To Risk or Not to Risk

Dynamic Beauty Before the Storm – Guadalupe River State Park. Change is here.

“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Anaïs Nin

No one really likes to change. Well, we say we do, but we only want the so-called bad things to change. We’d like other things to stay just the way they are, including our own attitudes and beliefs, thank you very much.

We want to go back to the way things were.

However, when one part of a system changes, everything is affected. It’s like when the body gets hurt – the right leg may be injured, but the other side of the body compensates. Likewise, when the “good” changes come, everything shifts. In the process, it can be uncomfortable.

We resist the change. Call it bad.

But when it becomes too painful to stay the same and remain tight, we’re willing to risk in ways that we may have thought too painful otherwise.

Oh, why not? If you know you’re going to make a change anyway, put yourself out of your misery or discomfort. Take a risk. Be willing to go for the change.

Enjoy blossoming!

If you’d like help with making a change,
I can help!
virginia@soulgoals.com

I work with people who choose to share
their gifts or business in a BIGGER way
but don’t know how, feel stuck or could 
use new tools or support.

I help them ignite their Soul’s goals
and be richly compensated doing what
they love.”

Originally posted on October 18, 2010

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How I COMPLETELY Missed My Goal

 

It felt as if I were about to climb a BIG mountain without the gear.

 

Small things can be easy to manifest, especially those that don’t come with a risk, like finding a convenient parking spot.

A while ago, I bought several boxes of a particular type of supplement on clearance at a supermarket. Recently, I noticed that I’d run out in a couple of days and casually thought that I’d find something to replace them.

It was an easy intention without any emotional fanfare. A few hours later, I found on clearance at the same market several boxes of a similar supplement by the same company. They may even be better than my original ones.

I had another goal. It was a BIG goal with a quick deadline. I felt pressure because it was important that I reach it; there would be consequences if I didn’t. To achieve it felt as if I were about to climb a mountain without the gear.

While other goals related to it manifested easily, I didn’t even scratch the surface of my BIG goal.

This is why.

I put so much monumental importance on it, and I made it such a BIG thing, that I blew the energy to manifest it. To turn a dream into reality requires a light touch. That’s the opposite of what I had. I couldn’t even imagine attaining my goal beyond giving it lip service.

Here’s more of how I completely missed my goal.

• While I knew I wanted the goal, I had contradictory thoughts that I could achieve it. I made it so BIG in my thoughts that I doubted my ability to manifest it quickly.
• Emotionally, I didn’t anticipate achieving it.
• I couldn’t see myself achieving it.
• When I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine HOW I could accomplish it. (Another big faux pas – let life figure out the how part).
• While intellectually I knew it was possible, I didn’t believe I would do it.

So I didn’t manifest it.

Even though it looked like a window closed, the experience prompted me to open a door that I’d been slow to approach in the past. I mean, I could’ve opened Door #1 so long ago that the hinges now had become creaky. However, the door opened once I focused my attention on it.

Regardless of how it appeared, this turned into an opportunity that inspired me to change direction. Although I missed one goal, I learned a lot. I’m now better positioned to create positive results from even bigger ones.

I knew what I’d done, and then I read a quote by Abraham-Hicks to clarify even more. Here’s the quote:

“All the resources you will ever want or need are at your fingertips. All you have to do is identify what you want to do with it, and then practice the feeling-place of what it will feel like when that happens. There is nothing you cannot be or do or have. You are blessed Beings; you have come forth into this physical environment to create. There is nothing holding you back, other than your own contradictory thought. And your emotion tells you you’re doing that. Life is supposed to be fun—it is supposed to feel good! You are powerful Creators and right on schedule.

“Savor more; fix less. Laugh more; cry less. Anticipate positively more; anticipate negatively less. Nothing is more important than that you feel good. Just practice that and watch what happens.”  

 

 
I work with people who choose to share their gifts or
business in a BIGGER way but don’t know how, feel stuck or
could use new tools or support.

I help them be richly compensated doing what
they love. 

Copyright © 2018 Soulgoals, All rights reserved.

He Floated Like a Butterfly and Stung Like a Bee

 

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.”

Who we came to know as Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky.

During the 74 years that he was with us, Ali rocked the world as a heavyweight champion in boxing, philanthropist and activist. Often controversial, he was also inspiring and demonstrated a stunning belief in himself.

In 1964, Sonny Liston was the World Heavyweight Champion. Although Cassius Clay was the top contender for the title, he was the 7-1 underdog. Yet, he taunted Liston saying things like he was a “the big ugly bear,” smelled like one and “after I beat him I’m going to donate him to the zoo.”

Before the fight, Clay’s pulse, usually at 54, was measured at 120.

Some wondered if his behavior was from fear and questioned if he would show up for the fight.

Then, after a monumental upset with Clay as the victor, he declared:

“Eat your words. I am the greatest! I shook up the world. I’m the prettiest thing that ever lived.”

At age 22, he became the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion… a distinction he held until Mike Tyson broke that record in 1986.

May Ali’s words inspire you to greatness and believing in yourself.

“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.”

“If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.”

“A man who has no imagination has no wings.”

“Impossible is just a word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

“What keeps me going is goals.”

“Don’t count the days, make the days count.”

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep condition, things begin to happen.

“Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.”

 

 
I work with people who choose to share their gifts or
business in a BIGGER way but don’t know how, feel stuck or
could use new tools or support.

I help them be richly compensated doing what
they love. 

Copyright © 2018 Soulgoals, All rights reserved.

The Mindset of Will Smith who Bungee Jumped into the Grand Canyon

On his 50th birthday, actor Will Smith bungee jumped off the side of a helicopter into the Grand Canyon.

“Don’t look down. Never look down,” he can be heard saying before the jump.

Then, with crowds watching and cameras rolling, he let go, pushed himself off, dove backwards with arms outstretched and had the time of his life.

During the jump he exclaimed, while sandwiched between the magnificent Grand Canyon below and expansive clouds above, “This is gorgeous. This is gorgeous… This is some of the most beautiful stuff I’ve ever seen in my life. This is gorgeous. Beautiful. Beautiful… From pure terror to absolute bliss’

After several minutes he said, “I’m ready for them to put my a_ _ down, though. I can tell you that much.”

Here’s the jump on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uilQxtVvpQ

Will Smith was born on September 25th, 1968, to a middle-class, Philadelphia family. Newsweek has called him “the most powerful actor in Hollywood.” He’s won four Grammy Awards and has also been nominated for two Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

What’s the mindset of someone who creates a life like this? Read his quotes below. No limits for this man!

“I want to represent the idea that you really can make what you want … I believe I can create whatever I want to create.”

“The first step before anyone else in the world believes it is you have to believe it.”

“The first step is you have to say that you can.”

“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real but fear is a choice.”

“Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings & emotions.”

“Don’t chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing and work hard. The right people – the ones who really belong in your life – will come to you. And stay.”

“Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can’t do something themselves, they are going to tell you that you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.”

“Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.”

“Greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, elusive, godlike feature that only the special among us will ever taste; it’s something that truly exists in all of us.”

“Life is lived on the edge.”

“You don’t try to build a wall. You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say I’m gonna build the biggest, baddest wall that’s ever been built. You say, I’m gonna lay this brick, as perfectly as a brick can be laid, and you do that every single day, and soon you have a wall. It’s difficult to take the first step when you look at how big the task is. The task is never huge to me, it’s always one brick.”

“I don’t know what my calling is, but I want to be here for a bigger reason. I strive to be like the greatest people who have ever lived.”

I work with people who choose to share their gifts or
business in a BIGGER way but don’t know how, feel stuck or
could use new tools or support.

I help them be richly compensated doing what
they love with their Soul’s goals. 

Copyright © 2018 Soulgoals, All rights reserved.

Has This Kept You Up at Night?

Have any of these kept you up at night? Procrastination. Fear of making a (wrong) decision or making a mistake. Trying to figure out what you’re going to do. Indecisive. Avoid people or dealing with things. Have trouble marketing yourself or asking for the sale. Averse to taking risks. Don’t stand up for yourself. Afraid to speak up. Let others control you. Need to fit in. Turn into a chameleon to blend in with others. Let people run over you. Have a hard time being yourself (whoever that is). Wonder what people will say or think. Say yes when you want to say no. What bogeyman lies beneath this thinking? Personal honesty reveals a deeper insight beyond blaming circumstances. During multiple mastermind group meetings, I noticed a theme that held people back until they got wise to a game the ego was playing. It reminds me of a scene from the 1986 comedy The Money Pit with Tom Hanks (who played Walter) and Shelly Long. Rock star, 12-year-old Benny lounged in his mansion smoking a cigarette while chics waited for him in the Jacuzzi. His help feared him, and his mother wore a maid’s uniform while waiting on him hand and foot. His temper tantrum, when he refused to loan Walter money, revealed a spoiled, insecure, little boy. Walter: There is a house I want to buy. Benny: Let’s cut to the chase, okay? What do you want? Walter: I want you to loan me $200,000 in cash. Benny: No. Walter: [raising his voice] Benny. Benny: You shout at me? Walter: I shout at you! I need that money, and you are going to loan it to me. Benny: No, I won’t! Walter: Yes, you will! Benny: No, no, no! Walter: Yes, you will! I saved you ten times that in taxes last year. Benny: So what? Walter: Benny, if you don’t loan me that money. I’ll… Benny: You’ll what? Huh? You’ll what? Walter: I’ll…not like you anymore! [Long pause and subdued.] Benny: …All right. Walter: Thanks. Here’s the funny clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LY5dV3xghY A leading cause of fear is wanting approval, so people limit themselves by worrying about what others will think. A client procrastinated making a big decision. During a session, she realized she was afraid of her family’s disapproval if she didn’t get it right… again. When the light turned on for her, she was able to research her options. She got clarity, aligned her energy with her decision by feeling good about her choice, and then took action. Even if she made another unwanted mistake, she knew she could choose again. She chose wisely. Since then, her business is at the highest it’s been in years. Several clients realized that they were so intent on being nice to others that they weren’t nice to themselves. Resolved for Results Mastermind Principle #3 provided guidance: “I trust my Self and listen to the voice within.” This served as a valuable GPS instead of the need to people please. Nobody can please everybody. There will always be those who won’t like you or what you do. How much simpler life is to accept that instead of resisting it. Don’t let fear of disapproval hold you down. Keep moving forward anyway with good intentions. You have no control over what others think, but you can tune in to your Self and take charge of what you think about you. Listening to your Self is part of your innate intelligence, so you can do this. How? Choose to redirect your focus to hear You. With practice, your ability improves. A key is to love and accept yourself just the way you are. You’ll sleep better at night, too. With gratitude, Virginia P.S. Know someone who might be uplifted by reading this? Please forward. Copyright © 2017 Resolved for Results, All rights reserved.

I work with people who choose to share their gifts or business in a BIGGER way but don’t know how or feel stuck. I help them ignite their Soul’s goals and be richly compensated doing what they love.

Not Good Enough in La La Land

Do you know the #1 issue for everyone on the planet?

It even showed up in the #1 nominated movie La La Land when a main character lost all confidence before going for the BIG dream – exhausted from trying, past rejections and feeling positive it wouldn’t work.

At some point, it’s had a starring role in your life, too.

It’s what prevents you from believing in yourself.

It’s hounded you to despair and disappointment creating doubt, anger, fear, lack, anxiety and every limitation.

No, you’re not the only one who thinks other people’s lives are better and, after objective and/or emotional comparison, you reached the conclusion there’s something’s wrong with you.

This is the #1 issue.

You feel you’re not good enough, and you have living proof because (fill in the blank of how you feel you and your life are messed up).

“Not good enough” is only a program in your head that was put there a while ago – when you were a little kid.

This is NOT you.

It’s just a program, and it can be changed!

What does it look like when your software program produces this error message?

Here are some ways people have tried to bolster their spirits to find peace, feel good and create success. You’ve probably used some of these well-worn strategies, too, only to find you’re basically in the same place you started.

Do any of these fixes sound familiar?

• Trying to control situations or others and getting upset or anxious when it doesn’t work. Trying to control means you feel out of control. You can feel frustrated if things don’t go the way you think they should. After a while, you can give up and might go into depression because this fix has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
• Wanting others’ approval by people pleasing; looking for self-worth by rescuing others; holding yourself back because of what others might think; or stuffing your emotions and desires. Dream big? Forget it. Too risky.
• Feeling insecure because you don’t have enough love, money, health, respect, direction, time, contacts, etc. Playing it safe seems like a good reason to hold yourself back, but you can end up unfulfilled where even you get bored with yourself.
• Feeling bad about you, what you’ve accomplished, what you’re doing and your future prospects. Oh, what’s the use of trying. Bingo – you’re chasing your tail and going nowhere.
• Playing the victim so others feel sorry for you even though you sincerely express you don’t want them to and you’re not a victim… but silently craving that someone will make all your problems go away.

What’s a key to break free?

Breaking free is an inside job. Nobody can save you but you. Begin by changing your perspective.

You’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places.

Shift your focus to what you have instead of what you don’t have.

Instead of the agonizing feeling of wanting what you don’t have, recognize the feelings of love, safety and fulfillment you long for are already within you.

You can’t move a car forward and backwards at the same time without spinning in circles.

Likewise, you can’t have and want at the same time.

When you shift your focus to what you have, you’ll discover you are more than enough.

When your energy aligns with this feeling, you can write your ticket to success.

Shift happens!

Feeling you’re not enough is simply a habit.

To help you shift gears, write daily 10-15 things you’re grateful for.

Shifting takes practice, but you’re more than capable of changing your perspective.

Invest a few minutes daily to focus on how things are working out for you.  

Size doesn’t matter – got out of bed, conquered fear of calling a client, landed a promotion. Any acknowledgement will help you change your habit so you feel better about you as you rewrite the trash talk that goes on in your head.

Change your energy, change your life.

Bring on your dreams, and dream BIGGER!

TIP: Quotes To Inspire You To Live Your Dreams

In your teens, life is in front of you. You feel that you have all the time in the world with infinite possibilities. As you get older, time and potential carry a different meaning.

Recently at a party, I listened to several people’s life stories. In retrospect, they shared how they spent their years while inhabiting planet earth.  There were times devoted to their professions, characters met along the way, and relationships/sagas with family and friends.

Currently, all of them were following an inner impulse, even though they didn’t know how or where it would lead them. One didn’t relate to “retirement” and took action on a marketing idea. A mom decided to get out and socialize with new people. Another creatively discovered solutions to projects.

What about you? Whatever you’re experiencing now is both an all-encompassing, attention grabber for you as well as part of your book of life that you’re writing.

In this moment, you’re literally writing this chapter. Its foundation is built upon your vision as well as how you interpret what you’re seeing, the emotions you feel, and actions you take.

The great news is that you can complete this chapter and design the next any way you choose. There are key elements to have your results match your intention which include:

• Believe in yourself
• Surround yourself with supportive people
• Get clear on what you choose – your dream and direction
• Stop trying to figure everything out in your head first
• Let go of limiting beliefs
• Take a calculated risk on you and your dreams
• Create a momentum of energy through action

Virginia’s TIP: Quotes To Inspire You To Live Your Dreams

It’s never too late to fulfill your cherished desires. Your journey and destination may look differently from what you thought. However, you have a dream in your heart for a reason. Following are quotes to help you live your dreams:

“If you ask the ‘how’ question before the ‘what’ question, all you can ever hope to create are variations of what you already have.” —Robert Fritz

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” –e. e. Cummings

“Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” –Mark Twain

“You can’t outwit fate by trying to stand on the sidelines and place little side bets about the outcome of life. Either you wade in and risk everything to play the game, or you don’t play at all. And if you don’t play, you can’t win.” –Judith McNaught

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” –Steve Jobs

“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.” –Oprah Winfrey

“Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one’s better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk, and to act.” –Maxwell Maltz

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” –Michael Jordan

“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.” –Cadet maxim

“We are condemned to live out what we cannot imagine.” — Thomas Moore in Care of the Soul

“Life is a ‘choose your own ending’ book- you can take whatever adventures you want.” — Erika Towles, Age 12

How do you choose this chapter of your book to end? Go for it!