I found this interesting video on youtube and thought I'd share it with you.

People often get so caught up what they want, that they forget what they have. Don't make excuses if you want something, work for it. Don't wonder if you can do something, just do it. You can do anything you want to do as long as you make up your mind to do it!

When all is going well in your life, it is very easy to be enthusiastic and motivated, but what about the times where you find yourself facing more difficult times and the road ahead is full of obstacles? The truth of the matter is that we will all have times in our lives when we are met by such obstacles and it is how you choose to handle these situations, which makes all the difference as to how you come out the other side.

• No mountains out of molehills – Try not to let the smaller, insignificant obstacles which might be surrounding the bigger issue draw your attention. Always try to be sure that the issues which you are focusing your attention on really matter and will bring you closer to solving the main issue.

• Visualization – As I teach my students on my Alchemist Mentoring Program, learn how to visualize, and then use this ability to be able to see what ever goal it is which you are experiencing difficulty with as being complete and how great it will be for you when you have already achieved this goal.

• Stop stressing – The moment you allow your stress levels to take over your brain function the less energy and enthusiasm you will have to resolve the situation with. Try to eliminate stress from your mindset and rather use that energy to concentrate on finding creative ways to solve the problem.

• Procrastination the thief of time – I am a firm believer in the Kaizen Principle, which states that we should strive for constant and never ending improvement. So to effectively make this principle work, procrastination would be your greatest enemy.

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When it comes to the topic of learning to cope with things which we have no control over, there is probably no way to summarize it better than it was done by Reinhold Niebuhr when he wrote the Serenity Prayer which went as follows:

• Remain composed – Allowing yourself to loose your composure and retaliate with the same negativity or aggression will not help a bit, rather try your best to remain calm and keep your composure, a good way to be able to do this is to focus on still being kind to the person and not give them any reason to further their negativity. You will be amazed, the more kindness you show such a person, the harder it becomes for them to be difficult. It also shows them that they are not going to get the reaction they were hoping for out of you by being difficult and will often help greatly towards defusing the situation.

• Understand the cause and give them the benefit of the doubt – Always try to determine the cause behind why they are being difficult and try to understand that their negativity might actually have nothing to do with you and they are simply having a bad day. When you are able to do this immediately it makes it easier for you to react in a friendly and more positive way and effectively take the wind out of their sails

• Find the humor – No matter what the situation, always try to find the lighter side so as to be able to maintain your positivity and composed attitude. The moment you are able to introduce subtle humor into the situation, the more chance you will have of making the other person calm down and relax.

• Look for the positive – Always look for the positive aspects of the other person, this way you will be able to find ways to boost these aspects in them and this will help considerably to defuse the situation. Every single person has positive attributes and your ability to find them and focus on them will definitely help the situation considerably.

• Avoid placing blame – It is a natural reaction to want to place blame on someone else, but by taking responsibility for your own shortcoming or simply accepting that there is no one to blame for the situation will go a long way when it comes to solving the situation. By adopting this technique you will find that the escalation of the situation into an argument is far less prevalent.

• Be aware of what can be remedied – Turn your focus to what it is that you can do to remedy the situation, what actions will you be able to make in order to meet the other persons needs, but always be sure that these actions are within your ability or you will simply make the situation worse, don’t make promises which you will not be able to keep. Find the wisdom within yourself to understand when a situation is out of your control and that there is nothing which you can do to make a difference, if there is nothing you can do and the fault is that of situations or conditions out of your control, let it go.

• Seek outside help – If you feel that it is necessary, seek advice from others who might have experienced similar or the same situations so as to learn from them possible ways which might help remedy the situation.

• Never fail due to quitting – By quitting on something which you truly believe in, you will never succeed, apply the old saying of “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” and do all in your power so as to be able to overcome these obstacles. Don’t allow small hindrances in your path to determine your success, rather use the experience to energize yourself and find renewed energy to carry on. By applying the Kaizen Principle and going forward one step at a time you will find the solution to your problems and once again open your road to success.

• Don’t be afraid to start over – Every once in a while it is necessary to stand back, take a new approach and start over in order to overcome these obstacles. It could be that one of the fundamental building blocks which you have chosen to use could be incorrect or not good enough to support your idea. Always be sure to be open to change and to evaluate your ideas with the Formula for Riches so as to guarantee success.
• Define your goals intensively – By having clear and decisive goals and understanding what it is that you wish to achieve by reaching this goal, you will have a definite beacon to work towards. Keep your eyes and focus on this beacon so as to be sure to find the shortest route towards it. Yes, following the direct route towards your goal is sure to be full of obstacles, but if your will and mindset are those of a Wealth Creator, then there will be no obstacle which will prevent you from reaching your destination as quickly and efficiently as possible.

• Believe in yourself and your will to succeed – Onemust always realize or remember that you are in control of your own destiny and your success and quality of life lay solely in your hands and the way you choose to travel down the road to success. If your journey is one full of passion and self belief, then surely there is nothing which can stand in your way as you progress with this journey. Always be sure to listen to your instincts as they will often supply the solution to many of the obstacles which you might encounter.

• Always be open to a fresh perspective – Many times we find that by using only one approach we tend to continually be blocked by certain obstacles, it is at this time that we need to take a step back, change our focus and evaluate other ways to approach the problem, sometimes simply taking a break and forgetting the techniques which you have been trying to use will often offer a new perspective as to how to approach the problem.

• Always remain open for outside help or advice – When there is an obstacle in your way which you truly do not know how to overcome, do not be afraid to seek or receive the advice or help which might be available from others, look to your family, co-workers or other avenues so as to get the solution to the problem which is blocking your road to success. I often tell my Alchemist Mentorship students to invest in themselves, now if this means learning from others who are in a position to help you, and then take the time and effort to use the knowledge they have to offer so as to overcome the obstacles blocking your path to success, do it!

• Concentrate on control – You need to be in control of your emotions, you will have to figure out what it is that makes you unhappy and find ways to either change the emotion around these things into a positive or decide to remove them from your life. If you are not able to find any positive angle to something which makes you unhappy, then chances are it is of no benefit to you and you should cut it loose.
   

• Believe in your dreams so as to make them real – Lets face facts, misery loves company, so the chances are good that if you allow negative or degrading thoughts to occupy your mind, then the chances that the results which you receive will also be negative.

• Always remain positive – Our ability to remain positive or find the silver lining in any situation will greatly influence our success. Be sure that your mental gatekeeper is on guard and always ready to rid your mind of the negative which will always creep in. Lower your exposure to outside influences such as the media, advertising or other peoples negative attitudes so as to be sure that the decisions you are making are your own and of a positive nature.

• Be your own biggest fan – If you are going to wait around for the praises from others to boost you, chances are that you will be doing a considerable amount of waiting. The reality is that it is very seldom that you will gain the praise or recognition from others which you feel you deserve, so take it upon yourself to be your own biggest fan, this way you can keep yourself motivated and inspired by recognizing your own successes and achievements and by doing so will drive yourself forward in your journey to become the best that you can be.
   

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Thanks to Jo who send me this link.

Be careful for the educational systems - they corrupt our thinking.

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