So I started this series of articles with a before picture of my personal life that was about surviving and getting by, and an extreme lack of self confidence and where I was existing, not living. See part 1, here, and part 2 here. The after picture is one where I constantly push myself though limiting beliefs and have the personal strength to approach all of life’s challenges in the certain knowledge that I will do my best, will probably succeed in attaining the goals in front of me, and if not, will be accepting and non-judgmental about the outcome, simply learning from the experience and moving on. In summary, I have moved from a negative mindset to a positive mindset with regards to how I approach life.
I say this to give testimony to the fact that there is great value in devoting time to personal development and in particular the right seminar can provide key insights which bring about a more effective, productive and happier life. I have always found it strange that people will naturally sign up for courses on computer skills, car mechanics, or even flower arranging, but baulk at the idea of signing up for a course where they learn how to lead their lives more effectively. What, you would have to admit that there is something to learn, that your current way of thinking and interacting with the world is not absolutely perfect already? And in case you are still thinking this is all a bit too abstract I should point out that in terms of my working career, the changes I have brought about have given me the confidence to take on ever more demanding posts with the very practical result of significantly increased income.
A good seminar will provide tools, ways of thinking about the world, that shifts your world view. With this new world view leading to a more powerful approach to life. During the course of future articles I will look at different aspects of the shifts that occurred for myself personally. But to return to the genesis of this article series, one huge lesson for me was the Tony Robbins saying “if you can’t, you must.”
Along the way, as per the series title, we have talked about “freedom!” One of the best ways I know to bring increased freedom into your life is to be willing to constantly stretch outside your comfort zone, And to do this to the extent that “if you can’t, you must” becomes a central guiding principle in your life.
In the past for me a stretch was where I would feel the fear and do it anyway. Increasingly a stretch has become a case of looking at the fear and seeing it melt in front of my eyes as I commit to taking the stretch. In other words over time I began to master the art of taking stretches to the extent that contemplating taking a stretch is no longer a stretch! Consider the freedom and choices this brings into your life.
I have connected with an inner voice which basically invites me to choose expansion or contraction as life’s challenges comes up. This voice reminds me I have a choice and that the sensible option is expansion. I have learned to constantly choose expansion remembering that it is not the issue but the way that I relate to the issue that counts.
Some of the many examples of the results of these shift are: I have jumped into the pilot’s seat on a trial flight and flown a light plane over downtown LA; I have strapped on a parachute to go parasailing in baja California; I have been on stage in London in several plays; I have flown and landed a glider; I have been scuba diving in the Caribbean where I had the magical experience of being enveloped and becoming an integral part of a surrounding shoal of fish. This all despite extreme ill health at times and without fear and trepidation, but rather with excitement and enthusiasm. Compare this to the above picture above and recognise that real life shifts are possible.
And how did I do this? I just took the first step of taking that first stretch. Something to think about?
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