Capitalist Confession.

“Give your life a major reboot using the lessons Natasha shares with her readers from deep within her heartfelt self. Consider Capitalist Confession as a vital tool for success and happiness in today’s frantic world.”

The 6 Universal Principles For Creating A Life Of Significance GET YOUR FREE BONUSES AT

Natasha Romanov is a successful entrepreneur and real estate investor, public speaker, author and wealth coach. She has over 20 years of business development and ventures experience along with 15 years in real estate sales and an asset management career. Originally from Pervomaysk, Donbass Region, Ukraine, she now conducts seminars and workshops worldwide to help ordinary people achieve their dreams. She is part of a humanitarian movement to bring awareness to the Eastern Ukraine conflict while helping the Ukrainian people better cope with the challenges of war.

CAN $20.00

Natasha Romanov

Reviews About Natasha’s Book

“Natasha has done what it takes to have success in her life, to go beyond the mundane and the same behaviour as others. I have seen Natasha’s commitment and determination to succeed in life, and have gained much inspiration from Natasha’s attitudes and behaviours. Everybody receives a mixed bag of personal and business situations every year.

How you deal with them will determine whether you grow from them or not. Natasha is a kind and generous person who also has a tough negotiation side that is a high value asset that she leverages well in the business world. I have learned some great tips, techniques, and success behaviours that I have been able to apply to my life and business.

If you want to succeed in life I am sure you will get great value from Natasha’s new book!”

Richard Harborne, The Backpain Mechanic (Founder) “Natasha embodies the immigrant dream. Come to the West, start a new life, work hard, and create wealth. Along the path, Natasha realized that creating wealth was easy.

There are much more important issues in the world than filling the bank account. Follow her journey to enlightenment and how to improve the human condition.”

Victor Menasce, Managing Partner, US Real Estate Partners “Natasha has done a brilliant job of writing this book! Her ideas are refreshing and empowering! If you want a book to help you get to the top, Natasha’s book is the best one that you should get your hands on.”

Jeanette Leung, Author “With lessons straight from the author’s heart, this book is a must-read for those who want to become successfully happy. Learning how to achieve your goals has never been told in a manner that Natasha has done: simple, easy to understand and yet substantially relevant. A must-read book indeed!”

Peter Cummings, Life Coach

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APITALIST ONFESSION

The 6 Universal Principles For

Creating A Life Of Significance

Natasha Romanov

Foreword by

New York Times Best-Selling Author

Raymond Aaron

Capitalist Confession Copyright Š 2015 by Natasha Romanov All rights reserved.

First Printing 2015 ISBN-13: 978-1511531948 ISBN-10: 1511531940

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword.............................................................................. vii Dedication.......................................................................... viii Acknowledgements............................................................... ix About The Author................................................................ xi Note To The Reader............................................................. xii Introduction............................................................................1 Chapter 1: Give Happiness Away......................................... 9 Chapter 2: Consciousness................................................... 13 Chapter 3: Values, Beliefs And How They Influence You.................................. 23 Chapter 4: Listen To Your Emotions.................................. 29 Chapter 5: Proactivity: Choosing To Act.......................... 37 Chapter 6: Never Losing Sight Of Your Goals: The Art Of Focusing.......................................... 43 Conclusion........................................................................... 48

FOREWORD Dear Reader, Capitalist Confession contains all the essential elements for anyone yearning to awaken their inner balance while ensuring success in life. Let Natasha help you reveal the secrets that may have eluded you until now. Her personal struggles go beyond the realm of normal experience in today’s western society. Step outside your comfort zone and take a walk with her towards enlightenment.

Give your life a major reboot using the lessons Natasha shares with her readers from deep within her heartfelt self.

Empower yourself and know that your loftiest goals are within your reach. Allow the author to suggest key dynamics to better understand your own desire.

As you read this book, gather up and digest Natasha’s wisdom that so generously abounds within the text. Consider Capitalist Confession as a vital tool for success and happiness in today’s frantic world. Open your heart and mind to your possibilities.

Raymond Aaron New York Times Best-Selling Author www.2dayTycoon.com (Raymond is the author of Branding Small Business for Dummies and Double Your Income Doing What You Love, besides many other bestselling books. He is known as the #1 success and investment coach, teaching people just like you how to use his goal setting strategies to change your life.)

DEDICATION

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his book is dedicated to you - the dreamer.

I truly believe that you have greatness within you. And I believe with all my heart that you were born to be happy and to be able to achieve all your goals. You have the capacity to align everything with your dreams. Within you lies all that is necessary to achieve your targets. You can build a strong foundation and master your skills as you increase your knowledge. This book is my way of acknowledging the importance of breaking through one’s limits and reaching goals and dreams. Never give up on your desires, even if the road to attainment starts to get more challenging. It is okay to cry when you are challenged, but keep on walking along your chosen path and believe in yourself!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I

want to thank first and foremost my team for walking alongside me through the journey of writing this book. To Shandz and Diane: thank you for your guidance.

Vishal, thank you for kicking my butt and for motivating me to finish this book no matter what! Thank you for making it possible for me to get this done.

I would also like to thank my good friends and great mentors, Victor Menasce, Carlos Raposo and Richard Harborne, for always supporting me and believing in me.

I am grateful to my family for their support and acceptance of me being shockingly different and extraordinary. I know it is a scary path for you and sometimes it is for me too!

I am grateful to my kids, Maya and Sasha, for the unconditional love and support and warmth they give me. You are amazing kids! I am very proud of you.

Thank you all for coping well with my book writing

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as well as my enormous ideas of saving the world, even though the ability to look after my own purse eludes me.

I am grateful to the Universal energy, or divine, higher source of God for inspiration and a firm way of learning. I am happy to be blessed with unlimited optimism. No matter what, I will keep going and learn to always be happy with all the hardships that life has to offer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

N

atasha Romanov has more than 20 years of business development and ventures experience, over 15 years in the real estate, sales and asset management profession in Canada and the USA. Her extensive analytical, focused management style makes Ms. Romanov an ideal entrepreneur.

Natasha immigrated to Canada in 2003 and became a successful entrepreneur and real estate investor. She is originally from the mining city of Pervomaysk Donbass region, Ukraine.

She presently lives in Canada but travels extensively around the world conducting seminars and workshops to help ordinary people achieve their dreams. She participates in a humanitarian movement to bring awareness to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, and to help the Ukrainian people to better cope with the challenges of war.

NOTE TO THE READER

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he information, including opinion and analysis, contained herein is based on the author’s personal experiences and is not intended to provide professional advice.

The author and the publisher make no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, applicability, effectiveness, reliability or suitability of the contents.

If you wish to apply or follow the advice or recommendations mentioned herein, you take full responsibility for your actions. The author and publisher of this book shall in no event be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from the use of any of the information contained in this book.

All content is for information only and is not warranted for content accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose.

INTRODUCTION “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

— Mark Twain

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sk yourself this question: Do you want unlimited freedom, in your life and on your terms, to do what makes you happy? I earnestly want to provide the key for you to succeed in this quest.

People work hard at making the concept of happiness a reality. A person’s level of satisfaction can be directly related to the level of success attained in a chosen career, in family life, with friends, or in a business venture. But, the journey to fulfillment of personal desires can be an elusive one fraught with feelings of stress and helplessness with their predicament.

The term ‘happiness’ is known and used in many variations: contentment, pleasure, gladness, exhilaration, glee, cheerfulness, bliss, delight, joy, and ecstasy. You may identify with other words from the range of happiness. For our

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purposes, we will use some of these variations throughout this book.

In this modern world, we can say that a state of contentment can make or break someone’s life, no matter what their frame of mind. Therefore, personal balance in life must be attained to enable a person to fully enjoy life and all it has to offer.

During 15 years, investigation and research uncovered the secret methods used by many successful, wealthy people to attain great heights of achievement and happiness.

These individuals were asked questions pertaining to their business successes and the delicate relationship or state of balance between their personal and social lives. Also, the research delved into asking particulars of how relationships functioned between people from different social circles or backgrounds.

Valuable insight was gained as to what makes these individuals accomplished. Subtleties were revealed that better explain the difference between happy, successful people and those who are not joyful or accomplished.

This book is the result of those 15 years of research. It is your key to unlock the secrets of accomplishment and contentment.

Use this book as part of your daily toolkit to build your personal balance from within. You’ll find a high level of fulfillment from the confessions of a tycoon like Raymond Aaron and his nuggets of wisdom.

There are six essential elements for success that we will discuss in this book. Just having awareness of these six

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dynamics in your toolkit will alone get you well on your way to a more satisfied life.

Happiness and Success Defined Success and happiness are two essential components of the completeness of a person’s life. Although used interchangeably, in truth, happiness and success are two very different mechanisms. Moreover, these terms can have dissimilar meanings from person to person. For some, pleasure or joy is the ability to have whatever they wish in terms of material wealth and family life. For others, having money, cars, beautiful homes, and dream jobs is their version of success. Equating the attainment of material goods with happiness and success can ring hollow.

Let’s describe happiness as a state of balance within the individual and the physical objects that surround that person. Bliss, that feeling of inner peace, should go hand-inhand with your relationships with the environment and the Creator. Happiness exists when a person has the freedom to choose.

If you can read this book, then you have the capacity to achieve reasonable goals to be truly at peace with yourself and still maintain a state of balance. What a wonderful life it is when a person can live the life he desires and still be proud of who he sees in the mirror each day!

Joyful people are in a sunny state of mind from the moment they get out of bed until falling asleep at night.

Looking for ways to continue this air of contentment is

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just what cheerful people do all day long. If only it was contagious!

Feel exhilarated on purpose and you won’t need to seek out false comforts like alcohol or other vices. Along with having a sense of peace within, consider habitually placing a smile on your face – if only to make others wonder why you are smiling. Then you might find yourself now reacting less and less to stress or minor problems.

Ideally, you can attain this peace or exhilaration when all these influences are brought together. Awareness of these influences can bring a sense of balance between personal confidence and the Creator’s influence in one’s life.

Although not everyone is truly content or able to achieve happiness in life, being aware of these influences can turn things around for many.

You can take the first step to achieving joy by truly knowing yourself and who you are as a person. Although at first a somewhat overwhelming and complex concept, truly know yourself. Create reality for its beneficial essence. Accept gladness from the depth of your thoughts and feelings not from the possession of material objects.

The Six Elements for a Fulfilled, Balanced Life What makes a person happy? Plainly said, it is harmony, balance, a sense of fulfillment and the ability to understand yourself and the world around you. Let’s review the six elements needed to make ourselves better aware of how to accomplish this; how to balance life and walk our true path to become our bestand still achieve

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our dreams and life goals. Just standing at the starting line and being aware of your own existence and influence, is a huge step for you. You are now halfway along the path to your dreams.

1. Make Others Happy. Your happiness reflects itself directly onto those around you. Hand out balloons to people and watch their reactions.

Seek out opportunities to put a smile on the faces of others as you share your joy.

2. Consciousness. As one of the most important aspects of achieving happiness and success, individuals perform best in their own realm of mindfulness, regardless of their position in life.

Use the dynamic of your consciousness to your best ability.

3. Values and Beliefs. Think of these as maps contributing to the creation of paradigms of a person’s behaviour. This reflects in a person’s mannerisms and interaction in dealings with others under various circumstances. Mindfully learn about yourself, suss out any behavioural obstacles and create a better you.

4. Listen to Emotions. This is perhaps one of the most vital of the six elements. Listen to your emotions to set the stage for personal balance, inner peace, and fulfillment in life. Your own words and emotions are powerful catalysts in

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Capitalist Confession your quest for joy. Listen actively to yourself to know your innermost thoughts and feelings.

5. Actions. Actions turn dreams into reality and plans into actual accomplishments. It is the essence of knowing what to do, and how and when to do it. Timing is everything!

6. Focus. Have a positive focus and outlook on life to avoid getting side-tracked. Staying on the sunny side of life has a definite upside to counter-act feeling down.

Now knowing the basic framework of the six elements we are ready to start on the path to a happier, more balanced life. Let’s discover more details about making the most of this knowledge.

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Notes ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Chapter 1

GIVE HAPPINESS AWAY “Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.”

— Jim Rohn

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emember that the happiest people are not those who overflow with material wealth. The ones who sincerely, and without thinking, give happiness away are the most contented of us all.

Here is an example to consider: At the beginning of a business lecture, the speaker stopped his speech to ask the students in the group to participate in an activity. Balloons were handed out and every student was asked to write their name on it with a marker pen. Then all the balloons were taken into another room.

After a short pause, the speaker asked all students to go into the room with the balloons in order to find the balloon with their name on it. You can imagine the chaos that ensued! Picture everyone desperately searching for their name on the balloon, pushing past others in their search efforts. Now that was a sight to behold! No one could find their namesake balloon.

After another pause, the students were asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Everyone received their own balloon with minutes.

By extension, this is exactly what is happening in our own lives. Everyone is chaotically searching for happiness.

Knowing how to conduct that search is the key.

Consider that our own happiness lies in the content-

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ment of other people around us. When you give people the joy that they seek, you’ll find your own contentment.

Like a boomerang, when you throw it away happiness will come back to you. It just might be the purpose in life that you are looking for.

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Notes ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Chapter 2

CONSCIOUSNESS

Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later you take on limitations and become the mind. — Ramana Maharshi

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et’s define consciousness as a mental activity. During this specific activity, a person is aware of his environment, his own thoughts, and what he says or does and why he does it. Contrast this with a state of unconsciousness when a person is oblivious to happenings occurring around him.

Your consciousness allows you to establish a special connection or relationship with your mind, the spirit, and the world around you. At its strongest, the connection between these three dynamics is set at the highest level of consciousness that a person can attain.

“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it”, said the great Albert Einstein.

To enable yourself to resolve problems of ever greater complexity, constantly increase your level of self-awareness and of the environment. Do that and watch the doors of opportunity open into a wide spectrum before your eyes.

Increasing One’s Level of Consciousness Increasing your consciousness is an active endeavour and one that a person should continuously strive for. Like an habitual activity it should ideally become easier to do over time. Here are some tips to help increase your level of consciousness to ensure your quest for success and happiness is on the right track.

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Always be curious.

Let curiosity burn like a fire in your mind when you want to ramp up your mindfulness. Constantly be curious and ask yourself the meaning of events happening around you. Such questions will contribute to giving meaning to your purpose in life. As you question your motives for your actions you’ll gain insight into how to self-improve from better to best.

Used correctly, curiosity has a positive quality. It can encourage the search for answers in the present time as well as offer reflection upon the past. Consider the knowledge you gain as a stepping stone when building your own ladder for success.

Just keep in mind that you should question not only situations, life, and material goods; more importantly, question the associated feelings and emotions. Guide your actions to best determine the relevance and meaning of these emotions in the quest for balance.

Accept Challenges You Encounter.

Welcome challenges into your life. Be brave; instead of running away from challenges, face them head on.

Despite the pain that they may cause, these encounters will promote you to attain a better level of consciousness for the life you choose to live.

Meditate and Relax.

Life’s hustle and bustle can cause havoc and disruption

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within you. This can cause you to have a blurred focus on your goals. The more your attention is fragmented, the more your level of awareness decreases and so too your state of consciousness. How can you fix that?

Meditation and deep relaxation can help sharpen your focus. Regular meditation opens your inner being up to the world around you creating an invaluable state of inner peace and balance. Repeat mantras or chants for inner peace and awareness. Controlling your breathing allows you to reach out to your consciousness for focus. Besides the well-known attributes, yoga has the added benefit of increasing flexibility and making you look leaner and fitter. Now, that’s what I call a noble bonus!

Cut back on your TV time.

Surfing TV channels sounds like a physical sport, but only in a comedy routine. Still some people insist that switching channels is relaxing. It simply won’t increase your mindfulness. The subject matter of today’s TV news stories or reality shows can add stress instead of decreasing it. Not only that, but time spent on your couch is time spent missing out on other important matters in life.

Just cut back on TV time, and instead, seek out other activities. Go outdoors with friends and family! Have a nice jog around the park. Call the travel agent and book that bucket list adventure. Participate and you will communicate better with everyone while learning more about yourself and the world around you. Your flat screen can’t do that for you.

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Enjoy the outdoors.

Mother Nature is not just a pretty picture to post on your social media account. Go out into the beautiful outdoors to help clear your mind while you gain mindfulness about the objects and people around you. Those walks in the park or puttering in your backyard in the fresh air give you time to reflect on important matters: evaluate your connections to people, to the spiritual aspect of yourself, and to the Universe.

Maintain a positive disposition in life.

Your positive energy will attract positive vibes to you.

Successful people know the secret and use it to attract other successful individuals. How do you accomplish the same results?

First of all, be grateful. Be thankful for everyone, every circumstance, and every material object that comes your way. Appreciate all things great and small and be at peace with the Universe. Do this and you will send an invaluable image of yourself to others: You are a person capable of sending love and receiving their love in return.

Next, allow yourself to ask for help when you need it.

Creating a positive atmosphere of interaction between you and your environment can greatly influence success and help you achieve your goals. Reach out to your mentors or friends who can offer positive support and influence with your goal strategy.

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Keep your thoughts organized through journaling them.

Take advantage of that jumbled mess of thoughts running around in your head. Ideas are a vital component of accomplishing goals. Try keeping a journal to organize your thoughts. Record your reflections and take advantage of the wisdom derived therein. This will improve your consciousness to reach your goals and turn your dreams of happiness and success into a glorious reality.

Do it each day for a month and journaling will become second nature. Have a notebook ready to write down the first thought that comes to mind when you wake up and the last activity before you go to sleep at night. Before you know it, journaling becomes easier and you’ll be writing more than you have time to reflect upon.

Learn how to communicate.

Everything we do and say is communication. But, it is not simply speaking, doing or writing per se. Your manner of showing emotion or behaving in public and in private sends a powerful message to the Universe about you: About who and what you are and what you intend to become. Communicate honestly and clearly, so you are better understood by others.

Remember, communication is a two-way process with honest communication attracting better emotional responses from others. Use your best approach to get your message across appropriately.

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Seek the support of a good friend or mentor.

Walking on the path to consciousness with someone who will listen, understand and counsel you positively is invaluable. A good friend or mentor can facilitate that difficult situation that you want advice on how to handle. Such a friend should set a good example for you and have beliefs that are similar to your own. Having positive minded people around you attracts positive vibes and energy to you.

Work to find your True Self To have true consciousness you must know who and what you are. One key factor is to maintain meaningful relationships. Know your true self! Prevent a tragedy, such as divorce, from happening before it is too late.

Knowing yourself includes having the knowledge of your purpose in life. Learn more about yourself by learning to control your temper and how to deal with positive and negative emotions. It is a lifelong process.

The Journey to Consciousness To sum up this chapter, aspire to a higher level of consciousness and be a more powerful version of yourself.

Know your strengths and weaknesses and use them to create inner balance as you work toward your goals.

Along with awareness comes realization. You attain heightened awareness of the impact that your past experiences have on your life. Transform these experiences into

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positive lessons to free yourself from any past negative influences. As you begin to know yourself better, decide how these matters will affect you and become at peace with them and the Universe.

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Notes ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

VALUES, BELIEFS AND HOW THEY INFLUENCE YOU

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”

— Henry Ford

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y now you understand the concept of consciousness and its developmental relevance as you work to achieve your goals. In this chapter, let’s embrace values and beliefs.

We live in a world that is constantly changing and forcing us to transform rapidly as we cope and adapt. Going into ‘auto pilot mode’ helps our response to situations, but slowly this can change our values and could eventually change our belief system. Before discussing this change let’s first identify values and beliefs.

Values: Our Guiding Principles Values are our guiding principles in life. Since childhood, when our set of values was inculcated within us, values served as a basis for determining your interactions with everything around you. You act according to your conscience and try to be consistent with the actions and decisions you make. Your success depends on it!

How you respond to interpersonal conflicts reflects on your set of values. Is your approach calm with an open mind? Or, are you confrontational with aggression and a might-is-right attitude? Know this: What you do in these situations is a snapshot of your guiding principles in life.

Use these situations to gauge your chances for finding a

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perfect balance between your life, goals and your level of satisfaction in life. More succinctly, your values are a product of beliefs and lessons learned in life, and moreover, your guide to what you do later in life.

Beliefs: The Basis of How and Why We Do Things Beliefs are concepts that are a personal or general perception of the world around us. At times, beliefs can contrast radically with what is accepted as accurate and true.

Here is an example. Several hundreds of years ago, Ferdinand Magellan, an explorer, did not share the commonly held belief that the world was flat. He set off on an expedition to prove that the earth was round. History gives thanks to one brave man who used the strength of his opinion to fuel his efforts to actually prove his belief as true.

Your beliefs form the basis for how you do things.

However, remember that there are certain concepts that can impact the attainment of your success and happiness.

Consider others and their reactions to your beliefs. Ask yourself questions about how you act based on your beliefs and their relative truth in the world.

Beliefs are Influenced Life gives us endless factors that exert pressure on our beliefs and how we choose to express them. Past personal experiences, negative or positive, may limit or empower you to reach for your goals. Take the example of a child learning to walk. The child stands, takes a few steps and

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falls down. If the child is hurt, he might associate the pain with the act of walking and not attempt it again right away.

But, a child’s belief in independence and mobility may override any fear of falling!

Compare the child’s falls and successes to your own life experiences. Let these serve as lessons to reflect upon when you need to make a decision before taking action.

The Environment Influences Your Beliefs We are social beings and our exposure to the world has shaped our personal belief system. Remember some of the thought processes you needed to learn when baking or driving a car. It is the input of those around you that has contributed to your beliefs.

Even firm ideas can get challenged and changed. Take the example of an Asian person who migrated to a distant land with cultural beliefs different to his own. Slowly, the man realizes that he is more open to these new beliefs. The change in environment has changed his perception of his own beliefs.

Travel can be exciting as we encounter new places and meet people of different nationalities and walks of life.

Depending upon your interaction with unusual experiences, it can change your perceptions. A friend travelled from Canada to Africa. Seeing such stark poverty shocked him into a drastic change of values. Returning to Canada, he showed a fresh appreciation for having a safe place to live as well as enough food to eat. He changed because he

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learned first-hand about African people who are deprived of life’s basic necessities.

Communication Not Only Brings About Knowledge, It Can Also Change Beliefs Through the process of communication, whether spoken or written, we acquire knowledge from people, books, newspapers, the internet and social media. Your perspective may, as a result, get changed. Focus your quest for improvement towards improvement of your state of inner balance.

Getting Somewhere Starts on Believing You Can Get There What you do today is influenced by dreams, goals, or visions for your future achievements. Allow your knowledge gained from education and experience to guide you.

Let your attitude sustain you and empower you to become what you want to be. Start by simply believing that you can do it.

Belief in yourself is the most powerful truth you can hold on to. Do this to become happy and achieve a state of balance in your life. You must trust in your own ability or you cannot expect others to believe in you. The trust others have in you reflects the confidence you hold within yourself and your God-given abilities to follow your dreams. To convince others, convince yourself first.

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Notes ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Chapter 4

LISTEN TO YOUR EMOTIONS He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king. — John Milton

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ur journey in life subjects us to a wide array of emotions that can guide us if we allow it. Emotions like love, fear, joy, pride, interest, sadness, elation and anger touch us daily. Whether positive or negative, all influence is beneficial. Listen to your gut feeling, your intuition. It is important and can guide you along your path.

Some perceive emotions as feelings or instincts. An athlete who just scored the winning point is interviewed about the triumphant final score. The athlete shares ‘the moment’ announcing that the winning shot just felt right and produced a goal! In our everyday lives we call that intuition or a nagging feeling or a ‘tiny voice in my head’.

Listen to your intuition; it can make all the difference!

Beautiful and spontaneous, intense or vague, emotions abound in our lives. Observe your reactions upon seeing a rainbow or a cheerful family having fun in the park. Learn from observing and listening to your emotions.

Learning About Emotions: Fear As we said, emotions are negative and positive. Face your fears and address them as objectively as possible.

Over-analyzing can simply frighten you. Paying too much attention to your fears or negative emotions can paralyze you. Feeling scared produces a ‘fight or flight’ response.

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Manage your fears and learn valuable life lessons for your journey.

Pain: One of the Best Teachers Life lessons that result in pain have a tendency to stick in our minds for years. As a child in school you may have defied the teacher by climbing up the monkey bars. It was that painful aftermath from the fall that lodged in your mind in the form of a life lesson. The lesson of listening and understanding will always take you back to those monkey bars.

Don’t avoid pain. It is a necessary evil for the purpose of gaining the wisdom to cope with circumstances around you. Reflect upon the cause of pain and use that knowledge for your future actions.

The Habit of Procrastination: The Need to Stop It Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today! An anti-procrastination saying made famous by American president Thomas Jefferson. Procrastinating can hold you back. Forge ahead with your dreams and plans.

Procrastination loses precious moments that can never be regained. Keep that in mind whenever you are tempted to delay taking action.

Take hold of each opportunity and turn it into a positive experience. These beneficial encounters can become valuable lessons when you need them the most.

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Cultivate Positive Emotions And Attitudes Transform bad emotions like anger or feeling scared into a positive attitude to motivate your actions. Send gratitude and love to five people. Cultivate positive dynamics to grown balance in life. Channel negative feelings into positive energy to obtain equilibrium in your life. That is a valuable exercise.

Gratitude Practice gratitude. Feel grateful for everything around you: the Universe, your Mom, your partners, your family and all that is good and all that is bad.

Proclaiming gratitude can give you inner warmth.

Making others feel valued can attract people closer to you.

Practice gratitude and the world and the positive energy around you will sense that you are capable of appreciation.

Desire and Passion The vital energy derived from desire and passion can send your actions in the best direction for you. It is your road map. Your key to success. Your paradigm. Your foundation. Your ‘why’ in life. Look within yourself to know your desires and allow the passion to propel yourself forward. Analyze the steps you have taken to ensure you are still aligned with your dreams.

Think of accomplished people with an insatiable drive to move forward into unknown territory. Remember Apple’s Steve Jobs? His vision was to listen to music anywhere at

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any time. He developed a concept of portable music without the need for paraphernalia of the day. He was driven by the need to accomplish his goals and created the iPod. Because Steve Jobs allowed his passion to fuel his desire he succeeded in spite of the negative vibes around him.

Cultivate and hold on to that same attitude! Don’t be governed by the status quo. Promote your desires, set your heart on achieving them, and conquer the world. You can do it!

Knowing Your Purpose Consider that a doctor tells you that you have only one more day to live. What would you do? Most probably, your brain would struggle for a solution. It might overwhelm you unless you know your purpose in life.

Knowing your life purpose puts everything else into a better and clearer perspective that allows you to strive for your aspirations. Don’t let your dreams slip away through your fingers. Treat each day as if it is your last day. Work hard to create your purpose.

Elation, Happiness and Joy Your state of mind is influenced by everything in life, but you can actively choose to make joyful decisions. Life circumstances are not always rosy. But, do not consciously allow negative circumstances to influence you and your emotions. Permit joy, elation, and happiness to run freely.

Changing your perspective can empower your decision

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to be happy. Treasure those glee filled moments, and learn to value and enjoy them. Consider everything as beneficial to create a positive impact on your expectations and perceptions.

Consider this development. You decide on a trip to Hawaii just to feel the sun and sand. But, when you get there, it is raining. Don’t sulk, you are in Hawaii! Release your expectations of a sunny, tropical vacation. Embrace the reality. You are blessed to spend beautiful, relaxing, rainy days in Hawaii if you open yourself to the opportunity. Feel joy as you transform the tiny imperfections and mishaps of the world into beautiful, meaningful moments.

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Chapter 5

PROACTIVITY: CHOOSING TO ACT “The universe doesn’t give you what you ask for with your thoughts - it gives you what you demand with your actions.”

— Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

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ou’ve established your dreams and life plans and your strategy is in place. Decide now to be proactive and work on developing your success.

Being proactive is a continuous state of mind and it can assist you in finding a better solution to a dilemma.

Think of it as a foolproof way to succeed. You deserve your dreams. They are there for the taking! Just follow these rules.

Manage Your Fears In order to achieve your goals you will need to recognize the consequences of your actions. Good or bad, take action, don’t procrastinate!

Allowing your fears to control how and when you act can rob you of a great opportunity to move ahead with your dreams. Fail in the quest of putting joy into your heart and you will eventually betray all that is sacred in your life, including your faith. Use your fears as fuel to drive you onward to face your doubts and take action. Turn fear into success!

An opportunity lost because you were intimidated by fear can never be recovered. Consider the lessons lost from a missed opportunity. Own it and triumph over it!

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Choose to Always Take Action Simply act on your dreams and desires to give them meaning. Take action! Seize your goals. Ignore feelings of confusion and the stress of feeling ‘blown away’.

Taking action involves planning ahead and anticipating possible outcomes and eventualities. Action is more complex than jotting down a few loose plans. Consider taking the following steps.

Conduct preliminary research. Ensure success by preparing a solid base of research. Create a sense of curiosity to guide your quest for knowledge and hold your optimism.

Plan Ahead! Draft a solid plan of action. Construct a written plan to provide clarity for your mind.

Communicate. Share your dreams, aspirations and desires with people around you. Listen to their feedback and insights. Glean some nuggets of wisdom to create better results for your own plans.

Seek out, socialize and communicate especially with those who have a wealth of knowledge in your chosen field. Communication is the key to unlocking the doors of opportunity.

Take small, sure steps. Yes, take small steps first.

Make them steadfast steps that are built upon your knowledge base or skills you’ve gained while planning your actions. Rush and you could place your

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Follow your instincts. Depend upon your instincts. Follow their lead and be amazed at your accomplishments. Capture your thoughts throughout your journey and use or learn from these creative ideas.

Be happy to get challenged. Get out of your comfort zone and get challenged. Even if you have already achieved your dreams and built your perfect environment, look for something new outside of your cosy realm.

Be with the right people. Whether they are mentors, teachers, friends, or colleagues, surround yourself with people who ooze positive influence.

Connect personally with optimistic, like-minded people to realize your dream path.

Take the leap of faith. You’ve prepared all your life to realize your dreams, now take action! The doors to opportunity await your response. Grab the door handle, open it, and step into the reality of whatever beautiful future is in store for you.

Have fun along the way. Enjoy the ride! Whatever you are doing, have fun! Determine your own methods along the way and enjoy all outcomes.

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Chapter 6

NEVER LOSING SIGHT OF YOUR GOALS: THE ART OF FOCUSING The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear. — Brian Tracy

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ow you can manage your consciousness and you know what you want. Take the time to review your values and beliefs to understand how they may have been sabotaging your dreams. You are the master of your emotions and are proactive. The next step is to focus.

Focus on your goals and maintain a level that allows you to live in the moment as you work toward your dreams. Start by removing distractions in order to allow your goals to occupy your consciousness. Then you’ll enable proper organization of your thoughts into daily, weekly or monthly action plans.

Jot your plans down in your journal, referring back to the notes to maintain your focus. This can help avoid trivial distractions that could lead you in the wrong direction.

Don’t lose your focus on the bigger picture.

That bigger picture will start to take shape as you work on the little details. Ensure each step moves you toward the fulfillment of your goals. Take notes of your short-term and long-term goals to track the changes. Do this on a monthly basis and, when you look back, realize the impact of this action.

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Exercise Planning An essential component of a good plan is getting expected results. Write down your short-term and longterm goals. Next, draft a plan of 30-day, 90-day, 1-year and up to 5-year expectations. Do this regularly and you’ll improve the actual planning of your accomplishments.

Your plans should include the help you might need from people you reach out to. This can minimize set-backs that can cause the loss of precious time. Draw from the beneficial life lessons of your friends and mentors.

Visualize your dreams.

Connect with your dream every day. Start visualizing your dreams now at every opportunity even before they become reality.

Throw caution to the wind and imagine living your dream. Dream of driving that expensive car. Dream of travelling the world. Imagine being able to afford a good education for your kids.

Dress for success to promote the new version of yourself.Improving your appearance will help get your head back in the game.

Enjoy Working on Your Goals Enjoying what you do makes everything happen more naturally and effortlessly. Feel relieved once the job is done, but also take the time to feel joy for the actual accomplish-

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ment of your goals. Enjoy the little lessons learned along the way too.

While working on your goals, get in touch with Nature!

Take the time to walk in the park and let the fresh air invigorate you. Run in the beach sand with your shoes off and find joy as the waves touch your toes. There are amazing experiences out there!

Your version of enjoyment may involve doing laps in your running shoes while listening to upbeat music. Whatever it takes to keep your head in the game, do it! Dance and let the rhythm of your steps keep your focus on the prize.

Maintain a State of Balance The closer you get to your goals the more you may feel higher stress levels. Don’t fret! Be aware that this is a common reaction. Hold on to your beliefs and work through the distraction. Don’t lose sight of your dreams. Refresh the confidence you have in yourself, control your emotions, and reinforce your state of balance to keep you going.

People who are part of your support network can help see you through tough times. They can reinforce your ability to create balance. Lack of support or people with negative energy can actually cause failure to reach a target.

Worth a final mention, learn to meditate and control your breathing pattern especially when all around you is in a state of chaos. Use these techniques to get better organized and back on track toward the new you!

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CONCLUSION Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

— Steve Jobs

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hank you for reading this book. Believe that it can help you attain contentment. Most of all, I wrote it to create a profound need in you to unselfishly share your positive self with the world. You can create a ripple-effect as you inspire others with your lessons learned.

Put a smile on your face. It might help you to repeat clichéd phrases to yourself. You may be familiar with: the icing on the cake; coming out on top; the fruits of your labour; no regrets; or listen to your heart. Create some new phrases.

You will figure it out. I’m confident that, with joy and an

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open mind, you will offer your own refreshing ideas to spread consciousness among others.

Carry this little reader with you and refer to its nuggets of wisdom often. Use my examples in the book and delve into your personal experiences to relate deeply to your life lessons. Seek the revelations of situations that have formed your beliefs. Remember to use all energies to fuel your successes. You have the power within you to make life a journey not a struggle.

Keep a journal to record your journey.

When you decided to read this book you accepted the challenge. That challenge is to learn the key to succeed in your quest for happiness. Reading a few pages can really change a person. Your awareness is the key and you are now the enlightened version of yourself.

Congratulations! You are on the right track. Make your own happy ending.

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