Be Open and Receptive!

Be Open and Receptive!

How receptive are you?

Now THAT'S a loaded question that would need some clarification before it could be answered, right?

It is for me! My question in response TO the question would be, "How receptive am I to what?"

That does make a difference, doesn't it?

I mean, if you ask me how receptive I am to you treating me to a steak dinner I'd say that I'd be VERY receptive to that idea! However, if you were to ask me how receptive I would be to jumping out of an airplane I'd probably hesitate and not be as receptive!

But there are times that we "close off" our willingness to be receptive without any good reason.

Here's the point of the thought for today... I want to encourage you to be open and receptive at all times and not be like a door that is open and closed at different times.

By being open and receptive at all times we might be pleasantly surprised at what might come our way and be a positive addition in our lives.

Let me give you a very simple example. When I was a kid my mom would bring home some frozen pizza from the supermarket from time to time and I absolutely disliked how they tasted! As I got a little older this was my only experience with pizza and, because of that, in my mind I had decided that I DID NOT like pizza! While in high school and in the school band we would stop off and eat from time to time while traveling and, at times, it would be at a famous pizza chain - but I WOULD NOT eat pizza. Why? Because I did not like pizza! So, I'd order their spaghetti (which wasn't that great) instead. I did this for years and would turn down offers from my friends to at least TRY the pizza to see what it was like. In my mind I already KNEW what it was like and I knew I DIDN'T like it!

I finally gave in during my Senior year of high school and tasted some pizza from this famous pizza chain and, guess what? I LOVED IT! What had I been missing all of these years? I had a new "favorite food" and it tasted NOTHING like that frozen pizza that I had tasted years earlier.

I wasn't very receptive to trying this fresh pizza because I had already closed my mind to the idea that it might actually be different - and better - than what I had already tasted before.

We are like that in so many ways and, because of that, we very likely are "missing out" on so many things through the years. Are you?

Have your eyes and ears open and, by doing so you will become open and receptive to WHATEVER comes your way in whatever form!

Yes, you will need to be like an air filter that, although it takes in all air, filters out the impurities that could harm the machine (whether it be a car engine or your home's air conditioner). Be open and receptive to all "signals" but be sure to have that filter in place so that you can filter out the negative and harmful impurities from your mind and life.

Here's the story that I shared on the podcast for today. I will share it with you and then I'll discuss it in more depth in tomorrow's blog entry.

Last Thursday as I was traveling back home on my motorcycle I passed by a church building that had a sign out front with one of those "changeable messages" posted. As I passed by I glanced and the only words that I saw was, "Believe in yourself". I honestly didn't think much about it as I drove on past but did wonder what the rest of the message was.

As I arrived back in my home town - about 20 miles past the first sign - I passed by a business that had one of those "scrolling marquee" signs with the "lighted message" scrolling across. Now, think about the timing of this as drive past at about 40 miles an hour only to see the following message roll across the sign: "Believe in Yourself".

Now, honestly, my first thought was, "Is there some kind of campaign today that I missed on the news about today being the day to 'believe in yourself'?" I really think my "logical mind" did not want to think anything of it at the time. However, that thought did not last long and I smiled to myself and thought, "No, Mike - that's a message for you today!" And, when I considered the likelihood of those two signs saying the exact same thing and the timing involved I got an even BIGGER smile on my face as I opened up mind to receive the message.

Now, that may sound "weird" (or whatever word you want to use here) to you - but I believe it to be true and I believe that it happens to me and to you countless times during the course of a week and, even during the course of a day and we simply miss it because we are not open and receptive to the idea of this happening!

I, like so many of you, struggle with self-doubt from time to time and lately I have been "back on track" with some of my ideas and plans and this message was EXACTLY what I needed to be reminded of - and I received the message that was given!

But that's not the end of the story!

I spent a few minutes at my office and then began to ride my motorcycle home when I passed a different scrolling marquee sign that, as I passed (again, think about the timing) I read the words, "and others".

"Believe in yourself and others".

Wow! I still get chills when I share that with you and I'll share more specifics about the importance of that message in my own life as well as yours in tomorrow's entry but, here's the deal - ARE YOU WILLING TO BE OPEN AND RECEPTIVE to the messages that come YOUR WAY as you go through your day?

You don't need to "look for them". If you are open and receptive you will see them when they present themselves! And, likewise, if you are NOT open and receptive they will come and go and you will never even know that they were there.

Try it. Don't judge that pizza on that frozen, cardboard-tasting one you had in the past. You may be surprised at what you find!

And as you continue on your journey, don't forget to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Shake It Off and Move On!

Shake It Off and Move On!

So why is there a donkey staring me in the face? If you don't know already then it's obvious you haven't listened to the podcast for today, so I'll have to explain in a moment.

This past Saturday my youngest son, Jordan, graduated from High School and, during the ceremony, the featured speaker shared a simple - yet powerful - story about an old donkey (aha! Now I know why there's a donkey staring me in the face!).

It seems that this old donkey was walking around the farm when he stumbled into an old, dry well on the property. The old farmer, discovering this old donkey down in this dry well thought about it for a little while and decided that since there was no way he could get the old donkey out of the well and, also, since the old donkey wasn't really good for much of anything, that he'd just fill in the well with the donkey in it.

Now, that sounds harsh, I know - but it's just part of the story, o.k.?

The old farmer then called together his neighbors and asked them to all bring a shovel so that they could fill in this old dry well and be done with it. As the crowd dumped shovel after shovel of dirt down the well the old donkey would simply shake the dirt off of his back and step up on the dirt that was now beneath him. Most did not notice this at first - the action was so small and unnoticeable - but, soon, the crowd begin to notice that the donkey was continually shaking the dirt off of his back and then stepping up and getting closer and closer to the top of the old well.

As you can imagine, eventually, the old donkey finally stepped up one last time and walked on out of the well and off into the distance! A silly and corny story, yes, but it does have a very powerful message attached!

The graduation speaker then challenged this graduating class with the idea that they must be like the old donkey and be prepared to "shake it off and step up" as they encounter struggles in their lives. I added "move on" to the equation because that is what the donkey did once he had gotten out of the well.

"Shake it off, step up and move on!"

What a powerful formula for all of us to remember and put into practice in our lives.

By now, you have likely heard me (or read my writings stating such) say that there are more than enough people that are more than happy to dump their "negative dirt" (let's get blunt here - "negative CRAP!") on us again and again and again.

If we do not have the determination to prevent this from having an impact on our lives then this negative crap will begin to weigh us down and wear us out until we finally crumble under the weight and give in to stay put and never make advancement in our lives.

WILL YOU ALLOW THAT?

Instead, let's determine that we will shake off this negative crap - don't allow it to stay "on your back" or in your mind! Shake it off! It's worthless and useless! The only worth it may have is if you use it as "fuel for your fire" and determination to move on REGARDLESS of what others may say and/or do!

Shake it off and then STEP UP, determined to not stay put. Determined to move FORWARD in your life! Keep doing so and you will soon discover that you have, indeed, moved on in your life!

Powerful, powerful story! Simple, yes. But again, do not allow the fact that is simple cause you to overlook the power found within.

So, today, I encourage you to be determined to do just like the old donkey - "Shake it off, step up and move on!"

You can do it! One step at a time and one day at a time.

And, as you go through each day, always remember to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Fuel For Your Future!

"Fuel For Your Future!"

Negativity attacks all of us each and every day, doesn't it? Sometimes we are successful in our battle to keep it from having an impact on our mindset and our lives but then there are the times that we don't do so well.

The example I used on today's podcast was comparing it to germs. We can do all within our power to stay healthy - take vitamins, cover our mouths when we cough, wash our hands often, get plenty of rest, etc. - but, sometimes, even in spite of our best efforts we still catch a cold.

So, what do we do with the negativity that gets through our "invisible force field" anyway? Will we allow it to sink us OR is there a way to use it to our advantage?

I've include the following link on the Fan Page for Future You University (why not join the fan page while you are there?) - http://www.facebook.com/FutureYouUniversity

This is the story of a man that was belittled by a teacher when he was a small boy. Here's what she told him: "You are an exhibition of failure, and all the children in the school need to know about you, because this is what happens if you don't listen to me, children."

Isn't that a terrible thing for ANY adult to say to a child? The story doesn't tell HOW his mother found out, but we all know that mother's DO find these things out. My guess is that he didn't come home and tell her but that she could tell something was wrong just by looking at him. Mother's have a way of doing that, don't they? And, don't you know he had to be feeling pretty low after that?

Now, the mother and child had a few choices of how to handle the situation. I know you can run through some of those and even what YOU would have done in this situation and the story doesn't tell us if the mother did use any of those other options or not. However, the story DOES tell us one major thing the mother DID do!

In the story, the boy - now a man - was told this by his mother: "You are now going to continue to make small things. If you keep making small things, your name will get bigger!" She also told him, "The smaller your work, the bigger your name."

The man, Willard Wigan, now creates"micro art" sculptures (read all about it in the article I mentioned) which sell for up to $150,000!

What an inspirational story! What a wonderful and wise mother! What an example of using the negative to FUEL HIS FUTURE!

The reason I have the picture of trash burning for this article is simply this: Use the negative "garbage" that comes your way to fuel YOUR future!"

Instead of allowing it to bring you down (the intent of negativity - do not forget that!) use it to inspire you and drive you to success!

How many times have you heard a successful person say something along the lines of, "They told me I couldn't do it" or "They told me I'd never amount to anything" and they used this to drive them to success?

So, yes, do your very best to block out the negativity so that it cannot have a negative impact on your mindset and life.

BUT - not if - when it DOES seep through, use that negative garbage as a way to fuel YOUR future! Burn it! Allow the heat and energy that comes from burning that garbage to provide you the energy to propel you towards success!

I like it!

Don't you?

And, as you do so, always be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Talk to OTHERS Affirmatively Every Day!

Twelve "Do's and Don'ts" For Living a Positive Life


1. Make Enthusiasm A Daily Habit!
2. Don't Allow Negative People to Determine Your Self-Worth!
3. Get Into The Habit of Talking to Yourself Affirmatively!

4. Get Into the Habit of Talking to Others With an Affirmative, Positive Vocabulary!

I want you to take a close look at today's topic combined with number 3 that we covered yesterday. By doing BOTH of these DAILY - "habit" - the we are conditioning ourselves to constantly be talking in a positive and "affirmative" way!

We are building up an "immunity" against the dangerous, negative influences that are all around us each and every day - THINK ABOUT THAT! In today's podcast I use the image of putting up a protective, invisible force field that will not allow this negativity to penetrate and get to us.

And, while doing this, we are helping to do what is talked about in the second point - not allowing negative people to determine our self-worth!

You see, by talking to ourselves AND others affirmatively (in the "yes!") on a daily basis, so that it becomes a habit, we are preventing the negative influences from having as much - if any - impact on our lives!

THIS IS POWERFUL so don't skip out on this - don't skip over it or discount it!

IF you are serious, IF you are determined to MOVE ON toward your goals and dreams then you must understand that this is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY!

Too, by talking to others in this way it helps us to stop focusing on what MIGHT be "wrong" with others or what we may not "like" about others and it will help us to focus on what is RIGHT and GOOD with all of those around us.

I've shared stories with you about how my wife has been determined in some of her work environments not to allow the negative people to have ANY power over her. As a matter of fact, her plan of action - ATTACK? - was to do all she could to turn the tables on them and basically make it impossible for them not to smile! AWESOME!

Try it - see what happens.

Determine RIGHT NOW that you are NOT going to say ANYTHING negative about ANYONE today and DO NOT budge on this! This means you will likely have to separate yourself from negative conversations so that you won't follow the temptation to join in.

Try it and give it your best shot!

And then, try it again tomorrow.

Daily.

Until it becomes a habit and you don't even have to think about it.

You'll be glad you did!

And, as you do so...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike