has continued to change since we've gotten back to America.

For starters, I am definitely more aware of how much stuff we throw away.

And until recently, I never thought about where "away" might be located.

Now you would think that it would have become painfully clear to me after Hurricane Katrina, when we were cleaning out our house, and there was no trash pickup, because the garbage dumps were all full, and there was no place to put any refuse (rubbish, if you're Aussie. Or from the UK). But that didn't really make it sink in.

In reality, our landfills are over-filled, and something must be done.

Truthfully, it wasn't until we were visiting Rottnest Island in Western Australia, that I realized what a bother this trash situation could be.

The island is quite small, and so they think about their rubbish quite a bit. People there are very conscious about conserving resources (there's no need to get 20 napkins with your takeaway food when just 1 will do) and recycling, to control the rubbish situation.

(BTW, I know I know you want to see pictures on this blog. It's just a matter of my learning how the heck to get the pix onto my computer and then I can put them on the blog. Laziness is one of the curses you endure when you're married to a technical genius. Hang tight, they're coming.)

We got back in town from Australia around 8 or 9PM Monday night, and since there was no food in the house (after being away for a month) we decided to get some dinner. We wanted to go to our favorite little sushi place, but they had just closed...and guess what was still open?

Now don't laugh -- considering we had just come home from a month in Australia, and we were missing the country, and very hungry -- but we actually decided to go eat at Outback Steakhouse.

Despite the neon Foster's signs everywhere (you do know that no one in Australia drinks Foster's, right? It's made specifically for export to us yanks) we actually had a yummy meal and a very darling server.

Naturally, they brought crayons and a coloring book for Sally.

Which got me thinking....every restaurant we go to provides brand-new crayons for her.

Why new? She's 3, she has no issues with used, broken, or even wrapper-less crayons. Hmmm..

So as we were asking for the bill, I asked the waitress what they do with the used crayons?

"Oh, we just throw them away."

Hmmmm. Interesting.

Now this is just 1 Outback location, in Castle Rock, Colorado, and how many crayons do you think they throw away each and every month?

No one knows, because they don't count the ones they buy, and I suppose there are some people who take crayons with them. But figure that every kid gets 4 brand-new crayons every time they dine at Outback (or any other number of family-friendly restaurants).

So I got to thinking.

I'm sure there are underprivileged schools and low-budget daycares who would LOVE to have heaps of crayons that had only been used for 10 minutes by just 1 child.

So we asked to see the manager.

Well, at this particular location, the GM is also the owner. How 'bout that?

Very nice gentleman, young guy, maybe early 30s, good looking. Married? I don't know, I'm not looking so I didn't notice! But he was cool and confident, not cocky, you know what I mean?

We got to talking with this guy, who was naturally interested in hearing about our experiences in Australia, seeing as he owns an Outback steakhouse (btw, for you Aussies -- it is an American chain restaurant with an Australian theme. Their drinks are called things like "wallaby darned" and "boomeranger" and they serve grilled steaks, chicken and shrimp.)

We told him about our experiences there, and how impressed we were with the proactive conservation mindset of the Aussies, and that it made us more aware of how much we throw away in the U.S.

And we asked about why they throw away so many perfectly good crayons.

And that's when he told us something shocking.

"Legally, we can't re-use the crayons because they've come into contact with human hands."

Now I don't know about you, but I don't normally think of crayons as being "sterile." If my kid was coloring in a hospital, well, then yeah, I'd want her to have unused crayons (or we just use our own. Even my Coach handbag is not without a 4-pack of Crayolas.) But in a restaurant??? The litigious nature of our society is getting out of control.

So we asked him if he would be willing to let us collect their used crayons, and bring them down to the schools in Mexico, since we vacation there at least twice a year.

He was very receptive of the idea (like I said, a genuinely nice guy) but as is typical of American industry, he's got to check with the administrative bureaucrats at Outback Headquarters. In other words, their legal department has to ascertain whether or not they think they'll get sued by letting me take their crayons.

So we'll see how it turns out, and you can BET I'll keep you posted.

But the whole idea got me thinking -- there's more than just an Outback steakhouse in Castle Rock -- there's Red Robin, there's Denny's, there's Village Inn, there's Black Eyed Pea, Applebee's, Chili's, Waffle House, and I could go on and on.

And no matter where YOU live in the U.S., there's at least ONE family-friendly restaurant in your area.

Now, I realize that you may not go to Mexico twice a year like I do. But I'll bet you DO have inner-city or underprivileged areas not far from where you live. Places like schools and daycares where they don't have enough of the resources they need, or they're pinching pennies to get what they require. And I'll bet they'd be delighted to receive a mountain of crayons for their students -- for FREE.

Will you help me color the world?

Besides providing children with one of the essentials of learning -- crayons provide color, art, creativity, drawing, tracing, outlining, motor skill development, writing skills, focus, and much more -- you'll also be helping save the planet.

I mean, really, can you just imagine how many crayons must already be in our landfills?

YOU can do something!

Now this whole idea has just come to me tonight, so even though I know it can be done across the U.S. (and if you live in another country where crayons are thrown away for the same silly reason, please feel free to participate.) I don't really know how.

So if you have ideas, or you are willing to coordinate efforts to recycle crayons where YOU live, the please post a comment here and I will keep everyone posted.

Right now, you could be in 1 of 3 places. You might be thinking:

1 - Amy you are wacko. It's just a few crayons, really. What's the big deal? You're a sweet girl, but I don't really think what you're doing will make a difference.

2 - Amy this is a great idea. You go girl!

3 - Amy you are a frickin' visionary. I want to get involved, how can I help?

(there's actually a 4th group who thinks "who gives a crap?" but I figure they stopped reading several paragraphs ago, so forget about those guys)

If you find yourself in group 1 (which is fine -- wherever you are right now is perfect, really), then consider this:

- any chronic situation is the sum of countless tiny actions.

- for example, no one gets obese overnight. You don't fall asleep weighing 120 lbs and wake up weighing 220 lbs. No, obesity is the grand summation of countless tiny actions - an extra helping here, extra sweets there, 3 sodas a day for 10 years, taking an elevator instead of the stairs 4 times a day, 5 days a week for 12 years, etc. It's the result of millions of quantum choices.

- if it took millions of tiny choices and decisions by you and millions of other people across the U.S. to create all this trash in the first place, how exactly can the situation turn around? By having lots of people make DIFFERENT tiny choices and decisions starting NOW.

- if you don't have the capacity to impact millions of people (in other words, if your name isn't Oprah) who DO you have the capacity to affect? Well, let's see...there's YOU

- if not you, then who? and if not now, when?

Now if you find yourself in category 2 (sounds great, go for it Amy) then I can use your brainpower to help me figure out how to get things rolling on a national level. So post your comments here and let's get this puppy going.

But if you are as fired up about this as I am, and you are in category 3, then email me immediately at amy @ newsuccess.org (don't copy and paste that address - I put spaces in to foil the spam email harvesters) and let me know you want to help out in your area, and we'll get cranking on this.

Let's color the world, people!!

Your QoD: Do you find yourself wanting to help out, but not wanting to commit without knowing what's involved? If you said yes, where else in your life can you see that you hesitate for fear of the unknown? What is the impact of your cautious nature?

What would happen if you just said YES and took the leap, trusting that it would all work out?

Go for it!

p.s. by request, I did run a spellcheck before I posted this msg !

My Most Prosperous Meal

Today I hit a prosperity milestone --

Andy and I spent more on a meal than we ever have before.

Now, that may sound downright silly to you, but hear me out.

We like to dine out ... a LOT. And we like fine food and fine wine. We are foodies, for sure (could I be any other way, growing up in New Orleans?)

And fine dining is certainly something that a lot of people would associate with success.

I'm talking about walking into a restaurant and ordering whatever you want, as much as you want, and never even looking at the prices on the menu. Now that is a certain form of freedom that simply must be experienced to be understood.

Have you ever gone out to dinner and as you're browsing the menu, you think, mmmmm lobster, that sounds delicious! But then you were too intimidated by the words "market price"?

Go on, admit it. I know I have.

I've even gone so far as to want the lobster, but was too embarrassed to even ask what today's market price was. For fear of looking like I couldn't afford to pay whatever the market price was.

Of course, if I wanted something, and was too afraid to even ask about it, I would certainly be poor indeed. But not the kind of poor that money can fix.

Do you know what I'm talking about here?

So to make a decision that it's our last night in town, and we are gonna splurge -- to me, that is prosperous thinking.

(NOTE: I am not recommending that you spend money you don't have. This is more about avoiding lack thinking that would have you say, "well, we could spend a lot, but does it really make sense to spend that much on one meal? I could buy so many other things instead....")

We had not had mudcrab since we've been here, so we decided we were going out for Tasmanian mudcrab. Deeeeeeeee-lish!

We got a recommendation from the hotel concierge, but for some reason, we didn't have a lot of confidence in that person, so we didn't make a reservation yet. Since it was our last day in town, we went out opal shopping and to find me a didgeridoo (it's a musical instrument).

Turns out, the place where we bought some opals (keepsake necklaces for the girls, and a gorgeous pair of earrings for me) was owned by a very cool man who, in addition to knowing absolutely everything there was to know about opals, also happens to know the owner of a fine dining establishment known as Kingsley's Crab and Steak House. And guess what their specialty is? Mudcrab! He made us a quick reservation and we grabbed a cab back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

This place was absolutely divine, located on the finger wharf in Woollomolloo (where we had previously dined at Manta, another fabulous meal earlier in the trip).

The waiter convinced us to order a fresh snow crab and a fresh mud crab, instead of two mudcrabs.

Really? What's the big deal? We get frozen snow crab all the time.

Not like this apparently. These suckers live 3000 feet (1000 meters) under the ocean and they have the sweetest meat you will ever eat. And apparently, it's called the "lucky crab" because there are a very few people in the world who are lucky enough to eat fresh snow crab from Australia. We ordered it the chef's recommended way -- steamed with salt & pepper (which actually means salt, black pepper, heaps of butter, and some garlic)

So we obliged, and we also ordered the best wine we had tried all month. We barely blinked at the $135 price on the wine (like I said, it was the best -- the best Chardonnay I've ever had. If you feel like splurging, try it yourself: Leeuwin Estates Art Series 2004 Chardonnay. It's unlike any Chard you've ever tried, trust me on this one) and I got a fresh mozzarella salad and Andy got some spanner crab crepes and we got a side of kumera that was absolutely fantastic.

Mudcrab are these huge crabs that live in shallow waters (3 feet or less, usually) along the coast of Tasmania (a southern island of Australia. They have an earthy taste and are typically steamed and coated in a delightfully sticky spicy-sweet plum or spicy Thai sauce (this one was Thai).

Well, that worked out perfectly, because I started on the mudcrab and Andy started on the snow crab, and when we got halfway through, we switched. And after each finishing our first leg, we looked at each other and wanted to switch back. So we got to taste both, and enjoy the one we really loved.

Now I'm not sure I can fully describe to you the messiness of eating these crabs, but I will make an attempt here.

For starters, before the crab is even brought out, our server brought us each a large finger bowl and two extra napkins apiece.

Then she brought us each two large empty bowls. I later found out, one is for the piece of the crab you're currently working on, and the other is for the shells.

Next, she brings us each a bib.

These were not the cheesy bibs you see in most restaurants, with a cartoon image of a big red lobster. These were full-body bibs. I'm not kidding -- it fit like an apron, with a tie around the next, and another around the waist. And the bib starts right under your chin and goes all the way down to your knees.

We laughed, but the look on our server's face was so stone-cold serious that we soon put them on.

And I'm glad I did -- 5 minutes into the mud crab, a sticky chunk smacked down on my leg. My pants leg stayed perfectly clean, thanks to the giant apron/bib I was wearing.

I think it took us an hour or more to devour these crabs, with help from a number of metal implements. Our wine glasses were soon coated with a sticky mess, but we certainly were enjoying ourselves. The wine was a perfect complement, it was truly a divine meal.

During our obliteration of these two huge crabs, our server had to replace both bowls, and also our finger bowls which were already quite murky.

When we were done, we got more fresh finger bowls and additional napkins. Andy had to use the facilities, so he went away and came back stating his hands finally felt clean again. Oh, while in the bathroom, he had found a piece of crab in his hair, and another on his shoulder.

After the finger bowls and the napkins, I was thinking my hands were pretty clean. But then I got up to use the facilities, and when I got there, out of ambient light and into brighter light, I was shocked to see all the sauce that was not only on my hands, but under my nails and around my mouth as well! (Fortunately, no crab in my hair)

It was a spectacularly delectable evening, and I was most appreciative that we had found the place, ordered such ideal food, and enjoyed the spread and each other's company so much. While we were waiting for our food, we were planning our next 2 trips to Australia, and I was feeling really excited about all the possibilities of returning to Oz sooner rather than later.

Are you wondering what we spent on this delightfully decadent meal for just 2 people?

$350.

Is that a lot?

I don't know -- it all depends on your perspective. I felt it was well worth every penny. But even at a different place and time, I could have felt differently. I'm just grateful to have the means to afford such an experience, and it gives me great delight to teach other people how to do the same.

There's really no difference between me and you, you know.

I teach people exactly how to increase both their income AND their level of consciousness.

The only reason I can spend $350 bucks on a meal is because someone showed me a new way of thinking. And I am eternally grateful for that. And I take great joy in passing this wisdom and knowledge on to others.

Today's QoD:
Are you ready to increase your income AND your wealth consciousness?

Have you considered one-on-one coaching with me? Individualized attention, private telephone session, and massive breakthroughs, that's what it's all about. If you're not coaching with me, who ARE you coaching with? Every great success has a coach (including me). Work with me, or work with someone else, but by all means, GET COACHED!

Otherwise, you might never get over your fear of "market price." :-)

You Can Never Go Home?

We leave for home tomorrow, and that's of course got me thinking again.

There's an old saying about "You can never go home." When I first heard it years ago, I didn't get it at all.

What do you mean, I can't go home? I hop on the I-10, get off at my exit, and within minutes, I'm there. That saying made no sense to me.

A couple of years ago, after Hurricane Katrina, I "got" what that statement means, for the first time. It means what was home to you at one point, is now in the past, and you can never go there again. Even if you went back to the physical place, it would never really feel the same to you, so you can never go there again.

We moved to Colorado, and when we "went home" for Christmas, it most certainly did not feel like home to me.

Now I feel like I'm "getting" this old axiom on a different level.

What's coming up is this sense that home is wherever I choose to create it. In other words, home is not a place, it's not even about who you're with -- home is a state of mind.

Whether I'm in Australia, Colorado or New Orleans, or anywhere else I choose to go, I can choose to be home wherever I am.

Now THAT'S power.

'Nuff said.

QoD: Where is it easiest for you to be "home"? How can you create that same feeling, wherever you are?

Go for it. (but don't go home)

Feel Like I'm Leaving Home Again

I'll be honest, WA (Western Australia) feels like home to me.

So today, as we prepare to leave Perth and head back to Sydney, I feel like I'm leaving home again.

There is something about this country of Australia that is so appealing to me. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to visit, and on my first visit 4+ years ago, I felt like I was coming home.

And now, I have that same feeling here -- like this is where I belong.

Have you ever experienced that feeling of coming home to a place that "technically" isn't your home?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the connectedness of everything, the butterfly effect, that sort of thing. We really are all the same -- we are made from the same stuff, and yet we act as though we are separate.

Right now, I'm also acutely aware that when I mentally judge or criticize anyone or anything, it's really just me who is being judged.

See? It really is all about me. LOL. But for you, it's all about you, and so on.

What's interesting to me is how we attempt to show our individuality -- we attempt to isolate ourselves -- with all these judgments. When I use the word judgment, I don't mean a judge and jury.

I mean everyday judgments like I like this sweater (called a "jumper" in Oz), I don't like those shoes, I like that guys hair, I shouldn't have said that, he has nice pecs, she looks a little trampy, that kid is annoying me, this tastes good, etc.

All day, every day, that is what we do. We judge. We made judgments about what we like, don't like, and what should be this way or a different way. What is good/bad, right/wrong, pleasing/displeasing.

Right now, I'm judging: Leaving Perth is not good. I want to stay. I don't feel like going back to Sydney right now. I hate packing. I don't want to put all this crap away. These pants make my butt look weird. And on and on and on.

Did you know that one form of meditation involves simply being...without judgment? You notice everything with your five senses, and you just notice, without judgment. I believe it's called conscious meditation. (If I'm wrong there, go ahead and post a comment with the "right" term for it. And be aware that you just made another judgment about "right/wrong." See how pervasive it is?)

It's a profound experience, and one I'm exploring more and more often. And I highly recommend it.

Your QoD:
Do you find it difficult to take a few minutes a day to be still? What are some of the benefits you think you might experience if you could be still for a just a few minutes every day?

Go for it.

Help! I'm driving on the left! But I feel more creative...

Did you know that when you make a major switch from right to left, it actually stimulates your creativity?

But this driving on the left hand side thing is kind of freaking me out.

Andy does OK in cities, but on the highway, he seems to have a bit of trouble staying in his lane. Something about how he was taught to drive by aligning his body with the exhaust line in the road (which is on the opposite side here). I don't know about any of that, because I just picked a spot on the car and lined it up with my perspective of the line down the road, and that's how I stay in my line. So I'm pretty much screwed when there's no line in the middle of the road.

Actually, I'm doing pretty well, except when I have to cross an intersection -- I forget which way to look first. And I'm finally getting the hang of these roundabouts.

Of course, I am finding that I tend to put my windshield wipers on to signal that I'm turning. That's the only part that really feels unnatural. Oh, and knowing whether or not I'm in the "fast lane" on the highway.

If you want to stimulate your own creativity, I don't recommend flying to a foreign country and re-learning how to drive. All you have to do is switch something you do frequently.

For example, as you read this, notice which hand you are using on your mouse. Usually, it's your "dominant" hand. In other words, if you're right-handed, you tend to mouse right-handed, and vice-versa for left.

But what happens if you switch and mouse with the other hand?

Go ahead and try it now.

Feels weird, doesn't it?

In fact, it feels so weird, you may have already switched back to your dominant hand.

but here's the thing -- it will feel weird for a couple of days, and then it will feel normal. And when you start using your non-dominant hand to do common everyday tasks that you do with your dominant hand (brushing your teeth, picking up a glass, mousing, waving, holding the phone, etc.) then you are switching the side of the brain that is being used.

By switching back and forth between left and right hemispheres of the brain, you actually stimulate your ability to be creative.

Now THAT's a nifty tip.

Here's something interesting I've noticed --

When I'm writing, it's all right-brain. Creative flow, inspired thought, intuition, communication. I'm a super fast typist, so I pay no attention whatsoever to the keyboard.

Which explains all my typos.

Believe it or not, during the past couple of years that I've had this blog, I've had many comments about my typos. The comments were all rude, nasty, or had a certain superior air. One person even went so far as to insult my copywriting skills (people pay me a fair chunk of change for the copywriting projects that I agree to take on) because of my typos.

I've never bothered spellchecking emails or blog posts, because to me it's more like speaking than writing. And I figured that if someone was so uptight that they were going to stop reading my blog because of typos, then they sure as heckfire weren't going to "get" any of the messages in my writing.

But someone recently posted a comment on my blog, and they were so smooth about their spell check suggestion, that I actually had to read the comment twice to realize they were asking me to run spell check. They actually presented in a way that showed how they were trying to help, instead of being critical or judgmental.

So guess what? I started running spell check on my blog.

Hmmm, that's sort of a marketing lesson, I suppose. If you want to get someone to do something, be nice and show them what's in it for them.

Now I can see that the spell-check is a left-brain complement to the right-brain activity of writing. And I love to integrate both sides of the brain -- it's challenging, fun and usually quite rewarding.

Now for your QoD:
Are you still mousing with your non-dominant hand? If so, good for you. If not, why not?

Just go for it!

(p.s. apparently I misspell "the" a lot as "hte" and "teh". Who knew?)

Where Two Oceans Meet

Today I experienced one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

As you know, I'm still here in Australia. For the past 2 days, Andy and I have been in Margaret River, about 3.5 hours south of Perth. We left the kids with Penny for a couple of days because a friend told us we HAD to try some of the wineries here in the Margaret River region.

We did an all-day wine tour yesterday and met some fabulous Aussies (they don't get a lot of Americans down this far -- this is where the Aussies come on holiday). Read all about that encounter here.

Despite protests from my husband, we drove down another 45 minutes (is it weird that I keep wanting to "convert" minutes? I've grown accustomed to converting numbers in my head since we've been here: temperature, money, distance, weight, liquid, local time vs. time at home, and now every time I say a number, my brain wants to convert it to something) to the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse.

This is located south of Augusta. In fact, we went to the southwestern-most tip of Australia.

The views were indescribable.

This is the place where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet, and it was breathtaking.

So much so, that we filmed a whole episode of my internet TV show (Be-Do-Have It ALL) here on the cliff.

The water was an exotic greenish-blue color, and the waves were raging. I didn't want to leave.

And I couldn't resist an "I told you so" to Andy, who didn't want to come initially, but was certainly glad he did. He recorded another installment of his Wealth Theory report while we were there.

Again, I'm here thinking about perspective.

On the one hand, you could just say it was a bunch of water. That bodies of water don't inherently exist on their own, but are only separate because we humans say so. But with another perspective, you could say that the place where two oceans meet is breathtaking and spectacular. And it's a place that so few people will ever experience.

I choose the latter, thank you.

I wanted to put my feet in the water -- there was something about saying I was IN two oceans on this trip, two oceans that I'd never been to before. To me, that was special.

It's been said that there are only two ways to live your life:

One way is that nothing is a miracle. The other is that everything is.

I am personally finding that the more I notice miracles, the more miracles I get to notice. Kind of like that Law of Attraction thing -- we get more of what we focus on.

I sure am glad that I'm focusing on beauty, power, nature and the awesome experience that comes with being alive.

Yes thank you, I'll have more of that please.

Your QoD: So what are YOU focusing on these days? Is it what you want, or what you don't want?

See the miracles. Be the miracle. And receive more miracles.

(p.s. As soon as I can get Andy to help me, I'll post some pics here so you can see. We are still unpacking, so we haven't even touched our digital photos yet!)

It's All About Perspective

We've been sampling quite a few wines during this Australian holiday ("vacation" to us Yanks) and it's so evident to me that it's all about perspective.

The first time (only time, actualy) that I took a wine appreciation class, we were taught the cardinal rule of wine drinking: if you like it, drink it. Nothing else really matters.

If you like a certain $7 bottle of wine better than a certain $87 bottle of wine, by all means drink the $7 bottle. Wine appreciation helps you ascertain what you like, helps you choose a wine to complement a meal, and helps you appreciate the scents, the sights, the flavors of a wine.

My favorite wine may taste awful to you. And vice-versa. It's all about perspective.

Kind of like life, ay?

We've met all sorts of people during these 3 weeks we've been on holiday. And it's so interesting to me, to slisten to what people like to talk about. Some people think certain things are expensive, when to me, they seem quite reasonable.

Some things are beautiful to me, when to someone who lives here, they may not even notice it because they drive right by the same thing 4 times a day.

While we were in Sydney, we were commenting how wonderful the public transportation is. The response we got from Sydneysiders was "Really? Hmmm." They don't thin they have good transport services at all. They'd probably flip out if they rode a train in New York. Or a bus in New Orleans.

Another thing I like about Perth is hte distinct absence of American accents. In Sydney, you meet all sorts of folks from the US and UK. Here, you pretty much only find Aussies (and we've actually met a few "transplants" from South Africa.

Why is that?

Unfortunately, Americans who venture over to Australia pretty much stick to the East Coast (Sydney, Gold Coast, Cairns, etc.) or the Southeast (MElbourne, Canberra, etc).

It seems as though Americans who travel to Australia seem to think that PErth is "too far" to go.

Excuse me?

I spent 14 hours on a plane from San Francisco to Sydney, so what's another 4.5 hours to Perth? But like I said, it's all about perspective.

Just today, someone emailed me and said they thought my products were priced too high. I find that fascinating, since someone ELSE asked me why my teleclasses were priced so low. And let's not even discuss which countries drive on the "right" side of the road, vs. the "wrong" side of the road.

One of our tour guides this trip said, "The whole point in tasting wine is to see what you like, and everybody likes something different. If we didn't, there would only be 1 wine that everyone would drink, and that would get really boring."

Indeed. Well said.

In fact, there's really nothing at all wrong with having our own perspectives. Conflict arises when we attempt to prove that OUR perspective is the "right" one.

Now that's the sticky wicket.

Hmmm, all this talk about wine is making me thirsty. Hey, I'm just doing my part to support growth of the wine industry in Australia. We've purchased about 14 bottles since we arrived here, and we've only drunk 4, and we can only take 3 home. So you do the math, I gotta go start evaluating my perspective on reds and whites.

QoD: How tolerant are you of other people's perspectives? Are you more likely to ask a lot of questions to see wehre the other person is coming from, or are you more likely to defend your own perspective? What would happen if you started to open up more and more to listen to the perspectives of others? It doesn't mean you have to agree (for example, if you told me that white zinfandel was the best wine in the entire world, I could listen to your perspective, even though there's no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks that I'd agree with you).

Go for it. You just might learn something!

When In Rome...Learn the Lingo

When I logged in to blog today, I got quite a shock -- remember that post from a few days ago when I was questioning whether or not I was being rude (or whether someone else was being rude to me) ??

You can read that post here: Rudeness? I Can't Be Sure.

Well -- check this out.

I was logging in today to tell you about our most recent adventures at hte WA (Western Australia) Food & Wine Festival, and I had a very pointed comment on a previous post, awaiting my attention.

It was from Ron, the man who let the Perth tour we took (sans salad dressing). At first glance, I thought he was being snippy about what I had written about my encounter with him.

But in fact, this is what happened.

I had used a slang term in that post (one that I had heard a number of Aussies use...and one that was in fact translated in an "Aussie Slang Dictionary" that I had purchased while in Sydney) and I had NO IDEA that the word was extremely derogatory (some would go so far as to say racist).

Wow, I really stepped in a pile of you know what with that one.

So Ron, who seemed perfectly OK with what I had written about HIM, was warning me that what I had written about someone else was definitely not cool.

Now, if you go back and read the original post, you won't find it because it's been removed. But what if Ron hadn't said anything? Lord only knows what the Aussies would have thought I was trying to say.

If you're reading this now, and you DID in fact read that original post (and you're still subscribed to my newsletter, meaning you haven't run away screaming) then please know that I sincerely apologize.

Sometimes it takes multiple incidents to truly learn a lesson --

I nearly stepped in it again -- one of our tour guides was talking about "putting lead in your pencil" and when I asked him what that meant, he looked at me as though I was from Mars. Because he couldn't really explain it (apparently, it was just a self-explanatory common sense kind of expression to him), I was left thinking it was another way of saying "sexually aroused."

I asked someone else what they thought it meant, and they said it was definitely NOT what I thought, but they couldn't really explain it either.

(I felt a bit like I was trying to ask someone to explain the meaning of the word "THE" to me.)

Sooooooo, since I still have NO IDEA what that expression means, you can bet I won't be using it any time soon.

And if it is in fact a comment that is obscene or racist, well, then please post a comment here so I can frickin' remove it, OK? You should know by now that I may push the envelope now and then, but it's only to wake you up, never to be cruel or insult you.

In summary, the moral of this story is:

When in Rome (or Australia), learn the language before you use it.

You'll save yourself (and other people) a heap of hurt and embarrassment. OK? OK.

QoD: How willing are you to admit when you make a mistake? Are you more likely to pawn it off with something like "I didn't know" or "it wasn't my fault" rather than to take responsibility adn made amends?

When you take responsibility, the situation resolves and completes. When you avoid responsibility, you wind up carrying that burden around for a long time...until you are willing to take it and make it right adn let it go.

Go for it!

Go On Holiday. Get Paid. Repeat.

We had a spectacular day. Despite the lack of salad dressing. (Don’t get it? Click here to see post called “Rudeness? I can’t be sure.” on my other blog.)

I loooooove getting paid on holiday.

There’s something truly satisfying about being out and about, enjoying myself in another country or city or what have you, and getting paid. It reminds me every time that I am living the lifestyle of my dreams. And I love that anyone can do this (including you. Read more about Andy’s home business. The lazy guy only works about 2 hours a day. Period. Less while on holiday. Of course, I shouldn’t poke fun, I’m rather lazy myself.)

I’m not kidding you, I’ve probably attracted over $25,000 since I left home. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen in a J.O.B.

I have a favorite affirmation (feel free to steal) that says:

The less I work, the more money I make.

Now I’ll be honest with you and tell you that when I first started using that affirmation, every time I read it, my brain said “B.S.”

It took some time, it took me clearing limiting beliefs, and it took repetition, but the benefits continue to pay me in spades.

Who wouldn’t like to work less and earn more? (BTW, that's exactly what I coach people to do)

Of course, I thought we had a pretty good thing going, until I started reading Timothy Ferriss’ book: The 4-Hour Work Week. It’s rockin my world. And causing me to rethink my world.

Do NOT read this book unless you are prepared to completely re-evaluate the way you’ve designed your life. No kidding, it’s that revolutionary.

Today was a fabulous day. Money flowed in while I was out and about, enjoying an all-day non-touristy tour of Perth and the Swan Valley, in Western Australia. If you’re a details kind of person, you might like to read this post in my other blog. Today was a hoot!

Robert Kiyosaki (and all the money experts, really) are always talking about multiple streams of income. That’s the way to go, and that’s the way Andy and I have set up our lives. And some of my projects are just now starting to get the point where money shows up at random times, without my having to do anything (aka “passive income”).

Now THAT is a sweet ride – imagine putting in some work, setting some things up, and then having money show up at random times, for work you already did (just ONCE). Smokin!!

QoD:

If you don’t have multiple streams of income, and you don’t have any passive income coming in, why the heck not?? If not now, when?

What would it feel like to receive money WITHOUT doing anything right now to get it? (For some people, that is a scary thought!)

Go for it, mate.

Western Australia, aka the End of the Earth

I’ve always heard the expression, “I’d go to the ends of the earth for…” but I never really knew what that meant. If the earth really is round, how can we get to the end?

But today, I think I actually went to the end of the earth.

Standing on a small cliff at Quinn Beach in Western Australia, a bit north of Perth, I felt like I was standing at the edge of the world.

It felt a bit like unlimited possibility to me – nothing but sky and water and horizon, as far as the eye can see. No islands, no ships, no surfers – I don’t think we can get any closer to seeing God.

As I sat in the sand and dug holes with Sally, I looked at a teaspoon of sand. I noticed how many granules were in that tiny teaspoon, and I was wondering how many teaspoons would make up the beach I was sitting on. How many more were hidden under the waves? How many beaches, with how many granules of sand in the world? Mind-boggling.

Then I looked out onto the water. How many molecules of water in one teaspoon of the Indian Ocean? How many shades of blue could I spot? How many waves crested and broke, crested and broke? How many fish in its waters? How many sunsets had it seen?

The sheer abundance of the unknown – the abundance of possibility – was simply awesome to me.

I really “got” a closer look at “unlimited” and at “possibility” and “having it all.”

Mmmm, ain’t life grand?

Australia is phenomenal – every time I come here, I feel like I’m coming home. Seeing Perth (and surroundings) has been a spiritual experience for me. Extreme beauty and rural simplicity…kangaroo crossing signs…outrageously friendly folks…and otherworldly charm.

Mmmm-mmmm-mmmm, I’ll have another helping, please.

QoD: Do you regularly take time to commune with nature, to get a sense of connectedness, of freedom and of unlimited possibility?

If you haven’t done that lately, why not right now?

Go for it!

The Secret to Successful Parenting

By reading the subject of this post, you might be under the impression that I actually know “The Secret to Successful Parenting.”

Actually, I was hoping you would know. (Feel free to post in a comment, if you DO know)

I’m still figuring all this stuff out. With a heap of intuition, a smidge of common sense, and an ever-growing pile of patience, I’m working on it every day.

Our darling Sally seemed to have a setback. This trip hasn’t been easy for her, and it’s hard to say why, other than that she is completely out of her routine (and she misses her friends – yesterday she told me she wants some friends to play with).

What do I mean by a setback? Well, more than 3 potty “accidents” in a 24-hour period seems completely out of whack for a child who has been fully potty trained for more than 6 months now.

Andy and I were both so frustrated – why is she having all these accidents?

We looked at emotional angles. Where are her needs not being met? We looked at ourselves – why are we co-creating this? We looked everywhere except the most obvious place.

This sometimes happens with us analytical types…

We forgot to check the PHYSICAL realm. Our nanny politely suggested, “Is it possible that she could have a bladder infection?”

Huh? Well we flat-out hadn’t thought of that.

We headed on down to the store and loaded up on cranberry juice. We cut back on all sweets and increased her water intake.

And within 36 hours, she was good as gold. Whew! (oh, and we also bought a pack of pull-ups. Which they make to fit until about age 6! Go figure.)

But after we had reprimanded her for the 3rd accident, and before we realized there could be a physical dis-ease for her accidents, my heart was nearly breaking.

We were sitting in a cab, coming back from our amusement park adventure at Luna Park, and I looked over and for the first time in a long time, I noticed how very small Sally looked.

“My god, I thought – she’s only 3 and a half. Am I expecting too much? Am I being too demanding? Am I acting like Mommie Dearest?”

My heart just ached to see what a little person she was, sitting there next to me with her very own seatbelt in the back of the cab. My my, but they look so different without the big bulky carseat.

She’s so tiny, and Andy and I are like her whole world. We are her most important role models, authority figures, and friends. And it must be so scary and upsetting to disappoint someone who is that big of an influence on your life. I just stayed in the moment, and I actually started to weep silently. I got the whole scope of it, and I just allowed myself to feel it, and to send out waves of love to my little darling.

I held Sally’s hand the whole way back to the apartment, and vowed to be more understanding. I asked for a sign – what could I do differently to make sure she knows how very much she is loved and cherished?

It was when we got home that Penny suggested the possibility of a bladder infection. And then, well, I already explained what happened after that.

We have massive responsibilities as parents. I often feel like I watch my every word when speaking to her – I tell you, it takes practice and skill to speak only possibility to a person. To provide firm guidance while speaking only with love, patience and understanding.

Every now and then, I manage to get it right.

The rest of the time, I just keep learning, keep striving to be better, and I keep clearing.

Whew! This parenting stuff is hard work. No wait, I’m not going to affirm that. Instead let me say this: “Every day, I become a better parent.”

If you’ve got kids, feel free to steal that affirmation for yourself. I think every parent could use it. And our kids sure as heck will benefit.

QoD: Do you take all of your responsibilities seriously? How would the lives of those around you change if you were more present, more “in the now,” more often?

Go for it.

Small World Gets Smaller

My last post was about quantum physics -- the study adn behaviour of teeny, tiny
particles and I jokingly said the whole discussion reminded me of the Disney song "It's a Small World."

But then the world got even smaller.

Yesterday morning we all got dressed and headed over to that same tiny Unity church in North Sydney. Last week when we went, there were about 11 people there (including the minister, adn teh 5 members of my party). And yet, after only a 10-minute discussion, it turns out that Penny (the lady who is traveling with us as our nanny for this trip) and the minister had a very good friend in common. Imagine that, we only had to travel 6,000 miles to discover a mutual friend!

Well, THIS week, the minister was not there -- apparently she had had an accident and fallen down the stairs. So another woman was presenting the lesson -- Laurie Levine -- who is a minister at a nearby Science of Mind church. After a 2-minute chat with Laurie (who is from L.A., but has been living in Sydney for over 20 years), we discover that Andy and I and Laurie have a mutual friend! This is someone we know through Andy's personal development business.

The world just keeps getting smaller...

We went out for Chinese food the other night and my fortune said something like "there are no strangers, only friends we haven't met yet" and that would certainly sum up my weekend.

But there's more.

Andy walked up to me last night and said "Well, we have a new Australian associate." (He's referring to his home-based business.)

I said, "OK, cool. Where does he live?"

"Here in Sydney," Andy replied.

Hmmm, that's pretty cool, I thought. I figured it was someone we had given our card to since we've been here.

"Where in Sydney," I asked?

Andy smiled. "Right by the church."

Now THAT was a hoot -- because the church was a good 20 minutes from where we were staying, and as it turns out, he not only lives within walking distance of the church, but he is also a devoted reader of this very blog (just like YOU!) In fact, he had simply clicked a link like this one to Andy's home-based business and that's how he found out about the opportunity.

So we got to meet Richard in person (in fact, we met for lunch after church) and he was a pleasure to chat with.

Then Andy and I took Sally to Luna Park (the amusement park) after her nap, and we came home to cook a seafood feast that we had collected at the Sydney Fish Market.

This trip just keeps getting better and better.

Tomorrow our friend (and business associate -- man, doens't it seem like everyone wants to get into this personal development business?) Leo is going to drive us around Sydney so we can see what's what...we're consdiering relocating here in about 5-10 years.

Here's your QoD:
Are you likely to dismiss events like these as "coincidence" or are you fully aware that you are creating every aspect of your reality?

Life is a trip, isn't it?