Every year we face challenges, ones that require us to step outside our comfort zone and brave the unknown. We feel the fear in the pit of our stomachs, yet deep down we know it’s time to meet the challenges head on. Perhaps you’re stuck in a rut and you want to change something in your career: learn a new skill, change roles, go part-time or put yourself up for promotion. Or you’ve had a life-changing event thrust upon you—an illness, divorce or a real knock to your confidence—and you’ve got no choice but to embrace it. Whatever challenge you’re facing this New Year, you always have a choice. Deal with it now? Or deny it …and deal with it later? The Gulp! philosophy is simple. Challenges are good. They force us outside our comfort zone. They give us a reason to stop and reflect upon what’s truly important. And they can become the catalyst for big shifts in our life opening us up to new possibilities. Here is my 7 day program to help you to face your fears and step up to the challenges in your life this year. DAY 1: DARE & DEFY The challenge is there, whether you like it or not. So what are you going to do about it? Face your challenge head on by writing it down and naming it. Set yourself a deadline for achieving it and make the pivotal decision to go for it. DAY 2: BREAKDOWN & BREAKTHROUGH The biggest thing holding you back is fear; fear of the unknown, fear of failure and the list of fears go on. Rather than tar the whole situation with the same brush, break it down and identify the specific fear trigger points. Put strategies in place to minimize these and then focus on the positive benefits rather than the negative possibilities. DAY 3: CENTER & CONNECT When you silence your mind and connect to your deeper wisdom, there is no fear. Here there is only what is aligned to your true essence and what feels right. Spend time centering yourself; meditating, taking walks in nature, doing yoga or simply breathing. Listen to what your wise inner sage has to say. DAY 4: IMAGINE & INVENT This challenge could be a catalyst for really great things to come. When you shut up the chit chat and fears that plague your mind, you create “space” for new ideas and insights to emerge.
DAY 5: PLAN & PREPARE Now it’s time to choose a course of action, put together a plan and start moving forward. The C.I.G.A.R. model is brilliant for this – Current Reality, Ideal Outcome, Gaps, Actions and Review. Make sure you keep your energy levels high with good food, plenty of water and fitful sleep. DAY 6: FOCUS & FLOW As you step forward and move into the “unknown,” let go of control and learn how to simply “be in the flow.” Let your intuition and instinct guide you. When you have to make a choice or a decision, tune in to the situation and listen to what your gut feelings says. As you know, it’s usually right! DAY 7 : GULP! & GO You’ve done the thinking and you’ve done the preparing. You’ve even built some foot bridges. Now it’s time to take that leap of faith. So tie up any loose ends and just Gulp! and go for it. You’ll find it a lot easier than you think! Finally, stepping up to challenges in our life can be the precursor to very powerful breakthroughs. If you’d like some extra support and inspiration to stay motivated and on track, why not sign up for my free downloadable One Big Gulp! Kit, which you will find at www.onebiggulp.com. Remember, it’s your life, your choice, so live your greatest life!

I must start our by stating that I believe there is good stress and bad stress. As in most things in life, there are opposites: good and bad, yin and yang, light and dark…(you get the idea). Let’s start with the good kind and then work our way along the continuum. When you are put in a situation where you are challenging your capabilities, whether it is competitive sports, public speaking, or starting your own business, you are having an intimate experience with good stress. Without these challenges, your life would remain stagnant, albeit comfortable. If you are content to live life just below the surface, great; but maybe you just need a little encouragement or a fresh perspective. Try replacing your fear with a heightened sense of awareness. Look through eyes which are not placing judgments on situations or people, and simply observe. Practice this relaxed state of mind, and notice how your environment (and the people within it) becomes more supportive. You could easily become adept at coming up with reasons why you shouldn’t face a challenge or make a change, and the truth is sometimes your rational mind has a point. Just be careful when your comfort zone gets too lived in–the more you take roots there, the harder it is to get out. Taking an intelligent risk when the timing is right can turn your life from ordinary to incredibly fulfilling. In doing so, you’ve taken a very positive step toward tackling that other kind of stress—the bad kind. I am sure most of you are familiar with bad stress, the kind you can certainly live without. Some examples of this bad stress might include: * you just got a phone call from your boss saying he wants to see you right away; he was not speaking with his “happy voice.” * your dog just deposited a smelly package on your clean carpet, and you are expecting the appraiser to inspect your home first thing in the morning. * you have a date tomorrow night with “the one,” and you just discovered the making of two massive eruptions–one the left side of your nose, and one front and center on your chin. No doubt, there are many more examples—some having to do with paying the mortgage, and maybe some having to do with the upcoming 4-week visit with your misunderstood, the glass is not only half-empty, it’s dark and cloudy, brother. Just thinking about these topics can cause your mind to escalate out of control with worry and doubt about your abilities, and extreme anticipation at the thought of your next gin and tonic. Stop the madness, now! First thing you need to do is, breathe; that’s right, breathe. The idea is to focus on something other than discursive thoughts. So, actually, you are not just breathing, you are also FOCUSING on the breath coming in through your nose, filling your diaphragm, and then releasing the breath out of your mouth. When you blow this air out, try releasing whatever unpleasant thoughts you have out with your breath. Just let it go, like lint you’ve pulled out of the bottom of your purse; blow and release. When you breathe in again (yes, keep breathing), picture pure positive energy coming in through your nose, and filling your diaphragm. And this time when you release the breath, picture that pure positive alive energy, drifting out, bringing a loving essence to everything it touches. Like with anything else in life, in order to get the benefits of some thing, you really need to commit to it. One of the strongest ways to manifest success (whatever that means to you), is to believe. Children offer wonderful inspiration when it comes to belief. They use their imagination in such a way that not only entertains, it creates a life where the stresses of the material world do not affect them. Now I know what you are thinking: “Yeah, that’s great. But, I am an adult, with adult responsibilities. I have to go to work, cook the food, and clean up the dog poop!” Fair enough—however, this does not mean that you, like the child, cannot use your imagination. Many new age books these days like to use the word “visualize.” I like to use the word “imagination,” because it has a connotation of a sense of fun. And, adopting more fun in your life is essential to releasing the bad kind of stress. Let’s focus, now—we were talking about relieving bad stress, right? Remember we were breathing? Good! Okay, so once you are at the point where you are filling your body with that pure positive energy, imagine the energy transforming every single cell in your body. Like an internal massage, your organs will be touched with a renewed energy. Try and really experience this sensation. Embellish it and color it. Realize your creative energy, and let it work through you. This whole imagining or visualizing process may not come naturally to some of you. I understand, because I used to think life was pretty serious business myself. And, the more I thought about how serious it was, it seemed the more life kept throwing me serious stuff to prove I was right. I used to watch other people—laughing, having a good time, and think they were pretty frivolous. It wasn’t long before my judgment turned to envy. Then, finally, I started to think, “Maybe appearing a little silly is not such a bad thing.” The more I played with this thought, the more I found myself smiling. Sometimes I even made myself laugh out loud, because of something stupid I imagined myself doing. I don’t think the people who saw me smiling knew I was just having silly thoughts; they actually thought I was being friendly—can you imagine?! If you knew me back then, you would know that this would have been quite a stretch. The funny thing is, when people started smiling back, I actually did become pretty friendly. During this whole change of attitude, I did continue breathing. No, I didn’t forget. I guess the point is bad stuff is bound to happen. What I would lovingly like to recommend is for you to take a few deep breaths before you react. The situation you are faced with will become a whole lot more manageable if you allow your imagination to take you to a positive place. And just as if you were approaching an angry person on the street and you looked at them straight on with a genuine smile, look at your undesirable situation with the same positive energy. Nine times out of ten, that angry person will be much less angry, and that difficult situation you are facing will be much less daunting. Copywright 2007, Avenstar Enterprises, Inc. – Our Inner Source

Have you ever considered the power of synchronicity when it comes to the Law of Attraction? Most often synchronicity is described as being the opposite of coincidence – coincidences being random and meaningless, and synchronicity being divinely orchestrated. You may even be able to remember specific experiences that were spooky the way they unfolded? Like narrowly missing being involved in a car accident because you were delayed a few minutes when leaving work; or meeting the love of your life at your local coffee shop when you stopped in unexpectedly. These types of events can make you ponder the concepts of free will and destiny for sure! However, experiences like these don’t have to be random. You can learn to not only attract more of them into your life but use them to enhance your attraction abilities too. That’s what happened to me when I first began to explore conscious creation more deeply. I had purchased a stack of books on the subject, and was slowly working my way through them. I kept them on a small bookshelf near my bed. One particular evening I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because I couldn’t seem to work through some inner blockages. I decided to forget all this Law of Attraction stuff and instead do some light reading and go to bed early. As I reached for the Dean Koontz novel I was currently reading, I suddenly felt like my hand was being pushed away from it. My attention was drawn to the shelf of Law of Attraction books nearby, and my eyes fell on one book in particular that I hadn’t read yet. For no apparent reason, I felt inspired to pick up that book and open to a random page. As I did so, I was amazed to realize that there, on this seemingly “random” page was the answer to my current blockage! From that moment on I was able to turn around my efforts and make tremendous progress. This experience may sound hard to believe – or even downright “weird” – but it’s much more common than you may think! When you pay attention to your inner guidance and allow it to lead you, all kinds of wonderful and amazing things can happen. If you’re ready to start using synchronicity more consciously in your own life, try these three steps: 1) Listen to your intuition. Begin by spending time in meditation each day. Even 10 or 15 minutes is fine, but you can gradually increase the time if you wish. Sit or lie quietly and focus on calming your body and quieting your mind. Turn your attention inward and pay attention to your inner self. The more you do this, the more sensitive you’re going to become to your intuitive insights – and the more easily you’ll recognize when you’re being prompted! 2) Follow your heart and gut! Several times throughout the day while you’re going about your usual activities, turn your attention inward again and notice if you’re being nudged in any particular direction. You might get a feeling that you shouldn’t do something you were going to do, or you may feel prompted to do something you weren’t considering before. Listen to these insights and follow where they lead! 3) Weirdness is a sign! Synchronicity almost always shows up as something strange or eerie in some way. For example, you might dream that you’re reading a book with a green cover and have a sense that it contains powerful information. When you wake up from that dream you might feel a strong urge to visit your local bookstore. If you do, you’d likely stumble across a book (perhaps with a green cover!) that can help you on your current journey. Sometimes the way synchronicity arrives will seem to make no sense at all – but pay attention to it anyway! The more you work with your intuition and be on the lookout for synchronicity, the more you’ll find yourself being led to the right place at the right time. This can involve not only opportunities to advance your knowledge but also inspired actions that will usher in the circumstances you’ve been dreaming of!

The holidays have been making me think about things that truly make me happy. Appreciation of things that I value brings me happiness. One thing I appreciate is my freedom. I especially am grateful for my freedom in these days of trouble and uncertainty. Our country is in a state of war. We may choose to look away or forget it but the truth is we are at war with an enemy that can not be easily defined or easily seen. We are not at war with Iraq. It is a war against terrorism, and that includes many countries. A major part of the war is being fought on Iraqi soil, but this war we are waging is with terrorists in Afghanistan, in Lebanon, In Israel, In Iran, In India, In Saudi Arabia, in Indonesia, in places too numerous to mention. It is easy to become discouraged, especially if you have a son or daughter fighting in one of these countries. But Instead of letting this war steal away my happiness and personal empowerment, I find encouragement in little victories I achieve every day, victories that satisfy my senses in some small way. I remember Ayn Rand’s words about achieving being tied to happiness. She said: “Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of ones values.” So I sprinkle little bits of happiness in my life by achieving things that satisfy my sense of values. For example, there is a bulletin board in my church that has among other things listed there, the addresses of men and women from our church serving in the armed forces. I have my own boy serving in the army and what a nice idea to write to these boys from time to time to encourage them. My own son tells me how encouraged he Is when he gets mail from the family. What a way to make them and yourself happy at the same time.. You may not be Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt but have you considered adopting a child from one of these third world countries where children are starving to death and don’t have homes or parents to care for them? This may not be for everyone but what a wonderful feeling it must be to be able to save a child from a terrible destiny by reaching out to help in some way. If you can not adopt, have you thought about just contributing dollars to the cause. My wife and I contribute 10% of our income to our church which uses those funds to help victims of war, weather, or some other natural disaster. That is what that fund is for, and I am happy every Sunday when I get a chance to make a money offering to help these children in some way or another. Those are huge commitments and some of us may not be in a position to do that, but are there small things we can do to make the needy happy? Sure. As with any gift, it is not the magnificence of the gift that brings joy to the receiver; it is the thought that counts. So why not busy yourself with small things you can do. Here is a list to start with: • Call someone you know who is ill • Call everyone in your family including those who you haven’t in a while • Write a poem and send it to someone you know that needs encouragement • Send birthday cards to family • Send birthday cards to friends and acquaintances and new people you have recently met • Start a money collection for an injured coworker • Pick up someone who needs a ride to the store, or church • Help someone pack who is moving • Visit someone who is sick • Visit the elderly • Visit widows and widowers • Get children in your church involved with programs such as boy scouts, swimming, etc… • Visit lonely people who you know • Make a meal and give it to a sick one next door The above are just some examples of how you can help the needy. You may not be able to help someone in Indonesia get their freedom. Then again your contributions towards that cause may help to accomplish that. I myself prefer to see how my money is at work so I stick to local campaigns to help the needy except for my tithing money which I permit the church to use at its discretion. There are plenty of local campaigns to go around where ever you live. They are all around us; we don’t have to go to a third world country to find them. If happiness proceeds from an achievement of my values, as Rand said, then finding ways to give in my way is critically important to my happiness. I believe that true happiness comes when you empower others.

By finding the way to reduce the stresses in your life you will feel more relax and will find many creative ideas to improve also your business. That’s why I would wish to convince you about the importance of simplify your life. Don’t sweat and lose time and energy on a small stuff. Concentrate on the important things in life enjoy your relationship with family and friends, respect your physical, mental and emotional health condition. It’s your life and you are the one that makes the decisions on how best to live it. Before starting to feel sorry for all the things that you could do and you could have and circumstances that bring you the stress in your life, keep in mind that we all have stress in our lives. No one is exception. The stress no respect your age, colour, religion, social status, money or power. Sometimes we might feel that the life of our neighbors is better, but hold down you cannot envy them because you really don’t know what their stresses are. One old Russian folk tale says that if all the people in the world put their worries in a bag and put all the bags together we would all choose our own bag of troubles. You can simple reduce the stress by knowing that people are happy as they allow themselves to be. First you have to identify what you like and what you don’t like. Then you can do more what you like to do and to do less of what you don’t like to do. Now, probably you want to stop me by saying “You cannot do always what you like and what you want- the life is unfair.”But you will be amazed at how much you can do once you have identified your priorities and have given yourself permission to do what pleases you .Just ask yourself the following questions: Is my desire and decision legal? Will it hurt anyone? Can I deal and be responsible for the consequences? If you answer no to the first two questions ‘no’ and ‘yes’ to the third than you are ready to go ahead. It’s your life and you are the one that take the decisions and actions. Your stressors are very personal. What stress one person out, gives another joy. For example some people feel total panic when they have to be center of attention while others loves to do it. Make a list of all the things that stress you ( for example in different categories work, money, relationships and health).Then deal with the stressing issues. But remember that usually what stress you are not the actions of the people in your life, it is your reaction to those actions. You can say that your work stress you out, your husband/wife, your children, your friends, outside factors….ect. But be honest to yourself-how many people wake up in the morning thinking that today they plan to make your life horrible and stress you as much as possible?! While you have no control over your spouse moods or over the way the things in life are happening, you do have control over your reactions. You always have options and can choose to react in any number of ways. As you go through life you will find that some things are within your power and some things are not. The person who can make this distinction quickly and easily is very lucky. Personally for me one of the hardest and most stressful things is to say “No” to loved ones, family, friends, colleagues .I suppose that most of the people feel the same. They want to be good guys and to keep the good relationship with people they care about. I realized that one of the biggest stressors to is taking too many tasks (and things to do) because we cannot say ‘no’. Maybe you don’t like to say ‘no’ for a number of reasons. Sometimes you want to control the issues .Other time can be fear that if you say no people will be angry with you, or they might not manage alone with the problem. But the true is that you cannot please all the people all the time. It’s totally ok to say ‘no’ sometimes. You will be amazed to see how different is when you stop to take other people stress on your shoulders. And if this influences your relationship with these people you could simply think how positive and strong is it? Just be reasonable and fair and face the consequences. Nobody knows your stressors better than you .You are the only one that know how best to manage them and to feel peace and harmony in your life. Your identified stressors are under the control of your reactions. Remember that you can have anything in life, but you cannot have everything. It’s your life so it’s your control! One more thing not to forget that “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”. So you make the conclusions…. Copyright © 2007