The Smallest Secret

The "Diamond Hour" concept asks us to make regular, calculated, balanced progress toward our goals, starting with only five minutes a day. We max out on this basic work in an hour a day. For those who are committed, clear, and without emotional blocks, an hour isn't enough, and you have to hold them back from overtraining and burning out on work or family.

For those who hold resentments, fear and conflicted values around issues of body, mind, relationships or finances, five minutes it too much. They quite literally are unable to find 300 seconds out of twenty-four hours to prevent their stress from becoming strain. The creation of the "five minute miracle" idea was originally a way of providing a hyper-efficient means of stress-busting. What it became was a diagnostic: if my students or clients couldn't remember to take five sixty-second "breathing breaks" during the day, it became safe to assume that there was a powerful conscious or unconscious drive to remain rutted.

We don't like to change. Living systems crave homeostasis. Inertia is a very real thing. Your weight wants to stay what it is. Your relationship status wants to stay what it is. Your finances want to stay what they are...

Or deteriorate. If you want to improve, it is going to take energy. And the most efficient use of that energy is to find the smallest useful unit, the tiniest aspect of your life that will make a serious difference, and put your effort there. So...

1) identify a tiny change which, carried out over a year, would make a serious difference. Possibilities: rewrite your goals daily. Breathe deeply and slowly for sixty seconds five times a day, visualizing your goals as you do. Call your Mastermind partner for a quick conversation 2X a week. Use your cell phone camera to photograph EVERYTHING you eat.

2) Raise your energy level. Get more rest. Drink a gallon of water a day. Take a short walk after every meal. Clarify your short-term goals and how they relate to your long-term plans.

3) Practice the new change. Put your all into it.

4) Fail successfully. You will have breakdowns. Record the whys, whens, wheres, hows. HOW DOES THE RESISTENCE MANEFEST? WHAT TRIGGERS IT?

What tactics does it use to derail you?

5) Start over again. And then again. Swear to never give up. Find new resources to help. Try a new approach to solving the same problem. Keep at it.

##

Remember that every single skill you have was obtained by a cycle of trial, failure, frustration, and re-commitment. Never, ever ever give up!

###

First new Youtube video of 2012:
Healing emotions #7
http://ping.fm/KdX8R

My next story, by the numbers

"That which you persist in doing becomes easier to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed, but that your ability to do it has increased."--Ralph Waldo Emerson

I like that quote, and just wanted to throw it into the mix!

I've been commissioned to create a story for MIT's annual science-fiction anthology, a 3500 word piece to be completed by mid-April. Sounds like fun, and because I've been concentrating on more general principles of writing rather than specifics, I think it's time to flip it, and allow you to see my thought patterns when it comes to creation. When and if these thoughts intersect with the success principles we've been covering, I'll point it out.

The first matter of concern is to define terms. Shall we?

1) Short Story: generally a piece of written fiction less than 10k words. They are the perfect building blocks of a career. I get emails and requests almost every day from people who make the mistake of skipping this critical step, writing novels and then not knowing where or how to market them. Heck, most of the time the novels themselves are DEEPLY flawed, because the writer didn't take the simple step of publishing a dozen short stories first. And BTW--when I say "publish" I mean "get paid." The sincerest compliment in the world is a check that clears the bank!

I'm going to go pretty deeply into my process as work proceeds on this story. Stick around!

Steve

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2012 could be the best writing year of your life! You NEED a copy of the LIFEWRITING YEAR LONG program, which includes a totally FREE evaluation of a short story--worth more than the price of the course!

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"That which you persist in doing becomes easier to do."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
new blog post!
http://ping.fm/8LOdw

TAGR #13: The Sixth Sense

No, not M. Night Shyamalan's best movie, but rather the culmination of the entire Napoleon Hill philosophy. And again, he is playing in a realm beyond rational thought. If you can't go there, I suggest you simply assume that he and his mastermind were wrong. On the other hand, if you are willing to speculate a bit, I believe something quite useful can be gained.

"The sixth sense defies description! It cannot be described to a person
who has not mastered the other principles of this philosophy, because
such a person has no knowledge, and no experience with which the
sixth sense may be compared."

If I take this literally, then it would be a mistake to attempt to approach this directly. With all due respect to Mr. Hill, SOME of what he discusses here has indeed been spoken of in various esoteric texts, but "Think And Grow Rich" is a hard-nosed book on success, not an airy-fairy new age bundle of aphorisms...so what's going on?

Well...I think that the best way of describing this is to say that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That if you take the preliminary steps: Focus desire, nurture faith, constantly imprint goals and positive beliefs, model excellence, develop your creative imagination, create and work your plan, make decisions quickly and change them slowly, persist in the face of all opposition, maintain a positive attitude, form alliances with others for mutual support and welfare, "channel" your emotional and physiological sexual energy, and open yourself to the possibility of non-ordinary communication...something miraculous can and will happen.

Frankly, the weeks I've spent going over the 13 basic principles have been a revelation. Again, I am grateful beyond belief to my Mom for introducing me to this. In the intervening years, I've experienced (what seemed to be) instances of precognition, aura reading, altered states, and non-sensory perception. While I can't predict their occurrences, I've stopped being surprised when it happens. I watch it with a slight sense of amusement and wonder, understanding that there is doubtless some physical explanation: but I don't have to understand that explanation to take advantage of the information.

And that's the key. My assumption is that I'm simply not smart enough to figure out everything the universe is up to. And that if I limit my input to what I can understand, I have diminished the overall input of useful or accurate data. On the other hand, you don't want to be too credulous, either.

In my world, that means that I apply any new information to all four major areas: body, mind, relationships, and finances. The more useful it is, the more I consider it to be true. The same is true of "experts" teaching about any subject. The more successful they are in all areas, the more accurate I believe their perceptions to be. By applying these two metrics, it is possible to sort your way through a huge amount of behavioral options safely: look at the people who practice X, or have opinion Y. How do they measure in ALL areas, compared to the general population?

If worse, or about the same, I feel safe in ignoring them. If better...evaluate more closely. In my examination of high-functioning human beings a belief in non-ordinary communication or "intuition" is disproportionately high. This does NOT mean they are literally correct, but I do interpret this as "it would be smart to keep an open mind."

As I've said, I have two distinct personalities, a scientist and a shaman. They overlap a little, but not much. They are testy with each other, but do exchange Christmas cards. And that, for right now, is enough for me.

Steve

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www.realherosjourney.com/TAGR

TAGR #12: The Brain (as broadcaster/receiver)

"MORE than twenty years ago, the author, working in conjunction with
the late Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, and Dr. Elmer R. Gates, observed
that every human brain is both a broadcasting and receiving station
for the vibration of thought."--Napoleon Hill

Now, there is really no way to interpret this other than that Napoleon Hill, and perhaps a number of those brilliant and successful men whose lives he studied, believed that psychic abilities exist, including telepathy and forms of clairvoyance. And this has been, and continues to be, a sticking point for many who might otherwise appreciate this book.

His basic contention:

1) Under certain circumstances, every brain is capable of picking up "vibrations" from other brains.

2) That this ability can be accessed through sex transmutation and other focusing of "energies."

3) That this capacity can operate as a mega "Mastermind," tapping us into a group or universal wisdom (similar to what is referred to as the "Akashic Records.)

There are two positive ways of addressing this belief:

1) One, that it is correct, and that we must expand our beliefs to include such capacities.

2) That it is a metaphor. In other words that under certain circumstances, our brains behave as if we are "picking information up" from other minds. We access previously unknown depths of creativity, intelligence, courage, problem-solving, and so forth.

It would be totally possible to focus on the fact that non-physical communication is contrary to your model of the universe, and miss the fact that what Hill did was observe a useful phenomenon and misinterpret its origin--and that would be foolish of us. From my own perspective, it is better to ask: "what might that phenomenon have been? Is there something advantageous happening here?"

I think there is. Briefly, when you combine clear goals with powerful emotions,you reach a point where what Hill calls "Creative Imagination" begins to produce ideas previously undreamed of.

"You have but three principles to bear in mind, and
to apply...the
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, CREATIVE IMAGINATION, and AUTO-SUGGESTION.
The stimuli through which you put these three principles into action
have been described— the procedure begins with DESIRE."--Napoleon Hill

1) Have a clear, written goal

2) Visualize and emotionalize your process and result every day.

3) See how accomplishing your goal will improve your sex life. Feel it and let yourself get turned on by the idea.

4) Take daily action toward your intent.

Hill speaks more and more of "intangible" capacities toward the end of the book, until you'd wonder if TAGR was a stealth version of "The Secret." Considering that it is the best-selling self-help book of all time, I suggest that you neither reject nor accept what says automatically. But that you try its suggestions out for yourself. You're smart enough to figure out what is true, what is false, and what might be a genuine, if mis-labeled, phenomenon.

best game in town!

Steve

TAGR #11: The Subconscious Mind

TAGR #11: The Subconscious Mind

"THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND consists of a field of consciousness, in which
every impulse of thought that reaches the objective mind through any
of the five senses, is classified and recorded, and from which thoughts
may be recalled or withdrawn as letters may be taken from a filing
cabinet."--Napoleon Hill

And this is one of those moments when you can peek through the artifice to see what Hill is actually concentrating on. One of the "secrets" of TAGR is that Hill alludes to a certain principle
embedded in every chapter. Other books and courses have of course spoiled this "secret" over the years, and I won't be one of them--Hill considers it your job to find this principle all by your lonesome.

But that "secret" (and I seriously suggest you study TAGR until you discover it for yourself) is very nearly matched by the importance of another: that every chapter in the book is designed to improve communication between the conscious and unconscious mind.

Faith, desire, auto-suggestion, specialized knowledge, master mind groups, sex transmutation...it's all about enhancing this conscious-unconscious communication. My personal favorite form of "synching" these two are meditation and self-hypnosis. The idea is that the conscious mind holds the goals and plans. The unconscious holds our self-image, beliefs, emotional land-mines, and so forth. Only when inner and outer match do we have full access to our innate capacities. Let's take a look at the different arenas:

1) Martial arts. While tactics and strategy can be programmed consciously, in the heat of combat you have access only to what has been programmed into the unconscious--there is little time for conscious calculation when someone is trying to brain you. Your unconscious will control your training routine, discipline, courage, and much more.

2) Relationships. Much of the "how to pick up" " nonsense (whether the issue is girls or guys, short-term sex or long-term relationships) is about imitating the confident body language of someone who is successful and self-confident. Infinitely preferable is actually BE COMING successful on the terms of your chosen audience, and being genuinely self-confident and self-loving. Assume that the best results you'll ever get will come when you aren't paying conscious attention.

3) Writing. Stephen King refers to his creative elves as the "boys in the basement." He often starts stories with no idea how they will end--he has that kind of trust in his inner self. "The boys in the basement" have been trained by reading many millions of words (heck, it could be over a billion), writing millions, identifying with the finest writers of history, and a deep appreciation for small-town life and basic human nature. He is obviously writing what the heck he feels like, and it is instructive to study him for this reason.

4) Finances. The number of subconscious traps associated with finances are too long to list. And I wouldn't be the right person to enumerate, for reasons we've touched on. But lets just say that managing your money is a daily matter. That coping with customers, partners, employers or employees, as well as public servants and private consultants of various kinds...endless juggling. Mismanage any one of them, and you can sabotage your efforts terribly.

That's just a basic overview. Create your own list today, and begin to enhance that inner-outer communication that will control your success today, tomorrow, and the rest of your life.

##

Hypnosis is a powerful tool. If you seek a reliable source of basic skills, try Neuro-Vision:

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TAGR #10: Sex Transmutation

My favorite principle, and by far the most controversial aspect of the entire program. When TAGR was first published, this chapter had to have been an absolute scandal. Subsequent editions oten pruned this chapter, most commentaries ignore it, and some of the "modern" versions are woefully inadequate.

Basically through interview, study and observation of famous, successful men (and a few women) Hill came to the conclusion that, among other things:

1) "Sex Transmutation" is the ability to adapt sexual energy into creative inspiration and work.

2) Men rarely reach their peak of productiveness before their 50's, due to their wasting of this energy.

3) The combined emotions of faith, love, and sex create a tsunami of motivation and action.

It astounds me that this chapter ever got written. Even more that the staggering implications have sat in plain sight for eighty years, and are so rarely discussed.

The simple interpretation is that sex is a powerful emotion, representing the most powerful positive sensation the human nervous system can process. "Anchoring" this energy to the tasks one must accomplish to reach goals is a no-brainer.

A more esoteric interpretation includes models of human sexuality from yoga, Tantrism, Native American practices and others, suggesting that the intensity of an orgasm is in direct proportion to the amount of ego one releases at the moment of truth. The thought of using sex to access deeper and higher consciousness has been taught for centuries...but not in the West.

We're going to revisit this later, I promise!

###

The 101 Program uses the yogic Chakras to diagram human capacity, including the mysteries of "muladhara" the sexual aspect. A modern collection of techniques and technologies for reaching a mental and physical peak, the 101 Program can be purchased at:

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TAGR #9: The Master Mind

There are several principles in TAGR which, taken seriously, will nearly maximize chances for success in life. This principle is one of them.

The "Master Mind" clearly parallels the "allies and powers" step of the Hero's Journey. It is the "hypermind" created by your alignment with at least ONE other person, who is committed to your success, and willing to work with you in a spirit of cooperation. There are so many ways that this is critical to your success, so many things that relate to this principle. Here are a few of them:

1) You and your mastermind partner should meet (or hey...speak via SKYPE!) twice a week.

2) A total spirit of cooperation must be the first priority. Remove partners from your mastermind group if they cannot meet this standard.

3) Your mastermind group can grow as large as you wish, so long as this cooperative spirit applies.

4) The topic of conversation should be the plans and actions that can take you to your goal, and keep personal talk to a minimum.

5) Goals should be simple, compact and easy for all to understand. Everyone must be aligned on the achievement of the same ends.

6) The Mastermind must operate in a spirit of mutual benefit and welfare. In other words, it is totally possible for every member of the Mastermind to have a separate goal, and the group rotates between them.

The truth is that if you don't have enough knowledge to accomplish your goal, it is totally possible to work around this by creating relationships with those who DO have such knowledge. In fact, it is virtually impossible to create an ongoing enterprise without creation of a Mastermind, whether you call it that or not.

In my own life, my "mastermind" experience worked as following:

1) Writing: My mentor, Larry Niven, has been totally invaluable in working out my career. Other allies include my first wife Toni (couldn't have done it without her!), my agents, editors, and so on.

2) Martial Arts. Coaches, teachers, training partners, therapists (no kidding), gurus and so forth--people who helped me learn physical, mental, emotional or spiritual aspects of the warrior's path.

3) Relationships: role models, therapists, and most of all my partners themselves.

4) Financial. As I've said, money was never something I pursued directly, always a side-effect of writing and teaching, my real loves. I am correcting that now with a tiny number of partners who want to build what I call "Clickbank Robots." The requirement, for those interested, is a passion for some subject you would love to share with the world, and access to an audience of at least five thousand people. It is amazing how many people have both of these things, if they stop and think about it carefully.

The most important "Master Mind" partner you can have is your spouse. Life becomes hugely simpler if you have one person who can watch your back and share your dreams.

If you don't have a Master Mind, you could try joining the 101 Board (http://route101.proboards.com)

If not that, then it is CRITICAL that you be able to 100% rely on yourself, your own clarity and internal honesty. Meditation, journaling, daily re-writing of your goals, and serious inquiry into WHY you can't find a single person to trust. Critical questions. Critical answers.

Tell the truth...and go for it!

Steve

##

Share this with three potential Master Mind Partners!

##

New readers: begin your march to mastery HERE: www.realherosjourney.com/TAGR

New blog post on the one quality whose absence GUARANTEES failure:
http://ping.fm/HOxme

TAGR #8: Persistence

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

- Calvin Coolidge

The above quote says much of what I wanted to add on this subject. If you don't have persistence, you will fail. Period.

In my own life, the quality of persistence worked like this in my basic areas:

1) Body. It took me 17 YEARS of training to earn my first black belt (I currently hold three, including a 4th degree in Kenpo). On average, it takes 3-5 years, but I was dealing with a crippling lack of self-confidence, fear, and a negative self-image created by childhood trauma. I banged my head against that barrier literally for decades.

2) Mind. I set a goal of being a professional writer, and decided to write and submit 100 short stories before I even BEGAN to evaluate the "reasonableness" of my goal. Everyone I knew told me I couldn't do it. My own mother tore up my early stories, for fear I'd waste my life. Only obsessive doggedness got me through. (P.S.--I made it to about #23 before I started selling).

3) Spirit. I investigated dozens of different paths, religions, spiritual teachers...always disappointed when they either turned out to be dead ends, or simply didn't fit my personal needs. Somehow, I never lost faith that I would find an answer. That answer came perhaps seven years ago, with a beautiful "ah-hah" moment where the answers to the questions "who am I" and "what is true" were clarified for me. All of the work had indeed paid off, but not as I expected, and not in the timing I'd anticipated. But...persistence was everything.

4) Finances. For decades, I ignored this. Being one of the fortunate few who could make damned good money simply following my bliss, I was insulated from many adult realities, and therefore unable to properly coach people without my specialized skills and fortune. Despite advice from friends and role models, I just couldn't get the little kid inside me to pay attention. Finally, after over a decade of thinking about it, I realized that the fact that my mother had originally exposed me to TAGR as a child could be used to my advantage. That "inner child" misses his Mommy terribly, and is willing to study TAGR as a way of feeling more connected to her once again. But lord, did I ever try a raft of techniques before I found the right one!

Where in YOUR life have you allowed lack of persistence to limit your success? Look at all four of these arenas, and I can pretty much promise you that at least one has been a major challenge. To increase persistence:

1) Clarify your goals. Write them out, and re-write them daily.

2) Clarify the benefits. Get SUPER clear on all the pleasure you will add to your life if you accomplish these aims. Let yourself REALLY feel it!

3) Clarify the punishment. Get SUPER clear on all the pain you will feel if you do NOT make these changes. Let yourself REALLY feel it!

Just these steps, taken seriously, will change your life!

Steve

Live with passion!

p.s.--if YOU have a dream of being a writer, here's free help!

http://diamondhour.com/FREELifewritingForWritersNewsletter.en.html

TAGR #7: Mastery of Procrastination

"Perfectionism is Procrastination masquerading as quality control."--Steven Barnes

"Analysis of several hundred people who had accumulated fortunes well
beyond the million dollar mark, disclosed the fact that every one of
them had the habit of REACHING DECISIONS PROMPTLY, and of
changing these decisions SLOWLY, if, and when they were changed.
People who fail to accumulate money, without exception, have the
habit of reaching decisions, IF AT ALL, very slowly, and of changing
these decisions quickly and often."--Napoleon Hill

Adjust the previous numbers for serious inflation, and the implications are stunning. You know whether or not you procrastinate. Consider this to be ANYTHING that stops you from completing projects, being rewarded for them, and creating the next project.

In writing: this is anything that stops you from writing, re-writing, submitting, and continuing on to your next project.

In fitness: this is anything that stops you from moving your body daily, keeping track of your eating daily. Recording and evaluating your results, building support teams, and anything else that moves you in the desired direction.

In mental development, this means studying your occupation to see where you can improve, getting better role models. building rapport with your co-workers, developing a better mental attitude. Taking personal responsibility. Dividing the work into bite-sized chunks that can be completed by the end of the day.

In finances, this means balancing your checkbook, writing your goals daily, and saving 10% of your income for long term investment. I mean this money is NEVER to be spent--you will pass this to the next generation.

You must define the long and short term steps to your goals, break them into chunks, and track whether or not you are doing it. Procrastination is fear, and the first step to mastering fear is to acknowledge it exists.

You can learn more about controlling this destructive emotion with the MASTERING F.E.A.R. program, available HERE!

TAGR #6: Organized Planning

TAGR #6: ORGANIZED PLANNING

"No man can get rich himself without enriching others"--Earl Nightengale

I'm having fun with this series, because it's forcing me to revisit lessons my mother played for me, and taught me, when I was a kid. Wow. Listening to TAGR and other audios just sends me back...

Anyway, the Sixth Principle of the amazing "Think And Grow Rich" is "Organized Planning." One way to put this is that if you

1) Know exactly what you want and

2) Find role models who have accomplished (roughly) what you wish to accomplish, starting from (roughly) where you are beginning and

3) Analyze their actions, thoughts and emotions, you will emotions

you will begin to understand the price to be paid for your dreams. If this price is in alignment with your values, and you are prepared to commit to them, then do, with all your heart.

Hill here suggests that you tap into the power of the "Master Mind"--at least one partner with whom you can plan your dreams in perfect harmony. Having such a partner can be the most important step you take as you seek to change your life.

What if you can't find anyone? Then you will have to learn to trust yourself, and tap into your own inner guardians, a process you will explore in great depth in the 101 PROGRAM

"The 101 Program changed my life. It SAVED my life!"--LaVeda Mason

Order your copy today!

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The Power of Imagination
new blog post:
www.darkush.blogspot.com

TAGR #5: Imagination

"The imagination is literally the workshop wherein are fashioned all plans created by man."--Napoleon Hill.

"Man's only limitation...lies in his development and use of his imagination."--Napoleon Hill

"Transformation of the intangible impulse, of DESIRE, in to the tangible reality, of MONEY, calls for th euse of a plan, or plans. These plans must be formed with the aid of the imagination, and mainly, with the synthetic faculty."--Napoleon Hill

Specifically, what Hill refers to here is the "synthetic" imagination, by which one re-arranges old concepts, ideas, or plans into new combinations. This is distinct from "creative" imagination, which he posits to allow connection with extranormal sources of information.

And the most important use of this capacity is the formation of plans of action, and a clear goal. To put it in the words of friend and mentor Tim Piering, "The most important quality needed for success is clear goals and plans for their accomplishment expressed in continuous action."

In my own life, I've had four major goals in life, three explicit and one implicit.

1) Body. Health and fitness, and skill expressed in martial arts performance. I could certainly visualize myself wearing a black belt, or sparring with a high level of expertise. The plan of action included regular practice under a master teacher, and pushing my body to the highest level of fitness it could produce.

2) Mind--career. I visualized publication, awards, fans, and television and film production. The pathway was writing a story a week, or two stories a month. Reading ten times what I wrote, and sending the stories out to be published. I promised that I would do this for at least 100 stories before quitting.

3) Emotions--family. I wanted someone to love, and a family to care for. The road for this was to develop myself until the female equivalent of my own personal expression would be someone I was attracted to. This demanded the development of power in the arenas women I respected and desired considered attractive. Most of the "how to pick up girls" type stuff I've seen basically involves imitating the body language, relaxed confidence and focus of men who are healthy, successful, and self-loving. Why fake it?

4) Finances. This was always implicit. As a child, I never thought directly about money, and rarely did as an adult. But indirectly, it was always there: success in my art meant financial security. But because I thought of this only in a childlike fashion, I made plenty of money but never held onto it, and was unable to coach others with money trouble. Bizarrely, my "inner child" meditations didn't help. That little creative brat just didn't want to talk money!

Then...sufficient thought, imagination and investigation revealed a possible avenue. While I never thought about money as a child, my mother obsessively played a wonderful audio version of THINK AND GROW RICH (and a few other self-help books) to me when I was seven or eight. On and on. Over and over throughout my youth.

I hated it. But...it sank in. And that means that this book connects to my childhood love for the wonderful woman who gave everything to raise me. That little boy will listen to that book because...well...

Because it feels like love.

realherosjourney.com/TAGR

TAGR #4: Specialized Knowledge

The fourth principle of Napoleon Hill's breakthrough book, "Specialized Knowledge", is the absolute opposite of what most of us get in school: generalized knowledge. I often suspect that the actual intent of much of our public education is not to teach us "things" we will need to succeedd (although the most basic principles: reading, writing, and math are essential to survival in the modern world) but rather indirectly teaching us research, focus, planning, team-building, and the ability to follow orders whether we like it or not. I kid you not--these are useful skills.

But too many college graduates enter the business world with vast knowledge of some tiny area that will not help them at all in the search for actual employment, let alone the accumulation of riches. In a very real sense, a doctoral dissertation, the "gold" standard for education, is about becoming, temporarily at least, the world's greatest expert at some tiny slice of a field, so specialized that most people have never thought of it, or care about it at all.

Small wonder that many wags consider the six most important words for recent college grads to learn to be: "Would you like fries with that?"

The answer is to use the same focus and intelligence that you have been honing in college, and concentrate on the specific information necessary to achieve your goals in the real world. In terms of employment, for most people that means: "how do I make money?"

Here are some core thoughts to consider

1) A great question is: How do I support myself with dignity and honor, and have fun in the process?

2) Find people who have made money doing something you find interesting and positive. Study them directly or indirectly, and determine the actions, thought patterns, emotions and beliefs that have enabled their success.

3) When approaching a potential employer, don't go looking for a "job." Study their business. Understand the flow of their money, and come to them with a specific plan. Tell them you want to partner with them--you will take stress from their back and/or put money in their pocket, and document how you are doing it. To the degree that you can do these things, IF YOU CAN PROVE YOUR VALUE, you will find it easy to negotiate for a portion of the increased profits. If accumulating money is your intent, you MUST find a way to demonstrate the practical, economic value of your actions. Demonstrate that your books sell, and you can demand royalties. Demonstrate that you sell more X than the guy in the next department, and you can negotiate a raise.

4) If you are in a profession where it is difficult or impossible to "prove" your immediate financial contribution (say, a school teacher) then you will want to create a side business where you CAN prove it. Say...selling a booklet on increasing time efficiency for teachers, and then sell it to members of a national teacher's association. There are lists of such people, and ways to reach them. Again, you will be paid for the PROVEN, MEASURABLE value of your work. Only.

All of these things demand specialized, specific knowledge. You must define exactly what is needed to make money, and then acquire that. The generalized knowledge you gained on the way to your degree is fabulous...but what will really help you is applying the acquired metaskills to becoming the world's greatest expert on how a person like YOU can acquire financial freedom.

Be Magna Cum Laude in the school of You!

Steve

Your free copy of Think And Grow Rich:

www.realherosjourney.com/TAGR

Think And Grow Rich #3: Auto-Suggestion

TAGR #3: Auto-suggestion

This is one of the arenas where

Think And Grow Rich was both

ahead of its time, and somewhat

behind ours. The principle of

Auto Suggestion basically states

that the only way to change the

belief patterns that control our

unconscious behavior, and

emblazon our goals in our

hearts is to repeat our goals

and dreams again and again,

daily, with powerful emotions.

This technique works, it really

does, but you MUST combine

it with emotion. Better still,

use powerful body language,

read your goals and dreams

aloud, use strong voice and

facial expression, and ACT

like the person who can make

your dreams come true. In

exactly the same way that

hearing negative things about

yourself, or saying negative

things about yourself, for

sufficient time can crush your

will, saying POSITIVE things,

focused things, determinative

things again and again, for

days, weeks, and months will

change you. It must be

accompanied by action, but

this is the basic way Napoleon

Hill recommends that you use

conscious action to change

the unconscious mind.

1) Reduce your goals and

plans for actions to writing.

2) Read them aloud with

passion, morning and night.

3) See yourself accomplishing

them. Act as if you believe it.

Speak and move as if you believe

it. "Fake it till you make it!"

###

I mentioned that Hill was bot

h ahead of his time and behind

our own. Self-Hypnosis, NLP,

and other disciplines can increase

the rate of change, and I strongly

suggest that you delve into them.

One excellent source of hypnosis

tapes is called NEURO-Vision.

I've checked them out, they are

solid, they offer full money-back

guarantee, and have materials

covering a very wide range of

subjects. I'm affiliated with them

(just being honest!), but seriously

recommend that you check ou

t the very generous offer they

have for new customers right now.

Hypnosis isn't magic--it is entering a

relaxed, suggestible state in which our

deep minds are more open to changing

rigidly held beliefs, more receptive to

new ideas, more willing to modify our self

image.

You can find the NEURO-Vision

website here:

http://tinyurl.com/8a69uz7

Happy New Year!

Steve

##

p.s.--they're offering over

1000.00 worth of free extras

this month--it's a great deal. Do yourself

a favor and check it out!

http://tinyurl.com/8a69uz7

Master your body, mind, spirit and money in 2012! Plus FREE copy of the world's best-selling self help book. www.realherosjourney.com/TAGR

Thinkandgrowrich #2: Faith. New blog post
http://ping.fm/FOVpv

TAGR Principle #2: FAITH

The Second Principle: FAITH

“When you have come to the edge Of all light that you know And are about to drop off into the darkness Of the unknown, Faith is knowing One of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or You will be taught to fly”

Patrick Overton

It should be obvious to anyone who has been with me for a while that the principles of Think And Grow Rich are entwined deeply into every aspect of my life and teaching. The second principle, "Faith" is the same as the eighth principle of the Hero's Journey.

Defined as "evidence of thing not seen" this can be interpreted as a spiritual connection, or simply the capacity to believe that things, situations, and people can and will improve.

Any day that you wake up believing that today will be better than yesterday, this week better than last week, this month better than last month...

You will have energy, aliveness, joy, and creativity. The morning you wake up believing your best days are behind you...you will experience depression, fatigue, hopelessness and a shroud of negativity that cloaks your mind like a wet dishrag.

YOU MUST BELIEVE. If you want to find love, change your finances, get into shape, or learn a new skill...you must believe.

This is why desire is so important. You have to want something so badly that you are willing to "buck" the evil, negative voices in your head. The ones that say the past is the best of your life, that men and women are unworthy of trust, that you are broken and finished.

To be specific:

1) In writing, almost everyone I knew and everything around me said I could not have the career I wanted. I committed to writing, finishing, and submitting 100 short stories, and papering my walls with rejection slips, before even considering quitting.

2) In martial arts: I was dealing with so much fear, pain, and negative belief around the arts that it took me NINETEEN YEARS to earn my first black belt. The emotional agony was excruciating. I'd been so hurt and shamed for being small and gentle growing up that my self-image as a weak, defenseless artist was totally at odds with my goal of becoming a warrior.

3) In love, I made such mistakes in my early life that there was a specific moment, alone in a bare-walls apartment a thousand miles away from my nearest friends and family, I clearly, CLEARLY understood the desire for suicide.

The connection, the way through, the only salvation was faith. In myself. In the world. In my companions. And yes, in a higher power. That works for me. It may not for you. But you will need faith, of some kind, to see you through. Belief that there is more than your self image, more than your current concept. More than what you can touch and taste and hear.

Faith is knowing you've been down before, and gotten back up, dammit. You can do this. You MUST do this.

You're the only one who can.

Steve

http://realherosjourney.com/TAGR/

Merry Christmas! Thank you for being a part of my life. Please get your FREE Xmas present:
http://ping.fm/4iyIq

Want motivation? More energy? New post on the power of DESIRE.
Stop being afraid to admit you want it all!
http://ping.fm/fos4c

TAGR #1--Desire

"TRULY, "thoughts are things," and powerful things at that, when they
are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a BURNING
DESIRE for their translation into riches, or other material objects."--Napoleon Hill

The bizarre thing about Think And Grow Rich is how almost every paragraph has been cannibalized by lesser writers, who have based entire lectures, courses, books and careers out on some single aspect of this insanely condensed and idea-rich book. You can open it at random on a given day, put your finger on almost any part of the page, and find life-changing concepts.

Every one of the thirteen principles, used deeply and mastered, would change your life. Any three of them would probably make you a rousing success. But say, seven of them? Any seven? If you re-read one of those seven chapters daily and implemented what it said? In a year or two, people would think you walked on water.

Let's get our feet wet, shall we?

The first principle is DESIRE. A burning, unquenchable DESIRE for your goals. Again, set goals in four arenas: physical health and fitness, love and relationship, mental performance/career/education, and monetary wealth.

These four interact, cross-reference, provide support and motivation for each other, and guarantee balance. You can have MORE goals, but be very certain that you cover at least these four. No one says it will be easy. It won't be. But I'd say 99.9% of people want all four of these things, while about 30% of people claim they don't. Someone is lying. I suggest you ask yourself if it is you.

It is comforting to pretend we don't really want things. that we have no desire to sing our song to the world as loudly and sweetly as we can in the trivial few days we have to live in this world. It is easy to lie to ourselves that we don't want the physical aliveness we had as children. We don't want the passion and love we desire. Don't want the financial success to create safe harbor for ourselves and our families. I've lost count of the people who've said: "I don't care about money"...and then gone on to describe ruined hopes and dreams that could be easily fulfilled with sufficient financial resources. Or causes they hold dear that will dwindle and die for lack of donations. Dreams of travel, education, or family comfort that could easily be assuaged with...money.

When we don't believe we can have something, or SHOULD have something, it is easier to simply pretend we don't want it. And those lies kill our dreams.

I would rather aim too high and be disappointed, than aim too low and fail to fulfill my potential.

I want the physical power, grace, and aliveness of a panther. I crave love, passion, and intimacy with a family and soulmate. I want to write stories that change the world and live for centuries beyond me. And I want such a surplus of money that I can be a benefactor to my family and the causes I believe in.

And I want them with a burning, driving, consuming passion...but also a slight sense of humor. I know it is a game. I'm prepared to lose. But I'm not going to sit on the bench in my own life, watching others play and wondering what I might have done if I'd just dared to get on the field.

I won't do it. THIS IS MY LIFE. The only one I get. The little boy inside me dreamed of being a writer, a martial artist, and having love.

By God, I went out and got him all those things. No matter the cost. No matter how many times I got knocked down. I was fighting for that little boy.

And he loves me for it. He is absolutely tickled at the man I am today...still standing, still singing my song. And the old man I will be on my deathbed is smiling at me as well: he knows that the money, the external success, even the external relationships are nothing more than an expression of what is happening inside me. Success is the result of CONSUMING DESIRE, sufficient to overcome obstacles, to be knocked down a million times and get up a million and one. To move through fear, and disappointment, and guilt, and shame. To be willing to overcome everything, no matter what.

I love that little boy inside me that much, dammit. My mother and father are gone. Have joined, in John D. MacDonald's great words, "the long, long line of the dead ones."

I am all he has. And I will fight to the last drop of blood for his dreams. Until the last breath. And I know that when my eyes close for the last time, he will be smiling at me. Loving me. Saying "you did good, Daddy."

And frankly? If that's all I get in life, that's all I need.

Steve

###

I'm going to be referencing this fantastic book often in the weeks and months to come. For your free copy, go to: http://realherosjourney.com/TAGR/

New blog post on the world's best self-help book http://ping.fm/7avWw
Free copy:
http://ping.fm/hVnoo

Once a year, I do this...

I am excited and honored to spend the next few weeks with you, exploring the world's greatest self-help book, THINK AND GROW RICH. I want to tell you WHY I offered this book free of charge (http://realherosjourney.com/TAGR/) and why it is so important to me...and I believe, to you.

My mother raised my wonderful sister Joyce and me by herself: she had divorced my father when I was about seven years old, and he simply wasn't around. Life was a struggle. I very clearly remember her cutting dandelions off the front yard so that we would have vegetables to eat. She struggled endlessly to provide basic needs, and had nightmares almost every night of monsters chasing and devouring her...the monsters of debt and fear.

We were poor in many ways, but she was careful to provide cultural opportunities, that we had a new World Book encyclopedia every year (by selling them herself!), that we had upper-class friends, and that we never thought of ourselves as poor.

And one of the things she did, that drove me crazy at the time, was play recorded versions of self-help books. Psycho-Cybernetics. "As A Man Thinketh." "The Strangest Secret." And..."Think and Grow Rich." Over and over again she played them, until I thought I'd go crazy. But you know what? They went deep. I heard those principles over and over again. Mom used them to survive.

But I was able to use them to thrive and succeed. I stood on her shoulders, not in her shadow. Bless her. Bless her from the bottom of my heart. She gave me the foundation of my life. I was a small, shy, pot-bellied four-eyed little fatherless nerd, bullied by everyone, even the girls. Few friends, nothing but a dream that one day I would have love, learn to fight back, and be able to share the crazy stories I had in my head with the world.

And now? I'm married to my soul-mate, have a fourth degree black belt and my doctor says my body is twenty years younger than my chronological age. My books have been published in at least eight languages, I've won multiple awards, been on the New York Times bestseller list, and I get fan letters every day, from all over the world, from people telling me my fiction and non-fiction has entertained, inspired them, and changed or even saved their lives.

I am blessed. And more than any other single work, teacher, or mentor, the book Think and Grow Rich is responsible.

I'm going to go over each of the thirteen major steps discussed therein. That will not be enough. You need to READ it. Again and again. I'd suggest once every year. Do what it says. Form a partnership with at least one other person with whom you share your dreams and hopes. If you don't have such a person (or even if you do!) join the 101 Board (http://route101.proboards.com)

to support and be supported.

I will discuss everything in terms of what I myself have accomplished, my own struggles. No theory. I am excited because this is MY chance to go back through this book, remind myself of the principles that created my life. They are foundational. This is for myself, as much as any of you. Everything will be related to writing; physical power and health; and loving Self, finding the Soulmate, and building a family.

Won't you join me?

Steve

Body genius Scott Sonnon's new
TacFit Barbarian, on sale until
Monday. Totally love this guy and his work.
http://tiny.cc/y9xy0

Saving the Best For Last

A goal is a dream with a deadline.
Napoleon Hill

We've had a great run with the

"Healing Emotions" series, and

as you can imagine, it's been

intense from a personal perspective

--I never ever teach anything that

I haven't used myself, and/or

taught to my "inner circle" of

students.

Next, we're going to wind up

the year by revisiting the amazing

"Think And Grow Rich," the

absolute best-selling self-improvement

book of all time. . This will

cover EXACTLY how I used

its principles in my

own life. Having been exposed

to this work when I was about

seven years old (my Mom used

to play TAGR on record, over

and over, until I thought I'd go

nuts!) it has been the "background"

of my life since...forever. I

honestly believe anyone who

wants to master their lives

should re-read this book once a year.

If you don't have your own

copy of it, be sure to get you

free copyHERE before we

head down this road!

##

Tomorrow the Diamond Hour

has a very special guest, Susanne

Cook-Greuter. She is a world-class

adult development researcher /

developmental psychologist. We're

going to discuss the concept of

Human Adulthood, one of the

most important steps on the road

to awakening.

Saturday, Dec 17, 2011 1:00 PM

Pacific Standard time (4:00 PM Eastern)
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/77111
Connect via phone or VoIP (Skype, etc.)
(724) 444-7444

A very different perspective on the "12 Trillion $ Debt" issue.
http://ping.fm/04323

New Blog Post:
Healing Emotions 10: Teach Others
The final step!
http://ping.fm/5bvIg

Healing Emotions Step #10: Teach Others

The last step of the hero's journey is variously called "The Student Becomes The Teacher", "Return to the Village With The Elixer" and "Movement to the Higher Level." It represents the end of one phase of life, and the beginning of another.

Any experience that takes you through the "dark night of the soul" will teach you about who you really are. What reality really is. IF you learn the lesson, you will be changed forever. If you are not changed, if you repeat the previous behaviors, you did not learn the lesson.

Information that does not change behavior is trivial information, and useless. Or you did not learn it. Once a lesson is truly learned, it should not be possible to go back to the old way of doing things.

The "Hero's Journey" pattern is not a circle. It is a spiral, describing growth up a staircase described by the Yogic Chakras or Maslow's Hierarchy, or any of the other systems of deep though encoded in religions, philosophies and evolutionary systems around the world.

How can you know that you have moved to the next level? How do you anchor new knowledge in your body and mind?

1) Take consistent, new action.

2) Teach what you have learned to others.

I really like #2. Anything you have legitimately learned, that has changed your life for the better, you have the right and perhaps even obligation to teach. Take the self-pity out of it: a 10 year old can teach a 9 year old.

Once you have learned the path to healing your emotions: finding love, banishing (or re-interpreting) fear, dealing with shame or guilt or loss...join or start a support group. Mentor others. Blog about your experiences. Tell the truth, ruthlessly. Trust me: telling the truth helps "groove" it more deeply in your own consciousness, and also provides a beacon for others seeking a way out of their emotional morass.

The best way to be sure you know something is to teach it. Share it. Stand up and say, clearly, that it is possible to win. That there is hope.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness

That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small

Does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking

So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,

As children do.

We were born to make manifest

The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;

It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we're liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.

--Marianne Williamson

http://realherosjourney.com/TAGR/

Join the FREE 101 Board. Body, mind, relationships, and money. Explore balance in a supportive community.
http://ping.fm/1J23C

New Blog Post: Healing emotions #9:
Don't Let Victory Defeat You!
http://ping.fm/OrZJu