What To Do When You Want To Be Recognized As A Genius

Recently, a successful businesswoman asked what I thought she could do to take her success to the next level. She explained that she had been working on a HUGE project and was hoping it would really put her on the map.

I Want To Be Called A 'Genius'

“I imagine receiving publicity for my work and hearing people say, ‘you’re a genius!’” she added.

As soon as she expressed her desire to be called a genius, I recognized an opportunity for her to achieve her next level of success.

I shared the following, “One key to achieving that level of success lies in the understanding (and the acknowledgement) we are vessels through which a Higher Power communicates.”

Whether or not we are aware of it, many of the brilliant thoughts and ideas we generate come to us through something greater than ourselves.

When we give credit to a Higher Power, rather than seek praise to satisfy our egos, we acknowledge we are instruments that have been guided to create magnificent work.

Check out this article that asks, When did people shift from having a genius to being a genius? 

Successful People Who Live By This Principle
A few weeks later, I listened as financial guru Suze Orman expressed the following thought:

“People sometimes say, ‘I want to be like Suze Orman. I want to be the next financial guru of this planet.’ What I’m thinking is, ‘Only if you give God credit for what you do.’ If you think you’re the doer you’ll never be me. You can be an empty vessel and be the vehicle for God’s words and work.”

Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote the sensational book-turned-movie, Eat Pray Love, shared a similar message in this funny and delightful TED Talks.

Author Steven Pressfield (War of Art) also believes a Higher Power flows through him while he works. Pressfield says he looks at the words on the page knowing they did not come from him.

As you consider how to take yourself to the next level or whom to give credit for your creative brilliance, recognize you are a vessel for the work of a Higher Power. You will go much farther!

A Powerful Tip For Your Next Meeting or Interview

You’re about to walk into an important meeting or job interview. You’ve skillfully prepared your presentation. You’ve fine-tuned your resume.

Your goal is to close a contract, get hired for a new job, or receive a promotion. You’re hoping the outcome works in your favor. We’ve all been there.

Here’s a powerful tip for creating a positive outcome:

1. Be aware of what you are feeling and doing. For example, you may be feeling nervous (even desperate) and you may want to control the situation.
2. Inhale. Then upon exhale, release those energies.
3. Focus on the energy of love. Visualize yourself sending love to the people in your meeting.

Why This Approach Works
We are spiritual beings living a human experience. When we send love to others we connect with them on a spiritual level. They pick up and receive the beauty of our energy and may interpret this as ‘having a good feeling’ about you.

The energy of LOVE is very powerful. It is healing and transformative. According to the Law of Love, love eventually perfects all. When we come from a place of love we flow with the divine order of the universe.

Trust The Outcome
When Simon Cowell came to the U.S. to pitch American Idol, he was turned down by everyone except Rupert Murdoch. Simon now realizes that not getting those initial deals was for the best because they would have resulted in bad partnerships.

Whatever the outcome of your meeting, trust that it is for your highest good.

The Missing Ingredient From Your Wish List

Have you ever wanted to win an award? Get a promotion? Become a successful businessperson? Be the next BIG thing?

If you answered “Yes,” you’re not alone. When someone expresses these wishes I often encourage him or her to examine the why behind the wish.

Money, a feeling of accomplishment, and a sense of self-worth are typically expressed as reasons for wanting to achieve such goals.

The Missing Ingredient
While there is nothing wrong with the reason each person identifies, sometimes there is an overlooked nugget… a deeper reason that lies within their hearts.

This nugget, when unearthed, is akin to striking gold! What is this nugget? It is the gift of serving something greater than yourself.

Choosing to serve something BIGGER and greater is a missing ingredient from many wish lists. That is to say, when your reason for achieving your wish goes beyond you and your needs, it becomes a magical experience.

Greatness Graces Your Doorway
You are more likely to achieve your wish. You feel more fulfilled, the word “success” takes on new meaning, and greatness graces your doorway.

MLK Said It Best
Martin Luther King, Jr. embodied what it means to serve something greater than oneself. In his Drum Major Instinct sermon, he asserts:

[When I die] tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.

Choose to serve something bigger than yourself and allow greatness to grace your doorway.

When You Look In The Mirror What Do You See?

Each morning when you get dressed, what do you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you see flaws? Do you pick yourself apart? Do you criticize yourself?

It is not unusual for some of us to look at our reflection and see something we want to tuck, lift, tone, or tighten.

Our focus may then shift from criticism of our physical appearance to self-induced character assassination.

Some look at themselves and see a failure, a loser, or “tired and beat down” as one woman recently described herself.

All of us have endured painful experiences. Those experiences serve us in ways we may not understand. As Pastor Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life explains, “God never wastes a hurt.”

While we can acknowledge our pain and express our emotions as part of the healing process, it is important to understand that our experiences do not define us as failures or losers.
  
To think of yourself as anything less than magnificent is to deny your inner treasures.

Our words have a powerful effect on our reality. So, when you look in the mirror, make positive affirmations (not self-criticisms) the norm, not the exception.

Here are a few affirmations and words of self-love you can repeat as you look in the mirror.

I am a Divinely created masterpiece.

I live a life of purpose and meaning.

I love you.

I open my arms to receive all the good the Universe has to offer me.

I live from a constant flow of positive abundance.

I am Divinely guided and supported at all times.

You may choose to create your own affirmations. You may also choose to put your affirmations in writing and place them around your home and/or work space as visual anchors.

This F Word Can Sabotage Your Results

There’s one word I’ve heard people use repeatedly without realizing it's sabotaging the results they want to achieve.

As you may know, there are certain words that are disempowering because of their effect on our subconscious and their powerful effect on our reality.

For example, using the word ‘can’t’ creates the belief – and ultimately a self-fulfilling prophecy – that there’s something you can’t do or can’t achieve.

So, what’s the word I keep hearing? It’s the word ‘fight.’ I hear comments such as, “I’m fighting a cold” “fighting the battle of the bulge” or “fighting poverty.”  

Why Fighting is Ineffective
When you fight something, it tends to fight back. The situation escalates into aggressiveness and can lead to war.

In A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle makes a good case against achieving results using a mindset of war citing the ineffectiveness of the war against crime and drugs.

War is a mind-set, and all action that comes out of such a mind-set will either strengthen the enemy… or create a new enemy.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

A More Effective Approach
Instead of fighting a situation, work with it not against it. Do not think of yourself as fighting a cold. Rather, acknowledge a cold as your body’s way of letting you know you have a virus.

See yourself working in harmony with your body and your choice of treatment to heal and recover.

Fighting poverty? Fuggedaboutit! Acknowledge poverty as a temporary situation that has presented itself for a reason. Sometimes such situations lead us to our purpose and our true self – the authentic self that does not operate from the disease of ego.

In fact, in 1976 Buckminister Fuller foretold that in fifty years humanity will realize there is enough for everyone, everywhere.

Look at situations in your life and consider how you can work with them rather than against them. There is no peace to be found in fighting, so choose harmony. You reap greater, longer lasting results.

Is Our World A Horrible Place?

Like me, you've probably heard some people say “The world is a horrible place” and “I hate people.”

Their comments may come after they've read a news article or after they've watched the news.

The way we view the world -- whether as a horrible or a beautiful place -- is a reflection of OUR focus and our reality. When we choose to look for the good in people we find it.

When we look for the good in the world we find it, of which there are many. There are countless good deeds that go unnoticed. These good deeds outnumber the negative.

Rather than focus on the negative and perpetrate the illusion of our world as a horrible place, let us put our focus on the positive. Share positive stories.

Be positive influences by channeling different thoughts and sentiments into the world.

In so doing, we are not denying the bad; we simply choose to focus on the good and then go about creating more of it.

Change starts with us.

Is Facebook Creating Drama In Your Life?

Whether or not you are a Facebook user you may have heard your friends refer to Facebook as though it is a living thing that controls their lives and emotions.

“Facebook creates drama between people” is one such commented I’ve heard.

Another friend shared the link to an article titled “Facebook is a bummer.” The article cited a study in which (mostly young) people said Facebook made them feel bad about themselves.

When we believe that Facebook creates drama in our lives or makes us feel bad about ourselves, we go into effect; we allow ourselves to feel like a victim.

Facebook is a tool. It does not create drama. We do. We create drama by how we choose to interpret, respond, and react to what's shared on Facebook. The way we choose to respond to any situation is our choice. The situation itself is neutral.

Similarly, Facebook does not make us feel bad about ourselves. We do. By constantly comparing ourselves with other people and what’s going on in their lives, we create the ILLUSION their life is better than ours.

I sometimes hear from people who are suffering, not because of what's happening in their lives, but because they compare themselves with others. Rather than focus on their unique path, they focus on someone else’s.

When we take responsibility for our behaviors we release blame; we experience FREEDOM from feelings of victimization. When we take responsibility we become awake and when we are awake our eyes open to the peace and beauty of our inner world.

Get in touch with your inner world because your inner world reflects your outer world. Unleash your authentic brilliance.

Would you hand over your paycheck to someone who makes you unhappy?

Have you ever felt unhappy because of someone's actions or behaviors toward you? I once felt that way about a former boss. In hindsight, I allowed myself to feel like a victim.

Over time, I discovered that no one holds the key to our happiness; not our parents, not our children, not our boss, not our friends, not our boyfriends. When we blame others for our unhappiness, when we feel unhappy because someone does not validate for us that we are special, we disempower ourselves by placing our happiness in THEIR hands.

Think about it. You wouldn't hand over your paycheck to these people and empower them to spend your money, so why give them power over how you feel?

TAKE BACK YOUR POWER!

Reconnect with Your Authentic Self "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." These are powerful words from the poem Invictus by William Henley. It has become a mantra I use throughout my life. Use these words to help you reconnect with your authentic self.

Take a walk through nature. Observe the miracle of life and remind yourself that you are part of this miraculous Universe. You are here for a reason. You serve a purpose.

No one's opinion or treatment of you can change that. They cannot dim your light for you are always Divinely supported.

Learn and Move Forward
 Every experience teaches us something. So, learn from your experience and move forward. Many times the lesson is about love. Love of self and others. Send these people love. This may be hard at first. Know that when you put LOVE into the Universe it comes back to you.

Take Responsibility
Assess your situation and take responsibility for how you allow yourself to be treated. "If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility for everything that you experience in your life" advises Jack Canfield. I took responsibility for allowing myself to feel disempowered. I released blame and reclaimed my power.

Remind yourself that no one has dominion over your happiness and your life. This profound truth liberates you.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s Why and What To Do About It

Recently I heard from several people about how overwhelmed they've been feeling with various responsibilities at work and home.

If you have been experiencing those same feelings, then check out the response below which I recently shared with a woman who expressed her overwhelm. I hope you find it helpful:

The reason many of us feel that way is due to the incessant flow of mind chatter about what needs to be done (that is, worrying about the future).

All change starts with consciousness, so the first step to resolving this is recognizing that we are doing it. Here is a wonderful process I learned from Louise Hay:

Many, many times during the day, and before you go to sleep, take slow deep breaths. Bring your attention to the present moment. Don't think about the past or future.

Say to yourself: In this moment all is well. There is nowhere I have to go and nothing I have to do. I relax my mind. I am grateful for this moment.

I also recommend Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now. Excerpt:
"Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction, but we don't realize this because almost everybody is suffering from it, so it is considered normal. This incessant mental noise prevents you from finding that realm of inner stillness that is inseparable from Being."

Remember, the solutions to all our challenges start within us. Quieting your mind chatter helps rid you of worry and feelings of overwhelm. You can also talk to God/Universe/Higher Power/Creator/Source. Ask for guidance and look for the answers that come to you, usually in the form of signs.

And... if you are not already doing so, create a task list and prioritize what you want to get done. Otherwise, you constantly and mentally juggle your task list and soon you may drop one of those balls.

Is Their Life Really Better Than Yours?

On occasion I'll hear someone compare his or her life with someone else's. The comparison usually occurs when the individual sees his or her life as inferior to the other person's.

These individuals allow themselves to become sad or depressed over what they feel is lacking in their own lives.

This "grass is greener" effect seems to have become an epidemic with the evolution of social media, which allows our friends and colleagues to share details of their lives with us. I'm reminded of a movie in which a married woman with children wished for a life other than the one she was living.

Her fantasy soon became reality and one day she woke up married to a wealthy man. Suddenly, she had no kids and spent her days shopping and traveling. Eventually she realized she was in a loveless marriage. Her husband was involved with another woman and wanted a divorce.

Being trapped in another existence helped her appreciate the love and warmth of her family. Make a mental or written note of how many times in a day you compare yourself with others. For each thought you have, remind yourself you are UNIQUE and that no matter how much better someone else's life may seem, your journey is your own.

The more you accept your uniqueness, the more you live in this truth. You experience more JOY knowing that your path, while different, offers the same opportunities for peace and happiness. Allow the gifts and TREASURES within to rise to the surface.

As you share your gifts with others you discover that the better life which seemed to belong to others also belongs to you.

A Commonly Overlooked Place For Solutions To Life Challenges

One evening a radio talk show caught my ear as I coasted down a busy Las Vegas freeway. A caller seeking advice from financial expert Dave Ramsey explained that she was experiencing challenges with her personal finances.

Dave asked questions, listened intently, and gave his expert opinion as the caller explained her mortgage situation.

She added that her husband seemed hopeless and indecisive about their life and financial dilemma; more so since his mother’s passing.

After extracting more information from the woman, Dave eventually responded with “I don’t know what to tell you… your problem is a spiritual one.” Her husband had lost hope for his future and the desire to move forward.

 "Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." ~ Carl Jung

When we experience life challenges, whether it is financial, business or relationship, we tend to look outside ourselves first for solutions rather than starting within.

Because we are all on a spiritual journey, experiences are presented to us so we may learn, evolve, and move forward on our path. As Zen teacher Charlotte Joko Beck explains:

Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment.
This includes every mosquito
 every misfortune,
every red light,
every traffic jam,
every obnoxious supervisor
(or employee),
every illness, every loss,
every moment of joy or depression,
every addiction,
every piece of garbage,
every breath.
Every moment is the guru.

When you experience life challenges, reflect on your situation and consider what you may be learning from that experience. Be grateful for your experiences because “every moment is the guru.”

When you feel uncertain about the situation and the lesson, Ask God/Higher Power/Universe for guidance and clarity. As you may know, a lesson will continue to show up until it is learned.

Understand that you possess the power, courage, and inner strength to move beyond your situation.

However, start by looking within. When you do, you awaken. You evolve. Ultimately, you discover the lesson and the GOOD it brings you.

How has looking within helped you overcome life challenges?

How Well Are You Moving Forward in 2013?

If you hold the vision of a bright future for yourself, you've probably set a series of goals in 2013 designed to make your vision a reality.

As with any goal setting process, you've most likely measured your progress to determine how well you are moving forward.

If you find you are not progressing as quickly as you'd like, one behavior you may consider implementing is the act of letting go. While there are many techniques that allow you to move forward, letting go of emotional baggage is one that's often overlooked.

For example, you may be holding on to past hurts such as being betrayed by a spouse or not feeling loved by a parent or child. Living from this emotional space can slow your personal and emotional growth.

"As I walked out the door toward my freedom I knew that if I did not leave all the anger, hatred and bitterness behind, I would still be in prison." ~ Nelson Mandela

Letting go frees you to live in the moment, opens the door to new opportunities, and allows you to move forward.

The act of forgiveness does not mean condoning the wrongdoer's actions, it means freeing yourself from emotional baggage that weighs you down. After all, how well can you fly when you're tethered to baggage?

Begin by forgiving the person you believe hurt you in some way. This may be challenging at first; however, it becomes easier over time.

Several ways you can practice forgiveness and letting go is to journal your thoughts and feelings about the person. You may also hold a 'pretend conversation' with the person. Speak with the individual as if s/he were there. Then pretend s/he is responding to what you're expressing. It also helps to focus on positive aspects of the person rather than just his or her negative behaviors.

Remember, ill feelings consume energy that can otherwise be channeled to a more positive place.

For more on forgiveness and letting go, check out this article by the Chopra Center.

A Powerful Secret For Achieving Your Goals

While there are many techniques for setting and achieving goals, here is a powerful secret for mastering your goals for 2013 and beyond:

 Create a Clear Vision… From the Heart

Achieving your goal starts with a clear vision. That means answering questions such as: what specifically does accomplishing my goal look like? What does achieving my goal really mean for me and/or for others? How will I feel when my goal is accomplished?

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.” ~ Carl Jung

The real magic for establishing a clear vision occurs when you look into your heart for the authentic answers. When you do, you awaken to your truth.

Looking Within For Authentic Answers
Looking into your heart is not about telling yourself what you want to hear. Rather, it involves looking beyond the surface and listening for the authentic answers.

For example, if your goal is to earn more money in your business or career, your immediate vision may be one in which you are able to pay your bills and enjoy the finer things in life.

While there is nothing wrong with this vision, when you look within and listen, a different and clearer vision may emerge.

Some ways in which you can look within is through meditation, reflection, journaling, and spending time in nature or the outdoors.

Engaging in these activities temporarily takes you away from your daily routine and environment, and draws you closer to the Universe and center of your heart. The answers may come to you quickly or over time.

Not only do these practices help you discover your answers, they yield moments of peace and contribute to your personal growth.