See I do clean up eh?!! I showered and even shaved for this video.

Serious, if you want to create a breakthrough at will. Where you can transform the direction of your life in an instant, then this is where you start. Watch the video to discover how.

I’d love to hear your comments. Post them below.

Be Great eh!
Chris.

P.S. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I posted a Thanksgiving blog too. You can click on the blog posts to see it. Short, simple and heartfilled.

I got many emails back from last week’s article about regaining control of your life by regaining control of your thoughts. Thank you. I love the feedback. Some of the emails stopped me in my tracks and were very humbling. Reading those I couldn’t help but wonder that there is something greater at work here.

Originally I was going to go off in a different direction this week and instead of that, I’m choosing to go with the ebb and flow. That by the way is something I am working on getting better at. Being very focused and determined I can tend to ignore that and drive through a situation when there is sometimes a better route to take.

I have to watch myself here. And one of the ways to do this is to book some alone time. Some time to just sit idle with my thoughts and roll an idea around in my mind for a while. I particularly like to go into the hills around the coast. I have a special spot in Crystal Cove that requires a strenuous 2 mile uphill run to get to.

The place is amazing. I sit on a rock high up in the hills and stare at the ocean for hours. I watch the white wash churn onto the beach. I can hear the sound of distant waves crashing. My mind settles down and I talk with myself and with God. I feel at peace.

Well, kinda…

At first I sit there and freak myself out whenever I hear rustling in the bushes thinking it is a mountain lion coming to get me.  :)

I chuckle to myself as I watch some puny little bird go hop, hop, hop out of the bushes. Some mountain lion eh?!!

After I freak myself out and laugh about it, I settle in. I like to go for several hours as sometimes it takes a while for my mind to be still. For the constant noise to go away. My mind is originally like a body of water churned by an unseen storm, where if I was in it I would be struggling for a life giving gasp of air.

Kinda like a lot of people’s lives.

Many people are going through this turbulent times just trying to gasp for air. To catch a life saving breath before another wave comes and beats them down. This becomes a question of how long can you hang on for? Not a good situation to be in.

So after a while of sitting still, my mind settles down to one of a peaceful calm body of water. There is a stillness in the air. Where the water’s surface is smooth as glass. Where it invites you to come and soak in it’s splendor. Picture lazily floating on your back, smiling as you take the occasional stroke. Feeling the cool water surrounding and holding your body while the warm sun gently caresses you. You feel at peace.

Ahhhhhhhhh

That is the state I like to get in. Where my mind is free to wander. Where I can hear God’s quiet still voice talking to me.

This is where things become clear. Where my inspiration comes from. Where my confidence is restored. Where wounds are healed. Where excitement and fervor begin to course through my veins in a raising crescendo that climaxes like warhorses thundering across a battlefield. This is where my course is set and my gaze is focused. This is where I get up and boldly and aggressively move forward.

This is where answers to the hard questions come from.

I hope you have a place like this.

I try to visit mine monthly, although I have been remiss and inconsistent the last several months. Believing the lie that “I’m too busy to get away”. Don’t ever believe that. In these turbulent times, carving out time to think is essential to your survival.

And when you carve out your moment to think, here are 2 powerful questions to ask yourself…

1. Do you like the life you have designed for yourself?
2. If your answer is no, then ask yourself… why don’t you ignore the crap and what you don’t have, and design a life you’d love to own?

Your greatness lies in the questions you ask.

Get alone and ask yourself great questions. Having a great life lay in the balance. You deserve to be wild and free, to charge after your God given purpose with all the vim and vigor you can muster.

Do it.

Do it now.

“He who asks questions cannot avoid the answers” ~ Cameroon Proverb

And yes, I’d love to hear your comments. Post them below.

Be Great eh!
Chris.

HOLY SMOKES EH!!!!

I am feeling some kind of fire in my belly today!

I’ve got something burning inside of me…. and no it’s not the nachos I ate either. :)

My friend Ken said that silence is the source of strength. So true. After we ate Mexican, he was silent but deadly.

Ok, I’m also feeling quite playful and punchy today. Come to think of it, that is how I feel most days. It’s sooooo much better feeling like this than depressed, anxious, confused, frustrated or ready to go kick the tar out of someone or something.

I used to be cranky most days. Yes, I have always believed in a positive, optimistic outlook in life but I had a problem for the longest time (just one problem you say??!!)… I had many problems. Broke. Desparate. Depressed. Controlling. Irritated. Feeling like I had no control over my life.

All the problems I had could be traced back to one thing…

ME!!

Yup. I was the problem. And more specifically, my thoughts were the problem. For the longest time I fought the constant battle of trying to maintain an outwardly optimistic apprearance while inside I was struggling with a critical mind and spirit.

Maybe you can relate. Heck, maybe you have battled the same thing too.

It’s a tough battle. And one you are destined to lose if you do not fight it on the right front.

What do I mean by that? … well, most people just try to force things harder. To work harder, or act more positively when on the inside they are a mess! We try to make the changes we desparately desire by trying to change our external situation or environment. And while this is important to have, it’s not the most important thing.

The Most Important Environment to Change Is the One Inside Your Head

Have you ever listened to the crap that goes on in there? I mean, really, there is a lot of crap in there isn’t there??

So instead of starting with our external situation, the place to start is on the inside. I remember reading a book a long time ago called “Success Is An Inside Job”. The only thing I remembered about the book is the title. That alone was worth the price I paid for the book.

John Maxwell in his brilliant book titled “Thinking For A Change” said the steps to take to make changes in your life should be done in this order…

1. Change your thinking changes your beliefs
   
2. Changing your beliefs changes your expectations
3. Changing your expectations changes your Attitude
4. Changing your attitude changes your behaviour
5. Changing your behaviour changes your performance
6. Changing your performance changes your life

When you do it this way, in this order, you have lasting permanent positive change. When you do it as I did for so long, by starting with changing your performance, you will have short term successes followed by failure in a never ending, energy draining depressing cycle.

Break your cycles starting today. Starting right now!

Start by changing your thinking.

The bible says to take every thought captive. Do not put up with telling yourself you are not great. No, replace those thoughts of what you want.

And how do you do that???

Easy… last week I had you make a list of the things you will no longer tolerate in your life. All the things, all the crap you are done with… whether it’s living in financial poverty, or living in time poverty – as in never having time for yourself or your family and kids – whatever all the things that wind you up so tightly, write down all the things you are done with. If you need to, go back and read the post from last week. And do it!!!

Now use the leverage of getting pissed off and no longer tolerating all the things you don’t want. Use it and create a 2nd list.

Write down all the things you do want in life. All the things you want. Get passionate about this stuff. It’s your life, isn’t it worth it.

…. I’m listening to Bruce Springsteen “Badlands” as I’m writing this… man, music is a powerful source of inspiration and a great tool to get pumped into action…

Go ahead write it down…

• I want more time off to spend with my family
• I want to keep my existing income and cut my work week down to 3-4 days/week
• I want to make $_________
• I want to live ________

Get clear and specific about what you want. The clearer and more specific the picture the better it will be for you. The clearer it is, the more that picture will materialize in your life.

When it comes to change, it is never easy, it requires hard focused work. So it is vital to remember:

1. Change is personal – I need to change
2. Change is possible – I’m able to change
3. Change is profitable – I’ll be rewarded by change

When it comes to thinking, here’s a good thing to remember “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Phillipians 4:8.

Now To Lighten Things Up a Little

Here’s a fun video about venturing into unknown territory. It features a fellow Canuck (Canadian), Rick Hansen who had previously wheelchaired around the world, now you would not believe what he is up to now…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtAJFIOz8xs

I’d love to hear your comments. Post them below.

Be great eh!

Chris.