Got clarity?

Like 99% of the people I know, those who happen to ask themselves and think about the following questions will see things in the whole new light.  This illumination requires prescription grade sunglasses my friend…I hope you don’t do blind :)

WARNING: the following requires an SPF of 30 or higher!

The truth is always good, but many don’t welcome it.  Read as much as your comfort level can handle.

MAIN Question Number One:

Imagine your perfect life and how it would be, so how would it look and feel and taste?

Close your eyes for a second after each question and think about where you ultimately want your future self to go…and the great outcome that you most desire!  Reward yourself now with “happy thoughts.”

• Would you have a job or not in your desired future?
• If so, what kind of job would it take to make you feel fulfilled?
• Who are your friends?
• How would you spend the time with your family?
• What kind of restaurants would you frequent?
• Where would you fly to most often?
• Would your overall eating habits change?
• Would you get a new cell phone or a new dog?
• Would you sleep more or less?
• How would people see you differently?
• Would you contribute more to your community?

Really try to feel this future possibility…

Imagine the new gizmos and gadgets you would hold.

See the smiling faces in your new life.

Taste the exotic foods you would eat on the beach.

Focus in on the best possible vacation of your life.

Don’t underestimate the power of imagination.  Take a moment…stop reading, go get a drink, and while you’re walking away from your computer, think about the above questions.

Okay?

Did you get a drink?  I hope so, because you’ll want to feel refreshed in order to read on…

MAIN Question Number Two:

How much money would you need to generate each month to achieve your dreams?

Try to be realistic.  Keep in mind that things usually cost more than we can predict.  I like to add at least 20% to any logical budget I create.  There are always unforeseen expenses that’ll pop up.

Got the figure?

Try not to read on until you’ve thought of that minimum monthly income that you’ll need to maintain that dream lifestyle.

Okay…now here’s the big one…here we go!

MAIN Question Number Three:

If you’re doing what you’re doing right now during these current days, will you EVER achieve enough money to grant you YOUR future?

To rephrase it, if you’re going as you are now, will you EVER achieve ALL those goals?

Now if you’re like most, the answer is NO.

Reason?

Most folks are caught up in the day-to-day grind.  “Please let me just finish this day!”  Most don’t have the energy to imagine a better future AND to fully construct a plan.

Lots of worker bees can only see a few weeks ahead AT MOST.  “I can’t wait until this month is over!  Next month will be better…I HOPE.”

So 99% of people are so caught up in the moment and the very near future that they unconsciously block out the potentially bright and shinny future.  And when they do dream a little dream it’s fleeting and put together in bits and pieces along the way.  Most thoughts of a better life only come when life is going badly RIGHT NOW.  And then the future quickly fades and is forgotten for the time-being because the desire to just get through the present is too much of a dominant force.

The NOW is too dark that it eclipses the light of next year, next decade.

It’s time to focus with the light of imagination and planning.

Having a crystal clear image of what you want and how you’re going to get there is KEY.  It’s the most important group of thoughts you can have to secure a future YOU TRULY NEED.

You must, must, must write down your plan of action.  AND remind yourself WHY, WHY, WHY you want those goals.

Light brings clarity.  And your imagination and you physically recording your plan on paper or your computer is crucial to bring your future into focus and ultimately into your NEW present reality.

Make sure to review your plan often to keep the energy flowing.

Ponder this: how can you get anywhere without directions, a map, and a destination?  Please don’t aimlessly drive the dark alleys with broken headlights.

Watch this YouTube video of Tony Robbins who helped shine some rays my way:

	What do 80% of your worries consist of?

As some of you might know, I lived in Osaka, Japan from early 2005 to late 2007.  I was employed with Japan’s largest conversational school, Nova.  At the time, they had over 4,000 teachers and over half a million students!

They were huge!  They had lots of money!  And they were on the cutting edge of technology.

I worked in the multimedia department.  So I taught English lessons from a computer in Osaka to students scattered all through out Japan via the Internet, a web camera, a microphone, and a cool software program.

Since I love computers, this was great.

After several months of working, I discovered that Yahoo Messenger was offering video chat similar to Nova’s.  This was the first time that I heard about the ability to call other peoples’ instant messaging accounts and speak with live video using a web camera…and it was free.

My first thought was, “Wow!  I could do the same job I was doing at Nova, but I could do it myself at home!  I could teach Japanese folks English with Yahoo Messenger.”

Since I knew a little bit about website design and Internet marketing, I felt like this was a perfect fit for me (but later I realized these skills weren’t crucial for starting up).

Any way, I bought the domain EnglishKitty.com and started contributing to various forums and whatnot.

Eventually I discovered Skype and quickly realized it was better than Yahoo.  I had only used Yahoo’s video chat once with my brother, and I didn’t like the quality.

Any way, about a month after launching my site and doing various things to get the word out, I got an email from a gal in Korea.

Korea!  I thought I was trying to attract Japanese, but no problem.  It was a happy surprise.

And then the time came for our free trial lesson, and I was scared out of my mind.

Not because I wasn’t prepared.  Not because I didn’t have the experience behind a web camera.

I was scared with sweaty palms because this was my first real business-like experience.  This was my first time at trying to achieve my own self-employed business that could actually bring me money very soon.

Would I fail?

Would she like me enough to become my paying student?

And what would happen if I actually succeeded?  Was I even ready for that?!

I also kind of felt like I didn’t know what I was doing to make this business work.  And she would see it!

To make a long story short, my anxiety quickly subsided after we connected together on Skype.  I was calm, relaxed, and charming.

I smiled a lot too.  I believe this was the main thing that quieted my nerves.

And so thankfully at the closing of our free trial lesson, she was ready to buy.

She bought one English conversation with me for $20.00.  And for several weeks after that, she would dutifully pay $20.00 before each 60 minute conversation.

I learned a lot about her and her culture, and she was able to practice her already learned English with me.  It was win-win.

Soon after, I started meeting more and more prospective students from other countries.  Some would buy, some only wanted the free one-time meeting, but in the end, I was making money.

And I continued to smile!

My fear of failure and warped fear of success was unfounded.

I’ve heard that about 80% of the things we worry about don’t even come close to coming true.  So why is it we as humans waste so much time and energy worrying about unrealistic things?

I believe it’s because most of us never think about this psychological phenomenon.  But once we have clarity.  Once we understand how things actually work, we can slowly change our thoughts that ultimately benefit our actions.

Positive actions lead toward success.

Positive thoughts lead toward success too!

What do you think?  Do you agree that almost 80% of the things we worry about never come to pass?  Do you have any specific examples from your life?

Please leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of us.  Thanks!