Gone but hopefully not forgotten

Hey all!

Yes I’ve been MIA a while. With my father being very sick (I was out of the country to see him) and some projects I’m working on, I regret to say Lifestyle Divine has been neglected. But no worries. I will be posting again very soon and also hope to introduce you guys to some interesting things I’ve been working on.

But enough about me? What have you all been up to? Judging by your Facebook pages you guys seem to have some great projects going on. Feel free to share here. The more people you expose to your projects the more successful you’re likely to be.

5 Keys To Reprogramming Your Thoughts

Ok Internet, this is a long one…but well worth the read, promise. Besides, it’s been a while so I owe you

I was driving home yesterday and drove by a neighborhood that I’ve seen a million times but for some reason today I noticed it.  I noticed all of the debris outside of the complex. What could be a very decent town home complex was littered with filth everywhere. Even peoples patio/deck areas – their own personal “home” space. Why? There seems to be an attitude of indifference that is prevalent with poverty. You have to wonder:  does the poverty create the attitude and thinking or does the attitude and thinking create the poverty. Another way to say it is: does lack cause one to act different to their environment or does indifference to the environment (the thought/attitude) cause the lack?

Chicken or egg? Did the thought create the situation or the situation create the thought?

It’s been said time and time again that when you change your thought s you will change your life.

The bible says, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is” and again when healing the sick Jesus would continually ask “Do you believe….? According to your faith, so let it be onto you” Not religious? That’s ok, let’s talk about the self fulfilling prophecy or the Law of attraction. No matter how you slice and dice it or what you want to name it the reality is we have created the life we have because of our thoughts.

The process goes something like this:

Core Beliefs

Your core beliefs about life, money, etc., what you’ve been feed and consumed your whole life, is what leads to your thoughts…

Thoughts

Your thoughts, affect your feelings and how you perceive life, the world and situations. If you have feelings of unworthiness, when certain situations arise that another person may accept gladly you may consciously decline or unconsciously sabotage the opportunity because you feel unworthy and then feel like nothing goes our way and perceive life as unfair.

Feelings & Perception

Your feelings and perceptions cause you to take or not take certain actions. So, if you perceive the world to be unfair. If you feel being rich is being greedy, your are going to take actions alignment with that.

Actions

Your actions, produce results.

Results

Get it?

Now personally I don’t believe that things are just simply attracted to you when you say or think certain things (not ALL of the times, not uniformly). I don’t think it’s always so mystical. I believe that because in our hearts we truly believe these things we have programmed in our minds we start to then do things that support our beliefs and it is those actions that create the reality we see.

I used to always say “I’m broke”, so guess what? I would spend money I didn’t have and do other destructive things to ensure I was broke. I was always tired but I was always telling myself “I’m so tired” and eating energy sucking foods, staying up till ungodly hours not getting enough sleep, not drinking enough water etc. I created these results.

Once I changed my words and my mind I got better results. Now, when I tell myself “I am full of energy and vitality”, it prompts me in a weird way to do something like grab a bottle of water, plan my next juicing recipe etc. My actions start to change because of what I now believe. Even my physiology changes, I instantly change my body language. I sit up and feel more energized. Because I truly believe I am full of energy. I’ve programmed myself to.  I’m still working on truly believing, to my core, that I can be rich, abundantly wealthy (I’m not perfect, but I’m in perfect process ).

When we change our thoughts by changing our words, and truly believing them (faith) our actions will align to create a new reality.

How do you change how and what you think? Total reprogramming.

You’ve spent X number of years believing what you do, it’s going to take a full upheaval and some time to change it but the trade of is the life you’ve always wanted, joy and fulfillment.

1. Start by asking what are the sources that have feed into me throughout my life? Write down your answers. Don’t just mull them in your mind, write them down. Trust me on this. Now that you’ve analyzed this and you’ve written them down, you need to change them, now.
2. Change who occupies your time, surround yourself with people who speak life into you. People who are supportive and are at a place in their life you are aspiring to. Completely remove yourself from all negative people.  I’m sure you love your family, I know I do. But they have feed into who you are right now (and vise versa) and while I’m sure you are just an amazing person, you’re trying to make some changes right now and you will need to create space there. Once you have transformed yourself you will only be stronger to feed positive things into them.
3. Change what you are listening to: the music and TV programs. Your best bet is to just turn the TV off all together but if you can’t part with it, skip the news and drama filled life suckers like “The Hills”, “True Blood” etc. Music is a very powerful thing. Most times, times consciously or unconsciously, songs resonate in your head. How many times have you said “I can’t get that song out of my head”. If something is going to be running through your head that much you might want to make it more productive to your bottom line. Listen to self help audio books. Record your mission statement on your mp3 and listen to that.
4. Change what you feed your mind. What kind of books are you reading? Skip the newspaper. It’s all bad news and if anything BIG is happening in the world everyone will be talking about it so you won’t miss a beat. Only read what is edifying and filling you with info that when you sit back and think about what you’ve read, the thoughts would be beneficial to your bottom line.  Read self help books, books on money (becoming  a millionaire), books on the business you want to start or the goal you want to attain.
5. Change your words. Your audible words. This means, you literally need to open your mouth and say better things, to others and to yourself. Use affirmations and your mission statement . I find sometimes my mission statement just runs through my mind.

Initially your mind may wander back to those thoughts of lack. Don’t beat up on yourself, just take notice of it, be aware when it happens and immediately begin filling your mind with the thoughts that will change your life. Say your mission statement, on repeat. Start working on reprogramming the non-productive, sabotaging thoughts that plague you now.

Change your thoughts and you WILL change your life!

I need your input…

Hey Internet,

As you may have noticed I haven’t written in a few days. Call it writers block, lack of inspiration or distraction. My thoughts as of late have been somewhat random. I’ve been torn between where I should place my focus. You see, I’m not sure if I told you this, but I’m moving to Jamaica. So, I’m torn between, do I focus on the move or this personal development plan. Oops, again not sure if I told you but I’m on a journey that will run approx 1 year to tackle certain areas of my life. Each area gets a 40 day focus (there is significance in 40 days). Now, without working on completely transforming myself and my life the move to Jamaica may be jeopardized. Hence the need for the PD. However I’m SO excited about this move and feel like if I don’t keep it, the “prize” so to speak fresh in my mind, I could loose focus on why I’m doing what I’m doing and lose my motivation.

So this is where you come in internet. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, this site is not just about me (even though NONE of y’all said anything to me yet) so what I’m asking internet is for our insight. Yes, I am praying and meditating to seek clarity. But I’d also like to know what you think and how you may have deal with something similar.

Aligning Your Goals and Actions

“Tell me who I have to be, to gain some reciprocity” – Lauryn Hill, one of the best of our time (and I won’t take any argument on that internet!)

Recently I started to re-read Debrena Jackson Gandy’s – All the Joy you Can Stand. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, GET THIS BOOK! It will no doubt have a profound effect on your life in your journey through Personal Development.  One of the points in the book that has always really stuck out to me is in point# 8. In this particular section she is discussing putting our energy and life source toward what brings us Joy.  Aligning our actions with your joy givers by asking “who do I have to be in order to attract and create these types experience and relationships”

The first time I read it I took a few hours and really stopped to analyze my life and dig deep to find what TRULY brings me joy.

So Internet, what brings you joy? We all have surface answers. The answers that seem like the right thing to say or that your mind has told us but dig to your spirit. That’s where the answer lies.

Now let’s be clear, joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is fleeting, temporal. It’s a surface level emotion. Joy is a deeper feeling unstoppable and unshakable. Makes you smile, when everything around you says you should be down. Joy emanates from God given and is deep within your spirit. So Internet, what REALLY brings you joy?

• What type of marriage or love relationship brings me joy?
• What type of man or partner brings me joy?
• What type of relationship with your kids brings you joy?
• What type of financial situation brings me joy?
• What type of relationship with my family (mom, dad, siblings) brings me joy?
• What type of friendships, interactions, associations brings me joy?
• What type of career and use of my natural gifts, talents and abilities brings me joy?
• What use of your days and time brings me joy?

If you don’t have kids or a husband or any of the other line items yet but anticipate this in your future, answer these questions anyhow. Start thinking about these relationships and experiences now.

Now ask, who do I have to be t have this? Your desires have to align with your actions and who you are. For example, you can’t say you want successful, loyal, fun friendships but you’re a broke, negative back-biter. You get it? Shanel Cooper Sykes covers this in her video, All Men Are Dogs. Many women want a certain man but fail to look at what they are bringing to the table.  You have to give what you want to have. This was a huge eye opener for me. In answering the question, who do I have to be to have this; I continually came up with exactly what I was seeking as my answer. Interesting huh? Remember that like attracts like and the very thing we put out is what we get so if we want to change what we get we have to put something different out and that something different is, again, the very thing we want to attract. Like attracts like.

So once you’ve searched your heart and truly determined your heart’s desire and what brings you joys in each area of your life analyze who you have to be to have it. Don’t let this be a onetime occurrence though. Check in on this regularly to ensure you are walking in alignment.

Now internet, I have been writing these articles for a while now and Mr. Google Analytics tells me your reading but I see NO comments. I’m sharing my journey, thoughts and discoveries with you so “tell me who I have to be, to gain some reciprocity?” LOL..I had to   But for real though…say something!

10 Steps to an Inviting, Cozy, Sexy Home

Ever wonder when you walk into some people’s homes and it just has that vibe that inviting coziness or even sexy feeling, how the heck they do it? Well Internet, Lifestyle Divine is here 

Here are some simple steps to creating an inviting, cozy, harmonious and yes, even sexy home.

1 – CLEAN UP

This seems like stating the obvious but it must be said. No fingers pointed but some of you have some very unclean homes. I’m talking about tidy, I mean CLEAN. Get behind that desk that hasn’t been moved in years and clean out the dust and dirt. Mop the floors. Clean all of the places you don’t normally see as well. Get in there and do the work. This is clearing the air. Try to use environmentally friendly/green products. They are so common place now they really don’t cost much more than the standard brands and the leave you with a cleaner air and not one where everyone eyes are watering and they are gagging. Not so sexy.

2 – CLEAN OUT

As your cleaning up, lean out. Remove ALL clutter. This is a vital step in creating harmony in your home.

Cutter creates tension. You may not be entirely conscious of this because you used to the clutter but once you clear the space your entire body will relax from the release. Clear off side tables and coffee tables. They should only contain any or all of the following: a lighting source, a book, a vase of flowers. Clear out every area of your home. In general, if you haven’t used it, looked for it, wondered “where did I put that…” in the last year, dare I say 6 months, toss it! This includes old clothes, magazines, food, toiletries, and even furniture. If that old comfy chair that only you appreciates is cluttering the space, out it goes. The great thing is if the clothes and furniture are in good order there are local charities always looking for things so they won’t go to waste.

Let it go and breathe

3 – OPEN THE WINDOWS

Yes, breathe FRESH air that is. If you’re in a four season country and its winter you can still crack the windows a bit. If its summer where you live, open those windows wide and let the fresh air in. You’d be amazed and how the gentle flow of breeze coming in your home actually adds life to it.

Now that you’ve cleaned up and cleared out and your windows are open letting the fresh air in stop and take a moment to just feel the difference. Amazing isn’t it?

4 – THE LAYOUT

This article isn’t about Feng Shui but I will use one or two points from it. Feng Shui is a very complex science and one that I won’t pretend to be an expert at but I will cover arranging your furniture for harmonious flow of energy and life. In Feng Shui there is a very specific way your furniture should be laid out.

In your living room, make sure your back is not to the entry. Move the couch and chairs around so that you can clearly see the entry and the window from where you are sitting. The logic is that when you cannot see these areas your mind will automatically not be focused and therefore you will not be relaxed.

If the layout of the home is one where this is not possible invest in a beautiful mirror and place it in the right spot to allow you to see these areas form the couch ad chairs

In your bedroom, the same applies. You must be able to see the doorway when lying in bed.

5 – GET THE ENERGY FLOWING IN YOUR BEDROOM
For the bedroom, we’ll apply a bit of Feng Shui again. If you are like most of the people, you probably have at least one alarm clock, TV, stereo and even a computer in your bedroom. What about the under the bed clutter? Remember I asked you to remove clutter? Did you move it to under the bed or did you simply ignore under the bed? This was a challenge for me when I de-cluttered. My home doesn’t have much storage space and even after clearing out bags of old clothes I was still left with a very small amount to store because of the many seasons where live. I figured one of those under the bed storage containers would be fine, after all, it’s for” under the bed”. Well, it’s actually not so good. If you’re trying to create that harmonious space where things just flow this is a hindrance as energy is unable to flow freely in a bedroom with clutter under your bed and electronics all around. This type of bedroom is actually unable to support a good night sleep, and to promote health and happiness. Relationship wise? It is even worse. Of course there are solutions. Start removing as many electronics as you possibly can; place the ones you must keep, far away from your head. If it’s SO painful to remove the TV, cover it with a decorative fabric. Make sure is placed against a solid wall. According to Feng Shui, you are to also avoid water elements and mirrors. This is up to you. Again, this article isn’t about Feng Shui, I’m simply using small elements of it here and there. I think mirrors in the bedroom are, required .

Ensure all of the fabrics touching your skin are soft and cozy and your pillows are plush. Buy the best sheets and pillows you can afford. Use a scented linen spray or your favorite perfume and iron your sheets, nothing fancy, just a quick once over.

6 – BRING IN LIFE
Fresh flowers add so much to a home. Keep fresh flowers on the table and in the front hall. One flower stem in a bud vase in the powder room is all it takes. Also at the kitchen table your desk and the coffee table would benefit from a simple arrangement of fresh flowers. You don’t need a full bouquet for each. One standard bouquet can split into two. When that special someone sees you like fresh flowers as well, he may get the hint and start buying them for you. Men actually like buying flowers for women, they just don’t do it because they thing we don’t appreciate because it’s too simple. Then we get annoyed that he doesn’t remember the simple things. Misunderstanding of the genders I call it! Sometimes men need to be guided, show him that the simple things matter too.

7 – SERENADE YOUR HOME

This is a HUGE part of having an inviting atmosphere. Play soft music on low, ALWAYS. Yes when you leave home, leave the music on low. When you walk through the door after a long day of work the sounds will be so inviting and instantly begin to relax you. When you keep the music on, the energy infuses into your home. Guest will love the vibe. Be careful you’re not playing break up slow jams as you are setting energy here. Just because its slow and melodic, doesn’t mean it’s good energy. Skip Chante Moore’s “Bitter” and go for her “Love’s Taken Over” instead. Keep the music always on, switch it up as you see fit but just let it play.

8 – THE COMFORT DETAILS

Adjust the sounds, reduce noises, lighting. Make your place as comfortable as possible. Close that bathroom door and the toilet lid, oil squeaky doors. Keep the space clean and clutter free. Burn lavender essential oil for a restful sleep. If you didn’t have the will power to remove the TV, while in the bedroom, focus on your partner or a favorite book, instead of the TV. Keep fresh, soft linens in the bathrooms and make sure it’s clear of clutter from product bottles. Look at what hotels do to create comfort.

9 – THE SEXY DETAILS

Add a few candles for soft lighting, put all light fixtures and lamps on dimmers and if possible, change your bulbs to the most flattering shades.  Use soft luxurious fabrics if possible (they last longer anyhow). Have a sexy scent wafting through the air. You can actually use your old Glade Plug In scent bottles with your own favorite perfume or cologne. Here’s an article on how to do it:  http://www.ehow.com/how_5012011_make-house-smell-sexy.html

10 – Relax and enjoy! A harmonious, sexy and inviting space is not only great for when you have guests but more importantly it’s essential for your spirit. It relaxes you and helps you focus on you.

Hope this helped. If you have any other suggestions or tips on what you’ve tried, let me know!

Did I Offend You?

I’ve been dealing with the issue of offence lately. I find I’m allowing myself to get offended by people and the effect has not been very productive to this process of development. So, as a person committed to growth and development, I sought an answer, tools and tips to better myself in this area and I’m sharing my learning’s with you.

Offence is something people rarely look at as an issue to personal development, about that is because we use there isn’t much understanding of what it is and we tend to address the results of offence instead of offence itself. Offence is often the starting point of many of our negative emotions. Offence is manifested in or displayed through: hurt, anger, bitterness

When we allow offence to permeate our spirits we put up an automatic wall to blessings and open the side door to anger, hurt, disappointment.  All of which create a muddy environment for you to really see clearly and act consciously.  When you allow offence to take hold you essentially give away some of your power. You have allowed a person’s actions or in-actions, however real or perceived they may be, to shift your spirit into a different state. A state of being that is not conducive to your path of personal development and growth.  You are now a victim and victimisis (new word ) is cancerous.  This state of being keeps you from growing and renewing. When Tom did that thing that just ticked you off and now you gotta tell this person and that person. You have not stopped the forward movement and are stagnating and stewing.

Often times our offence is based on assumption and perception of people’s actions, in-actions or words. Now, some say perception is reality but that’s not entirely the case. YOUR Perception may be YOUR reality and a skewed reality but not reality in and of itself. For example, and this is a very simplistic example, but say you tell someone something very important and they just don’t respond. You’ve verbally expressed something or sent an email and they say nothing. You can get upset and offended because they don’t care, they are ignoring you OR you can ask “what else could this mean?” Could they maybe not have received the message (didn’t hear, didn’t see email etc)? There could be a whole variety of reasons, so why jump to the worst one?  Your perception and your reality is that you are feeling ignored but the reality may be they didn’t get the message. My challenge to you and myself is, when someone does something and offence threatens to creep up, stop and ask, “What else could this mean?” before jumping to the worst and allowing offence to set in and get to the truth of the matter.

Offence also puts a divide between you and the person and when the offence is based on an unproven perception, this can have adverse affects that you may regret.  I’ll leave you to think about that one.

So what about when the worst possibility is in fact the truth/reality? However they meant not malicious intent by it? A philosophy I adopted a while ago in my life is when you see how people are, accept it and just treat them accordingly. So, let’s say Jane can’t keep her mouth shut. You tell her something and she will without a doubt tell someone else. Not out of malicious intent. Jane just can’t keep her mouth shut. Now, Jane is an adult, she is who she is and you are not going to change her.  As Maya Angelou said, “when people tell you who they are – believe them”.  So just accept Jane for who she is and treat her accordingly. Simply put, just don’t tell Jane your business.  You can loan Jane money because she‘s great at paying it back. You can do all kinds of other things with Jane but don’t tell her your business. She has not developed a capacity in this area of her life. Keep her at an arm’s length, let her be who she is, but don’t get offended by who she is.

But what about when the worst possibility is in fact the truth/reality AND that person did in fact mean to do the malicious, hurtful act or those words were in fact intended in the way you received it?  Cut them off and move on. Lighten your load and you’ll be the better for it.

How you handle offenses matters. When you are going to a new level you will experience the phenomenon of Higher Levels/Higher Devils, the more you grow the bigger the potentials issues. Being able to effectively deal with things at the level you are at allows you to grow to the next level and builds a foundation for dealing with the issues at the next level.

So who has offended you? When you practice asking “what else could this mean?” and allowing people to be who they are and just treating them accordingly, you’ll open yourself up to the humanity of people and gain compassion. Another notch in your personal development tool belt!

Again this site is not just about me. Share some of your thoughts on dealing with offence.

How to Be a Positive Deviant

I recently came across a term that has really caught my interest. Positive Deviance. It almost sounds like an oxy-moron since in our society the “deviance” or being a “deviant” has rarely carried a “positive” connotation. So what the heck is positive deviance? According to Wikipedia, Positive Deviance (PD) is:

“an approach to personal, organizational and cultural change based on the idea that every community or group of people performing a similar function has certain individuals (the “Positive Deviants”) whose special attitudes, practices/ strategies/ behaviors enable them to function more effectively than others with the exact same resources and conditions.”

That’s a mouth full! Essentially its someone who, under the same circumstances, with the same tools and resources and everyone else around them, creates a positive change. It’s to deviate from the pack but the deviation is a positive one, thus creating a better life/situation – a better lifestyle

Hmm? Are you a positive deviant?

Maybe you’re on your way. After all, the process by which one becomes a positive deviate is through personal development and lifestyle design. You literally design and create a new situation, a new life.

The term, positive deviance, has been attributed to the health science arena but I think it relevantly applies to personal development and lifestyle design as well.

From a personal development aspect, here are some tips on how to become a positive deviant (should you dare carry the title)

1. Change your mind. That’s it. DECIDE to be different, decide to be better. Decide you deserve more. Changing your mindset is a topic that requires a full post of its own so we’ll go into more detail on it later. But basicsally you have to change your mind and make a decision. I had no dang clue how to build a blog/website, how to design it, how to monetize, how to build traffic. But I DECIDED I was going to do it and took relevant instant action t make it happen
2. Take an inventory of your past. What consistent issue do you see? What results have you been getting?  Remember the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Make a list of all of the old behaviors, habits activities that have been giving you negative results and next to it the new behaviors, habits and attitudes required to achieve the desired results. To paraphrase Debrena Jackson Gandy in All the Joy You Can Stand, ask yourself, who do I have to be to have these things (READ this book, it will change your life. It’s available in Products & Resources). Nothing in your life will change, until you change.
3. Seek out deviants (of the positive nature). Find a mentor, life coach, someone who has been there and has the goods to show for it.  Identify four to six people who have achieved an unexpected good outcome despite high risk and circumstances. My life completely changed when I encountered life coach/mentor extraordinaire, Shanel Cooper Sykes.
4. Interview and observe these people to discover uncommon behaviors or enabling factors that could explain the good outcome. Have you read Secrets of The Millionaire Mind, or Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Successful people literally act and think differently. Identify these.
5. Design behavior change activities to encourage change and the new you. Take some Action, based on what you’ve seen and learnt. You can know all of the right things to do and say, but if you don’t do and say them…….I’ll leave the conclusion up to you
6. Monitor implementation and evaluate the results. Remember, Failure Is Impossible, you either succeed or you learn something to make your net step a better one. As you are implementing these new habits and life changes, stop ever so often and analyze if it’s working. If not readjust and keep going. Schedule this “check in”.

When you decide to step out of what you know, what you grew up in, what you were taught – you’re in a process of personal development and morphing into a deviant, a positive deviant.

Develop those special attitudes, practices, strategies and behaviors that will enable you to function more effectively and, dare I say again, break away from the pack.

Are you a positive deviant?

How To Develop A Personal Mission Statement

A personal mission state is a very powerful tool in the process of creating a divine lifestyle. Its your road map to success.

I was first introduced to the idea of having a personal mission statement when I joined Shanel Cooper Sykes, Shanel’s Classroom, a life coach and empowerment tool. One of the first tasks you have before starting class is to set up a personal mission statement.

What is a Personal Mission Statement

When you think about it, every successful business has a mission statement. A mission statement is designed to provide direction to business, a statement of purpose. A mission statement explains the company’s reason for being. A personal mission statement is seeks to accomplish the same. Writing a personal mission statement offers the opportunity to establish what’s important and serves as road map. It articulates the answer to the question, what is my reason for being. A personal mission statement must be flexible. As you go through life and learn and grow you will need to adjust the statement accordingly.

How to Create It

So how do you create a personal mission statement? Here a few introspective questions covering all areas of your life, to get you started.

• What do you ultimately want for your life?
• What do you want your spirituality to be like?
• How much money to you want?
• How will you get that money?
• What do you want to do with your life? Read 1o Steps To Finding Your Passion and Purpose
• What do you want your relationships to be like?
• Are you married, do you want to get married?
• How about kids?
• Do you have a physical, health or weight goal?,
• How amount your social life? What should that look lke?
• An of course stuff? What do you want? What kind of house, car etc
• Now ask Why? Why do you t these things?

Now your statement doesn’t have t cover all of these areas, in fact maybe it shouldn’t because the more focused it is the more effective. These questions are just to get your juices flowing.

No Negativity

Don’t but any negative statements in your mission statement, like I will not, I don’t want. Based on the Law of Attraction, this action just brings that same thing to you. What you focus on expands. For a biblical reference look at Job, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me”. Don’t focus on the negative. Instead, if that line item in crucial to your personal mission statement, turn that negative statement into a positive. Instead of “I will not make random purchases”, say “I will make responsible decisions with my financial resources.”

Repetition

Once you’ve created your statement you need to get it into your very soul Write it out on a cue card or paper no smaller than 5 x 9. Post it somewhere you can see it. Say it repeatedly and memorize it. Some key times to say it are just before you get out of bed and just before you go to sleep, But say it throughout the day as well. What I did is create an event called “Check In” in my Blackberry. In the notes area I typed out my whole statement. Then I set it to go off at four hours intervals every day. So every day, every four hours I check in with myself and say my statement. It anchors me and keeps me focused on task. Say it often until you have it memorized.

You Have To Believe It

As you say your statement, pay close attention to your body. Read Changing Your State of Being can Change Your Life. Adjust your body into a position of excitement and power. Don’t just say it, proclaim it with passion. This is not just anything; this is your PERSONAL mission statement, your road map. Get excited. Believe it to your core. Feel each line item as you proclaim it to the universe and watch it respond.

The Power of a Personal Mission Statement

I can definitely attest that a personal mission statement is a vital piece in the process of transforming your life. As I mentioned earlier, when I first created my mission statement I set it in my blackberry to go off at four hour intervals. In my statement I was claiming a certain amount of money. I was in a very unhappy environment at the time and long story short, I quit my job. I actually just walked out and said I’m not coming back! How’s that for “bold”?! Well sitting in my car was sitting in my car trying to figure out what to do now, I received a phone call. I was offered a job making the exact amount I was claiming in my mission. What makes this extraordinary is the fact that the amount was much more than I had ever earned and ever expected from this job when I went for the interview. I stretched my limits and reached for more and got it. Of course, now the gloves where off and I was ready to stretch myself BEYOND. I accepted the job (as a “for now”) and quickly updated my mission statement!

Here is a cool tool I found online  Mission Statement Builder although I think you get a better product when you follow the steps I’ve outlined

Live on PURPOSE!

10 Steps to Putting Your Passion into Money Making Action

Having your own stream of revenue, employing your passion, especially through and online business like a blog is hard work but it’s so worth it. The pay off in the end is that you’ll have something that will transform your life in so many ways, will give you that reason to jump out of bed every morning with excitement for what the day has to offer.

Building an online business doesn’t happen overnight. This could take months but if you’re walking in your purpose and having fun, that’s what’s most important and getting paid for your passion, golden!

So let’s dive in! There are many ways you can turn your passion and purpose into a money making vehicle but here I will focus on setting up a money making blog. Let me start by saying, I’m no pro at this. I encourage you to seek out other resources. A GREAT place to start is with Darren Rowse’ ProBlogger site. Darren is amazing and his site is filled with info to help you in every way.

As a side note, if you’ve discovered photography as your passion, Darren also has a site called Digital Photography School which I would argue is the best online photog learning centre hands down!

Anyhoo…let’s make it happen!

Step 1.

Read 10 steps to Finding Your Passion and Purpose. You gotta name it before you can claim it.

Step 2 : Identify Your IDEAL Target market. Who are you going to be selling your product or service to? Male? Female? What are their interests? Do they have the resources to pay for what you have to offers? What would be their price point based on their income? What is their income range? You get the gist?

Step 3.

Develop your NICHE - You know your passion now you need your niche. According to Wikipedia, a niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs. Based on this your next step is to dig deep into that passion you’ve uncovered and find a specific market. When you were on the forums and blogs did you notice a missing area/topic/need? What were they talking about? What where they complaining about?

Step 4

You have to research the demand. So now you have an idea on the niche you want to target, there seems to be a demand. But is there enough demand?

a) Go to Amazon.com. If there is a magazine published targeting that market, there is a need and a want for what you do. Go the larger book store and look at the magazines. Look at the ads at the back, what are they offering? If possible order back issues and see who the repeat advertisers are. There is a reason they keep advertising there.

b) Go to Dummies.com, is there a dummies book for the market. This could be an indication that there is a desire/need.

c)Go to Meetup.com and do some investigating. See how many people are joining specific groups, join and observe the potential holes you could fill with a product or service

d) Go to clickbank.com. ClickBank is the largest affiliate marketplace on the internet. You can sign up with them and choose products to be an affiliate sales person for – So sell other peoples products and make money doing it. Go to Clickbank and sign up for free. How well are products in your niche selling? If there isn’t much going on, you might need to rethink your niche.
d) Do keyword research. Are people looking for your niche online? There are various keyword research tools on the market such as Market Samurai. Alternatively you could do your own research. Start by going to GOOGLE (not Yahoo or MSN) and typing in your keywords in quotes. The results on the left hand side, are organic listings, what naturally comes up. On the right you will see paid or sponsored listings. If these two columns are full, than you know people are searching for what you have to offer. This is a very loose method and I would suggest using Market Samurai or something similar to get more detailed data on determining you’re your best keywords would be and provide the relevant data on said keywords and SEO Competition.

Step 5: What is your branding? How do you want to present yourself? Your site? What colours, words phrases are in line with the decided niche? Picture how you want this final product to look and what you want it to say. Remember it needs to inspire people to pull out their credits cards and pay for your product, service or information.

Step 6: Register a Domain Name Think of something catchy, not too long, but describes what you do and who you are. Try to keep your main keyword in your name as well and be sure to reserve a dot com. If the name you want is gone for dot com but available in dot net, I encourage you to find another variation in dot com. Dome hosts do domain name registration as well. It may be worth while to keep everything in the same place.

Step 7: Get a hosting company. I suggest Bluehost. That’s who I use and it’s been great. Full service, you get one free domain name registration, unlimited hosting, email etc. What’s even better is the seamless setup and integration on Word Press. Love it!

Step 8. Set up your blog: The best place and only place I personally recommend for a money making blogsite is www.wordpress.org. Now when I did this I was VERY confused. I went to blue host they asked me to upload my blog, but I couldn’t really get a blog (with WordPress) till I had a host! It was actually a very simply process I just allowed my frustration to blind me. So now you can learn from my mistakes.

1. Go to your Bluehost CPanel
2. Scroll down and click on Simple Scripts
3. Scroll down. Under blogs, click on WordPress
4. Click green Install button
5. Where it says “Where would you like WordPress installed?” pick the drop down and select your domain
6. Click on Advanced Options and give your blog a name and choose your password for logging in to your blog to do posts, design changes etc.
7. Accept the Terms and click Complete
8. You will get a page with our Admin log in info. You will also receive and email. It will likely be something like this www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin
9. Now you can log into your WordPress domain which is being hosted by Blue host and post, design etc

Step 9. Designing your blog. There are thousands of templates for WordPress out there, some free, some not. You can even hire someone to design a completely new one for you. I’ve read for optimization (Google ranks you) reasons, the free templates are not the way to go. Something else to consider when designing your blog in ensuring the layout is ideal for monetizing the site, that a whole other post!

If you like my site I have a variety of base style I can customize for you. Drop me a message here or visit me at Style Sheet Diva

One last point to consider, remember step 5? Ensure our design and layout and I key with your branding and what your target and Niche would want.

Step 10: Build your content. Now you have your blog, your hosted, you know your niche which is in-line with your passion. What are you going to say, do, offer? Utilize the research you’ve done to create top notch content that brings in people and convinces then to stay, buy, and tell others.

Coming Soon:

• Monetize and Optimize your blog
• Selling an eBook

Resources:
For Domain Name Registry and Hosting, visit BlueHost:

ForWordpress Themes: Click here to visit StudioPress.

The Challenge (previously The 30 Day Challenge) Free step by step guide to setting up your blog

Live on PURPOSE!

10 Steps to Finding Your Passion and Purpose

Warning: This isn’t going to be easy. It will require a lot of reflection and soul-searching. You may get to points where you feel uncomfortable, upset or overwhelmed. You’ll need a lot of courage and a lot of commitment. But what you’ll get is clarity and direction. When you have clarity of your passion and purpose you have a reason to jump out of bed in the morning, excited about what the day holds.

Now get comfy, this takes some time but the pay-off while serve you a lifetime.

The first few steps are self discovery questions because really, the answer lies within you, no one else. Let’s get started!

1.  Get Clear

Before you delve into this process you must clear your min and still your spirit. Take a few minutes meditate before you follow these steps. Clear your heart and mind of heart, day-to-day stresses, fears and confusions.

2. What are you good at?

Identify your gifts, talents and abilities. Think back on your life and answer the following questions:

• What some things that you have displayed a natural ability to do or gift at? Maybe writing, talking to people (public or one-on-one)
• What are some things people have always said you’re so good at?
• What do you excel at above the “average” person?
• What are your strengths?
• What interest’s hobbies do you have that sets me apart?
• What gifts do you have to share that others will rave about?
• When you go into a book store, what section do you gravitate toward? Why?
• If money were NO object, what would you definitely be doing right now? Why?

Take at least 30 minutes, go through each question and write the answers down. Don’t try to think it through or keep it in your head, write it down. As you go through, analyze every area of your life for hints. Be sure to answer the “why” as well. Sometimes the answer actually lies in the “why”.

3. What gets your mojo going?

What excites you? What gives you butterflies and brings you joy? Not just now but in the past and in all areas of your life, work and play. Ask yourself:

• What would make me want to just out of bed with excitement in the mornings
• What did I dream of becoming when I was younger?
• If money were no object, what would I want to do with my days?
• What are you doing when you completely lose all sense of time?
• What do get excited learning about?
• What would you PAY to be able to do?
• What do you get excited talking about? Is there that thing that you just get so passionate talking about and your friends and family start running for cover when you get on that roll?

It could be something you haven’t done in awhile and the moment you think of it right now you’ll get butterflies in your stomach. Take at least 15 to do this exercise. Remember, write it down.

4. What are the breadcrumbs?

Throughout our lives there are breadcrumbs, clues being left that are trying to guide us toward our purpose. But life and all of its happenings distract us. Not today. Take a few minutes. And think back, what are those nudges you’ve received in your spirit? It’s usually the thing that you’re afraid of. I say this because, like Jonah, we tend to run from our purpose.

• Maybe it’s something you did so well (and you never thought you could do it at all) that it overwhelmed you and you just avoided doing it again (fear)?

• Maybe its clues in the way of opportunities that keep coming your way but you keep pushing it aside because you don’t have confidence you can do it (fear)?

What are the breadcrumbs? What are you afraid of, why?

5. Read between the lines

Look at the list you have. The things you’re gifted with, the things you’re good at (abilities) and the things that you enjoy. Is there a theme or a way to incorporate them into one idea?  For example, maybe your gift is writing, you’re good at computers and you enjoy travel. Sounds like a potential travel writer. Analyze this a bit.

6. Uproot your fears

Is it fear of failure or fear of success? I think within all of us, it’s a combination of both.

To banish your fear you need to first face it, acknowledge it. Don’t call it anything else, don’t make excuses or talk circles around it, you’re afraid, and it’s ok. Acknowledge it so we can uproot it. Now, analyze the fear. Is it really rational? Are you going to die if you do this thing? Really ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen if I take this business opportunity and put my gifts, talents and abilities to work?” Is any potential damage irreparable? Probably not. Fear used correctly (to save you from a burning building) is great. Fear used incorrectly (to not act on opportunities) is blocking you from living life to the fullest.

Consider this quote by Marianne Williamson in A Return To Love (available in Products and Resources:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Yes, “who are you not to be?”! Feel the fear and DO IT ANYWAY!

7. Reach out to others

Once you’ve created the list of gifts talents and abilities and things that excite you, theme them together. So essentially, look at everything there and cluster the ones that are the same and just may be expressed differently.

Pick the one that really excites you the most, now, start digging. Read up on it, talk to people who’ve been successful in the field. Participate in the blogs, forums and really get a feel for it. You may start to feel a bit of fear at this point, read the quote from Marianne Williamson above and keep pressing. As your researching, make a list of things you need to learn, need to improve on, skills you want to acquire etc. Go into this full force for a week.

8. Check in. Readjust as required

How do you feel? As you were researching the item, where you excited? Did learning more about this item and talking to people doing it give you joy and butterflies? Are you excited to share this new info and all of the details with our loved ones? If yes, press on! Go to step 10.

9. Rinse and Repeat

If the first list item proves to not be the path, go to the next item on your list. Remember that FOCUS means Follow On Course Until Successful. The goal here is to uncover your passion so you can walk in your purpose. So leaving item one behind is not failure, its readjusting the plan and pressing toward the mark (finding you passion/purpose)

10. Acknowledge and embrace the “ah hah” moments

Once you start this process you will find over the coming days you may have epiphanies or “ah, hah” moments. They come suddenly, and your passion may be revealed through momentous events or moments of quiet awareness as you contemplate changes that never seemed possible. Embrace it and act on it immediately. Grab a pen and paper and let the thoughts flow out. If you don’t it never comes back to you as clearly again.

How to make a living doing it.

Through time and patience.

Turning your passion into a business can look a variety of ways. You can become a consultant, do freelance work, create and online business and sell an ebook, start a blog or a forum. I’ve always said, there are a million ways to make a million dollars, you just have to look at what’s worked and be creative. If you’re interested in starting up a money making blog or some online business based on your passion read Ten Steps to Putting Your Passion into Money Making Action. I’ll warn you again. It isn’t going to be easy but WELL worth it.

Live on PURPOSE!