10 Self Improvement Activities

    These self improvement activities will help you become more productive, get into the positive state of mind and achieve better quality of life.

    In this article you will also find out how to use your energy effectively, what is the quickest way to achieve personal growth and how to excel in every activity.

    1st Self Improvement Activity: Use your energy on important things

    If you want to succeed in life, you should not waste your energy on activities that do not bring any benefits.

    Such useless activities include surfing the Internet without any purpose, watching TV, worrying and wasting money.

    When you are involved in such activities, you have no or little energy left for activities that can create a better future. It is worth prioritising and accomplishing important tasks first, and then if you still have enough energy, you may decide to do the unimportant.

    2nd Self Improvement Activity: Focus on one task at a time

    If you want to get perfect results, you should only concentrate on one activity. This way all your energy will go into it and you will accomplish it perfectly.

    If you waste your energy on several things at the same time, you will get average results because you will divide your energy between the activities.

    3rd Self Improvement Activity: Control your thinking

    To avoid chaos in your mind resulting in chaos in the outside world, you should try to observe your thoughts. Once you start doing that, you will notice how many negative thoughts you get daily.

    By observing negative thinking you will be able to emotionally disengage from it. As a result, negative thinking will affect you less and you will notice that your days are getting more peaceful and positive.

    4th Self Improvement Activity: Get organised

    When you live in an organised manner, you do not suffer from stress and your life is peaceful and balanced.

    To start living this way, you should start planning your day in advance. This will eliminate any stress caused by being late to a meeting or forgetting to complete some task.

    You should also live in tidiness because by keeping your home clean you also keep your mental state clear and peaceful. Such mental state will benefit you in many ways, including improved memory and less negativity.

    5th Self Improvement Activity: Live in the present

    Although this self improvement activity may seem strange to you, it is a very important activity that many ignore. The majority of people do not live in the present. They either dwell on their past or daydream about the future. They seem to forget the most important time of all - the present.

    You should enjoy every present moment because your current state of mind always manifests in the outside world, creating your future accordingly.

    Therefore if your main mood is very positive, you will experience only happy days. However, if you dwell on negative thoughts, you are sure to encounter many obstacles and misfortunes in the present and days to come.

    6th Self Improvement Activity: Complete each task in a perfect manner

    Whenever you are working on some project, try to accomplish it in the best way possible. Always ask yourself 'Is this project turned out as perfect as it could possibly be?' If the answer is no, try to correct or add something to it until there is nothing that you can improve.

    This way you will make sure that each single task you accomplish is done in an excellent manner. By doing this you will create successful future because you cannot possibly fail if you only get perfect results.

    Also, when you entirely focus on one task excluding everything else, you will notice that you start enjoying the task. If you concentrate on the task but still do not enjoy it, that means that you probably see the task as a means to an end rather than the process.

    You should start focusing on the process itself to find enjoyment in the task. Such enjoyment will fuel motivation and you will accomplish everything quicker and better.

    If you enjoy your work, you will put only positive energy into it. As a result, your completed tasks will bring you success.

    7th Self Improvement Activity: Challenge yourself

    Nothing develops you more than challenges. Challenges force you to shift your comfort zone, experience new situations and make you grow. Without challenges life would be very boring and depressing.

    Challenges are necessary for every human being who is seeking quality life. Only through trial and error you realise who you really are, which activities you like and what preferences you have.

    You can easily measure the success of a person by the amount of challenges s/he had.

    8th Self Improvement Activity: Read personal development books

    There is nothing more important than searching information about self improvement. Without reading any self improvement books or articles you cannot improve yourself.

    9th Self Improvement Activity: Socialize only with positive people

    Positive people can inspire, empower and make you happy. It is so much worth to be at least once in a while with positive people rather than constantly spend time with negative friends or relatives.

    If you spend your days with, for example, lazy people, you may notice that you are becoming lazy.

    If all your friends' main qualities are negative, try to avoid all of them. This way you will not be affected in a negative way and after some time will start attracting positive people.

    10th Self Improvement Activity: Exercise

   Daily exercise develops determination, focus and patience. It improves your health and strengthens your body. It makes you more active, positive and invincible.

    People who exercise every day are always perceived as strong-willed and disciplined.

    Conclusion

    These personal improvement activities are sure to put you on the track to success. I hope that you will apply the steps in this article and, as a result, will greatly improve the quality of your life.

Determination and Persistence !!

This is a real life story of engineer John Roebling building the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, USA back in 1870. The bridge was completed in 1883, after 13 years.


In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to talk or walk.

“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase wild visions.”

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built.

In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task.

As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

A Very Funny hypocrite Situation (MUST READ)

In a small town in America, a person decided to open up his bar business, which was right opposite to a church. The church & its congregation started a campaign to block the bar from opening with
petitions and prayed daily against his business. Work progressed. However, when it was almost complete and was about to open a few days later, a strong lightning struck the bar and it was burnt to the ground. The church folk were rather smug in their outlook after that, till The bar owner sued the church authorities for $2million on the grounds that the church through its congregation & prayers was ultimately responsible For the demise of his bar shop, either through direct or indirect actions or means. In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection that their prayers were reasons to the bar shop’s demise. In support of their claim they referred to the
Benson study at Harvard that inter-cessionary prayer had no impact ! As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork and at the hearing and commented:

‘I don’t know how I am going to decide this case, but it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer and we have an entire church and its devotees that doesn’t.’

GOD's "NO"

When God gives us 'NO'
for an answer Keep in mind
that there is a much greater 'YES' behind it.
His 'NO' is not a 'REJECTION', But a 'REDIRECTION'

Ultimate Though

" Life is a question,nobody can answer it" AND " Death is an answer,Nobody can Question it"

Dreams Question?

ONE day DREAMS asked LIFE:
When will we all come true..???
LIFE smiled n
replied:
NEVER!
because THE day all of you came true,
I'll lose my meaning!

We Miss !

Most Of Us Miss Out
Life's Big Prizes :
Nobel, Oscar, Grammys But
V r All Eligible For
Life's Small Prizes:
-A Hug Frm Best Frend
-A Short Sleep On Frend's Shoulder
-A Glorious Sunset
-A Chat With One V Feel Most Comfortable
-An Ice-Cream When It's Deadly Cold
-A Silent Night On The Terrace
- A Slow Walk On An Empty Road, With d Person You Love On A Full Moon Night
So Don't Worry Abt
Missing Life's Big Prizes
But
TakCar Of d Small Ones ! :)

How strange it is...

We wish to earn loads of money, but we have the best of times only when we had just 10 bucks in pocket...
We wish to wear high brands, but we feel most comfortable in payjama pants...
We wish to sit in Taj and Marriott with elite people, but we enjoy roadside vendor food with friends the most...
We wish to own big cars and go on long drives yet we talk our heart out only while walking down a long road...
We have 64GB ipods filled with songs, but sometimes a song on the radio brings a smile that can't be compared...
Life is simple indeed...
We make it complex by running after what never gives us joy..
Love life...
Take note of small things...
For when you achieve the bigger ones, u can smile n say...
'I Have Lived It All'.

13 Best moments of life:

-To fall in love.
-To clear your last exam.
-To wake up and realize its still possible to sleep.
-To get a phone call saying class is cancelled.
-To feel butterflies every time you see THAT PERSON..
-To see an old friend again and to feel that things have not Changed..
-To touch the fingers of newly born child..
-Speaking to an old friend on sunday evening..
-Waiting for a call or message from your loved one when you are alone..
-Walking alone on a silent road at night and listening to your favourite songs..
-Riding on a highway while its raining
-Speaking to the special one on phone while standing infront of the mirror.
Haha....Feels just Awesome..:)
-and the last one is 'rite
now'..
while reading this there was constant smile on your face..
which was one of the best moments I believe..!
Keep smiling,
It realy suits u...! :)

Quote By Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

"A Fool can become a genious when he understands he is a fool" but "A genious can become a fool when he understands he is a genious"!

A Fabulous Quote By The Comedy King Charlie Chaplin

Your Pain May Give
Laugh To Somebody
But
Your Laugh Shouldn't
Give Pain To Anybody

The Chinese farmer

There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and, when all the farmer's neighbours sympathised with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, 'Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?'

A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, 'Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?'

Then, when the farmer's son was attempted to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, 'Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?'

Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?

The international food shortage

Recently, a worldwide survey was conducted and the only question asked was: "Would you please give your honest opinion about the solution to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"

The survey was, not surprisingly, a huge failure. Because:

In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.

In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.

In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.

In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.

In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant.

In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.

And, in the USA they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

The seeker of truth

After years of searching, the seeker was told to go to a cave, in which he would find a well. 'Ask the well what is truth', he was advised, 'and the well will reveal it to you'. Having found the well, the seeker asked that most fundamental question. And from the depths came the answer, 'Go to the village crossroad: there you shall find what you are seeking'.

Full of hope and anticipation the man ran to the crossroad to find only three rather uninteresting shops. One shop was selling pieces of metal, another sold wood, and thin wires were for sale in the third. Nothing and no one there seemed to have much to do with the revelation of truth.

Disappointed, the seeker returned to the well to demand an explanation, but he was told only, 'You will understand in the future.' When the man protested, all he got in return were the echoes of his own shouts. Indignant for having been made a fool of - or so he thought at the time - the seeker continued his wanderings in search of truth. As years went by, the memory of his experience at the well gradually faded until one night, while he was walking in the moonlight, the sound of sitar music caught his attention. It was wonderful music and it was played with great mastery and inspiration.

Profoundly moved, the truth seeker felt drawn towards the player. He looked at the fingers dancing over the strings. He became aware of the sitar itself. And then suddenly he exploded in a cry of joyous recognition: the sitar was made out of wires and pieces of metal and wood just like those he had once seen in the three stores and had thought it to be without any particular significance.

At last he understood the message of the well: we have already been given everything we need: our task is to assemble and use it in the appropriate way. Nothing is meaningful so long as we perceive only separate fragments. But as soon as the fragments come together into a synthesis, a new entity emerges, whose nature we could not have foreseen by considering the fragments alone.

The great fire and the little water

Among the Aztec people of Mexico, it is said that a long time ago there was a great fire in the forests that covered our Earth. People and animals started to run, trying to escape from the fire. Our brother owl, Tecolotl, was running away also when he noticed a small bird hurrying back and forth between the nearest river and the fire. He headed towards this small bird.

He noticed that it was our brother the Quetzal bird, Quetzaltototl, running to the river, picking up small drops of water in his beak, then returning to the fire to throw that tiny bit of water on the flame. Owl approached Quetsal bird and yelled at him: "What are you doing brother? Are you stupid? You are not going to achieve anything by doing this. What are you trying to do? You must run for your life!"

Quetzal bird stopped for a moment and looked at owl, and then answered: "I am doing the best I can with what I have."

It is remembered by our Grandparents that a long time ago the forests that covered our Earth were saved from a great fire by a small Quetzal bird, an owl, and many other animals and people who got together to put out the fire.

Helpless Love

Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.

The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.

Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realised it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope.

Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?”

“No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.”

A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”

Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”

Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”

When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.

Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.

On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”

Knowledge smiled, “Oh, that was Time.”

“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”

“The important message is that when we are prosperous, we overlook love. When we feel important, we forget love. Even in happiness and sorrow we forget love. Only with time do we realize the importance of love. Why wait that long? Why not make love a part of your life today?”

Live & Work

Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so that he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy.

Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which paid handsomely.

Like a dream come true, Father could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.

However, the family still did not get to see father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard, hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. In fact, to make himself a worthily candidate for the promotion, he enrolled for another course in the open university.

Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

Father’s hard work paid off and he was promoted. Jubilantly, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough, it would be nice for his family to be able to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a condominium. Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times before, Father resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see much of him. In fact, sometimes Father had to work on Sundays entertaining clients. Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

As expected, Father’s hard work paid off again and he bought a beautiful condominium overlooking the coast of Singapore. On the first Sunday evening at their new home, Father declared to his family that he decided not to take anymore courses or pursue any more promotions. From then on he was going to devote more time to his family.

Father did not wake up the next day.

How Rich Are We?

One day a father and his rich family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night on the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “Very good Dad!” “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Yeah!” “And what did you learn?”

The son answered, “I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden; they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard; they have a whole horizon.” When the little boy was finished, his father was speechless. His son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how ‘poor’ we are!”

Isn’t it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude towards life — you’ve got everything! You can’t buy any of these things. You may have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc.; but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing!

"No Recipient", Funny Signs

---

In a Tokyo Hotel:  Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If 
you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis.  

In another Japanese hotel room:  Please to bathe inside the tub.

In a Buchrarest hotel lobby:  The lift is being fixed for the next 
day.  During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.  

In a Leipzig elevator:  Do not enter the lift backwards, and only 
when lit up.  

In a Belgrade hotel elevator:  To more the cabin, push wishing 
floor.  If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should 
press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going to 
alphabetically by national order.

In a Paris hotel elevator:  Please leave your values at the front 
desk.

In a hotel in Athens:  Visitors are expected to complain at the 
office between the hours of 9 and 11 am daily.

In a Yugoslavian hotel:  The flattening of underwear with pleasure 
is the job of the chambermaids.  

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox 
monastery:  You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous 
Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried 
dailly except Thursday. 

In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers:  Not to perambulate the 
corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:  Our wines leave you with 
nothing to hope for.

On the menu of a Polish hotel:  Salad a firm's own make; limpid 
red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; 
roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country 
people's fashion.

In a Hong Kong supermarket:  For your convenience, we recommend 
courageous, efficient self-service.  (Sounds like Halifax!)

Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop:  Ladies may have a fit upstairs. 

In a Bangkok dry cleaner's:  Drop your trousers here for best 
results. 

Outside a Paris dress shop:  Dresses for street walking.

In a Rhodes tailor shop:  Order your summers suit.  Because is big 
rush we will execute customers in strict rotation. 

Similarly, from the Soviet Weekly:  There will be a Moscow 
Exhibition of Arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic painters and 
sculptors.  These were executed over the past two years. 

In an East African newspaper:  A new swimming pool is rapidly 
taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of 
their workers. 

In a Vienna hotel:  In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the 
hotel porter. 

In a Zurich hotel: "Because of the impropriety of entertaining 
guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that 
the lobby be used for this purpose."

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:  It is strictly forbidden 
on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for 
instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are 
married with each other for that purpose.  

In the office of a Roman doctor: "Specialist in women and other 
diseases."

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist:  Teeth extracted by 
the latest Methodists.  

A translated sentence from a Russian chess book:  A lot of water 
has been passed under the bridge since this variation has been 
played. 

In a Rome laundry:  Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the 
afternoon having a good time.  

In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency:  Take one of our horse-driven 
city tours -- we guarantee no miscarriages.  

Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand:  Would you like to 
ride on your own ass?  

On the faucet in a Finnish washroom:  To stop the drip, turn cock 
to right.  

In the window of a Swedish furrier:  Fur coats made for ladies 
from their own skin.  

On the box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:  Guaranteed to 
work throughout its useful life.

Detour sign in Kyushi, Japan: Stop: Drive sideways,  (Sounds like 
Boston!)  

In a Swiss mountain inn:  Special today -- no ice cream.  

In a Copenhagen airline ticket office:   We take our bags and send 
them in all directions.  

On the door of a Moscow hotel room:  If this is your first visit 
to the USSR, you are welcome to it.  

In a Norwegian cocktail lounge:   Ladies are requested not to have 
children in the bar.  

At a Budapest zoo:   Please do not feed the animals.  If you have 
any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.  

In an Acapulco hotel:  The manager has personally passed all the 
water served here.  

In a Tokyo shop:  Our nylons cost more than common, but you'll 
find they are best in the long run.  

From a Japanese information booklet about using a hotel air 
conditioner:  Cooles and Heates:  If you want just condition of 
warm in your room, please control yourself.  

From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo:  When passenger of 
foot heave in sight, tootle the horn.  Trumpet him melodiously at 
first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with 
vigor.  

Two signs from a Majorcan shop entrance: 
     -- English well talking.  
     -- Here speeching American.  

This Is Good

An old story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, “This is good!”

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”

“No,” his friend replied, “This is good!” “What do you mean,’This is good’? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?” “If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you.”

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Never Give Up

Sir Winston Churchill took three years getting through eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. It seems ironic that years later Oxford University asked him to address its commencement exercises.

He arrived with his usual props. A cigar, a cane and a top hat accompanied Churchill wherever he went. As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause. With unmatched dignity, he settled the crowd and stood confident before his admirers. Removing the cigar and carefully placing the top hat on the podium, Churchill gazed at his waiting audience. Authority rang in Churchill’s voice as he shouted, “Never give up!”

Several seconds passed before he rose to his toes and repeated: “Never give up!” His words thundered in their ears. There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane and left the platform. His commencement address was finished.

The Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction has gained quite a bit of popularity over the past few years. This is mainly due to the success of the movie, The Secret. Although it was a great movie that exposed many people to this law, after seeing it several times myself and gauging the reaction and understanding of other people, I realized that The Secret gave people some false thinking. So what I will be writing about in the article is how this law is presented and how to correctly get the most out of it.

What Is It?

So what does The Secret say about this law of attraction? Basically, we become what we think about. When you intend something to occur in your life, the forces of the universe will cause events to take place that will lead you to obtaining that which you intended. What this means is that you can ask for what you want by intending it in your mind and then allow it to come into your life. By allowing it, what that means is that you believe that what you intend will happen without a doubt.

When you doubt, it will drive away what you want. This is the opposite of the law of attraction. One of the main reasons why most people don’t get what they want is because they simply don’t believe that they can obtain it. Because of this, events that could have led to them obtaining their intentions will never manifest.

The Problem

Okay, so this all sounds good, but what is the problem here? After seeing the reaction of several people as well as watching and reading the reactions of dozens of people online, I realized that many of them believe that to have this law work, all you have to do is intend something and that’s it.

There are two common approaches to this. The first is what is instructed in The Secret and that is to just intend it and let it be. Basically, you “place and order with the universe” and just go on with your daily life and it will come. The second common approach that many people take is to visualize what they want as already being their reality. So every day, upon waking up and before going to bed, they would visualize and see their dreams as if they have already been achieved.

After the success of The Secret, a ton of people all of the sudden became experts and started to sell books and audio programs about the law of attraction. This concept has been around for the longest time but it was that movie that got it to become well-known. What made it even more popular was when Oprah interviewed some of the people who were featured in the movie.

Okay, so if this many people are talking about this law of attraction, then it must be working right? Well, not quite. Think about it. If what this movie taught was enough for you to achieve all of your goals and make your life they way you have always wanted it, then what is the purpose of all of these people coming out with books and programs based on this law? Some people may say it’s exploitation, that these authors are riding on the success of The Secret movie to make money. Some people say they just want to make the law clearer.

The Truth

So what’s the truth here and how do you really make the secret law of attraction work for you? Let’s get one thing straight. Nothing will change in your life unless you take action. So if you thought that you can just “intend” and not do anything and expect your life to change, good luck intending for the rest of your life. Knowing what you want is important because it gives you a goal, a focus to go after. Visualization is important because it helps you believe that you can achieve those goals. However, these things are just a part of the steps that you need to take to accomplish your goals.

Once you know what you want, you need to make a plan and start taking action. While you’re doing this, you can visualize the end result to increase your belief that your dreams will come true. The more you believe you can do it, the more action you will take and the greater your chances in actually realizing those dreams will be.

When you feel negatively about your intentions, meaning you don’t think it will happen, you will push it away according to the law of attraction. This sound logical but what is really happening here? Basically, when you start to think you can’t achieve those goals, your belief level drops. When your level of belief in achieving those goals drop, you will tend to take less action and therefore, will decrease your chances of achieving your goals.

I’m not saying that this law doesn’t work, it actually does work but there are some misconceptions of how to actually make it work. There are dozens of stories about how someone saw The Secret movie and went out and bought a lottery ticket. I have to admit that the presentation of that movie was pretty good. It got me to think about life and how everything and everyone is connected. Perhaps we are but if you saw that movie or read about this attraction law and think that all it takes is visual imagery or sitting on your couch intending all day, then you’re wrong. If you don’t understand the concept then money and the law of attraction won’t go together very well.

I got the sense that the movie and all of the follow up books and audio programs from dozens of experts in the self-help field made achieving your dreams sound way too easy. It’s like giving people a reason to be lazy. If anything, then it’s a great marketing tactic because who doesn’t want take the easy road? Why make life harder than it already is right?

I believe the laws of attraction works but you have to take a different approach then what seems to be presented by the movie as well as a lot of these authors.

How to Use The Law of Attraction

1. Know what you want.

This is basic. Without a goal or a focus, you will waste a lot of time. When you know exactly where it is you want to be and spend most of your time going in that direction, you will have a much greater chance of getting there.

2. Believe that you can achieve it.

There are lots of things you can do to help increase your belief such as surround yourself with the right people and using visualization. For most of us, having a million dollars seems impossible. It’s difficult to truly believe it. However, for a millionaire, it’s like believing in gravity. It’s already their reality so it’s not at all impossible. If they lost everything, they can get it all back because they know it’s possible.

By surrounding yourself with people who are already well on their way of achieving the things you want to achieve or with people who have already achieved it, your beliefs that you can create the same reality with your life will skyrocket.

In terms of visualization, when you see your goals as already being accomplished, it will help give you more confidence in yourself and that will allow you to take the necessary actions to accomplish your goals.

3. Take massive action.

You should realize by now that you must take action in order to achieve your goals, but how does this relate to the law of attraction? Well, once you know what you want and believe that you can get it and start to take action, things will start happening to help you achieve your goals.

In The Secret, the movies talks about how once you intend something the universe will move to bring events and people into your life to help make your dreams a reality. The truth is, YOU are the one who causes these things to come into your reality, not the universe. You can intend all you want but if you just sit on the couch all day, nothing will change for you.

Let’s say your goal is to get fit. Do you think just intending it while sitting in front of the TV is going to move you any closer to your goal? Of course not. It’s when you get off the couch and go to the gym that your life will start to change.

What It Really Takes

Realize that a lot of these books, audio programs, seminars, and workshops that teach the law of attraction or any other method of achieving your goals will try to make it sound really easy in order to entice and draw more people in. If I were to tell you that I have found a way to achieve any goal you want but it will take a LOT of hard work, would you be interested? Most people won’t be. However, if I told you that it will be almost effortless, do you think people are more likely to buy into it? Of course. It’s just human nature to find the easy way out.

Look, if you want to create the life of your dreams, you need to work hard on the right things. Sure, there are some people who barely lifted a finger and have a life most of us can only dream of but that’s the exception, not the rule. Until you get out of that mindset of looking for shortcuts and always taking the easy road, chances are, you won’t achieve your goals.

Again, the law of attraction does really work but it can only work if you work. It’s not some sort of mystical magic phenomenon that will suddenly change your life. It’s really just about knowing what you want, believing in yourself, and taking action. When you take action it means you are making a change. How do you change your life? You do it by changing your daily actions. As you do this, you’ll “attract” the things that you want.

If you have had success with the law of attraction, I think the main reason is because it got you to believe that achieving your goals is possible. Because you finally started to believe in yourself, you started to take the correct steps to make your dreams and goals a reality.

Final Thoughts

So in conclusion, success isn’t easy. Achieving your dream life isn’t easy. If it was, we’d all have what we want. If all you had to do was intend and wait for things to happen, you’d have all that you want right now. For the longest time I kept believing that it was stupid to work hard if there was an easier way. I later found out that it is in the hard work that you will find the real secret to achieving your goals, and that is to continually produce.

Knowing the law of attraction is a good start. It will at least help you understand that you need to have a strong belief in yourself in order to achieve your goals. However, without taking action and producing results, you’ll never get what you want. People who say it’s easy only say that because either they are trying to scam you out of your money or they are doing something they love and work doesn’t feel like work to them. Whether or not it feels like work, you still need to work hard to accomplish your dreams. Period.

So stop intending and go out there and actually do something!

Get Up

Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order. A baby giraffe falls 10 feet from its mother’s womb and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over and tucks its legs under its body. From this position it considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from its eyes and ears. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its offspring to the reality of life.

In his book, “A View from the Zoo”, Gary Richmond describes how a newborn giraffe learns its first lesson.

The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels.

When it doesn’t get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts. Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs.

Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they’d get it too, if the mother didn’t teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it.

The late Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing novelized biographies of such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin.

Stone was once asked if he had found a thread that runs through the lives of all these exceptional people. He said, “I write about people who sometime in their life have a vision or dream of something that should be accomplished and they go to work.

“They are beaten over the head, knocked down, vilified, and for years they get nowhere. But every time they’re knocked down they stand up. You cannot destroy these people. And at the end of their lives they’ve accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do.”